The English 11yr Old
Official Bottling Batch 3 | 46% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A bright and shining example of England’s whisky distilling progress.
Norfolking Way
England is known for a great many things. The Queen, drinking tea (horrible stuff), rain, Big Ben, more rain, bad food (completely untrue), an underperforming men’s national football team (true, but the same can’t be said of the Euro-conquering Lionesses) and more. The production of high quality whisky however, was until recently, not one of them.
In recent years more than 40 distilleries have been distilling or are about to distil whisky in England. Not all are dedicated whisky distilleries with many using whisky as a way to diversify from gin, rum or vodka.
As things stand at the time of writing, English whisky doesn’t have the same level of rules and guidelines as producers north of the border. Recently the formation of the English Whisky Guild was announced in view of the increasing popularity and production already alluded to. Effectively this group aims to support both producers and drinkers of English whisky. I’d say the English equivalent of the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) but the consensus seems to be early doors that while some standards of best practice are going to be outlined, innovation and differing methods to our Scottish cousins seems to be accepted, nay encouraged rather than stifled. Within reason of course and time will tell. Cider and Buckfast casks? Sign me up!
As a country, England is incredibly diverse both in terms of its culture and landscape. From Bimber distillery seated in an unassuming industrial unit in West London, Cotswolds set amongst the rolling hills and barley fields of its namesake, all the way to the more traditional image of the Lakes distillery nestled among the mountains, lakes and rivers of the Lake District.
On the opposite side of the terrain spectrum is Norfolk. Now, this area is flat to the point that I’m pretty sure the curvature of the earth skips over it. As well as being the flattest, it’s also home to some of the most fertile land in the country. Norfolk and surrounding East Anglia has always been known as the breadbasket of England with its thriving and abundant agriculture. With relatively limited numbers of large towns and only one city in the form of Norwich, greenspace is never far away. The county is also home to famous names past and present such as Admiral Lord Nelson, Sir James Dyson, Lotus cars and, of course, the greatest public broadcaster of all time - Alan Partridge.
Northern areas of the county are renowned for their ideal barley growing conditions, particularly the varieties used in brewing and distillation. Be it Concerto, Belgravia, Shuffle, Quench, Odyssey, or another genome, the plant thrives in the warm climate (by English standards) and fertile soil.
“This fertility is seemingly also within the soil in which the appreciation for English whisky grows, with it gaining real traction as well as a well-founded reputation for quality and variety.”
Whisky production in England practically ended in the early 1900s following the closure of the Lea Valley distillery in London. It’s worth noting however that whisky distillation took place in various towns and cities throughout the country prior to this. Liverpool for example, with its thriving docks was once home to the Bank Hall distillery (among others). Fittingly, Bank Hall now distils whisky in England once again in the town of Blackpool in Lancashire and is owned by Liverpool based Halewood group who also own Crabbies Distillery in Leith and Aber Falls in Wales.
Given its relatively sleepy and laid back image, you’d be forgiven for not thinking of Norfolk as being home to something as exciting as the catalyst to the big-bang of the English whisky renaissance. However, it was when in 2006, the Nelstrop family founded the St George’s Distillery. Located in rural Roudham, this was the brainchild of James Nelstrop who was born into a farming family himself. His son, Andrew, now CEO of The English Whisky Co, was the main contractor tasked with building the distillery also. Very much a family affair. For a long while, The English, as the brand is now known, stood as the sole distiller of English whisky and helped to build the paths that many other distilleries now walk.
The barley used in production is all sourced from Norfolk and both an unpeated and peated style of spirit is produced.
Thanks to the industrious folk at another English distillery, Cooper King in Yorkshire, you can see the 40 English whisky distilleries previously mentioned on their fantastic English Whisky map.
Review
The English Single Malt 11yo Batch 3, 46% ABV
£60, still available at time of writing (4,300 bottles)
The English 11yo was and still remains to be a milestone achievement in English whisky. No other English distillery has, so far, released a whisky of this age with the main reason being St George’s longevity. The only other distillery that may be releasing an older product than St George’s in the not-too distant future is Healey’s Cider Farm in Cornwall under their Hicks & Healey banner, as they also have some pretty impressively aged stock in situ with older spirit even than St George’s hidden away maturing.
There have been other non-core range releases that are older than the 11 year old with a few single casks, independent or limited editions at 12 and possibly even 13 years old from my ever fading memory albeit The English range can be confusing. However, ultimately the core range boasts the 11yr old as the oldest official expression in that line.
Mainly made up of ex-bourbon matured unpeated single malt, one cask of heavily peated ex-bourbon spirit is also added to the mix. The whisky is bottled at 46% and presented at it’s natural hue as well as being un-chill filtered.
Nose
Crisp green apple mixed into creamy, cinnamon topped porridge. Intense vanilla and honey. Possibly some sage and a touch of ginger in there too, alongside some charred pineapple which is kept in check by a growing pencil-like oakiness. A foray with spiciness towards the back.
Palate
Good thick creamy texture. Ginger brings initial warmth alongside vanilla. Those fresher fruits follow with ripe powdery red apple and honeydew melon. Black pepper comes in with some pleasant heat to spice things up leading into a long, warming and sweet finish.
The Dregs
In terms of flavours, this dram reaches its crescendo early on the palate; there's no doubt, with little more following in terms of variety. However, the flavours that show themselves early doors are charming and exactly what St George’s set out to achieve with their focus on a lighter, fruity spirit style. The peated cask in the mix plays its part well with that flitting earthy note on the nose in the charred fruit. The texture for me is one of this dram’s strengths which isn’t something that’s focused on enough in this humble reviewer's opinion. The teeth are coated in an almost thick film that is less oily and more reminiscent of the cream mentioned in the tasting notes.
I find this to be a charming and enjoyable drop. This is batch 3 and it differs slightly to the batch 1 that I’ve experienced previously that was a bit more citrus forward and flinty in the way that some Irish whiskey’s can be.
One of my bugbears with St George’s and The English range generally however, is how seemingly chaotic it is. What could be called the core range appears to be limited in the form of the unpeated 43% NAS Original, the heavily peated NAS Smokey and this 11yr old. However, there are dozens of other bottlings available on the market that are a minefield to navigate. Bottlings labelled as small batch with differing cask finishes or spirit types for the most part. Smokey Virgin, Gently Smoked, Gently Smoked Sherry hogshead, Sherry Butts, Smokey Oak, Double oak, Virgin Oak, Wine cask matured (various)….. *6 hours later*.. Rum cask peated, triple distilled and even the eye-wateringly labelled ‘Gently Smoked Sherry Cask Matured’. I love some English whisky goodness, but it gives me a headache trying to navigate this minefield and must be very confusing for new drinkers.Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see such a flexible and adaptable spirit every once in a while, but whoever said variety is the spice of life certainly didn’t account for this.
Anyway, back to the English 11 where I’ll be leaving on a positive. This drinks fantastically well in the summer and easily stands up to many lighter single malts from other corners of the globe. The ex-bourbon maturation pairs seamlessly well with the core distillate and age has certainly rounded out many of the youthful and flightier edges found in younger St George’s spirit while retaining a lovely light but characteristic dram.
Signing off, Logan.
Marty DiBergie: “Why don't you just make 10 louder and make 10 be the top number and make that a little louder?”
Nigel Tufnel: “….These go to 11.”
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. LM
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