East London Liquor Co Rye 2018 / 7 Year Old / Pauillac Cask 218 English Whisky

Andre Dubois — Pauillac cask really works here

8/10

The wine cask influence is spot on — dark berries and a tannic dryness that plays nicely against the rye spice. At 55.1% it's got proper punch but doesn't burn. I added a few drops of water and it opened up beautifully with this baked plum thing going on. Really interesting English whisky.

Mei-Lin Wu — Pauillac cask really works here

8/10

The wine cask influence is spot on — dark berries and a tannic dryness that plays nicely against the rye spice. At 55.1% it's got proper punch but doesn't burn. I added a few drops of water and it opened up beautifully with this baked plum thing going on. Really interesting English whisky.

Victor Osei — Pauillac cask really works here

8/10

The wine cask influence is spot on — dark berries and a tannic dryness that plays nicely against the rye spice. At 55.1% it's got proper punch but doesn't burn. I added a few drops of water and it opened up beautifully with this baked plum thing going on. Really interesting English whisky.

Finn OBrien — Good but pricey for what it is

7/10

Look, it's a solid rye with nice fruit and spice notes from the Pauillac cask. But £96 for a 7-year-old from a craft distillery is a tough sell when you can get established ryes for less. I enjoyed drinking it neat, just not sure I'd rebuy at that price.

Daniel Oyama — Good but pricey for what it is

7/10

Look, it's a solid rye with nice fruit and spice notes from the Pauillac cask. But £96 for a 7-year-old from a craft distillery is a tough sell when you can get established ryes for less. I enjoyed drinking it neat, just not sure I'd rebuy at that price.

Herbert Muller — Good but pricey for what it is

7/10

Look, it's a solid rye with nice fruit and spice notes from the Pauillac cask. But £96 for a 7-year-old from a craft distillery is a tough sell when you can get established ryes for less. I enjoyed drinking it neat, just not sure I'd rebuy at that price.

Nils Bergman — Great with a splash of water

8/10

At full strength this was a bit hot and the flavours were fighting each other. But add a teaspoon of water and suddenly it's all jammy fruit, baking spice and toasted rye. The Pauillac cask gives it a finish that reminds me of good port-finished Scotch. Would recommend trying it with water first.

Celeste Moreno — Great with a splash of water

8/10

At full strength this was a bit hot and the flavours were fighting each other. But add a teaspoon of water and suddenly it's all jammy fruit, baking spice and toasted rye. The Pauillac cask gives it a finish that reminds me of good port-finished Scotch. Would recommend trying it with water first.

Jackson Wu — Great with a splash of water

8/10

At full strength this was a bit hot and the flavours were fighting each other. But add a teaspoon of water and suddenly it's all jammy fruit, baking spice and toasted rye. The Pauillac cask gives it a finish that reminds me of good port-finished Scotch. Would recommend trying it with water first.

Priya Sharma — A proper winter sipper

8/10

Picked this up on a whim and I'm glad I did. Rich and warming with dried fruit, rye bread and a hint of dark chocolate. The Pauillac finish gives it a winey depth that keeps you coming back to the glass. Had it neat over the course of an evening and it just got better as it opened up.

Liam Anderson — A proper winter sipper

8/10

Picked this up on a whim and I'm glad I did. Rich and warming with dried fruit, rye bread and a hint of dark chocolate. The Pauillac finish gives it a winey depth that keeps you coming back to the glass. Had it neat over the course of an evening and it just got better as it opened up.

Olivia Park — A proper winter sipper

8/10

Picked this up on a whim and I'm glad I did. Rich and warming with dried fruit, rye bread and a hint of dark chocolate. The Pauillac finish gives it a winey depth that keeps you coming back to the glass. Had it neat over the course of an evening and it just got better as it opened up.

Henrik Larsen — Not my style but well made

6/10

I tend to prefer my rye with more grain-forward character, and the heavy wine cask influence here kind of masks that. It's well crafted and the 55.1% ABV is handled well, but at nearly a hundred quid I wanted more classic rye spice and less fruit. Personal preference though — my mate loved it.

Zoe Chen — Not my style but well made

6/10

I tend to prefer my rye with more grain-forward character, and the heavy wine cask influence here kind of masks that. It's well crafted and the 55.1% ABV is handled well, but at nearly a hundred quid I wanted more classic rye spice and less fruit. Personal preference though — my mate loved it.

Marco Andretti — Not my style but well made

6/10

I tend to prefer my rye with more grain-forward character, and the heavy wine cask influence here kind of masks that. It's well crafted and the 55.1% ABV is handled well, but at nearly a hundred quid I wanted more classic rye spice and less fruit. Personal preference though — my mate loved it.

Carlos Mendez — Interesting but still finding its feet

7/10

You can tell this is a young distillery figuring things out. The wine cask does a lot of heavy lifting — underneath there's decent rye character but it feels like it needed another year or two in wood. Not bad at all, just not fully there yet for me.

Ethan Cooper — Interesting but still finding its feet

7/10

You can tell this is a young distillery figuring things out. The wine cask does a lot of heavy lifting — underneath there's decent rye character but it feels like it needed another year or two in wood. Not bad at all, just not fully there yet for me.

Hannah Brooks — Interesting but still finding its feet

7/10

You can tell this is a young distillery figuring things out. The wine cask does a lot of heavy lifting — underneath there's decent rye character but it feels like it needed another year or two in wood. Not bad at all, just not fully there yet for me.

Rosa Paredes — English rye punching above its weight

9/10

Genuinely surprised by this one. The nose is all red fruit and oak, then the palate hits you with cinnamon, black pepper and this lovely grape-skin bitterness from the Bordeaux cask. Cask strength suits it perfectly. East London are doing something really special here.

Sibel Nur — English rye punching above its weight

9/10

Genuinely surprised by this one. The nose is all red fruit and oak, then the palate hits you with cinnamon, black pepper and this lovely grape-skin bitterness from the Bordeaux cask. Cask strength suits it perfectly. East London are doing something really special here.