Whisky: Maiden Voyage 2 Year California Single Malt

Country/Region: United States/California

ABV: 65%

Cask: Refill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 2 Years

Nose: Malty pastries, honey, and maritime notes. An opening volley of sweet cereals and mellow maritime brine with green olives, honey, graham crackers, and mussels. Hints of lime came through with an almost antiseptic floral violet note. An underlying earthiness brought to mind play dough with elements of straw and charred cedar wood.

Palate: Medium-bodied with pastries, honey, and brine. Lemon pepper and maritime-rich oysters came through ahead of pine, cedar, and herbal tinctures. Fruity figs and quince paste hid behind an olive brine that tingled the palate. Malty Ovaltine and milk chocolate arrived for the finish. Water brought out more unripened fruit, menthol, and camphor.

Finish: Lingering fruit skins and pepper spice.

Score: 4

Mental Image: Riotous Play Dough Party

Notes: I know the bottle's image is a barley germ… but considering the flavor profile, it could be an oyster, and it would make complete sense with this sweet malty yet briny whisky. I did not quite get the stone-fruit brandy notes that Pekut and Carwick include in their official tasting notes, but I did hit the same spicy finish they describe. I found a lot more earthy-sweetness with occasionally plasticky-play dough notes on the nose and palate. A few drops of water brought out more fruit upfront and heightened the tingling spice on the finish.

I love the conceit behind Pekut & Carwick; establish an American independent bottler for whisky (and other spirits). They offer up just about every detail you might want about the whisky: Metcalfe barley, grown in Esparto, California, on the Schaupp Farm, floor malted at Admiral Maltings in Alameda, and then fermented and distilled on the grain at Sutherland Distilling Company, and finally, matured in a Berkeley Warehouse.

Overall, I love the idea, though the whisky did not quite come together for me. I hoped water would open things up a bit more, but the dram remained a bit wild, and each sip seemed to pull in a different direction. It was a bit Jekyll and Hyde, which can be loads of fun, but also a tad frustrating. I will definitely be on the lookout for future releases!