Cotswolds Single Malt

My review is really for Cotswold Single Malt, apologies to all. Cotswold is only in the neighborhood of three years age, I can hardly imagine how good a 10-12 year would be. I wanted to try this even though it wasn't available in my area, so got it from a San Diego source. Reviews were all excellent: "Whisky Bible" 94-95, Distillers.com 87, and TheWhiskeyReviewer "A". The Cotswold distillery is new, having opened in 2014. They are going to great pains to produce a single malt in the traditional way with stone floor maltings, local barley crop, turning the malted barley with wooden shovels and rakes, fermenting for FOUR days rather than the typical two days to allow fruity-floral notes, using a narrower width of the middle distillate, etc. Their efforts are shown in my bottle, which is wonderful. My bottle states that it is 92 proof, 2014 crop of Odyssey barley from the Barrington Park Farm, bottled in 02/2018, and is one of 8600 bottles. I know Macallan uses Odyessy barley, and this dram reminds me very much of a non-sherry finish Macallan. In the glass it is a copper amber with good legs. The nose offers slightly sweet fruity malt, a touch of honey, and is overall very soft. On the tongue it is thick, almost oily. It tastes of malt and honey, a hint of brown sugar, gentle spice, and a ripened fruit--apricot jam? There is warmth on the finish and these flavors linger well. My first dram seemed a little hot without a drop or two of water. However, the next day, and then the next day as well (had to be sure) this was not an issue at all. Not sure if the difference was my mood, etc., or the opening of the bottle. This is really good stuff. They have won 19 golds in the past couple years, and I would say deservedly so. Check out their informative website listed here on Proof66, it is interesting. I think this retails for $60 or so, but is not widely distributed. May the Force be with you and to find a bottle.

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #6 This is a tasting of Cotswold’s Signature 2022 Small Batch Release. Nose: Butterscotch, vanilla cream, honey and lemongrass tea. Orange blossom water, red berry jam on fresh-baked rolls. The character is soft and enfolding, like a cashmere scarf. A soothing and relaxing nose with body. Palate: The arrival is full of soft orange liqueur, creamy barley, lemon curd and light syrup. In the development it shows barley sugar, strawberry, cherries, almond meal and nougat. The texture is smooth, rich and creamy. Finish: Medium. The sweet fruity profile fades into a mildly spicy aftertaste (cinnamon, tannin) with a touch of orange marmalade and morello cherry. A very good young single malt that is remarkably soft and inviting on both nose and palate while having a well-defined presence and some complexity. Water develops spicy notes that are pleasant but overall I preferred this one neat. This dram was virtually identical to the two Cotswolds Odyssey Barley expressions I've previously tasted, and as it has the same casking, abv and batch size I decided to rate it here as a core-range offering rather than start another thread. The higher strength expressions, the peated whiskies and the cask-finishes are another story, of course, but all the unpeated 46% Cotswolds releases display the same distillery DNA and are frankly hard to distinguish. Which is no bad thing because it's a little cracker of a whisky, easy to find in any of its manifestations, and very good value for money. I base my ratings solely on quality but if I did factor cost into the equation I'd give this 4 stars without hesitation. Great stuff. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

To start off my Cotswolds series, I have a sample of their 2014 Odyssey Barley that was bottled at 46% ABV. The nose is light and subtle but with time the notes emerge starting with powdered sugar dusted strawberries, caramelized peaches, and Angel food cake then blond roast espresso, honeycomb and toasted almonds followed by raspberry coulis, dehydrated apricots and lemon zest that transitions to light baking spices and mild toasted oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits, powdered sugar dusted strawberries and Angel food cake then blond roast espresso, honeysuckle and chocolate covered toasted almonds followed by raspberry jam, dehydrated apricots and lemon zest that transitions to light baking spices, black pepper and mild toasted oak with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dehydrated raspberries, pineapple, tropical fruits, honeysuckle, blonde espresso, light baking spices and toasted oak. I really like what Cotswolds has put together with this soft, subtle and incredibly well balanced dram that combines creamy citrus with light red berries and light earthiness that I think most would really enjoy and is reasonably priced at around $60+.

I bought this whisky for my Dad at Christmas last year, just shared a dram amongst the roses on a fine English summer evening, few finer settings I can think of. N: oily and a little musty. Dusty oat bag, malt, creamy butterscotch, orange oil and waxy lemon rind. Light almond and something distinctly herbal/floral. Remarkably complex and delicate. P: Creamy texture with well rounded presence. Sweet sticky barely sugar, orange liqueur, nutty marzipan, chewy honey. Maybe something lighter and brighter like a strawberry or raspberry also. Brilliant development of layered texture-flavours that each mesh well with a little black pepper through the profile. F: Medium-long. Tannic and a little spicy. Black pepper and verging on cumin?, bitter orange and slightly tannic vanillin presence. Eminently enjoyable, complex and refined beyond its youngness, and somewhat unique in its textural complexity and wonderful flavour variance. I can see Cotswolds becoming a power house into the future. Highly recommend trying this one. Distiller whisky taste #209 GBP £34 | AUD $103

A complex, Single Malt Whisky by the Cotswolds Distillery in Cotswolds, England made with the finest local barley, floor malted with a long fermentation & slow distillation in a traditional Forsyth copper pot still; then aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks & wine barrels. It has an aromatic birth with notes of honey, butterscotch, hints of peach, apricot & marzipan; while a rich & bold life adds notes of malt, oil, dark sugar, spices & caramelized Seville orange marmalade; that lead to a long & tropical death with notes of orange zest, dark red fruits & a hint of molasses. January / August 2020 / March 2021 / July 2022

Drammers club pour. 2014 Odyssey Barley Batch 8550, in fact the first Cotswolds. Aged 70% in American oak str rioja wine casks and 30% in first fill bourbon casks, has a very enjoyable Glenmorangie flavor profile. Nose: Honey, Berries, Cherries, Caramel, Vanilla, Citrus, Banana, Peaches, Apricots, Flowers, Orange, Butterscotch, Pineapples, Mangoes, Raisins, Plums, Apples, Dried Fruits, Passion Fruit Palate: Butterscotch, Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Orange, Demarara Sugar, Pineapples, Pepper, Raisins Finish: Vanilla, Honey, Burnt Pineapples, Red Berries, Pepper, Apricots, Raisins, Caramel, Toffee, Apples