Fermentorium Distilling Co. Small Talk 2020 Release
41% ABV - British Columbia, Canada
Nose: Very light orchard fruits, with a very sweet stout, milk cream, and a floral character. It’s not Scotchy, and it really smells like some beer barrels have been used to age the spirit.
Taste: The smooth, creamy mouthfeel is the first thing that I notice, and it’s followed by the same nondescript orchard fruits flavours—I can’t decide if I want to say apples and nectarines or peaches and grapes. There is a hint of nuts and a malty touch going into the finish. My stretch note? Butterscotch and strawberries.
Finish: Lots of malty flavours—like from a red or dark ale, with some overlying sweetness and a slight tannic drying that sticks around to the bitter end,... and spices.
It’s so wonderful being able to live close to distilleries (and breweries). Small Talk is a creation of Fermentorium Distilling Co., which provides the high-proof creations coming to us from Phillips Brewing in Victoria, British Columbia. From what I’ve observed, these whiskies are released with very little marketing… more or less I visit the tasting room regularly and get to have the surprise of "discovering" when there is a new bottle on the shelf.
To save you the Googling, you can read about the whisky in the details section below (quoted directly from their website). This 2020 Release of Small Talk whisky was aged for approximately 5 years, and spoiler: there were many beer barrels used for its maturation! It is quite youthful, but it’s also quite an experience; there are very few whiskies like it.
There are few "typical" tasting notes in this one. I think that if you needed to draw any parallels, then the Jameson Stout or IPA Editions might be the closest to it. There really are some wild notes in here that challenge my tasting vocabulary and creativity. The further I get to the bottom of my glass, the more it feels like I’ve been transported to the bottling line at a brewery. The beeriest whisky that I’ve tasted! Fermentorium Distilling Co. Small Talk whisky is quite affordable at ~$35 CAD for a 375mL size, and it has been a great one to surprise one’s palate with.
Details: The 2020 edition of Small Talk features an eight barrel blend, each with their own story to tell: one rosé barrel from a BC winery and seven bourbon barrels from Heavenly Hills Distillery in Kentucky. Two of these bourbon barrels were used for aging our Puzzler Black IPA, two were used to condition our Twisted Oak Scotch Ale, another two were used to barrel-age our Crookeder Tooth, with the final barrel having previously hosted our Hammer Imperial Stout. All of these barrels came together for one scintillating conversation which we’ve captured in this latest edition of Small Talk.
Tasted 06 June 2021. (Posted 01 September 2021.)
