Category Archives: Scotland

Gordon + MacPhail’s Glenburgie 26 year 56.8%

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group were super duper fortunate to have an extra special treat! One member was so enchanted by trying the Glenburgie 26 year at The Village that when he wanted to celebrate a new role this is how he chose to do it! And lucky us, to share it!

Glenburgie 26 year (1995 – 27/04/2022)  1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Puncheon Cask No 6349, Batch 22/090 56.8% (Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) 564 Bottles ~Eur 295

  • Colour –
  • Nose – It began with a nuanced and elegant aroma, light spice with kumquat sweet and sour citrus, joined by allspice and pink peppercorns, all in beautiful harmony. As it opened, we noted apricot, red apple peel, deepening over time. From light and fruity to old dark wood furniture with heavy furnishings, then back to fruity – this time marmalade!
  • Palate – Simply wonderful! Hazelnut coffee cream, wonderfully balanced with a gorgeous mouthfeel. By the 3rd sip, it began to settle into a heavy fruitcake with  delicious dates, nuts, and raisins, complex and satisfying.
  • Finish – Sigh…. one to just savour!

We were entranced. Talk turned to how the last sunbeam of the evening glances on the water. A bit fanciful yet sometimes a particularly good dram inspires flights of fancy!

I too had a teasing opportunity to try a wee sample in 2022 at Paris Whisky Live. Whilst well beyond my budget, it was one of those rare treats I dearly wanted to try again. So am VERY grateful it was possible to revisit at home in a leisurely setting. Even more, a generous sample was shared which enabled me to share it in London with a favourite tasting companion. I took no further tasting notes – simply enjoyed it.

So what else did we try in our special Glen themed evening?

I openly admit that I have a weakness for Glenburgie – particularly those from 2000 or earlier.

Live around Nurnberg, Germany, and are interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer private tasting group? Just comment here with the best way to reach you! 

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Signatory’s Glenlivet 17 year 62.3%

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Before the summer break, our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group held an evening devoted to special “Glens” – not your ordinary every day “Glens” but the “top shelf” variety!

I generally think I’m not very snobbish about my single malt. Yes I prefer quality but I’ve also been known to enjoy a value for money dram too! When it comes to Glenlivet, I’ve mostly experienced the standard fare with the occasional exception mixed in for good measure. So when this bottle was offered for our special Glens evening, I was curious but had no big expectations.

Glenlivet 17 year (15/08/2006 – 21/11/2023) 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt, Cask No 900806 62.3% (Signatory Vintage) Bottle 74 of 599 ~Eur 128.50

  • Colour – Dark gold
  • Nose – Mmmmm fruity! Followed by wet leaves after a heavy rain, quite mellow, sweet with a medium dark wildflower honey, a warm perfume shifting into dark plums combining fresh forest scents – marvelous! The longer we contemplated the nose, the more it evolved – dark fruits, chocolate, and behind the berries was a citrus twist! Then toast with marmite…
  • Palate – Wow! Sherry and how! Strong and full, with real substance… rolling around, it built on the aromas with a combination of dark fruits and mocha
  • Finish – Long and really incredibly satisfying

Overall we were impressed. The aroma without water had a beautiful evolution from light to dark, inviting and enticing us to give it more and more time to open up. Whereas on the palate, there was no mystery! It was clear that we were sipping a 1st fill Sherry – more intense, flavourful, and forceful than anticipated from the nose alone… however, this should be expected at a powerful 62.3% ABV! One person described the palate as crashing waves (brandung)!

This is not a lightweight and yet also has some serious highlights too! So we were curious, what about the impact of adding some water? It was like having two whiskies in one!

  • Nose – Malty and citrus, ground coffee and dates, resin and English marmalade
  • Palate – Much more approachable but in some ways not quite as interesting
  • Finish – Remains with a hint of red licorice joining

We set this whisky aside and revisited to find the one with water had clearly veered towards the sweet side – candied apple, bubblegum, marshmallow, pear – delicious!

