St. Georges Distillery The English Whisky Co. Smokey Single Malt English Whisky (700ml)

Part of the core range, this is EWC's peated (45ppm) single malt, offering a lovely waft of smoke on the nose and palate. A novel alternative for the Islay fan.

Tasting note: Bright gold. Sweet barley covered in a light blanket of soot. Exposure hints at green cardamom, pineapple pudding and sponge cake. The smokiness subsides releasing orchard fruits (pear / apple). Even better definition after 2-3 minutes. An exotic mezcal-like edge to the delivery. A soft burst of barley, then a rush of oily, creamy peat. The finish is dappled with gently buzzing spices, the aftertaste developing some lovely smoked meat notes. References Kilchoman's finest in its fantastically fresh, pure feel. 43% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews… quite a different type of phenol here, sharp and acrid and not dissimilar to that found inside a crisp packet….ridiculously soft delivery. Like their “Original” at 43% this has a curious and not unattractive feel of an old blend about it, the lightness of the body being on stark contrast to the weight of the peat… super complexity as the phenols calm sufficiently for the light tannins and liquorice to make brilliant contrast to the glittering array of dark, toasty sugars; they could have also written “smoky bacon cask”. 93.5 points - Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2017

This lives up to its name with leaf bonfire smoke, vanilla essence, and ginger preserves. Distiller David Fitt chooses malt peated to the same level as Port Ellen maltings delivers to Laphroaig. Assertive flavors of raw ginger, peppercorn, and chili flakes succumb to soothing vanilla cream and herbal notes. It leaves a creaminess on the lips and a mouth-coating finish of bonfire smoke and ground pepper. (480 bottles)
89 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2018)