North Star Spirits – Blended Malt “Deployment 4”
Updated: Mar 2, 2023
2001 20yr “Deployment 4” 45.7% ABV
- picked by Sean for the SBWAS
As the fourth release for my SherryBomb group, I wanted to throw a curveball and bottle a blended whisky. There were a number very good reasons:
To showcase how amazing a blended malt can be.
Dispel the bloody ridiculous myth that blends are inferior.
Introduce something fantastic and also affordable.
Reveal what happens when some astonishing (and I do mean astonishing), single malt whiskies are married together in a single cask.
The out-turn of this whisky was 583 bottles that went on sale on a Wednesday at 12pm. By 9pm on Friday it had completely sold out and orders had been taken across from the globe. Such is the power of branding and the ‘tinterwebsphere.
As I write this review, 99% of bottles have now landed squarely with their new families, with the remaining 1% impatiently waiting in US customs ready for clearance. From the feedback I’ve had so far, it’s proven to be another cracker and is being enjoyed by lots of sherrybombers. Phew.
Appearance: Deep amber
Nose: Heaps of vibrant & fruity sherry, with nuttiness in equal measure. Held longer in the glass reveals peanut brittle, cake spice, warm sticky toffee pudding, and a gentle sour sweetness like plum wine.
Palate: Toffee sweetness and cream sherry wash over the tongue with a gentle studding of warming white pepper. The viscosity confidently holds a lot of body & flavour at this calm 45.7% ABV.
Another sip reveals more spice-infused caramel sweetness with some gentle oak that offers a bite.
Finish: Long, with sweet oiliness and soft warming tannins.
Conclusion: Well, seeing as this is a personal cask pick for the SherryBombWhisky Appreciation Society group that I run, it was never going to be anything but solid. It also blows apart the myth that blends are inferior. This isn’t. It actually kicks a lot of single malts squarely in the conkers and laughs in their faces.
And if you've got this far, go and check out North Star Spirits.
