Cotswolds Spirits Distillery Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky

I’m sure many on here know that this whisky is from a relatively new English distillery in the Cotswolds region – hence the name. The Cotswolds is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that stretches from just south of the Midlands down to the South West, close to Bristol and Bath. Another bit of useless trivia is that the course where I play golf is located on top of the very edge of Cotswolds stone bedrock – the owner very proudly told me this early one morning (one does like to hob nob!) Does that mean anything? Not really, other than offering excellent drainage and perhaps, more importantly, suggests that it is ideal barley growing country.

They exclusively use this local, floor-malted Cotswold’s barley and produce their whisky in ‘small batches’ from Forsythe stills made in Scotland; and I believe (but could be wrong) that the filled barrels are sent to a cave in Liverpool that was previously used to mature rum. Batches are made from first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and reconditioned red wine casks It’s also the closest English distillery to me currently, at 72 miles, so a visit is on the cards in the not too distant.

The bottle has been open about a month and there is about 4/5’s left. Review is with almost a teaspoon of water to a 30ml pour.

Nose – Initially fruity with berries and white stone fruits. There’s a little spice as well, mild ginger and soft white pepper and a perceptible waxy, oiliness. Yes, it displays some of its youthfulness but this isn’t harsh or nippy-juice at all. Very appealing, actually.

Taste –Arrival is a burst of fruits but it quickly turns quite bitter-sweet and sour – barley sugar sweets and citrus pith. This transition is pleasant though and doesn’t come across as disjointed at all. Mouthfeel is quite viscous and oily.

Finish – On the shorter side and dry with some bitter sourness and remnants of the fruit remaining.

For me, this whisky really benefits from adding water and leaving the glass for a good twenty minutes or so. It’s drinkable neat but I find the bitter-sour elements overly dominate, especially on the palate, and that the water brings about more sweet notes and balance.

The casks have been quite active here, offering those initial, deep fruity notes but they haven’t swamped the experience. I find that it’s the grain sourness that’s really driving this whisky, with the end result being quite a fresh, lively spirit that’s been rounded just enough by the casks to create something quite unique – crafted, one might say! The sourness reminds me of a single-cask Balvenie I had last year. If you like the taste of barley, especially that bitter sour complexity, you will enjoy this a lot. Not a world beater by any means but not at all bad for four years old! Plenty of promise shown and yes, I’ll admit, it’s nice to see some good English whisky on the market.