Christmas Party 2022

 

The whisky table

We gathered upstairs once again at the Britons' Protection for the Manchester Whisky Club Christmas party. It's the annual event where we bring back the bits and bobs of whisky we didn't finish at the tastings through the year, and members bring a few snacks and homebakes to help us through the evening.

Thanks again to everyone who attended a tasting throughout the year, and to all at the Britons for helping to take care of us. We've also been enjoying our latest club bottling (below), an excellent 14 year-old Caol Ila.

We'll be back with more in the new year, as the club marks its tenth anniversary. Merry Christmas!

Our latest club bottling

Cask Strength Islay

 

The full line up

For November's tasting we visited one of the club's favourite destinations - Islay - for an evening of cask strength drams from the home of peated whisky.

Untold Richest

With Martin guiding us through the list, we began slightly counter-intuitively, with something unpeated. It was old, 28 years-old in fact, and was a Wemyss Malts Bunnahabhain called Untold Riches. The liquid comes from no fewer than 31 casks, mostly bourbon-aged but with some sherry cask as well.

We wouldn't have pegged this one as an Islay, if we hadn't known. It was chocolatey and spicy with distinctive notes of cereal and oats. Quite spirity too, still quite a lot of life in it despite the age and the 49.1% ABV. Certainly a great way to start the evening. We got our bottle when it was released for the RRP of £150, but these days you'd be lucky to find one at auction for anything less than £325.

Bowmore 15yo

Bowmore was next, another of Islay's great distilleries. We had a Feis Ile bottling, released for the annual Islay festival. This put us immediately in mind of last November's tasting when we had a whole series of festival drams.

The Bowmore was a 15yo released for the 2022 festival, costing £110. And it was clear from the first taste this was something extra special. Bourbon, chocolate and coffee were all over this. Really fruity, with an extra hit of coffee beans again at the end. Lovely all round. It was 54.7%.

Spiritfilled Port Charlotte

October's tasting from Spiritfilled was one bottle short due to the vagaries of the postal service, but the bottle did eventually turn up and slotted into this tasting as whisky number three. 

This was a forthcoming Port Charlotte, a bourbon cask 13 year-old clocking in at 58%. At the time of our tasting, this had a total availability of one! But this will be changing soon as it gets a broader release. This was certainly a very punchy dram, and went down particularly well with those who enjoy the big Islay peat monsters (this is a not insignificant proportion of club members!).  It's £145 for pre-order.

Caol Ila 9yo

After a half-time break, giving everyone the chance to recharge their beer glasses downstairs at the Britons' Protection bar, we were back for the second trio of whiskies.

Next up was a bottling created for the Southport Whisky Club, a 9 year-old Caol Ila. A sherried Caol Ila is a relative rarity which is what caught Martin's eye when he picked it up for us for £75 (there was a discount involved here, we think the bottle itself is probably no longer available).

This had a high ABV of 57.9% but was nevertheless very smooth. In fact it was "surprisingly chill" as someone put it. Very peaty as well, of course, with some ripe bananas at the end. This got the nod as being a "quintessential Islay", a classical sort of dram and a great example of the combination of sherry and peat.

Lagavulin

Lagavulin was dram number five. On this occasion, a no age statement bottling from 2018, consisting of a vatting of two types of cask, a heavily charred refill bourbon and an American oak.

This didn't feel like a Lagavulin to us, although "it is Laggy adjacent" as someone suggested. A really good dram, with more of a subtle sweetness than you'd expect from the distillery. A little bit muted even, but not in a bad way at all. There was something creamy about it too. It was £100 and came in at 53.5%

Kilchoman

The final dram of the night involved a visit to Islay's farm distillery, Kilchoman, and a bottle created especially for Robertson's of Pitlochry, a notable independent whisky retailer. This was a single cask whisky, aged in a refilled bourbon barrel from Woodford Reserve, then finished for a year in a French oak tequila barrel. It was £90 and 54%.

This was lovely on the nose, and in fact some thought the palate didn't quite live up to the promise. Sweet and fruity, there were mixed views on whether the tequila really added anything much to the mix here. American cream soda was another tasting note.

That brought us to the dram of the night voting, and the Bowmore ran out a clear winner with 15 votes, ahead of the Spiritfilled Port Charlotte in second place.

