Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Atom Brands
Official website: www.thatboutiqueywhiskycompany.com
Today we taste two whiskies bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company in 2020 one after the other: a classic speysider and an American single malt. Two different proposals, but with many reasons for interest.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Linkwood 11yo Batch 11
Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 48.1%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex bourbon (refill)
Average price: € 90.00
Our weakness for Linkwood is well known. The casks of origin here aren’t declared, so we can just take a guess. The outturn is 583 50 cl bottles.
Tasting Notes
The colour is straw yellow.
To be honest, the nose is a little bloodless, with notes of yellow apple, Decan pear and lily of the valley. Wild flowers, bread crust and a touch of pepper complete the picture.
On the palate, things don’t improve much: yellow apple and Decan pear still dominate, with hints of white pepper and freshly baked bread, but also hints of hazelnut, cappuccino, lemon peel and a mirage of peach.
The finish is fleeting, to say the least: a very faint recollection of peach, a caress of pepper and the slightest scratch of lemon zest, that’s all.
Pale. We cannot find a more appropriate adjective for this dram, which, absit iniuria verbis, reminds us very much of Glenfiddich 12yo (not exactly our favourite whisky). Mind you, it is not at all unpleasant, as a daily dram it should work perfectly. Of course, complexity, substance, depth and fun are elsewhere for us.
Vote: 80/100
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Copperworks 3yo Batch 1
Origin: Seattle (USA)
Type: Single Malt American Whisky
Strength: 50.7%ABV
Ageing cask: New American Oak
Average price: € 80.00
Copperworks is one of the coolest craft distilleries overseas. It is located in Seattle, Washington state, whose climatic conditions favour, according to its founders Jason and Micah, the production of malt whisky. A peculiarity of Copperworks is that the wash undergoes a rather long fermentation: seven days at 21° plus another two weeks at 2°C.
Today’s is the first Copperworks bottled by That Boutique-y, at 50.7%, after three years of ageing in new American oak casks. More followed from different types of casks. Outturn of 343 bottles, also 50 cl.
Tasting Notes
The colour is amber.
On the nose, the American suggestion translates into a truly intense note of maple syrup that transports us to the crowded diners of many a star-studded film. There are also more familiar notes of caramel and jasmine. A sprinkling of nutmeg, like a triumphant soundtrack, accompanies the entry of sandalwood, touched by the memory of freshly cut grass. The wood of the new barrels is expressed in a strong impression of polished light wood.
On the palate, the attack is peppery, with maple syrup, yellow orange peel and a lot, too much, of polished light wood. Cappuccino and Malaga seem overwhelmed by this woodiness, which is perhaps the inevitable price to pay for such a young whisky and this type of cask. There is also some orange cream.
The medium-long finish combines cappuccino, orange peel and cream without too much flair.
A nice step up from the previous Linkwood (not that it was that hard) for a whiskey with several sins of youth, but which, as they say in school, shows promise.
Vote: 83/100