The Spirit of Yorkshire distillery has released their third batch of Filey Bay Peated Finish single malt whisky. This has been initially matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, laid down in the winter of 2018. Then a secondary maturation has been undertaken in selected ex-peated whisky casks from Scotland’s west coast. The first release of Peated Finish was launched in 2021.
The Spirit of Yorkshire distillery is the brainchild of Tom Mellor and David Thompson. It is in the village of Hunmanby, between the towns of Bridlington and Filey. It was the first single malt distillery to ever be registered in the county of Yorkshire. The brand gives a true ‘field to bottle’ offering. The single malt range is named after the nearby beauty spot of Filey Bay.
They grow all barley needed for whisky production on a nearby farm, which is owned by Mellor, before producing, maturing and bottling all spirit on site. The milling, mashing and fermentation parts of the process take place at the Top Wold brewery. This is also owned by Mellor and is a couple of miles from the distillery. Distillation then takes place at the diistillery. Production began in Spring 2016 and the current annual capacity sits at just over 100,000 litres per year.
Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch #2 won an incredible World Whisky Spirits Master award and we’re very pleased to have the next step now with Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch #3. This bottling is a much-anticipated follow-up to last year’s batch and adds a subtle sweet smokiness with coastal, citrus and caramel notes to our light and fruity signature whisky.
Joe Clark – Whisky Director, Spirit of Yorkshire
The Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch #3 is bottled 46% ABV. It costs £65 and is available from the Spirit of Yorkshire distillery shop, online at spiritofyorkshire.com and from selected specialist whisky retailers across the UK.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is pale gold and the nose is fresh, vibrant and fruity. Uplifting aromas of green apple and heather honey mix with white chocolate and some golden syrup. Hints of vanilla, salted caramel and freshly sawn oak sit underneath. A delicate and undestated ashy smokiness wraps around everything. This is complimented by a twist of lemon zest, hint of water cracker biscuit and some herbal notes like sage and tarragon.
On the palate this whisky is confected and sweet with an elevated peat smoke. This is much more prominent than on the nose. It has a distinct ashy and almost sooty quality too it. This is reminiscent of charcoal or bonfire embers with a hint of damp moss and seaweed. It becomes more green, acrid and vegetal with time. An explosion of sweetness comes through nicely with some icing sugar and white chocolate showing well. Hints of marshmallow, strawberry shoelaces and cream soda sit underneath.
The second half of the palate is dominated by fresh, crisp green apple. The ashy smoke compliments this and is quickly joined by vanilla custard and a hint of lemon curd. Herbal notes sit underneath. These remind us of alpine herbs, menthol and eucalyptus with a hint of old fashioned cough syrup. Some late peppery heat and spice adds an extra dimension.
The finish is of decent length and becomes more peppery and warming with time. The sweet and confected characteristics, plus the distinctly apple-like notes, fade to reveal the peat smoke in a different light. The ashy and sooty quality really shines now, as does a hint of drying wood tannin.
What’s The Verdict?
This is a delicious whisky and one that pushes the Spirit of Yorkshire single malt in a very different direction. The bright fruitiness and confected sweetness from previous bottlings that we have sampled are on display. But the addition of the smoky characteristics adds further depth and complexity. The fact this element comes from the cask, rather than directly from the barley, gives a subtley often lacking in bold peated whiskies. Batch #3 feels like a triumph and one to try before it has gone.
