Independent bottlers can truly be the “next level” of whisky explorations. For North Star Spirits, Ian and team have been bringing a range of whiskies to the world since just 2016. They’ve now branched into another series – Periodical – available only in the UK and launching soon – Obscurities and Curiosities. Even more recently, the lads are setting the stage for whisky production – with a new distillery Dal Riata in Campbeltown.

And yet, with all these developments, the foundation remains their North Star bottlings – which include in addition to their staple single malts, both a blended scotch (ie with grain) and blended malt (ie without grain).

Within the Blended Malt category, Ian introduced “Supersonic” in 2021 and released in rapid succession a series from Mach 1 to Mach 4, ranging from 46% for Mach 1 to 60% for Mach 4, all from Sherry butts. For our “Not an ordinary blend” evening, I knew the Mach 3 at 55% would fit in perfectly! Just needed to be kept towards the end, given I anticipated it would have quite a sherry punch! And it did indeed deliver this!

Supersonic Mach 3 (2013/2021) 55% (North Star) 786 bottles 

• Nose – Lots going on here! Reminds me a bit of a chocolate, raisin, and nuts candy bar, also creamy vanilla pudding, something else a bit elusive – a puff of smoke perhaps?
• Palate – Bold spice, loads of sherry elements like dark fruits (think fig, plum, dates, and raisins). There is a peppery chili “catch” that comes from behind – one even called it akin to Tabasco sauce!
• Finish – More of that chili, sherry carrying through with a drying close
• Water – Recommended. It really works well with water which tames the beast and enables juicier fruits to emerge

This is a “blended” malt is indeed a powerhouse! So much so that before adding water, it is a bit imbalanced. Like the different sherry butts are bumping up against each other, vying for who comes first. In a later revisit, I simply add a generous splash of water from the start and sat back to enjoy.

I purchased this in November 2022 for €53,60 + Tax + Shipping. It was opened in February 2024 in Nurnberg, Germany.

What other North Star whiskies have we tried? It has become quite the list – most heavily weighted towards the early years!

The North Star Regional Series:

• Highland 11 year 50%
• Speyside 12 year 50%

North Star Series 007 and 008 from 2019:

• Auchroisk 13 year (Feb 2006 / June 2019) Oloroso Sherry Hogshead 51.2% (Series 8)
• Fettercairn 12 year (Oct 2006 / Feb 2019) Refill Barrel 57.4% (Series 007) 
• Glenturret 8 year (Dec 2010 / Mar 2019) Refill Hogshead 58.3% (Series 008)
• Inchgower 11 year (July 2007 / Mar 2019) Refill Hogshead 52.5% (Series 008) 

North Star Series 005 from 2018:

• Caol Ila 12 year (April 2006 / May 2018) Refill Hogshead 54.6% (Series 005)
• Glentauchers 11 year (Apr 2007/May 2018) 58.9% (Series 005)
• Campbeltown 4 year (2014/May 2018) 57% (Series 005)
• MacDuff 11 year (2006/May 2018) 55.2% (Series 005)
• Orkney 12 year (Mar 2006/May 2018) 57.8% (Series 005)

North Series 001 – 004 from 2016 to 2018:

• Glenrothes 20 year (Oct 1996/Oct 2016) 54.6% (Series 001)
• Ardmore Peat 8 year (June 2008 / Oct 2016) 57.1% (Series 001)
• Islay 8 year (June 2008 / May 2017) 58.3% (Series 002)
• Royal Brackla 11 year (Oct 2006 / Feb 2018) Refill Hogshead 55.2% (Series 004) – Absolute stunner!

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