May 12, 2020 — Malthound

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky

In case you didn’t know it, it’s World Whisky Day this Saturday 16th. May 2020!

The kind people at The Cotswolds Distillery have sent me a sample of their Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky to try – just in time for WWD!

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky was launched in October 2017 and is the first whisky ever distilled in the Cotswolds. The distillery uses 100% locally grown, floor-malted barley and matures the whisky in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and reconditioned red wine casks.

The whisky is rich, fruity and sippable with notes of honey, Seville orange marmalade and dark red fruits. Each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and local Cotswolds farm on which it was grown.

I was looking out of the window of our old farmhouse in the Cotswolds at my neighbour’s fields of spring barley and thought ‘why hasn’t anyone made whisky here?’

The Cotswolds has every bit as much romance and history as the most beautiful parts of the Highlands or Lowlands, just in a very different way,
– Daniel Szor: Cotswolds Distillery Founder

If you feel like getting creative on World Whisky Day why not mix your own cocktail using Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky?

“The English Outlaw”, is a twist on the classic Manhattan and has a robust malty base which creates a complex and delicious cocktail:

“The English Outlaw”

Ingredients: 60ml Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky,
30ml Vermouth,
1 x bar spoon of marmalade,
1 x dash of Aromatic Bitters.

Method: Dissolve the marmalade in Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky,
add Vermouth and dash of Aromatic Bitters,
stir down with ice and fine strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with cherries; Maraschino if you have them in the cupboard!

“The English Outlaw”!

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky (46%)

Nose: Wood, rich vanilla fudge, green apples, zesty lemon and hints of citrus.

Palate: Very smooth, sweet vanilla with lots of lemon and grapefruit.

Finish: Peppery spice (which starts off quite subtlety but builds!)
There’s that lemon which seems to be a trademark of Cotswolds malts and wood. Quite a long finish with some slight salt at the end.

Overall: A lovely dram, very much suited to all palates and a great whisky for mixin’. So, this World Whisky Day, why not unleash your inner ‘outlaw”?!

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Many thanks to cotswoldsdistillery.com (Twitter: @cotswoldistill / Instagram: @cotswoldsdistillery) for sending me the sample!