Masthouse 2017
Cask Type: Barrel
Bottled: 2023
Age: 6
Region: England
No. of bottles: 244
ABV:59.7%
Release: Summer Release 2023
Doug McIvor
“Resinous, hints of ripe corn, dry oak and an intriguing mix of beeswax and a little menthol and herbs. The nose is meaty and enticing. Yellow fruits and heaps of vanilla burst through with dustings of spice; white pepper and perhaps a trace of nutmeg and clove. All is good and very well integrated. The mouth expands with rich ripe corn as other yellow fruits join the party. Bruised banana peel and sweet melon come to mind. You can hold this on the palate for a good while as the spices buzz and tingle. Something reminds me of spring rolls. The finish keeps some fruitiness going, perhaps banana again. Ultimately the spices prevail. Great expectations delivered!”
Tasting Notes
The nose displays a harmonious balance of fresh tropical fruits and American oak, with the two integrating seamlessly. Aromas of fresh melon, tinned pineapple and buttered popcorn build in intensity. This balanced theme continues on the palate, producing more tropicality and oak-driven coconut with a luxurious mouthfeel. There are further fresh fruits on the palate before some light spices appear. Considering this whisky’s youthful age, it isn’t far short of a masterpiece – one of the best distillates being produced in the UK and even the world.
Distillery
In 2016, Copper Rivet began production in an old pumphouse in Medway, Kent. It is a meeting of expertise and energy between the Russell family’s passion for their home county, and Head Distiller Abhi Banik’s encyclopaedic knowledge of fermentation and distillation. Copper Rivet are making huge waves in the industry, producing a wonderfully fruit-forward distillate.
Rob says: “Copper Rivet’s stills nestle centrally within a wonderfully hulking Victorian brick cuboid that previously acted as pumphouse for the adjacent dry-dock, and lost its towering chimney during the second World War. With local Kentish grain arriving at one end, fermentation, distillation and maturation taking place on-site, and with a mischievous spirit of experimentation, whenever I visit I can feel the very best of old and new. Pro-tip, visit the in house restaurant and enjoy many gustatorial delights – not least their house-made “marmite butter” using leftovers from the fermentation, served with spent-grain bread from the very same source.”