Cotswolds Founder’s Choice Whisky Review: 'A Bakery That Also Caters'

Whisky legend Jim Swan has helped many distilleries on their way to producing excellent whiskies. One such distillery is The Cotswolds Distillery, the birthplace of the Founder's Choice whisky among others. What can you expect from this English whisky? Find out in this Cotswolds Founder's Choice Whisky Review.

Scotland may be the country most renowned for its whisky. However, nowadays the United Kingdom offers many magical places with enchanting whiskies to discover as well. Consider, for instance, The Cotswolds Distillery, nestled in a picturesque area, just outside of London.

For the last ten years, founder Daniel Szor and his team have been producing whisky and gin at this distillery. They owe much to whisky legend Jim Swan, whose signature can be found in countless spirits from the distillery.

Take for example the Founder's Choice single malt whisky. Swan's signature is not literally present on the bottle, but as Szor says, 'you can taste the legend in every drop of the whisky'.

The single malt whisky is the second expression to come from this English distillery. The spirit for the whisky is made from a mash that is fermented for four days to arrive at a fruity result. After distillation, the liquor is aged in STR casks.

In this case, we're talking about American oak casks previously containing red wine. These are the favorite casks of founder Daniel Szor, hence the name of the whisky. After maturing, the whole thing is bottled at cask strength.

The whisky bottle from The Cotswolds Distillery comes in a sturdy dark blue casing with a stylish baroque motif. Two details immediately catch the eye, which are also found on the bottle: a blue label reminiscent of a luxurious emblem, and a gold label that appears like a wrap on the lower part of the casing and bottle.

The name of the distillery is displayed on the label, and it mentions that we're dealing with a single malt whisky released in small batch. The gold label stands out beautifully against the dark blue ensemble. This smaller label contains the information about the bottle like the expression name, the alcohol content, and the batch and bottle numbers.

Atop the bottle is a cork featuring the pheasant that makes up the logo of Cotswolds Distillery. It concludes the whole presentation neatly. Dangling from the neck of the Founder's Choice bottle is an additional label, sharing the official tasting notes of the single malt whisky.

At first sniff, the Cotswolds Founder's Choice whisky immediately reminds one of a bakery offering pastries. Scents of sweet strawberries come forward with a hint of freshly baked brown bread.

After a moment of sniffing, notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate join the aroma. It is a tempting scent that keeps you inhaling to discover more, before you take a sip.

The Cotswolds whisky introduces itself in the mouth with flavors of overripe red fruit such as raspberries and red grapes. There are also notes of grain, hints of cinnamon, and something reminiscent of Werther's Original to taste. It is an intriguing mix that is not overwhelmingly sweet and doesn’t taste like a young whisky.

Towards the finish, the English single malt whisky gives you notes of nuts and toasted bread, before the whole experience fades away like a beautiful flower in a medium-long farewell. At the end of the trip, you have a slightly warm and dry mouthfeel.

The single malt expression from Cotswolds is a very interesting whisky for anyone who wants to try something beyond the Scotch mainstream. This whisky surprises both on the nose and in the taste, leaving nothing to desire in the end, except another sip.

A tip from us: Add a few drops of water. The price of the bottle is 74.99 euros, but for that, you get much more than 70 centiliters. At least, if you spare your taste buds and kindly add a few drops of water.

+ A bottle that deserves to be seen

+ Doesn't come across as a young whisky

+ Temptingly sweet, but not too sweet

- A bit overpowering at full strength