Thanks to Martin for selecting and presenting such a great range of Islay whiskies, to all at the Britons for hosting us again, and to club members old and new for joining us to take part.

Mythical Beasts From Spiritfilled

 

The evening's line up

For October's meeting of the Manchester Whisky Club, we were treated to our first brand tasting since the pandemic. Ross and Russell from cask broker and independent bottler Spiritfilled were on hand to share their story so far, and to allow us to try some of the expressions they've released under their Mythical Beasts label.

Ardlair 11yo

We had four to try (the fifth, a forthcoming Port Charlotte, was delayed in the post, but we're looking forward to having it next month instead). 

The opening dram was an Ardlair. Not a name that is seen all that often - it is in fact an unpeated Ardmore, a Highland distillery best known as the key component of the Teacher's blend. An 11-year-old, this was finished for the last 18 months in a PX sherry cask.

And at 53.5% it was certainly a bit fiery. "Don't be afraid to add water" was some early advice. We got green apples on the nose, then pears and toffee apples when it was tasted, so a good dram for the time of year. The finish was quite long as well, and citrussy. Very flavourful all round, you certainly know you've tasted it. It was dry too, almost like a dry white wine as someone suggested. It's £68. Not bad value for a whisky with plenty going on.

Glenrothes 15yo

More sherry next, in the shape of a Glenrothes. This spent the full 15 years in a first fill sherry butt. A Speyside, Glenrothes also has a long association with a particular blend, in this cask Cutty Sark.

Ross and Russell said this tasted so big out of the cask, they had to "bring it down a bit" to 55% before bottling. This had chewy sweets (like Fruit Salad) and ginger biscuits on the nose, and a bit of vanilla too. On taking a sip, this was thick and unctuous, with dates and fruitcake. Very Christmassy. Some water brought out some orangey notes as well. It's £120.

After a short break to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Britons Protection, we were back for dram three and the most expensive bottle - at time of purchasing - we've ever had, in almost ten years of the club.

Fettercairn 32yo

It was a 32-year-old Fettercairn, bottled from a cask which had been held by a Birmingham woman all that time. It went into an ex-Bourbon hogshead in July 1989, when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and Soul II Soul were at number 1. Just 98 bottles exist and we had two of them in the room, and at £425 a pop that's some seriously valuable liquid.

The distillery itself is officially considered a Highland, although in reality the village from which it takes its name is just a short distance from the North Sea.

On the nose we got some rich, dried, fruit, like raisins and apricots. It was sweet to taste, and there was a very pleasant maltiness about it. This was very special to try and we liked it a lot although, sad to say, it was more than a little out of reach in terms of price. It's 48.6%.

Kilchoman 15yo

That brought us to the last dram of the evening and a visit to the Islay distillery of Kilchoman. A small, independent, farm-style distillery, Kilchoman is a real favourite of club members.

This particular Mythical Beasts expression was a 15-year-old private cask release, which spent its entire maturation in a bourbon cask. A little bit of pepper and spice on the nose, and then when tasted a lovely, subtle peated flavour with some vanilla too. I thought this was particularly outstanding (although as we'll see, the membership as a whole had a different favourite). Although at £190 again it's one to push the boat out for. The ABV is 55.5%.

So that brought us to the dram of the night voting, and all four whiskies gained some support from the members in the room. The Kilchoman, in fourth place, still had six votes. But the winner was that sherry bomb Glenrothes, with ten.

Special thanks to Ross and Russell for bringing us such a special selection of whiskies and telling us all about a business that is already going from strength to strength (having been founded in - of all times to do it - March 2020). Thanks also to club members old and new for joining us, and the Britons for hosting us once again.

Bourbon Special

 

The full line-up

Our September tasting had us take a trip over the Atlantic for half a dozen top class bourbons.

Old Forester

And where better to start than Kentucky, the state probably most associated with the golden liquid. We kicked off with Old Forester, as an example of the sort of entry level bourbon that's widely available and won't break the bank. Part of the Brown-Forman group, the Old Forester brand is therefore loosely speaking a sister of Jack Daniel's.

We thought this was a good drop, pleasant and excellent value. It's 43% and £25, although you can sometimes pick it up for less if there's a deal on in your local supermarket. Nothing here to go too deep on but there's a nice aftertaste. Gentle with a bit of spice.

