Scotland Win The World Cup!

 

The full line-up

For our May tasting there was an opportunity for a whisky-sport crossover, with six drams representing six of the competing countries in the World Cup.

The Portuguese

Getting in ahead of the football itself meant there was time to show off a Scottish bottle before the inevitable group stage exit, but more of that later.

First up, we visited Portugal, a nation better known for its on the pitch exploits rather than dramming, so all the more reason to see what they had to offer. Venakki describes itself as the pioneer of Portuguese whisky and says its access to top quality wine casks helps set it apart from other producers. It has a range of other spirits as well as single malts, but we had a bottle of their blended expression The Portuguese, kindly brought across by club member Pedro.

This particular blend was from a mix of medium-rich Madeira, Muscatel and Douro wine casks. On the nose there was a sweet, citrussy vibe, and there was more fruit and spice on the palate. No great surprise that there was also vanilla and oak in there, given the likely youth of the liquid. Not a bad start to the evening. It was £47 and came in at 48% ABV.

Dunrobin Pear Wood

Next to World Cup co-hosts Canada, and a bottle of Pear Wood from the Dunrobin distillery, that I picked up at Toronto Airport last year. We haven't often dipped into Canadian whisky at the club over the years, even though it is one of the nations most associated with whisky its reputation for new and interesting drams probably hasn't kept pace with other, trendier producing countries, from Japan to Ireland. All the more reason to see what this newer producer had for us.

As with Vennaki, Dunrobin produces a range of spirits as well as whisky expressions. Pear wood, the stuff you get from wild pear trees, is more commonly used in furniture making. That pear certainly came through on the nose of this dram, which was matured in ex-bourbon casks. There was some spiciness around again, although the vanilla, oakiness was strong too, and it was if anything fairly undistinguished unfortunately. It was 43% and I paid £60 for a 75cl bottle.

SMWS Armorik

France is another nation with a strong football pedigree, but the produce of Brittany-based distillery Armorik has won warm praise at the club in the past. It has quite a Celtic vibe, and the climate means the whisky is made in a Scottish or Irish style. We went back here for an indie bottling courtesy of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Called Cinnamon Chili Chocolate Cupcakes, this was officially the SMWS bottling 157.2. Matured in a first-fill ex-oloroso sherry butt, I bought this seven-year-old back in 2023 for £85.

Once again this was very good, definitely the pick of the first half. Pear drops and sherbet on the nose, a mix of chocolate and spice on the palate, and some definite toffee and and creamy notes around as well. As with all SMWS bottlings it was a hefty cask strength, a healthy 61.5%.

The English 14yo

Following a half-time break for some oranges, or more typically another pint from the downstairs bar at the Seven Oaks, we were back for the next trio.

England were represented by whisky number four, and indeed it was a trip to the first 'modern' English distillery, St George's in Norfolk which now goes by the brand name The English. It started a full two decades ago now, back when the WAGs were all hanging around Baden Baden, This particular bottle was a 14-year-old, triple distilled in 2011 and bottled last November. Listed as number B2/0159 it was an event exclusive (although memories are slightly blurred as to exactly which event we picked this one up at).

G&M Inchgower

The English do a range of styles, but in general their core offerings are known for being quite creamy and fruity. There were no tasting notes for this on the bottle and I was hosting the event, I forgot to take any notes of what everyone thought! But I'm assuming it was pretty decent as it did attract a few votes in the dram of the night voting. It was 57.4% and we paid £75.

I was keen for the Scottish bottle to date from the last time Scotland were in the World Cup, back in 1998 (I remember coming home from school to watch the opening game against Brazil, truly we are going back a fair old while). I was able to track down a 26-year-old Inchgower, bottled by Gordon and MacPahil as part of their Connoisseur's Choice range, that was fully matured in a refill sherry butt. Inchgower itself is a Diageo distillery in Speyside, up near the coast, and most of it goes into Bell's.

SMWS Balcones

I paid £204 for this from the Aberdeen Whisky Shop, thanks to a sale price and a discount code, because the RRP was £265. A rich chocolate and coffee on the nose, giving way to stewed fruit and marmalade on the palate. Hints of spice and pepper too. Really great stuff all round, although you'd expect that given the pedigree of the bottle. It was 54.8%.

