English Whisky Chapter 6

I have been looking forward to reviewing this bottle for a while. I was initially unsure if this was going to be a gimmick or a genuine contender to start to rival it's Northern neighbours. Clearly it is not possible to compete with some of the aged malts or big hitting distilleries but it gives it a damn good go.

This chapter 6 I have is cask 248 - 252 and is 3 years, 1 month old. It is pale in the glass like Sauternes and bottled at 46%. The nose is grassy, citrus, musty banana sweets and vanilla.

Upon tasting you wouldn't guess its age. It is clean, soft and not harsh. You get honey, oak, slightly spices with oak and citrus. It is pleasantly fruity.

The finish carries this on with a peppery tingle, light spice and smooth.

Water closes the nose slightly at first but then brings out more fruit notes and it softens and mellows beautifully.

Really worth trying. They are doing all the right things so whilst it's not Highland Park 40, it isn't try to be and for the money it is competing with older and better established scotches.

A wonderful fruity Summer dram.

Opened March 27th, 2012 from a 5cl (50ml) sample bottle.

Nose: Custard, vanilla essence, melting moments, ice cream, confectionery, icing sugar. So sweet. Incredible nose. No alcohol bite. Most amazing confectioner's nose. If there's any malt present on the nose it's the sweetened "Horlicks" variety. Soft, refined and fragrant. I'm blown away. With water: Seems to dull the confectionery sweetness a little and introduces some faint earthy, malty aromas.

Taste: A little tingly at first in a very sweet arrival, just as the nose promised. Some soft citrus there, malt sweetness developing, oak spice comes through as does the obvious Bourbon influence - sweetened cream, icing sugar, vanilla bean. With water: Brings out more woody spice notes and tones down the sweetness.

Finish: Ephemeral, soft, dissolves like melting moments. Dry sweetness and developing baked white fruits (apple pie crust?) in a short but warming finish.

Balance: Nothing out of place. Superb.

A dessert dram that would compliment vanilla ice cream, creme brulee, cheese cake etc. Elegant and refined for such a young spirit.

Score: N23 T23 F22 B24 (92)

Round Two (@ 1 month, 2012-04-28)

Nose: Icing sugar, barley sugar lollies, menthol, waxy green leaves

Taste: Chewy sweet barley sugar, woody spices, vanilla,

Finish: Bitter oak tannins, malt, menthol, citrus oils

Balance: Very well integrated as previously established, hardly a thing out of place.

This whisky has definitely opened up after a month at half level in the sample bottle, taking on a whole new character with much more of the barley malt and spirit coming through. There is a noticeable "fuzziness" on the palette however, hinting at oxidation in early stages but without taking too much away from this good whisky. Citrus oils in the finish are a new development adding a new dimension to the sweet confectionery experience.

Verdict

This is a really good whisky. While the balance is fantastic, after the second tasting however I felt that there is something holding this whisky back from true greatness - it has definitely lost something from the first tasting - just 4 weeks since opening it is no longer the classy, sweet confectionery "bomb" it was upon opening.

At 4 weeks, is this now a more "true" picture of the whisky? Is the whisky too young (lacking integration) and therefore prone to losing its "charms" too quickly? I have no way of knowing for sure. I think several drams from a full sized bottle over a few months, with slower oxidation and bottle aging would be required to put this to the test. Based on my first experience upon opening however, I would not hesitate to buy a bottle "just to be sure" - and nor should you if you love a sweet whisky - an unforgettable lesson in American oak influence.

Score: N21 T20 F21 B22 (84)

Final (average) score: N22 T22 F21 B23 (88)

In november of 2006 the very first spirit of this young distillery near Norfolk was put into bourbon oak cask no. 001, currently being 'guarded' by the four distillery dogs: Molly, Bert, Oscar and Zeb. Many more casks have been filled in the meantime.

In the meantime, St George’s offers their spirit for sale as well, that has not yet matured to be able to carry the label 'whisky'. Each expression is a 'chapter' - with number. Hence Chapter 1 is their unpeated new make. Chapter 2 is peated new make. Chapter 3 and 4 are unpeated and peated spirit, resp., of 18 months. Chapter 5 is a limited edition whisky in decanter. Chapter 6 - the one I tasted - is available in both versions, i.e. unpeated en peated.

Many more chapters will follow, including a rum finish.

I had the unpeated Chapter 6 at the Ghent Whisky Festival last February.

It smells fresh and fruity, slighty reminiscent of plums. And baby cookies like Vitabis (not sure if you are familiar with that brand - it's the one parents use to mix in the baby's first fruit meals).

It tastes rather 'hard', probably because of the young age. The cereal is back, but less pronounced than on the nose. The Jim Beam bourbon cask is cleary discernable. Not too shabby.

The finish is rather alcoholic and only at the end becomes somewhat flowery. Not overly complex, though.

Chapter 6 is non-chill filtered and untinted and has an ABV of 46%. But it's too young to be really good. Nevertheless, this dram may have a great future indeed.

It's the first English single malt is over 100 years!