North British Batch 2
| Distillery: | Northern British |
|---|---|
| Country: | Scotland |
| Abv: | 56.3% |
| Advent Year: | 2016 |
| Rating: |
After the remarkable grain whiskies I've enjoyed in this year's Advent Calendar it seems appropriate to end on another.
North British is one of Scotland's largest grain whisky producers and although (as with most grain whisky) the vast majority goes into big brand blends, just about every independent bottler seems to offer at least one North British whisky.
North British Batch 2 is a 56.3% ABV dram, which makes me wonder if it's actually a mislabelled Batch 3 sample instead. It will be interesting to see if my tasting notes line up to either of these!
The nose is light with plenty of candy sugar, and sweet lemon - something puts me in mind of cough sweets. With water there's a slightly nutty character showing through, and perhaps a little greener fruit.
In the mouth it's more sweet citrus; caramel dipped oranges with some subtle cinnamon spice beneath. Watered, there's still plenty of sweet orange juice but with a more significant spice to it, and a more lingering, slightly oaked finish.
It's rich and warming and nicely seasonal; my tasting notes clearly align more with Batch 2 (as labelled) but the ABV statement feels right too so I'm not sure what's going on. It's still damn tasty though - 4 stars!
Many thanks to Master Of Malt for providing their That Boutique-y Whisky Company Advent Calendar this year.
This review was originally published 24th December, 2016. It was last updated 1st June, 2023.