Glencadam 15 (46%, OB 2020)
The 15 year-old Glencadam has been around for a while now – almost a decade in fact, apart from a brief period of stock shortages that coincided with Ralfy naming it his whisky of the year. As usual for Glencadam, it’s bottled at 46% and without chill-filtration or added colouring. It’s matured in a combination … Continue reading Glencadam 15 (46%, OB 2020)
Tomintoul Seiridh (40%, OB 2020)
The Tomintoul Seiridh (pronounced ‘sherry’ after the Gaelic word for sherry, as the official website helpfully informs us!) is unsururisingly a sherried single malt. More specifically, it’s finished in Oloroso casks after spending the bulk of its maturation in ex-bourbon. It’s a limited edition – the first batch has 6,000 bottles available. (Sample provided by … Continue reading Tomintoul Seiridh (40%, OB 2020)
Tomintoul 25 (43%, OB 2020)
We continue the individual reviews of the Angus Dundee mystery dram tastings with the Tomintoul 25 year-old. This one was matured mostly in refill bourbon casks and is priced in the £200-250 range, which is quite expensive even for its age. I believe older versions used to be bottled at 40% ABV, but this has … Continue reading Tomintoul 25 (43%, OB 2020)
Tomintoul 14 (46%, OB 2020)
Unlike most other distilleries nowadays, Tomintoul has an abundance of age statements – the entry level 10 year-old, the staple 16, the various 12 and 15 year-old finishes and peated expressions, and the more high-end stuff at 18 years old and above. What they mostly have in common is the presentation – 40% ABV for … Continue reading Tomintoul 14 (46%, OB 2020)
Glen Garioch 1997 (56.7%, OB 2012)
This Glen Garioch was distilled in 1997, shortly after the distillery reopened after almost two years of inactivity. It was matured in a combination of first and second fill bourbon barrels, and was bottled in 2012 to commemorate that reopening. It’s still available at The Whisky Exchange and is not bad value for a cask … Continue reading Glen Garioch 1997 (56.7%, OB 2012)
Glen Scotia 14 Tawny Port Finish (52.8%, OB 2020)
This was released for the 2020 edition of the Campbeltown Malts Festival. It’s mostly heavily peated malt matured in refill and recharred American oak casks, along with some medium peated malt matured in first fill barrels. It was then finished in tawny port hogsheads for a small period. I’m not normally a fan of port … Continue reading Glen Scotia 14 Tawny Port Finish (52.8%, OB 2020)
Balblair 1991 3rd Release (46%, OB 2018)
My soft spot for young natural Balblairs is well-documented already, but I’ve been fortunate enough to try some of their older malts as well. Here we have the third release of the 1991 vintage, bottled at around 26-27 years of age. The bulk of its maturation was done in ex-bourbon casks, with the final 2-3 … Continue reading Balblair 1991 3rd Release (46%, OB 2018)
Blair Athol 2007 (55.2%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, 2019)
Blair Athol is one of those Diageo workhorses that focuses mainly on blends – it’s a major component of Bell’s. As a result, other than the odd special release and the Flora & Fauna 12 year-old, we never get to see an official bottling so we have to turn to independents like this one. There’s … Continue reading Blair Athol 2007 (55.2%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, 2019)
Glen Scotia 15 (46%, OB 2020)
Over the past few years, Glen Scotia has started to emerge from Springbank’s shadow, with a devoted fan base among whisky geeks. I had somehow missed its psychedelic cow phase, so this 15 year-old was my first proper encounter with this distillery. It’s matured in ex-bourbon casks, with a very quick (2 months) finishing period … Continue reading Glen Scotia 15 (46%, OB 2020)
Balblair 2000 (46%, OB 2018)
This Balblair – around 18 years old – was available for just under £70 before it was replaced by the age statement 18 year-old for almost twice that amount. I associate Balblair with bourbon casks but this one boasts significant sherry influence: it was matured initially for around 13 years in ex-bourbon before spending its … Continue reading Balblair 2000 (46%, OB 2018)
Balblair 2005 (46%, OB 2018)
