Zeppelin Bend - 10 Year - American Single Malt Whiskey - Finished in Sherry Casks
$129
Zeppelin Bend – 10 Year – American Single Malt Whiskey – Finished in Sherry Casks
Collection: Limited Release
Proof: 94.6
Age: 10 Years
Distillery: New Holland Spirits
Type: Single Malt – Sherry Finished
Mash: 51%+ Malted Barley. Exact Mash Bill Unknown.
Website: New Holland Spirits
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Banana Bread, Mint, Peach, White Pepper, & Cedar. The Banana bread was first out of the gate. Each time I came back after a swirl for a nose I picked up something different that seemed dominant. Next was mint. Then the Peach. The White Pepper and Cedar were ancillary.
Taste/Palate: Mild Heat. Medium Mouthfeel. The Sherry Finish is the first thing you’ll notice. Fruits: Grape, Apricot, & Prunes. In the midpalate there is a transition to some Vanilla (very mild), Toffee, Mild Earthy Grain, and cigar box (Cedar with Tobacco).
Finish: The Finish is very docile. The Dark fruits carry out till the end. It dries out a slight bit that imparts a dark chocolate in the finish, but I would still put it on the sweet side. The Barley also really comes through in the finish. Usually you’ll find some sort of Rye Spice in the tail, but since it this is absent of Rye, you get a sweeter grain in it’s place. It’s more Earthy than Spicy and brings in the Toffee Notes well.
Verdict: Mixing a sweet mash, with a sweet finish, on a medium char is a bold move. They ran the risk of producing a grape juice with alcohol. Luckily 10 years wasn’t wasted and they pulled it off nicely. Full Disclosure I’m a sucker for Whiskey’s on the Sweeter Side, but balance is key. I’m not sure how they managed to balance this one out, but kudos to them. I think that given the size of the craft distillery, the amount of bottles that they produced, the packaging of the bottle, and the time they sat on this in what one would consider their “first go at it”. I think 100 – 130 is a fair price for this. I understand why they are charging what they are. If you see it and can afford it, this has my seal of approval.
The Story: This bottle is only available (at the time I’m writing this) in their tasting rooms and bar locations of Holland and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Per the Press release they are only releasing to those locations and only releasing 600 bottles… At this time. I have no idea how many bottles they have waiting in reserve (if any) or if they plan to expand the sale of this product outside of their walls, into the state liquor stores, or out of state even. If you want me to be honest I saw an opportunity to get my hands on something that looked up my alley. I’m at the ground floor and I don’t think anyone else can beat me to an independent review here. At least by a time perspective. 🙂
I mentioned in the Verdict section that this is New Holland’s “First go at it”. To clarify: This means that it’s their first time releasing this type of spirit and with this age. Michter’s has been churning out their 10 year for a long time and have aged bottles in cycles now. New Holland Spirits was new to the game in 2005. I’m glad I got out of the house today and grabbed a bottle. I enjoyed it and I’m bringing home to Thanksgiving to see what my other Whiskey Loving Friends think. (I’ll update this post with their thoughts too).
The Distillery’s Story: New Holland Brewing Company is best known for their beer line. Based out of Holland Michigan. You might recognize them by their most notable product “Dragons Milk”. I’ve been a big fan of that beer for a while. As for spirits you might have heard of them with their popular Bourbon “Beer Barrel Bourbon”. They have a strong following regarding craft beers and they are gaining to solid footing in the spirits category. It would be a tip of the cap if they could add a highly sought after product line – Such as their Sherry Cask Finished Single Malt Being Reviewed here.
As stated above New Holland Brewing Company has been focused on beer prior to getting into the spirits market in 2005. When purchasing the bottle you’ll notice a series of intertwined knots on the label. The “Zeppelin Bend” is a type of knot that is commonly used to link two different ropes together. It’s very handy in that it can be easily undone even after enduring heavy amounts of load. I believe the name is a nod to the joining of two product lines – Beer and Sprits. For more info on New Holland check out the link to their website and see what they have to say in their own words.
In Summary: American Single Malt Whiskies aren’t new, but it certainly isn’t very common. You will usually see these in Scotches and Irish Whiskies. The only difference is that in America you can get the “Single Malt Designation” with 51%+ Malt in the mash. I believe I read in the press release that the distillery also used Carafa in the mix. Both are very common in beer batches. The Carafa is also a malt, but it has bolder notes such as roast and espresso. This could be the secret of how this was balanced. I’d be interested to learn their exact percentages of grains, but Zeppelin Bend – 10 Year – Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt has the makings to be much larger in the future. Keep up the good work New Holland Spirits!
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Solid. It hit all of what’s expected.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Nose, Palate, and Finish I rank regardless of cost. Value (recent addition) is ranked based on taste vs price.
Reviewer: David S
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