My first encounter with Two Stacks was in a blind tasting.
Devoid of any prior knowledge my brief assessment of this ‘Complex Blend’ was as follows;
Neutral on the nose, soft & subtle.
Not giving much away on the palate, mellow easy drinking.
Nice flavours on the finish, intriguing.
I was surprised to find out it was Two Stacks, The First Cut. Mainly as I’d heard the blend contained a peated element – which I’d failed to detect.
My second encounter with Two Stacks was from an actual bottle.
On the back label is the blending mix & yes – peat does feature, but at only 2% – it clearly wasn’t enough to grab my palate.
Having all the information & a longer time to engage with the whiskey did slightly alter the experience.
A mere hint of smoke just pushed through on the nose – although the mild mellow softness still dominated.
The finish left me with a dry tingling – often a reaction I get from peated whiskey. At only 2% however it was a gentle suggestion & I’d probably be happier with a 20% hit.
Interestingly another drinker had a heightened reaction against the peat – even at such a low concentration it was still overpowering.
Others I know detect sulphur from sherry casks in small amounts too.
My palate seems to be the opposite in that I need bigger percentages & bolder flavours to grab my attention.
As it is, The First Cut is a well put together blend.
Nice easy drinking – & while the peated element does add some character – it’s just not enough to excite my palate.
Sláinte
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 