Torpedoed Tulip
Dutch Rye Whisky
What is a boilermaker?
This bottle, a collaboration between the Brewdog company and Zuidam distillery, is brought out in what Brewdog calls: The boilermaker series. (Launched in 2019)
So, my first search, what is a boilermaker? The quick answer: The combination of a shot of whisky and a beer. You can do the shot and then drink the beer, or, if you're in a hurry I guess, sink the shot into your beer. I don't like shots. I like drams.
It sounds a lot like the dutch "Kopstoot" (headbutt in English) which contains a shot of jenever and a beer. Always served in a pair. So, a boilermaker is the same combination, but switch the jenever for a shot of whisky!
I've always liked the beers from the Brewdog company and if people ask me what my favorite beer is, I almost always say it is their Punk IPA beer. (If you were wondering, sometimes I say Delirium Tremens is my favorite beer.)
So, when I was browsing bottles in a local liquor store and I noticed this one with the name of my favorite brewery on the label in combination with the name of my favorite Dutch distillery Zuidam (Millstone), I bought it.
It is advised to drink this in a boilermaker combination with a "Dead pony club" pale ale of the Brewdog range, but since I could not find it in the two shops I visited after, I decided to get my favorite, the Brewdog Punk IPA.
Now, before I tried it in the boilermaker format, I had to try this dutch rye whisky neat. Just so I could get the full flavors without the fresh notes of the IPA.
This whisky was bottled un-chill filtered and uncolored on 46% Vol, after being aged on Oloroso sherry casks.
I apologize for the quality of the photo, but I was really looking forward to trying this whisky, and was thirsty for a beer. So I had no time for a full photoshoot.
Therefore you have to believe me on my word if I say the color is a warm amber. Not as dark as I would have thought of a rye whisky. Maybe I was spoiled with my Storyhouse straight rye whiskey. Although the color is similar to the Stauning Rye Whisky. A twirl around the glass left almost no line and almost invisible legs.
On the nose: A very soft and mild nose, hints of honeycomb, caramel, oak, dry wood, grasses, a bit of leather, butter and some orange peel.
Taste: Sweet and fruity flavors like apricots and figs. I got some molasses, the sweetness of rye bread, oranges, honey, spices, almonds and some tannines.
Finish: Medium long and very nice to have. Some nuts, dark chocolate the freshness en notes of oranges and a hint of lightly roasted pine nuts.
I liked the rye whisky on itself.
But how would I like my first boilermaker?
First of all, I decided not to go for the dunk&drink way of enjoying this.
I sipped my whisky, enjoying the flavour and then drinking some of my IPA.
Man, these two compliment each other!
Now I have to go and look for the Dead pony club pale ale, to see if it is an even beter combination!
In this case, I found the medium long finish of the whisky, to add to the fresh and tarty flavor of the IPA.
There are two more bottles in the Brewdog Boilermaker series, If I can find those, I will surely get them and try them!