Inbox - October 19, 2012

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.  This week's Inbox is a bumper edition, so let's get cracking with the news ...

Have just tried – English Whisky Company Diamond Jubilee Whisky

To celebrate the UK's Royal long weekend we decided to try a whisky that certainly marks the event.

This English Whisky Company bottling is to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II which celebrates 60 years of her reign. This small batch production whisky is produced from a combination of bourbon cask and red wine cask matured whisky. It is bottled at 46% ABV in a decanter style bottle as a limited edition with 3300 bottles produced and only 1140 bottles available for sale in the UK. To order a bottle (at a cost of £59.99 each plus postage), go to www.englishwhisky.co.uk or check with a British specialist whisky retailer.

St. George's Distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop. It was the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk (about 2 hours north east of London). The first spirit came off the stills in November 2006 and was overseen by legendary (and retired) whisky maker Iain Henderson, who had previously managed the famous Laphroaig distillery on the island of Islay, amongst others. The role of Distillery Manager now falls to David Fitt, an ex-brewer from Greene King, who was trained by Iain before he retired again.

St. George's spirit is made, where possible, from locally grown Norfolk barley, and the entire process, from milling to bottling, occurs on site. The distillery has already won many plaudits for its innovation and quality.

Our tasting notes
This whisky is a vibrant golden hue that comes from the mixture of casks (no colouring is added) which is a shade that was described at a recent whisky tasting event as a 'classic' whisky colour.

On the nose the first impression is sweet notes of butterscotch, golden syrup and sultanas. This is not over powering, as it is matched by fresh notes of green grass and tangy apples, with woody warming spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg. With water the whisky shows more pronounced floral notes of rose and honeysuckle with green apple freshness, but certainly doesn't lose the sweetness or spiciness.

On the palate the strength is noticeable and the whisky is less sugary sweet than expected, despite there being definite toffee and sultana characters. The red wine shows here in way of darker red apples and prunes along with plenty of warming spices and oily nuts such as almonds. The finish is short and dry with spiciness and mouth watering tannins. There are lots of wood spices and a touch of red chilli pepper. With water the palate has extra creaminess but maintains sweet notes of toffee and apples. The spiciness is pushed to the back but remains on the finish. All in all we think that this whisky has extra desirable characters when tasted at the higher ABV strength so we are pleased that the decision was taken to bottle at 46% and allow drinkers to add to water to their own taste.

What's the verdict?
This commemorative bottling is a whisky created to be collectable yet remarkably approachable. It is at a price, rarity and strength that make it a good purchase for the occasional whisky drinker who wants something to remember the event by that is more desirable than a collectable teapot. Having said that we don't think that serious whisky collectors would be disappointed either. It is not overly complex but certainly offers fabulous value for money.

This is a remarkably affordable bottling to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, especially when compared to many other less rare 'limited' celebratory releases. While we expect that many people will be buying the bottle to collect we thoroughly suggest that you don’t just leave it on the shelf but do give it a try.

New releases > St. George's Chapter 11

St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk (about 2 hours north east of London). The distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop.

The construction of the new facilities began shortly afterwards and the first spirit came off the stills in November 2006. The St. George's spirit is made from locally grown Norfolk barley and is matured predominantly in ex-bourbon casks. The distillery has already won many plaudits for its innovation and quality of spirit and whisky produced to date, which are released as a series of Chapters.

Each Chapter signifies a different style of whisky or spirit.  Initially, the first releases were new make or part aged spirit, but now the range is expanding more as the whisky comes of age and reaches the three year minimum mark.  The amount of Chapters is only going to increase, especially given the experimentation with different casks that is happening at the distillery. We have listed a definition of what each Chapter is on a previous blog post - to read this click here.

These two whiskies are the first bottled as Chapter 11, which is made using heavily peated malted barley.  The regular version is bottled at an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV and costs £45, while the Cask Strength version is bottled at 59.7% ABV and costs £65.  Both are un-chillfiltered and were released in July of this year.  They can be purchased from The English Whisky Co. website or selected specialist whisky retailers.