1792 Single Barrel

Moving onto the second whiskey and we stayed in Kentucky for a single barrel 1792, a brand referencing the year it formally became a state. It's owned by the spirits group Sazerac.

The bourbon itself was sweet, and the flavour really hangs around with this. Sugar puffs thought someone (other 1980s breakfast cereals are available), and it's certainly distinctive while also packing a bit of a sweet punch. Approachable at the same time. Among those less keen, one more negative tasting note was that it was a bit on the "grassy" side.

It's 49.3% and will set you back a shade under £60.

Four Roses

Four Roses, next, and their Small Batch Select. This is a whiskey made from a combination of six of the ten recipes used by the distillery, and then matured for six years. The distillery itself is another Kentucky one, although these days it has Japanese owners in the form of Kirin.

Spice and fruit were the key tasting notes here. Fruitcake and grapes were other shouts. Someone also suggested liqourice allsorts (although the ones which aren't entirely liqourice, you know the ones). As someone said "I forgot to add water because I was enjoying it so much." Although praise wasn't completely universal, and others felt there was a bit too much going on, and all those different recipes didn't quite marry together as they might have done.

It's 52% and is £57 - as is typical for bourbons, though, it's a 75cl bottle rather than 70, so offers very slightly better value than it might first appear.

Penelope Barrel Strength

There was a half-time break as ever, allowing us to get another pint from the bar of the Britons Protection, before resuming for bourbon number four.

You might say we went from a pitstop to a Penelope, as in our glasses was the Penelope Barrel Strength. A brand named for the co-founder's new daughter, this was billed as a "high-octane whiskey experience" and for once the marketing bumph had some truth in it. "It costs 72 pounds but tastes more like 72 percent" as someone suggested.

Very whole and well-rounded, salty, and nice despite the big ABV (which in reality is 57.9%). Those who tried it with a bit of water said that opened the flavour out and took away the big kick, although I have to admit I'd finished my glass by then.

The Cadenheads

Cadenheads is the oldest independent bottler around, and we've had many great expressions from there down the years, drawn from all kinds of distilleries. Tonight's choice was an 18-year-old Tennessee, certainly taken from George Dickel, the Diageo-owned distillery, which uses the Scottish spelling of 'whisky' (the label is a bit of a giveaway here).

At £125 we thought this was actually outstanding value for what we got, because it really was something extra special. Smooth and a bit buttery, the way to sum it up is the phrase "like a crème brûlée in a glass" which was so uncanny that we all more or less agreed with it. Spectacularly good. It's 46%.

Elijah Craig

And that brought us to the final dram of the evening, a cask strength monster from Elijah Craig, a bourbon again produced in Kentucky at the Heaven Hill distillery and named for a preacher considered one of the fathers of whiskey in the area.

This 65.7% Barrel Proof expression was from September 2018, and very powerful it was. Quite a lot to handle after the smooth subtlety of the previous dram, this was big and heavy and needed a bit of water. "What if bourbon, but too much?". It cost £100-ish.

For the dram of the night voting, despite the fine array of bourbons on show, it was a clear win for the Cadenheads George Dickel with 12 votes. A worthy winner!

Thanks to all club members old and new for another great evening, and to the Britons Protection for again playing hosts.

An action shot

Rage Against The Maltchine 2

The full line up

For our August tasting we returned to a theme we explored last year: Rage Against The Maltchine.

Singleton of Dufftown

Club chairman Adam took us through three distilleries owned by spirits giant Diageo, and three expressions from the same distilleries released by independent bottlers.

First up was Dufftown, a Speyside chosen by Diageo back in 2006 to be marketed under the 'mega brand' Singleton. The opener of the duo - we were tasting each pair blind - turned out to be the official bottling, the Singleton of Dufftown. Easy to drink we thought, but at the same time a bit forgettable.

If anything, not really worth the £60 price tag, even for an 18-year-old. It's 40%.

The Cadenhead's

The other Dufftown had had was from (extremely) long-standing indie Cadenhead's, a firm favourite at the club. It tasted a lot stronger than the first whisky, and it took a bit of water which helped ease off any rough edges.

Perhaps surprisingly it was only 51% - some in the club had it pegged a bit higher than that. It's 51% and when we picked it up we paid £57 for it.

Mey Selections Glen Ord

The second distillery of the evening and second pairing of drams took us to another of the 'Singleton' distilleries, Glen Ord, situated in the Highlands on the Black Isle.

