English 12 year | Whisky Lady

Whilst Scotland is considered by many the true “home” of whisky, go a little south and you will find the English are also getting into the game! To celebrate this, That Boutique-y Whisky Co started a “Home Nations” series… My original aim was to get an English trio however despite some efforts, couldn’t track down in Germany the Adnans, Circumstance wheat spirit, Oxford grain, or White Peak Single Malt Spirit.

So instead, brought two fine English single malts to an April evening for the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai – this English 12 year and Cotswolds 3 year.

It was fitting to close our evening with the oldest new English distillery – named ‘St George’s’ but bottled under the label “The English Whisky Company” (perhaps so as not to be confused with their American St George cousin?). Regardless of the name, it was the 1st English distillery to produce whisky after 100 years, with its inaugural bottle released in 2009. Which I believe makes this 12 year the oldest English whisky available!

What did we think?

English Whisky Company 12 year Batch 3, 63.4% (TBWC Home Nations Series) Bottle 146 of 299

Colour – Burnished copper
Nose – Vanilla custard and biscuits, butterscotch, a hint of rum raisin, and hiding behind the dessert elements, a whiff of blossoms
Palate – Deceptively soft and fruity and sweet at first and then wildfire, settling down into a Canadian butter tart
Finish – Quite a bit of masala spice, gentling into marmalade with cloves
Water – A must!!! It absolutely transforms this whisky from something promising but a bit imbalanced into something stunning. The hints of rum raisin on the nose and palate blossom into a rich single rum, charred pineapple, simply delicious.

This whisky was described as being quite romantic and poetic on the nose, Then like dragon fire on the palate… or akin to the first time you smoke a cigar! Of all the three single malts we tasted that evening, this one is best with water. Beautiful!

And what do the folks over at That Boutique-y Whisky Co have to say? Let’s start with their amusing take on describing the distillery:

The English Whisky Company distill English single malt whisky at the aptly named St. George’s distillery with their own logo featuring St. George and the dragon he’s said to have so bravely vanquished. Well, we weren’t going to turn down the chance to have a scrap with a dragon on one of our labels were we? Our dragon, potentially a connoisseur, appears to have some gorgeous golden Boutique-y whisky amongst his hoard of treasure.

Then move on to their tasting notes for Batch 3:

Nose: Delightfully delicate, with butterscotch, light honey, floral – spring blossom, backed up with the oak spices,
Taste: Gently warming with creamy custard cream biscuits, spicy oak, vanilla essence, clove, and a long satisfying finish.

I purchased this bottle online in Germany from Whic.de for Eur 76 and opened it in Mumbai for a Whisky Ladies‘ session in April 2023 together with:

Curious about other English drams? Read on: