London Distillery Company - New Forms

The releases from the London Distillery Company are coming out thick and fast, Whisky Maker Matt McKay doesn't have too many casks to play with but each release introduces something new.

This time a trio of cask influences, let's try them!

Matt has taken 3 refill-hogsheads and finished in first fill ex-bourbon, first fill fino sherry and first fill moscatel sherry casks.

Whisky Maker – Matt McKay says:

"New Forms is an exploration of possibility – an invitation to reimagine what the London Distillery Company’s single malt whisky can become. Drawn from the rare and finite casks of the original distillery, this series looks forward rather than back, reshaping our spirit through bold, modern interventions.

Each release is a study in transformation: a deliberate act of pushing tradition, where cask, time and intent converge to create something entirely new. It is whisky that has been purposefully reconfigured to be dynamic, expressive and unbound by expectation."

Distillery thoughts:

Ex-Bourbon Cask	Fino Sherry Cask	Moscatel Sherry Cask
Finished for 12 months in 1st fill ex-bourbon cask #11190	Finished for 8 months in 1st fill fino sherry hogshead #9001	Finished for 8 months in 1st fill moscatel sherry hogshead #9008
60.7% ABV | 222 bottles	61.4% ABV | 347 bottles	61.6% ABV | 345 bottles
This expression is the most transparent dialogue between spirit and wood. Rather than masking character, the ex-bourbon influence amplifies it - allowing the natural fruit and barley structure of the whisky to come forward with clarity.	The fino sherry cask introduces a different kind of tension. Its influence is more architectural - saline, nutty, and delicately oxidative. Rather than diminishing the fruit, it reframes it, lending the spirit a more chiselled structure and precision while allowing bright stone fruit notes to resonate	The moscatel sherry expression is the most overtly sweet of the three - and arguably the most transformative in the way it reshapes the spirit. Here, the spirit is drawn into a richer, more aromatic world of sugar and spice.

My thoughts:

Ex-Bourbon Cask	Fino Sherry Cask	Moscatel Sherry Cask
Dark gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up and fall as slow thin oily legs.	Dark gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, form tiny beads and fall as slow thin oily legs.	Dark gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, form tiny beads and fall as slow thin oily legs.
Nose: cereal forward, malt, barley, porridge. There's honey, orchard fruit and a little musty dunnage funk. A little time and air offers lemon hints, some spice and a hint of icing sugar.	Nose: very closed this one, may needs a drop of water? Peach and plum to start, there's marzipan, salted caramel and a little musty dunnage funk - something I get on all the London releases. A little time and air allow the fruit to come to the fore.	Nose: orchard fruit to start: peaches and apricots, some berry hints and a lovely icing sugar note. A little Golden Syrup, musty dunnage funk and a hint of rhubarb.
Palate: the ABV knocks on the door straight away. Thick, sweet arrival: honey and drying icing sugar. There's a sour grapefruit note, some peppery spice and some lemon bonbons. With a little water there's a little more sweetness but the sour note increases. Icing sugar dryness comes through.	Palate: another thick sweet arrival: tinned fruit juice, honey and caramel, very drying. The peach and plum from the nose are back along with ripe pears and a little salinity. Dry and spicy with a little almond as the liquid disappears. This changes a lot with a little water chewy toffee come to the fore, a little strawberry and a bit more spice.	Palate: again a thick sweet arrival, toffee to start, some fruity flapjack, berries and a dry spice. There's dried fruit, brown sugar and more toffee. Like the Fino with a little water this adds chewy toffee, berries and a little salinity. It gets a little dryer and dials down the spice.
Finish: short and sweet with drying icing sugar and a little peppery spice.	Finish: lingering dry spice, toffee and some berry hints,	Finish: lingering salted caramel, berries and spice.

Overall:

The Bourbon is probably the weakest of the three, it comes across as very young to me, spirit forward, but I'm guessing it must be 7 or 8 years old? Maybe that's why Matt gave it a longer finish in a new first fill cask? Benefits from a drop of water, I think I diluted it down to around 55%.

The Fino was very complex: fruit, caramel and spice, a little dry. Deserved a little time. This dram improved with a little dilution changing quite significantly on the palate when down to c55%. 

The Moscatel was my favourite of the trio: berries, toffee and flapjack notes ticking all of my boxes but again it needed some water to knock the edge off the ABV.

All 3 bottles will be released this Friday!