Zuidam Smugglers Trail - Dutch Single Blended Whisky

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Smuggler’s Trail brings together three different whiskies from the same distillery. Zuidam combines a single malt with a wheat whisky made from wheat and malted barley, and a five-grain whisky made from rye, maize, wheat, spelt and malted barley. All three components are distilled in Zuidam’s pot stills. Here, Single Blended therefore denotes a blend of malt and grain whiskies from a single distillery.

This bottling combines cereal and fruit notes with a distinctive savoury side and spicy accents. Its colour comes entirely from cask maturation; no colouring is added. The whisky is offered at 43% alcohol in a bottle containing 0.7 litres.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, cereal notes mingle with pickled vegetables and apple sauce. A hint of soy sauce and light fruit notes round out the aroma.
• Palate: On the palate, liquorice, ripe cherry and cinnamon combine with subtle herbal spice.
• Finish: The short to medium-length finish recalls cola, hazelnuts and soft toffee.

Distillery/Bottler:

Zuidam is a family business in the Dutch town of Baarle-Nassau, on the Belgian border. Fred and Hélène van Zuidam began by producing liqueurs and genever; today, their sons Patrick and Gilbert run the company. Patrick devoted himself to developing whisky production, with the first experimental casks dating from 1996. The Millstone whisky brand refers to the Dutch mills that grind the grain for the whisky.

When making Millstone whiskies, Zuidam allows seven days for fermentation and distils slowly in small copper stills. This approach supports the whiskies’ fruity character. The distillery selects a variety of oak casks for maturation. In the warm, dry warehouse, an average of four to six per cent of the casks’ contents evaporates each year — the portion known as the Angel’s Share.

Facts: