The staycation pack has been influenced by our summer holidays but additionally we wanted to provide you with some of the amazing whiskeys that are available from our own shores. We all know that Scotland and Ireland have great whiskey heritage, but don’t rule out Wales and England too. This pack has a Blended Irish whiskey which comes from England, an American Bourbon from Wales a Barrel Proof whiskey from England and an Independent Bottler from Scotland.
Jatt Life Blended Irish Whiskey (We’d recommend drinking this first)
We’ve got an aware winner in the pack this month, as the guys and girls at Jatt Life have recently (August 2021) been awarded GOLD, in the Irish Whiskey Masters Awards 2021 with the Spirits Business, congratulations!!
This 40%ABV blended Irish whiskey, comes from their Kingswinford site in the Midlands and is drawn from a combination of virgin oak and sherry casks and makes for a very enjoyable dram.
On the nose: There’s plenty going on here, with dried fruit and spices coming forward mostly with a hint of peanuts in the background
To taste: Dried fruit and apples along with some toffee provide an approachable taste profile
The finish: Sweet fruits and smooth honey
Charlie Parry's 3 Year Old Bourbon (We’d drink this one next)
As we’ve already eluded to, this is bourbon in every sense of the word with the exception that it’s finalised in Wales. The bourbon undergoes the traditional distilling process and maturation in virgin American Oak barrels before the father and son team from the Mallows distillery in South Wales finish off the process by bringing the whiskey to 40%ABV with Welsh water.
On the nose: Aroma of toasted oak, vanilla and caramel
To taste: A subtle sweet taste, with vanilla and toffee dominating the oak
The finish: A nice long finish, with a sweetness and slight hint of spice
Knockando 13 Year Old (2007), bottled by Signatory un-chill filtered collection (casks 304100 and 304104) (Try this one third)
The single malt began life at the Knockando distillery in Speyside Scotland, back in December 2007, it underwent the traditional distillation process before being placed into Hogshead casks (casks 304100 and 304104) for 13 years.
Then Signatory who are an independent bottler will have sourced the casks that they believe best represent Knockando and bottle the whiskey in it’s truest form, that means this whiskey is un-chill filtered and has a higher ABV of 46%.
On the nose: We’ve got those big Speyside aromas coming through, lots of citrus fruits both fresh and candied
To taste: Fruit comes through aplenty, along with nuts and spice
The finish: Vanilla and almonds and a little more spice
Randolph Oxford Barrel Proof (We’d recommend saving this for last)
Last up we have an English barrel proof whiskey from the Black Bottle Distillery, who are located in Oxfordshire.
As this is barrel proof, you’d expect it to pack a punch and it doesn’t disappoint as this whiskey has a mighty 58%ABV. As always we recommend that you drink whiskey how ever you prefer it, but we would suggest that you maybe try adding a small drop (or two) of water to this one, but the decision is yours!
If you’re wondering why we’re suggesting adding water. It's because the high alcohol content could dominate the other flavours. By adding the water you will dilute the dominance of the alcohol and allow the other elements of the whiskey to present themselves.
We’re big fans of this whiskey (with a couple of drops of water), the flavour profile is interesting and not necessarily what we was expecting.
On the nose: Once you get past the alcohol there's a mixture of citrus fruit, chewy toffee a waft of milk chocolate and a hit of pepper
To taste: The citrus fruits are back and present themselves alongside malt, lots of malt, lots and lots of malt!!
The finish: Quite spicy with a touch of chocolate, very nice!