We tested Nomad Outland Whisky, a blend of Scottish whiskies, which is matured in two locations: Scotland and Spain. Yes Spain! Focused on a more southern-European market, this ‘outlander’ is creating a bit of a name for itself, but what do us northerners think about it?
Article by Mickaël
Editing by Rolf
A nomad is a person travelling from place to place, only resting for only a limited amount of time before adventure calls again. In this sense, the “Nomad Outland Whisky” certainly fits its own profile. This blended whisky (41,3 % ABV) is a combination of over 30 different malt and grain whiskies from Speyside, The Higlands, Scotland, which were all matured from 5 to 8 years on ex–bourbon casks. After the initial blending of the whiskies, the resulting product is then matured on Oloroso sherry casks for an additional 3 years, after which the product is shipped to Jerez, Spain, for a final 12 month-maturation on Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, after which the product is finally bottled.
Wait. What? Double maturation? Well, what else can you expect when Richard “The Nose” Patterson and González Byass’ master distiller Antonio Flores, the “Best Winemaker of Fortified Wines in the World” (Winemaker of the Year awards) decide to collaborate on a project? Well, then you get a very a-typical blended whisky. Why would you create a blend of over 25 single malts, though? The secret lies with Patterson and Flores…
We sampled our bottle of ‘Nomad’ during an extensive tasting session, and noted down the following nuggets of information. First of all, the blend offers a sweet nose, with clear notes of grains, light caramel and banana.
Nipping from our whisky gave us sweet flavours of honey, vanilla, and roasted honey nuts. A second serving on ice revealed a drier aftertaste, more nutty flavours, notes of sweet grain, and a generally smoother and more developed flavour.
We threw around the idea that this blended whisky might be aimed at the Spanish market more than an international one. In our heads, enjoying an ice–cold whisky in a hot and humid climate sounds like the perfect holiday.
Now obviously, there’s nothing wrong with a sweeter blended whisky. The ‘Nomad’ is smooth, gentle to the palate, and easy to enjoy as an aperitif, digestive, in a small group around the campfire, or while camping in the warm and humid plains of Jerez. It is a multi–purpose blended whisky, as it is very accessible. The blend is perfect as an entry-level, but perhaps a tad too expensive (€39,95) for the international market, or for whisky enthusiasts looking for a more complex and edgier product.
As a final thought, we would like to add that “Nomad Outland Whisky” is a blend that will certainly fit well in your drinks cabinet if you want to try out something a-typical, or if you want to pour a whisky for people who don’t particularly like ‘classic whiskies’. Also, our tests revealed you can make a smooth Manhattan with the ‘Nomad’. Try it out!
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