Category Archives: Cask Strength

Shelter Point – 10 Year 1st Edition 57.8%

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We are no strangers to Shelter Point from British Colombia, Canada. In fact, back in 2016, we had the pleasure of sampling their inaugural batch of single malt. We loved it then and we love this “Artisinal Single Malt” expression now too!

As soon as it was launched, I was keen to try their 1st edition cask strength 10-year single malt. I purchased it online in August 2021, and then shipped it together with other bottles from British Columbia to Manitoba. This was followed by bringing it from Winnipeg to Nurnberg to Mumbai. Quite the traveling bottle!

After beginning our evening with “The Collective“, followed by the experiment with “Double Barrel“, I was keen to see if the elements I enjoy most about their core single malt would shine through in the 10 year?

Shelter Point Artisanal Single Malt 10 Year (2011 / 2021) Cask Strength 57.8%

  • Colour  – Dark gold
  • Nose – Fancy! Sunshine yet surprisingly more restrained than anticipated. Malty, mineral, oily, chardonnay, Dry wood. Opens up into warm and sweet, honey and fruit – specifically muskmelon or warm cantaloupe.
  • Palate – Effervescent, sparkling wine, ginger spice, salty licorice, herbal liqueur, dry bitter cloves, lots going on! Over time it settled down a bit, though remained quite active.
  • Finish – Another warm hug, the salty lakris carries through, some cinnamon, more ginger and then bay leaf
  • Water – We began with just a few drops – it became more umami, one even described it as wet dog! Then even spicier! Whereas with more water, the salty licorice became fennel without the salt – going from “spunky” to “nice”

What can I say? This was not just sunshine in a glass – that element was there at first but fleeting. However, the salty licorice took much greater prominence – even over the Jaegermeister herbal liqueur.

I thought about the age element. In the grand scheme of things, 10 years isn’t much. Once upon a time for a Scottish dram, that would be your “entry-level” maturity. Unlike India where the angel’s share is mighty greedy, I would anticipate the west coast of BC, nestled between farmland and the coast would be more in keeping with Scotland.

So what did this mean for the 10 year Shelter Point? From memory, the younger Artisinal Single Malt expression had more cereals than wood notes. Favoured orchard fruits over melons. Didn’t have as much mineral and whilst had a touch of salt, it wasn’t the very distinctive salmiakki salted licorice found in the Nordics clearly present in the 10 year.

As I have a precious bottle of the standard expression back in Germany, decided the best thing to do would be to take a generous sample from the 10 year and follow-up with a comparison in June when I plan to open the balance Shelter Point bottles for our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer group!

What do they say?

10 Years is a long time. A lot has changed in the world since Shelter Point started production in 2011, but what hasn’t changed is our commitment to craft, quality, and doing things the best way we know how. For the inaugural 10-Year-Old edition of Cask Strength Single Malt, we decided to let the casks and the spirit do the talking, and present this limited-edition small batch for your enjoyment.

Tasting Notes:

  • With a nose led by notes of creamy vanilla, milk chocolate, apricots and green apples
  • A palate featuring baking spices, chocolate chip cookie dough and a kiss of sea salt
  • This 10-Year-Old Batch Strength Single Malt finishes with lingering woody spice, candied ginger and an assortment of baked goods.
  • A delight for the senses to be shared and savored.

Whisky Facts:

  • Still: Custom-designed copper still
  • Base: Malted Barley (That’s it. Nothing else)
  • Distillation: Small-batch, 2x distilled
  • Spirit: Natural colour and non-chill-filtered
  • Alcohol Content: Bottled at 57.8% Alc.Vol
  • Bottle Size: 750ml

Purchased in August 2021 from Shelter Point Distillery for CND 130.43  (Eur 102) + taxes + shipping for 750 ml.

Here are the other expressions tasted in the Shelter Point trio in April 2023:

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Not your ordinary blend! North Star’s Super Sonic Mach 3 55%

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Independent bottlers can truly be the “next level” of whisky explorations. For North Star Spirits, Ian and team have been bringing a range of whiskies to the world since just 2016. They’ve now branched into another series – Periodical – available only in the UK and launching soon – Obscurities and Curiosities. Even more recently, the lads are setting the stage for whisky production – with a new distillery Dal Riata in Campbeltown.

And yet, with all these developments, the foundation remains their North Star bottlings – which include in addition to their staple single malts, both a blended scotch (ie with grain) and blended malt (ie without grain).