Chapter 11 Heavily Peated - 46% ABV

The colour of this regular bottling is a pale lemon yellow and the nose is youthful and fresh, but full of interesting aromas.  There is initial vanilla and oat cake notes, with plenty of pungent peat which mixes grassy, earthy and mossy notes with iodine.  Other aromas develop with time - zesty lemon, red chilli and warm buttery toast (this last one is particularly pleasant). 

On the palate, this feels creamy and a bit soapy to begin with.  Fresh, tangy and acidic elements soon join in and these include notes of crisp green apple, lemon zest and vibrant chilli-like heat from the youthful spirit.  Underneath are vital, yet subtle, notes of vanilla, honey and oat biscuit.  These are all underpinned by robust mossy peat smoke.  The finish is of decent length and combines sweet honey and vegetal, leafy smokiness well.  This is a very interesting whisky and one that changes dramatically with time in the glass - it was almost unrecognisable after 15 minutes.  It grows on you, increasing with intensity and enjoyment.

Chapter 11 Heavily Peated - 59.7% ABV

This Cask Strength version has a pale lemon yellow colour and the nose is surprisingly light for a whisky of this strength.  However, it is vibrant, clean and fresh with plenty going on.  There is an initial whiff of surgical spirit which evolves in to a lovely vegetal peaty smokiness (think of wet leaves and moss).  There are also aromas of vanilla, lemon zest and olive oil.

The lightness of the nose lulls you in to a false sense of security, as the palate is feisty with plenty of initial hot spice (imagine red chillis and cracked pepper).  It quickly settles down with the saliva in the mouth and a  sweetness hits the tip of your tongue with a blast of gorgeous honey and oak.  Then come further vanilla, creamy coconut, tangy lemon and drying wood spices, reminiscent of cinnamon.  All of the time a warm dense peaty smoke burns away.  The finish is gloriously long with the smokiness, some dry wood spices and a hint of salt all combining well.  The taste of peat smoke can still be detected at least 10 minutes later.

What's the verdict?
Both of these whiskies are good but in different ways.  The regular 46% bottling develops dramatically in to a lovely dram given time and patience in the glass.  It combines creamy and tangy well and has numerous enjoyable characteristics.  The Cask Strength 59.7% bottling is more immediate, impactful and 'in your face' with plenty of feisty elements that settle down and mingle with time. 

Both whiskies are clearly youthful and some may shy away from them because of that.  However, these whiskies (as with most of the St. George's range) show what can be achieved in a relatively short time with quality workmanship and casking.  Long may it continue and we can't wait to see what the next Chapter will be ...

New releases > St. George's Royal Wedding Special

St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk (about 2 hours north east of London). The distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop. The construction of the new facilities began shortly afterwards and the first spirit came off the stills in November 2006. Legendary whisky maker Iain Henderson was employed to oversee production and he has previously managed the famous Laphroaig distillery on the island of Islay, amongst others. The St. George's spirit is made from locally grown Norfolk barley and is matured predominantly in ex-bourbon casks. The distillery has already won many plaudits for its innovation and quality.

This new release is to commemorate the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. The whisky is a marriage of the English Whisky Company's peated and unpeated expressions, which have both been aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks from the famous Jim Beam distillery. In addition, there is also some whisky that has been matured in ex-red wine casks in the marriage. The Royal Wedding whisky was bottled at 46% ABV in mid March and is now available from the English Whisky Company’s online shop and numerous specialist whisky retailers … just in time for the wedding!! To order a bottle (at a cost of £65 each plus postage), go to www.englishwhisky.co.uk.

