The Dram Club - July 2020

What happens when a French barrel hunter crosses two rising stars in the Sherry scene? (And what the h*ll does that have to do with a Scotch Whisky club?) Simple. Amazing things. Navazos-Palazzi is a collaboration between Equipo Navazos, a two-man négociant redefining the expression of “classic sherry,” and Nicolas Palazzi, founder of PM Spirits, “providers of geeky spirits.”

This month, for Just A Taste’s Dram Club, I am excited to feature Navazos-Palazzi Overseas Malt.

Quick Whisky Notes:

  • Distillery located in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland

  • Aged at the distillery for three years then shipped to Jerez, Spain

  • A “Single Malt Scotch” further aged in Sherry casks… IN SHERRY

  • Cannot be called a “single malt” because it was not aged fully in Scotland

Just A Taste | Wine Bar | Scotch Club

Navazos-Palazzi Overseas Malt

Distillery: unknown (located in Airdrie, Scotland)

Blender/Bottler: PM Spirits

Region: North Lanarkshire, Scotland

Mash Bill: 100% barley

Distilling: copper still

Aging: three years ex-bourbon plus four years in Olorosso Sherry casks (aged in Jerez)

Distilled: 2009 (plus or minus one year)

Bottled: 2017 - only 900 bottles released

Nose: coconut, honey, brown sugar and marmalade

Palate: dried fig, heather, and butterscotch cookie

Finish: rich body with heat and lingering nutty / biscuity notes

Recommended serving: serve with splash of water or on a small cube

ABOUT Equipo Navazos

Navazos, founded by Eduardo Ojeda and Jesus Barquin, was started thru an unorthodox yet familiar tale, over a cask of Amontillado. The two friends were visiting a small producer in Sanlucar and “stumbled” across several casks that had lied undisturbed for over twenty years. Though the wines of Jerez, Montilla, and Sanlucar have been recognized for their quality over the last several centuries, in recent years, they have fallen out of fashion amongst the common populace. They saw an opportunity, mostly for their own consumption, and founded Equipo Navazos. Their first customers were friends across the globe, mostly professional winemakers, sommeliers and the like. However, in turn, those professionals desired to share those exceptional bottlings with their own friends, or rather patrons. Since then, Navazos has grown, incorporating winemakers across Spain, and the friends have even started dabbling in their own production projects. Learn more here: https://www.equiponavazos.com/en/home/

Why I am excited about this Whisky

When Nicolas Palazzi came across their line, he couldn’t wait to find the right spirit to toss into their spent barrels. But what spirit would work? What possible liquor desires (and can withstand) the intense flavors found in Jerez? Answer: Scotch. For centuries, Scotch Whisky producers have aged their malt distillates in Sherry butts to incredible reception. However, Nicolas likes to keep things “geeky” in his product line, so he devised a novel concept; aging Single Malt Scotch whisky in Sherry casks… IN Jerez (for less wine-savvy folks, that is where “Sherry” comes from). He took a youthful three-year single malt and shipped it at full proof down to Jerez, filled it in recently emptied Olorosso (an intense, aged expression of sherry), and let it age in the warm Sherry climate for another four years. There were only eight casks in the original experiment, and the Navazos-Palazzi Overseas Malt “Bota #12” is the first release of this project. Educate yourself on PM Spirits here: https://www.pmspirits.com/history-of-pm

“But Eric, you know I only drink Single Malts.”

Well…. About that. Technically, a single malt is any whisky that is distilled and aged within the same estate. This juice all comes from one distillery, but it was shipped down to Spain to finish maturing. So, while not being a “Single Malt Scotch Whisky,” it is still an expression of a single distillery. But when you really break down how most Single Malts are made, they are actually crafted from several years of whiskies from the distillery, so they are technically blended. However, this whisky is truly from a single distilled vintage, so if anything, it is more “pure.” But, beyond that, it’s damn tasty, so just give it a try.

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