What better way to start the new year with an inspiring, ambitious, compelling new series from Berry Bros & Rudd. A collection of spirits created by sustainable distillers, The Collective #1: The Pioneers features 10 producers from around the world. I picked a quartet of whiskies to review from The Oxford Artisan Distillery, Belgrove, Shortcross and Agitator.
Berry Bros & Rudd has previously championed the Nordics. The Collective is cast in the same mould, but with a global scope. This annual release of spirits brings together like-minded groups of distillers. For example, The Collective #1 is dubbed The Pioneers and features distillers that focus on sustainability. It was curated by Berry Bros & Rudd’s former reserve whisky manager, Jonny McMillan, in collaboration with Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr Lyan.
“There is no set path on the sustainability journey, nor one single solution”, McMillan explained. “The beauty of Collective #1: The Pioneers is that each distiller has taken a different approach to sustainability, with the strength being in the diversity and combination of practices, making a whole entity, with continuous learnings.
“We looked to find a broad spectrum of producers from various traditions of whisky and Cognac making with each distiller taking a slightly different approach to sustainability, some focusing on soil health and regenerative farming, others on lowering energy use or green power.
“For each distiller there is a different solution that fits the location and character of their distillery, together they form a great overview of what’s going on with environmentally pioneering producers.”
Below is the entire range of The Collective #1: The Pioneers.
- Westland 2014 Madeira Finish, Single Malt American Whiskey, C#6235
- Belgrove 2016, Single Rye Tasmanian Whisky, C#170216
- Arbikie 2017, Highland Rye, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, C#69
- Ardnamurchan 2017, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, C#374
- Jean-Luc Pasquet 2017, Petit Champagne Cognac, C#72
- Nc’nean 2017, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, C#198
- Shortcross 2017, Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, C#48
- Agitator 2018, Single Malt Swedish Whisky, C#741
- GlenWyvis 2018, Quarter Cask Finish, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, C#1501/02
- Oxford Artisan 2019, Single Rye English Whisky, C#21
Berry Bros & Rudd were kind enough to send me samples of the entire range, but I’m no Serge Valentin. Carefully reviewing more than a handful of whiskies in one sitting? That’s not my strength. To keep things manageable, I picked four samples from The Collective #1: The Pioneers. I might review some of the others in the future, but for now, we’ll stick with these.
Interestingly, none of the whiskies I picked were made in Scotland. That’s not on purpose. I simply chose the four samples that I was most curious about. They just happened to come from England, Ireland, Australia and Sweden. Also, today will be a day of firsts. I’ve never before tasted whisky from any of these producers.
The Oxford Artisan 2019 Rye Whisky (54.5%, Berry Bros & Rudd ‘The Pioneers’, C#21)
The Oxford Artisan Distillery has a Head of Farming. Is there any other distillery that employs someone with that title? There can’t be many, and it speaks volumes about this English distillery’s philosophy. John Letts (the aforementioned Head of Farming) employs a continuous grain cropping technique to ensure each field’s revived heritage grain population is unique and able to adapt to any climate.
The Oxford Artisan 2019 Rye Whisky bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd matured in a refill hogshead.
Nose: Very cereal-forward, almost leafy at times. Slivers of porridge, mown hay and heather flowers. Also notes of cocoa, clay and melted butter, then some milk powder, as well as fir trees and warm vanilla custard.
Taste: Medium creamy mouthfeel. Dark rye spices are much more prominent now, yet there’s a bright liveliness to the spirit as well. Tinges of black pepper alongside nutmeg, cloves and a whisper of aniseed. Also gentle notes of satsuma and almond paste.
Finish: Medium to long. Lingering spices, chaff and juicy orchard fruits.
Belgrove 2016 Rye Whisky (61.1%, Berry Bros & Rudd ‘The Pioneers’, C#170216)
Peter Bignell is a renaissance man. He runs Belgrove Distillery in Tasmania, Australia. His ancestors came down from Scotland and England, and he’s now the sixth generation in Tasmania. I spoke to Peter sometime last year for an article in Whisky Magazine. The man’s approach to distilling is nothing short of awe-inspiring. He built his own stills and converted a clothes dryer to a small drum malting system. With a background in agricultural science and a passion for sculpting, Bignell grew up on a farm and approaches whisky making as equal science and art.
Everything at Belgrove Distillery is geared towards sustainable production. The only significant material Bignell brings to the farm is waste cooking oil and the main product to leave is whisky. The cooking oil acts as biodiesel for the copper pot still, which Bignell built from scratch. His tractors, forklift and truck all run on biodiesel also. During the summer months that is, because in the winter there are some problems with it freezing. The spent mash is fed to the Belgrove sheep. Brewing and diluting water is harvested from his roofs, cooling water comes from his dam and wastewater is recycled or used for irrigation of next year’s rye crop.
The Belgrove 2016 Rye Whisky bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd matured in a ex-Pinot Noir cask.
Nose: Farmy. I mean, there’s more to this whisky, but that’s mostly the gist of what I have in my glass here. There are notes of damp soil, some sesame seeds, fresh dough and dried tea leaves. Then whiffs of cedar, melted butter and gingerbread.
Taste: Oofah, this is something else! Nice viscosity to start. Then caraway, gentle hops, green wood and pepper. Also walnuts, cloves, sultanas and stewed stone fruits. Just a sliver of candlewax and dark caramel.
Finish: Long. Soft tannins, gentle dried red fruits and lingering rye spices.
Shortcross 2017 Single Pot Still (55.1%, Berry Bros & Rudd ‘The Pioneers’, C#48)
Made at the Rademon Estate Distillery in Ireland, Shortcross is a labour of love of husband and wife team David and Fiona Boyd-Armstrong. All the energy for the distillery comes from the estate’s own solar and hydro.
The Shortcross 2017 bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd is a Single Pot Still Whiskey, but there’s no word on the grains used in the mash bill, nor on the cask it matured in. Well, the label mentions a barrel, but that is pretty nondescript.
Nose: Immediately just such a fruity base. There are crisp green apples, whiffs of mango, tart cherries, passion fruit and pineapple. Just a sliver of cinnamon in the background, but also notes of quince jelly and cigar boxes.
Taste: Thick, oily mouthfeel with an initial vanilla sweetness. Almost sugary. Oak spices are now more present (such as cloves, pepper and ginger), but accompanied by hazelnuts, honey, tinned peaches and pineapple.
Finish: Medium. Lingering notes of pears, vanilla, quinces and apples.
Agitator 2018 Single Malt (57.7%, Berry Bros & Rudd ‘The Pioneers’, C#741)
I wasn’t really aware of Agitator Distillery until maybe a year ago. But my eyes have been opened. Not many distilleries push the limits like Agitator does, which is led by distillery manager Oskar Bruno. The distillery uses vacuum distillation and experiments with yeast, barley and wood. It’s also one of Europe’s greenest distilleries.
The Agitator 2018 Single Malt bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd is produced with 40 PPM barley and fermented with Saison yeast. It matured in a first-fill sherry hogshead.
Nose: The above peat levels are slightly deceiving. There are notes of decaying leaves, cigar tobacco and fungi, alongside whiff of cotton candy, charcoal and barbecued beef. Also, gentle slivers of miso, smoked strawberries and paprika powder.
Taste: There’s a good amount of mentholated smoke, shoe polish, leather and dried red fruits. Soft tannins, a whisper of iodine, cream filling and smouldering embers too.
Finish: Medium to long. Lingering notes of pepper, cigar smoke and green walnuts. Maybe even slightly coastal.
Samples provided by Berry Bros & Rudd