Whisky number three would turn out to be the indie this time around, a 12-year-old from Mey Selections, a brand name used for a wide range of products from salmon to gin. Launched by the-then Prince Charles in 2005, the whole enterprise is managed by Loch Fyne Oysters.

But how's the whisky? Not bad, ok on the nose certainly, but if anything a little blander on the palate than we'd expected. A bit metallic, was one tasting note. The 12-year-old was 51% and came in at £118, again not one we're likely to be investing in.

Singleton of Glen Ord

For once, the Maltchine had it, in the form of Diageo's Singleton of Glen Ord 18-year-old. More punchy all around, and we felt this had the edge on the Mey Selections. Having said that, it wasn't exactly cheap either at £130. It's 55%.

With Rage and the Maltchine level at one each, we went to the third distillery to act as the decider for the evening. And it was Blair Athol, a Perthshire distillery known for being a major part of the ubiquitous Bell's blend.

Blair Athol F&F

The fifth dram was the distillery bottling, a Blair Athol 12-year-old Flora and Fauna. A great drink, this got the thumbs up all round, even more so when it was revealed as costing a very reasonable £46. From a first fill sherry cask it was a very chunky dram, especially considering it was only 43%.

The 23-year-old

The last whisky of the evening, being tasted alongside, was another cracker. The indie in the spotlight this time was another long-time club favourite, Whiskybroker. This was a 23-year-old coming at 57.7% and, as ever for Whiskybroker, was reasonably priced at £87. Between both the distillery bottling and that last one, Blair Athol earned a few more fans.

This led us to the dram of the night voting. And although the Whiskybroker Blair Athol did well with ten votes (all drams got at least one - this doesn't always happen! - a sign of a strong line up), it was just one behind the Cadenhead's which took the honours.

Thanks to all club members old and new for attending another great tasting at the Briton's Protection, and of course to all at the Briton's for hosting us once again.

Manchester Whisky Club Commonwealth Games

 

The full line-up

On the night of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Birmingham, the club met for a much more thirsty kind of contest, as we tried a range of six whiskies plus two wildcard drinks to see which nation would take home the gold medal (I should say I was hosting the tasting and didn't take any photos as we were going along, so the one at the top is all you're getting this month!).

We started off in Canada for an early double header. In one hand the Glen Breton Ice 10yo, the world's first regularly available whisky to be finished in casks which previously held ice wine. And in the other, some Canadian icewine itself - not from the same vineyard in Nova Scotia used by Glen Breton - but some Lakeview Cellars wine from Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario.

The nose of the Glen Breton is interesting, some thought a bit weird and off-putting, and certainly distinctive. Official tasting notes suggest sticky toffee pudding and ginger biscuits and there was a bit of that around for sure. The icewine, made using frozen grapes for a more concentrated, sweeter, but small volume drink, was really very sweet indeed for the club members' palates, although those with a sweet tooth enjoyed it. A bit citrussy and syrupy, some got a bit of elderflower or even honey, almost like mead. The Glen Breton is £48 and 40%, and the Lakeview Cellars icewine is available from Aldi at £14 for a 37.5cl bottle.

Next, South Africa and a bottling from Africa's only commercial whisky distillery, James Sedgwick. Bain's and Three Ships are the brands it's known for, but we had in our hands a 10yo version of the standard Bain's single grain, finished in a Shiraz cask for the last five years of its maturation and then bottled at cask strength - on this occasion a whopping 63.5%. This went down very well, it certainly tasted strong although it was perhaps surprisingly drinkable as well given the strength. Lots of toffee again, with vanilla, spice and red fruits. It's £50.

Having been to a couple of corners of the earth, it was much closer to home for the fourth drink, and third whisky. Wire Works Whisky is the brand name for the White Peak distillery, based in an old wire and cable factory on the River Derwent. We had one of their early expressions a couple of years back, before it was whisky, and thought there was already something interesting developing, so I thought it would be a good idea to revisit it, in the form of their latest Small Batch release, number 3. A lightly-peated single malt from a small batch vatting of American and French oak casks, aged mostly in STR with some ex-bourbon, the distillery says it's a nice complement to their spirit which they describe as 'fruit forward'. On the nose, butterscotch and vanilla slice, and to be honest more vanilla all the way through. Again, not bad, but still bottled too young really, albeit out of necessity as the distillery starts to pay its way. It's £60 and 46.2%.

