From The Archive v2

October's line up

Anna took us deep into the club's stocks once again for October's From The Archive v2 tasting.

North Star

I wasn't able to be there so thanks to David for the pictures and both David and James for the notes for this one.

First up was a refill sherry blend from indie bottler North Star, no less than 26 years old. A Speyside blend from a 'mix of distilleries' but that's all we get.

This was well received. Much chat in the room about how they are able to bottle such high ages so cheaply. A good sherried starter this, and it didn't need water. A rum and raisin chocolate eclair was one tasting note. It was 44.2% and was just £65.

Tobermory 30yo

A 30-year-old Tobermory next, from another popular indie bottler known for great drams at good value, Whiskybroker.

Notes here included peach and white tea. Some oak but not much. Fruity too. Delicate but coats the mouth. A good breakfast dram, perhaps. Some felt it was too oaky but this wasn't universal. Other notes included bananas, blanched almonds and vanilla.

It was as bourbon cask bottling, at 44.2% and we paid just £120 for it. A bargain!

Bimber

Bimber produced dram number three, a June release finished in Amontillado casks. The London-based distillery has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons of late amid the departure of its founder, and speculation continues within the industry as to whether it might be sold. But it was good to put the focus on the whisky here, with their number 6 Klub Edition.

Very sweet, with a nose and taste reminiscent of golden syrup. Cinnamon, toffee and pecan nuts too. Very nice and, as standard for Bimber, plenty of cask in this one. It was £80 and came in at 51.5%.

Glenlossie 21yo

Onto part two and a 21-year-old Glenlossie from another indie, Lady of the Glen. A refill hogshead, this divided opinion in the room. Fruity and creamy, it had lots of love from some quarters but not others.

On the plus side some drinkers picked up Starburst (Opal Fruits to you and me) and other treats from the old sweetie jar, like Refreshers and Flying Saucers. Others felt it was unremarkable on the nose and didn't have much of a finish. It was 56.7% and cost £92.

Glen Scotia 11yo

Dram five was from Campbeltown and one of the club's favoured distilleries, Glen Scotia. We had high hopes for the 2023 Malts Festival expression, an 11-year-old lightly peated white port finish.

Salty and lightly peated. Very light in fact, some struggled to pick it out. White port wasn't something many had tried, so that was something new. A bit cheesy almost. Decent, but for some not as good as the previous dram. Others, meanwhile, found this sweet and marshmallowy, with a hint of smoke. We paid £70 and it's 54.5%.

Chorlton Islay vatting

The last dram was much closer to home, with local bottler Chorlton and an Islay vatted malt with two parts Ardbeg to one part Caol Ila.

Buttery, quite peated but not too overwhelming we thought. Earthy and clearly more Ardbeg was the general consensus, with the Caol Ila perhaps a bit of a moderating influence. Well enjoyed, as peat often is within the club. But there was also a sense that the palate didn't quite deliver on what the nose promised.

It was a five-year-old, cost us £62 and was 56.9%.

Which meant it was dram of the night time. And it was a draw, with drams four and five getting ten votes each, so a joint victory for the Glenlossie and the Glen Scotia, although all whiskies got at least one vote.

Thanks to Anna for raiding the club's archives for this one, all club members and guests for attending, and to everyone at the Seven Oaks for looking after us once again.