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| Hello, that is one in all our (virtually) every day tastings. Santé! |
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September 14, 2022
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All younger malts from just lately constructed Scottish Distilleries. However what does ‘just lately’ precisely imply at WF Towers, it’s possible you’ll ask? To illustrate any facility constructed after Arran (1995). That was proper final 12 months, was it not? Having mentioned, there’ll quickly be extra new names than previous ones up there in Scotland! After all that is very cool…
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| Ardnamurchan Distillery |
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Drumblade 10 yo 2011/2021 (46%, Duncan Taylor, Battlehill, blended malt, sherry cask) 
Drumblade is teaspooned Ailsa Bay, William Grant’s new peated lowlander (2007). We have typically fund Ailsa Bay a little bit easy, however we’re able to be satisfied in any other case, possibly with this little indie? Color: straw. Nostril: a piney, vegetal smokiness at first, as if they’d have used youthful peat when malting the barley, and in smaller portions. The sherry’s chiming in afterward, with raisins and a few artisanal butterscotch, in addition to our standard walnut cake and pecan pie that we at all times simply love…. Mouth: good peppery punch, with a average smokiness and reasonably bonbons, or agave sweets (with out the worm that is not a worm that some Mexican pals would put into their sweets and lollipops). Some leafiness over all of the butterscotch and raisins. End: medium, candy and peppery. Feedback: good and fewer peaty than the official Ailsa Bays in my e book. In reality the peat is discreet.
SGP:552 – 83 factors. |
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Annandale 6 yo 2015/2022 (59.7%, The Whisky Barrel, fifteenth Anniversary, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, cask #TWB1028) 
I feel I am going to merely copy-and-paste what The Whisky Barrel have written about Annandale, as it’s simply completely concise and, nicely, good. ‘Annandale is a contemporary Scottish distillery located inside an historic distillery constructing. Initially established in 1830 ait produced single malt whisky till 1921 when it was closed, stripped and the buildings that remained grew to become the positioning for a Porridge oats firm, livestock ‘warehousing’ and, sadly, disrepair. The Annandale Distillery Firm bought the positioning in 2007 and undertook mammoth effort to revive the buildings and produce whisky manufacturing again to Annandale. In 2014 the spirits flowed once more and the primary, new, single malt Scotch whisky from Annandale was launched in 2018.’ Oh and completely satisfied anniversary to you, The Whisky Barrel! Color: deep gold. Nostril: butterscotch, tobacco and peat, that is some reasonably fashionable combo. Easy and environment friendly, no quibbling in any respect this far. Within the background, some menthol, tar, curry and camphor. With water: comparable, besides that the whole lot tobacco and camphor too the lead. Very humorous whiffs of tomato leaves and sour-sweet bulldog sauce. Mouth (neat): a little bit sturdy, maybe, with some acetone and varnishes over reasonably lots of pepper and even chillies, however you do really feel that is it will be all proper as soon as a little bit H2O is added. With water: extractive, concoctiony, fashionable, and simply superior. Great candy spiciness on prime of this tobacco-y smokiness. End: lengthy and, consider it or not reasonably sake-y and shochu-like. Rounder, virtually honeyed aftertaste. Feedback: with sushi, maybe! I am stunned the Japanese don’t truly produce this type. Extraordinarily prime quality/age ratio.