After a half-time break, the night's curveball. I wanted to find a rum to represent the Caribbean islands of the Commonwealth, and especially one finished in a Scottish whisky cask. There were no obviously candidates, so I broke my own rule and went outside the Commonwealth to the Dominican Republic for the Opthimus 15yo Malt Whisky Aged Cask, which uses ex-Tomatin casks in the maturation. Aiming for a whisky-ish rum that would please a whisky crowd, this did a pretty good job, and if you were blind tasting it could certainly pass for a very sweet whisky. A smooth sipper, lots of brown sugar and banana around here. £53 and 43%.

Back to the whisky for the sixth drink of the evening, and the fruits of a recent visit to the new Penderyn distillery in Llandudno. I did the whole fill-your-own-bottle thing in the distillery shop, and came back clutching a bottle of ex-Bourbon cask liquid from 2016. Green apples and pears on the nose, more citrussy and spicy on the palate. Despite Penderyn's general popularity with the club, some slightly mixed views on this one, and again a general feeling it was perhaps a bit young and not quite worth the money - I paid £101 although that included an extra sample and a glass as well, so the bottle itself would be more like £90. It was 59.7% although again, it didn't really taste like it.

Next to India for two names quite familiar to us. One being Paul John, the distillery. The other, Cadenheads, the bottler which produced the particular expression in hand. This 9yo spent five years in India - although the faster maturation in the warmer climate means that's much more like 15 - and then the last four years in Scotland. So in a way, it was more equivalent to a 19-year-old. Aged in a Bourbon hogshead cask, we got redcurrants and ginger, citrus and dates. Very nice indeed, in fact. £85 and 53.3%.

We finished the night on the other side of the world, Australia, for the Unexpeated bottle from Melbourne's Starward. It uses lots of locally-sourced ingredients, including casks from local vineyards. But on this occasion, also made use of some ex-Islay single malt casks, presumably from Diageo stablemates Caol Ila or Lagavulin, to aim for a drink balancing its natural juicy fruit flavours with a big dash of smoke. The verdict was that this worked pretty successfully on the nose and finish, but the two flavours perhaps clashed a bit on the palate and were fighting against each other. Certainly drinkable again though, with lots of red berries and a lingering peaty finish. It's £80 and 48%.

The dram of the night voting was the closest ever! The rum came fourth, just one vote behind the joint silver medallists from India and Australia, a further single vote behind the gold medallist from South Africa. So well done to Bain's! And thanks to all who attended another sold out tasting, and to everyone at the Britons Protection for hosting us once again.

Battle of the Blends

The line-up of seven blends 

For June's tasting we did something we do all-to-rarely at whisky club, and took a proper dip into the market of blends. Club chairman Adam took everyone through the most expensive core range blend from the owners of each of Scotland's seven grain distilleries, Girvan, Loch Lomond, Strathclyde, Starlaw, North British, Cameronbridge and Invergordon.

In the almost decade-long history of the club, only five percent of the whiskies we had ever tried as tastings have been blends, so it seemed like a good opportunity to redress that a little and see what was on offer. Adam asked everyone to try these blind and see if we felt what was in the glasses offered decent value.

We began with Girvan, and the Grants Triple Wood. Buttery with biscuits on the nose, more butter on the palate along with a sweetness and a certain prickly quality as well. It's 40% and is usually available for about £17.

Next it was on to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, and a taste of High Commissioner, a brand that sells well overseas in addition to domestically (it remains the fifth biggest blend in the UK market, although that's down a bit from where it once was). It's unremarkable on the nose, a bit of pear drops perhaps, but overall a little bit thin and watery - we weren't especially impressed. It's 40% and £15.

Strathclyde next, owned by Pernod Ricard, and the 21yo Signature Blend from the Royal Salute brand. Musty with parma violets on the nose. Taste dominated rather by wood. Although it was certainly smooth, much smoother than the previous two drams. As well it might be though, it's a whopping £125 (we thought 20 quid tops). It's 40% again.

French drinks group Martiniquaise owns Starlaw, and we had a bottle of Label 5 Classic Black. A new name on many of us but it's the eighth biggest selling Scotch globally. For the nose we got Scampi Fries and prawn cocktail crisps sort of smushed together with fondant icing. Then on the palate, buttercream and parma violets again. It's 40% and £21.