Our tasting notes
The nose is interesting and very promising. Initially there are young subtle floral, grassy (think of hay) aromas developing in to robust gristy sweet barley cereals. A hint of smoke starts to come through, reminiscent of old bonfire smoke in clothing. There are also aromas of raisin and sultana plus something damp, mossy and slightly musty that develops with more time in the glass. A lovely fresh balance is given by a slightly tangy tropical fruit note (Karen thought of banana, Matt thought mango ...). On the palate, this starts very soft and creamy with lovely notes of honey and sultana, before 'boom'! Plenty of peppery chilli-like spice and fresh wet earth hit your taste buds, followed by notes of caramel, toasted almonds and burnt liquorice. It is more 'in your face' than the nose suggested, with extra smokiness noticeably detectable (whereas the nose only hints at this). There is an interesting flow from sweet to spicy and then dry, with some lovely woody cinnamon and nutmeg notes joining in. The finish is hot, spicy and long and this smolders away for ages (we were still getting flavours - mostly the smoky notes - coming through after seven or eight minutes). This makes it lovely, tangy and refreshing with prominent notes of sweet barley, peppery bonfire smoke and woody oak dryness (and very moreish indeed!). There is a slight uneven balance between these spicier, woodier notes and the subtle sweetness that comes through with time (honey and sultana especially) ... but it's a minor thing.

What's the verdict?
This whisky is another example of the innovation and blossoming quality of the English Whisky Company. The mix of differing styles of whisky and casking works well and it has created an interesting, complex and enjoyable dram. The complexity is particularly impressive when considering the youthful age of this whisky. It confirms what we have previously said about the St. George's whisky - it seems to be getting better with age and extra length of maturation. It will be very interesting to see how it develops further. We can't wait to find out!

Have just tried > St. George's Chapter 7 Rum Cask

St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk and about 2 hours north east of London. The distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop. The construction of the new facilities began shortly afterwards and the first spirit came off the stills in November 2006. The St. George's spirit is made from barley which is locally grown in Norfolk and they are currently producing and maturing whisky in peated and unpeated styles.

This Chapter 7 whisky is made using unpeated malted barley and is released at three years of age. It has been finished for the final year in an ex-rum cask, after spending the first two years in ex-bourbon casks, and all future releases using this cask combination will also carry the Chapter 7 name. This first limited batch of just 660 bottles was released during in late Summer 2010 and has an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV. We thank David Fitt, the Chief Distiller at St. George’s for giving us this sample and for his time spent talking with us.

The other 'chapters' in the series are made up of new make spirit or partially aged spirit up to the age of three years (this is not legally allowed to be called 'whisky'), plus a number of three year old single malt whiskies that have been matured in various casks. Confused? We have listed each Chapter below to help, with links to the ones we have reviewed. The plan is to expand the range further as and when more stock reaches a suitable length of maturation. A bottle of Chapter 7 should cost £50-55, if you can still find one!

Definition of the St.George's Chapter series
Chapter 1 > Unpeated new make spirit
Chapter 2 > Peated new make spirit
Chapter 3 > Unpeated spirit matured for 18 months
Chapter 4 > Peated spirit matured for 18 months
Chapter 5 > First edition of three years old single malt
Chapter 6 > Unpeated three years old single malt
Chapter 7 > Unpeated three years old single malt with rum finish
Chapter 8 > First edition peated three years old single malt
Chapter 9 > Peated three years old single malt
Chapter 10 > Unpeated three years old single malt, sherry cask

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Chapter 7 is pale, almost lemon yellow. The nose is fresh, vibrant and youthful with an initial hit of tangy, sweet aromas - think of fresh green pears and apples, lemon zest and sugar cane. These are joined by notes of distinct cereal grain, something herbal (think of dried grass or hay) and a sawdust-like oakiness. Some white pepper spiciness and a hint of bitter cocoa powder compliment the other aromas very well. This is a very promising nose. On the palate, this whisky does not disappoint and is again light, fresh and vibrant. The obvious sweetness is prominent and driven by notes of fresh green pears and apples, icing sugar, honey and white chocolate. Other notes add balance - tangy lemon zest, cereal grains, oak, dried grasses and a white pepper spiciness that burns away in the background. The finish is short but is lovely, fresh and tangy. Again there is initial and intense sweetness, which has a mix of sugar cane syrup and sherbet to it. It then becomes dry and grassy right at the very end, which leaves your mouth watering and wanting more!

