Everything Over 20 Years Old

 

The May line-up

May's tasting sold out to members within hours of it being announced, and no surprise as Martin had raided the club's stocks for a series of independent bottlings all at least 20 years old.

North British 29yo

We got straight into it with the opening dram, a 29-year-old North British grain whisky. A long-time component of lots of well-known blends, indie bottlings of North British have become more widely seen of late. This particular one came from Fragrant Drops, a brand run by former club member George Keeble, and was matured in a fresh bourbon cask.

This had a very pleasant, creamy nose. That cream was still there on the palate just about, along with a spirity hit. Honey and lemon cough sweets was one suggestion. Rice pudding with honey was another, or vanilla custard (so really going for the full school dinners experience). Not as bitter as some grains, and some felt it was actually too much on the sweet side for them. It's 50.9% and we paid £100.

Tomatin 32yo

Onto Tomatin next, a very large distillery on the Highland/Speyside border. Under Japanese ownership it has gone from a bulk producer of whisky to one that also has a developing brand in its own right, although the bottle we had - a 32-year-old from Skene Scotch Whisky, aged in a bourbon hogshead - harked back to an earlier era of Tomatin production.

Grassy, and almost like a rye on the nose, this one. But the nose promised a bit more than the palate delivered, we felt. We didn't feel this was especially memorable, nor complex and it was a bit of a disappointment for the price tag. We paid £175 from the Aberdeen Whisky Shop, but the RRP on the Skene website has this nearer £400. Admittedly, our view might have been a bit coloured once we realised how expensive it was. It's 44.9%.

Arran 21yo

Whisky three was from Arran, one of the real success stories of Scottish whisky since it was established in the 1990s. Again we were looking back in time to quite an early bottling, a 21-year-old distilled back in 1997. Things could only get better after dram two? Perhaps. This was a sherried expression bottled for the Green Welly Stop, now known as Tyndrum.

This smelt sweet, like Crunchie bars we (ok, I) thought. "Dangerously easy to drink". Not as sweet on the palate but there was a very pleasant dark chocolate, peppermint thing going on, which maybe put it more in After Eights territory. There was a mixture in the room of those who really liked it, and others who found it a little boring. Although billed as full maturation, it tasted more like a sherry finish. We paid £101 and it clocks in at 55.3%.

Tullibardine 29yo

A half-time break to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Seven Oaks, and we were back for three more whiskies.

Local favourite Chorlton Whisky brought us dram four, a 29-year-old Tullibardine distilled in 1993. Known for its good quality water source - Highland Spring is produced next door - Tullibardine is a bit of a landmark on the A9 in Perthshire, well-located if you want to break your journey north.

This bottle was dry and savoury on the nose. Almost like a wholemeal sort of flavour, or Soreen malt loaf, appropriately enough for a Manchester bottler. This again got a slightly mixed response, with some liking it and others feeling it was a bit on the average side. It's 47.5% and we paid £160.

Tormore 30yo

Two Cadenheads bottlings to finish with. Dram five was a 30-year-old Tormore, distilled in 1988 and a combination of three bourbon hogsheads. Recently taken over by Elixir Distillers, owned by the Singh brothers of Whisky Exchange fame, it'll be interesting to see what Tormore has in store for us in the coming years.

Back to this particular bottle though, and we found it nice and approachable. Not necessarily complex, but certainly nice, although it lacked the 'wow' factor you might have been looking for from something really exceptional. "A beauty" on first taste for some, but it didn't linger as it might have done. But overall, a very positive reception. It's long gone from the official site, but we paid £180 for it. It's 47.9%.

Benrinnes 23yo

For the last dram we stayed in Speyside for a Benrinnes, a distillery usually only seen officially in the Flora and Fauna range. This was a 23-year-old from 1995.

This gave us green apples on the nose, followed by a different sort of appley-taste on the palate. McDonald's apple pie was one suggestion, although a caramel toffee apple was perhaps a slightly classier suggestion. Sharp and fresh, this was delicious. We paid £80 - a bargain we felt - and it's 53.4%.

So to the dram of the night voting and a clear win for - the Benrinnes. It took 14 votes, with the Tormore second and the Arran in third.

Thanks to Martin for putting on yet another excellent tasting, all at the Seven Oaks for their hospitality and to all club members for showing their support once again.

