Weekend Briefs Dec. 2022: World Whiskies
A quick round-up from around the globe! I love the global single malt scene and all its many variations and localizations. Amrut was one of my first whisky loves; a trip to India set me off looking for the malt, and while I only found one bottle in the duty-free shop on my way out of the country, I did manage to try some epic pours at La Maison du Whisky in Singapore. That was enough to tickle my fancy, and I considered myself a pretty big Amrut fan after my initial introduction. Though it has been a bit of a roller coaster in the last couple of years, I still find that when Amrut is good, it has few rivals.
I am much less familiar with English single malts. The English Whisky Co. puts out some excellent heavily peated malts, but I have tried very few beyond their work at St. George Distillery. Of the lot below, I knew of Bimber but had never seen a bottle before. A friend who is probably just as curious about global single malts and interesting whiskies as I am graciously shared some. I had a previous encounter with Costwolds through SMWS with a similar STR single cask, and this was an excellent opportunity to see how it compared to an official bottling.
The Amrut was properly old— I cannot believe how many Amrut casks are now coming out at seven or eight years, that used to be Greedy Angel’s territory. The English all showed great promise, though they felt a little on the young side.
With global whisky on the menu, time to punch those tickets and get on the reviews!
Whisky Details: Amrut 8 Year (2013) for SoCal Whisky Club, Port Pipe 60%
Nose: Dried dates, black grapes, black currant jam, cinnamon with hints of nutmeg and ginger, hints of tobacco and fruit punch. A few drops of water accentuated the spice and tobacco, adding a touch of coffee.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied with dark chocolate, chicory, cinnamon, ginger, grilled pineapple, dark cherries, cassis jam, black currants, and leather toward the end with coffee. Water brought better balance and accentuated more fruit with hints of caramel and strawberry.
Finish: Very long and drying with fruit punch, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Score: 7
Narrative & Notes: Intense— surely that is the word that best describes this dram, though grape jelly would not be far behind. This Amrut was much fruitier than I expected and not nearly as thick and impenetrable as I expected. While water helped balance out the mouthfeel, it was not necessary. The fruits were varied and well-integrated, with a rich spice and lovely transition toward coffee and tobacco on the nose and palate. I was impressed with how balanced this was, considering the length of its maturation and the cask type.
It has been a bit since I considered myself a true Amrut fanatic, and drams like this remind me of why I first fell in love with the distillery. I will note at the end that there was something odd on the flavor profile/finish that reminded me of cola and smoke/fog machines— especially the ones they used to have at Lazer Tag way back in the day. It almost felt as if I was back at someone’s birthday party, slamming a “suicide soda”—a mix of all the fountain drinks— and gunning for the high score.
Whisky Details: Bimber 3 Year (2016) Recharred Oak 51.9%
Nose: Sweet and earthy, vegetable garden, stone pavers, carrots and squash, an herbal undercurrent with sweet dill and Thai basil, earthy ginger, subtle pine, and garden soil.
Palate: Full-bodied and viscous, beechwood and pinecones, orange marmalade, kumquats, hints of dried apricots and dates, earthiness lingered in the background with musty soil and oak, gentle ginger and lemon toward the end with mint and Thai basil; more floral at the end with time or water.
Finish: Medium to long, mild drying effect with orange, ginger, and mint.
Score: 6
Narrative & Notes: Wow! I cannot wait to see what becomes of this malt with a few more years in the cask, as I cannot imagine how some of these flavors will mellow or transform over time. The flavor profile reminded me of a High Coast offering from SMWS that our local whisky club poured a few years back. It had a similar herbal-pine edge running throughout it, though I scored that High Coast whisky just a peg or two above this— at least for now.
Overall, a fascinating young malt from an English distillery seems geared toward whisky enthusiasts and fans. While the whisky had a youthful exuberance, there was a good amount of depth from relatively well-integrated flavors. A promising start, and I cannot wait to try more.
Whisky Details: Cotswolds "Founder's Choice" Batch 02/2019, STR American Oak Red Wine 60.4%
Nose: Fruit and spice, candied orange peel, licorice and star anise, digestive biscuits with subtle cinnamon and hazelnut, molasses cookies arrived as a sweet malty aroma took hold and banished the fruit.
Palate: Medium-bodied and oily, orange, lime, cherry cordial, cranberry spritzer, subtle licorice and cinnamon, molasses cookies, caramelized brown sugar and Grand Marnier, cherries jubilee anyone?
Finish: Medium to long with cherries, subtle citrus, and brown sugar.
Score: 6-7
Narrative & Notes: Another delight from Cotswolds, this did not quite hit the same heights as the SMWS release I tried, 146.1 “Orangudram,” but it was not far off. The aroma began with a pleasant fruitiness, but digestive biscuits and molasses cookies shoved everything else to the side. I was happy to find the rich caramelized fruitiness of the initial nose was dominant on the palate. The STR process, shaving, toasting and recharring casks, especially wine casks, can produce some wonderfully fruity and caramelized flavor notes when it works well. It can turn out a tad saccharine and simple when it does not. I thought the malt was robust enough to keep everything balanced and well-integrated. There was not a lot of depth, but sometimes you want your favorite band to play your favorite song, and that is enough.