We were on familiar territory with dram number five, from Edrington Group, owners of the North British distillery, it was a bottle of Famous Grouse. Bit oily and biscuity on the nose, this. Buttery toffee taste and very smooth again, with a hint of Rich Tea biscuits. It's £16 and 40%.

Cameronbridge is owned by Diageo, and one of their best known brands is Johnnie Walker. So we had a bottle of JW Blue. Slightly smoky, a bit sickly. As someone suggested, "the market for this is people who buy solid gold bath taps". It's £155 and 40% - again, not great value by any stretch.

Which brought us to the final dram of the night, Invergordon's Filipino owner Emperador and their Whyte and Mackay brand. We had a bottle of the Triple Matured. Cupcake, sponge and buttercream, we thought. It's £19 and, as is standard for blends, was 40%.

For dram of the night, everyone was asked to score out of ten as they went along, and the Johnnie Walker just edged ahead of the Whyte and Mackay and Royal Salute - although the Royal Salute had most 'top' votes overall.

Thanks to Adam for putting on the tasting and especially David for his extensive notes (I wasn't there so am relying on these for this blogpost!).

Bang For Your Buck

This month's line up

For May's tasting, there was a welcome return for Anna who presented a line up of best 'bang for your buck' whiskies currently on the market, a timely tasting considering not only the cost of living crisis, but also the general inflationary pressures on whisky prices too. Anna was out to show us that there remains all kinds of great stuff out there at reasonable prices if you know where to look.

Compass Box

Most of the drinks came from independent bottlers, and dram number one was the work of one of the club's favourites, Compass Box, the London-based blender and bottler. We were drinking Orchard House, a blend (of which the biggest component was Clynelish) with a definite fruit and apple vibe from the label onwards.

There was no doubt about the apple straight from the nose, green apples especially. We also got some peanut butter, and perhaps a faint bit of smoke on the palate, too. The finish was nice and long. It's 46% and you can pick it up for about £41 from the usual online retailers. 

Kilchoman SB3

Dram number two took us to Islay and Kilchoman, and a small batch distillery bottling. It's number three in Kilchoman's small batch series, and features a combination of bourbon and Oloroso aged Kilchoman, along with some much stronger Sauternes cask, to create a bottling at 49.1%.

This was sweet before it got peaty. Apples again and other sweet notes, making for a lovely combination with the smoke which grew on the palate. "I'd buy that" said more than one club member. It's £52. Cheap at the price, we felt.

Petrichor Galore

Back to the indie bottlers for dram three, and a whisky from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. This one was called Petrichor Galore (petrichor being the smell of rain, a new one on me!) and was bottle 63.81, the 63 standing for Glentauchers.

This was intense and "sherry tastic" with toffee another tasting note that we got. "This makes me violently happy" someone said. As well it might, at just £53.20 (for members, and sadly it's all since gone), it was an extremely strong 66.3%. Great value as well as being an excellent drop. Not sure about the smell of rain, though.

IF Knockdhu

After a half-time break to recharge our beer glasses downstairs at the Britons Protection, we returned for whisky four. The indie bottler this time was Infrequent Flyers, a brand run by ex-BenRiach man Alistair Walker, which aims to showcase some rarer single malts at affordable prices. On this occasion it was a Knockdhu, a Speyside distillery which normally produces whisky under the name anCnoc to avoid confusion with Knockando up the road.

Another superb drink, this. Lots of marzipan and almond as the key tasting notes. A really easy drinker, too, remarkable considering its strength of 58.9% (so perhaps we should reclassify it as a 'dangerously' easy drinker). It's £52.90.

North Star Chaos

As a measure of how strong the last two were, there was a bit of surprise that whisky number five was "only" 50%! A North Star bottling from its Chaos range, asking the question 'do port and peat go well together?' being an Islay whisky mostly aged in ruby port octaves.

It's assumed the liquid in this bottling is a Caol Ila, but as someone commented, "if it's a Caol Ila, the delivery van has crashed with an Ardbeg". This was very floral, and savoury. Again great value at £50.

Highland Laird

All too soon it was the last dram of the night, and bottling under name Highland Laird, owned by family-run bottler Bartels. This was a 9-year-old Macduff with plenty of big strength again, at 65.4%. The colour was particularly notable, it was fully matured in first fill sherry casks.