Mysterious Drams for Hallowe'en

The full line-up, plus a pint.

October's tasting took place on Hallowe'en night itself. Club members took refuge from the ghoulies in the safe surroundings of the Britons Protection, where Rich P took us through a selection of mysterious drams: selected because they were all independently bottled without the original distillery name on the label.

Secret Irish

There are lots of reasons why distilleries might do this, from selling off whisky that doesn't fit their own flavour profile or simply to maintain control over their branding and how it's used. It means lots of interesting liquid is out there for us to try if you are able to explore beyond the better known labels.

Our own journey started with something bottled by Master of Malt, the online booze retail behemoth. Their 13-year-old Secret Irish (the number of distilleries this could realistically be from at that age is very limited, but nevertheless) came in pretty strong at 57.5%. And it was a proper vanilla bomb, very punchy but still eminently drinkable despite the strength and without adding water.

We got a real buttery, pastry taste. Like an almond croissant. But also butterscotch and, when some drinkers put a bit of water in anyway, some notes of creme brulee. At £70 we felt this was pretty good value. A bargain, even!

5yo rye

Dram two was the first of a couple of visits to Edinburgh-based indie bottler Fragrant Drops, run by erstwhile club members George and Rachel. We had an Indiana rye which, for those in the know, means distilling giant MGP. A 5-year-old, this was particularly rye-y, like rye bread. "Big caraway vibes" someone suggested. Grassy, minty, with notes of black pepper too.

This one divided the room a bit. Someone thought it tasted like carpet, but I was in the camp that absolutely loved it. It was 57.1% and cost us £68.

D Taylor Speyside

 we were heading to Scotland and a Duncan Taylor bottling from an unknown Speyside distillery. Part of its Octave collection, the expressions are all finished in smaller casks giving the whisky more contact with the wood over a shorter period of time.

This was a nice colour and smelt sweet. There was cereal on the palate, which came out a bit more with water. The thing that maybe lingered the most was a toffee apple taste, ideal for the time of year. It possibly paled a little in comparison to the others we'd already had, and there were mixed views in the room again. The suspicion was this may have been a Glenfarclas, although it curiously didn't really taste all that much like it. Just 89 bottles of this were produced, it was 54.2% and cost £86.

Grapefruit sour finish!

Following a half-time break to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Britons, we were back for four more drams.

Rich dubbed the second half 'trick or peat' and we kicked off with a bottling from Murray McDavid, with the liquid inside a Ledaig unusually finished in a grapefruit sour cask. The grapefruit came through more on the nose than the palate, but the finish really lingered for an absolute eternity. There was a peaty hit followed by a fruity, citrussy bit at the end. Fresh and zingy, we felt this worked well all round.

Some polarised views again but I have to say, I thought this was terrific. Good value again at £59. It clocked in at 54.4%.

An 18yo Highland

Closer to home for whisky number five, and Manchester's own indie bottler Chorlton Whisky. We had an 18-year-old from a Highland distillery to try. Smooth and creamy, this reminded someone of Juicy Fruit chewing gum. The best all-rounder of the night so far, we felt.

This was most likely to have been a Ben Nevis. It certainly tasted like it, according to the real whisky savants in the room. Very nice in general. It was 54% and there are still some left at £120.

10yo Orkney

It was back to Fragrant Drops for dram six, and this was a 10-year-old peated Orkney, which meant a Highland Park we thought. Fully matured in a red wine barrique, there were certainly high hopes for it.

Ooft, this was something. At 64.1% though, was this just a touch too much? It was extremely chewy but some felt it was a little too strong and not actually all that easy to drink. Some picked out an oiliness, for others on my table it was a bit confusing with the nose more satisfying than the palate. Lots of people really, really liked it though, so it was perhaps just my corner of the room that was a bit sceptical. It certainly cut through well, which is no mean feat at the end of the night.

Big Peat Hallowe'en

Well, it wasn't quite the end. We had one bonus dram left to enjoy, a Hallowe'en special Big Peat, a blend of Islay whiskies from Douglas Laing.

This was good but it was a bit late in the evening to take a real view on that, especially following the powerhouse last dram from Fragrant Drops. It was a 2021 version and cost £50 at the time, with an ABV of 48%.

