The Heart Cut

JJ Corry

November's tasting was hosted by Georgie Bell, co-founder of indie bottler The Heart Cut. Under the slogan 'small batches, big personality', Georgie and her husband Fabrizio launched the company in 2023, with the aim of directly collaborating with a wide range of distilleries across the world, to bring one-off single cask and small batch bottlings to the whisky scene. She had half a dozen selections from no fewer than five nations for us to try.

It was off to Ireland first, and whiskey bonding house JJ Corry. We had a blend of four casks together, matured or finished in a range of port and sherry, creating what Georgie had hoped would be "sunshine in a glass."

It was certainly a very easygoing start to the night. Toffee was an early tasting note, followed by citrus, especially lemon peel, then biscuits and apricots. A bit of cut grass as well. It was 48% and you can still get it for £68. As with all the others, it was a 50cl bottle, a choice Georgie told us they had made to help keep the sticker price of their bottles down a bit, and to help spread these small batch spirits out to a broader audience.

Barley

Dram two was the first of what Georgie called a 'house pour' or what will be the start of The Heart Cut's core range. Called Barley, it's an English blended malt made from five distilleries: The English, Cotswolds, White Peak, Adnams and Copper Rivet, the latter the newest on the block from Chatham in Kent. The point of this whisky was to put a focus on the grain, perhaps the unsung hero of whisky production.

This was very distinctive and summery, with a clear taste of strawberries, with a bit of creaminess too it was almost like jam and cream on a scone. There were also spicy notes in here, especially cinnamon. This was 46% and cost £48.

Westland

Next to something smoky and American. Westland in Seattle is among the pioneers of US single malt. They were even able to find a local bog in Washington State to use for their peated expressions, making them real innovators in American whiskey.

This wasn't super smoky, and there were strong hints of topical fruit and a sweetness reminiscent of fruit pastilles. Peanut butter too, as part of a nutty dryness. In fact it went very dry during the aftertaste, almost like cereal. A bit of water smoothed this out though. It was 53% and comes in at £84.

We had a short half-time break to refill our beer and other glasses downstairs at the Seven Oaks, before Georgie returned with another trio for us.

Stork Club

Whisky four took us to Germany and a rye from Stork Club, a new distillery for the club. Something else new: a whisky matured in a so-called 'Napoleon cask' using wood from some very old trees indeed, from a forest on the Franco-German border.

This was weird and great. An interesting mixture of charred flavours and chocolatey sweetness. Someone suggested it was like the slightly burnt ends of a pain chocolat. Others picked out Black Forest gateau, as well as dark chocolate, cloves and cinnamon again. Extremely memorable. £55 if you want to try it for yourself. It's 55% too.

Thomson 1

The last two drams of the evening took us to the other side of the world and New Zealand's Thomson distillery. Georgie promised us a "distinctive New Zealand style" from these, and in the first example we had a whisky fully matured in a fresh pinot noir cask.

It was tough to follow that remarkable rye, but this one brought spiced plum jam, figs and cherries. We also had a few squares of chocolate to go around, and that changed the taste again, making it all sharper. Some felt this was a little spirity, but for others it was delicious. Good for a wintertime drink.

Thomson 2

To finish there was another interesting angle. The sixth whisky was manuka smoked, using the wood native to New Zealand (and arguably better known for its honey) instead of peat.

So, not peaty but smoky. A bit like charred wood and a bonfire, with a taste reminiscent of eucalyptus or menthol. Very smoky on the nose, less so on the palate, but another gorgeous drink all round. It came in at 50.8% and it's £71.

Dram of the night voting, then. And every whisky got at least three votes, always the sign of strength in depth in a tasting. But for the first time ever, we had a three-way tie for first place. Whiskies four, five and six got seven votes apiece. No penalty shoot outs here, just a share of the non-existing spoils between Stork Club and both Thomson drams.

Our thanks to Georgie for a great tasting and for introducing us to some high-quality whiskies, and to all club members and guests for coming along.

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.

The Six Oldest Distilleries in Scotland

 

The full line-up (beer optional)

Club chairman James was on hand to select and present a series of six drams from the oldest malt distillers in Scotland that are still going, for our September tasting.

Strathisla 14yo

First up was one of three of the evening's whiskies bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. In SMWS code this was distillery number 58, which is Strathisla to you and me. A Speyside from Keith, they started back in 1786, and we had a 14-year-old to try.