Back to another of the co-hosts for the final dram, and the all-American Balcones distillery from Waco in Texas. Another SMWS bottling, numbered 140.19, this three-year-old was dubbed Maple Syrup on a Leather Stirrup. This was distilled in 2019, so after the departure of the distillery's founder Chip Tate but before its later purchase by Diageo, and was matured in a charred new oak barrel.

And there was definitely barbecue flavour to be had here, especially on the palate. Sweet, sticky ribs and some dried fruit too. Very nice indeed. It was 63.3%, but was a much easier drinker than that implies, and cost £85, again back in 2023.

Which brought us to the dram of the night voting, and Scotland came out on top with no fewer than 14. The runner-up was France with seven, while England the USA tied for third on four.

Thank you to all club members and those on the waiting list for coming along, and to all at the Seven Oaks for hosting us.

An 'Exclusives' Tasting

 

The full line-up

For our tasting in April, committee member Martin took us into the club's stocks and through some auction finds, to showcase a selection of 'exclusive' bottlings of one kind or another.

Auchentoshan port finish

It was Auchentoshan first, for a 'bottle your own' dram from the distillery itself. This was a port finish dating from 2022, at just over nine-years-old.

This had a beautiful mouthfeel. Raisins with a very fruity nose, turned into something heavier and oilier when tasted. Very porty, and not the usual lighter style often associated with Auchentoshan. On this occasion the water didn't really help, some drinkers felt, and it was fine as it came at 57.9%. This set us back £90 at the time.

Glencadam single cask

A rare single cask from Glencadam was whisky number two. This madeira finish was bottled for the former Manchester ship Tipples which closed recently, hence the bargain price of £75.

This was definitely very punchy, as you might have expected with an ABV of 63.5%. Some in the room went straight for a drop of water. "Strong tasting" and "it needs a drop" was a rough consensus. We got a sharp aniseed or liquorice from it. It burned a little bit on the way down, with further notes of almond or Bakewell tart. Plenty of folks enjoyed this one.

Aberlour 13yo

Another distillery exclusive for dram three, a 2021 bottling from Aberlour. This was a 13-year-old aged in American oak.

The nose was impressive here. Bits of cereal, light and floral, and tropical fruits such as pineapples all to the fore. It was powerful on the palate too, and tasted a little stronger than the 51.3% on the label. Punchy again, with more of a dried fruit taste, along with a buttery and creamy aftertaste. It was good value at £80, we felt.

Glenburgie 23yo

Half-time meant a trip downstairs at the Seven Oaks to refill our beer glasses, before it was back for another trio of drams.

Martin's scouring of the auction sites brought us number four, a 2018 bottling from The Whisky Exchange. It was a 23-year-old Glenburgie aged in bourbon cask, produced to mark what was the 20th anniversary of TWE, under its in-house Signatory brand.

This was 57% so very strong for the age. It tasted delicious, with green apples and a generally fresh and refreshing feel on the palate. A "classic bourbon" for many in the room, this was a real favourite so far. It was £160 when released and we paid the same.

Braeval 16yo

The Artisan Spirits Company is a holding company for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and related concerns, and from there came a 16-year-old Braeval available only to its shareholders. Most of the liquid from this distillery ends up in Chivas blends so it's relatively seldom seen under its own name.

We had a 16-year-old sherry cask to try. This was "smoky but not" with charcoal and the dying embers of a fire on the nose. When tasting it, we got lots of slightly sweet but mostly savoury notes, including leather, treacle, toffee and a brothy quality. This was 60.4% and cost us £70 with the discount available at the time of purchase. As often the case with the SMWS, a quality dram.

Ben Nevis 6yo

The last one of the night took us back to The Whisky Exchange for a Ben Nevis, but unusually, a peated expression. A young one at 6yo only, this was a refill sherry cask coming in at 55%.

Funky and a bit strange we felt, but then Ben Nevis often is. Big on the nose with Frazzles and barbecue notes, certainly not subtle to start with. Things mellowed out a bit on the palate. Perhaps a few more years might have done it more of a favour, but good all the same. It cost us £65.

The Ben Nevis was the only one of the bottles not to attract a vote during the dram of the night poll. But the winner was whisky four, the 23yo Glenburgie, which got 11 votes, three ahead of the Braeval with the opening Auchentoshan third.