SGP:566 – 88 factors. |
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Let’s attempt bourbon… On the whole, I like them finest with peated whiskies, nevertheless it’s true that that sherry was already very excessive…
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Annandale 6 yo 2015/2022 ‘Peated’ (56.2%, Greatest Dram, Kirsch Import, 1st fill bourbon, cask #567, 254 bottles)
Color: straw. Nostril: I’ve the sensation that that is going to be a draw. I do not know why however I am getting one thing Japanese as soon as extra (begins with Chi and ends with bu), with smoked almonds, charcoal bread, meringue, one small inexperienced olive, the infernal chalk + grist combo, then lemon and lime juices. Extraordinarily nicely carved. With water: this time once more, some menthol and a few camphor, plus recent sourdough and grapefruits. Mouth (neat): ho-ho, lemon drops and even marshmallows at first, then chillies this time once more, after which large quantities of peaty lemons. Or lemony peat, as you want. Excessive zestiness, at all times nice. With water: the peat will get much less talkative, though lapsang souchong tea and smoked espumas would nonetheless sing. Did you discover that an increasing number of younger cooks would are likely to smoke many components of their dishes? Particularly sauces and, sure, espumas? The whole lot’s carpaccio-ed and the whole lot’s smoked as of late. No complains, I like that. End: medium, a little bit extra bonbony once more. Extra lemon drops. Feedback: I instructed you this is able to be a draw. Let’s watch Annandale a little bit nearer within the coming years…
SGP:655 – 88 factors. |
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The following one shall be apparent after these Annandales…
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Ardnamurchan 5 yo 2015/2021 (52.5%, North Star Spirits, ex-bourbon, 247 bottles)
These new distilleries appear to have understood that it is means smarter to let the most effective indies use their names and thus propagate their messages. Supplied the whisky’s good, after all. Color: straw. Nostril: shut spirits, this one being just a bit extra, say self-restrained, a little bit oilier as nicely, and reasonably extra on breads, rye, wholegrain, pumpernickel, all that. A little bit extra fermentary. This time once more, we cannot complain! With water: lots of porridge, plus a little bit Swiss cheese and a child’s health club socks. Mouth (neat): extra acetic, bitter, fermentary, glue-y… Briefly, a little bit extra profound and wild. With water: leaner this time, with the standard lemons, smoked almonds, certainly olives, mezcal, breads… End: reasonably lengthy, with notes of petroly riesling and a few sweeter bread. Feedback: I feel I like this one simply the identical. At some point we’ll do a big preventing session, new Scotland versus new Japan. What do you say? Having mentioned that, this child feels significantly much less peaty than the Annandales.
SGP:553 – 88 factors. |
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Ardnamurchan 6 yo 2015/2022 (58.4%, Thompson Bros., first fill barrel, 267 bottles)
Color: straw. Nostril: it’s a little older nevertheless it feels a little bit youthful, with extra varnishes and nail polish, even UHU glue (our favorite model, we recommend UHU), however that could be the upper ethanol. Let’s examine… With water: hey hey, horse saddle, hay, porridge, whey, cottage cheese, fruit peel, ale, tobacco… Mouth (neat): sure, a little bit scorching and bonbony/varnishy. Water please… With water: bingo. Will get easier, truly, nevertheless it’s stuffed with greengages whereas greengages are up there within the prime of my checklist. The smoke is ideal, even a tad mentholy and on eucalyptus. End: lengthy, extra natural and like cough medication. Feedback: in all probability a slower cask. Both they added two years in wooden, otherwise you’ll add twenty years in glass. That is doable, no? I’d say the North Star was tad extra ‘wildly chiselled’ however to be trustworthy, that is splendid too. Maybe does it want a little bit extra work from the taster, or certainly twenty extra years in your cellar (to succeed in 90+).
SGP:564 – 88 factors. |
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Pay attention, arising with completely different scores would not make any sense, now we have the way forward for Scotch in our glasses, let’s simply rejoice accordingly! Oh and we have been additionally having this one…
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Ardnamurchan 6 yo 2015/2022 (59.7%, Thompson Bros., first fill barrel, cask #356, 267 bottles) 
Ha-ha, that is the man that is at all times been on Adelphi’s mix on the label. Some say that is Charles MacLean when he was a pupil, however I doubt it, Scotsmen do not do flamenco, do they? Color: white wine. Nostril: let’s do that one shortly, it ought to be a sister cask. Nicely, no, it is truly a lighter, fruitier Ardnamurchan, however that could be the very larger energy. Two tons of little easter sugar eggs and simply distant whiffs of backyard bonfire. With water: closes down, will get grassier, doughy, malty and beerish. Two whiskies in a single, as we generally say. Mouth (neat): a fruit foam bomb, lemons, toffee apples… With water: some tropical fruits exhibiting up. End: lengthy and a little bit eau-de-vie-ish. Feedback: it was a little bit easier, however why are all of them this good?
SGP:653 – 87 factors. |
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I am going to do a number of ‘masterclasses’ (gosh I hate that expression) with Charlie, with Dave, or with Angus, in Paris (whisky reside) and in London (whisky present), and even in Warsaw later within the 12 months. What I wish to say is that I hope the whiskies shall be this good and provoking!
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Glasgow Distillery 4 yo 2017/2022 (61.1%, The Whisky Barrel, fifteenth Anniversary, 1st fill sherry butt, cask #TWB1029)
We’re on Deanside Rd in Glasgow now (clearly – bravo!) Color: full gold. Nostril: this can be a completely different type, extra on rubbers and leaves at first sniffs. Very leafy sherry, however at 61% vol. you simply cannot actually inform. So, with water: grasses, then varied nuts (Brazil) and crude chocolate. Some flowers too, peonies, pansies, geraniums… The palate will inform. Mouth (neat): enormous, on Fanta and marshmallows. Water please… With water: and there! Muffins, panettone, orange blossom water, dried figs, oriental pastries, baklavas, makrouts, all that. It was definitely worth the wait, even when we’re not precisely in the identical cluster as that of the Annandales and Ardnamurchans. That is rounder, softer, a tad extra MOTR even when it stays an excellent younger malt. End: medium, with extra honey and truffles, in addition to raisins. Dried pears. Feedback: a tad extra ‘common’ than the others, nevertheless it’s additionally nearly unpeated. No quibbles at solely 4 years of age, quite the opposite, and Glasgow is awfy Glasgow.
