Valentine’s seems a fitting time to explore drams from the fabulous indie bottling team –  The Heart Cut. The 2025 Whisky Show is responsible for introducing us to them – and it was love at first pour!

We were so impressed that we walked out with 3 bottles, picked up a 4th just after the show, then decided to add another 3 bottles for our 2027 Bombay Malt & Cigar / Whisky Ladies‘joint tasting.

You would think that would be enough, right? Nope! We simply couldn’t resist adding a quartet of “pocket pours”!

• The Heart Cut x BARLEY English Blended Malt Whisky 46% – GBP 5
• The Heart Cut #04 – M&H (26/02/2019 – 26/03/2023) Pomegranate Wine Cask 57% 398 Bottles. GBP6
• The Heart Cut #15 – Starward (27/08/2018 – 15/10/2024) Fresh Red Wine Barrique – French Oak 54% 312 bottles 50cl. GBP 6.76
• The Heart Cut #18 – Thomson (07/08/2019 – 25/03/2025) Ex-Bourbon 50.8% 270 50 cl Bottles. GBP 7.25

My tasting companion and I sampled these on a lazy evening in Kalote – rural Maharashtra. With the sound of crickets and frogs croaking, punctuated by the occasional bark fest from our dogs and our neighbours, we thoroughly enjoyed our exploration.

A few drops remained, so I brought them back to Mumbai to taste this week with another Whisky Lady.

What follows in the coming days will be an amalgam of impressions about these Pocket Pours…

However, if you just can’t wait, check out the notes for what we explored at the 2025 Whisky Show! It was a bit of an around-the-world tour! From single malts to rye and spirited experiments! The casks reflected a wonderfully eclectic range – from wet red wines to ex-Islay, 250+ year old European oak to new American oak. And the biggest surprise? A Californian Ale Cask! Here are the expressions we experienced:

• The Heart Cut #07 – USA – Westward (22 Mar 2018 / 9 Aug 2023) New American Oak 50% 2025 Whisky Show £80.50 for 500ml **
• The Heart Cut #08 – USA – St George Spirits (25 Jul 2016 / 17 Nov 2023) California Ale Cask 54% The Heart Cut £74.50 for 500ml. **  –> Tasted as part of a Mainstage Show discussing the Future of Independent Bottlers
• The Heart Cut #13 – Germany – Stork Club Rye (28 Jun 2019 / 5 Nov 2024) German Napoleon Oak Cask 55%  2025 Whisky Show £50.20 for 500ml. 408 bottles
• The Heart Cut #14 – Australia – Starward (18 Jun 2019 / 29 Aug 2024) Fresh Red Wine Barrique – American Oak 55%  The Heart Cut £69 for 500ml. 383 bottles
• The Heart Cut #16 – England – Fielden English Rye (7 Jun 2019 / 4 Jul 2023) New American Oak Cask, Coastal Solera Oloroso Finish 56.6%  2025 Whisky Show £61.95 for 500ml. 1109 bottles
• The Heart Cut #17 – Scotland’s Lowlands – Lochlea (25 Sep 2019 / 14 May 2025) Ex-Islay Cask 54%  2025 Whisky Show £53.50 for 500ml. 410 bottles **
• The Heart Cut #19 – New Zealand – Thomson (6 June 2019 / 25 Mar 2025) Fresh NZ Westbrook Pinot Noir 50.8%  2025 Whisky Show £59.95 for 500ml. 412 bottles **
• The Heart Cut #21 – Japan – Kanosuke 5 year (Nov 2019 / Apr 2025) Ex-Bourbon Quarter Cask 54% 2025 Whisky Show £125 for 500ml. 115 bottles –> Tasted as part of the 2025 Whisky Show Exclusives

** Identifies the bottles purchased for a Bombay Malt & Cigar / Whisky Ladies‘ future flight.

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