Valamo Monastery, Batch No. 1, Single Malt Whisky, Finland (47%)
About this SPIRIT
Valamo Monastery Distillery
In the peaceful grounds of this remote Orthodox monastery of Valamo, fresh spring water and locally sourced ingredients are used to craft authentic Monastic spirits.
Irish monks are often credited with creating the style of whisky we are familiar with today, ageing it in oak barrels. At Valamo’s Finnish distillery, this centuries-old tradition is quietly returning to its monastic roots.
Valamo’s artisanal distilled spirits are made according to recipes guarded closely by the monastery. In accordance with historic tradition, the production of beers, wines and spirits are part of ensuring a monastery’s place within the community. Valamo Monastery brings the monks’ ancient wisdom into the present day. Centuries of knowledge culminates in the form of a fascinating and delicious whisky, with every barrel blessed by the abbot.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
This remarkable dram was distilled by the good brothers of a beautiful Orthodox monastery nestled betwixt pine forest and frigid lake in Eastern Finland. The monastery has produced communion wine since time immemorial, and, over the last half-decade, has also been producing single malt whisky. This unpeated expression has been aged for four years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and virgin oak, with each barrel being blessed by the Abbott during this slumber. The whisky is savoury and serious on the nose, with lots of thick-husked cold-climate-grown barley character evident, the palate broadens out to show some stone fruit alongside lush vanilla and various custards. The liquorice-laced finish is as gently comforting as a monastic evensong.
Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (July 2022)
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