As a part of our take a look at English whisky distilleries, we’re right now venturing down south, to the beautiful Cotswolds to go to the Cotswolds Distillery and see what they’re doing with their whisky.
The distillery is situated within the quaint, quintessentially English village of Stourton, and was based again in 2014 by Daniel Szor. They concentrate on each English gin, and whisky, and have acquired a substantial amount of reward over time for the drams they’ve launched.
Specifically, their Signature, Founder’s, Bourbon Cask, and Reserve have proved extremely widespread with whisky connoisseurs from all around the globe. No prizes for guessing which 4 Cotswolds Distillery drams I’m going to be reviewing right now.
So, with out additional dilly dallying, let’s get began.
Cotswolds Signature Single Malt
It’s a little bit of a particular one, this. Not simply because it tastes superb, though that actually does assist, however as a result of it is usually a trend-setter. Not solely is that this the primary single malt whisky that the Cotswolds Distillery ever produced, it’s additionally the very first single malt whisky that has ever been produced within the beautiful Cotswolds themselves.
The whisky is produced utilizing regionally grown barley that’s ground malted within the conventional means. It was then matured in a mixture of premium first fill ex-Bourbon barrels, together with their STR (Shaved, Toasted, Re-Charred) pink wine casks to offer a posh physique and a deep burnt toffee color.
Non-chill filtered, and bottled at an ABV of 46%, it’s a dram that favours the wealthy and the daring. It’s very punchy, with great mouthfeel.
On the nostril you get these spicy, fruity, pink wine notes from the pink wine casks. There’s additionally a refined smokiness due to the charring of the wooden itself. These then give method to citrus fruits within the type of orange and lime zest, coupled with creamy porridge oats, golden syrup flapjack aromas, and summer season meadows.
On the palate you get extra notes from the bourbon. There’s the candy, vanilla, toffee and maple syrup notes synonymous with bourbon. Wait a second and also you’ll choose up orange blossom honey, treacle tart and custard, candy malt, and ripe summer season berry compote.
The end is lengthier than I used to be anticipating. There are extra pink fruity flavours right here, coupled with vanilla ice cream, bread and butter pudding, and fragrant spices. A little bit of a spicy kick too, not too dissimilar from a fantastic rye.
Up subsequent, now we have this decadent dram from the Cotswold’s Cask Expressions Assortment.
This cask energy whisky will knock your socks off, coming in at a fiery 60.5% ABV, but regardless of this, it isn’t overpowering.
The whisky was aged in these STR pink wine barriques that based Daniel was so keen on. The casks, which had been the brainchild of the late, nice, Dr Jim Swan, himself a mentor of the staff on the distillery, present an intense fruity end and a deep crimson hue to the copper-coloured whisky.
On the nostril the pink wine cask does its job, delivering punchy notes of pink grape and berries. There are additionally tropical fruit aromas to be found, particularly within the type of mango and pineapple. Lingering within the shadows you’ll discover a very gentle scent of a premium high quality ingesting chocolate too.
On the palate, notes of chocolate coated espresso beans, toffee, fudge, and crystalised ginger all bounce out. These flavours are quickly joined by strawberries and cream, cinnamon sugared churros, and sticky apricot jam.
The end is fiery as you’d anticipate, with out turning into too overpowering. Extra malty notes, together with a contact extra tropical fruit attempt to punch by.
Whereas it’s clear that these STR pink wine barriques are very fashionable with the staff down at Cotswolds, that’s actually not the one cask that they’ll make use of.
One other launch from their Cask Expressions Assortment is that this Bourbon Cask Single Malt whisky, matured in first fill American oak ex-Bourbon barrels. Non-chill filtered, and that includes a pure deep straw color, it’s a cask energy and is available in at a toasty 59.1% ABV.
On the nostril, these tell-tale Bourbon barrel aromas are there right away. There’s honey, vanilla, maple syrup, and a contact of charred oak. These scents and aromas are then joined by these of crisp orchard apples and malty Horlicks.
On the palate there’s extra vanilla oak, this time joined by salted caramel, freshly baked shortbread, apples, raisins, and sultanas, nutmeg, cinnamon, and heather honey.
The end is clean, creamy, and prolonged. There’re extra buttery shortbread notes, chocolate orange items, peanut brittle, and spicy gingerbread.
Final, however under no circumstances least, now we have the Cotswolds Reserve Single Malt Whisky.
This whisky is 50% ABV, a beautiful amber color, and involves you as a part of their Distilleries Classics Assortment and is produced utilizing a mixture of first fill ex-Bourbon-aged whisky and a contact of whisky from the STR pink wine barriques they’re recognized for. The result’s distinctive.
On the nostril you get robust notes of honey, vanilla, dates, and sultanas from the get-go. These are paired fantastically with candy, nutty aromas and a touch of candied peel.
On the palate, a robust style of butterscotch shines by, met with blended summer season berries, toasted oats, cornflake tart, and cherry ice cream.
The end is pretty brisk, but supplies superb complexity. There’s extra honey, figs, roasted oak, and a whisper of citrus peel proper on the finish.
In case you’d prefer to study extra about your favorite whiskies, or just deal with your self to a dram or two within the course of, head on over to GreatDrams.com and try what now we have to supply.
With a powerful number of limited-edition, uncommon, and award-winning whisky, in addition to heaps of whisky information on our weblog, it’s the proper spot for any whisky lovers on the market.
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