This was another superb whisky, and there were lots of phones out to buy a bottle (including mine) at the excellent price of £48. There are still some available, too, so it's well worth getting one before they're all gone. As a sidenote, after the bottle I ordered went walkabout after an issue with the courier, full marks to Bartels for sending me another! Great customer service and a business well worth supporting.

There was plenty of support for the Highland Laird in the dram of the night voting, but it narrowly lost a three-way battle with the Knockdhu and - this month's winner - the SMWS Glentauchers.

Thanks to Anna for such a great selection of whiskies, and to all club members and their guests for attending another successful tasting. And, as ever, thanks to the Britons for hosting us so well once again.

There they all are

April Fools Special

 

The line up (minus the Buckfast)

For our April tasting, we were back at the Britons for a selection of drams in honour of April Fools' Day. Club member Rich had picked out a selection of drinks with an unusual or surprising twist for us to get stuck into.

Glenallachie 10yo

And it didn't take us long to get started on dram number one. This was sweet and very nice. "One of the best opening drams we've had" offered someone almost straight away. There was a bit of heather honey around, liquorice too, lots of good notes. We liked it very much.

It was a Glenallachie 10-year-old, from a distillery and a town right in the heart of Speyside. But the twist here was the finish, in that it spent the last 18 months or so before bottling in casks made of Chinquapin oak. A wood sourced from the northern Ozarks in Missouri, this was the first time most of us had tried it. A great way to start the evening. The bottle is £60 and is 48%.

Defilement 8yo

The second whisky was very dark. A bit weird in fact. There was definitely something unusual about it from the off. It was warming though. We got notes of caramel and toffee - again something very sweet here. Someone else suggested furniture polish, which only served to send those of us of a certain age down this rabbit hole.

Back to the whisky itself, and it was a Defilement, a series available from Master of Malt in which various whisky 'rules' are broken. In this case, it was the use of a chestnut cask, rather than the oak which is typically used for maturation. It's an 8-year-old and it's still available for £49.

Starward Ginger Beer

Whisky three was very distinctive. Sweet again. Fresh mint too, said someone, and a long finish, but there was something very obvious and zingy we were all missing.

And when we saw the bottle we realised it was: ginger. From Australian distillery Starward, this was their Ginger Beer Cask whisky. It spent three years in a mixture of Apera (Australian fortified wine) and red wine casks, and then six months in ginger beer casks. Fresh and fiery, this was a great drink. It's 48% and costs £86 for a 50cl bottle. A bit on the pricey side for most of us, but another example of the success of a whisky club like ours: a chance to try something great we'd never normally splash out on.

The Buckfast whisky!

After a half-time break to recharge our (beer) glasses downstairs at the Britons Protection, we were back for the second half.

And as it turned out, this really was something even more unusual than even a ginger cask. We got caramel and a real sweetness like cream soda, or Dutch stroopwaffles. Highly drinkable and very nice. But what was giving us that lovely flavour?

It was a finish in none other than Buckfast tonic wine. Beloved of drinkers in and around Glasgow, but created by monks in Devon, it's a caffeinated fortified wine. Here, it was used to add a bit of seasoning to some ex-bourbon casks. The whisky was a collaboration between Master of Malt and a thing called the Rhythm and Booze Project, which is run by a couple of guys who mix whisky, music and live events. It was £45 and came in at 46%. For good measure, we had a bit of Buckfast itself as well, for a treat.

30yo April Fool 2021

There were still more treats to come, as well. Dram five was again very nice, and sweet too. "Cakey" someone suggested, and then to really drill down on that, "maybe lemon drizzle." Other tasting notes included a butteriness, and perhaps the inevitable pear drops (second only perhaps to Frazzles as a ubiquitous tasting note relating to a thing most of us haven't tried since we were about eight years old).

We were drinking the 2021 April Fool bottling from The Whisky Exchange, called 'Extremely Young, I Wish I Was Older'. The twist here being that it was in fact a 30-year-old. From an unknown Speyside distillery (although internet sleuths have proposed it might be Glenburgie), there were 869 of these and they all sold out within an hour even at the £150 price tag. It was 51.7%. We really enjoyed this one all round, so we were grateful to Rich for grabbing a bottle while he could.

