Beek Dutch Premium Blend

Jan Beek has been enchanted by distilled spirits for decades. So much so that he decided to go pro last year and launch his own brand ‘BEEK’. His portfolio contains quite a lot: bitters, gin, rum, geneva, calvados, barley wine and… whisky. Next to a few single casks, he also created his own ‘Dutch Premium Blend’. Batch 2 has just been released, but I have a sample of the first batch on my desk. It is composed with no less than 6 different Dutch malts: Texel, Zuidam, IJsvogel, Eastmoor, Den Hool and Frysk Hynder. Somewhat closed nose on rye, varnish, chocolate and lots of spices. Spent coffee. Crust of double baked bread. Vanilla. Malty and spicy, but with hardly any sweetness. Lovely body and very sweet on the palate, but also quite bitter. Orange liqueur, honey, vanilla, caramel and some nuts. Spicy edge, making it a tad too sharp. Not unpleasant. In the finish, it is honeysweet, almost candy-like, with again a bitter note. I think it is a nice idea to create a blend of only Dutch malts, but having said that, this is rather middle-of-the-road. Then again, it’s only 30 EUR, so what did you expect?