Whisky : English Whisky Co. 8 Year SMWS 137.8 “Deep Space Brine”

Country/Region : England

ABV : 64.4%

Cask : 2nd Fill Heavy Char Hogshead

Age : 8 Year (Distilled 16 Feb. 2012

Nose : Naval dockyards and seashells.  Industrial rust and decay along the waterfront, distant charcoal grills, and mounds of bleached seashells.  Grilled shrimp on one side, a bucket of bait on the other, with a savory black pepper butter sauce in the middle.  With time came slightly creamy notes of fruity banana and fresh cheese.  The wife wanted me to add forgotten highway shoe.

Palate : Medium bodied with a chewy, oily mouthfeel and notes of meat, sea, and char.  Crisp notes of briny sea water, fresh oysters, and grilled ʻahi belly.  Smokey notes from a charcoal grill or burning bonfire of shipping pallets with lapsang souchong tea in the background.  

Finish : Lingering char, salt, and malt.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Hipster Waterfront Food Hall

Notes :  While the nose was subdued and complex, the palate was sharp, flavorful, and simpler.  This was absolutely delightful and I loved the intense maritime profile that came out more and more as the dram had time to breath.  Coming back to the bottle six months after first trying it, those maritime notes popped even more than before.  I absolutely loved how this developed in the glass and in the bottle.  

Overall, an excellent pun on the name— Deep Space Nine was my favorite Star Trek series— and a delicious, incredibly maritime EWC offering.  This was much thicker than the other SMWS bottles from EWC that we have tasted with our local group and that thickness, or oiliness, really took this up a couple notches.