Permit me to start this evaluation by discussing basketball. You’ll must belief me: that is going someplace.
In the NBA, future draft picks may be traded to amass gamers onto your group. A future draft choose – let’s say the quantity 5 choose – at all times has extra worth than a participant simply drafted on the quantity 5 spot. Why is that?
As a result of a participant drafted with the longer term quantity 5 choose might nonetheless be completely something. That participant might be the following Vince Carter crossed with Steph Curry with a sprinkling of Tracy McGrady. The just lately drafted participant is now a identified amount with outlined, finite worth: flaws to be dissected and strengths to be scrutinised. It’s the enchantment of the nice unknown versus the knowable asset, with warts and all.
Bringing this again to whisky, and my affection for thriller whisky bottlings will hopefully show apropos to my NBA analogy. You must know the bottlings I’m referring to” releases dubbed “Secret Speyside,” or “Unnamed Islay,” maybe “Thriller Highlands.”
Who doesn’t love thriller?
From Agatha Christie’s oeuvre, to how precisely Stonehenge was constructed, to how I acquired residence from the pub the opposite evening, to who let the canines out, these are the questions that hold us awake at 3 AM.
Within the case of the traditional canine thriller from Baha Males, your guess is nearly as good as mine. We will endlessly pore over the lyrics and transfer no nearer to the reality. However will we love thriller whisky?
I purchase these as a result of often they provide good worth for cash and since – to my mind-set – it’s typically higher to not know what’s within the bottle. That Secret Speyside? Would possibly it’s Macallan? The Unnamed Islay? Let’s go along with Lagavulin. And the Thriller Highlands? You possibly can’t inform me it’s not GlenDronach, as a result of you don’t know.
After all, any of these three outcomes is unlikely; Macallan, Lagavulin and GlenDronach aren’t identified for working hand in hand with impartial bottlers. But when the contents of the bottles are simply Benrinnes, Deanston, and Bunnahabhain, why not simply put it on the bottle? I wish to assume that if the indie bottler isn’t telling us, it have to be for purpose: a distinguished distillery has blocked using their identify.
My different off-the-beaten-path principle (that additionally retains me awake at 3 AM) is that an indie bottler is likely to be withholding distilleries’ names as a result of they’d like us to assume the bottles might maintain Macallan somewhat than Benrinnes (no slight towards Benrinnes, considered one of my favorite distilleries) to allow them to cost a slight premium.
Regardless of my finest efforts to chop again my whisky expenditure, I used to be just lately tempted to buy three bottles with undisclosed provenance from the brand new impartial bottler South Star Spirits.
“South Star?” you’re asking?
“I believe he means North Star,” you’ve most likely concluded.
Truthful sufficient, too, as a result of the bottles look similar to the traditional North Star design. South Star is a brand new bottling enterprise between Iain Croucher (of North Star renown) and three “whisky fanatic” mates to rejoice and assist promote the institution of the brand new Dál Riata Distillery in Campbeltown (Croucher additionally being a director of the brand new distillery).
I gained’t linger on the story of Dál Riata Distillery; that’s an article for one more day. South Star’s inaugural releases are an Islay 8 12 months previous, a Speyside 10 12 months previous, and a Highland 10 12 months previous, all bottled at 48% ABV and all restricted to 2,148 bottles (although the South Star Spirits web site and numerous retailers declare 2,200 bottles can be found, 2,148 is the quantity on the precise bottles).
I did carry out some perfunctory analysis and couldn’t find, on any web site the supply distilleries for these releases… however given the affiliation with North Star, identified for a various line up of releases, I used to be privately excited that these might be one thing a bit of exterior the field.
A couple of weeks after shopping for these bottles I acquired an e-mail from a separate retailer telling me they’d been discounted. I clicked by out of curiosity to research the brand new costs and the Whisky Checklist had by some means recognized the supply distilleries. If I’m to consider that the Whisky Checklist has good sources, the Islay is from Caol Ila, the Highland is Blair Athol, and the Speyside is Mannochmore.
I’ve no grudge towards these three distilleries, however out went my fantasies of what might be within the bottles. Like these future NBA draft picks, the thriller had gone, and I used to be left with the truth.
Caol Ila, Blair Athol, and Mannochmore are hardly scarce within the indie world. When you want indie expressions from these distilleries, you needn’t look too exhausting. Fingers crossed, then, that at the least the liquid contents ship the products. All three of those releases have been obtainable for round $125 in Australia. or little beneath £50 within the UK. All are nonetheless broadly obtainable in each territories; strive Tyndrum Whisky within the UK or The Whisky Firm in Australia.
