Spirits - Hook Norton Brewery https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product-category/spirits/ Hook Norton Brewery | Beer Brewed as it Should Be Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:30:01 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/favicon.png Spirits - Hook Norton Brewery https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product-category/spirits/ 32 32 Hibiki Japanese Harmony 70cl https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/hibiki-japanese-harmony-70cl/ Mon, 08 Jan 2024 10:07:04 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=63428 Embark on a Symphony of Flavors: Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky
Hibiki. The name evokes a gentle resonance, a harmonious blend of nature's bounty and meticulous craftsmanship. And that's precisely what you'll discover in every exquisite drop of Hibiki Japanese Harmony whisky.

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Imagine swirling the golden amber liquid in your glass, releasing a captivating melody of aromas. Delicate notes of rose and lychee mingle with a hint of rosemary, followed by the warm embrace of mature wood and sandalwood. Each breath invites you deeper into the orchestra of flavours.

On the palate, a symphony unfolds. Honeyed sweetness dances with candied orange peel, each sip unveiling a touch of white chocolate indulgence. The subtle herbaceousness of Hakushu whisky peeks through, while Yamazaki’s signature fruitiness adds a playful counterpoint. The grain whisky from Chita, aged in American oak casks, provides a smooth and mellow foundation, harmonizing the entire composition.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony is more than just a whisky; it’s an experience. It’s a journey through the serene landscapes of Japan, where centuries-old traditions meet modern artistry. It’s the culmination of Suntory’s unwavering dedication to quality, reflected in every hand-cut crystal bottle adorned with its 24 facets, symbolizing the changing seasons.

So, raise a glass and let the magic of Hibiki Japanese Harmony wash over you. With each sip, discover the exquisite balance, the meticulous attention to detail, and the undeniable harmony that defines this masterpiece of Japanese whisky.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony: A symphony of flavours for the discerning palate.

Producer’s Tasting Notes
COLOUR: Amber.
NOSE: Rose, lychee, hint of rosemary, mature woodiness, sandalwood.
PALATE: Honey-like sweetness, candied orange peel, white chocolate.
FINISH: Subtle, tender long finish, with hint of Mizunara (Japanese oak).

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Mackmyra Björksav Single Malt Swedish Whisky https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/mackmyra-bjorksav-single-malt-swedish-whisky/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 08:03:13 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=60705 Mackmyra Björksav is a Swedish single malt whiskey that is produced by Mackmyra Svensk Whiskey AB in Mackmyra Bruk in Gästrikland. The whiskey is aged in oak casks that have previously contained birch sap, which gives it a unique flavour profile with hints of birch, honey, vanilla and citrus.

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Mackmyra Björksav was launched in 2013 and has since become one of Mackmyra’s most popular whiskeys. The whiskey has won several awards, including a gold medal in the International Whiskey Competition 2014.

Mackmyra Björksav is a fruity and light whiskey that is well suited to be enjoyed as is or in a cocktail. The whiskey can also be used as a culinary ingredient, for example in desserts or sauces.

Here are some tasting notes for Mackmyra Björksav:

Nose: Birch, honey, vanilla, citrus
Palate: Fresh, fruity, light
Finish: Long, with hints of birch, honey and vanilla
If you are looking for a unique and tasty Swedish single malt whisky, Mackmyra Björksav is an excellent choice.

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The Sassenach Blended Scotch 70cl https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/the-sassenach-blended-scotch-70cl/ Mon, 08 Jan 2024 10:11:58 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=63432 The Sassenach, an award-winning whisky inspired by the Scottish Highlands, offers a smooth and inviting flavour profile.

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The Sassenach is a well-balanced and approachable blended Scotch. It’s perfect for sipping neat or on the rocks, and its smooth character makes it ideal for whisky newcomers and seasoned connoisseurs alike.

Nose:

Fruity: Expect a burst of fresh aromas like apricot and orange, accompanied by a hint of citrus zest.
Sweet: Notes of butterscotch and caramel create a warm and inviting aroma.
Spicy: A touch of cinnamon adds depth and complexity to the nose.

Palate:

Smooth: The texture is velvety and smooth, coating the tongue gently.
Rich: Honey and vanilla fudge dominate the palate, with occasional whispers of raisins, almonds, and toffee.
Spicy: The cinnamon warmth carries over from the nose, adding a pleasant tingle.

Finish:

Lingering: The finish is long and satisfying, leaving behind lingering notes of nutmeg, citrus oils, and a touch of toffee.
Balanced: The sweetness, spice, and fruitiness find a beautiful equilibrium on the finish.
Overall:

 

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Yamazaki Reserve Single Malt Japanese Whisky https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/yamazaki-reserve-single-malt-japanese-whisky/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 07:53:30 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=60700 Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve has a rich, fruity aroma with notes of strawberry, cherry, and mizunara (Japanese oak). The palate is smooth and sweet, with flavours of red fruit, white peach, and coconut. The finish is long and lingering, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon.

