Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Zuidam Distillery.
Bottler: That Boutique-y Whisky Company.
Region: Dutch Single Malt.
ABV: 46.5%. Cask Strength.
Age: 25 Years. Distilled in 1996. Bottled in 2022.
Cask type: Oloroso Hogshead.
Nose: Rich fudge and barbecue sauce, brown sugar, dried dates, walnut liqueur, herbal spice, dried coriander and fennel, caramelized fats and sugars, leather, peppercorns with hints of ginger, more tobacco toward the end with cola and chocolate.
Palate: Medium-bodied, very oily and slightly waxy, dried fruits and brown sugar cascade across the palate on a wave of cola and ginger, orange and walnut liqueurs with sweet aniseed, coffee and almond cakes; a touch of plastic, coconut, and pandan sugars toward the end, black sugar buns.
Finish: Long and lingering with paraffin wax, cola, black sugar buns, and hints of coconut oil.
Mental Image: Riviera Dining c. 1950s.
Conclusion: A superlative-worthy whisky with such a unique and varied combination of flavors and impressions that I imagine everyone is bound to walk away with a radically different set of notes. Brown sugar, dried fruits, leather, and all things sherry featured prominently while dueling notions of dried grass, herbs, tobacco, and cola shifted like a mirage in the background. It was hard to figure out what to focus on. All told, this struck me as more like an Armagnac than a single malt, though I can see why some have pinpointed some old-school flavor vibes. I cannot comment whether this really resembled a golden age 1950s Macallan, I have never had anything quite like that, but it was unique and decidedly delicious.
I found this to be a very different beast than the bottle of Millstone I own, a young, punchy, heavily peated thing. I had no idea the distillery was capable of such subtleties or that it had malt crossing the two-decade mark. I would love to find more, but considering how rarely I have encountered malt from the distillery, I would not expect that to happen soon.
Overall, beautiful stuff… though the asking prices online are sure to make one blush. The wife was a bit less enthusiastic as she found less complexity and the profile generally too sweet for her taste.
Final Score: 89.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 