Alas I could not find any official tasting notes from Signatory – this particular edition was from an earlier batch than currently available. Suffice to say, it was indeed a 1st fill Sherry Butt and truly an unexpected treat.

A clear reminder – do not underestimate the big boys! They are big for a reason and equally have a prodigious range of casks – so no surprise there are gems to be found.

What else did we try in our special Glens-themed evening?

  • A revisit of Chorlton’s Glentauchers 8 year and 14 year
  • Glenburgie 26 year (1995 – 27/04/2022)  1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Puncheon Cask No 6349, Batch 22/090 56.8% (Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) 564 Bottles

Curious about other Glenlivet tasting experiences? Read on…

Live around Nurnberg, Germany, and are interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer private tasting group? Just comment here with the best way to reach you! 

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Nurnberg Whisky Explorer’s Special Glens Evening

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group decided to skip summer sessions, however still managed to sneak in an early July session. Why? It was an opportunity to celebrate a member’s new job with an extra special Glenburgie as the fabulous excuse!

So what did we try in our special Glen themed evening?

We kicked off our evening with a wee calibration dram – in this case, we thought the open Arran would do the trick!

We then compared the Glentauchers 14 year followed by the more robust 8 year. Alas the Glentauchers 14 lost some of its charm through oxidation – more sour green apple and strawberry yoghurt than an elegant and nuanced rum topf.

However, the Glentauchers 8 year remained a delight with a fabulous mouthfeel, spice, black forest cake, and more!

As for the Glenburgie? It entranced us with its nuanced, complex character – fruity yet with substance. An absolute treat!

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just comment here with the best way to reach you.

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What’s in a Name? April Fool!

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Last summer, I missed an interesting session with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents with the theme “What’s in a Name?“.  The inspiration for this theme obviously came from how the whiskies were dubbed inventive titles such as “Peace, Love & Whisky“, “Memories” plus this one called “April Fool’s”! All three were from independent bottlers – the initial two were from Simply Whisky and this last whisky was bottled by The Whisky Exchange.

Very kindly they kept aside samples for me to experience solo. 

As background, for those not familiar with the story, Ardnamurchan is the Highland distillery recently re-opened by independent bottlers Adelphi. The original distillery stopped production in the early 20th century and its current avatar officially opened in 2014. Ardnamurchan produces both unpeated and peated single malts.

So… what did I think about this expression?

Ardnamurchan 5-year “April Fool – Extremely Old, I wish I were Younger” (2022) 53.2% (The Whisky Exchange) 1575 bottles. GBP 75

    • Colour – Bright gold
    • Nose – What first greets you is a decided sour aroma. A cross between sour apple sauce and a balsamic reduction. It then opened up to woods, toasted nuts, smoked meats, heavy caramel, warm and oily, some fruits
    • Palate – Hot and spicy! There are more smoked meats, joined by smoked fish, sweet spices, and more of that oily element. Certainly this would be part of their peat expressions…
    • Finish – Strong, hot, bitter and long
    • Water – Don’t mind if I do! It helps, it really helps.
      • On the nose, it brings out some fruit sauce – like a mix of apples and others. the sweet spices of ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves peak out.
      • With a generous splash, it also tames the palate, allowing more of the sweetness to come through – some fudge with a ginger honey glaze topped by a coastal salt spray
      • The finish too becomes much more approachable
  • Have you had salmon on cedar plank? Somehow it reminded me a bit of that once watered down, settling a bit. This is no sprightly romp through the park. Instead, it is more like tromping through a deep forest in autumn.

    I’ll have to admit that until I added a dollop of water (no mere carefully measured drops!), I wasn’t so enthusiastic about this dram. However, with water, I could see this being the bracing accompaniment to coming in from the cold.

    That shared, I had trouble reconciling this not-so-thrilling experience with the positive buzz I’ve heard and read about Ardnamurchan. Me thinks in the upcoming September London Whisky Show, we’ll have to spend some time exploring to make a more informed determination for ourselves.