This whisky is a good choice for those who enjoy fruity, sweet whiskies. It is also a good value for money, as it is reasonably priced for a Japanese single malt whisky.

70cl, 43%

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Here are some tasting notes for Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve:

  • Nose: Strawberry, cherry, mizunara (Japanese oak)
  • Palate: Red fruit, white peach, coconut
  • Finish: Long and lingering, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon

Overall, Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve is a well-balanced and flavorful whisky that is sure to please fans of Japanese whisky. It is a good value for money and makes a great addition to any whisky collection.

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Macallan 12 year old Sherry Cask Whisky https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/macallan-12-year-old-sherry-cask-whisky/ Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:16:29 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=31385 1 x bottle. A sherry wood matured 12yo single malt from Macallan, a superbly balanced affair. It is rich in colour and tastes deliciously smooth - dried fruits and sherry balanced withwood smoke and spice with a finish of sweet toffee. 40.0% abv. 70cl.

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Saxbys Christmas Cheer Liqueur https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/saxbys-christmas-cheer-liqueur/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 16:51:29 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=33383 Saxby’s Christmas Cheer is a cider-based liqueur which is like a mince pie in a glass. At 16.5% ABV it’s a warming Christmas drink that complements Christmas Pudding, Christmas Cake and cheese. A real winter warmer for sipping and celebrating.

”Yes, it's redolent of mince pies on nose and palate, but happily has an intrinsic lightness and enough apple acidity to cut through the liquorous sweetness. Indeed, it would accompany mince pies and a coffee rather well, a lighter option than rich ports or PX sherry, easier on the constitution. As a sipper it's nicely balanced, with some pleasing cider tannins again cutting through the sugar. There's ample appliness, at an almost juicy level - really rather clever, and readily enjoyable.”

”Beautiful rich deep orange colour suggestive of saffron fields. On the nose, damp straw, wet hay with dried milk thistle leaves and baked apple, candied peel and brandy butter. Sweet but with a good balance of acidity and length. A lovely delicate aperitif that we feel would work with pâté.”
(Comments written by Great Taste judges in the 2020 awards)

Naturally gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan friendly!

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Sky Wave Old Tom Gin https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/sky-wave-old-tom-gin/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 11:38:56 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=60717 Old Tom is a very old style of English gin, dating back to the 17th Century. Production techniques and ingredients were often very poor, resulting in a rough-tasting drink. It was therefore sweetened slightly, and sometimes lightly spiced, to make it palatable, as it would usually have been drunk neat. This often resulted in a spirit that was no longer clear.

Sky Wave has been faithful to this style, creating an exquisitely crafted historic gin brought up to date for the discerning 21st century drinker.

Available in 500ml bottles only, 41%ABV.

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Our Approach
Sky Wave Gin Master Distiller, Andrew Parsons, is passionate about gin. He wants to explore all styles of the spirit. Having created a forward-looking gin, in the form of the World’s Best Contemporary Gin, he also innovated with Sky Wave’s Limited Edition Cask Aged Gin, which created a loyal following of devotees during its 400 bottle run. Now, with Old Tom he is referencing history whilst marrying it with present day innovation.

Tasting Notes
Sky Wave Old Tom Gin, at 41% ABV, is authentically true to the original style. A hint of sweetness gives way to a slightly spicy palate with a long finish, in this naturally tinted expression.

Perfect Serve
The perfect serve for a Sky Wave Gin Old Tom Gin could be neat, over ice or mixed as a G&T. For the latter, mix one part Old Tom with two parts of neutral tonic. Garnish with a slice of lime. Or for a fabulously spicy alternative, swap the tonic for ginger ale. Trust us, it’s amazing!

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Sky Wave Signature London Dry Gin https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/sky-wave-signature-london-dry-gin/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 11:35:14 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=60713 Their original and signature product, the fabulously smooth Sky Wave London Dry Gin in an iconic, chunky bottle. This Great Taste Awards 2-Star gin was crowned The World’s Best Contemporary London Dry Gin at the World Gin Awards. Amongst very many other awards, this stunning gin was also selected for the highest possible, highly coveted MASTER category at the Gin Masters, various Gold and Double Gold medals, and a Silver at the highly prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition – so many highest level international awards for this simply sublime gin are testament to just how fabulous it is.

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Description
Kristiane Sherry, Spirits Expert at Master of Malt, said of this gin, “This is gorgeous! It is a beautiful dry gin with sweetness from the spices. It’s a playful gin, beautifully balanced. It’s really, really lovely.”

With juniper constantly present, the flavour starts with a citrus burst. After a long, smooth, slightly sweet middle which you’ll want to savour, you are left with a wonderfully lingering, subtly spicy finish.

The 500ml size has a back label with tasting notes and with the distiller’s name handwritten. The 200ml size has a back label with an abridged version of the tasting notes. ABV is 42%.

