If you don’t know these guys, they are an independent bottling company from Scotland that are affiliate of (if not directly owned by) Master of Malt. They purchase casks from distilleries across the globe, age them in whatever fun or crazy way they so desire and then usually release them at cask strength with fun graphic novel style labels with tonnes of in jokes and puns.
They have casks laid down all over the world and have been coming out with a new Irish whiskey release a couple of times a year now for the last few years. Today’s review is of their Batch 2, 8 Year Old Single Malt, which is bottled at 45.7% ABV. There is no indication of the maturation regiment of this whiskey and usually that would reveal itself through the tasting process.
Unfortunately, there won’t be a formal tasting note to accompany today’s review as I simply could not properly construct them for this whiskey. This whiskey sample was incredibly fiery and astringent. Event with the gentlest of inhalations it burnt my nostrils and as I was unlucky enough to exhale into to glass, it also burnt my eyes. There is a strong fruit influence and sugar sweetness buried behind these burning qualities but I simply couldn’t get to them. The only note from the nose I could offer is a dry citrus pith.
The palate offered little more in way of flavour. It opened with an incredible fieriness, which stung both my tongue and the back of my throat. I half got flavours of apricot, honey and malt, but I was still distracted by my eyes watering.
The finish is aggressive. There is a strong harsh clawing feeling at the back of the throat that lingers for an uncomfortably long time. I cleansed the palate with a lot of water and tried the whiskey again in case my palate was overcome for some reason. The results of my second experiment reflected the first. I shared this sample and the result repeated itself for a third and fourth time.
Overall, this whiskey was quite undrinkable. The hefty remains of the 30ml sample that I was sent are still firmly locked away in the Drinks By the Dram bottle. Most likely this will never be re-opened. I quite frankly have no idea what happened here. That Boutique-y Whisky Company make great whisky and I have yet to come across one that I did not like. Until now of course. If they had told me that this was at an aggressive cask strength, I would have believed them much more than the stated bottling strength of 45.7% ABV.
I don’t know what happened to this sample but I am going to have to assume that this sample was spoiled some how and does not reflect the whisky that is produced by That Boutique-y Whisky Company. There is simply no way that this professional outfit sold something this undrinkable.
I look forward to having the opportunity to sampling an unspoiled bottle and updating this review with more positive tasting notes in future. Two thumbs down for the aggressively spoiled sample of Batch 2, Single Malt Irish Whiskey 8 Years Old.
Sláinte.
**N.B.** All image rights in article: That Boutique-y Whisky Company.
For those who were not aware, this whiskey was reviewed as a part of the Drinks by the Dram – Irish Whiskey Advent Calendar, which is opened, enjoyed and reviewed the whiskeys inside, across the Christmas season 2018. This review will be updated when I get my hands on another sample of this whiskey, as this is not a true reflection of the Boutique-y Whisky Company’s products.
Any response from the company since you posted the article?
No, no response. Although, I haven’t particularly raised it to their attention either in fairness