'HERESY' SMALL BATCH DELIGHTS
Gastronomic fusion
Sometimes you don’t see things coming and they hit you square in the tasting glass in the most surprising way. The latest among such unexpected moments stems from our clear glass ‘Heresy’ small-batch range, Gastronomic fusion. In many regards, this new arrival is a first for the Society. And whatever you’re expecting, it’s safe to say that this isn’t it! So, what remote corner of whisky’s flavour empire are we exploring this time? Julien Willems finds out
Even for the Society’s ‘Heresy’ range, and where flavours are concerned, Gastronomic fusion is about to take you on an unexpected trip, to where things are both entertaining and far from normal. Batch 27 takes a look at a style of whisky some of you may be familiar with, while others (I would think the majority) may be entirely new to.
Still no guess? In a nutshell, you’re about to get stuck into a peated single grain whisky. How is that interesting, you ask? Well, give it a minute, we’re going to have a look at why there is more behind this whisky than meets the eye.
There is a distillery in Scotland that produces different types of whiskies – from malt to grain, in various types of stills. Gastronomic fusion is single grain, but not because it’s distilled from a mash of non-malt grain. This offering is made 100 per cent from malted barley that has been distilled in a column still. To be a single malt, this whisky would have required to be distilled in pot stills at least twice. That’s not all though – some 40 per cent of the whisky in this batch was distilled from peated malt. And that is something that you really don’t see every day…
So, forget everything you know about grain whisky and its industrial production, and let the words of those who turn up their nose at this style of whisky fall on deaf ears. Batch 27 has so many unusual traits that comparing it to traditional grains would be futile. Gastronomic fusion uses only malted barley to create this grain whisky and was distilled in a copper column still, yielding a spirit with a strength of around 85% abv, much lower than normal for grain whiskies. And that is significant, as many well-known grain whiskies are distilled closer to 94% abv. This lower strength leaves a lot more room for flavour-bearing molecules to go through the still and into the cask.
Just as this grain whisky is made from a mash bill of 100 per cent malted barley, it is also entirely matured in bourbon casks. The peated casks in this recipe were fantastically active second fill hogsheads, whereas the unpeated casks were top quality first fill barrels. The synergy between active casks and lighter, yet peated and characterful distillate, produced unique flavours that didn’t fail to win over the Society’s Tasting Panel.
While one panellist let slip a discreet yet still audible “stonker!” the others marvelled at the decadently foodie mix of aromas and flavours you would not normally associate with an 8-year-old whisky, with a lunch of ham croque monsieur and bechamel sauce on the opening nose, and even a surprisingly pleasant hint of Dijon mustard. This was followed by a sweet breakfast of smoked oats, brown sugar cinnamon and banana. A splash of water, and you’re shown to the dinner table and served a paella. Will you have a dusting of smoked paprika on top? Don’t answer that, it was rhetorical. A complete contrast of aromas and flavours and yet such a superb balance unanimously won over the Panel. On the subject of water, though, the seasoned panellist chairing the review of this Batch 27 cautions our members to “be careful when adding water”.
PICTURED: Gastronomic fusion has many unusual traits, enough to call it something of a ‘frankenmalt’
After reading the Tasting Panel’s take on this new single grain offering and tasting it and some of its components myself, I have to admit that Batch 27 is one of those drams that blurs the lines of expectations, but also the frontier between spirit character, and cask influence.
Of course, you could always pin the smokiness to peated malt, some fruitiness to high-ester new-make and cinnamon to cask influence. But none of this really matters if on an enjoyment level it scratches an itch you never knew you had.
Be it a whisky, grain or malt (or a friendly ‘frankenmalt’ like this one) it’s how balance is achieved that matters. And here it is as surprising as it is tasty.
Despite this word of caution regarding dilution, our Panel concluded that Gastronomic fusion is “truly an example of individual delicate flavours achieving that fascinating fusion of sweet, savoury and smoke.”
So, with autumn on the march, more time spent indoors, the harvests behind us and the festive season incoming, I’d get my mitts on this bottle as fast as I could if I were you.
But if you’re not into an affordable, rare, slightly experimental, delicious, foodie dram to share and discover with your friends…or something to put in your hiking hipflask in case you get peckish and the cereal bars run out (no, no, not at all speaking from experience), then there’s nothing to see here! As you were…