Released as one of the three specially crafted whiskies in Brewdog’s Boilermaker Series, Torpedoed Tulip is a 100% rye whisky by Millstone, made at the Netherlands’ Zuidam distillery, matured exclusively in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks, and bottled at 46% ABV. A Dutch whisky, from rye milled by Dutch windmills.
It was designed to pair with Dead Pony Club, a hoppy, fragrant American Pale Ale that is a great summer pint which also holds its own all year round as a session IPA.
It was undoubtedly my favourite boilermaker of the Boilermaker series, not so much because of the pairing, but because this is a very tasty rye whisky.
Roadtested in the Doghouse, Glasgow
Brewdog’s central servery in Glasgow, a custom bar with grill, is as hipster and happening as its more traditional-pub cousin in Glasgow’s West End across from Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
It features post-industrial chic, glass and distressed wood, grill dining and beer. It’s a quality re-purposing of imposing Victorian stone architecture for the 21st century plate-glass urban achiever crew.
I tasted the Brewdog Boilermaker Series to a great ‘old guy’ soundtrack of Nick Drake, the Stones, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.
The dram
Whisky
100% Rye whisky
Bottler
Millhouse
Cask
New American Oak and Oloroso
Country
Holland
Region
Baarle-Nassau
Series
Boilermaker
Chill Filtered
No
Age
NAS
Colouring
No
Distillery
Zuidam
Bottled
2019
ABV
46%
Flavour profile
Sweet – 2; Dry – 1; Peat / Smoke – 0; Body – 1; Complexity – 2.
Nose: Soft and sweet, light and tender, dark amber promise of things to come, fruity, oak, brown sugar in a grain hinterland.
Palate: Beautifully balanced, treacle, rye bread bobbing in a sea of sherry sweetness, verging on the outskirts of bittersweet, pulled back at the last moment by spiced-honey citrus with orchard fruits and tannic notes of oak.
Finish: Medium, fruity, fire in the hole, slight tannin bitterness with a nuttiness lingering in the grain sharpness.
A dark amber expression matured in Oloroso casks to create a wonderful explosion of rye in a sea of sherry sweetness that left me wanting more.
Slàinte Mhath
2019
2019 was without doubt an interesting year.
In Britain, Boris Johnson rode the popular wave of disgust with politicians over their failure to get Brexit done to a landslide election victory, the US-China Trade War rumbled on, tensions flared in the Persian Gulf, fire devastated Notre Dame in Paris, the American illegal migration crisis began to grow, Emperor Narahito acceded to the Chrysanthemum throne in Japan, and Covid escaped into the wild.
On a more personal note, Avengers Endgame sadly brought the soundtrack of the Marvel Universe to a reverse big bang, after bursting into life to the classic guitar riff of AC/DC’s Back In Black in the opening scenes of Iron Man, through the could-not-be-more-appropriate Immigrant Song in Thor Ragnarok, to the quiet desperation of Traffic’s Dear Mr Fantasy in Endgame.
