Whisky review: Pure Pot Spirit

This is "barley spirit straight from the pot still at Tullibardine," according to the label on the bottle. I bought this on a trip to Scotland back in 2010 and have been slowly chipping away at it.

Tullibardine, a Highland distillery slightly north of Glasgow and Edinburgh, was mothballed in 1995 and then revived when it was purchased by an independent company in 2003.

Pure Pot Spirit, 69% ABV

New-make spirit

Price range, 500 mL: £30 when I bought it in Scotland in 2010; not very available now

Nose: Buttery green apples, grass or hay.

Palate: A bit prickly, probably due to the high alcohol content. Super bright young fruit - again with the green apples, plus light malt.

 

Finish: Clean and fruity, turning to a darker earthiness after a while.

Rating (of 100): 83. I had the Wasmund's new-make right before this and I think I like this one slightly better, due to the cleanliness of this spirit. A few drams of this one at 69% and you'll be feeling pretty good whether you actually enjoy drinking it or not!

Whisky review: Wasmund's Single Malt Spirit

Wasmund's is made by a distillery called Copper Fox, located in Sperryville, Virginia. The distillery was started and is owned by Rick Wasmund, who started the distillery back in 2002 to try making whiskies using fruit wood for the malting (and some of the maturation).

This spirit is essentially new-make, being less than 30 days old when put into the bottle. It's made from 100% hand-malted barley, where the malting was done with light smoke from 60% apple wood and 40% cherry wood.

I frequently give this as the last sample at tasting events, so folks can see what a new-make spirit tastes like. It really gives you an appreciation for how much of a whisky's character comes from the wood!

Wasmund's Single Malt Spirit, 62% ABV

Essentially new-make spirit

Price range, 750 mL: $27-32

Nose: Honeydew melon and a malty toastiness.

Palate: This is pretty cool. I think the smoke comes out a lot more on the palate than on the nose, and the fruitiness plays a secondary role.

Finish: Subtle smoke with an undesirable mustiness settling into the back of my mouth after a while.

Rating (of 100): 81. For being a new-make at 62% ABV, this is pretty tasty and not harsh. The finish was the part that brought the score down for me; could have been in the mid-80s without the mustiness.