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.