Available exclusively for Founders’ Club members, it was officially released on 24th March 2021 in a limited-edition Founders’ Selection Box.
A 100ml bottle of cask-strength Maturing Malt (59.7% abv) drawn from cask #7
- Grain: Maris Otter heritage two-row barley
- Malting: 100% floor-malted, Warminster Maltings
- Yeast: distiller’s, dried
- Fermentation time: 6-7 days
- Distillation: double distilled, 900-litre copper pot still
- Cask filling: 60% abv, cask #7
- Cask: ex-bourbon corn whiskey (1st fill bourbon, 2nd fill corn whiskey), 100 litres, American oak, char #4
- Bottling: 59.7% abv, cask strength, single cask, 15 months old, natural colour, non-chill filtered
Appearance: Very light (as you’d expect, given the age). Lemon cordial diluted with water. More viscous than I expected, oily glaze on the glass and a thick tide line. Medium/thick legs very slowly form.
Nose: Creamy coffee/Latte and Digestive biscuits hit first. it carries the ABV really well. The pastry note is still there with this, nice baking aromas: brown sugar & cinnamon. I’m also getting steak/slow-cooked meat bark, which is new but very nice. There’s a butteriness, a mellow hum of softer, more luxurious aromas. Very nice. My glass is almost empty, it smells like a fruit and nut bar.
Palate: Oh yes, lovely & oily on the palate already, great mouthfeel. The buttery feel follows through from the nose. There’s a slight spiciness and drying from the ABV which adds character. Getting chocolate and a touch of mild chilli now. There’s also still faint traces of that new-make berry and mint freshness.
Finish: Slight spiciness, buttered popcorn, chocolate and chilli. Short to medium in length.
Overall: Very promising indeed. At only 15 months there’s already complexity, a lovely evolving experience and really complementary flavours and aromas. The chocolate is a very nice element to this dram, it adds a touch of comfort and luxury. Can’t wait to try the finished product!