Before Balblair replaced vintages with age statements and bumped up the prices to unreasonable amounts, I would have had no hesitation in naming it as my favourite distillery. My first encounter was the Balblair 2002 about six years ago, and it immediately grabbed me with its fresh, citrus-forward, eau-de-vie-like profile. Perhaps ‘grabbed’ is not the … Continue reading Balblair 2005 (46%, OB 2018)
Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 53 (59.7%, OB 2015)
Sometimes looking at past orders can make for depressing reading. I bought this bottle of Aberlour A’bunadh in November 2015, and paid £28.55 for it in a flash deal. Nowadays it retails for almost £100, and we’re lucky if we can find it at around £60 on offer. The whisky itself doesn’t need much of … Continue reading Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 53 (59.7%, OB 2015)
Glencadam Mystery Dram Tasting
After the Tomintoul tasting last month, Angus Dundee were generous enough to invite the same group to a Glencadam session with the same format. Three mystery drams were again provided, and the tasting was led by brand ambassador Iain Forteath. Iain has also been involved in the whisky-making process of late, having had a hand … Continue reading Glencadam Mystery Dram Tasting
Benriach 17 Septendecim (46%, OB 2018)
This was bought in 2018 but probably bottled earlier – I believe it was discontinued a while before that. Benriach of course recently revamped their core range: gone are the fanciful (sometimes misspelled) Latin descriptions (Heredotus Fumosus anyone?) and the capital R in the BenRiach – it’s all about clarity and simplicity now. I always … Continue reading Benriach 17 Septendecim (46%, OB 2018)
Ardmore Tradition (46%, OB 2015)
The Ardmore Tradition is (was?) the travel retail version of the Ardmore Traditional Cask. The latter has now been replaced as the entry-level expression by the Ardmore Legacy, which is unfortunately bottled at 40%. This one, however, is the same as the Traditional Cask – i.e. 46%, no chill-filtration and finished in quarter casks. Nose: … Continue reading Ardmore Tradition (46%, OB 2015)
Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7 (59.9%, OB 2020)
The Glengoyne Teapot Dram is a ‘tribute to the daily dram that the Glengoyne workers enjoyed three times each day from copper teapots in the distillery canteen’. It’s already a much-loved ongoing batch release – batch 7 is quickly selling out but is still available at the distillery shop and a few other places. As … Continue reading Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7 (59.9%, OB 2020)
Aberfeldy 12 (46%, OB 2019)
Yes, you read that right – 46%. This 200ml bottle of Aberfeldy, along with counterparts from Aultmore and Craigellachie, was part of a collection for Amazon to accompany a tasting event of Dewar’s malts. As far as I can tell the pack is still available. The Aultmore and Craigellachie were in their usual 12 and … Continue reading Aberfeldy 12 (46%, OB 2019)
Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut (48.8%, OB 2020)
When Glenrothes changed hands from Berry Brothers & Rudd to Edrington in 2018, the range underwent a revamp: vintages were replaced by more conventional age statements (Balblair followed suit in early 2019), and the core range focused heavily on sherry cask maturation. The prices of the younger bottles are quite reasonable. However, I did have … Continue reading Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut (48.8%, OB 2020)
Tomintoul Mystery Dram Tasting
Hosted by Tomintoul brand ambassador Claire Tesh, this online blind tasting brought together three generously provided mystery drams. I normally don’t go out of my way to buy Tomintoul (unlike its sister distillery Glencadam), so this tasting was a great opportunity to sample a couple of drams I wouldn’t otherwise have tried. First up, unsurprisingly, … Continue reading Tomintoul Mystery Dram Tasting
Tomatin 2006 Oloroso Sherry Cask (58.5%, Cask no. 2842, Distillery Exclusive 2018)
This 12 year-old Oloroso cask was hand-filled at Tomatin two years ago. They are among the best in terms of the bottle-your-own selection, giving visitors a choice of five: apart from this one, there was a 5 year-old virgin oak cask, a 12 year-old ex-Bourbon, a 16 year-old Pedro Ximenez finish, and a (sadly unaffordable, … Continue reading Tomatin 2006 Oloroso Sherry Cask (58.5%, Cask no. 2842, Distillery Exclusive 2018)
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