Bikkun Vatted Malt Spanish Whisky Review

By Emma Briones

Rating: B

Today, almost all distilleries start by learning from others. Some do it from a distance, others ask for help directly or use whiskeys from others to learn how to mix or tune. And what it does is enrich them all. To those who learn and those who teach. Some decide to use it as an experiment, and from moments like this whiskeys like Bikkun Vatted Malt are born.

It’s not that at Basque Moonshiners, a distillery from the north of Spain, don’t know how to make whiskey, quite the opposite. We already saw with Agot, their first and second release, that they are going strong. But the best thing about whiskey is always being able to share it. And that’s something that the Basque Moonshiners know very well. That is why for its third whisky they wanted to try something different: a vatted malt from different countries. The noun vatted hasn’t been used lately, as blended malt has become the standard, but they want to differentiate Bikkun, and that’s why they are using the noun “vatted” (which I personally like more than “blended malt”).

Bikkun Vatted Malt is a blended malt whiskey from Basque Moonshiners and Distell International (the parent house of whiskeys such as Deanston, Ledaig, Bunnahabhain). The final blend includes smoked malt from Islay (Bunnahabhain), sherry malt from the Highlands (Deanston), and single malt from Basque Moonshiners aged in Spanish Rioja Alavesa casks. As is the tradition in the Basque distillery, the whiskey has not been cold-filtered and has no added coloring. It is bottled at 46% ABV.

The Whisky
If I liked Agot’s design, Bikkun’s style fascinates me. A combination in white, black, and gold with a split label. In the glass, the whiskey is light gold. The first hit on the nose is pure peat, but not explosive, but rather that aroma of smoke that mixes with notes of toasted oak. There are also notes of malt, minced biscuit, and butter. That touch of fresh yeast and pastries with hints of candied fruit. Some nuts: hazelnut, walnut. A touch of sour apple towards the end.

On the palate, it is lighter than expected, although somewhat unctuous. It starts with intense notes of peat and a slightly spicy point. It is followed by a sherry touch, with more chocolate notes and some raisins. There is some licorice in the background, which gives it a slight minty touch. It maintains the sweet notes of cereal and butter, with some nuts, mainly hazelnuts. It is spicy, with intense notes of black pepper and a touch of dark chocolate and coffee. The finish is quite long, with a hint of smoke and honey.

Bikkun in Basque means “done between two”, and the name works perfectly with this whisky. Bikkun Vatted Malt is a whisky made between two but, as happens with children, it is a good mix of both. It is a more balanced whiskey than Agot, and in which the different malts are intertwined without one having more prominence than another. Some will think that perhaps the islay profile wins because of its smoky notes, but precisely the character of the Basque malt manages to tame the Bunnahabhain peat. I have been calling for the return of the vatted category (currently called “blended malt”) for years because I fervently believe that it is a word that has a lot to offer. Bikkun Vatted Malt is a good example of this. Also noteworthy is the choice of the Basque Moonshiners team to bottle it at 46%, where it has its maximum potential. With a few drops of water, it softens without losing its character.

The Price
Bikkun Vatted Malt is available in Specialist Retailers in Europe. It retails at 45€.