Everything Over 20

 Our September tasting was a premium one with all whiskies over 20 years old. Full details to come.

Sam's Delicious Drams

 A full report on our usual August tasting will appear here (spoiler: dram of the night was a Glen Scotia).

A Visit From Springbank

The full line-up

We were fortunate to have a bonus tasting in August, a rare additional meeting on a Tuesday night.

Campbeltown Loch

The reason: a special visit from one of the best known names in Scotch whisky, Springbank.

Andrew Wallace from the distillery joined us all the way from Campbeltown, weighed down with seven bottles of good stuff that we were all too happy to relieve him of.

He started us off with a blend, Campbeltown Loch. Named for the old Andy Stewart song (he of the White Heather Club: ask your parents, or probably grandparents), this blended malt is a new iteration of a brand which has been on shelves for decades.

Hazelburn 10yo

Andrew explained it's now produced to a relatively new recipe, with five and six-year-old liquid, with all single malts produced in Campbeltown represented (including Springbank's other brands Longrow and Hazelburn, as well as those from the town's other distilleries, Glen Scotia and the Springbank-owned Glengyle). It was quite light when first reintroduced to the market, apparently, but has more sherried stuff in it now hence a darker colour.

We felt we still got more influence from the ex-bourbon whisky though. A bit dry or salty, quite breakfasty with some cereal flavours as well. The RRP is £42 and it comes in at 46%.

Springbank 18yo

Onto Hazelburn next and a 10-year-old described as something of an 'entry level' dram for the brand. Unpeated and triple distilled, this expression was again 46%.

Club members thought this was light, creamy and even tropical. Dried tropical fruits was one suggestion for the palate, with hints of the likes of mango and apricot. It costs £55.

The first bottling of Springbank itself for the evening was whisky number three. At one time, not all that long ago, Springbanks were a regular sight on the shelves of whisky shops everywhere, but having become flavour of the month during and after Covid, they are now rather harder to come by.

Springbank 5yo

The one in the purple label was an 18-year-old, part of a limited annual release at this age. This particular version is due out fairly soon, so we were getting a welcome preview. 

Even though just 5% of the casks used here were ex-rum, we all felt the rum came through the strongest on the palate. It really did taste very lovely, although at £120 some felt the earlier bottles we'd already had offered better value overall. It was again 46%.

Springbank also has a five-year-old on the market, called 100 Proof, and it was up next. At one time distilleries were very reluctant to put a number on the front of their bottles if it was below 10, but with the similarly in-demand Ardbeg also offering a 5yo that seems to be changing.

Springbank 10yo

This particular expression was from the first batch of these, back in August 2025. Andrew told us the availability of more liquid was part of a decision some years ago to expand production, from which the distillery is starting to reap the rewards. This cask strength dram, at 57.1%, hit a lot of the classic Springbank notes: citrus with a hint of peat too. It's £48.

After a half-time break when we could refill our beer glasses downstairs at the Seven Oaks, Andrew picked up with three more drams for us.

Whisky five was the Springbank 10yo, a vatting cask from its manzanilla sherry series. Not out yet, hence the handwritten sticker on the label, this is nice and strong again at 56.2%.

Longrow peated

A bit fiery for some perhaps. We got notes of saltiness, as well as more citrus and a general dryness. A bit harsh, some drinkers felt, or even burny, but that's just what the doctor ordered for others. This will be £95 if you can get it.

Back to Longrow for whisky six and a no age statement peated expression, although again Andrew said the whisky inside the bottle was five to six years old.

A mixture of bourbon and sherry cask, mixed together at the end, this was very lightly peated only and had a very nice nose. Milder than we had expected, in fact. Although originally aimed at imitating Islay whiskies, the sort of peat you get from Springbank is less coastal, more smoky and campfire-y. It's 46% and is available for about £45.

Longrow 10yo

To finish a bit more from Longrow, and a 10-year-old distillery exclusive, of the sort made available daily in its famous 'cage'. This was fully matured in fresh sherry, giving us a "sweet and peat" combination that is often irresistible.

"This is spectacular really" someone offered. Delicious and beautifully balanced, this was well worth every penny of the £72 and a bit more. The ABV was 55.4%. It's enough to make you want to drive all the way to Campbeltown in the hope of picking up something just as good.

That brought us to the dram of the night voting, and as good as that closer was, there was a clear winner: whisky five, the Springbank 10yo, picked up a remarkable 19 votes. There were seven for the Longrow 10yo, with the peated Longrow in third.

Thanks to all club members and those on the waiting list for attending, and to everyone at the Seven Oaks for looking after us as ever, but special thanks to Andrew for fitting us in to his busy schedule, taking the wonders of Springbank out on the road.

We drank all of these

 

Go With The Grain

July's tasting was hosted by club member David and focused on showcasing some great grain whiskies.

Full details to follow.

Our June Tasting

Club member Stewart took the reins for our tasting in June,

I wasn't there to provide the usual report but here's what we had.

We paid £115 for the 20-year-old Bruichladdich via Whiskybroker, the 50yo Invergordon was £225 from Uncharted and the Signatory Blair Athol bottling was £47.75. In the second half, we paid £60 for the Glentauchers from Living Souls, the Balblair set us back £55 and the Loch Lomond Inchmoan at the end cost £43.

There were two dram of the night votes, one for the best whisky overall and the second for the best value.

Overall: the 50yo Invergordon took this with 13 votes, ahead of the Highland Laird Balblair from Bartels in second.

Best value: this went to the Signatory Blair Athol on 14 votes, again the Balblair was runner up!

Bruichladdich 20yo

Invergordon 50yo (!)

Signatory Blair Athol

Living Souls Glentauchers 11yo

Balblair 14yo

Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12yo

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.