The English ex-Bourbon - 46%
Based in Norfolk, St George’s Distillery are England's oldest whisky distillery and an independent family owned business. Originally conceived by father and son partnership James and Andrew Nelstrop as a micro-distillery, plans quickly changed due to HMRC requiring a still size of no less than 1800 litres.
With the help of then retired ex-Laphroaig Master Distiller Iain Henderson, production started and the first 29 casks laid down in December 2006.
St. George’s use locally sourced barley and fresh water from the Brecklands aquifer which runs beneath the distillery.
From the distillery
This small batch is matured in First fill American oak bourbon cask that was filled February 2016 and bottled in May 2021 producing 1806 bottles.
Appearance: White wine colour, forms a thin line which beads and falls quickly as thin legs.
Nose: Vanilla, tart green apples, a hint of coconut milk, heather honey and oaky nuttiness.
Palate: Lemon citrus, orange peel, warm buttered whole meal toast, vanilla pods, heather honey, roasted pineapple, wood spice and nuttiness.
Finish: More of that buttered toast from the palate, orange marmalade, cinnamon and just a hint of tobacco leaf.
Summary: It’s a decent ex-bourbon cask matured whisky, the buttered toast and marmalade note providing the main highlight, whilst the green apple and citrus from the distillate are allowed to shine through. A few drops of water do nothing to enhance, instead tending to flatten out the notes and reducing the overall experience.
A small batch whisky with only 1806 bottles produced, non-chill filtered and natural colour at a price of £58. Not bad value, although it wouldn’t be my first choice from this distillery as I think the peated and sherried expressions give a lot more bang for the buck, and for not much more money.
If you would like to know more about The English whiskies, and the St. George’s distillery, follow the link to the company website.
Transparency: This sample was part of a 5 dram sample set, purchased from The Spirits Embassy. No goods or other incentives were exchanged, offered or requested for this independent review.
