Following the success of the World Whisk(e)y Summit hosted by TBWC back in May, the independent bottler announced they’ll be releasing a special batch of world whiskies, featuring many of the participating distilleries.
The bottles have now been released - let's see what some of them are like!
The full World Series Collection lineup is Armorik 7yo, Copperworks 3yo, Penderyn 6yo, Nantou 4yo, Elsburn 7yo, Langatun 5yo, Millstone 4yo, Mackmyra 5yo, Paul John 6yo and a World Whisky Blend; here I'm looking at 5 of them:
| Dram |
Nantou (Batch 1) |
Penderyn (Batch 1) |
Mackmyra (Batch 2) |
Langatun (Batch 3) |
Paul John (Batch 3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 4yo, 49% ABV, NCF, Natural colour. | 6yo, 50% ABV, NCF, Natural colour. | 5yo, 50.3% ABV, NCF, Natural colour. | 5yo, 51.2% ABV, NCF, Natural colour. | 6yo, 52.9% ABV, NCF, Natural colour. |
| Bottler notes |
Modelled after the scotch production techniques of the 80s, with the
twist of influence from a tropical environment results in classic
Scotch vibes with a fruity, tropical twist. Set in the beautiful Nantou region of Taiwan, the climate is humid & subtropical, meaning (you guessed it!) a high angel’s share of 6%+ ! The high temperatures accelerate the interaction between spirit and the fresh Bourbon cask, drawing out tropical fruit notes of mango, lychee, pineapple. Nose: Rich, creamy bourbon vanilla with papaya & pineapple. Palate: Light & fruity, tropical fruit notes follow onto a delicate lychee finish. |
Our Penderyn bottling has been matured in an ex-Moscatel cask. The
sweet dessert wine is produced in a similar way to PX sherry but, uses
a high proportion of Moscatel de Alejandria grapes Located in the village of Penderyn, on the southern tip of the Brecon Beacons, this distillery marked the first commercially available whisky in Wales since the 19th century. Dr Jim Swan was one of the founders and their Master Blender. He was instrumental in developing their house style of Madeira finishing. They use a one of a kind pot still designed by Dr David Faraday, a relative of inventor Michael Faraday. Nose: Ethereal light & floral nose with delicate peach, jasmine & vanilla Palate: Sweet floral notes, peach melba & vanilla with a tinge of blackcurrant leaf. |
This particular expression is a blend of 5YO whiskies from several
fresh bourbon casks. Mackmyra try to be as eco-friendly as possible. All their barley is Swedish and they have a specially designed distillery which operates using gravity! Barley is loaded in on floor 7 and spirit flows all the way down to the new spirit store on floor 1 to be filled into cask. Master blender Angela D’Orazio has been on board for over 15 years after spells with Glenmorangie and the SMWS. Her skills helped Mackmyra win European Spirit producer of the year in 2012! Nose: Sweet marzipan, juicy apricot & fresh raspberry & a sprinkle of brown sugar. Palate: Freshly baked pastries filled with quince jam, Cherry Bakewell & warming cinnamon. |
This whisky is made from birchwood smoked barley. An unusual beginning
you might say but, to up the mystery quota, it has been aged in a
Chateauneuf du Pape cask, adding layers of red fruit notes and a deep
colour. Langatun have a very long history of brewing and distillation going back to the 1850s! Hans Baumberger, great grandson of the founder, Jakob, decided to restart whisky distillation in 2007. The current owners, Christian Lauper and Dr Dolf Stockhausen have invested to meet increasing demand. Nose: Smoky and spiced, with cinnamon, redcurrant and caraway. Candied pears, burnt rhubarb and custard sweets. Palate: A whirlwind of old fashioned sweets embraced in a warming smokiness. |
An Indian single malt whisky distillery, located in tropical Goa,
distilling with Indian 6 row barley. Packed full of tropical fruit,
with a big, oily palette. This has been matured in a great bourbon
barrel, interweaving delicious nutty & spicy wood notes. The tropical climate for maturation means a high angel’s share, 8-10%, as opposed to Scotland’s 2-3%… Nose: A lovely smoky peat to begin, followed by sweet caramel and a hint of sea salt. Palate: Delicious chocolate chip ice-cream, joined by another waft of peaty embers. |
| My thoughts: | |||||
| Appearance |
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| Mid gold colour, swirls cling, bead up immediately and fall as slow thin legs. | Pale gold colour, swirls cling and fall as slow thin legs. | Very pale gold colour, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs. | Pale gold colour, swirls cling and fall as thick oily legs. | Light bronze colour, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs. | |
