The Netherlands
Master of Malt
1 Jan 2015
1 Jan 2018
Sherry
Genever is often described as an ancestor to modern gin, and it shares a fair few similarities with whisky too. Right up our street then! For this particular 'oude genever' think pot-distilled equal parts corn, rye and malted barley, partly distilled with juniper and other botanicals, and blended before ageing.
We love Zuidam. Great people. Family-owned, and independent, the distillery's roots lie in genever production, and it also produces some genuinely spectacular single malt and rye whiskies, plus has access to some excellent quality casks. This batch of oude genever aged in a single oloroso sherry hogshead for three years before we bottled it for our exclusive Master of Malt collection. With layers of sweet malt and toasty cereal, juniper and delicate botanical spice, and rich sherry cask influence, we reckon it bridges the gap between whisky and gin like no other spirit. A release of 185 bottles.
Check out more exclusive Master of Malt bottlings right here!
Fruity, tart notes of Bramley apple, buttered rye bread, toffee, and dried raspberries are backed by biscuity malt and sweet, oaken vanilla. Plump raisins join in time, with a distant, delicate hint of caraway, and slightly burnt fruit cake.
A superb balance of sweetness and spice, with hints of candy floss and sherried fruits alongside toasted cereal, rusk biscuits, and drying oak. Creamy caramel cushions hints of dried herbs, with oily juniper nestling comfortably at its core.
Malty and gently herbaceous, with creamy toffee and vanilla, buttered pumpernickel with honey, drying, chewy, oloroso-soaked oak, gently woody botanical spice, and subtle root ginger warmth.
