North Star Spirits 11 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Bottled for Whisky Punks (2023) 70cl

Distilled at an undisclosed distillery in Speyside, this release was bottled by independent bottler North Star for Whisky Punks. This expression was distilled in 2011 and laid down to mature for 11 years in a sherry cask. There were just 97 bottles produced at a strength of 51.4% abv.

The Below is all from James @WhiskyPunks

1st things first. In case you hadn't guessed it is whisky. Shocking I know. It is from Speyside. It is 11 Years Old and it is a healthy 51.4% with all the usual trimmings that you'd expect.

2nd big surprise. It's from North Star. It was going to happen at some point sooner or later and I'm still having happy thoughts that we have done this. I'll make no denials I'm a huge fan of Mr Croucher and the North Star team's work for an unbelievably simple reason. I've not had bad gear from him. Ever.

Now for this liquid to even get this into a bottle has been a headache that I can't even go into. When I say we'd be off the Christmas card list and looking at serious legal action we really do mean it. (And when we say legal action we mean something on par an episode of Tenko. So not a fun afternoon.) We'd probably be called up to have a nice cosy conversation with the local magistrates and there's a pretty good chance that I'd also be warmly invited to visit Scotland at my earliest inconvenience and spend some quality time with the magistrate as well. So unless we’re going to add crowd funding of legal fees to the deal none of us know what liquid is in the bottle.

However if any of us were to know this information and then share it out this bottle would sell out in a day or two and yes I'm basing this on the last time I saw it happen.

Still back to the analysis. It's a thumper of whisky. Go and buy it. It's been through stringent quality control with 6 different people saying it's decent.

Tasting Notes

Nose : Sweet sherry, with California raisins, sharp green apple and a touch of nutty oak.

Palate : Sherry-soaked dried fruits, Medjool dates, stewed apples with a hint of cinnamon. Addition of a few drops of water brings out a note of creamy milk chocolate and reduces a little of the spice.

Finish : Dark chocolate coated raisins, nutty oak, cinnamon and a touch of peppery heat. Water brings out a little more of the dark chocolate and adds a touch of astringency.

About North Star Spirits

Astronomy plays a massive part in the storytelling narrative of our core whisky range. Our vision is reflected in our company name. The North Star is the anchor of the northern sky. It is a landmark, or sky marker, that helps those who follow it determine direction as it glows brightly to guide and lead toward a purposeful destination. It also has a symbolic meaning, for the North Star depicts a beacon of inspiration and hope to many. North Star focuses its energies on the curiosities, peculiar oddities, and obscurities - whisky as it comes, straight from the cask and into a bottle - without any fancy tricks.

51.4% ABV

70cl