Distilled in 1994 at the Mortlach Distillery. Matured in Bourbon Hogshead for 21 years. Bottled in 2015. One of only 492 bottles.
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla sponge cake, raw almonds, subtle peat and vegetal notes, nectarines, tropical fruit, heather, tobacco, rice pudding, allspice and a hint of ginger. Palate: Spicy bite, fruity with apricots, nectarines, pears, pepper spice, honey, walnuts, allspice, chocolate, and cherries. Finish: Moderately long, drying with apricots and a nutty pepper spice. Comments: Really nice dram – sharp neat but a bit of water brings out more chocolate and cherries, and thickens nicely. Here in the United States, we see ‘small batch’ used commonly in the world of bourbon despite having zero legal meaning (could be as few as a single barrel, or as many barrels as you want – 50, 500, 5,000, limit is only your imagination). It is much less common in Scotch whisky. In this case, there being 492 bottles of this small batch, it is likely only 2 or 3 casks (a hogshead cask is 250 liters, which would be 357 750 mL bottles full; scotch whisky loses about 2% to evaporation each year, do some math and you land at 2 casks with slightly less than 2%, or 3 casks).
46.1% ABV $190 Website We would like to thank Alfred Giraud and Savona Communications for sending us a sample to review.
What the Producer Says
This powerful and inviting whisky epitomizes the harmony achieved through our blending and aging techniques. We begin with a blend of two non-peated French malt distillates that matured in different casks, the majority in extra old cognac casks and a proportion in new French Limousin and American oak casks. Once the optimal blend is achieved, the double malt ages exclusively in extra old cognac casks where it develops complex and balanced flavors. Finally, it is blended with a lightly peated French malt distillate and is finished in the same extra old cognac casks until it reaches its optimal flavor.
WHISKY MAKER’S NOTES Color: Deep copper. Nose: Bold and inviting. Warm raisin bread and baking spices surround notes of smoky barley. Palate: Powerful yet delicate. The silky texture gives way to baking spices and juicy grapes. Rich and balanced, with a hint of peat. Finish: Long, very long. The subtle peat amplifies the soft tannins of the extra old cognac casks.
CHARACTER: Silky with a hint of peat BLEND: Triple Malt, Triple Wood CASKS: Cognac, new French & new American Oak ANNUAL RELEASE: 7 Casks COLOR: Natural FILTRATION: Non Chill-Filtered
What Gary Says
Nose: Floral, barley, fruity with grapes, pears, apricots and black currants, subtle spice with a slight earthy note of peat and cedar. Palate: Rich and creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, milk chocolate, grapes, peaches, nutmeg with subtle peat. Finish: Long, thick and syrupy with chocolate and pepper spice. Comments: While similar to the Heritage by Alfred Giraud, this is darker and richer on both the nose and palate. Quite lovely, with the peated whisky balanced nicely so that it is additive without dominating or detracting.
45.9% ABV $155 Website We would like to thank Alfred Giraud and Savona Communications for sending us a sample to review.
What the Producer Says
An intense and complex, yet elegant whisky, HERITAGE showcases complex and balanced flavors, the result of masterful blending and aging. Three non-peated French malt distillates that matured in different casks, mostly in extra old cognac casks with a proportion in new French Limousin and American oak casks are blended together, then matured in extra old cognac casks.
WHISKY MAKER’S NOTES Color: Natural, light and golden. Nose: Complex yet balanced. Buttery pastries and brioche develop into aromas of toasted malts and sweet baking spices. Palate: Structured with a full body. Brioche quickly transitions into grassy notes. A slight woodiness balanced perfectly with vanilla and nutmeg. Refined and well-rounded. Finish: Sophisticated and subtle. The soft spices and nutty malts balance beautifully leading to slightly sweet notes from the extra old cognac casks.
CHARACTER: Soft and elegant BLEND: Triple Malt, Triple Wood CASKS: Cognac, new French & new American Oak ANNUAL RELEASE: 23 Casks COLOR: Natural FILTRATION: Non Chill-Filtered
What Gary Says
Nose: Delicate, floral, barley, fruity with grapes, pears and apricots with a subtle spice. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with vanilla, poached pears, peaches, grapes, buttered brioche, nutmeg, hint of cinnamon, bright citrus note with a bit of chocolate. Finish: Moderately long, wet with vanilla, nutmeg and a bit of pepper. Comments: A delicate and delightful dram! Subtle and sweet, the cognac influence is apparent. I appreciate the higher ABV, as well as skipping the chill filtration, which all lends to a really nice mouthfeel.
We partnered with small and large producers across the country to select whiskeys that express the full diversity of American terroir and style. The resulting blend is remarkable, and we are proud to be the first to showcase the growing category of American single malt in this way.
