Adnams launched its first whiskies just last week. Such has been their reception, however, and with only 5,000 bottles of each available, they look set to sell out very fast. As Chairman Jonathan Adnams commented:
“With the benefit of hindsight, we should have perhaps made five times as much, but three years ago it felt like a huge gamble to be going into making spirits at all.”
After three years of maturing in new French and American oak barrels, the first ever whiskies are now on sale in Adnams Cellar & Kitchen Stores. H & C News counts itself lucky to have had the opportunity to taste both, and applauds Adnams’ initiative in not only taking the risk but also in having the courage to ‘be different’ in their approach, establishing their own taste and style of whisky.
These are neither ‘look alike’ nor ‘taste alike’ whiskies, and deserve to be judged and enjoyed on their own merits.
The Copper House Distillery
Adnams Copper House Distillery has been producing handcrafted spirits for three years now, gaining international recognition and awards for its spirit range, including a coveted Gin Trophy at the International Wine & Spirits Competition earlier this year.
In the first few weeks of operation, back in November 2010, Adnams laid down 20 casks of whisky spirit in new French and American oak barrels. To be classified as a whisky, spirits must have at least three years’ and a day development time in the barrel.
Jonathan Adnams (pictured above right with John McCarthy, Adnams Distiller) comments, “We are incredibly excited about the launch of our whiskies. With just 20 casks in this first release, we are expecting high levels of interest from whisky enthusiasts and Adnams fans alike. We are urging customers to make their purchase soon after it goes on sale to avoid disappointment. The next release will be autumn 2014.”
Of course, Adnams also have plenty of other award-winning spirits such as Copper House Gin, Spirit of Broadside and seasonal liqueurs for their customers to enjoy
The two whiskies
John McCarthy, Adnams Distiller, describes the flavours of the two very distinct whiskies:
“Single Malt No. 1 – 43% abv, matured exclusively in new French oak barrels, it’s smooth and rich with notes of runny honey, vanilla and apricot.
“Triple Grain No. 2 – 43% abv, made from East Anglian barley, wheat and oats and matured in new American oak barrels, it’s a bold, dark chocolate-scented whisky with notes of toasted oak, pepper and orange peel.”
Design and presentation
The striking bottle design was created by Lee Cook from CookChick Design in Brighton. Lee comments: “Designing Adnams’ whisky labels has been an opportunity for us to establish a new direction for hand-crafted English whisky. We were keen not to design another ‘me too’ label emulating the traditional designs from Scotland and Ireland.
“Our aim was to create a radically different design with optimistic, bright, vibrant coastal colours which allows a glimpse of the whisky inside. This bold design reflects the contemporary approach that Jonathan Adnams and John McCarthy have to making spirits.
“It was important for us to create a visually arresting design that included bold copper bands that reflect both the warmth of the product and Adnams’ Copper pot stills.”
Availability
Adnams whiskies, priced £43.99 per 70cl bottle, are available at adnams.co.uk and in Adnams Cellar & Kitchen Stores – but, if the rumours are true, customers will have to hurry!