As the name Tropically Total Taste suggested, this was very fruity. Sharp on the palate, with notes including pineapple, boiled sweets and pear drops. Not a long aftertaste, but nice and smooth, and those in the room who tried it with a bit of water said the whisky took it well, and took away a little spicy hint that some had noticed. I got a bit of sherbet too. A very good start to the night. It was 58.1% and at the time cost £83 with an SMWS membership.

Oban 10yo

Oban next and last year's bottling from Diageo's Special Releases range. Oban is both the oldest and the smallest distillery in Diageo's portfolio. Its history stretches to 1794 and modern celebrity fans include Bill Murray. This was a 10-year-old, matured in recharred oak and finished in oloroso sherry.

This was sweet again, but more like toffee this time. It went on a lot longer on the palate for us. Honey was another common tasting note, and it was reminiscent of Scottish-style heather honey. Very nice all round. It was 58% and came in at £80.

Glen Garioch 20yo

Back to the SMWS for dram three and a Glen Garioch, one of the most mispronounced places in Scotland (It's GEAR-ee). It's a district of Aberdeenshire, based in and around Inverurie, with the distillery in nearby Oldmeldrum. It was the least old of the six distilleries, but still has a history dating to 1797. We had a 20-year-old aged in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel.

"Great nose... classic taste" were some early descriptions of this one. Candyfloss and marshmallows put us in mind of the sweet shop again. But it was nutty and waxy on the mouth as welll, maybe a bit of almonds in there. Berries too, which fit in with the SMWS note of blackcurrants, although we didn't get as much of the cinnamon toast also advertised in the tasting description. Lots of people really enjoyed this, though, a lovely dram. It was 55.6% and we paid £120.

Glenturret 28yo

After a half-time break and a chance to refill any beer glasses downstairs in the Seven Oaks, James picked up with dram four.

And it was a Glenturret, the oldest distillery of all going back to 1775. The bottle we had wasn't quite that old, but it was pretty elderly, a 28-year-old bottled back in 2015, with liquid dating from 1986. This cost us £250 at auction all in, but despite the age was still 51.8%.

It was delicious. The bourbon cask used here helped to show off the whisky particularly well. There was something chocolatey about it, and coconut too, so inevitably we thought of a Bounty. Superb, then, but we did debate whether it was worth all that money. "If someone else is paying, then yes" was the general consensus.

Balblair 22yo

Another Highland distillery for dram five but this time from much further north. Balblair has been based near Tain, well past Inverness, since 1790. We had a 22-year-old to enjoy, finished in a peated cask from an Islay distillery (probably Caol Ila, James suggested, although other whisky savants in the club thought it might have been a different one).

This was very smooth. On the nose you wouldn't guess it was peaty really. But it comes through well enough on the palate. The finish was complex too: chocolate but also minty, like an After Eight. This was 50.4% and cost us £160.

Bowmore 18yo

We went properly to Islay for the final dram of the night, the island's oldest distillery, Bowmore. We had an 18-year-old bottled by the SMWS from a second fill bourbon cask, which we got for £100, "ridiculously cheap" by the standards of these things.

There had plenty of peat on the nose. Barbecue and wood-fired flavours were to the fore. Very nice all round but the peatiness was the real high point. Those who tried it with a bit of water advised against it though. It was 55.7%.

Which brought us to the dram of the night voting. Every whisky got at least two votes, perhaps the first time we've had quite such an even spread. But emerging from the pack was dram four, the Glenturret, with 12 votes. The opener from Strathisla was second, with the Bowmore third.

They're all great tastings but this had some particularly well-chosen drams, so thank you to James for all the time and effort spent putting it together, and thanks to all club members for attending.

Whiskies With Beer Connections

 

Six of the eight drams we enjoyed

It's fair to say most of the club members like beer almost as much as whisky, and for August's tasting we had a line up of no fewer than eight drams, all with beer connections.

Two Brewers

We started off in Canada with a single malt from Two Brewers, based in the Yukon, making it just about as far flung a dram as we've had. Brewers malts were used to create this no age statement bottling, and there were some maple syrup casks in the mix as well.

This definitely had a sweetness but also a sting and so you felt it all the way down. A little harsh and definitely tasted young. But also had a real mapley sweetness about it, with sherbet another tasting note to the fore. Robust flavours and pleasant. At £80 this was "expensive but interesting". It was 46%. Those who had it with water said it took quite a bit of it and held up well. "Sweet, weird and nice" was one verdict.

