SEA SEASONING

Douglas Blyde discovers a wild new bourbon

A new bourbon has landed on our shores. No, Never Say Die is not a Bond film but a spirit named in honour of a Kentucky-bred racehorse which, following a traumatic birth, was revived with a shot of bourbon and went on to win the Epsom Derby in front of the Queen and Winston Churchill. ‘We wanted to create a totally new product,’ says co-founder Martha Dalton, who (sidenote) once helped carry Amy Winehouse over the mud backstage after her 2004 Glastonbury set. According to Dalton, ‘Never Say Die is the first Kentucky straight bourbon that is both ocean-aged then matured in the UK.’ After four years and 10 months of maturation in Kentucky, the first batch undertook a six-week voyage before being taken to White Peak Distillery, Derbyshire, to further mature. ‘We loved the care and passion they lavish on their products at the distillery, which makes it the perfect home for Never Say Die.’

Having been exposed to three different climates, the spirit opens with buoyant blood orange notes that meld into an evocation of a Walnut Whip. ‘My favourite way is to sip it neat, or in a Boulevardier,’ advises Dalton. Don’t forget to look out for visual cues on the bottle, including the horseshoe in the base. Yeehaw. (£78.95; masterofmalt.com)