Thy distillery organized a web-based tasting on the finish of 2024, with a few cask samples and new releases. As usually with these occasions, I couldn’t attend the tasting however I made a decision to undergo the samples at my very own tempo.
We begin with an authorized natural whisky created from Odyssey barley smoked with beechwood. You’ll discover detailed info on the Thy web site.
Thy 4 yo 2020 – Beechwood smoked single malt (51%, OB 2024, Oloroso sherry cask #470 + 471, 213 btl.)
Nostril: the standard warm-yet-fresh beechwood affect. Darkish soot but additionally a refreshing peppermint-aniseed mixture. Some vegetal notes, hints of smoked bacon. Then dried fruits seem, like apricots, raisins and figs. Earthy tobacco and nougat too.
Mouth: thick, oily and sooty, on roasted nuts and caramelized notes. The heat of the smoke combines so effectively with these contemporary herbs, skinny mints, cough drops and light-weight resinous touches. A basket filled with wholegrain bread. Fennel seeds. Then again to darkish tea, brown sugar and loads of heat ashes. Very nice.
End: lengthy, with extra herbs, brown bread with salted butter, fading smoke and a metallic be aware.
These form of Oloroso casks are usually destined for the Thy Bøg expression. They had been proper to maintain these two aside, I assume, because the result’s actually glorious. Among the many greatest Thy whiskies I’ve had thus far.
Subsequent: a launch from pale malt, caramel malt and beechwood smoked malt, aged in PX, Oloroso and bourbon casks.
Thy Caramel Malt 3 yo 2019-2021 (57,8%, OB 2024, PX + Oloroso + bourbon cask, 365 btl.)
Nostril: very grainy, with a whole lot of malty sweetness and caramelized notes. Have I ever instructed you I don’t actually like caramel, in whisky but additionally in desserts? There, I mentioned it. Additionally hints of cocoa powder and hints of latte. The more energizing natural be aware of beechwood may be very a lot within the background right here. Subsequent additionally closely infused tea and Demerara sugar. Total a bit bloated.
Mouth: all about fudge, darkish malty notes and loads of caramelized notes. Chocolate brownies and molasses, extra espresso pudding and black tea. Some natural touches within the distance.
End: medium size, with burnt cake, cocoa and occasional.
Not a foul dram, you realize, however a little bit extra one-dimensional than different Thy releases. Fascinating as an announcement of this fashion, however not one I really feel interested in. Nonetheless accessible from the Thy web site. Rating: 81/100
Then we have now a cask pattern that could be bottled sooner or later.
Thy Bøg-Bourbon 2019 (58,9%, OB 2024, bourbon cask #1260)
Nostril: the entire reverse – pure freshness. Recent pine wooden with a light-weight resinous edge, in addition to some leathery notes and white stone fruits. Solely delicate smoke. Then again to lemony notes, some coconut shells and echoes of unripe pineapple.
Mouth: fairly oily, with spicy notes and beechwood taking up. Black pepper and ginger, together with nutmeg and hints of roasted pinewood. Some burnt sugar, together with coconut water and vanilla.
End: medium to lengthy, reasonably tangy, with extra oak spice, some resinous notes and hints of vanilla.
Maybe a little bit too targeted on oak spice and smoke, which solely flashes of fruits. Total a bit tough with restricted complexity. Rating: 84/100
We finish this session with a PX sherry restricted version. This matured in Pedro Ximénez hogsheads from the Historic vary at Casknolia. These are calmly toasted casks with a barely larger age and a protracted wine contact. Thy appears to assert they had been seasoned with PX sherry wines however given the cask provider, the lack of a sherry cask certificates in footage and the natural PX declare (very uncommon in Jerez) we have now vital doubts: are they positive they haven’t used PX from Montilla for seasoning?
Thy PX 2020 (58,3%, OB 2024, first fill PX sherry casks #389 + 410 + 412, 636 btl.)
Nostril: youngish, which suggests the PX isn’t extraordinarily loud. Plums and blackberries, positive, but additionally moist forest ground and previous wooden. A whiff of matchstick heads as effectively. Then cocoa powder and a little bit nutmeg. Fairly musty and savoury, wiping out virtually all Nordic character.
Mouth: an identical story – I’m not too keen on this savoury PX fashion, which imparts few fruity notes. As an alternative we get cocoa, roasted malt, nutmeg and different wooden spice. Solely a light-weight trace of the beechwood smoke. Then some mossy and earthy hints.
End: medium, on roasted espresso beans, previous leather-based , dates and drying cocoa.
I’m not all the time impressed with Casknolia casks, and right here as effectively it doesn’t solely work for me. A really savoury and chocolatey fashion, which makes it a little bit extra generic than the opposite whiskies. Rating: 83/100
