Beer has been brewed in Southwold on the English east coast since 1872. When the distillery arrived in 2010, nobody had to go looking for a wash to distil. It was already fermenting in the brewery next door.
Expert description
Adnams East Coast Vodka is an English Single Malt Vodka from Adnams Copper House Distillery in Southwold, distilled from 100% East Anglian malted barley and bottled at 40%.
Adnams is a brewery first and a distillery second, and that explains most of what this vodka is. The house makes its own wash from East Anglian malted barley, the same grain that goes into the beers, and distils it on in the Copper House Distillery. The grain is followed from local fields to the bottle, and that thinking runs through the whole spirits range.
Using malted barley rather than wheat or neutral molasses is a choice with consequences. Barley delivers an obvious malt sweetness that an ordinary vodka would have filtered away, which is why Adnams calls it a Single Malt Vodka. The character sits closer to a young malt spirit than to a Polish rye vodka.
In the glass that means body. The texture is soft and close to velvety, and there is a clear trace of caramel and toffee that is added nowhere but comes from the grain itself. It stands up to being drunk neat, and in a drink you can tell there is something behind the alcohol.
Tasting notes
Nose
Softly malty with the smell of freshly baked bread. A hint of caramel and cooked apple sits behind it.
Palate
Full and lightly sweet. The malt stands out clearly with caramel and toffee, and the texture is soft without turning fat.
Finish
Medium and warm. The malt sweetness hangs on, and a small dry grain note appears at the end.
Specifications
Name: Adnams East Coast Vodka
Distillery: Adnams Copper House Distillery
Region/Country: Southwold, England
Type: English Single Malt Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Distilled from the house's own wash of 100% East Anglian malted barley
EAN no.: 5016878600025
Serving suggestion: Neat in a small glass at cool temperature, or in an Espresso Martini where the malt sweetness carries the coffee.
Flavour profile
Malty · Full · Caramel and toffee · Soft texture
Did you know?
The same barley spirit is the foundation of the house's Copper House Dry Gin. Adnams calls it the botanical they do not talk about, because without the malt vodka underneath, the gin would not taste the way it does.
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