Holyrood Distillery has debuted a new-make spirit named World Whisky Day 2023 Mexico. The launch comes just in time for World Whisky Day (Photo: Holyrood Distillery)

On Wednesday, The Spirits Business reported that Edinburgh-based Holyrood Distillery launched a limited edition new-make spirit. The release is inspired by Mexico. The spirit launches for World Whisky Day, which falls on May 20. New makes are commonly known as moonshine in the U.S. This year’s limited edition World Whisky Day offering is a nod to the smoky, agave-based spirit mezcal.

Established in 2019, Holyrood Distillery is situated in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. The distillery is still in its infancy and is known for crafting new-make spirits. New-make spirits are freshly distilled, non-barrel-aged whiskies. This special edition new make is made from an uncommon list of ingredients including a malt called Golden Promise and Mexican lager yeast.

“Experimenting and playing with flavours is a fundamental part of what we do at Holyrood Distillery. Each of our new make spirits showcase different ingredients not commonly seen in modern distilling, including heritage barleys, specialty malts and a diverse range of yeast strains,” said Calum Rae, the assistant distillery manager, according to The Spirits Business.

In January, Holyrood Distillery began experimenting with extinct heritage barleys. Researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh were reviving the barleys.

This new-make spirit is Holyrood’s second offering in a World Whisky Day series. The series is meant to honor countries from around the world. Last year’s offering was inspired by Japan and contained sake yeast.

“For tasting notes, our latest World Whisky Day new make spirit has notes of sweet, sticky toffee and hints of hazelnut on the nose, followed by a burst of flavours that evoke dried fruit and sweet toffee cake. This is followed by a long finish that coats the mouth and brings to mind Demerara sugar and a sharp bitter note reminiscent of mezcal. All of this is wrapped in a layer of warming spice and a texture that is light and creamy,” Rae concluded.

About World Whisky Day

World Whisky Day was founded in 2012 by a Scottish university student, according to Forbes. This yearly holiday falls on the third Saturday in May. It is meant to honor whiskies from around the world. Enthusiasts can partake by pouring a glass of their favorite dram.

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