What's the verdict?
This is one of the best and most sympathetic uses of a rum cask that we have experienced in a whisky to date. The rum influence compliments the other characteristics and quality of the spirit, bringing a wonderful vibrancy and freshness. It makes you wonder - if The English Whisky Company's whiskies are this good now, then what will they be like with further time, maturation and experimentation? Chapter 7 is an excellent dram.

Please note > the photograph above is taken from www.englishwhisky.co.uk.

Have just tried > St. George's Chapter 9

200 years of waiting
St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk (about 2 hours north east of London). The distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop. The construction of the new facilities began shortly afterwards and the first spirit came off the stills in November 2006. Legendary whisky maker Iain Henderson was employed to oversee production and he has previously managed the famous Laphroaig distillery on the island of Islay, amongst others.

The St. George's spirit is made from locally grown Norfolk barley and is matured predominantly in ex-bourbon casks. They are currently producing and maturing both a peated and unpeated version of their whisky. The Chapter 9 whiskies from The English Whisky Co. are made using peated malted barley and are in the lightly smoky style. All future releases in this style will also carry the Chapter 9 name and they will be released in limited batches. The batch from which we were given a sample was released during the Summer of 2010 and is bottled at three years of age with an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV.

The other 'chapters' in the series are made up of new make spirit or partially aged spirit up to the age of three years (this is not legally allowed to be called 'whisky'), plus a number of three year old single malt whiskies that have been matured in various casks. The plan is to expand the range further as and when more stock reaches a suitable length of maturation. Most of the Chapters are available from the English Whisky Company website, selected specialist retailers or Gordon & MacPhail, who are the main nominated distributor in the UK. A bottle of Chapter 9 should cost £35-40. Supplies of all are limited. We thank David Fitt, the Chief Distiller at St. George’s for giving us this sample and for his time spent talking with us.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Chapter 9 is a pale straw-like lemon yellow. The nose is light, fresh, vibrant with early aromas of vanilla, honey, and crisp green fruits (think of apple and pear). Then come malty, gristy cereal grains, a hint of green pistachio nuts and a mild, soft sweet smokiness – this feels earthy and mossy, with an element of burnt biscuits or cereals about it. On the palate, this is again fresh and vibrant with some lively alcohol giving a pleasant citrus-like tanginess (imagine lemon zest?) and a touch of white pepper heat and spiciness. This gives way to more delicate notes – something floral and grassy to begin with and then plenty of sweet honey, vanilla and a distinct shortbread-like flavour. The smokiness is there but remains light and almost underwhelming. It again has a burnt bakery/biscuit quality with a hint of damp soil and moss. This smokiness adds depth and dryness to the palate, plus some warmth and balance. The finish is shortish, fresh and a little sharp, but with lovely elements of tangy citrus zest and sweet vanilla and cereals. These are followed by a burning peaty dryness and some very late warming nuttiness (think of hazelnut, walnut and that pistachio again).

What's the verdict?
A delicious whisky that is very lightly peaty and smoky and full of vibrancy. It exhibits some lovely subtlety for a youthful single malt and when you combine these elements, it makes Chapter 9 a good choice as an introduction to the smoky style of whisky. This whisky is clearly well made and matured and the future looks good for The English Whisky Co. if they keep releasing products of this quality and promise.

New releases ... St. George's 3 years old 'Chapter 6'

Today is St. George's Day and here in England we celebrate our national day and all things English. So we thought we would honour the day with some of the much publicised English whisky. St. George is the patron saint of England (and other places including the Catalunya region of Spain, where he is called St. Jordi) and all celebrate on the 23rd April. Part of the national celebrations included the revival of the Parade of St. George through the City of London. This is the first time that such a pageant, including St. George dressed in all his regalia (pictured, above), has happened since 1585.

