Whisky experiment track

Bastardwhisky

Dedicated notes from the Bastardwhisky line—a focused whisky experiment subpage for process trials, observations, and next-step iterations.

Copper pot still in a dim workshop with warm vapor, charred oak barrel pieces, and handwritten distillation notes on a metal bench — Process-led atmosphere — no gloss, just iteration.

Bastardwhisky track

Bastardwhisky when you want it all

"Somewhere along the way, I started wondering why I actually had to choose.

Scotch whisky has its thing. Irish has its thing. Bourbon has its thing. Three traditions that have evolved in different directions, with different raw materials, methods, and casks. If you're going to make bourbon, there are rules for bourbon. If you're going to make Scotch, there are most definitely rules for Scotch.

But I wasn't making Scotch.

I was making whisky.

So why not pick what I liked from multiple worlds?"

Back to whisky hub

Bastardwhisky

....

The name came naturally enough. No pure pedigree, no fixed nationality, and no reason to apologize for it either."

why??

I like finding my own paths

"I liked the malt character and the smoke from Scotch whisky. I liked the use of unmalted grain in the Irish tradition. And after the popcorn bourbon, I had developed a taste for what corn could bring to the table. I had no ambition to slot the result neatly into an existing category, so I did the only logical thing.

I blended the whole damn thing."

Then the Bastard Whisky went into the cask in 2025.

And that's where it still lies.

"Where those boundaries lie is therefore determined by nose and palate. Not by the thermometer hitting a specific number or the spirit coming off at a certain alcohol strength.

Then the Bastard Whisky went into the cask.

And that's where it still lies.

It has passed the two-year mark now, and of course I’ve tasted it along the way. Owning a barrel for two years without taking a few samples would require a level of self-discipline I simply don't possess.

It’s good.

That’s enough for now.

Because I’ve just used the popcorn bourbon as an example of how much can happen to a whisky in two years. So it would be a bit ironic to turn around and declare the Bastard Whisky done just because it tastes good right now.

Maybe it will be better in a year.

Maybe in three.

Maybe one day I'll taste it and realize it was better six months ago.

I don't know.

It's in the cask."