New make Holyrood inspired by Black Cork beer

Holyrood is making a solid name for themselves being the experimental and just plain fun distillery. I am going to visit them at the end of December and I cannot wait! So curious what I will think of this establishment. In the meantime, we keep patience with an interesting ‘new make’ that they released. This is what I could find about it: “A New Make inspired by Edinburgh's legendary Black Cork beer and part of the 2022 cask program. Black Cork was an Edinburgh staple of the 18th and 19th Century.” Holyrood added a “twist of Islay Peated Malt”. Read more here.

Holyrood Black Cork New Make Spirit, bottled at 60 % abv

Makeup: New make distilled from a combination of peated and roasted malts.

General impressions: There is no denying you are drinking a new make spirit, with the traditional alcoholic hot, almost chemical character. Light on green oranges and unripe tangerines. Not really picking up any peatiness. It is on the palate where things get more interesting. First of all, it is very drinkable at this strength. The smoke and dark roast can definitely be picked up now. It is of the earthy character, but I also get hints of something fruity. If this new make is intended as a tribute to beer, it certainly is best felt on the finish. The darkness of a beer created from roasted malt is certainly present in this make. Let us see what some diluting will reveal.

The nose remains a weaker aspect of this Holyrood experiment. It needs some interaction with wood, I think, to release the full depth of the unusual contraption. The taste has become more bitter, which is interesting because normally you would expect bitter notes from maturation. Here it comes from this combination of peated and roasted malts. Chocolate, but also coffee beans and (pea)nuts standing on a bar somewhere in the intimate closes of Edinburgh. The finish loses some power with diluting, but still pleasant enough.

Conclusion: Enjoyable as an experiment, very well put together. This is sold in 500 ml bottles, which I find a stretch. I loved tasting it, but this is for geeks, not to enjoy while reading a book or laying some cards with your friends. Still, entertainment value is very high.

Score: 75 points

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