Our Approach

We distil exactingly to the London Dry style using the ‘one shot’ method, in a modern take on a traditional pot still, to create our multi-award winning signature gin. Unlike 98% of gin distilled across the world, we never use the concentrate method for our London Dry gins. The perfect quantity of botanicals for each single batch are added directly to the wash, resulting in a fabulous, full-flavoured mouth feel. We add absolutely nothing afterwards except the finest Oxfordshire natural mineral water from Blenheim Palace, so that we can absolutely guarantee the flavours going in to your glass. The signature gin we have created for you is genuinely made by hand by either Rachel or Andy; your bottle will indicate who was that day’s distiller. It is distilled gently in ultra-micro batches, a handful of bottles at a time. This allows us to manage the flavour precisely and results in a remarkably smooth gin. We cut the ‘hearts’ by taste, not by machine or alcoholic content, so you know that you will always get a genuinely craft yet consistent product. (For those who aren’t sure what we mean, the ‘hearts’ of the distillation are the lovely part of the spirit run with all the flavours of the botanicals, without any of the bitterness that comes towards the end of the run in the ‘tails’.)

Tasting Notes

The first thing you’ll notice about Sky Wave’s Signature London Dry Gin is its fabulous zingy aroma, just as a gin should be – no overwhelming alcohol smell, but a mysterious and evocative mixture of our 13 botanicals from around the world.

On tasting, it bursts with a delicate crisp, citrusy flavour, followed by a long smooth juniper led body, ending with quite an intense warm and spicy finish, making it very moreish and unusual.

Kristiane Sherry, Spirits Expert at Master of Malt, said of this gin, “This is gorgeous! It is a beautiful dry gin with sweetness from the spices. It’s a playful gin, beautifully balanced. It’s really, really lovely.”

Botanicals
We lovingly combine 13 different botanicals from juniper and orris root, through grapefruit and orange, to cardamom and coriander to create this highly individual gin, for the true gin connoisseur.

Perfect Serve
Mix one part Sky Wave Gin with two parts tonic. We advise a neutral and not too sweet tonic, such as our partners, Merchant’s Heart. Garnish with a slice of ruby grapefruit and juniper berries.

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Spirit of Ilmington Rhubarb Gin 70cl https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/ilmington-rhubarb-gin/ Sun, 29 May 2022 11:07:38 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=52583 1 x 70cl

The picturesque village of Ilmington is situated in the North Cotswolds where there are many ancient apple trees. It is from these local apples that we make cider to distil into our ever popular range of spirits.

Distillation is done in our lovely copper alembic pot still, which produces a very mellow and smooth spirit with no harshness or burn. The result is our “Spirit of Ilmington” Apple Brandy.

We add apple spirit to our Dry Gin and Spiced Rum so that they have a hint of apple in the aftertaste. We buy damsons and raspberries from the Vale of Evesham and steep them in our Dry Gin to produce our Damson and Raspberry liqueurs.

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Our delicious Dry Gin, which has been hand crafted in the North Cotswold village of Ilmington, has its botanicals enhanced with the unique flavour of our apple spirit. . It is blended with 30% of Rhubarb Juice. It is a belter!

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Craigellachie 13 Year Old Whisky https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/craigellachie-13-year-old-whisky/ Mon, 06 Nov 2023 12:45:15 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=61879 Craigellachie 13 Year Old evokes Bonfire Night: aromas of oozing toasted marshmallows, fire-roasted pineapples and baked apples studded with cloves, with the tang of cordite lingering in the background.

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Ledaig 10 Old Whisky https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/ledaig-10-old-whisky/ Mon, 06 Nov 2023 12:38:37 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=61877 Ledaig 10 is an extraordinary and distinguished hand-crafted 10 year single malt whisky. It has the Tobermory Distillery signature smoky expression.

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This peated Ledaig is non-chill filtered and natural colour. Bottled at 46.3% and produced using peated (30-40ppm) concerto barley.

Colour
Bright lemony gold.

Nose
Sweet briny smokiness with distinct island character and playful notes that hint at mild antiseptic, creosote, wax polish, mint chocolate and floral seaside aromas. Soft peat, gentle smoke.

Palate
Tantalisingly sweet, medicinal flavours infused with enticing sparks of spicy pepper and dried fruit with rich peaty smoke and a velvety vanilla and malty creaminess.

Finish
A wondrous union of sublimely spicy white pepper, the vibrant sweetness of liquorice and a kick of cloves with a exquisite lingering saltiness.

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Glendronach 12 Year Old Whisky https://hooknortonales.co.uk/product/glendronach-12-year-old-whisky/ Mon, 06 Nov 2023 12:11:44 +0000 https://hooknortonales.co.uk/?post_type=product&p=61875 A dense, heavily-sherried dram from a distillery now producing again after a six-year layoff. A malt best suited to after-dinner sipping.

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Nose
Sweet, rich and spicy fruit, with sugared lemons and limes, granny smith apples, honey and caramel.

Palate
Toffee sweetness, apples, a hint of vanilla and a rich dark fruit background. Water lightens things with more orchard fruit, but without diminishing the richness of the dark fruit hiding underneath.

Finish
Dusty wood, raisins and sweet fruit leaves.

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