5yo April Fool 2022

The last whisky of the night was darker. Indeed, a dark roasted peanut butter as someone suggested for a tasting note. As ever, looking back at my notes for this stage of the evening reveals no other tasting notes at all, so we'll just have to stick with the peanut butter here.

It was this year's follow up, the 2022 April Fool offering from TWE. This time around it had the name 'Extremely Old, I Wish I Was Younger' and it was just five years old. Matured in a range of first fill bourbon casks and peated ex-Oloroso hogsheads, the 1,575 bottles were gone in 45 minutes. It was £75 and had an ABV of 53.2%. We assume this may once again be a Glenburgie.

Which brought us to the dram of the night voting. A tough one as ever, it was the two TWE April Fools whiskies we liked the best. The last dram took top honours with eight votes, over six for dram five, but all except dram two got at least one vote.

Thank you to all club members and those from the waiting list who attended, and special thanks to Rich for putting on such a great selection!

Members' Choices

The full line-up

For March's tasting we made a welcome return to the Britons Protection, to try a series of six different drams picked by six of our club members.

Tim almost blew the top off the budget straight out of the gate with the opening bottle of the evening. He went for a Benromach 21-year-old, a 43% that comes in at £129.

A Speyside sherry cask, this tasted chunky and smooth. Lots of almonds in evidence we thought, certainly a hint of marzipan and, more generally, Christmas cake. "This would make a great whisky sour," someone commented, before hearing how much we spent on it, "but not at that price!" A very nice drop all the same, though.

Dan presented whisky number two, and it was something from the Fettercairn distillery. He explained he hadn't thought much of their younger expressions, but had his head turned by some of their better stuff when visiting their stand at a whisky show.

That included the 16-year-old that was in our glasses (the older ones were even better, he said, but were a little pricier than the £65 this one retails for). More sherry cask, this time a mixture of Oloroso and the more rarely seen Palo Cortado. Very good we felt, but if anything it's possible the sherry actually detracted from the whisky, as the spirit seemed to be just fine without too much of that. We were quietly impressed. It's 46.5%.

Onto whisky number three, then, and Paul produced one of his absolute favourites for us, a Glenfarclas 21.

Back to Speyside with more sherry, this time full Oloroso. Smooth, fruity, some nutmeg, and a mixture of both sweetness and sharpness. At 43% and £95, beautifully drinkable. As someone suggested, "a warm hug of a whisky." One for after Christmas dinner, perhaps.

After a half-time break, I got up to introduce my choice, a Glen Garioch. As an Aberdonian, this is just about my own local distillery.  I wanted to try it because I'd had a go at some of their standard bottlings over the years and fancied something a bit more special. I picked out this 19-year-old, a 1999 wine cask bottled in 2018, and fully matured in wine casks from Chateau Lagrange in Bordeaux (owned by Suntory, as in Glen Garioch).

Tasting notes on this included red applies, berries and ginger biscuits. This went down well, and further suggestions included Christmas cake (again) and jam (!). This was 48% and £104.

Two to go and we were off to the other end of the Highlands next, Martin taking us to the Ardnamurchan distillery on the coast overlooking Mull. One of the newer and hotly tipped distilleries around, here we had batch 07.21.05, a mix of 50% peated and 50% unpeated, and 65% bourbon casks and 35% sherry.

This was a 4-year-old and we felt it had plenty of potential, although it had perhaps been bottled a bit soon. Very drinkable and certainly one to watch. This had peat on the nose but not on the palate so much, it was quite sweet in fact.

Ian treated us for the last bottle with the fruits of a recent visit to Campbeltown. He paid tribute to Craig behind the counter in the Springbank shop for recommending the Longrow Red 15-year-old, finished for the last few years in Pinot Noir casks.

Slightly peated, we were getting toasted sesame. Sweetness was there again, including red berries. Really nice, this, and highly enjoyable all round. "Lots going on" as someone said, and no doubt one we'll be angling for an extra dram from when it comes around to the Christmas party. It was 51.4% and good value at £65.

The dram of the night voting resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Longrow! The Glenfarclas was second and the Glen Garioch third, but most of the membership cast their votes for the bottle from Campbeltown. Thanks to all members for attending, and especially those who chose and presented bottles.

Also thanks to the Britons for hosting us once again, at what is an uncertain time for what is one of the great pubs, in Manchester or anywhere else. You can read more about that and sign the petition at this link.