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Sampling The Borders Distillery “The Long & Short of It” – A Dram That Makes You Think Again!

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The Borders Distillery WS:02 “The Long & Short of It”

Wednesday nights @TweetTastings went all experimental this week with host Steve from The Whisky Wire guiding us through nosing and sampling a new dram from The Borders Distillery – namely WS:02 “The Long & Short of It”!

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hashtag #TheBordersDistillery on X (Twitter)

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Borders Distillery WS:02 “The Long & Short of It” (40%)

The Borders Distillery – Workshop Series

WS:02 The Long & Short of It
Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%

A blended Scotch whisky, which has been produced using liquid fermented for 55 hours and 150 hours.

Each release in the Worksshop Series represents a particular facet in the whisky making process – this year it focuses on Fermentaion, with the WS:02 The Long & Short of It, being the result of two initially liquids being fermented for 55 and 150 hours.

The longer fermentation influencing richer dark notes and the shorter influencing lighter and fruiter notes.

Each separately fermented batch has been distilled twice and matured in first fill ex-Bourbon barrels, before being married with single grain whisky produced at the Hawick based distillery.

The Workshop Series, is an ongoing series of experimental releases that will be released over the coming years, ahead of the launch of the The Borders Distillery single malt project.

This latest release follows on from the WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye, which launched last year, and was the first Scotch whisky blend from The Borders Distillery to be entirely distilled at its Hawick based site.

RRP: £40.00 (available from The Borders Distillery online store)

Available now from The Borders Distillery online store! (£40.00)


Nose: Some toffee apple right off the bat followed by new-make spirit popcorn and there’s also some lemon and citrus bite with a light dusting of herbs and ginger.

Palate: A light, thin mouthfeel with some popcorn and tropical fruits. Additionally, there’s subtle syrupy sweetness and shy pepper at the back.

Finish: The pepper increases muchly with time – almost becoming a bit of a pepper monster! The lemon certainly increases with time in the glass as well.

Overall: An interesting dram that has a new-make feel to it – sadly, there’s maybe a bit too much lemon for me.

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great opportunity and The Borders Distillery (@thebordersdistillery) for sending the sample and without whom!

Sampling Borders Malt & Rye Blended Scotch Whisky – The Taste Of Things To Come!

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WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye Blended Scotch Whisky

Last Wednesday nights @TweetTastings, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, gave us a great opportunity to savour a brand new dram and to experience it amongst friends!

Only 5,988 bottles will ever be sold in the UK

The dram in question was WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye Blended Scotch Whisky which is the first Blended Scotch Whisky to leave the Scottish borders in 185 years!

To create this whisky, The Borders Distillery distilled a small batch of rye spirit and matured it in the same fresh-fill bourbon casks as their malt.

Each bottle of WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye, which is the first Scotch whisky blend from The Borders Distillery to be entirely distilled at its Hawick based site, is individually numbered. Only 5,988 bottles will ever be sold in the UK.

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #TheBordersDistillery on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye (40%)


The Borders Distillery Ð Workshop Series

WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye
Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Cask: Bourbon
Comprised of: 63.8% Single Grain Ð 36.2% Single Malt
£40.00


Nose: Not sure I’ve seen a paler dram! Very tropical on the nose with apples and toffee. This morphs into delightful apple pie & custard. Later on the sweetness is balanced by some cereal & biscuit.

Palate: Dry on the palate with cane sweetness and fruit. Lemon citrus then comes to the fore quite forcefully.

Finish: There’s some creamy spice and little bit of coffee and it all finishes warmly.

Overall: I wish the ABV had been higher – it would have given more flavour options but it’s a grower though! A progressively moreish dram that works well on the palate.

The great thing though is the chance to sample a developing and exciting brand – good things to come I think!

This is the first Blended Scotch Whisky to leave the Scottish borders in 185 years!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great evening and Border’s Distillery (@thebordersdistillery) for sending the samples and without whom!

The Borders Distillery Tweet Tasting – Four Great Styles To Sweeten Your Christmas!

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The Borders Distillery range of drinks

Monday nights @TweetTastings, the last one for this year, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, gave us the opportunity to sample Borders Distillery range of drinks.

Based in Hawick, Borders Distillery, which was commissioned in March 2018, is the first Scotch whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837. Tours are available where you can see their carefully renovated buildings and learn about their distilling process!

On the night the styles sampled were:-

  • Borders Distillery New Make Spirit
  • Borders Distillery William Kerr’s Gin
  • Borders Distillery Small Batch Vodka
  • Borders Distillery Lower East Side Whisky

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #BordersDistillery on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery New Make Spirit (63.5%)

Available exclusively from the Borders Distillery shop for £39.95. Made entirely from Borders barley (concerto). The production uses two spirit and two wash pot stills for its spirit/whisky production which were made by Forsyths in Scotland.


Nose: Creamy vanilla and popcorn, moist cereal, apples and a hint of rum.

Palate: very sweet – almost icing sugarary with that familiar new make popcorn taste to accompany it! H2O opens up to some apples and fiery pepper – dry finish.

Overall: A pleasant new make really – compared to some new makes I’ve tried – I enjoyed it!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery William Kerr’s Gin (43%)

William Kerr’s Borders Gin – available from Borders Distillery is a “barley to bottle gin” They use their own malted barley spirit for re-distillation through its unique recipe of botanicals in its specially commissioned one-shot vapour Carter-Head still.

The botanicals used are: Macedonian Juniper, English Coriander, Scottish Heracleum, Bitter Orange, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Cassia, Angelica, Myrtle, Angelica, Orris, Almond and Liquorice.


Nose: Sweet grapefruit and lemons – very citrusy! Getting hints of licquorice.

Palate: Lovely and sweet with orange, grapefruit, lemon and tasty licquorice following on after – very smooth!

Overall: A great gin, one that is sweeter than some of the others out there. It would make a great cocktail base!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery Small Batch Vodka (40%)

Available exclusively from the Borders Distillery shop for £29.95. Made entirely from Borders Barley (concerto) in single batches, with active charcoal in the botanical baskets, using a one shot vapour system in their specially build Carter Head Still.


Nose: Very similar to the new make spirit …. strong creamy cereal nose with some rum hints.

Palate: Sweet, light, smooth with citrus elements and zesty pepper – very nice sweetness lingers like icing sugar dissolved in water for a glaze. Dry grapefruit at the end

Overall: Not your usual vodka this one – it actually has flavour and isn’t all fire – a tasty vodka indeed!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery Lower East Side Whisky (40%)

A Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Available from Borders Distillery for a RRP of £32.99. The first blended whisky from Borders which is a lightly peated marriage of Highland and Lowland single malt whiskies. Designed to be an all-rounder; to be sipped straight-up, on the rocks or as a cocktail base.


Nose: Sugar rich, green apples with vanilla and honey cereal and a little light peat.

Palate: Sweet and sugary and smokey and peaty – a little of each – all rolled into one! Green apples but no real spice to discern.

Overall: A pleasant whisky, either as a sipper or used in a cocktail.

My Favourite On The Night

Although it’s not really fair to choose a favourite as each style is a different thing but out of the 4, I think it’s got to be the Borders Distillery Lower East Side Whisky – very easy going and sippable – a higher abv may have made it even better!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@thewhiskywire) for a great evening and Borders Distillery (@BordersDstlry) for sending the samples and without whom!

Thanks to Borders for sending the samples!

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