The first English whisky
St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk (about 2 hours north east of London). The distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop. The construction of the new facilities began shortly afterwards and the first spirit came off the stills in November 2006. The legendary master distiller Iain Henderson was employed to oversee production and he has previously managed Laphroaig on the island of Islay.

A new chapter
St. George's spirit is made from locally grown Norfolk barley and is matured in ex-bourbon casks. They are currently producing and maturing both a peated and unpeated version of their whisky. This Chapter 6 is the latest release from the St. George's and is bottled at three years of age with an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV. It is one of the first official 'whisky' releases from the distillery, as whisky legally has to have been matured for a minimum time of three years. The English Whisky Company have been bottling new make spirit and partially aged spirit (they are not allowed to call these whisky!) and these form the other parts of the Chapter series. All are available from the English Whisky Company website, selected specialist retailers or Gordon & MacPhail and should cost £35-40.

Our tasting notes
St. George's Chapter 6 is pale lemon in colour and the nose gives off a pleasant scent that improves with time. Initially, it feels very fresh and zingy with plenty of tart citrus (think of lemon zest) and alcohol spirit present. With time, it evolves and numerous other elements come to the fore. The freshness remains and there is a lovely combination of vanilla, dried grass (imagine hay), fresh green pears and apples and caramel honeycomb (think of that hard stuff that you get in confectionary and fairgrounds). On the palate, there is again plenty of freshness with the same zingy citrus note and spirit from the nose combining well with the fresh green fruits (those pears and apples again, joined by some melon). The palate grows with time with distinct dried grass and cereal grain characters coming through, as does some further sweet vanilla, toffee and a hint of hot, spicy peppercorns. The combination is enjoyable. The finish is short, sharp and intense with more dried grass and cereals present. The pepperiness from the palate is a pleasant addition also.

What's the verdict?
This St. George's Chapter 6 is a lovely refreshing whisky. OK, it is very young and does demonstrate the characteristics associated with youthful whiskies (the alcohol spirit and fresh green fruits especially). What this whisky does is to be good at its current age, while also showing enough complexity and promise to make you want to try further aged releases - what will it be like as a 10 years old, for example? It is definitely worth a try, if you get the chance and is a very good dram. We thank Lizzie and Sarah at The English Whisky Company for the chance to try this sample.

Happy St. George's Day!

Have just tried ... St. George's new spirit

St. George's is the first English whisky distillery to be built and producing whisky for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk. The English Whisky Company was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop and construction of the new facilities began shortly after. The first spirit came off the stills in November 2006 under the guidance of the legendary master distiller Iain Henderson, who had previously managed Laphroaig on the island of Islay. As whisky cannot legally be named 'whisky' until it has been matured for three years, the first full release date is pencilled in for December this year. However, if you visit the distillery and take a tour then you will get to try some of the new or partially matured spirit as part of this. The first full release of whisky will be very limited so when we got the chance to try a sample at the recent Whisky Live event in London, we had to take it.

All St. George's spirit is matured in bourbon casks that have previously been used at the Jim Beam distillery in Kentucky, USA. They currently are producing and maturing both a peated and unpeated version of their whisky. The sample we tried has been matured for 18 months and the colour is a pale lemon. The nose is very promising and is full of juicy, crisp fruit (think of pears and apples). Pears and pear drops are common aromas that can indicate young spirit and they mellow and mingle with other flavours, as the spirit draws more influence from its cask over time. On the palate, this is young and bold with those juicy fruits combining with some vanilla, caramel and an interesting spicy note (imagine white pepper). As the alcohol strength is high (62.5% ABV), we decided to try it with water. It was described to us as "becoming like a good Glenlivet" with water and while I am not quite sure about that, it certainly was very clean, enjoyable and became creamier in the mouth. The finish was quite long for a young spirit with loads of buttery vanilla. This really has great potential and we can't wait to see what that first release will be like. It is clear that the spirit has quality and it is not raw or blasting your nose and palate with alcohol, as many young or new spirits do.