Behind the seventeenth window of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s 2019 Advent Calendar we will be reviewing each day until the 24th of December was hidden a Cotswolds 3yo batch 1, bottled at 50.4% abv by that Boutique-y Whisky Company. Cotswolds is a very young English distillery as it has been founded in 2014 and produces whisky, gin and other spirits. They have three small stills: a wash still (2400 litres) and a spirit still (1600 litres) for the whisky and a Holstein still (500 litres) to distil gin and other spirits. This Boutique-y release had an outturn of 1783 bottles and can still be found on Master of Malt for £58.95.
Colour:
Deep Gold.
Nose:
Coldorak: Vanilla, caramel and tropical fruits : passion, mango and pineapple, but also orchard fruits with ripe apricots. The nose, though fruity, is also a bit spirity, but not that much for a whisky that young. A touch of cinnamon and some floral notes (lavender and roses?) are also discernable on the background.
Ainulindalë: An interesting nose, all on fruit and flowers. There’s some pears in there followed by roses and young oak, not overpowering. Pleasant vanilla underlines it all. Surprising nose for a dram that age.
Palate:
Coldorak: Sweet and spicy arrival with an oily mouthfeel, the palate is fruity, but the fruits are totally different from the nose: we’re more on citrus here with lemon, orange and grapefruit. Quite some spices with cinnamon and pepper, a bit of wood (was it an STR cask?) and toasted malt. Reduction brings more sweetness and reinforce the tingling pepper.
Ainulindalë: The mouth is a bit different and starts quite malty with a strong alcohol tinge. Hay and malt dust overpowering the pears and flowers of the nose, adding peach to the mix. It is a bit oily, but just a bit. Adding water to it tones down the hay and malt dust quite a bit and reconciles it a bit more with the nose but tones down the fruitiness a bit too – shame!
Finish:
Coldorak: Long and warm, the spices really warm the throat, even when reduced. Hints of grapefruit stay in the mouth.
Ainulindalë: It finishes with a hefty length on vanilla and peach.
Comments:
Coldorak: Quite young but quite good, the spirit is solid and the maturation went quite well in those 3 short years. Not sure about the wood and Boutique-y’s brand ambassador Dave Worthington didn’t remember with certainty which wood it was, but anyway, that’s a good young whisky (might well be bourbon casks then STR casks: red wine casks having been shaved, toasted and re-charred)
Ainulindalë: Interesting dram for one so young. A fresh nose yet a strong mouth. This is an interesting experiment but I do wonder how it’d evolve with a bit more time maturing.
Rating:
Coldorak: 83/100
Ainulindalë: 84/100
