Santa Fe Spirits
Santa Fe Spirits
DISTILLERY: Santa Fe, New Mexico
ABV: 65.7% NCS
AGE: 5 Years
CAT: American Single Malt Whiskey
BATCH: #1
RRP: £99.95
AVAILABLE NOW!
This is a Scotch-inspired Single Malt, smoked with local Mesquite, by an Englishman in New Mexico. What’s Mesquite? I hear you ask (I had to Google it too) . Mesquite is the smokiest of cooking wood, beloved for its distinctive, sharp flavour.
Once again we’ve bottled this at natural cask strength and and have filled just 284 bottles.
The distillery was founded in 2010 by Brit, Colin Keegan, who was originally from Newcastle. Previously an architect, Colin went to Santa Fe to work on a job, and bought a house to live in whilst there. The house came with an Orchard, and he soon found himself with more apples than he knew what to do with. He decided to try distilling them to make a brandy, and after having success with this wanted to try his hand at making whiskey too. Being from the UK his first love was Scotch, and so he set out to make a single malt
At almost 2,200 metres above sea level, Santa Fe Spirits is one of the highest distilleries in the US, if not the world. 30% of the malted barley is smoked with Mesquite which brings an aromatic, earthy balance,
NOSE
Sweet, with stewed, or perhaps fermented, apples, baking spices and caramel. There’s no real indication of Mesquite smoke, although having not come across it before, I'm not sure what to expect!
TASTE
Spicy, and woody. A big pepper hit on the palate initially, followed by toffee apples. Ginger, cardamom, and hints of liquorice. It’s not smoky but there is a little fragrant wood smoke in the peppery, drying finish.
ABOUT THE LABEL
Standing in at Short Stop is head distiller Stephen Julander. He’s picked up a stick of Mesquite instead of his bat.