Gouden Carolus

Belgium next for a 3-year-old Gouden Carolus, made by the Het Anker brewery. This one is aged in bourbon casks then some which previously held their own beer.

This was very sweet on the nose, with hints of toffee apples, sticky toffee pudding and a "chemistry lab". Sweet and beery, very smooth "but weird" we thought. Certainly another interesting dram although some in the group weren't so keen, while others suggested trying it with water again. It was 46% and cost us £55.

Circumstance

Back to the UK next and Circumstance distillery, the Bristol-based outfit showing off some of their organic credentials with a cask strength single grain. The beer connection was the use of saison yeast.

The most noticeable thing here was a strong aftertaste of liqourice, although it did mellow a bit after a few sips. "Weird again" but became more lively with a bit of water, some felt. It was 60.3%. We weren't quite sure how much this one actually cost us, but they do have a range of organic drams on their site for the £45-55 mark.

Holyrood new make

Whisky number four wasn't actually whisky at all really, but was instead a new make from Edinburgh's Holyrood. They've released lots of these new make expressions which is quite unusual. In this example, some brewers yeast and chocolate malt helped give it a beer influence. Not technically whisky, but whisky adjacent, anyway.

This was very dry indeed. The taste was very reminiscent of buttered toast or burnt toast, so quite distinctive. The finish was more of a dark chocolate. This was 60%. It's out of stock now on the Holyrood site, but was previously available for £36.

Cheshire IPA cask

After a half-time break and a chance to fill up our actual beer glasses downstairs at the Seven Oaks, we were back for another quartet.

And it was a case of moving on to whiskies actually finished in beer casks. Number five took us close to home with The Cheshire IPA cask. This was mostly 3-year-old liquid, matured initially in STR casks before a final blast in ones which previously held their Jester IPA.

This smelt lovely and floral, and tasted delicious too. After the ones we'd had in the first half, there was the feeling that "this is a normal whisky!" Pear drops and Parma Violents, green apples and citrus. Some real classic favours, in fact whisky flavoured whisky, you might say. It comes in and 46% and offers good value at 40 quid.

Teeling dark porter

Teeling next and a visit to Dublin, almost a full decade after they came to see us with a selection of drams. This was a dark porter finish whiskey, we think a blend. Beer finishes are a real feature of their range, and they often exchange casks back and forth with the nearby Dock Brewery.

We liked this one, too. A mixture of cereal and chocolately flavours, so very much like Coco Pops. A short finish, but very nice, and a general thumbs up. Again this was 46% and decent value at just over the £40 mark.

Glasgow / I&G finish

The Glasgow distillery was the origin of whisky number seven, a golden beer cask finish from a partnership with high-profile Scottish brewery Innis and Gunn.

At 58% this was a "real bruiser". We "sort of" got dried fruits on the palate, certainly a little bit raisiny anyway. Biscuity, like shortbread. A little bit of water did the job for quite a few of us. It's mostly sold out, but it's £55-60 where available.

Caol Ila 12yo

Which brought us onto the almost inevitable big peat finish. A Murray McDavid, 12-year-old Caol Ila, matured in imperial stout casks.

This was very nice stuff, although at first we didn't really feel like we got too much beer out of it. A pretty typical Caol Ila really, not that this is a bad thing. A long aftertaste, so that was very pleasant, and maybe made it a trifle softer than a typical Islay. Lovely really. I've written at the end of my notes "probably the best whisky of the night but I want to vote for someone else" so who knows what I really meant by that. This was 52.3% and was £89.

It did well in the dram of the night voting, but not quite well enough. The winner was dram seven, the Glasgow/Innis and Gunn collaboration, with 12 votes, ahead of the Caol Ila with 10. All except the Belgians got at least one vote, though!

Thanks to all club members for taking part in such a great evening, and to everyone at the Seven Oaks for hosting us again.

What I Did On My Holidays (in Japan)

 

The first six bottles

Earlier in the year I went to Japan on holiday with the family, and brought back some whiskies to share with everyone at the club. I managed fit five into a spare suitcase, and added one sourced here in the UK and then a bonus seventh dram from the club's stocks, to present a varied line-up of Japanese drams.

Hishida Newborn No 1

We haven't often had much from Japan at the club over the years, simply because there isn't that much of it around and what there is, is pretty sought after and therefore expensive. So this particular tasting was one of the most anticipated we've run, and sold out to members on the very morning tickets went on sale.

