Cotswolds Madeira Cask

Article based on a PR sample

The Words

I’m often accused of being a Cotswolds fanboy. And quite rightly so, I am. It’s my nearest distillery, but they also produce really great whisky. So yeah, I take that accusation as a truth.

That said, I’m not so far down a fanboy hole that they can do no wrong in my eyes, each bottling that enters my den of tasting gets the same treatment as any other.

Bringing me neatly onto the Single Madeira Cask. A limited edition and a higher price tag than usual. This is a single cask Cotswolds, fully matured in an ex-madeira cask for 5 (nearly 6) years. Bottled at a massive 59.5%.

This is where I would usually go straight into tasting notes, but I feel that I should now say that I do not like this dram much. I’ve tried some madeira whiskies in the past and they’re not my favourite, but this one carries a gin like flavouring for me that put me off immediately, though I do my best to supply tasting notes despite it. For me, it doesn’t seem to retain any of the Cotswolds DNA that I love. As always, that is squarely my opinion and others may feel differently, but this is one Cotswolds release I won’t be rushing for.

My Tasting Notes

Nose: A distinctly juniper pang, some honeysuckle, citrus
Palate: More prominent juniper, black pepper, lemongrass