The day when blogger Thijs choose Thy whisky
There is a Dutch guy called Thijs that likes whisky that is made at the Danish Thy. That seems like a match made in heaven! Thijs is, of course, the blogger we all know and love for his insights on Words of Whisky. And Thy Distillery we got to know as an operation in Denmark that puts the farm justifiably in the centre of whisky making. I am glad I got my hands on a sample from a single cask that Words of Whisky selected for the Dutch market, after missing out on a few opportunities to get acquainted with Thy. So, for the last blog of 2024 and to celebrate my birthday today, I can add a brand new distillery to my list of tasted whisky! My first Thy, let us dive in! But not before we link you through to Thijs’ page here to read all about him selecting this cask, and more background about the distillery itself. Now, if only this Tom could get a call from Tomatin to select a cask too…
Thy 5 years old, bottled at 58,7 % abv by Words of Whisky
First things first: Single Cask #269 was distilled on 25 January 2019 and bottled in November 2024. It matured for almost 6 years in a first fill bourbon quarter cask. According to Thijs, this whisky sums up the Thy DNA perfectly, which means that it has the beechwood smoked ingredient on full display. Beechwood is apparently the Danish answer to the Scottish peat signature.
Upon Sipping: Oh yeah, a very pure example that puts the malt in single malt whisky. A strong grain note that is rolled into menthol and smoke. I could even say it is a little perfumed. A lot actually. Dry wood comes to the foreground after some breathing. There is already a fruity element, that I suspect will emerge more pronounced after a longer maturation. In the city I grew up in, we have this herbal garden that we visited as school kids. It had all herbs imaginable on display, and this Thy brings me back to that educational garden. But every time I pick up the glass, I detect something new. Sometimes the wood dominates, then it’s the smoke, and then the distillate. Despite this being matured in a quarter cask, it needs a little bit more integration (time).
Taking an undiluted sip, it is a nice surprise to experience how soft and supple this Thy already is. Only after ten seconds or so do I get a sting from the high abv. The weird smoke on the finish is definitely something new for me, unparalleled to anything I ever tasted in whisky. This beechwood indeed brings a new element to whisky. Or maybe I should dig deeper in my memory and make a flattering comparison: this could pass for a 1980s Bowmore with all its floral and perfumed notes. But as most of you know, Bowmore from that era is feared because of an over the top soapy horror experience. This Thy has nothing of that, it stays clean on the grain, and the eucalyptus is there on purpose. With water, I get liquorice on the nose, with summery flowerbeds in the background. More menthol now too. Beats the experience of Vicks on the chest, I will be healthy drinking this! The taste gets a more woody character and the smoke is more narrow now, which I enjoy more than when undiluted.
Word to the Wise: Congratulations Thijs, on selecting a whisky that offers a lot of variation to an experienced but ultimately Scotch-focused palate. The joys of “outside of Scotland distillers” in your glass here. It starts the same everywhere, with malted barley, and then the journey begins into something unique and entirely individual. I liked the experience, but most of the elements are not things I look for in whisky, like this perfumed character. As it stands however, this bottling can easily be described as flawless. This Thy you could quaff after working your garden.
Score: 85 points.
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