  • What more do we know? This whisky has been aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks for 5 years before being bottled at cask strength.

    Here is what the folks at The Whisky Exchange have to say:

    Our April Fool’s 2022 special release is wise beyond its years. Distilled at Ardnamurchan under the watchful eye of the Adelphi Distillers team, this five-year-old whisky combines centuries of tradition with modern whisky making to create a fruity dram, run through with a gentle seam of peat smoke. The whisky’s details are hidden on the label, only revealed when you shine a UV torch on them – April Fool!

    Compliments of my friends this is what the bottle looks like to the “naked eye”.

    And under the black light? This is what you can see… sort of… revealing that it is a mere 5-year-old upstart!

    What else was sampled in an evening devoted to What’s in a Name?“:

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Islay’s Caol Ila & Lagavulin – Blend, Independent, Cask Strength

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group doesn’t have many “peat heads” in our mix. Most veer away from the smoky stuff. Hence when we had a specially “curated” evening that started to move in the peat direction, we were opening new doors!

This trio was anchored by two distilleries – Caol Ila and Lagavulin. Both are from Islay. Both put out Original Distillery Bottlings, are found in both blends and independent expressions. Our evening explored all three approaches!

  • Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin 12 year 42% ~Eur 65
  • Scarabus Islay 10 year 46% (Hunter Laing) ~Eur 48
  • Caol Ila Cask Strength 60.1% (OB) ~Eur 100 for 200ml (auction only)

Knowing this was a “first foray” for many in our group, our curator kindly prepared a document that included a description of both distilleries – key features, their house style, and a recommendation on what standard dram best depicts its character. Additionally, QR codes were provided, linking to more details about the three specific whiskies we were about to sample. Talk about organised!

We kicked off our peat trio with a limited edition “Islay Origin” expression from Johnnie Walker. In India, Black Label was once upon a time synonymous with “good” whisky. Priced relatively high yet prevalently available, it was featured in many homes, Bollywood movies, and more! It defined scotch whisky – a consistent blend with sweet and peat – which held up well with chunks of ice and mixed with water.

A typical Black Label will blend together Diageo’s different distilleries: Clynelish in the Highlands, Cardhu from Speyside, malt from Glenkinchie, grain from Cameronbridge… whilst some will say the smoky character comes from Lagavulin, others credit it to Caol Ila.

So when the folks at Johnnie Walker decided to launch in 2021 their “Origin” series without the grain, intended to heighten the focus on the featured regional elements – it was widely speculated that the Islay expression was probably both Caol Ila & Lagavulin.

Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin 12 year 2021 42%

  • Colour – It was nearly orange!
  • Nose – Hello peat! Clear, clean peat stamp with a strong seaside salty air too. We also found mango BBQ chutney, some iodine
  • Palate – Way fruitier than expected – lots of dark fruits, smokey, salty, oily peat and sweet, some pepper joining the honeyed fruits
  • Finish – Very sweet with just a puff of smoke

Now, I must admit I was pleasantly impressed by how much I enjoyed the Johnnie Walker. It was surprisingly good, with a well-balanced palate, fruitier than anticipated to the point that I wondered if and how much sherry influence could be at play? We also speculated the extent to which Johnnie Walker’s relatively new master blender – Emma Walker – steered the approach.

From a variation on a well-known theme, we moved on to indie bottler Hunter Laing’s celebration of Islay.

Scarabus Islay 10 year 46% (Hunter Laing)

  • Colour – Light hay
  • Nose – Oaky and salty, cereals, malt and honey, a bit nutty
  • Palate – Fermented fruit, black pepper, oily
  • Finish – Cinnamon smoke then minty and herbal

The most debated element about this expression is whether it is Caol Ila or Lagavulin. I will admit that I also vacillated between the two – in one whiff thinking surely this must be Caol Ila then another sip, veered towards Lagavulin.

