English producer Cotswolds Distillery has released Round Hill Harvest, the fifth expression in its Harvest Series celebrating the local countryside, as reported by The Spirits Business. The 55% ABV whisky launches on September 25 and is limited to 1,200 bottles, priced at £110 ($147) for a 700ml bottle.
Each whisky in the series draws inspiration from a piece of art.
For this edition, the team selected Near Traitor’s Ford by local artist Jeffrey Pratt. The painting depicts Round Hill, near Traitor’s Ford. This location holds special meaning for Cotswolds. Founder and CEO Dan Szor was inspired to establish the distillery after seeing fields of golden barley growing near his house.
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Whisky maker Alice Pearson created the blend using a mix of casks. She combined ex-maple syrup casks, ex-peated whisky quarter casks, and a single oloroso sherry hogshead. The maple syrup casks, around four and a half years old, formed the core of the whisky.
Pearson chose the peated casks, aged about six or seven years, to balance the sweetness of the maple with herbal, savory notes. A sherry cask filled a gap in the middle of the palate.
Pearson explained her creative approach at the launch event. As reported, Pearson said: “What really inspired the taste of this whisky was the use of colour in the painting. The painting has a lot of bright colour. I wanted to make a whisky that felt free and fun, and not too technical and uptight. And if you’re looking for fun, maple syrup’s a pretty good place to start.”
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READ THE STORYPearson believes the higher strength preserves the “zippy, fun feeling” from Pratt’s painting.
Round Hill Harvest follows previous editions Golden Wold, Flaxen Vale, Amber Meadow, and Wychwood Harvest.
Pearson has created every whisky in the series. She is one of the UK’s youngest female distillers and was named Young Achiever of the Year at The Spirits Business Awards 2024. She created her first Harvest whisky, Golden Wold, in 2021 when she was just 21 years old.
The whisky will be available from the Cotswolds Distillery website and its three shops.
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