This brought us to the dram of the night voting, and it was a narrow victory for...  the Fragrant Drops 10-year-old Orkney! The sixth dram picked up 11 votes, just two ahead of the Chorlton Whisky bottling, with the Murray McDavid grapefruit sour finish third. Perhaps no surprise that three big peaty drams would dominate the evening, as there are plenty of peat fans in the club, but three very worthy drams nonetheless.

Thanks to all club members for coming and to the Britons for hosting us once again. And special thanks to Rich for running such a great tasting!

 

Cask Matters

The full line-up

For May's tasting, Anna took us through a range of whiskies with some interesting cask maturations and finishes. As she explained, about 60-80% of the taste of a whisky comes from the cask, and so factors including the type of wood used, the size of the barrel and the liquid the cask previously held are all critical components which impact the character of what ends up in your glass. 

Pintail Glen Elgin

She had selected half a dozen varied examples, and we kicked off with an independently bottled 14-year-old Glen Elgin, produced by Edinburgh-based Pintail. They specialise in unusual finishes, and this particular bottle was finished in a cask that previously held Floc de Gascogne, a fortified sweet wine consisting of Armagnac and grape juice.

This was very strong tasting and really packed a punch. Chewy with strong cereal notes, and some blackcurrant too. Water brought yet more on the nose, and generally upped the floral taste as well. This was 54.1% and cost £75.

Deanston tequila

Deanston is a popular distillery with club members, known for its organic approach to distilling and distinctive use of a former mill building as its base. Its latest expression is an unconventional one, a 15-year-old finished in casks that previously held Agave tequila from the Mexican highlands.

This one again was very striking on the nose. It smelt quite strongly like marmite in fact. While a good drop, the consensus in the room was that it was the tequila aspect we didn't actually like as much. We would possibly have been happier having a plain old Deanston 13-year-old, without the last couple of years in the tequila. It's 52.5% and you can get a bottle for £95.

Fishermen's Retreat 9

Onto dram three and something very close to home: a bottling from the Fisherman's Retreat restaurant in Ramsbottom. It's Batch 9 of their own stuff, a heavily peated Bruichladdich.

Again unusual, we got smoked onions and oily grass along with, appropriately enough, a real fishy mustiness. Someone even suggested sardines. This was 50% and cost £75 for a 50cl bottle, but if you can spare the cash it's well worth supporting a local indie bottler.

BenRomach Polish oak

After a half-time break to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Britons' Protection, Anna gave us something with connections to her Polish homeland. BenRomach have brought out a limited edition 10-year-old single cask expression, with full maturation in first fill Polish oak (in fact there are two sets of these, in sister casks).

This was stunning! Sweet and citrussy, especially orangey. We also had notes of toffee and apple, with a touch of smoke in there as well. It's 59.1% and costs £95.

Linkwood 12yo

We stayed in Speyside next and moved on to Linkwood and another independent bottler that was new to most of us, Fragrant Drops. I say new to us, but the team behind the brand - George and Rachel - were welcome attendees at some of our virtual tastings over lockdown, so it's wonderful to see them branching out with this new whisky business. This particular expression was a 12-year-old, fully matured in a fresh Tokaji barrel, Tokaji being a Hungarian white wine.

Fruity was the key tasting note here. Although beyond that it was a bit mystifying, in the sense that we couldn't tell whether it was sweet or savoury or herbal, with a bit of pastry in there as well. This went down very well all round. It's 58% and cost us £110.

Teaninch 12yo

And this brought us to the last of the six drinks, a 12-year-old Teaninch finished in the Scandinavian spirit Aquavit. Teaninch is a Diageo distillery but has a relatively low profile in its own right, rarely seen outside the Flora and Fauna range. This expression was from the independent bottler Lady of the Glen.

Herby and spicy, we felt this was one was both complex and subtle. A great way to finish a superb line-up, it was 57.3% and decent value at £75.

For the dram of the night voting, the Teaninch did well enough for the third step on the podium, behind the Fragrant Drops Linkwood in second and the winner - the BenRomach Polish oak.

Many thanks to Anna for choosing and taking us through such a great selection of drams, to all at the Britons for hosting us once again, and to club members and guests for attending in such good numbers.