Within the Blended Malt category, Ian introduced “Supersonic” in 2021 and released in rapid succession a series from Mach 1 to Mach 4, ranging from 46% for Mach 1 to 60% for Mach 4, all from Sherry butts. For our “Not an ordinary blend” evening, I knew the Mach 3 at 55% would fit in perfectly! Just needed to be kept towards the end, given I anticipated it would have quite a sherry punch! And it did indeed deliver this!

Supersonic Mach 3 (2013/2021) 55% (North Star) 786 bottles 

  • Nose – Lots going on here! Reminds me a bit of a chocolate, raisin, and nuts candy bar, also creamy vanilla pudding, something else a bit elusive – a puff of smoke perhaps?
  • Palate – Bold spice, loads of sherry elements like dark fruits (think fig, plum, dates, and raisins). There is a peppery chili “catch” that comes from behind – one even called it akin to Tabasco sauce!
  • Finish – More of that chili, sherry carrying through with a drying close
  • Water – Recommended. It really works well with water which tames the beast and enables juicier fruits to emerge

This is a “blended” malt is indeed a powerhouse! So much so that before adding water, it is a bit imbalanced. Like the different sherry butts are bumping up against each other, vying for who comes first. In a later revisit, I simply add a generous splash of water from the start and sat back to enjoy.

I purchased this in November 2022 for €53,60 + Tax + Shipping. It was opened in February 2024 in Nurnberg, Germany.

What other North Star whiskies have we tried? It has become quite the list – most heavily weighted towards the early years!

The North Star Regional Series:

North Star Series 007 and 008 from 2019:

North Star Series 005 from 2018:

North Series 001 – 004 from 2016 to 2018:

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just find us on Meetup!

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Chorlton – Glentauchers 8 year 61.2%

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Double trouble or twice charmed? In the case of Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague April 2023 releases, spoiler alert! Both this Glentauchers 8 year and the Glentauchers 14 year were marvelous – in different ways.

Glentauchers 8 year (2023) 61.2% 291 Bottles

  • Nose – Oh yum! Sticky toffee pudding, jammy, a voluminous dessert, small tight berries packed with tart and sweet, joined by pineapple, then buttery chocolate eclairs, apple sauce with cinnamon
  • Palate – Very full and robust! Dark plum skins, so intoxicating and delicious, rich chocolate cream, then black forrest cake, then juicy ripe berries – especially the delightful red currents we get in Germany, incredibly satisfying… is that a wee bit of nut butter or hazelnut cream? Mixed in with loads of sweet spices
  • Finish – Long, strong, and rewarding… even a bit savoury rather then back to sweet towards the end
  • Water – If it is even possible, fruitier?1 Like a candy shop from red licorice to gumdrops to candied orange peel

Overall we found this lively and colourful… practically addictive in its exuberance. There is no subtle shyness here…. this 8 year is proud to flaunt its sherry influences! There is a quixotic charm, and though it is on the edge of being overwhelming, it is simply too good to resist.

I tasted it over two evenings – the first which was a friendly evening February – there was little doubt this was the “hit” of the evening. However the next time around, my companions preferred the gentler and more genteel qualities of the Glentauchers 14 year. Both are frankly fabulous – just in different ways.

From Chorlton, we have the following description and tasting notes:

Next up we have an 8-year-old Glentauchers matured in a first-fill sherry hogshead*. Another sherried Glentauchers, you say? Well, yes, as this one’s such a fun contrast.

The nose starts with chocolate cream, hazelnut nougat, butterscotch and overripe banana, then heads in a distinctly savoury direction with veg stock cubes, dried mushrooms, parsley stalks and OK Sauce. Little hints of old tool shed, liquorice, and coal tar. It’s big and boisterous, and very changeable as it breathes or when water is added (prunes, kejap manis and cocoa powder in that case, since you ask).

The palate has a thick texture, starting on chocolate cornflake cakes, fudge and café crème then developing on a mix of jammy red fruits (redcurrant jelly? cherry jam?) and umami-ness (walnuts, bouquet garnis, BBQ meat, sesame paste). With water it’s softer, with banana wine, Cadbury’s Mini Rolls, chocolate orange and ginger.

Where the 14yo is elegant and collected, the 8yo is lairy and talkative. You do still get that sense of fruity Glentauchers spirit at the heart though. This cask produced 291 bottles at 61.2% and they are available for £59.50 each.

