AGOT Basque Single Malt Whisky Pioneer Edition

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 46% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Pioneer Edition brings together Basque whisky-making and casks from the neighbouring wine region: this single malt matures for three years in former bourbon casks and red wine casks from Rioja Alavesa. It is made from Pilsner and Munich malts from Navarra and distilled twice.

Bourbon cask maturation contributes sweet hints of vanilla and toffee, while the red wine casks add fruity, vinous and lightly spicy accents. The whisky is bottled at 46% without added colouring or chill filtration, in 0.7-litre bottles presented in a tube.

The name AGOT recalls the Agotes, a community from the Pyrenees that faced exclusion for centuries. The label and tube designs also draw on this history: a stylised figure and a goose-foot symbol form part of the edition’s visual identity.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, grapes and peach mingle with creamy vanilla and caramel notes. Cocoa adds a bitter contrast, alongside a delicate hint of cloves.
• Palate: The whisky is full-bodied on the palate, with vanilla and ripe banana. Cinnamon and nutmeg complement the sweet fruit notes with delicate spice.
• Finish: The medium-length finish leaves fruity, vinous notes and a soft caramel aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Basque Moonshiners S.L. is a microdistillery in Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain’s Basque Country. Master distiller Juan Carlos Ortíz de Zárate took over his grandfather’s distillery in 2014 and built the present-day business around it. The inherited pot still had already been used to produce spirits for decades.

Alongside AGOT, the range includes Basmoon potato vodka. The company’s name refers to American moonshiners during Prohibition. For its whisky, the distillery uses malt from Navarra and combines maturation in bourbon casks with the influence of the Rioja Alavesa wine region.

Facts: