Three Ships 7 y/o - Moscato finish for Whisky Brother - 55,1%
Photo taken somewhere in Stuttgart
Since we spiritwise are in South African fields, we couldn't help but also trying a Single Malt from the Three Ships Distillery. This one is a lightly peated, high proof special edition that was treated with a white wine finish. Those kind of finishes can easily backfire with whisky, so let's see.
Nose
The minerality and sweetness of the the white wine are directly there. We get bright fruits like apricots, fermented apples and white grapes. Very winey. Further we get honeycomb and ginger. The peatiness is slightly memorizable, but all in all this fellow doesn't talk too much. Let's drive that shyness away with water:
Now we are talking! Really pleasant, fresh and more balanced now, with a nice maltiness and honey sweetness.
Palate
On the first sip it has a pronounced bitterness and dryness. It's also pretty spicy, ginger-y and warming with a light body and oily texture. That spiciness must come from the european oak we suppose. The smoke is nicely integrated so far. It's not really complex, but that ginger spiciness makes it somewhat interesting.
With water: The sweetness is now way up, same for the pepper. Crazy development. This swimms very, very well.
Finish
Medium long, with a lot of white pepper and roasted bread crust.
Rating
The first impression was odd and little bit shy. But water revealed it's strengths and saved it from drowning in the sea of triviality. For only 7 years this is still well done and quite enjoyable. Would be interesting to have some proper ex-bourbon or sherry expression from this distillery.
