Coming back to Witchmark Distillery was an oddly relaxing experience, like coming back home to a warm fireplace after a hard day’s work out in the cold. A “home away from home” for me, if you will. It was nice to be back, and to catch up with my good friend Eddie. “Catch up” is the best way to describe this stop, as it was less of a tour, and more just checking in, seeing what had changed, and learning about the future here at Witchmark.
We started off simple, just having a nice cuppa in the lobby and having a casual chat about how our lives had been since we last saw each other. Some new things sprung out right as we walked in, such as their new Glencairn-style tasting glasses, or the new tent area out back specially made for events, both of which are great additions! But before long our cups were empty and it was time to see the major changes for ourselves.
Heading towards the distillery itself, there wasn’t much immediately to see that was new. Eddie expressed his plans for what he wanted to do in future, with plans to expand the production capabilities of the pipeline, whilst not placing too much strain on the work hours.
He also has plans to help combat the noise pollution, which has caused the production cycle to stop on Saturdays due to locals complaining, taking their days of work from five days down to four. Eddie plans to put up a noise barrier to combat this, which should hopefully allow for full operation again without annoying any neighbours!
We also learnt about some of the minor mechanical hiccups over the past few months, and how these were found and fixed. All were very minor and didn’t cause any real issues, just minor headaches, but it shows a nice attention to detail that is key when running a blossoming distillery.
Heading into the warehouse we see the biggest change from our last visit, as the number of casks on site has skyrocketed from just under 100 in February, all the way to cask number 585, with another 30 on the way! All of this in an effort to help future proof the brand to always have the stock it needs for selling whisky, even during any rough patches that may come their way.
We also saw Witchmark’s new snazzy bottling station, a new addition to help them get a SALSA certification, which I wish them the best of luck with!
In here Eddie also told us about the efforts Witchmark have been taking to expand their reach and get places stocking their product, from getting Stonedaisy ale into more local pubs, to getting Witchmark spirits in premium hotels, all the way to getting Witchmark sponsors on sports teams! It’s truly impressive growth! We also got to meet some new members of the team, including one Namratha Gorur, who is a regular reader of my posts! Hearing her story and how she ended up at Witchmark was a delight! We also got to smell some new grain spirit that had just come off the still at 96.5% abv; so strong, and yet still had Witchmark’s iconic creaminess!
Speaking of new spirits, Witchmark has actually sent off a couple of their new make spirits to the World Whisky Awards, to which I wish them the best of luck! We were actually lucky enough to finally get a taste of the slightly aged new make, something I’ve been itching to do since February! We got to try some straight new make spirit, an ex-bourbon cask expression, as well as a STR cask expression. We even got a bit cheeky and blended them at the end just to see what would happen!
The new make we tried was served at 65% abv. The nosing has that standard creaminess, but laced with plum jam and gooseberry for a sweet tartness. The taste is white peppercorn and rosehip, with quite an oily character that worms the throat nicely. A very, very solid new make, and one of my favourites I’ve tried on this trip!
The ex-bourbon expression was casked on the 20th September 2024, so almost exactly a year ago, and was served at 62.2% abv. The smell takes a more clotted cream route, with vanilla seeds and baked Alaska giving off a very sugary, dessert feeling. The taste was much richer, with black treacle, chilli, dark chocolate and spiced wood coating the tongue. It’s overall sweet, surprisingly light, and very smooth. Tasty!
The STR expression was laid down on the 1st October 2024, making it 11 months old, and was served at 64% abv. The aroma was milkier than the others, laced with raspberry ice cream and slight floral notes. The palate was quite different however, with notes of fermented grape, sharp cherry and mulled wine throughout. Fruity, intense, and very complex. My kind of dram!
Finally, we combined the ex-bourbon and the STR drams just for fun to see how they’d fare in a 50/50 blend. The smell was immediately a new beast entirely, with tones of spiced caramel, blackberry and mild pine needle coming to the surface. The taste was characterised with caramelised blackcurrant, sharp capsaicin and an oily body that mainly led to a weird taste overall. Not bad per say, just unusual.
Finally, as we were readying to leave I was getting ready to buy my bottle from this distillery, but then heard that they were getting ready to put their new make spirit up for sale. I asked if I could purchase that bottle, but it wasn’t on their system yet. However, they asked me to wait for ten minutes and it would be ready for me. I normally keep which bottle I’ve bought hidden, but today is an exception as I got to buy the very first bottle of Witchmark’s New Make Spirit release! Eddie was even kind enough to sign it and mark it as number one for me, which was incredibly kind of him! I will be doing a full review of this spirit down the line, and yes I will be opening this bottle and drinking it.
Overall I just love Witchmark, it’s a joy to visit every time I return to the area. Thank you again to Eddie for his amazing hospitality, as well as Namratha for chatting with us (as we kind of interrupted her while she was working, oops)! If you’ve never visited Witchmark, I highly implore you to do so! It’s worth a full day trip, especially to get the chance to try their vodka! I can’t wait for their full whisky release, and I for one will be keeping a close eye on this distillery for years to come.
This post’s recommended song is: “Magic Bullet” – The Badgeman
