"The Brew Will Come Thru" Single Malt Whisky

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

Whisky and Irn Bru. Finally!

When is a Scottish whisky, not a Scotch whisky? There are strict rules around what can and cannot be called Scotch and the casks used to mature spirit are one of the most tightly regulated areas. To be called Scotch, a whisky must be matured for at least three years in an oak cask. Second-hand casks that previously held other liquids are used often but there are limitations.

In 2019, there was an amendment to the Scotch Whisky Technical File by the Scotch Whisky Association. That amendment updated the guidance on casks and allowed, among other things, the use of Fruit Brandy, Tequila and Calvados casks.

Despite this apparent loosening of the guidelines the SWA continues to defend the integrity of the category with dedication and is rarely slow to come down hard on anyone suspected of bending the rules. One only needs to look to the case of Compass Box who were forced to withdraw the original version of their Spice Tree Blended Malt because the casks used were enhanced with inner staves, a way of adding more oak influence to the spirit.

You would think that such strong devotion to maintaining standards would dissuade the pushing of boundaries and for the most part, you’d be right but there will always be those on the fringes, experimenting and twisting the rules to breaking point. The whisky featured in this review is one such example.

The Brew Will Come Thru is a single malt bottled by Sebastian Büssing aka The Spirits Alchemist. It was distilled at Speyside Distillery in Scotland and matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon cask before being transferred to Germany where it was finished for 12 months in an oak cask seasoned with Scotland’s other national drink, Iron Brew. Now any Scot will tell you that it’s spelled Irn Bru but if you’re in the process of taking shots at the SWA you could probably do without the additional attentions of the AG Barr legal team.

Obviously this whisky can’t be called Scotch. It wasn’t fully matured or bottled in Scotland and the cask regulations haven’t quite relaxed enough to allow the use of Irn Bru-seasoned casks. It’s a whisky from Scotland, but it’s not a Scotch.

I must confess to feeling torn on this one. I’d hate to see a free-for-all, with people finishing Scotch in anything and everything. I don’t want to see our national drink turned into an alcopop. That said, there has to be room for creativity and even playfulness within the industry and I suppose, when it gets right down to it, The Brew Will Come Thru really triggered my curiosity.

The Brew Will Come Thru – Review

Smell: Not quite the onslaught of Bru you might expect. I found toffee apples, malt and gingerbread. Tablet. Condensed milk. There’s definitely an element of sugary sweetness. Vanilla fudge. Orange peel. Orangeade. Cream Soda. Burnt oak – well done toast. Struck matches and charcoal.

Taste: There’s the Irn Bru! There’s a thick, syrupy texture to the whisky and at points, you can almost feel the fizz! A sugary sweet arrival, followed by gingery, spicy heat with aniseed and lots of oak at the back end. Along the way, I was getting fleeting notes of oranges, apples, cherries and grapes. Also honey, vanilla and caramel sauce.

Thoughts: I think this is quite well done and comes close to being a big success but for me, falls a wee bit short, in the end. The nose is a bit of a jumble but the Irn Bru comes through nicely on the arrival and works well with the sweeter elements of the whisky. Sadly things fall apart a wee bit in the second half – the transition from Irn Bru to tannic oak is jarring and the astringent bitterness lingers a wee bit too long. Maybe not a great whisky but it’s a fun conversation piece that’s entertaining and maybe even a wee bit educational.

Price: Around £65 for a 50cl bottle. The Brew Will Come Thru isn’t exactly a bargain but it’s a very rare experiment and for some, will be worth the price. The bottle was gifted to me by a very good friend and I’m certainly grateful to have it. I can’t wait to pour it for visitors!

For more about The Spirits Alchemist visit here