English Whisky Chapter 9

Nose: Very fragrant, aromas leaping out of the glass with ease, as one would expect from such a young whisky. It's very much a vegetal introduction, with yellow and green peppers, as well as courgette and sweetcorn all simmering together, marinated in a citrusy peat drizzle, before being tossed into a bed of sweetened sticky rice. The stir fry is seasoned with sea salt, bubblegum, light toffee, and finally vanilla. A very appetising dish indeed. 23

Taste: As we take a first bite of this intriguing dish, the volume of flavour dampens somewhat on the palate, however it remains very light, nimble and dynamic in its delivery. A dryer sort of vegetation seems to be apparent here, with fresh hay and green nettles acting as a soft bed upon which the light spice of spritely fresh mint and aniseed can frolick, while the more restrained caramel and sherbet watch on hand in hand. 21

Finish: Dried flower petals burst into the air as the finish pops like a balloon, after which there is a reverberating echo of herbal spice and fisherman's friend lozenges, leaving the palate a under a slightly numb minty haze, through which some brown sugar, almond shavings, leather and wood can be faintly picked out. 21

Balance: A very delicate and rewarding dram, and at only three years of one can only be impressed. One must also however compare this effort with similar offerings from other distilleries, most notably from Cooley distillery's Connemara Turf Mor (Ireland), and from Clear Creek distillery's McCarthy's Oregon Peated single malt (USA), two of the finest examples of a three year old peated single malt to be found. In the case of the Turf Mor, they have bridled the youthful zest and exuberance of the whisky and maximised its delivery by bottling it at cask strength, thus offering an extra depth of flavour that is slightly lacking with this 46% ABV English Whisky Chapter 9. In the case of the McCarthy's Oregon Peated Single Malt, although it is bottled at only 42.5% ABV, the extra speed of maturation that american whiskies benefit from means that the flavours have been able to marry more closely, and be bedded into a richer dram from the heightened reaction with the america oak barrel. This is perhaps where English Whisky might be in another three years time, given its slower ageing process with respect to the McCarthy's. As it stands however, the English Whisky Chapter 9 is not quite strong enough in terms of alcoholic boost, nor quite mature enough after three years, to compete on a level playing field with either the Turf Mor or the McCarthy's in the category of Finest 3 Year Old Peated Single Malt. Nonetheless a worthy and admirable contender. 22

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