Brave New Spirits - Cask Noir

Indie bottler Brave New Spirits @BNS_Whisky keep coming out with new releases!

Here's my thoughts on two recent ones from the Cask Noir series!

Brave New Spirits have 5 ranges:

Cask Noir : Carefully curated bottlings with some unusual wood finishes - Starting life in some of Scotland’s finest studios (aka “distilleries”) each release takes inspiration from classic movies and novels from a bygone era.  From thrilling and adventurous to dark, romantic and mysterious, these whiskies embark on a journey of discovery, into an exceptional world of exotic flavours and interesting & unusual casks.

Whisky Of Voodoo : Small batches of whisky selected by the Master of Ceremony - Whisky of Voodoo is a range of special, small-batch single malt and single grain whiskies. Designed to entice and enchant, these carefully selected whiskies are matured and finished using the finest casks, often sourced from exotic, far-flung locations.

 

Whisky Heroes : A range of spectacular single-cask whiskies and exclusive small batches, matured only in classic bourbon and sherry casks. Each bottle is infused with a dash of mischief and a pinch of heroism. These casks are the heroes of the whisky world, so the whiskies and the presentation of the range reflect this. Each bottle is designed to be bold. Each whisky is full of character and adventure, every release chosen for its ability to take the whisky fan on an adventure of flavours and history. 

Cask Masters : This series honours the centuries of ancient traditions and craftsmanship that have made single malt Scotch whisky one of the world’s finest products. Each unique label pays tribute to the art of whisky making, with each individual bottle in the series highlighting a different element of the many processes involved in creating landmark Scotch whiskies.

The Yellow Edition : Carefully selected single cask bottlings - Brave New Spirits proudly present their Yellow Edition range. A selection of whiskies, specially chosen to reflect the character and diversity of their country of origin. With The Yellow Edition, we aim to present whiskies to delight connoisseurs all over the world. Whiskies with a focus on provenance, individuality, quality, class and of course, flavour.

BNS sent me these samples, here's my honest thoughts:

Paul Dempsey said

"Cask Noir labels resemble film titles - the name of each release contain quirky / cryptic /  mysterious / obscure links to the distillery that produced the whisky in each bottle (even more fun when we can’t disclose the name of the distillery where the whisky originated).

So far we’ve used references from Shakespeare,  geography, architecture, zoology, twin towns and even a local Butcher."

Mutiny on the Wyre Majestic

Peated Bunnahabhain spirit distilled in Dec '11 filled into a 2F ex-bourbon Single Cask 873.

Matured for 11 years until Aug '22, giving 231 bottles at 56.8% ABV, NCF, Natural colour

Delivering rich flavours of spiced apple pie, dried cloves, and smoked ham deliver a unique, well-rounded experience.

In 1974 'Wyre Majestic' smashed into the rocks near Rubha a'Mhil, where the channel of the Sound of Islay kinks, at full speed. The lifeboat attempted to tow the ship away, but she had landed too firmly on the rocks where she still rests. Her skipper, Derek Reader, was subsequently found to be at fault for being below at an 'inappropriate time' and had his certificate suspended. Those who are familiar with the West Coast of Scotland will recognise the distillery near to where the event occurred is no other than Bunnahabhain. This distillery makes unpeated whisky, but the 'Moin' is a peated version of the same spirit.

My thoughts:

Appearance: pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and take an age to fall as slow thin oily legs.

Nose: bonfire on the beach to start: ashy smoke, wind blown salinity, bacon crisps. There's some green apple, citrus zest, honey roast peanuts and some dried seaweed. The ABV is very apparent!

Palate: thick juicy arrival, immediately smoky and dry, really dry! The salinity from the nose is here along with icing sugar and a little marzipan. A few sips offer a runny honey note, some baking spices and a little salted cracker. 

Finish: long, spicy and dry with some salted lemon and dry smoke.

Overall: typical peated Islay but this could be from Caol Ila or Laphroaig rather than Bunna but it does have the typical salinity and smoke you'd expect from a Moine. Yummy dram!

Ghost of the Hill

Port Dundas spirit distilled in Mar '06 filled into an ex-bourbon cask and then finished in a FF Château Lafite Bordeaux wine Barrique cask #314746B

Matured for 17 years in total until Apr '23, giving 307 bottles at 54.6% ABV, NCF, Natural colour.

Offers the flavours of liquorice roots, toasted coconut, prickly pear and autumn forest.

I can't find BNS' back story but The Ghost on the Hill was a 1976 children's book by John Gordon where the ghost of Tom Goodchild haunts the teenage children of the woman who once broke his heart. As far as I can tell it was never made into a film!

My thoughts:

Appearance: orangy gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin oily legs.

Nose: dunnage funk, earth floors and damp leaves. to start. There's some red berry notes, hints of liquorice and some bicycle tyre.

Palate: thick oily arrival, immediately sweet and juicy. Honey, barley sugars and a little orange marmalade. There's an interesting baked rice pudding note: cool and unspiced. The mouth is left dry as the liquid disappears, there some more hints of rubber, raspberry and a little dry wood spice.

Finish: Lingering dry spice, hedgerow berries and rubber.

Overall: this doesn't remind of any Port Dundas I've had before - the vanilla and popcorn notes have all disappeared - the wine cask has had a huge influence. It's a really lovely dram