The Water of Life is a documentary that focuses on the Whisky revolution that turned the stagnant Scotch whisky industry of the 1980s into the powerhouse it is today. The whisky in this quarter’s selection commemorates the film.
Single Cask Nation, the brand who bottled this spirit does not disclose which distillery it was produced at, but chances are the distillery is highlighted in the film. Regardless of who produced the whisky, the whisky is complex and is the perfect winter warmer to ring in the new year.
Slàinte!
Brendon Pineda
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Undisclosed location, Scotland |
Single Cask Nation, whom we’ve last showcased in our Scotch club back in 2018, bottles around 60 casks of whisky per year for the US, UK, EU, Japan, Israeli, and South African markets. Single Cask Nation bottles primarily Single Malt Scotch Whisky but dabbles quite a lot in Irish whisky, American whisky (bourbon, rye, and single malt), Indian whisky, English whisky, Welsh whisky, rums, and mezcals. What you tasted last in 2018 is a completely different distillery, whisky, and region. That’s the fun in following a whisky brand who isn’t tied to one distillery or region, you get to explore the world and often rare and unusual whisky casks. A few details Single Cask Nation was able to share with us surrounding this bottling is that it’s single malt from an island (not Islay) distillery. The whisky was produced from six casks, most being comprised of a 9-year cask and one 7-year cask – five of them being unpeated and one of them being lightly peated. All six casks were aged in 1st fill bourbon barrels at the distillery. At first, I was hesitant to choose a whisky not knowing where it was coming from, but then reminded myself that it comes down to the whisky. Do I like the whisky? Is it complex? As you can guess, the answer to both of those questions were yes. Oddly enough, the choice not to disclose the distillery, reminds me of certain European wine producers. They’ll tell you the region in which it came from but not a specific vineyard, nor the exact ABV (labeling them as 11-14% abv) or the grape composition - which was always interesting to me. It made me ask myself if the technical and specific information should influence my opinion on whether you like the product or not? Just some food for thought. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! |
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48.8 % $99 per bottle |
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Tasting Notes: Nose: Hints of citrus and pink peppercorns. Salted caramel, plain ice cream cones, and vanilla. Palate: Peppery upon first sip but the rich with an oily mouthfeel. Richly flavored with both apples AND oranges with notes of milk chocolate. Some more fruit such as ripe banana, starfruit, and golden delicious apples. Finish: Long and citrusy with the pink peppercorns returning.
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