Side by side: Cotswolds Mega Tasting

@Cotswoldistill is one of the largest distilleries in England, they've been going since 2014 and keep adding to their 'core' range with full maturation high ABV releases.

Here I'll try ten examples!

Callum @glen_scotia & Kate @kccjf decided to to a bottle split of some of their Cotswolds Collection and a few of us joined in a Zoom session to enjoy them and share our thoughts.

Let's see how their whiskies taste:

Dram	Signature Single Malt 2017 Odyssey Barley	Founders Choice	Sherry Cask	Peated Cask	Bourbon Cask
Characteristics	46% ABV NCF, NC 70% STR & 30% Ex-bourbon	60.1% ABV NCF, NC 100% STR	57.4% ABV NCF, NC American & Spanish oak hogsheads & butts (Oloroso & PX)	59.6% ABV NCF, NC Ex-peated Quarter casks	59.1% ABV NCF, NC 100% Ex-bourbon
Bottler notes	Matured in highly active STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) ex-red wine casks and premium first-fill ex-Bourbon casks, this single malt whisky provides an incredible depth of flavour with notes of honey, Seville orange marmalade and dark red fruits. Nose: Honey and butterscotch layered with light fruits (peaches & apricots) and a hint of marzipan. Palate: Strong notes of tannin-rich malt, oils and dark sugar with lots of spice, caramelised Seville orange marmalade. Finish: Long and resinous, with dark red fruits and a hint of treacle.	Aged exclusively in our founder Dan's favourite casks: STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) ex-red wine casks. These highly active casks were created by our mentor and renowned whisky consultant, the late Dr. Jim Swan, and give a rich and intense maturation to our fruity new make spirit, offering strong notes of toffee, chocolate and red fruits, as well as a beautiful, deep colour.  Nose: Dry hay and cut wood, with dark chocolate and dried figs, and plums in sweet syrup. Palate: Warming cereal and toast notes, with lots of fresh red fruits and butterscotch. Finish: Hints of spicy oak, lots of dried fruit and a lingering nutty, dry note.	Our Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky is a marriage of carefully selected and blended sherry casks. Each yearly batch is unique, drawn from the finest American and Spanish oak hogsheads & butts, some of which have been seasoned with dry Oloroso sherry and others with sweet Pedro Ximénez. All have been sherry-aged through their full maturation for a deeper and more flavourful whisky. Full of dried fruits, chocolate and a touch of spice. Nose: Brown sugar and cherry pie with a touch of roasted coffee beans. Palate: Viscous and rich. Full of dark stone fruits, chocolate and a hint of roasted almonds. Finish: Peppery oak spice accompanied by notes of dried fruits.	Our cask strength Peated Cask Single Malt Whisky is hand-crafted in small batches using 100% locally grown, traditionally floor-malted barley. Aged fully in ex-peated quarter casks, this is a delightful and moreish whisky with subtle hints of peat smoke on the palate which complement the vanilla notes from the oak and the fruitiness of our spirit. Think 'smoky vanilla ice cream', as our distillers like to describe it! Nose: Vanilla with light charring and a touch of dried fruits and spice. Palate: Creamy peat smoke layered with light fruits and tannin-rich wood. Finish: Lasting finish of smoking embers, floral honey and woody sugars.	Our Cotswolds Bourbon Cask Single Malt Whisky is created from select first-fill ex-Bourbon casks in which our rich and fruity single malt spirit has been patiently matured. These premium American oak barrels are ideal for ageing whisky and impart delicious notes of vanilla and honey. This sweet and malty cask strength expression is a whisky for purists and a wonderful expression of our distillery character. Nose: Decadent vanilla custard with a hint of malt. Palate: Raisins and caramelised figs, delicate vanilla. Finish: Subtly earthy with a hint of honey.
My thoughts:
Appearance	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line and fall as fast thin legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thick legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line and fall as slow thin legs.	Very pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line and form small beads which fall as slow thin legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line and form tiny beads which fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Orchard fruit: apples, pears & apricots; red berries, orange zest	Orange zest, vanilla, orchard fruit: apple & pears; and some dried fruit notes.	Sherry notes: strawberry jam, dried fruit & brown sugar; there's a hint on aniseed.	Gentle peat smoke (like someone in the next room has poured a Caol Ila), orchard fruit and a little citrus	Vanilla, shortbread, malt and the ever present orchard fruit: apples & apricots.
Palate	Sweet creamy arrival, the orchard fruit from the nose balance sweet fudge and milk chocolate notes.	Thick syrupy arrival, the ABV has ramped up a bit here and it shows - ginger spice alongside orange zest, dried fruit, cherries and dark chocolate.	Thick sweet arrival, toffee, dried fruit, milk chocolate and some dry oaky spice. The first of these drams without any orchard fruit notes.	Orchard fruit: apples & pears; citrus, gentle smoke and some ginger spice. The fruit turns tropical and the smoke increases in the mouth as the liquid disappears. Yummy!	Smooth creamy arrival, the orchard fruit from the nose, covered in an alcoholic vanilla custard with a little sweet runny honey. Yummy!
Finish	Lingering orchard fruit, and berries - slightly drying.	Lingering citrus, dry oak and dark chocolate.	Long dry oak and chilli spice notes with a little red fruit.	Lingering dried pineapple & ginger spice.	Long vanilla custard notes, slightly drying.