* – just for full transparency: this cask sprung a leak and had to be housed for a short time before bottling in a refill hogshead.

I purchased this from WhiskyBase for a mark-up to open in Nurnberg one fine evening in February 2024.

Here are a few more from La Nouvelle Vague series:

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Chorlton – Glentauchers 14 year 61.6%

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Sometimes waiting isn’t easy. That was very much the case with this Glentauchers 14 year, which was bottled in April 2023 but waited patiently until February 2024 to be opened in Nurnberg together with its younger cousin – the Glentauchers 8 year.

Knowing from the official tasting notes that the younger would be more robust, we began with the older expression.

Glentauchers 14 year (2023) 61.6% 610 Bottles

  • Nose – Oh my! Creme brulee, creamy French vanilla ice cream, yellow plums, loads going on – from brandy to sticky toffee pudding to crunchy lemon drop candies, then a sweet bread like fresh piping hot brioche… whilst there were many different elements, all were restrained and elegant not forceful
  • Palate – A bit of spice to start (no surprise at 61.16%!), however, it quickly settled into a nuanced and surprisingly delicate palate, honey, smooth and immensely satisfying we found a “rum topf” dimension – a kind of rummy fruit compote to which seasonal  fruits and berries such as strawberries, Johanisbeer, red currents and more are added over the year to be then enjoyed after boiling down to create an intense flavourful, also a resinous quality
  • Finish – What a lovely long lingering finish… retaining the fruity dessert qualities
  • Water – Yes please! So many more lovely things come forward. Joining the fruit and berry compote is a delightful red licorice, kumquats, all drenched in delicious honey
  • Revisit – Much later in the evening we returned… It reminded me of angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream! The citrus twist was more pronounced. Others found ground nutmeg, ginger, and more sweet spices

Overall it was impossible not to be enchanted by this elegant and refined whisky. We simply fell in love with BOTH the Glentauchers 14 year or 8 year – tough to decide if one was preferred over the other – however with the first tasting fresh from the closed bottle, the “consumption vote” favoured the sherried younger dram. In a later evening, the 14 year was vastly preferred for its classic elegant styling. Just goes to show mood and company make a difference. All I know is that I’m happy a bit remains to be enjoyed another day!

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

Back to more familiar terrain! This is a 14-year-old Glentauchers matured in a refill sherry butt

I don’t generally experience synaesthesia, but those nose on this is very “yellow” – I get buttery brioche, good panettone (try the naturally-leavened one that Pollen do at Christmas if you ever get the chance), soft marzipan, peaches and yellow plums, banana yoghurt and honey. In the background is a little chalky earthiness and chocolate biscuit.

The palate is honeyed, with crème pât (I can’t get my mind out of the cake shop), stone fruits and lemon. The development is malty, with flapjacks, chocolate brownies, then sweet black tea and (very distinct) golden sultanas in the aftertaste. Adding water amps up the zestiness, with tangerine, yellow flowers, pear cake and lemon drops popping up.

Very elegant and cakey, this, with the refill sherry adding a gentle richness to the underlying fruity spirit. The butt produced 610 bottles at 61.1% and they are available for £79.50 each.

Part of Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague series from April 2023, I purchased this directly from Chorlton, which rested initially in London before I had a chance to bring it to Deutschland.

Here are a few more from La Nouvelle Vague series:

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Denmark’s Fary Lochan Tasting Treat!

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Sometimes you discover something unexpected. Something distinct. Something that may even defy description yet still finds its place in your mind as something worthy of remembering. This was exactly my experience with my first taste of Fary Lochan in London – thanks to That Boutique-y Whisky Co! This was followed up by an equally remarkable bottle opened as part of an evening exploring European drams.

So when a fellow enthusiast offered to share some samples, I was delighted! And what an experience!

It was a typical February evening in Nurnberg – cold, rainy, and frankly miserable. Exactly the kind of weather that encourages cocooning at home, not venturing out. However, my tasting companion braved the weather to join me from Bamberg in exploring this quintet:

  • Fary Lochan 5 year (2012/2017) Rum No. 1, 64.7%
  • Fary Lochan 6 year (2016/2022) Moscatel Finish, Batch 5, 62.1%
  • Fary Lochan 7 year (2014/2021) Olorosso 60.3% (Single Cask by Liquid Madness)
  • The Nordic “Vindoga” Sherry Casks #2 (Fary Lochan, Mosgaard, Smogen, High Coast, Myken, Teerenpeli) 59.7% (Berry Bro’s & Rudd)
  • Fary Lochan 7 year (2015/2023) Peat & Port No. 1, 60.9%

What makes this whisky unique is how its smoke comes from nettles – inspired by nettle-smoked cheese from Funen.