SGP:551 – 85 factors. |
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Lindores Abbey 3 yo 2018/2022 (58.9%, OB for The Whisky Barrel, fifteenth Anniversary, oloroso sherry butt, cask #585, 720 bottles)
Let’s not speak about friars and exchequer rolls, however what a color! Color: reddish mahogany. Nostril: prune juice and soy sauce, with some hoisin and a few sorts of smoked embrocations that won’t exist in actual life. After which, huge molassy rum (previous Demerara) and heady chocolate. Fairly some cask motion right here. With water: ganache, chocolate, molasses certainly. Mouth (neat): actually thick and spicy. Think about some prune spirit boosted with some ‘Finish-of-the-world’ chilli and with some barely brutal previous Armagnac from Ténarèze. Roughly that. With water: again to civilisation, with some raisins and cinnamon cookies or rolls, plus dried figs and dates. Some batches of the previous 10 yo C/S by Macallan was a bit like this. Some early A’bunadhs too. End: reasonably lengthy, on chocolate full of raisins and varied liqueurs. Extra spice once more within the aftertaste, pepper, clove, cinnamon… And pencil shavings. Feedback: fairly good, if maybe much less ‘high-precision’ than the ex-bourbon Ardnamurchan and Annandale. As watch fanatics, we love excessive precision.
SGP:662 – 86 factors. |
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Strathearn 8 yo 2014/2022 (49.8%, Thompson Bros., Seven Casks Sequence, virgin American oak, cask #17, 58 bottles)
Just a few years in the past we went to Strathearn to distil a couple of litres of our personal with some pals together with the Thompsons, however I do not suppose this is able to be ‘our’ cask. Color: gold. Nostril: you do really feel the small still-set, this isn’t precisely old-school pot-still malt whisky, it is reasonably a crossbreed between rum, bourbon and Scotch malt certainly. Banana cake, rye bread, pancakes, sugarcane syrup, blancmange, croissants, vanilla cake, pistachio nougat, a couple of crumbles of ginger cookies… Mouth: once more a sense of ‘cross-genre whisky’, with some coconut cake, younger bourbon, cinnamon rolls, rye… Certainly, lots of rye for positive. End: medium, with many oak spices and vanilla fudge, with drops of tangerine liqueur and grenadine. Ginger cookies once more within the aftertaste. Feedback: lots of enjoyable right here, even when ‘this can’t be Scottish’. However do they really want to make Scotch, in Scotland?
SGP:641 – 84 factors. |
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Dornoch 4 yo 2017/2022 (55.5%, OB, Thompson Bros., 1st fill 100l bourbon, cask #54, 178 bottles)
Do not all of us love this pocket distillery and the distillers (and their mother and father?) I feel it is the primary time I am attempting a bottled ex-bourbon expression of Dornoch and albeit, I would not have waited for much longer. Color: straw. Nostril: first, please observe that I shall by no means, ever inflate or enhance any feedback or notes or scores about spirits simply because they have been made by pals. What’s extra, we have pals inside Diageo or Pernod as nicely anyway. Good, this has recent sawdust, oils (sunflower and grape pips), root greens, artichokes, eggplants, rye bread, pumpkin seeds and tapioca. I discover it fairly austere, which I at all times like reasonably rather a lot. With water: fresh-sawn pinewood and balsa, plus porridge. Mouth (neat): craft and reasonably belonging to a gang of some distilleries of the world which might be producing whisky ‘otherwise’. I imply, it is a malt from Dornoch that is a lot nearer to Westland in Seattle than to precise neighbours Glenmorangie, for instance. Extra rye bread, muesli, Swiss Läckerli… With water: a tad extra on breads, with touches of anise and poppy seeds this time. End: medium, with much more anise cookies, or ‘anis bredala’, as we are saying in little Center-Alsace. Feedback: I discover it very ‘worldwide’, regardless of the small measurement and the placement of the Distillery. Would not whisky make you journey anyway? Nice, nice younger bready drop.
SGP:461 – 86 factors. |
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