Right here’s a fairly random number of latest bottlings from the Thompson Brothers, going from a middle-aged Fettercairn and Highland Park to twenty+ yr previous Auchroisk and Westport whisky (tea-spooned Glenmorangie). Final however not least, we additionally attempt the primary whisky that has Belgian fries on the label.
Auchroisk 27 yo 1994 (51,9%, Thompson Bros 2021, refill hogshead, UK unique, 218 btl.)
Nostril: a mixture of heat fruits (banana, ripe pear, yellow plums) with hints of paraffin and pollen. Some hay and sugary biscuits. Damp oak, mild vegetal notes and refined chalk too. Barely pungent dried herbs within the background. A bit understated however a pleasant complexity.
Mouth: stone fruit sweetness but additionally a agency peppery onset now. Pear, peach, main as much as grapefruit with a refined bitter contact. Buttery biscuits with a bit vanilla. Getting grainier and woodier in direction of the tip. Ginger sponge cake and toast.
End: medium, with the spicy oak and grainy biscuits staying sturdy, and a refined trace of mocha.
There’s so much to love: waxy fruits on the nostril and a very good sense of age on the palate. A blender’s malt that reveals loads of character. Nonetheless obtainable from Thompson Bros direct or a number of retailers like Grasp of Malt or Royal Mile Whiskies.
Westport 24 yo 1997 (50,1%, Thompson Bros 2021, refill hogshead, 176 btl.)
Nostril: really not that removed from the Auchroisk, in the identical mellow fruity nook. Ripe pears, peaches, ripe gooseberries. Delicate mineral / oily notes too. Orange oil. Waxy honey. Vanilla fudge.
Mouth: actually honeyed now, with hints of peach and stewed quinces. Almonds. Additionally grassy notes and a refined natural observe. Honeysuckle and waxed lemons. Yellow apples with cinnamon dusting. Rising notes of peppery oak in the long run.
End: medium, on marmalade, honeyed tea, in addition to warming oak and vanilla cake in the long run.
Fairly flawless with a spherical, honeyed facet that makes it very straightforward to love. Less complicated and sweeter than the Auchroisk, much less distinctive as effectively. Offered out so far as I can inform. Rating: 86/100
Orkney 13 yo 2008 (53,2%, Thompson Bros 2021, refill hogshead + 6 months first fill barrel, 356 btl.)
Nostril: lovely smoky notes on a seashore, with moist wool, mineral notes and heather. Canvas and felt. Chalk and hints of white pepper. Delicate hints of natural teas and candy lemons beneath. Beautifully balanced.
Mouth: there’s a candy lemony theme, nevertheless it picks up energy quickly and turns into firmly coastal and medicinal. Seawater and iodine. Thyme and eucalyptus, blended with toffee and syrupy notes. Camphor. Black pepper. Hints of candy mustard too. Aniseed sweet.
End: lengthy, smoky, with pepper, honeyed natural tea and candy espresso within the very finish.
I used to be actually impressed with this one. The smoke, the medicinal syrup, natural teas and coastal notes… all properly built-in and superbly balanced. Rating: 89/100
Fettercairn 14 yo 2007 (55,1%, Thompson Bros 2021, 2x refill barrel, 508 btl.)
Nostril: candy stone fruits (primarily apples) alongside muesli and vanilla biscuits. Custard, brioche and cake. Grassy malt. Hints of oranges and baking spice. A bit of common thus far, conserving issues on the protected facet.
Mouth: extra of those candy grains, now with peaches, stewed apples and lemon sweet, a very good dollop of honey and extra brioche. A touch of marzipan. Mead. Fairly straightforward and trendy, though there are additionally hints of candy mustard and walnuts within the background.
End: medium, extra citrus sweet and stone fruits, with lively wooden behind it.
My youngest daughter retains telling me I can purchase this one, however I don’t assume it’s the best choice on this session. It’s flawless and extremely drinkable however doesn’t actually stand out. Rating: 83/100
Yet another to spherical off. Some time in the past Whiskybase grew to become the official importer of the Thompson Brothers in Holland. They celebrated this occasion by providing a complete collection of bottles (most of which have been gone within the blink of an eye fixed) in addition to a few bottlings unique to The Netherlands. One in every of them was this undisclosed Speyside single malt 1990, matured in a refill barrel.
Speyside Single Malt 30 yo 1990 (50,4%, Thompson Bros for The Netherlands 2021, refill barrel, 120 btl.)
Nostril: the form of waxiness that you simply don’t see usually these days. There’s pollen, beeswax, lamp oil and lipstick, taking me again to Caperdonich 1972 but additionally Ben Nevis 1966. In second row I discover mashed bananas, honey and papaya. Delicate hints of golden syrup and polished wooden, in addition to faint minty notes. Drop lifeless attractive.
Mouth: similar profile, filled with beeswax and heat oak, creamy fruits with unique touches. Mango, banana, papaya, honey, pineapple… The fatty texture and beneficiant fruitiness is beautiful. Ultimately there’s additionally a resinous / fragrant hoppy observe which is probably a bit sturdy, nevertheless it by no means turns into dry or overoaked.
End: lengthy, on apricots, polished wooden and natural tea.
We’ve had so many, but a few of these undisclosed Speyside malts proceed to amaze me. Spectacular fruity notes and a waxiness that you simply solely get in actually previous drams from sure distilleries. This was a steal at € 215, now lengthy gone in fact. Further data: it’s really a misprinted 31 yo, maybe Glenrothes and half of the cask is on the best way to Ok&L Wines for even much less cash (thanks for declaring, Tom). Rating: 92/100