Our journey began with the Rum cask…

Fary Lochan 5 year (2012/2017) Rum No. 1, 64.7% ~Eur 199. 639 bottles

  • Colour – Very pale straw
  • Nose – Light spice, freshly sawed pine wood, honey, sea grass, herbal, as it opened, there was a hint of fruits – pear and apple – which grew the more time spent in the glass
  • Palate – Warming, pine sol, some black peppercorns, distinctive and yet also a bit subdued – which is not necessarily a bad thing!
  • Finish – Carries through then disappears
  • Water – Makes it much more bitter and the distinctive element is a bit lost… the aromas still have herbal elements, chased by vanilla

It was a good start – a well-chosen beginning as it was more subtle and restrained than our next offerings.

What more do we know? It matured for approximately four years in ex-bourbon casks before being finished for another year in rum casks.

We carried on with a revisit of the dram which prompted this evening!

Fary Lochan 6 year (2016/2022) Moscatel Finish, Batch 5, 62.1% ~Eur 125

  • Colour – Bright gold with darker hints of amber
  • Nose – Sour cherry, apple sauce, nuts and a unique herbal element
  • Palate – Wonderfully full, delicious and so well rounded, sweet herbal, balanced, yet with a distinctive element
  • Finish – Yum! A delicious spice that lingers… stays and stays and stays…

Overall we could best describe this expression as like being enveloped by a warm comforting blanket. The revisit of this dram cemented our positive opinion! With that elusive yet very distinctive “Fary Lochan” element!

Next, we turned to the sherry Olorosso single-cask bottled Liquid Madness…

Fary Lochan 7 year (2014/2021) Olorosso 60.3% (Single Cask by Liquid Madness) ~Eur 90

  • Colour – Deep amber
  • Nose – Clear unmistakable sherry stamp, also some red wine tannins, rich mocha, freshly shaved wood combined with smoked herbs, licorice, sour fruits
  • Palate – A darker, heavier flavour than the Moscatel finish, has depth and substance, a wonderful mouthfeel, burnt toast with marmite, dry and curious, some fruits that were a bit hard to exactly pinpoint, yet worked!
  • Finish – Smoke
  • Revisit – After some time we returned to our near-empty glasses – Delicious chilli chocolate

We remarked that this is the kind of “reward” whisky after a hard day. The Olorosso certainly had more in common with the Moscatel than the Rum finish, however, amped up in the best possible way. And if you didn’t catch it from the description, we really liked it!

Our next choice was a completely different direction with a blend!

The Nordic “Vindoga” Sherry Casks #2 59.7% Blend of Fary Lochan, Mosgaard, Smogen, High Coast, Myken, Teerenpeli (bottled by Berry Bro’s & Rudd)

  • Colour – Dark coffee with a ruby-red glow
  • Nose – Oh my! A lot of competing elements! Fruits & berries, nuts & peat. Very active – jumping all over. From Mocha to molasses, dried berries, sour
  • Palate – Power packed – again lots going on. Different voices vying for attention. Sherry, more of that mocha, spice, intense
  • Finish – Linges with chocolate raisins and nuts

Where to begin with this one? There are so many different dimensions – more a cacophony than harmony. And yet unmistakably interesting. Just a few drops go a long way!

We closed with the peated expression… knowing that typically what works best for tasting orders is sweet before peat!

Fary Lochan 7 year (2015/2023) Peat & Port No. 1, 60.9%

  • Colour – Bright rose gold
  • Nose – Sour apples with a dusting of cinnamon, ripe cherries, a herbal quality to the smoke – like sweet grass?
  • Palate – Deceptively soft at first then a bonfire! Full flavoured, fruit and peat, jam and chocolate, salted nuts. By the 3rd sip, it started to settle down with the port and peat interplay dancing around the palate
  • Finish – Keeps going…

Hiding behind all the most pronounced features was that distinctive Fary Lochan element. Perhaps it was because this was such a departure, however, it didn’t quite “click” with us the way the others did. Still very interesting to try and perhaps needed more time and quantity in the glass to really open up. That is the danger of sharing samples sometimes! Never enough to get the full feel.

