Bankhall

I have some very good friends who are Scotch nerds, but not really big on American whiskies. So it was with some surprise that I got a message from them while they were down at The Whisky Show this October to say 'Check out Bankhall. US style whisky. VERY GOOD.'

It was even more of a surprise to find out Bankhall was based in Blackpool. Blackpool?!

The Bankhall Distillery was set up by Halewood Spirits in 2020 - Halewood are a brand owner who, to be honest, don't have the greatest of reputations within the drinks industry due to what was an initial focus on cheaper, low quality brands. However it appears there is now a move away from this towards a more premium portfolio with a focus on quality, not quantity.

The Master Distiller is Vince Oleson, who was previously a MD at the Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn, New York. This first release from Bankhall used a combination of corn, rye and malted barley in a 'Bourbon-style' recipe. The mashbill proportions were not stated but it was pretty clear it was over 50% corn, and initial impressions were of a high-rye content. What is also interesting is the fact it was a 'Sweet Mash' whisky, where the yeast used for fermentation is fresh every time, as opposed to the standard technique of including a bit of the previous mash in each ongoing batch - Sweet Mash offers more complex flavours, but it is less consistent and can go wrong very easily.

Rye Rebellion was the second full release from the distillery and featured a mashbill of rye and malted barley - again the exact proportions are not divulged but I would assume based on the name and flavour profile it's around 60-75% rye. Whereas the 'Sweet Mash' release was only around 9 months old, this has spent 2 years (hence 'grain spirit' as opposed to 'whisky') as a batch in either 3 virgin American oak barrels or 1 ex-Bourbon cask before bottling at a very specific 47.6%.

I've grown to love rye whiskies - whereas initially I found them too spicy for my liking I begun to appreciate the fruity characters good rye can also produce - and I have to say I'm really impressed with the balance of spice, citrus and dark fruits that can be found here. Granted, the finish is not massive and there's clearly still some youth in the profile but I love the lighter notes throughout and it really does make a cracking lil' Old Fashioned!