Nomad Outland
Born in Scotland Raised in Jerez | 41.3% ABV
The thin line between a brilliant idea and a clever marketing scheme
I don’t think I’m telling you anything new here when I say that ‘sherry cask’ matured whisky hasn’t, technically speaking, in most cases, been matured in an actual sherry cask.
Rather it’s a case of casks which were ‘seasoned’ with sherry (or even wine resembling sherry) for a while – usually from six months up to a few years – in Spain, emptied and then shipped to Scotland where it would be filled again with either whisky or new make spirit.
Before you scream ‘same difference’, there actually is a difference. If you want the long story, I recommend you reading this piece by Ruben, the guy who runs Whisky Notes. I’ll try to summarise things in just a couple of short paragraphs.
Up until the mid 1980’s a sherry cask matured whisky was indeed matured in a sherry cask. After going through the whole solera system, the fully matured sherry would be put in export (or ‘transport’) casks to be shipped to the UK, where the sherry would be bottled and the casks could almost literally be picked up by distilleries to give them a further use to mature their whisky. No extra costs of shipping back empty casks back to Spain, a clear win-win situation and everybody happy. This was the situation for decades and decades.
All this changed in 1986 when Spain joined the EU and it became a legal requirement that sherry be produced, matured and bottled in Spain. Almost overnight the previously steady supply of sherry casks for the Scotch whisky industry vanished, but almost equally instant a solution was found in the form of ‘seasoning’ casks. For a while there was even a shortcut to seasoning a cask by using paxarette, a sort of concentrated wine, which would be applied under pressure the inside of the casks to mimic the effect of sherry, but the SWA objected to this practice stating it was an additive and therefore was a no-go.
Seasoning it was then, but up until 2015 (take note as that’s almost 30 years onwards!), there was little to no regulation regarding the conditions and requirements of what seasoning should be. Needless to say, this resulted in some opportunistic and unfortunately also rather shady schemes where the provenance of cask, grapes and wine was anything but a given. An equally interesting piece on those sometimes shady backgrounds of sherry casks, can be found on the Master of Malt blog.
It's a bit of a paradox that in a time where the consumption of sherry is facing a steady decline, the demand for premium quality sherry casks is at an absolute high, but thanks to the practice of seasoning, these days there is very little common ground left between actual sherry and sherry cask matured whisky. The wine used for seasoning casks mostly ends up in either brandy or vinegar, as it’s simply unfit to become sherry.
So, credit due where credit is due: cue Richard Paterson! Arguably the best known ‘whisky guy’ out there, even to non-whisky drinkers. The ever restless Whyte & MacKay/Wolfcraig master blender and showman was key to a simple yet brilliant plan. Rather than bringing the casks to the whisky, you bring the whisky to the casks! If you’re right at the heart and centre of sherry production, you can essentially also tap right into the source of your maturation vessel, pretty much guaranteeing a premium pick of excellent quality casks.
Born was Nomad whisky, a blend of 30 different grain and malt whiskies from Speyside, which was initially matured for 6 years in Scotland before being shipped to Jerez in Spain, where it would be finished for another full year in PX casks from the bodegas of Gonzales Byass. For a frame of reference: Gonzales Byass is one of the big boys of the Spanish drinks industry. With wineries, warehouses and bodegas all over the country, you could argue that Gonzales Byass is to Spanish wine and spirits what Diageo or Pernod Ricard are to Scotch whisky.
Obviously, the one possible downside of the whole thing here being that Nomad whisky can’t possibly be labelled as ‘Scotch’ because it’s not fully matured on Scottish soil. But surely such is a small price to pay when you consider all the pros and cons, right?! I’m not even sure how they got away with still using the word ‘Scotland’ on the label, as the SWA can be quite allergic to those trying to manoeuvre in a grey-ish area such as this.
Review
Nomad Outland, Blended whisky, 41.3% ABV
£30-ish widely available.
Nose
Classic sherry cask influence with loads of red fruits and dried fruits – berries, plums, raisins, dates and figs. Spices, with hints of clove and some nutmeg, possibly even an echo of aniseed is in there as well. Christmas cake and dome dark, dried wood notes round things off nicely. A textbook example of a sherry cask matured whisky and if you told me this was a single malt rather than a blend, I’d happily believe you.
Palate
Basically everything from the nose returns – the fruit, the spice and the wood – but unfortunately all in a subdued, watered down way, before making a rush towards the exit in a short, woody finish.
It’s well made and shows a good balance. I wish I could elaborate on an interesting development, or say something about the mouthfeel, but it’s hard to describe what isn’t there.
The Dregs
There are so many things that could have lifted this whisky above mediocrity, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. For instance: the information about the age (6 + 1 years) can easily be found on their website, but why don’t we see it on the label? And since we’re left guessing as to whether colouring has been added and chill filtering has been used, it’s probably fair to assume those boxes can be ticked as well.
Furthermore, what gives with the 41.3% ABV? If you really want this whisky to be as good as it can be, please bump it up to 46%. If that means charging an extra fiver for it: no problem whatsoever, as you’d still be providing your customers with an affordable product, but with a far more rewarding experience as a big bonus.
That said, at £30 or there about you get exactly what you’re paying for. A decent and enjoyable easy sipper, which is alas equally easily forgettable, despite the intriguing background story to it. I can’t help but feel that this whisky had so much potential to shine a new light on whisky and its potential flavours (heck, they even mention the influence of yeast on the website!) but rather they chose to use the whole thing as a cool marketing and branding story and treated the end product accordingly. From the occasional customer’s point of view, this likely matters not one jot as they get a blend with a decent age at a decent price, with a very cool story attached to it.
And if I get off my high horse, I should perhaps see and appreciate this whisky in that way too and say: mission accomplished!
Score: 5/10
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