Can I just say – wow! It was absolutely remarkable to further explore this very distinctive Danish distillery offerings. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so remarkable – however, there is just something completely unique. For us, both the Olorosso and Moscatel finish stood out as clear winners!

HUGE thank you to Barley Mania for kindly sharing some precious drops of your Fary Lochan collection! I can indeed see why it has captivated you! And now us too!

What about other whiskies sampled from Denmark

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A birthday quest – Blends, Edradour and GlenAllachie

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There we were on a quest to find an interesting whisky worthy of a birthday self-present. My tasting companion is in her early days of whisky discovery… enough to know peaty drams are out, prefers something smooth with a bit of complexity, veering more towards sherry casks or finishes than purely ex-bourbon matured.

Taking this as a place to begin, I opened up an advent calendar and sorted the 24 bottles into categories with a suggested shortlist. We then checked that the whisky to be sampled is still possible to purchase, then began our quest in earnest!

As our proposed next tasting group theme was “Not your ordinary blend“, I suggested we start with a pair of blends from Berry Bro’s & Rudd with their Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Speyside and Sherry cask.

Then to test the waters of something a bit outside the comfort zone, we had the Edradour 10 year – a core expression from this small traditional Highland distillery.

We closed with a pair of unpeated drams from GlenAllachie – specifically the standard 15-year expression then a special Cuvee Cask Finish from 2009.

What did we think?

Whilst we knew we would shift more into a sherry vein, it is always good to begin with a bit of palate calibration – in this case the affordable Blended Speyside – before venturing into the Blended Sherry.

Berry Bro’s & Rudd Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 44.2% (~Eur 36)

  • Nose – Initially quite fruity, then shifted into a distinctly metallic quality combined with fruits like tinned peaches. Vanilla bounced forward before fading away. As the whisky warmed in the glass, it shifted to apple cider, a touch of ginger, melons, and some light cereals drizzled with honey
  • Palate – Light spice, malty, the apple element carries through – like  apple sauce with sweet spices
  • Finish – Lightly bitter that sweetens into honey

Overall it was a satisfying way to begin our tasting. It would make a mighty fine calibration dram – an affordable, light Speyside dram without any major fuss.

Berry Bro’s & Rudd Sherry Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 44.2% (~Eur 36)

  • Nose – Shy at first, then reveals a lovely chocolate mocha, a touch of salted caramel, some marmalade
  • Palate – Much less shy than the nose! Some bold sherry influences, joined by burnt caramel, bitter orange
  • Finish – A touch spicy then runs off quickly

In this case, it was quite mild and nuanced on the nose, then more robust on the palate. In some ways, it reminded me of a young Glenrothes combined with other elements. Again, for a sherry introduction, not such a bad way to begin. However we both knew neither were going to be the ONE.

E

Edradour 10 year 40% (~Eur 46)

  • Nose – Curious. We were initially greeted by a distinctive medicinal aroma, like red plastic pills or a tincture, it then shifted into some cherry, dried fruits, walnuts that began as cracked straight from the shell, then shifted into roasted and candied walnuts
  • Palate – Interesting. There was some spice and oak from an ex-bourbon cask, there was also typical sherry elements too with sweet spices, orange and dried fruits, however it didn’t stand out
  • Finish – Just an extension of the palate – light sweet spices and oak

It took a bit of time for the medicinal quality to shift, but that made all the difference. For my tasting companion, this was a helpful opportunity to confirm this isn’t the direction she wants to explore further for her special birthday dram.

As context, I shared how most of the Edradour’s that I’ve enjoyed most have been limited expressions – such as their 15 year Fairy Flag. I also noted that they have a peated expression under the brand Ballechin – we had a sample included in the advent calendar which I had set aside. Somehow their standard expressions – this 10 year old and its 12 year old cousin – Caledonia – tend to be overlooked.

GlenAllachie 15 year 46% (~Eur 72)

  • Nose – Caramel, sweet spices, raisins and plums, chocolate milk
  • Palate – Full-bodied and fabulous! Tropical fruits, mocha, orange peel and butterscotch, hazelnuts, silky smooth
  • Finish – A lovely finish with vanilla oak and a touch of cinnamon
  • Water – Whilst not needed, if you are looking forward to a more approachable version, then definately add!

