This is the first Cotswolds whisky in the Boutique-y Whisky Company range, probably the first independent bottling of this distillery and… the first Cotswolds I will try.
Established in 2014, it is one of six distilleries producing whisky in England. It was one of the projects guided by Dr. Jim Swan, famous for his ‘accelerating’ STR casks (shaved, toasted, re-charred American oak wine barrels).
Cotswolds 3 yo (50,4%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2019, Batch #1, 1785 btl.)
Cotswolds 3 yo (50,4%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2019, Batch #1, 1785 btl.)Nose: light, with peaches, plums and vanilla cream, fructose sweetness and cereal biscuits. Jam on toast. You also get a bit of a virgin oak / freshly shaved woody touch, including a fragrant marzipan note.
Mouth: good texture, showing bright fruity notes (peaches, berries, pink grapefruit) that are quite nice, mixing with warm oak without overdoing it. Vanilla biscuits again, plenty of malty notes. Some ginger and pepper and soft tannins. Toffee and chocolate towards the end.
Finish: medium, on barley, apples and oak.
You can’t really blame them for pulling the STR trick: it does make the whisky feel more mature. Here it’s executed properly, with a fair balance. It might bring it closer to other distilleries that rely on STR, but for a three year-old this is simply very good. Available from Master of Malt.
Score: 82/100