Thanks to Martin for picking out such a grand selection for us, and to all club members and those on the waiting list for attending, as well as to all at the Seven Oaks for hosting us once again.

Uncharted Whisky Company

 

The full line-up

We had a guest tasting for our March event, with Jack from indie bottler the Uncharted Whisky Company joining us at the Seven Oaks to take us through half of a dozen of their recent releases.

Blue Collection 8yo

Based near Glasgow, Jack set up the company with partner and fellow industry veteran Dana. They say they seek out drams which are weird, wonderful and extraordinary, bottling them as and when rather than sticking to a set schedule. They use a wine-style 'minimal intervention' approach, avoiding colouring, filtration and finishing casks to present the whisky as is.

For us, we started with an 8-year-old called Blue Collection, hailing from the Aultmore distillery. A small batch single malt, Jack said this was actually more like a 10-year-old given most of what was inside the bottle, a mixture of liquid from a handful of ex-bourbon barrels.

Aberlour 11yo

This had a lot of tropical fruit going on. Tasting notes included pineapple and melon, along with vanilla from the bourbon and sweet floral notes, including icing sugar and lemon drizzle cake. Another one that came to mind was a packed of dried tropical fruit mix. It was perhaps a little on the thin side and didn't particularly get better with water according to those who tried it, but a good start to the tasting all round. It was 46% and it costs £43.

Aberlour next for the second whisky, another Speyside. Matured in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks, this was called the Ace of Speys, as they have a general policy of titling their bottlings with song references. Coming in at 55%, this costs £79.

10yo blended malt

This was certainly sweet but not too cloying, we felt. Maple syrup on pancakes in there, also dark chocolate too, but maybe just a little bit sweeter than that. "More dates than raisins" as someone suggested. This went down very well all round.

There was more PX on show for the third whisky, a blended malt aged in a refill firkin. A real mixed up dram this with bits from all sorts, including a hint of peat, but it was mainly sherried and came in at a natural cask strength of 45.7%.

It really clung to the glass. Oily and juicy. A bit weird as befits the somewhat Frankenstein nature of the drink, but not at all bad, and one or two in particular were really keen on it. Lost a bit after the first sip. It was a 10-year-old, but was only available to buy at tastings such as this one rather than going on general sale.

Highland Park 22yo

Following an opportunity to refill our beer glasses downstairs, we were back for the second half.

We were going north to Orkney and Highland Park for dram four. A lightly peated 22-year-old, this one was called Park Life. Also 55%, this costs £99.

Some club members thought this was a little different and maltier to what they'd have expected from a Highland Park. It was sweet on the nose, with hints of herbs and popcorn. As we got into drinking it, tasting notes included Horlicks and Sugar Puffs, although someone suggested it was more like off-brand cereal than the real thing. Another shout was for a warm, flat lemony soft drink. Certainly another memorable drink.

Bunnahabhain 7yo

Things were only getting more peated from here on in as we moved to Islay and Bunnahabhain for the fifth whisky of the evening. Called A Whole Lotta Rose, this was fully matured in fresh red wine barriques. No wonder it looked distinctly pink.

There was a lot going on here, we felt. It certainly didn't pull its punches. Bubblegum, kiwi fruit, lychee and jam were all suggestions from around the room. Very drinkable, and one that got more interesting after a few sips. "Delicious, really nice" and "amazing" thought those near me, as the glasses were drained very quickly. Great value for £59, this was £55.

Ledaig 15yo

Which brought us to the final drink and a Ledaig, the peaty expressions produced by the Tobermory distillery on Mull. We had a 15-year-old vatting of three casks considered 'high loss' in the sense that much of the whisky had disappeared to the Angel's Share over the years.

Super peaty this, but "not way up there" at the same time. Great on the nose, one drinker felt this was a "classic Ledaig at just the right level". The real difficulty was trying to avoid a bottle slipping into your back pocket. It was 53.4%.

Which meant it was time for the dram of the night voting. Five of the six whiskies got at least one vote and there was barely anything to choose between them, as drams two to six all got either six, seven or eight votes from the membership. But just ahead was dram two, the Aberlour, one ahead of drams three and five.

