Westie Sponge No. 1 – Nc’Nean 5 year old
I love sharing whisky samples, especially when it gives you the chance to try a distillery or independent bottler you haven’t explored yet. In this case, I have both; with the Westie Sponge’s first release, a five year old organic single malt from Nc’Nean Distillery.
The Westie Sponge is a series of bottlings from Decadent Drinks, celebrating single malts of the West Highlands and Islands. For edition 1 they obtained two casks from Nc’Nean Distillery, an independent whisky distillery on the Morvern Peninsula. This is whisky made with two different yeast recipes, each aged in first-fill hogsheads, married together, then refilled in the same casks. The first cask has been used for this release, while the second cask has been reracked to be used at a later date.
Distilled in 2018 and bottled in 2023, it’s a 5 year old highland single malt. Though it isn’t cask strength, the whisky was only diluted slightly to bring it down to 55%.
Whisky Tasting Notes
Appearance: There is a golden to amber colour with nice clarity. It’s a very oily whisky with thick, very slow-running legs.
Nose: I first picked up toasted wood and grain on the nose, with some honey sweetness and butter. As it was given time to air, some more fruity notes of orange and nectarine started to appear.
Palate: There is a wonderfully creamy texture to this whisky, which was to be expected from the oily appearance. I picked up notes of shortbread, light honey sweetness, fruity notes somewhere between peaches and apples with hints of vanilla.
Finish: There’s a burnt butter flavour and warmth that lingers at the back of the palate, though there is more sensation than taste on the finish.
For a five year old Scottish single malt from an independent organic distillery, it is well rounded. I wouldn’t race out to buy another bottle, but it is still enjoyable and I would be happy to pour a dram for other whisky lovers as a point of interest.
Though enjoyable at five years, I would love to see what it’s like after a bit more time in the barrel. It would be a very interesting comparison when Westie Sponge releases the second cask to taste the two side by side.