The Remnant Whisky Company "The Scoundrel"

Nose: Primarily a cereal and fruit nose, light and crisp with the cereal notes clearly articulated. Tropical and stone fruits (pineapple and peach) and dried figs. After a first taste some mild spice aromas are discerned and the sherry casks can be noticed after it has rested in the glass for a while. A touch of obvious alcohol is the only fault with the nose but this is banished with a dash of water. Palate: Well balanced, measured arrival. It’s slightly on the sweet side with fruit (peaches, pears, coconut) and gentle spices (cinnamon and ginger). The spicy aspect grows in the development but it is balanced by the sweet, jammy fortified wine cask influence and some vanilla from bourbon casks. Adding a half teaspoon of water does no damage at all – the palate remains essentially the same but is a little more subtle. The texture is very good – velvety and luxurious. Finish: Medium. Sweet spices and a little gingery heat fading into caramel. A delightful whisky that bears a resemblance to a cereal-forward highland malt – it’s not a million miles away from Glencadam in character. There is an interesting story to this whisky. Back in the early 2000s a distillery called Nant was founded in Tasmania. The owner, whether by design or bad management, ended up swindling a host of investors, tradespeople, creditors etc. and the distillery eventually collapsed into bankruptcy. He disappeared leaving a lot of unpaid bills and angry peopel in his wake, plus a few hundred casks of whisky (where there was supposed to be thousands). The distillery was bought out and the new owners assessed the remaining casks but decided they were of little value. The original investors were resigned to heavy losses but then Peter Bignell of Belgrove Distillery stepped in. He put together a consortium called Remnant (Rem-Nant, get it?) to buy the old stock at good prices with a view to further maturation, re-casking and blending. This expression “The Scoundrel” (in honour of the original owner) was the first single malt to be released by Remnant. They have since released “Black Spot”, “Fly by Night” and others. There is nothing in particular to fault about this whisky and Peter has done an excellent job of blending several “difficult” casks to produce something that is more than the sum of its parts. However that said, while it is a good whisky it is not a great one – just good. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)