Dominic Roskrow launches ‘new world’ whisky range

Whisky writer Dominic Roskrow is launching his own range of “new world” whiskies using liquid sourced from non-traditional regions of the world.

Dominic Roskrow’s Discovery Road will launch with Four Lions English single malt whisky

Roskrow’s Discovery Road collection will eventually consist of several bottlings of whisky – all of which will be bottled at 46% abv – from across the world, including India, Taiwan, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Holland and England.

The first bottlings – two single malts from England and a rye and malt from Holland – will be released in December, although all expressions will be limited to less than 300 bottles.

Roskrow claims Discovery Road will create a new whisky category, which like the wine world will be known as “new world whisky”.

“There are only two ways you can make whisky,” he explained. “You can try and do it like Scotland does, and you will almost certainly fail, or you can dare to be different, make a whisky which reflects your heritage and culture and adopt local customs, grains and production methods to produce a whisky that is unique.

“That’s how I see the best new world whisky – it is in a different category to Scotch or Bourbon and comparing it to those categories is as relevant as comparing Aussie Rules footie to Soccer or American Football. It’s not better, not worse, just different.”

Roskrow intends to target drinkers in their 20s and 30s that currently favour other spirit categories, rather than existing Scotch drinkers.

The first four releases, all available from 5 December, are: Discovery Road Four Lions (RRP £54.99), a single malt from St. George’s Distillery; Discovery Road Four Lions 58% (RRP £66.99), a signed and numbered limited edition bottling again from St. George’s; Discovery Road Smile (RRP £59.99), a seven-year-old Dutch rye whisky matured in virgin American oak; and Discovery Road Courage (RRP £69.99), a 14-year-old Dutch single malt matured in first-fill Bourbon barrels for 10 years and a further four years in oloroso Sherry casks.

Roskrow is also founder of the Craft Distillers’ Alliance, which currently has 50 members across 15 countries.