White Peak Wire Works Calvados Arrivée

White Peak's latest limited edition release is Calvados Arrivée 

Let's see what it's all about!

Bottler info:

"Wire Works Calvados Arrivée is a dual maturation of our lightly-peated spirit, initially aged for 3 years in ex-bourbon barrels, and finished in first fill Calvados casks for 3 years. Calvados is an apple  brandy specifically produced in northern France. These particular casks held Calvados for a whole decade."

Limited Edition | 987 Bottles | 49.2% ABV 

Tasting notes:

Nose: Green apples, vanilla extract, rhubarb and custard, fresh cut grass, fruit salad sweets, raspberries, watermelon, dolly mixture.

Palate: White chocolate, baked apple pie, cinder toffee, green grapes, Digestive biscuits, honeydew melon, cinnamon buns, icing sugar.

Finish: Delicate smoke, baking spices, meringue, apple crumble.

Let's dive in!

My thoughts:

Appearance: bright light gold in the Glencairn, swirls don't cling but fall straight back into the glass as a curtain - very strange! This is similar to the Caduro X, I wonder if my White Peak Glencairn has some strange internal coating?

Nose: huge green apple notes, drying icing sugar and a little honey. Sweet shop candy, fresh cut grass and a little hint of smoke.

Palate: sweet juicy arrival, a little honey, drying icing sugar and a hint of brown sugar. The apple from the nose then kicks in - stewed with a little cinnamon spice and an oaty crumble topping. There's a little fizz and a drying icing sugar note left on the tongue as the liquid disappears. Lovely!

Finish: cinnamon spice, gentle smoke and green apple.

Overall: this reminded me a lot of some of Loch Lomond's Chardonnay Wine Yeast Inchmurrin releases - high praises indeed. The Calvados influence is huge, I'm not normally a fan, I don't like cider, but White Peak have got the balance perfect.