What we do know is that it is a single malt, aged for 10 years in a refill, ex-bourbon and virgin American oak cask. And that’s about it!

After the mystery malt, we closed with a clear Caol Ila – yet with a twist! It was a rare Original Distillery Bottling at cask strength. Part of a 200 ml tasting set together with a 12 year and 18 year expression, you won’t find this easily to add to your whisky cabinet!

Caol Ila (2005) Cask Strength 60.1% (OB)

  • Colour – So pale it almost appeared clear
  • Nose – Earthy gentle peat, dry smoke, a hint of citrus
  • Palate – Bright, very pleasant, no punch, just roll around in a well-balanced peat with sweet, some herbaceous almost medicinal elements too
  • Finish – Lingers, softly fading away

This was a classic Caol Ila, more restrained than anticipated for a cask-strength dram – certainly more so than most independent cask-strength expressions I’ve tried.

Wow – what an evening! There was so much care that went into curating two sessions into one! What a terrific way to discover two quite different sets of whiskies!

In case you missed the earlier post, here are the Glen Elgin‘s we tried in our April session:

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just find us on Meetup! https://www.meetup.com/nurnberg-whisky-explorers/events/

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Glen Elgin – Original Bottling, Independent, Smoke

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group has a combination of what we call “curated” evenings and “contribution” based themes. For April, we had effectively two sessions in one! Each was carefully put together to introduce those newer to exploring whiskies with a strong foundation.

Let’s start with the Glen Elgin vertical. For those not familiar, a whisky vertical is when you explore different expressions or vintages from a single distillery. In our case, Glen Elgin distillery is from the Speyside region and is owned by Diageo.

Sukhinder Singh (founder of The Whisky Exchange) shared that he sees Glen Elgin as often producing a nice “session” dram. Something easy to enjoy over a leisurely period. So what did we think?

So what did we try in our theme exploring Glen Elgin?

  • Glen Elgin 12 year 43% (OB) ~Eur 43
  • Glen Elgin 12 year (16 Sep 2009 – 15 Apr 2022) Hogshead 806374, 806380, 806381 46% (Signatory Vintage) 468 bottles ~Eur 50
  • Glen Elgin Islay Peated Finish Hogshead 44.5% (Murray McDavid) ~Eur 37

Glen Elgin Distillery was founded in 1898 and uses six stills and six wooden worm tubs. Known for a fruity spirit, it has tended to go into blends and has only one “Original Distillery Bottling” aka “OB”. What did we think?

Glen Elgin 12 year 43% (OB)

  • Colour – Dark gold (possibly enhanced)
  • Nose – Marshmellow, apple blossoms, oats, a hint of bitter orange, some fresh grated ginger, overall mild and fruity
  • Palate – Spicy oak, malty, light coffee cream, crisp
  • Finish – Lingering cereals – think a warming porridge with apple sauce, brown sugar and a dusting of cinnamon

Overall we found it a most enjoyable way to begin. Nothing complex or challenging, just an easy fruity and fun dram to whet our appetite.

We then moved from OB to independent – first with another 12 year old – this time a combination of three Hogsheads from Singatory’s vintage series.

Glen Elgin 12 year (16 Sep 2009 – 15 Apr 2022) Hogshead 806374, 806380, 806381 46% (Signatory Vintage)

  • Colour – Bright light straw
  • Nose – Citrus and hay, honeycomb, red apple, so fruity and sweet, light lovely and inviting…
  • Palate – More cereals and spice, rich honey, incredibly smooth, yet much richer, dark and juicy, very plummy, almost rummy with raisins
  • Finish – Subtle and long

A few times one could hear exclamations like “Gosh this is good!” and “Truly lovely!” It had the most marvelous light freshness on the nose, so much heavier and more luxurious on the palate then back to a lighter more nuanced touch with the finish. One mighty fine dram!

Our fun didn’t finish with just one independent! Nope! We pushed the theme further by tasting a contrasting Glen Elgin with peat – yup peat! However this Glen Elgin didn’t use peated barley, instead it was matured in an ex-Islay cask.

