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Scattered Castles Limited Release Straight Bourbon Review

Can one man with no investors build a great bourbon? Chris Walz's Scattered Castles blends 5-10 year barrels into something special. Here's how it tastes.

OVERALL RATING

7
$75
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Scattered Castles is a new venture and passion project of one man, Chris Walz. Started a personal project has ballooned into a label and product. Starting with just one release at a time, Chris intentionally started Scattered Castles without investors, without venture capital, or any outside financing.

On the website he specifically says, “I’m just one guy trying to make a great whiskey. No investors. No venture capitalists. No board of directors. No outside financing. No crowd-sourcing. No corporate interests. No one to suggest I compromise quality to maximize profits. This bourbon isn’t about profits.”

Chris is rather prolific on Reddit, which is where I obtained much of my information. It almost feels like a scavenger hunt (in a good way) to learn more about this brand. He is extremely responsive to questions and generally up front with everything he is able to share. Like any industry, there are components he is not at liberty to divulge.

He works closely with Baltimore Spirits Company to obtain distillate, which he blends to his specifications. The barrels range in age from five to up to 10 years. The mashbills are undisclosed.

Overall, a single creator trying to show you that if you have passion and tenacity, you can make things happen.
Appearance:
A dark copper almost clear tawny color with thin fast legs which don’t hold to the glass. Tasted neat in a Glencairn.
Nose:
Dark sugar cane rum, red grapes, dry fruit open the nose. We find subtle dried oaks banana, bubble gum, and apple cider. It is a sweeter nose with nice depth of earth sprinkled throughout.
Palate:
On the tongue we find a start of earthy bourbon notes like tobacco, coffee, dry cider and a slightly bitter malt. The palate continues with flavor of spiced honey and wood smoke (distinctly not peat). There is a subtle rum finish with oak sugars to round out the palate before the finish.
Finish:
I found the rum influence of molassess and dark sugars to be a nice hold across the finish. Soft caramels and dark fruit close out with just a hint of warmth.
Comments:
This is a tremendous blend and an ambitious project for one individual to take on. I must give credit where credit is due. The blend here is delicate and generally well tempered. From nose to finish, the profile does a good job introducing flavors without forcing the issue or becoming overbearing.

I hope Chris is able to continue with this passion project and continues to blend. I think this is a fun bottle to have on hand. There are plenty of notes throughout which make it interesting and approachable to virtually all palates.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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