Thursday 20th I had the pleasure of joining in on a tasting a little different to what I am used to, held by Max Vaughn, White Peak Distillery. The sample pack I had ordered and received beforehand contained three sample bottles: New Make, Bourbon Cask and Red Wine Cask, a small bag of their heavily peated barley, in addition to a very dainty branded glass. Both the bourbon and the red wine cask were about 24 months old.
The tour was like a virtual tour of the distillery with Max telling us a bit about the history and the distillery itself. Along the tour we first got to taste the new make, which is the spirit that goes into the cask and eventually turn into whisky. The ABV of said new make is usually pretty high, but this sample was cut down to around 60 %. I’ll be the first to admit that I am usually not too big on new make, I am from a small village up north and new make brings back memories I would like to keep buried. With that said, the White Peak new make was really delicious!
Nose
I’ll talk about the new make first. On the nose I initially got grapes, more specifically white grapes, which developed into a strong sensation of corn/maize. I got the same nosing notes with the bourbon cask, although there was an added aroma of wood. And lastly, the red wine cask was a little bit drier on the nose, as you would expect with said cask.
Palate
The new make tasted sweet, not overly strong as I was afraid it would. I had most of my sample neat, without adding water, and I was able to pick up said grape, corn/maize, apricot, treacle and an ever so small wisp of peat. When I added a few drops of water to the last sip of my sample, I picked up something I would describe as a forest-y aroma like pine needles, or sap from pine trees. The bourbon cask had the same tasting notes as the new make, although a mellower taste despite an ABV of around 60 %. With the red wine cask I picked up those well known aromas of dried red fruits and something nutty, maybe hazelnuts, on the palate.
All in all a fabulous tasting, and I’m very excited to see what White Peak will release when their whisky is ready for the market. I know I will be first in line to get a bottle or two. A big thanks to Max Vaughn for having me!
ABV: 60 %
Country: England
White Peak Distillery is a craft distillery situated in Derbyshire, England, focused on producing authentic small batch spirits, and was founded by Max Vaughn in 2016.
https://www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk/
Great review Charlie, I love the notes and am devastated I’ve not been able to try the whisky, well done to you and to White Peak!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Marcus! It means a lot to me, and also thank you for being there for me as a new whisky blogger. You should absolutely put White Peak on your list and try them out.
Congrats on starting your blog Charlie. Many thanks for the review and supporting our zoom tastings. Place reserved!
Thank you so much for commenting and for your feedback, Max! I am actually contemplating joining another zoom tasting of yours, that’s how much I enjoyed it. And the glass? Perfection!
Great first post Charlie, I hope there are many more to come ?
Thanks a lot, Mick! With this kind of feedback, you can count on more to come. 😉
Congratulations on this new blog. Really interesting read. Well-written. Wonderful descriptions. Knowledgeable.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Jens! You are making me blush over here. Thank you.
Yet another English distillery I know nothing about – always interesting!
I totally agree about new make, but I also had a great experience with it recently, when I was selected to take part in the launch and tasting of the Velvet Cap whiskey. Along with the whiskey sample they sent a new make sample, made from rye, and it was absolutely delicious. I never thought new make could be so drinkable.
I’m so glad you started your blog and I’m looking forward to reading more from you!
White Peak is absolutely worth looking into. Velvet Cap? I might have to look into that.
Thank you so much, for the support and your feedback. I really appreciate it!
Great start Charlie! I like your writing and you did a great review, well done and welcome in the whisky blogging community!
A million thanks, Christophe! And thank you for your continuous support.
Super. Looking forward to read more.
Thank you so much! More will come.
Looking forward to hearing more reviews Charlie. Keep it up
Thank you so much, Laurie!