South Star 8 12 months Outdated Islay – Evaluate
Distilled in 2013 and bottled in 2021 at 48% ABV, with 2,148 bottles from 10 vatted hogsheads.
Color: Apple juice.
On the nostril: This one advantages from time within the glass, although which malt whisky doesn’t? At first, bursts of campfire smoke, sea spray and peaty marshland. Basic Islay tropes, if one dimensional. Then some sliced lime, brown sugar and hazelnut, revealing depth, although considerably scant, price exploring.
Within the mouth: Once more with the peat, a chalky minerality, smoked meats, ash and flint. Only a hints of darkish chocolate and sardines, fried (maybe burnt) onions, black olives, cigars, and the black cat aniseed lollies that my youngest daughter despises.
Conclusions:
On the Australian worth of $125, I believe that is just a bit on the expensive facet, although I wouldn’t deduct some extent. I’d guess that the vatting has smoothed out any Caol Ila idiosyncrasies, and that South Star are completely OK with that. I believe this presents an appropriate expertise for the cash. Completely satisfied to have tried it and that is price your cash, however you shouldn’t be too dissatisfied if you happen to miss out.
Rating: 5/10
South Star 10 12 months Outdated Highland – Evaluate
Distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2021 at 48% ABV, with 2,148 bottles from 10 vatted first fill hogsheads.
Color: Pale gold
On the nostril: The Yin to the Islay Yang. Great, vivid summery fruits – peaches, mango, rockmelon. Floral notes which can be complimentary somewhat than cloying. Then honey, Crème Brûlée, caramel sauce and chopped up strawberries. That is richly evocative and welcoming to style.
Within the mouth: Mango ice cream, almond slivers, shaved coconut, and whipped cream. If all this sounds too candy, it isn’t too my palate, because it appears to be working in concord somewhat than a jumbled cacophony. There’s powdered Turkish delight, vanilla essence and a bit of melted butter and banana peel.
Conclusions:
A confession: although I used to be not excited to find that this was from Blair Athol, I’m a longtime fan of the distillery itself, and have visited twice. When you’ve ever had a nasty Blair Athol, please go away a snarky remark beneath questioning my intelligence and credibility, however personally I’ve not. This can be a standout dram and seems to be a intelligent vatting.
Rating: 7/10
South Star 8 12 months Outdated Speyside – Evaluate
Distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2021 at 48% ABV, with 2,148 bottles from 10 vatted first fill hogsheads.
Color: White wine.
On the nostril: Bears a passing similarity to the Highland dram. Tropical fruits of the likes of papaya and melon, banana, peaches in syrup. Rhubarb and sticky buns, Earl Gray tea and crystallised chopped up fruits prepared to enter a fruit cake. The hops of a fruity pale ale
Within the mouth: A little bit grassy, a bit of mellow. Extra so than the opposite drams I ponder if a bit of extra ABV might need helped this dram. Actually not disagreeable, with bananas, jellybeans, blackcurrant juice; later I get some heather and cinnamon, the slight tang of blood orange and moist carrot cake.
Conclusions:
Releasing a regional collection of bottlings should at all times include the disclaimer that expectations of a sure type to characterize every area are murky at finest. Islay can produce great un-peated drams, however after we crack open an “Unnamed Islay” we all know it will likely be a peat blast to meet the anticipated establishment.
And what’s the anticipated distinction between a Speyside or Highland dram? Some Speyside distilleries label themselves as ‘Highland’ on the bottle as Speyside is technically a sub-region of the Highlands (Macallan included).
The irony of Blair Athol distillery is that it has lengthy being categorised as a Highland distillery however it’s considerably additional south than Speyside. Mannochmore in Speyside is a 100 mile drive north from the ‘Highland’ Blair Athol; whereas Blair Athol is a 200 mile drive from its true Highland counterpart, Wolfburn.
I consider an nameless Speyside bottling will typically be chosen to meet the temporary of being wealthy and fruity, most likely sherried; with Highland, there may be no anticipated type aside from the hope for a top quality dram.
Rating: 5/10
As a starter vary from South Star Spirits, these three will definitely assist get the phrase out about Dál Riata till their very own spirits come on-line, and maybe assist pay some payments. Pound for pound, I’d enterprise that Douglas Laing’s Exceptional Regional Malt vary is superior at this stage. In contrast to the Exceptional Malt vary, all going nicely we gained’t nonetheless be consuming South Star Spirits in 10 years time; we’ll be having fun with a glass of Dál Riata as an alternative.
South Star Spirits might need wished to maintain the distillery names off the bottles so they might substitute in different distilleries for future releases with none remark from the whisky group. Within the meantime, in my very own private pursuit of thriller malts, I’ll attempt to observe the recommendation of Iris DeMent, and let the thriller be.
