Four from Wire Works Whisky
From the distillery website
White Peak Distillery is Derbyshire’s first full-scale craft distillery, making award-winning Wire Works Whisky, Shining Cliff Gin and rum with a proud focus on our unique Derbyshire provenance and heritage.
Founded in 2016, we’re still close to the beginning of our whisky journey. We released our first Wire Works Whisky in February 2022 and we’ve been humbled by the response and excited for the future.
We look at every strand of the whisky making process in our pursuit of flavour. To create Wire Works Whisky, we use local brewer’s yeast, combined with an uncommonly long fermentation for a distinctive new make spirit with character before it goes into a cask.
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Bourbon Barrel - 53.4%
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Pinot Grigio in colour, forms a thin line which falls slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Zesty lemons, green apple skin, vanilla pod, a touch of tropical fruit, pink peppercorns. A whiff of smoke appears when rubbed onto the back of the hand.
Palate: Follows on in a similar fashion to the nose, with lemon zest, vanilla, icing sugar and tart green apples in abundance, together with a burst of chilli heat. A little water brings more creaminess to the mouthfeel, lemon curd, baked apples, vanilla ice cream and a faint puff of smoke at the expense of some of that heat.
Finish: Honey, a little citrus and a touch of tobacco leaf and soft smoke
Overall: One of those whiskies that needs a few drops of water to allow it to really shine. Taken neat, it’s just a little too sweet and spicy for me. However, with just a little water it becomes something softer, creamier and with more depth. An enjoyable whisky that gives you a real feel of the true character of the spirit.
Caduro Cask Strength - 58%
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Amber gold in colour, forms a thin line which falls slowly as thin, oily legs
Nose: Stewed Bramley apples with cinnamon, pear drops, Seville orange marmalade, pink marshmallows, baklava, vanilla tablet, overripe banana, toasted almond flakes, over-caramelised sugar. Smoke appears when rubbed into the back of the hand.
Palate: Conference pear initially, followed by chocolate enrobed orange peel, Heinz Treacle sponge, Muscovado sugar, liquorice laces, pear drops, a little cask char and baking spices. A little water brings out more brown sugar notes.
Finish: Crema Catalana, soft brown sugar, lemon citrus, marmalade, vanilla pod, and cracked black pepper with light hints of smoke, old leather, tobacco leaf and coffee nibs.
Overall: Rich, complex and interesting, a whisky I could happily sit and mull over for hours.
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LBV Port - 53.3%
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which falls slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Redcurrant jelly, strawberries with cracked black pepper, a touch of petrichor, furniture polish and the faint hint of peat smoke when rubbed on the back of the hand
Palate: Raspberry Angel Delight, Mr Whippy red ice cream sauce, white chocolate and a touch of black pepper warmth. With a few drops of water, strawberry jam swirled into Ambrosia tinned cream rice pudding
Finish: Mild tannic astringency alongside sweet red berries and black pepper heat
Overall: A very nice fruity dram, full of comfort food dessert flavours. A little water really brings out the best of this one.
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Special Waters - 57.3%
Wire Works Special Waters, is an experimental release inspired by the practice known as ‘petites eaux’, sometimes carried out in the production of Cognac and Armagnac. The process involves ageing low strength spirit, for subsequent use as ‘proofing water’ on the higher strength equivalent, to dilute to final bottling strength
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which falls slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Red apple skins, Calvados, vanilla pod, Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers and milk chocolate enrobed orange zest. Smoke comes through rubbed on the back of the hand
Palate: Oily, almost chewy mouthfeel. Quite savoury with notes of tobacco leaf, Seville orange marmalade, Old Jamaica Ginger cake and oak spice. Water doesn’t do it any favours.
Finish: Astringent oak, walnuts and black pepper heat
Overall: The nose and the thick, unctuous mouthfeel are exceptional, but there’s just a little too much heat and astringency in there for me. I was hoping a few drops of water would soften things out but to no avail. Despite that, once you get past the spice there are some really lovely notes in there, and I’ve no doubt this will be a favourite for many people.
Summary: I’ve consistently been impressed by the quality of whiskies from Wire Works, and I’m happy to say these were no exception. Personally, the standouts were the Caduro Cask Strength, closely followed by the LBV Port Cask.
There are a number of great English whisky producers out there these days, and White Peak is certainly one of those making its mark on the scene. They may be relative newcomers but it’s obvious they really know what they’re doing.
If you would like more information on WireWorks malts, or the White Peak distillery, follow the link to the company website via the link
Transparency: Received free of charge for independent review, all opinions are my own and remain completely impartial.