Glen Elgin Islay Peated Finish Hogshead 44.5% (Murray McDavid)

  • Colour – A lighter golden hue
  • Nose – Interesting! It started off a bit metallic, seaside salty spray, light spice, some lemon peel… unmistakable peat yet it was a clear fresh peat joined by crisp and crunchy Granny Smith apples, some pepper
  • Palate – Spicy, thin, coco, toasted coal
  • Finish – Medium finish
  • Water – Stewed orchard fruits, salty taffy, some almost wine-like elements… grows on you more over time

You’ll note a certain enthusiasm for the aromas and then terseness with the palate and finish until we added water. It was underwhelming initially. Yet improved with water – some cereal elements we found in both the OB and Signatory were more discernable. Overall though it was a bit, well, odd.

As we stepped back and considered each whisky, there was a clear preference for the Signatory Vintage expression though also quite happy with the OB. With just a few more Euros a bottle, it was obvious to go for the independent! It was just the peated McDavid that caused some of us to pause – in part as peat has a mixed reception from this group!

Overall, it was an excellent introduction to Glen Elgin and a very well-curated theme!

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just find us on Meetup! https://www.meetup.com/nurnberg-whisky-explorers/events/

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What’s in a Name? Memories Blair Athol 11 year

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Our “What’s in a Name?“ evening featured two Simply Whisky bottles! The first was Benrinnes 10-year “Peace, Love & Whisky” which was followed by “Memories“:  a single malt from Blair Athol. The distillery is part of the Diageo stable and tends towards heavy, spicy, sherry-matured whiskies. So what about this expression?

Blair Athol 11-year “Memories” (Oct 2010 – Dec 2021) Cask 302317, 51.6% (Simply Whisky) 265 bottles. GBP 70 (sold out)

What did I think?

  • Colour – Copper
  • Nose – A forest filled with damp leaves, copper… only after time in the glass do some fruitier elements come forward. Cherries, then Sangria-like with punchy alcohol and mixed citrus, and cinnamon candies. There remain deeper darker notes – we haven’t completely left the copper and forest behind.
  • Palate – Give it some time and all the heavy intense sherry standards come to the fore with dark fruits, some bitter coffee, mocha, and black pepper spice,
  • Finish – A bit hard to pin down – a bit of spice, a bit of dark grape peel, a bit of manuka honey, more of that leafy forest flavor, a bit of umami even…
  • Water – Absolutely! This really helps open up the dense dram… now there is a bit more fruit on the nose, and chocolate on the palate with the finish carrying through.

Again, this one has a punch! Just in a very different way. Lots of old oak and powerful sherry. It definitely needs time. There is even a heavy almost red-wine-like quality – think of a brooding Cabernet or rustic Malbec. Whilst I didn’t find tannins per se, it evokes the feeling or impression.

I also need to be honest, I’m not always a Blair Athol fan. This one is dense and intense, best had with a generous dollop of water, no mere drop or two! The palate especially benefits – from being almost too much to smooth and slightly more balanced.

Call it mood or something else, but I didn’t finish my sample glass. The next morning I nosed it – well, well, well… rather inviting! So I resolved to try again another evening, giving it hours not minutes to open. Better. Much better. But still not my preferred style.

What do the folks at SimplyWhisky have to say?

We release our whiskies in pairs. Memories is the third ‘Simon one’. It’s name was inspired by the times we’ve spent with friends, reminiscing about life’s adventures, mishaps and delights. What a ride and the best is yet to come!  Born in Scotland, Memories is a Libra and is bottled at cask strength.  Like the best conversations Memories takes a while to ‘open up’.  We suggest as least 5 minutes in the glass before enjoying.  Great whisky gift!

