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)
Tag: Highlands
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)
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)
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)
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)
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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