De verloren whisky: Whisky and stories, they go hand in hand don’t they? Sharing a few (strong or not so strong) stories amongst friends, while enjoying a dram, has to be one of the greatest joy’s of life. Sometimes it’s the influence of alcohol that brings out the stories, sometimes the passion for a great tasting dram. But what if the dram in your glass has an amazing story to tell? De Verloren Whisky I’m reviewing today has a story for the ages, one to surely enjoy while you savour this dram.
De Verloren Whisky is made by Dam Dranken on Terschelling and because of the island’s position it’s often confronted with products drifting ashore that have been lost at sea during storms. During one of those storms, back in 1969, what was swept overboard was nothing other than full barrels of whisky! Ofcourse the authorities claimed tried to claim these barrels back, but many a savvy islander hid some of the barrels in the dunes (and occassionaly wandered out to their secret spot to fill a bottle).
The whisky was used in just about anything, for many years there were famous cakes on the island that contained the golden liquid! But eventually the barrels ran dry and only a handfull of islanders could still try a sip every now and again. One of those islanders was Joris Dam from Dam Dranken and to prevent the story and taste of the whisky from dying out, he decided to recreate that whisky in De Verloren Whisky blend! Whether he made it just as tasty as the original whisky we’ll never know, but if it tastes good today is what I’ll be reviewing today!
Tasting Notes: De Verloren Whisky
Stats:
ABV: 43% (86 proof)
Age: NAS
Bottled by: Dam Dranken
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose:
A mixture of grassy and fruity flavours welcomes you on the nose of De Verloren Whisky. Fennel, vanilla and lemongrass are paired with burnt caramel, fresh green apples and dried apricots. There’s some wild peaches as well and a lovely little layer of honey to round it off.
Palate:
A lovely flavourfull yet approachable palate awaits. At 43% this dram is not too high in it’s ABV but Joris Dam has managed to make sure it doesn’t compromise on flavour. It’s chockfull of honey and vanilla, paired with green bananas, fresh baked cookies, seewead crisps and herbal elements such as kardemom, nutmeg and piment.
Finish:
A long and warm finish, with elements of ground pepper, liquorice root, caramel and charred bacon bits. There’s definitely a savoury element here in De Verloren Whisky that shines most brightly in it’s finish. Making this a both interesting and very tasty dram.
Food Pairing:
I personally loved pairing De Verloren Whisky with a cheese platter, it’s flavourful enough to stand up even against the more potent cheeses! It will also go wonderfully with apple pie though, which might sound like a huge contrast, but somehow it just works!
Verdict:
As you may have noticed I’ve been nothing but positive about this dram. Despite the fact that this is a blended whisky, and despite it’s lower ABV. It’s just such a flavourful dram. And no, it does not sit in the same category as 30 year old single malts and the likes. It might not be the ultimate best whisky you’ll every try in your life. But I’m willing to bet that this is one of the best blended whiskies at this pricepoint you’ll ever find!
For only 30 euro, you’ll get your hands on something that is just amazingly drinkable, very tasty, and as a nice boon it comes with an amazing story to boot! It might not be a single cask Ardbeg, but this blend holds its own!
