No Whisky Show is truly complete without the dynamic duo of Dave Worthington & Sam Simmonds. That Boutique-y Whisky Co is just a “must go”!
At London’s 2023 Whisky Show, you could spend the entire day at their wee stall! This year, they introduced their new core range along with three different features:
- Land of Oz
- American
- Cinema expressions
We somehow managed to stick with just a partial sampling of the Core Range, Oz, and Cinema… however that took rather a large amount of restraint!
Starting with the World Whisky Blend (fabulous and affordable!), the good folks at Atom Brands aka That Boutique-y Whisky Co, decided it was time to have something a bit more regular and dependable for fans. Shifting from 500ml bottles of unique expressions with sometimes only 100+ bottles in existence where you could “blink” and they are gone, their new core range can be found in “industry standard” 700ml bottles, all at a traditional strength of 45.8% in batches of approx 1,000 liters, with the intention of being much more accessible.
Naturally, there had to be something a bit cheeky about the approach with Emily Chappell’s labels! With a nod to traditional scotch whisky which often featured deer… in this case, the age of the deer was linked to the age of the dram… except of course for the Canadian whisky, it simply had to be a moose! Dave also shared the bottle colours are meant to reflect the northern lights too.
Which was exactly where we began, the good Canuck that I am!
Canadian Corn 8 year 45.8% (GBP 38)
Big bold and sweet aromas, caramel toffee sweetness, nutty, and more! And on the palate? Even more of that dramatic desert with some cracking ginger spice. Yet even with all the big bold aromas and flavours, it was in harmony and not overwhelming. A fun, fabulous sweet treat with a punch.
What more do we know? It was matured in 100% Oloroso casks. As for official tasting notes?
- Nose – Fruity muffins, buttery oak, opening up into sherried goodness: raisins, prunes, dates, drizzles of runny toffee and toasted nuts.
- Taste – Big, bold, and fruity! Toffee ripple ice cream, wafer, and popcorn join toasted almonds and cooked peach, white cracks of black pepper nestle in the depths.
Where did we go next? We then shifted to the oldest offering in this new core range – the 30-year-old blended grain!
Blended Grain 30 year 45.8% GBP 75
As bold and youthful as the Canadian corn was, we shifted to a genteel dame with the blended grain. On the nose, it was a friendly ‘breakfast dram’ with delicious buttery pastries, honey, and a hint of marmalade, some cream with vanilla. Then on the palate? Soft, even creamier, and far too easy to drink. This one was dangerous in its deceptively easy style. Yum!
What more do we know? It is a blend of refill casks of ex-Bourbon hogsheads and ex-Sherry octaves. As for tasting notes?
- Nose – Honeycomb, red grapes, immensely buttery biscuits or shortbread, waxy orange peel, polished oak and a touch of floral spring breeze.
- Palate – Thick, textured with rich butterscotch, freshly baked cookies with still-soft chocolate chunks, hints of cedar and white pepper in the finish.
Next up was the Speyside….
Speyside 12 year 45.8% GBP 45
If the Canadian was big and bold, the Grain genteel and intoxicating, the Speyside was a sherry delight with substance!
On the nose, we found crunchy chocolate caramel with roasted nuts, some fruity sweetness too, and a puff of smoke. It had real substance on the palate – this was no lightweight! Warm and full of classic sherry dark fruits combined with a hint of salt. Far too drinkable too!
What more do we know? It is a combination of all-new Oloroso casks.. with the official tasting notes:
- Nose – Caramelised nuts and chocolate mousse, flamed orange peel, cinnamon, earthy density, punchy cassia, and smoky oak.
- Taste – Fruity, chewy and spicy. Tangy cranberry, salty jerky, oily walnuts, an absolute belter of a Speyside whisky. Complex and quaffable.
We held off on checking out the Highland 18 year and Islay 8 year. I’m sure they are equally worth checking out. Our overall conclusion for the trio we tried is that each is, in its distinctive way, simply too easy to drink. Which I supposed is exactly what they were aiming for with this more accessible range – bravo!
What next? Well… join me as we dive into a selection from Australia!
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