Worldwide whiskies with the Dram Team

Forget Philes Fogg and his amazing journey around the world in 80 days, there is a new way to travel round the world and it only takes 6 easy steps.. You don’t need a private jet or some fancy yacht, you don’t even need to be a millionaire!! All you need to do is get in touch with the Dram Team.. Who ? I hear you ask.. The Dram Team is a group of whisky people who got together to offer a subscription service for samples delivered to your door each month..  The main idea is to offer you a wide variety of samples that you may or may not ever come across, each box consists of 6 samples, 5 of which are bottles costing around £30-£70 each and the 6th sample is a teaser sample from a bottle generally costing well over the £100 mark.. Each box also comes with a set of tasting notes nicely presented on cards which are there for you to either read before hand in order to understand what’s you might get or just to  compare your own notes after sampling each of the drams..  Each box generally  covers a topic like world whiskies or regions !  All are great fun and make exceptional gifts to either yourself or of course a friend or family member..

So onto this box.. This box is made up of world whiskies in order to celebrate “World Whisky Day” The 6 drams on offer are as follows..

1, Starward, which is an Australian whisky matured in fortified wine casks ( Apera barrels to be precise)

2, Teeling small batch,  a little nearer home this whiskey comes from Ireland and has been finished in rum casks.

3, The Norfolk Farmers ( Grain) whisky originating from here in the uk from out very own The English Whisky Company..

4, F E W Rye is brought to you from the USA and is as it says is  a Rye whiskey of at least 51% along with corn and barley..

5, Mackmyra ” Svensk Rok ” hails from Sweeden and means ” Swedish smoke”

6, Paul John 6yo from India and bottled by independent  bottler That Boutiquey Whisky Company..

My thoughts on each are as follows..

Starward..  Bottled at 43% abv..

Nose.. Youthful with a fruity side, a little spicy kick with chocolate orange and cinnamon buns..

Palate.. Again youthful with spices, fresh fruits and hints of ripe banana, poached pear, honey and dark toffee.

Teeling small batch.. bottled at 46% abv..

Nose.. Floral and fruity, Apple peels, citrus and cherry blossom leads into honey and gentle spices. A touch of aniseed and plum notes surface along with burnt sugar.

Palate..  More spicy than the nose with ripe banana covered in toffee sauce, honey, citrus and cinnamon combine nicely with a hint of fresh ginger.

English whisky company ” grain” ( The Norfolk Farmers) bottled at 45% abv..

Nose.. Quite subtle, Some vanilla, toffee and caramel, soft oak and digestive biscuits..

Palate.. Bland.. Unfortunately it’s youthful side is evident here, very soft hints of vanilla and a little caramel with a grainy aftertaste..

FEW Rye.. Bottled at 46.5% abv..

Nose.. Fresh and spicy.. Apple pie and cinnamon, candied orange, candy floss, plums and burnt toffee.. Vanilla pods, and a little peppery note in the background followed up by hints of tobacco..

Palate.. Spices are prominent here with hints of vanilla and ripe fruits.. Citrus peels and old tobacco leaf, a little bitter chocolate and coffee grinds.

Mackmyra Svensk Rok.. bottled at 46.1% abv..

Nose.. Smouldering ash, burnt toffee, caramel, toffee apples, citrus peels, cinder toffee and burnt Marshmallows..

Palate.. Smokey and spicy with a little fruity twist..

Paul John 6yo from ” That Boutiquey Whisky Company ”

Nose.. Soft smoke with gentle spices, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla all mixed together along with banana, toffee apple and a peppery kick.

Palate.. Soft Smoke engulfs the mouth and paves the way for those spices, cinnamon, ginger and a little nutmeg all show up with hints of chocolate, vanilla and caramel.. Even a little coconut and sugared almonds  show  up.

 

Thoughts.. The above box was another great array of whisky / whiskey, some of the drams were very exciting and unfortunately one at least was not for me but that’s the great thing about these boxes, they introduce you to whisky in a way that won’t break your bank.. If you love what you taste then you go buy a bottle and if your not impressed then you have lost nothing..  O and if your on twitter when you receive your box you can join in with the live tasting that usually appears.. It’s all fun and not too serious..

Look out for the guys on twitter at @thedramteam

Or check out the site at

https://www.thedramteam.co.uk ..