Clydeside Napier

Clydeside have recently released a new bottling, their 4th I think and the 2nd in the core range.

Let's have a look at Napier.

 

I visited Clydeside shortly after it opened, you can read about it here. I also reviewed their first release Stobart and suggested "Clydeside are obviously on to something good here - the whisky just needs some more time in the wood to develop some complexity - I can't wait to see what's it's like in a few more years."

Well here we are a few years later - let's see what their latest release is like...

Distillery notes:

Robert Napier (1791-1876) rightly regarded as the ‘Father of Clyde Shipbuilding’, had three main mantras, ‘quality, quality, quality.’ His appetite for invention and innovation in steam-engine and ship-building design saw him rub shoulders with royalty and emperors across Europe.

From the fastest and first iron-hulled ships for the Royal Navy, to the quickest Atlantic crossing, he was a man ahead of his time, one who set the template for future generations of shipbuilders.

From his Govan yard, he carried the ‘Clydebuilt’ legend around the globe, with his signature vermilion and black hooped ships’ funnels becoming a worldwide trademark when he went into business with legendary Canadian shipping-magnate, Samuel Cunard.

The Clydeside Distillery, which sits just opposite Napier’s original shipyard, is proud to have applied his name, and mantra - ‘quality, quality, quality’ - to its latest release, a characterful Lowland malt, matured for over 6 years in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46% ABV NCF.

Tasting Notes

Nose: ripe berry, sweet rose and tropical tones

Palate: orange marmalade, cherry and vanilla

Finish: warming clove and ginger

 

My thoughts:

Appearance: Light bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, take a little while to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: a little dunnage funk, artificial strawberries, marzipan and some furniture polish. There's some dry fruit, figs, dark chocolate and a hint of spice to come.

Palate: thin sweet arrival, caramel and blueberry jam to start and then the spice arrives: black pepper and cinnamon bite at the tongue. There's some orange marmalade notes, a little tobacco and some kiln dried wood. A few more sips offer cherry lips, almond butter and a little ginger spice.

Finish: ginger spice, honey and strawberries.

Overall: although not labelled as such Napier is supposed to be 6 years old, unfortunately to me it still hints at some new make notes - refill oloroso rather than first fill maybe - it just hasn't got the complexity you see in other young whiskies such as Raasay or Ardnahoe. I think this might be better at cask strength but diluted to 46% it just needs a little more cask influence.