No pressure then, and the first whisky in the line-up was brand new. Trying to source some drams not typically available in the UK led me to the Hishida Newborn No 1, the inaugural release from Tensei Shuzo, which admittedly has 120 years of making sake and shochu behind it. Hishida is the name of their water supply on Kyushu Island, and they say the warm climate helps it mature quickly.

Nikka Session

A mixture of malt and grain whisky, with the malt coming from the UK and Germany and some local grain, the malt is matured in a mix of port and white oak casks with the grain spending time in ex-bourbon. I paid £27 for this in a whisky shop in Osaka, and it's 47%. Tasting a bit new makey, it did give us bits of cinnamon, tea and some smoke, along with a more vanilla and woody aftertaste.

Next was one of the big names in Japanese whisky, Nikka, and their Session blend. The category of 'world blend' is quite common, with producers mixing a little home spirit with stuff sources from places including Scotland and Canada. This particular expression is a cut above some of those lower quality offerings, using liquid from Nikka's three distilleries - two in Japan and Ben Nevis, which they own.

Light and sweet, with hints of green apples, tropical fruit, mint and a certain pepperiness, this is a nice easy drinker. It's 43% and I got it in Tokyo for just £19, although if you want a bottle here it'll set you back several times that.

Hibiki BC

The other biggie in the Japanese whisky canon is Suntory, and I represented them in this tasting with a bottle of Blenders Choice from the Hibiki brand. This was launched a few years back in place of their 17-year-old, presumably so they could make more of a relatively scarce resource. A mix of malts from Yamazaki and Hakushu, along with some of their Chita grain whisky, this was another sweet one. Toffee and custard on the nose, almost like creme brulee. More green apples too, although we weren't sure about the official tasting note of creamy rice pudding.

This is typically £200 in the UK, although I paid just over half that for my bottle, in the same Tokyo shop where I got the Nikka. 

For half-time I rustled up some sweet Japanese snacks from the shop around the corner from the Seven Oaks in Chinatown, and dished out some different flavoured packets of the classic Pocky to everyone (although not straight from the freezer, as recommended here by Hatsune Miku).

Sakurao Sherry Cask

A newer name in Japanese whisky is Sakurao, a distillery based on the coast near Hiroshima. As with most booze manufacturers in Japan it has a long history of brewing and distilling other drinks, and even produced whisky before moving away from it in the 1980s, coming back since 2018 as a highball craze helps boost local interest in whisky.

This was their sherry cask, the first addition to their new core range. No age statement but probably about three years or so, this was aged in cream sherry hogsheads. Matured close to the sea in one of the distillery's two ageing locations, this has savoury notes with hints of miso but also a jammy sweetness from the sherry, there were hints of chocolate and marzipan on the palate. Very nice indeed. This was 50% and cost me £67, again picked up in Osaka.

BBR Togouchi

Whisky number five was the one I added to the list here in the UK. The Sakurao distillery has a second brand, Togouchi, and I had a bottling of it from Berry Brothers and Rudd. Togouchi was previously used for their lower-quality world blends, but the distillery is now trying to reimagine it for some of their own produce, although in contrast to the Sakurao this is matured in a second location, an old railway tunnel.

This was a single malt, and according to BBR it's "crisp, poised and fragrant." We certainly got some familiar green apples from it, on both the nose and the palate, with minerals and spiciness as well. It's available for £95 and comes in at 50.8%.

Akkeshi

I pushed the boat out a bit for dram number six. Looking for something cask strength and independently bottled, neither of which are necessarily commonplace in drams widely available at a reasonable price even in Japan, I found a bottling of Akkeshi to share. This is a newish distillery on the northern Hokkaido island, aimed at being a 'little Lagavulin' for its Islay stylings.

The particular expression, Hanaguwashi Karinpani, was a joint bottling from a consortium of four Tokyo whisky bars and shops, including the well-known Liquors Hasegawa, a shop in the arcade underneath the capital's main railway station. This was matured mainly in sherry casks, with some use of Japanese mizunara and cherry wood, to complement the peated spirit.

It was available by lottery only so I picked up a bottle second hand, paying a rather over-the-odds £203, in a shop in Osaka.  The reward was floral notes on the nose, including the inevitable cherry blossoms as seen on the label. The taste was custard, with citrus, ginger and a definite smoky saltiness.

The first half a dozen (and a pint)

There was a bonus seventh dram (no photo of this, so you'll have to take my word for it). Another Nikka, a Coffey Grain: Woody and Mellow, brought back from the distillery itself some years ago by club member Tom. This was a no age statement replacement for their 12-year-old, as they also tried to make the most of their perhaps limited stocks.