| Nose | Thick tropical fruit notes of pineapple, mango and peach, a little spiky on the nasal hair even though it's only 49% | Yuck - not pleasant - furniture polish, sweaty socks and floral notes. Very strange.... it's 6yo but has a of of new make notes. | Orchard fruit, pears, apples, apricot with a sweet icing sugar note. Maybe a hint of milk chocolate? | Smarties - milk chocolate and a little sugar. A little air offers spicy vanilla with a hint of smoke. some red berry notes and a hint of toffee. | Smoky chocolate notes with red berries and coconut. Some bourbon like notes. |
| Palate | Sweet tropical fruit notes, pineapple and peach, fairly thick mouthfeel. Again a kick from the ABV. A few more sips offer dry pear and some vanilla notes. Some sour citrus notes as the liquid disappears. Nice. |
Smooth floral arrival, slightly drying - again a polish off note. This is very strange - huge floral notes, a little vanilla and a bitter dark chocolate note. |
Smooth slightly bitter arrival, some red fruit notes - cherries and raspberries. Very drying with some sugary spice notes - sprinkles for apple pie? A few more sips offer some orchard fruit notes and a little peppery spice. |
Smooth slightly oily arrival, orchard fruit flavoured boiled sweets and a thin blanket of smoke. There's some custard here too. A few more sips offer a strange spicy note which lingers on the tongue. |
Thick arrival with dried fruit and berry jam - you'd think this was a sherry bomb but no, it's ex-bourbon matured. Bitter dark chocolate notes with the smoke covering everything. Very drying - again reminiscent of a sherry bomb. Yummy! |
| Finish | Lingering orchard fruit with a little vanilla. Very dry. | Sour floral notes..... | Medium length spicy pepper with a little vanilla. | Lovely spice notes linger with a little vanilla. Smoke lingers. | Lingering red berries and dried fruit. Lovely dry smoke notes. |
| Overall | Wow - a box of surprises and a disappointment.... Not unexpectedly the Paul John came out on top - a beautiful dram, I love their peated single casks and this one didn't disappoint. But talking of single casks - the Penderyn, what on earth happened here - I really like their standard range and the single casks I have had have been really good - this one was just off - huge horrible floral notes - yuck. The Nantou and Mackmyra were good, I'd not come across a Nanyou before but if this is a typical example then it's worth hunting out. The Mackmyra higher ABVs are always good, again worth hunting out. The Langatun was an interesting dram, the first of their's I've had, but not my first Swiss whisky (who'd have thought they have a few distilleries?) it was smoky, not peaty, with lots of sweet and fruit notes, I've never had Smartie notes before! So of the five the Paul John as clear leader, Langatun second, Nantou and Mackmyra not far behind and Something seriously iffy with the Penderyn. |
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Geeky bit:
Label Stories
Emily Chappell creates all the amazing labels for the Boutique-y bottles -
each has its own unique story!
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Label Stories
Emily Chappell creates all the amazing labels for the Boutique-y
bottles - each has its own unique story!
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| Our label is how we imagined the first explorers finding this site in the idyllic Nantou region of Taiwan. Our intrepid explorer is armed with a bindle of barley and his guide to whisky as he makes his way to a pier on the Sun Moon lake. Native flora and fauna surround him; Plum blossom trees, banana plants, fruit trees, Blue Magpies, and a stealthy looking Taiwanese Leopard Cat | Our label simply shows a recreation of their Penderyn’s unique still set up. The artist’s hand is holding a beautiful red pencil with the texture of dragon scales, symbolising the red dragon on the Welsh flag. Notice the signet ring with a swan on it? It’s a nod to both their Welsh Gold logo, and the late Dr. Jim Swan who was consulted on the original setup of the distillery. | Our label shows a map that looks to be tracking something that's gone from America to Spain to Switzerland and finally to England... Perhaps this journey holds some secret about the whisky...? From the Ozarks, to Jerez, to Switzerland… Have you got it yet? Do we really have to spell it out? We haven’t got a clue. Honest. | This label is set deep in the forests of Sweden. In the foreground is Angela D’Orazio – the head distiller, styled like one of the elves from lord of the rings (complete with a tiara, and the elf-ears, naturally…). There is a small trug full of cloudberries sitting beside a 100 litre cask that’s outside the Bodås mine. Once an iron ore mine, and now one of Mackmyra’s main warehouses. The cloudberries have been removed on this label and corn cobs lie by the base of the tree. | The Angel’s share is a percentage of whisky lost every year due to evaporation, and is much, much greater in India (or so they say, nudge nudge, wink, wink). Our label shows some of those thirsty angels queuing up for their share of this Paul John although some of these ‘angels’ may look a little familiar… |
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