Dram	2016 4yo Single Cask [Waxhouse Whisky]	Summer Festival 2019	Sauternes Cask	Pinot de Charentes cask	2015 6yo Single Cask #205
Characteristics	54% ABV NCF, NC First-fill STR cask (Filled: 05.2016, Bottled: 04.2021) 324 bottles	50% ABV NCF, NC 90% 4 yrs Ruby Port casks and 10%  2.5 yrs first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels finished in a Cream Sherry Quarter Cask.	55.2% ABV NCF, NC French oak Sauternes wine barriques	55.2% ABV NCF, NC French oak Sauternes wine barriques seasoned with white Pineau des Charentes	60.5% ABV NCF, NC PX (Filled: '15, Bottled: 25 Oct '21
Bottler notes	Nose: Rich oak, Madagascan vanilla and Malted Milk biscuits smothered with red fruit compote. Palate: Oily, thick maple syrup, custard creams and maraschino cherry. Rye spiciness with a touch of green pepper. Finish: Sweet cookie dough, the rye spices and vanilla remain followed by a long finish with hints of habanero	We filled Ruby Port casks and premium first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels with our new-make spirit. The port casks were left to mature for 4 years, whilst the ex-Bourbon barrels were matured for 2.5 years before being finished in a Cream Sherry Quarter Cask. We then blended together 90% Ruby Port cask with the remaining 10% of the Cream Sherry finished ex-Bourbon barrel. Nose: Rich red fruits, creamy vanilla & dark chocolate. Taste: Cherry, blackcurrant, with layers of cinnamon and ginger. Finish: Long and spicy. Cinnamon remains with hints of almonds and cocoa.	We took our fruity new make spirit and aged it in a small parcel of premium French Oak casks seasoned with Sauternes wine. These casks impart notes of peach and nectarine and a honeyed sweetness on our new make spirit. Nose: Raisin and malted biscuit, opening up to notes of peach and ripe pears. Palate: Honey with fresh nectarine and a touch of lemon zest leading to creamy vanilla and warm oak wood spice. Finish: A long finish with lingering spice and layers of light fruit.	We've selected a small parcel of premium French oak ex-red wine casks seasoned with white Pineau des Charentes - a wonderful blend of fresh grape juice and Cognac. The sweet notes of this golden aperitif wine are well balanced by the French oak tannins, resulting in wonderfully rich notes of tonka bean, marzipan and caramelised peaches Nose: Wonderfully rich tonka bean, marzipan and caramelised peaches. Palate: Raisins and brazil nuts with dried orange peel. Finish: A warm and long finish with hints of white pepper and almonds.	None!
My thoughts:
Appearance	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line and fall as slow thick legs.	Dark gold with a red / bronze tinge in the glass. Swirls cling as a thin line, leave an inverted crown of beads which fall as slow thick legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line and fall as slow thin legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line and fall as fast thin legs..	Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line and fall as slow thick legs.
Nose	Vanilla, berry fruit, orange zest	Hedgerow berries, vanilla, orchard fruit, dried fruit.	Orchard fruit: pears, apples & apricots, some dried fruit and a little malt.	Tunnocks Snowballs: desiccated coconut, milk chocolate & marshmallow; marzipan.	Dried fruit, milk chocolate and strawberry jam.
Palate	Thick maple syrup, cherries, orchard fruit, vanilla and a little malt. Not as much spice as the previous samples.	Hedgerow berries: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries; some cherries, marzipan and a gentle cinnamon spice. Yummy!	Sweet honey, the orchard fruit  from the nose and a bite of ginger spice.	Dry arrival, icing sugar, orchard / tropical fruit, dried fruit, berries, marzipan and some orange zest.	Thick dry arrival, more Oloroso than PX (very strange?) strawberry jam and ginger spice.
Finish	Medium length cherries and a gentle rye-like spice	Lingering cherries and marzipan.	Lingering ginger spice.	Lingering honey, citrus and gentle spice.	Lingering dried fruit and ginger spice.

Overall

A really great set of drams, all shared the Cotswolds DNA orchard fruit nose, creamy arrival, orchard fruit, a little orange and gentle spice, with a little almond or marzipan mixed in for good measure. The Signature is a great daily drinker, a mix of STR and Ex-bourbon, but it's when you up the ABV that this spirit comes into it's own - the ex-bourbon giving you the 'standard' finish and that was really good, the Founders at the other end of the scale going full on STR bringing dried fruit, cherries and dark chocolate. The finishes each added another layer of complexity, for me the Sherry was the weakest of them, the wine and peated were good, the PX very good but the Summer Festival Port was a standout dram - can't wait for them to release another like this!