Soft and sweet with strong notes of maple and fruit on both the nose and the palate, this was very nice, with a long aftertaste and hints of rum and molasses. Tom got this for £35 locally, although you can pick it up for a shade under £100 here.

Dram of the night was, perhaps unsurprisingly for a membership which often loves a peat monster, the Akkeshi with 13 votes. The Sakurao was second and the Togouchi third.

Thanks to all club members for making it such a great tasting, and to all at the Seven Oaks for hosting us again.

Billy from the Whisky Exchange

 

The full line-up

In June we had a special guest to lead the tasting. Billy Abbot from top spirits retailer the Whisky Exchange was with us to guide us through half a dozen choices, (mostly) still available to buy.

Linkwood 10yo

And we kicked us off with an expression from the Whisky Exchange's line-up of Seasons drams. Representing 'Spring' we had a 10-year-old Linkwood, matured in a single refill bourbon cask.

Billy told us the Spring whiskies are aimed at showing off fresh, fruity and zingy flavours. This one delivered, and gave us pears, citrus fruits, a hint of mint and fruity chewing gum. There wasn't much oak in evidence really, giving the spirit itself a chance to come through nicely, and strongly.

Very summery and easy to drink, we thought, ideal to have with a barbecue. It was 57.7% and cost a very reasonable £68.

BBR Macduff 21yo

For the second dram we went to Berry Brothers and Rudd, the legendary London wines and spirits retailer and regular bottler of quality drams. This was a 21-year-old Macduff, matured in a sherry butt.

"Taste the distillery, not the wood" urged Billy, and this tasted stronger than whisky number one, as well it might have done at 58%. This was lovely, really good, with strong notes of pineapple and tropical fruit. Some members thought it was better with a little water. It cost £169.

Ben Nevis

Billy himself was looking back at us from the label of whisky number three. This was part of a series of bottles produced for the Whisky Show, run by the Whisky Exchange, featuring various members of the WE team.

Ben Nevis, owned by Nikka in Japan, is a popular distillery with club members. This was an example of a 'dirty Ben Nevis' we felt, all chewy and tasty with lots of red fruits in evidence. It was 60.2% and cost again a very fair £72.

After a half-time break giving us the chance to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Seven Oaks, we were back for another trio.

Whistlepig 13yo

Dram four was in fact a rye whiskey, from Whistlepig, and for Billy was "the most ridiculous thing we've bottled at the Whisky Exchange." Rather than from Whistlepig's Vermont base, this Amburana Rye was made in Indiana by spirits giant MGP, and was a mix of 95% rye to 5% malted barley, aged for more than 12 years in American oak.

Here's the thing: it didn't really taste like whiskey at all. Very sweet on the nose, it was giving coconut and mint, almost mint choc chip ice cream. It had spent a mere ten days in an amburana cask, a trendy and very aggressive South American wood that imparts flavour on liquid very quickly. This gave it so much flavour, especially on the nose, and it ended up reminding us of liquor chocolates or After Eight mints. Weird in a good way. It was £175 and 43%.

Kilchoman 11yo

Back to Scotland for whisky five and to Islay for some Kilchoman. Billy had picked out an 11-year-old, aged in a first fill ex-bourbon cask and bottled for the 2023 Whisky Show. "This is non-messed with, unadulterated stuff."

At 54.5% this was "not overpowering, just nice." This was smoky and peaty, but more in a subtle barbecue rather than punch in the nose sort of way. It was £140, and so there were perhaps one or two cheaper options from earlier in the night more likely to get us reaching for our virtual wallets.

G&M Caol Ila

We finished off with the very last bottle of something special.

A 19-year-old Caol Ila, so another Islay whisky, bottled by Gordon and Macphail back in 2021. Billy told us when smoky whisky gets older it tends to become more fruity and mellow, and this is a good example. It is apparently unusual to get such an old Caol Ila, as the younger ones tend to be very nice.

This smelt absolutely great. So much so we almost didn't want to taste it. But it was delicious and gave us a huge amount of flavour. It was 57.6% although you can't get it anymore.

Which brought us to the dram of the night voting, and all six secured at least one vote, always the sign of a great tasting. The winner though was the Ben Nevis with ten votes, just ahead of the opening Linkwood in second and then the Caol Ila third.

Our thanks to Billy for visiting us and picking out such a great selection, and to all club members and guests for coming along.

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.