Wolfie's First Release

When a legendary rocker wants to release a whisky where would they go? Loch Lomond of course - its been there since 1814*. 

That's exactly where @RodStewart went for his latest release Wolfies!

Designed to reflect Rod’s cheeky chappie image, Wolfie’s was inspired by the legendary musician’s early hell-raising days with the Faces.

With his reputation as ‘the Cockney Scotsman’, Wolfie’s perfectly pays tribute to Rod’s Scottish heritage - referenced by having the lyrics from his 1991 song 'Rhythm of My Heart' emblazoned on the base of the bottle.

Rod’s recording of the song was actually adapted from the melody of the traditional folk song, Loch Lomond, in a nod to his precious Scottish roots.

Rod visited the distillery, taking an interest in the whisky making process, asking lots of questions and worked with Michael Henry and Ashley Smith through 40 prototypes before coming up with this 40% blend distilled from malted barley and unmalted wheat.

             

 

 

Distillery notes:

The perfect blend of grain and malt whiskies aged in American oak bourbon casks. taking inspiration from Sir Rod’s favourite dessert – warm apple pie. 

The result is a lightly peated, ultra-smooth final blend with warming cinnamon, fresh vanilla and baked apple. 

The whisky has a delicate taste of sweet peat and pears in syrup before finishing with candied citrus peels and a gentle oak spice.

Let's see what it's like....

Appearance: Dark gold in the glass (coloured?), swirls cling as a thin line of beads which fall as slow thick legs.

Nose: Gentle peat, stewed apples and raisins, vanilla custard and a little caramel sauce. There's a little banana, pine and a savoury note. It's youthful and spirit led - but that's what you'd expect from an inexpensive blend.

Palate: Thin sweet arrival followed by lots of peppery spice. Lots of toffee apple and vanilla notes with some honey. A little drying with an orange marmalade note here too - proper Scottish Thick Cut stuff!

Finish: Short with drying icing sugar, cinnamon spice, a little orange and gentle smoke.

Overall: I'm assuming chill filtering has taken out the 'body' but at 40% ABV this is what you'd expect - it's smooth! It's not complex but it's not aimed at your malt (or grain) geek - it's aimed at Rod's fans and the thousands who will turn up to his upcoming Vegas residency. Saying that it's pleasant enough to drink - add some ice or use it in a long summer drink - either will work well if you're that way inclined!.

Geeky Stuff:

*1814 : Loch Lomond have been putting this date on their packaging for a few years now, but the distillery at Alexandria was only built in 1965. This was built by the then owners of Littlemill distillery which itself was built in 1772 - Scotland's first and oldest licensed whisky distillery?

The 1814 refers to "The first site of the former Loch Lomond distillery dating back to 1814, sited at the north end of Loch Lomond near Tarbet (known as Tarbat). Sadly in the old days relatively few paper records were kept and the closing date of this distillery remains unclear."

Rod Stewart's releases:

An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969) Gasoline Alley (1970) Every Picture Tells a Story (1971 Never a Dull Moment (1972) Smiler (1974) Atlantic Crossing (1975) A Night on the Town (1976) Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) Blondes Have More Fun (1978) Foolish Behaviour (1980) Tonight I'm Yours (1981) Body Wishes (1983) Camouflage (1984) Every Beat of My Heart (1986) Out of Order (1988) Vagabond Heart (1991) A Spanner in the Works (1995)

When We Were the New Boys (1998) Human (2001) It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002) As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003) Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004) Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005) Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006) Soulbook (2009) Once in a Blue Moon: The Lost Album (2010) Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010) Merry Christmas, Baby (2012) Time (2013) Another Country (2015) Blood Red Roses (2018) The Tears of Hercules (2021) Wolfie's (2023)