We chose the name “American Vatted Malt” as an homage to the old Scottish category of vatted malt, which was once the preferred nomenclature to describe a blended whisky made entirely from single malts. Today, the Scots refer to that style as blended malt, but affection for the term “vatted” lives on.
As a new category, American single malt producers are notoriously creative, looking to their local environment and regional traditions to create distinctive whiskeys. That meant the blend was a challenging one technically, as it asked us to bring together a plethora of unique components. Never before have we strived to balance the distinctive tang of Southwestern mesquite smoke with the sweet and creamy maltiness of malted barley, or contrast briny coastal peat with the warm vanilla character of toasted oak. The resulting blend is complex and multi-faceted, rewarding the drinker with unfolding layers of flavor.
This first release of American Vatted Malt was years in the making, as many of the components in the blend come from emerging distilleries that have never traded or sold bulk whiskey before. The physical and logistical work of sourcing and blending with a group of small, independent producers is neither easy nor short, but we believe it lays the groundwork for a new, exciting, and collaborative future. Some of our collaborators have asked to remain anonymous, but the core group of participants includes:
• Balcones Distillery, Waco, Texas • Hamilton Distillers Del Bac, Tucson, Arizona • MGP, Lawrenceburg, Indiana • Harvest Distillery, Valatie, New York • Santa Fe Distillery, Santa Fe, New Mexico • Kings County Distillery, Brooklyn, New York
We look forward to continuing to work with this group of innovative whiskey producers while searching out new partners for future releases of Barrell Craft Spirits Vatted Malt. In addition to expanding our ever-growing portfolio of spirits, this new project is an important step in advancing our vision of the next chapter of whiskey in America.
What Gary Says
Nose: Toffee, cocoa, barley malt, caramel, toasted oak, cedar, subtle coconut husk. Palate: Rich mouthfeel, caramel, black currants, dark chocolate, allspice, nutmeg, pepper with blackberry preserves. Finish: Moderately long, drying with pepper and toffee. Comments: A really lovely pour. As a fan of quality vatting/blending (thanks to Compass Box for helping me see the light!), I can appreciate when it is done well – and this is done really well. Not a surprise, as I’ve yet to try something from the folks at Barrell Craft Spirits that I thought was done poorly (hopefully not jinxing them!). American single malt is still a pretty small category here, and you shouldn’t confuse it with single malt scotch or you’re likely to be disappointed (not that it is of less quality, but it doesn’t taste similar). And as a small category, there are even fewer vatted malts like this. A unique take on a unique spirit, and knowing much of this is fairly new – I can’t wait to see what they release with more age!
In order for a spirit to be called Scotch Whiskey it must be a product of Scotland. Although Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is proud to pay homage to its heritage, this whiskey is much more than just another peat-smoked whiskey from across the pond and wouldn’t want to be called Scotch even if it could be.
Like its Scottish single malt cousins, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is made entirely from malted barley, carefully distilled, and aged and finished in various oak casks to enhance the complex flavors inherent to true single malt whiskey. But there are key differences that set this remarkable spirit apart from its Scottish relatives.
While peat-smoked malt has always been a key ingredient in many well known Scotch whiskies, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s wonderfully complex flavor profile benefits from a very different type of smoked malt utilized by no other distillery in the world. The result is a smooth, mellow, mysteriously balanced hint of smoky complexity unique to Santa Fe Spirits.
Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s unique barrel aging process also separates it from its low-altitude relatives. Santa Fe Spirits is located 7,000 feet above sea level in the high desert and utilizes a climate-controlled barrel warehouse with temperatures ranging from freezing cold to swelteringly hot, and humidities ranging from bone dry to unbelievably damp. A strict regimen of climate changes yields a spirit with amazing complexity unrivaled by more temperate warehouses.
Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is the deliciously unique result of an Englishman moving to the desert of the Southwest, building a distillery, and hybridizing time-honored Scottish distilling techniques with the unique flavors and climate of his new home.
What Gary Says
Nose: Smokey, barley malt with smoked bacon, earthy, mesquite BBQ potato chips. Palate: Sweet with chocolate, vanilla, black currants, cherries, honey, a bit of barbecue sauce and ash. Finish: Moderately long, drying with pepper, barbecue and an ashy note. Comments: Quite different from the others in this flight – the mesquite smoke is definitely unique, which is what I do like about these American single malts. My beef with a lot of ‘craft whiskey’ is when they try to put out products that are made very well at scale by others, and charge multiples for the experience (which often isn’t as good in my opinion). Unchartered waters like these is where I don’t mind paying for a unique experience. Hopefully we’ll see some with some age, and higher proof down the road.
