English Whisky Co. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is advertised and heavily peated, this edition came out of casks numbered 639, 640, 641 and 642 and was distilled March 2008 and bottled November 2011, so barely whisky, but there is no shortage of information on the label.

This is very pale, but cask strength so I’m expecting much more than I got from the Chapter 9. The aroma has an almost solvent like punch, a little of that musty smoke I noted in the Chapter 9 but it’s much less dominant here with peat, smoke and cocoa giving a rich introduction.

On the palate there is a lot of body and alcohol burn, but not too much considering the youth and high alcohol percentage. I had water on hand but used only a drop after my first sip. This is a surprisingly complex whisky, peaty and smoky yes but with lots of higher notes including some apple, fennel, unripe bananas, green olives, toffee and a white wine. Quite delicious and most unexpected, a little Ardbeg like in marrying strong peat smoke with subtle fruity and aromatic flavours.

The finish is a bit muted after the rollercoaster ride it followed. Fruity, dry and smoky and decently long.

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