  • Promises on the nose – Candied apples, vanilla sponge cake, glacé cherries and the zest of an orange peel. Chocolate, rhubarb, tea leaves and black liquorice. Deep and intriguing.
  • Delivers on the palate – Black Forest gâteau with a rich chocolate cherry filling. Red and orange wine gums. More liquorice. Mouth coating with gentle spice and a mid-palate mustiness. Elemental and vibrant.
  • Delights on the finish – Dark red fruits and toasted coconut coir. Toffee ice cream lavished with black treacle and dry dark tea. Gentle bonfire smoke to fade.

The tasting notes mostly made sense – especially the rhubarb and tea leaves. I went back and could definitely find these elements. There is also a kind of mustiness on the palate and more tea on the finish.

Here are the other whiskies we sampled in our “What’s in a Name?” themed evening:

  • Benrinnes 10-year “Peace, Love & Whisky” (Apr 2011 – Dec 2021) Cask 304354, 50.5% (Simply Whisky) 364 bottles.
  • Ardnamurchan 5-year “April Fool – Extremely Old, I wish I were Younger” (2022) 53.2% (The Whisky Exchange) 1575 bottles.

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What’s in a Name? Peace, Love + Whisky Benrinnes 10 year

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Some Scottish distilleries owned by the big players like Diageo were once in the shadows, with most liquid going into blends. Big brands like Johnnie Walker and J&B rely on such “work horse” distilleries as Benrinnes (sometimes also bottled as Stronachie).

With the hunger for something “new” or “different”, there is now an abundance of options via independent bottlers. So far I haven’t had a chance to try the Benrinnes official “Flora & Fauna” bottling, however, over the last few years there have been a few brushes with several independent bottles, with mixed results.

On one end of the spectrum was something fruity, floral, and fun. I was particularly enchanted with the older La Maison du Whisky (LMdW) Artist bottling (20+ year 1995 49.4%), also quite enjoyed The Warehouse Collection from Germany (19 year 1997 52.9%) and more recently the Signatory Vintage for LMdW (18 years 1997 46%).

Yet on the opposite side, were whiskies that were quite “hot” and imbalanced, with descriptions like solvent from the Single Malts of Scotland (24 year 1991 52.6%), rusty by a later LMdW Artist offering #12 (10+ year 2011 58.1%), and more recently one which was somewhere in between – both interesting and a bit odd from Chorlton (14 year 55%).

With no clear discernable pattern, I had no idea whether this bottle would be on the “yes please!” side or the “why did they bottle this” end…

Benrinnes 10 year “Peace, Love & Whisky” (Apr 2011 – Dec 2021) Refill Hogshead 50.5% (SimplyWhisky) 364 bottles, GBP 56

What did I think?

  • Colour – Straw
  • Nose – Honey on a warm baguette, fresh sea air, metallic, then something like sweet fortified red wine or red raspberry jam, herbal or resinous, increasingly metallic
  • Palate – Sharp at first, rusty nail, then fruity with sweet spices, ginger, malty, apple seeds, something almost a bit waxy or soapy, umami
  • Finish – A mix of straw, spice and bitter
  • Water – Helps. Opens up to reveal a sweet-sour candy

OOh! That has a kick! Perhaps as it was the first dram of the evening… yet I found it certainly needed some time for it to settle down. Even then, it was quite active. The metallic element on the nose was quite prominent. Not sure this is one for me… I set it aside for some time….. still not convinced.

What do the folks at SimplyWhisky have to say?

We release our whiskies in pairs. Peace, Love & Whisky is the second ‘Franchi one’. It’s name was inspired by the warmth and friendliness of the lovely whisky people who work in the whisky industry worldwide.  Here’s to you!  Great to enjoy alongside a fresh lager or a pale ale.

  • Promises on the nose – Sweet red plums, honey, lemons and green apple skin. With time leather, walnuts and milk chocolate. A warm copper still. Peaceful and herbal.
  • Delivers on the palate – Gummy bear sweeties, pepper spice, lemons and juicy blood oranges. Lovely rounded mouthfeel.
  • Delights on the finish – Long, savoury, chocolatey and slightly minty. Dolly mixtures. Honey, a slight waxiness and finally a wisp of dry hay.