Thanks to all club members and the team at the Seven Oaks for another great tasting, and especially to Jack for sharing such a great selection with us.

Sherry January

 

The full line-up

Club chairman James started off the year for us with a selection of half a dozen sherried drams.

Decadent Drams 17yo

He aimed at six whiskies with full sherry maturation, although due to some slightly unclear labelling it ended up as five plus one that was a sherry finish. Three dry, three sweet, and five of the six were independently bottled.

The opening whisky was The Teuchter, a 17-year-old expression from Decadent Drams. Described as a modern Highland, James told us this was likely to be a Tomatin.

We got Christmas pudding and dark chocolate from this, some real classic sherry whisky flavours. It tasted fuller and stronger than you might have thought, and some thought it was a bit astringent. Liquorice came through as well. A solid sherry bomb of an opener, this was 46% and cost £65.

Tormore 10yo

Next a 10-year-old bottle of Tormore, a distillery now part of the Elixir empire created by the founders of the Whisky Exchange. This was a full maturation in cream sherry, although James confirmed this was not necessarily an old cask of Harvey's Bristol Cream.

There were pear drops and sherbet, definitely not as juicy as the opening whisky. There was some discussion in the group as to whether we were getting any of the creaminess. A dry, shorter finish. The nose and texture were very nice, but the taste wasn't quite as strong we didn't feel. Other tasting notes included hints of something floral, citrus peel and spice. This was 48% and we paid £55.

SMWS Mortlach

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society provided dram number three, an 18-year-old Mortlach. Much excitement in the room at the presentation of a dram from this distillery, often tough to get hold off at an affordable price. We paid £125 for this particular bottle, matured in oloroso sherry, and called Behold the Beast.

Ooft! This was certainliy chewy. Tannin on the finish. Very long, but maybe with a hint of bitterness in there too. Certainly very dry. Better with water, some in the room felt. It certainly was able to take water ok, as you might expect given the 54.3% ABV.

Clydebuilt 12yo

Half-time gave us a chance to refill our glasses downstairs at the Seven Oaks, and we were back for another sherried trio.

Clydebuilt was the brand name of whisky number four, and under the label it was probably a Benrinnes, bottled by the Ardgowan distillery. Aged in a dry manzanilla, coming in at a hefty 61.1%.

It didn't feel as strong as that, and the many flavours didn't get swamped by that strength. We got a maritime vibe with some sea salt, along with the creaminess of cream soda and ice cream. Some felt it took water well, while others said they thought a drop or two actually dulled the taste a bit too much. One last random tasting note: dolly mixtures! It cost £80.

Deanston 12yo

Dram five was the odd one out, a 12-year-old Deanston that was only finished in a moscatel port pipe rather than fully matured.

This was very unexpected on the palate. Oaky, a bit rough, with a hint of sandpaper. We also got some wood and candlewax. Actually on the sweet side as these things go, some were a bit on the fence about it. But on the other hand, this is a popular brand with many club members and at £55 for a 55.8% whisky, it was certainly affordable.

Glen Garioch 27yo

James has a particular feeling for Glen Garioch so that's where we were going for the sixth and final whisky. A 27-year-old bottled by Thompson Bros, at £195. But as James told us, "they don't often miss" and Glen Garioch arguably shines a bit better when bottled by an indie.

This was matured in a fino cask, and didn't have the colour we might have expected from such a long maturation. Nevertheless it's quite a delicate sherry, so even at this age it made some sense. The nose was superb although some felt the palate didn't quite deliver on it. The ABV on this was 49.3%.

Which brought us to the dram of the night voting. All except the Tormore got at least one vote, as ever a sign of strength in depth at any tasting.

But the clear winner was the SMWS Mortlach with 16, ahead of the Clydebuilt and Decadent Drams offerings in second and third.

Thanks to James for putting on such a great opening tasting of 2026, to all club members and guests for attending and to the Seven Oaks for hosting us once again.

Merry Christmas from Manchester Whisky Club

 

It's Merry Christmas from all of us at the Manchester Whisky Club!

Here's a short video from our annual Christmas party at the Seven Oaks. Thanks to all members for bringing a superb selection of drams to share, as well as a great table of homebakes and other goodies.

We're already looking forward to another successful year in 2026.

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.