J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel. Today we return to Lamb Holm in the Orkney Isles for the latest release in J Gow’s “Wild Yeast Series”. For those of you who have been following this page, over the past few years the J Gow Brand from VS DIstillers should be familiar.

I have been following their journey for some time now. We are now increasingly seeing the fruits of their “aged” casks.

Firstly I will apologise to you the readers and to Collin of VS Distillers. Collin very kindly sent me a message with a load of detail about this release. However, when I have come to write this review I cannot for love nor money find the damn thing! So we are going with the information which is on the bottle and what I can find online. Which is still pretty substantial.

J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel. Lets unpick that first. As mentioned already this is a rum in the J Gow “Wild Yeast Series”.

The rum has been fermented with yeast isolated from Northern Marsh Orchids (NMO),that grow beside the distillery on Lamb Holm. Subject to a d 30 Day fermentation. Once distilled the rum has been aged in second fill Moscatel octaves for 3 full Scottish years. Bottled at Lamb Holm. The rum comes in at 58.8% ABV 70cl. Limited to 265 bottles. A bottle will set you back around £60.

We’ve covered J Gow in numerous reviews before this so with the information exhausted on this particular bottling we might as well get on with the fun part………

In the glass the rum is light brown colour – a shade or two deeper than straw. The nose on this rum is surprisingly fruity. Quite acidic and white wine like. Gooseberries, white grapes and some grapefruit come through initially.

Further nosing reveals more of the molasses influence – toffee and a touch of aniseed. There is a nice “freshness” about this rum. It’s very aromatic with some all spice and ginger coming into the mix.

There is a nice oak note as well but again its quite “fresh”. There is nothing musty or old about this bottling.

J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel when sipped initially delivers a very “malty” experience. It’s warming and very comforting. Beneath this we are getting the Moscatel cask influence.

Again the sweeter wine notes pull through. White grape and Grapefruit especially. Some Pineapple as well.

There is a slightly bitter note as well which helps bring some of the sweetness back in line stopping it becoming uneven.

The mid palate shows more of the wood and oak influence. The cask ageing has had a dramatic influence on this distillate I feel. This is a very complex rum with a lot going on. It is amongst the best rum I have had so far from J Gow and the UK scene.

There are notes of ginger, all spice a touch of fennel. Alongside are some lighter notes almost bordering on some cinnamon. The molasses notes fade away in the mid palate and cask takes centre stage.

As we move into the finish the rum becomes a touch on the smoky side. It is woody but not overly so. The finish is long and lingering with lots of fruit zest – lemon and lime along with a chunk of oak and a touch of smokiness.

The finish is long and really satisfying. I’ve really enjoyed this rum. It is a really good sipper and I won’t be using it for any other purpose. I’m not even going to do a “review” rum and cola.

I’m keeping this for “best”.

Great stuff