Hmmm… Some parts of the official notes rang true – the red plums, the copper…. however lovely rounded mouthfeel? Hmmm… ?

Here are the other whiskies sampled in our “What’s in a Name?” evening:

  • Blair Athol 11-year “Memories” (Oct 2010 – Dec 2021) Cask 302317, 51.6% (Simply Whisky)
  • Ardnamurchan 5-year “April Fool – Extremely Old, I wish I were Younger” (2022) 53.2% (The Whisky Exchange)

Waiting in the wings, so to speak, are more Benrinnes… I’m no longer sure if this is a good thing or… ?

  • 9 year (30 June 2011 / 4 June 2021) Refill Butt 307210, 46% (Signature)
  • 12? year (2009/2022) Vin Santo Barrel Finish 54.3% (Berry Bro’s) DE mini
  • 15 year (2007/Jun 2022) 46.4% (North Star, Series 019)
  • 23 year (1997) 1st Fill Barrique Chateau Lafite 55.9% (WW8)

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BMC July 2023 edition – What’s in a Name?

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Last summer, I missed an interesting session with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents with the theme “What’s in a Name?“.  The inspiration for this theme obviously came from how the whiskies were dubbed: “Peace, Love & Whisky”, “Memories” and “April Fool’s”! All three were from independent bottlers – two from Simply Whisky and one from The Whisky Exchange. The gents kindly kept samples aside for me – yeah!

So what did we try from the evening of “What’s in a Name?“:

What an interesting concept! Curious to see the results? Click on the links above and live vicariously through my notes! Or share your experiences too!

You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:

BMC Indie Bottlers: Ardmore 1993 Gordon Macphail

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It was the battle of the Ardmores and two different independent bottlers! After an absolutely stunning Ardmore a few months earlier from Chorlton, I will admit to being predisposed to enjoy…

I began with the Gordon & Macphail 1993 expression, anticipating it would be a light start at only 43%. This Ardmore bottle is part of their “distillery label” series where they are entrusted to use the Ardmore label, even though the maturation happens under the Gordon & MacPhail roof.

So what did I find?

Ardmore 1993 43% (Gordon & Macphail)

  • Nose – Curiously herbal, aromatic, rum sultanas, that become more and more sour, a bit like grapefruit that has gone off
  • Palate – Hot! And frankly a bit harsh…. hmm… not at all what I had anticipated. I struggled to get a feel for the elements. Maybe a fleeting hint of fruit? Was the spice black pepper or something else?
  • Finish – Heartburn chaser

So the lads warned me this wasn’t a hit. And I have to admit, it wasn’t a winner for me either. Pity. Normally I practically swear by anything from Gordon & MacPhail. It was also not what I would expect for the ABV – typically I find 43% quite approachable. This was not the case here at all!

Unfortunately, I don’t know much more. I think it was the expression bottled in 2008 – making it approximately 15 years. It is hard to say, as I couldn’t find more details!

So let’s shift gears… What about my Ardmore sample from 2018?

To be honest, I had completely forgotten I had it! I was rummaging through my old samples drawer to find more empty bottles to share samples from the current open bottles… and stumbled across this one from North Star. I simply had to open it up again!

Knowing it was peaty, I was prepared… however, it certainly toned down over the years. Which in my books isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Ardmore Peat 8 year (June 2008 / Oct 2016) 58.7% (North Star)

  • Nose – Thankfully not as heavy peat, sour cherries. only a hint of BBQ
  • Palate – Still has spice, peat and more, an earthy element which is quite comforting
  • Finish – Continues to be dry with zest of orange

I always worry about these old samples from years ago. Will there be anything that remains of what once was? Thankfully, with these peaty drams, they tend to be able to stand the test of time a wee bit better… Nearly 6 years later, it still has character and leaves an impression.

So who won the battle? In this case clearly North Star over Gordon & Macphail!

What else prompted this “independent” theme?

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