Stork Club 5yo 2019/2024

Stork Club 5yo 2019/2024

#13, The Heart Cut
Single rye - Brandenburg
Amber
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, black pepper, rye bread, coffee, dark chocolate, sea salt. With water, roses, photocopy paper, white grapes, coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, cool, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Coffee, dark chocolate, rye bread, honeysuckle, fresh cut grass, hints of black pepper. With water, coffee, photocopy paper, fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Long. Coffee, dark chocolate, photocopy paper, honeysuckle. 

Comments: 

Sweet and honeyed, with lots of dark chocolate and earthy coffee. It’s extremely fragrant, like a freshly made espresso. There’s a herbal element to it, something grassy and sweet underneath. Lovely dram, the Heart Cut releases are always good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Stork Club Straight Rye Whiskey

Stork Club Straight Rye Whiskey

Official bottling
Single rye - Brandenburg
Bright gold
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, sea salt, leather, camphor, black tea, black pepper, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Camphor, black tea, raisins, cough syrup, corn syrup, honey, cloves. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, blackcurrant cordial, cough syrup, black pepper. 

Comments: 

I’ve had the higher ABV version, and it was far better. This one is a little thin, light mouthfeel, less sweet but with the herbal notes intact. In fact it now tastes slightly medicinal, and not like its higher strength brother.

Verdict:

I like this.

Stork Club Straight Rye (Cask Strength)

Stork Club Straight Rye (Cask Strength)

Official bottling
Single rye - Brandenburg
Amber
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, coffee, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, polenta, hints of chillies. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, vanilla, malted grains, cinnamon, polenta, hints of camphor. 
Finish: Short. Chillies, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, honey, hints of nutmeg. 

Comments: 

There's a beauty to this rye whiskey, made in a country that one wouldn't normally associate with the stuff, yet grows some of the best grain around. The mouthfeel is thick and syrupy, and the legs are broad and obvious. There's plenty of spice and flavour in the whiskey, as befits a good rye, and there's a herbal fragrance that reminds me of corn and camphor. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.