By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
(Credit: Richard Thomas)
Although I am sure it seems counter-intuitive to some, the end of the Bourbon Boom should actually guarantee the entry of new companies and brands into the market. The logic is simple: as demand slides back down to a level similar to that of the middle Boom years (as opposed to the peak post-Pandemic period), most of the major players are looking to balance their portfolios. The result has been quite clear for a couple of years now: aged whiskey is on the wholesale market for reasonable prices again, as the grip on those resources loosens with flagging demand. Likewise, more players great and small are looking to lease contract time on their equipment.
Concurrent with that is how many enthusiasts have dreamed of starting their own little whiskey company. Those with some means at their disposal can certainly try, and that is where Scattered Castles comes in. The story begins with Chris Walz, a Baltimorean. As he tells it, he began dabbling with home blending as a way to recover sub-par bottles that otherwise would have gone down the drain. He started a one-man operation, paying for it out of pocket and keeping his day job, and working with the Baltimore Spirits Company.
Scattered Castles Batch #1 was available in Baltimore from May and nationally from July. Walz drew on five barrels of bourbon, six to eight years old but source(s) unnamed. After batching, the whiskey was finished in old rum casks and then bottled at cask strength. That came to 117.2 proof in this iteration. The production run yielded less than 1,000 bottles, and any future Scattered Castles will be of an entirely different composition.
The Bourbon
The first thing to come across in the scent on this middle amber pour is its drier, spicier side. That gave way to something more akin to fruitcake: a mild, earthy chocolate; dried fruits; vanilla; cake spice. The nose was never tannic or bitter, despite the opening. The palate basically reverses the nose. The dried fruits in the fruitcake come to the fore, with the earthy chocolate cake and spices taking a step back for a spell. The latter come forward again on the back end, which rolls over into a sweet and spicy, then just spicy finish.
My verdict is a sterling outcome, especially for a first effort.
The Price
Expect to pay $75 a bottle for this offering.
