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Cotswolds Founder's Choice

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3.5
(1)€80United Kingdom, Single Malt

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Facts

The team at Cotswolds bottled this one as their personal favourite, and the name says it all. Founder's Choice is an English single malt whisky raised entirely in red wine casks. That choice shapes everything. The spirit pulls dark, jammy fruit and a warm sherry-like richness from the wood. There is cream and soft vanilla underneath, with a nutty hazelnut edge that keeps it interesting. It pours thick and unfiltered, full of colour and weight. Bottled at cask strength, it rewards a slow, neat pour. This is the kind of dram you sit with, not rush. Honest, generous and unmistakably theirs.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Cotswolds

Dan Szor was a New York financier working in London before he settled in the Cotswolds, in the United Kingdom. Surrounded by fields of golden barley near his new home, he realised nobody was distilling it into whisky. In 2014 he opened Cotswolds Distillery on a derelict site to change that. Three years of trials later, in October 2017 the distillery released its Signature Single Malt, the first whisky ever distilled in the Cotswolds. Local barley grown across the surrounding countryside goes into every batch. The result is a spirit known for its fruity, orchard-driven character. Before the whisky came a gin, born from an unusual experiment. Dan's team distilled 150 individual botanicals and tested over 60 recipes before settling on one. That gin, Cotswolds Dry Gin, ended up becoming just as central to the distillery as the whisky it was built for.

3.2Average rating

10Whiskies on Distilld

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About the Cotswolds Founder's Choice

Cotswolds Founder's Choice is an English single malt whisky made in the United Kingdom. It comes from the Cotswolds Distillery, set deep in the rolling countryside of rural England. The Cotswolds Distillery sits in the village of Stourton. This corner of the United Kingdom is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The founders started the project to make world-class spirit on home soil. They work with local ingredients wherever they can. The whisky is built on quality barley and patient maturation. Everything is crafted slowly, by hand, in small batches. That care shows up in every glass they fill. Founder's Choice earns its name well. The distillers picked it as the bottling they love most. They matured it fully in red wine casks. That choice is unusual for an English single malt whisky. The wood gives the spirit its deep, glowing colour. It also lends a rich, fruity heart you notice straight away. The flavour is generous and rounded. Expect dark dried fruit and a sherry-like sweetness up front. Soft cream and gentle vanilla follow close behind. A nutty hazelnut note runs through the middle. The finish leans on warm, oaky wood and lingers nicely. Each sip feels weighty and full. This Cotswolds single malt arrives at cask strength and is not chill filtered. That means full body, full colour and full flavour in the glass. The high strength carries every flavour with ease. Pour it neat and let it open in its own time. A robust whisky like this needs no help. Cotswolds Founder's Choice is one to savour quietly and unhurried.