Thornæs The Four Drams Experience Box 4x5 cl Organic Single Malt Danish Whisky 46% to 50.2%

The farm is called Falkendal, the Valley of Falcons, and it sits in the middle of North Zealand. An old horse stable now holds the stills, the barley is Danish and organic, and the water comes from beneath the neighbouring Grib Forest. Four small bottles, four different casks, one place.

Expert's Description

Thornæs The Four Drams Experience Box is a gift set of four miniatures of Single Malt Danish Whisky from Thornæs, matured in bourbon, Oloroso sherry, chestnut and Bulgarian oak casks and bottled at between 46% and 50.2%.

The box holds When in Stout, Kagerup, Chestnut and Balkan Peat, 5 cl of each. They come from the same distillery, but the casks pull them in four different directions, and that is the whole idea. Lined up side by side, they show you what a cask really does. All four are also known as 70 cl bottles in the Crossroads series from Thornæs.

Thornæs sits on the Falkendal farm near Kagerup, close to Helsinge in North Zealand. Founded in 2018 by Torben Thornæs Andersen, the distillery started production in 2019. It works with Danish organic grain, and the box mentions barley, rye and oats. A very long fermentation is said to bring more fruit and complexity, and the spirit is double distilled in traditional pot stills in small batches.

When in Stout is matured in a bourbon cask and finished in casks that have held stout ale. At 50.2% it is the strongest in the box. Kagerup is matured in Oloroso sherry casks and is the lowest in alcohol at 46%. Chestnut spent about two years in chestnut casks, a wood rarely seen in whisky, before being matured on in a bourbon cask. Balkan Peat is made from lightly peated barley, matured for about two years in small Bulgarian oak casks and then finished in a bourbon cask.

Tasting Notes

When in Stout

Sweet spice, chocolate and mocha, as the distillery puts it on the label. Of the four, this is the one that leans furthest towards cocoa and coffee.

Kagerup

Dark ripe fruit, sweet spices and sherry on the nose. On the palate come vanilla, prunes, rock sugar, roasted nuts and allspice, and the finish stays with sweet spices and winey sherry notes.

Chestnut

Dried fruit and caramel open the nose, followed by apricot, vanilla and sweet caramel with roasted nuts on the palate. The chestnut adds a lightly nutty side, and the finish is nutty too, with a touch of acidity and lingering caramel.

Balkan Peat

Tropical fruit, pineapple and honey on the nose with a small hint of smoke. Vanilla, peach, blossom honey and sweet spices on the palate. The finish is floral, with a soft, smouldering peat smoke left at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Thornæs The Four Drams Experience Box Single Malt Danish Whisky 4 x 5 cl
Distillery: Thornæs
Region/Country: North Zealand, Denmark
Type: Single Malt Danish Whisky
Contents: When in Stout 5 CL 50.2% · Kagerup 5 CL 46% · Chestnut 5 CL 49.4% · Balkan Peat 5 CL 48.8%
ABV: 46% to 50.2%
Size: 4 x 5 CL
Cask type: When in Stout: Bourbon cask finished in stout cask · Kagerup: Oloroso sherry cask · Chestnut: Chestnut cask and bourbon cask · Balkan Peat: Bulgarian oak cask and bourbon cask
Distillation method: Double distilled in traditional pot stills
EAN no.: 5745000688425

Flavour Profile

Spicy · Fruity · Sherry-matured · Lightly peated · Chocolate

Did You Know?

The leftover mash from the distillery doesn't go to waste at Thornæs. It is spread along the edge of the forest, where the animals can help themselves.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Thornæs The Four Drams Experience Box

Which whiskies are in Thornæs The Four Drams Experience Box?

There are four 5 cl miniatures: When in Stout, Kagerup, Chestnut and Balkan Peat. Each is matured in its own type of cask, so they range from sherry and chestnut casks to a lightly peated whisky and a stout finish.

Is Thornæs The Four Drams Experience Box a good gift?

Yes, especially for someone who wants to try Danish whisky without committing to a full bottle. The box looks good enough to give as it is, and the four whiskies are different enough that there is something for both the sweet and the smoky palate.

Which whisky should you taste first in the box?

Start with Kagerup, which is the lowest in alcohol at 46%, and take Chestnut second. Balkan Peat works best third, so the soft peat doesn't drown out the others, and finish with When in Stout, the strongest at 50.2%.

How peated is Thornæs Balkan Peat?

Lightly. The whisky is made from lightly peated barley, and the label talks about soft peat alongside sweet spice and floral notes. The smoke is more of a side note than the main act, so it suits people who don't normally go for peated whisky.

Why is Thornæs Chestnut matured in chestnut casks?

Chestnut is rarely used for whisky, and it gives Chestnut a slightly different profile from oak alone, with dried apricot, vanilla and a lightly nutty side. After about two years the whisky moves to a bourbon cask to mature further.

How should you drink the miniatures?

Neat, in a small tulip-shaped glass, ideally a Glencairn, so the aroma is gathered. A few drops of room-temperature water open up each whisky, especially the two strongest. Have a look at our range of whisky glasses.

Where does Thornæs whisky come from?

From the Falkendal farm near Kagerup, close to Helsinge in North Zealand, where the distillery sits in an old, renovated horse stable. The mashing water comes from beneath the Grib Forest, and the grain is grown organically in Denmark. The distillery started production in 2019.