Now we are talking! Clearly leaning towards the Sherry side, this expression is the kind of dram you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy… It doesn’t need to be center stage, instead makes the perfect accompaniment to a friendly evening.

GlenAllachie (2009/2011) Olorosso, Chinquapin and Grattamacco Tuscan Red Cuvee Cask Finish 55.9% (~Eur 72 – 110, though apparently originally for Eur 60+)

  • Nose – It started with vanilla and marshmallows, then shifted to dark grape peels and red wine tannins, further joined by brazil nut and raisins, subtle and intriguing, it continued to evolve in the glass over time. There was a lovely perfume – a white flower that we struggled to pinpoint – perhaps clematis? Much later, there was fresh sawdust, buttered toast, then bourbon vanilla ice cream, perhaps even a whiff of sea breeze
  • Palate – A lot was going on! There was an effervescent quality – clearly active with a combination of caramel, wine tannins, red licorice, and nuts joined by chocolate
  • Finish – Shifted between lightly bitter to spice to honeyed sweetness
  • Water – A touch of water opens it up further in a rather nice way

No light-hearted easy-going dram here. This is one that both expects and deserves attention. Ex-Sherry Olorros casks are combined with whisky matured in Chinquapin Oak (Quercus Muehlenbergii) – whilst not specifically disclosed – one would presume virgin oak, before being finished in red wine. It makes for an interesting interplay between the different elements. Whilst I’m often a bit skeptical of red wine finishes, this one works as the wine finish was a subtle rather than dominant addition.

What more do we know? The reason it was featured in the 2022 Kirsch Advent calendar is that originally it was bottled specifically for Kirsh imports with 3,000 bottles.

What was the verdict? Track down the GlenAllachie 2009 if possible… and if not, my sense was that the GlenAllachie 15-year would make for a good backup.

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Sherry Battle! Aberlour 16 year + Arran Sherry

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The battle of the Sherries came about one relaxed evening in London. We were gearing up for the Whisky Show 2023, and my host pulled out two of his favourite drams. Both sherry, both quality and still available at a reasonably accessible price point. He wanted to see which reigned supreme. Spoiler alert – both for different reasons!

  • Arran Sherry 55.8%  – Sherry meets bannoffie pie! Drunken raisins, salted caramel… Smooth with dark fruits, and sweet spices… long strong finish
  • Aberlour 16 year 40% – You would think it would be gentle at a mere 40%, however, don’t let that fool you! Full of all the wonderful sherry influenced fruits, Christmasy spices then on the palate ginger and chocolate. Yum.

For those not familiar, Aberlour is known for its consistent use of ex-Olorosso sherry casks… until they recently launched their Alba line.

Whereas Arran, from Lochranza Distillery, regularly uses a range of casks – from Bourbon to Port, from Amarone to Sauternes, and of course Sherry!

As we sampled them side by side, we reflected on how each revels in the sherry cask, with the Aberlour a bit heavier despite it being 40% and the Arran more nuanced and lively, not surprising given its cask strength.

I missed making detailed notes however simply remembered how much we enjoy both whiskies. Each would go well in any whisky cabinet.

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Chorlton’s Glen Ord 8 year 57.9%

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They say you should leave the best for last! Whisky-wise for a tasting order, that isn’t necessarily the case. One should always consider the whisky profile – bourbon before sherry, unpeated before peated, and so forth. In more than one tasting event, a subtle mature dram was sampled at the end, in deference to its age (and likely price-tag!), yet at a point when its nuanced character was lost in a mix of too many malts!

In our January 2024 tasting, there was zero doubt that this fully sherry-matured dram should come last and, based on past distillery experiences, that it just might be the winner of our 4 distillery comparison.

What was in common between all four was that they came from independent bottler Chorlton as single casks, bottled at cask strength. Each also came from distilleries that are not as well explored.

Glen Ord 8 year 1st Fill Oloroso Hogshead 57.9% 252 bottles 

  • Nose – Christmas cake and pudding, a delicious ginger spice, toffee and banoffee pie, vanilla custard, figs, jammy… in the 2nd tasting with the ladies we also found some salted caramel, butterscotch, a warm banana mash or a moist banana bread fresh from the oven, Fragelico hazelnut liqueur
  • Palate – Big, bold, and beautiful! It was very juicy, and rich with a wonderful mouth feel – described as quite “chewy”. Some found red grapes, others red berries, and some even baked red apples! It was buttery, rolling around the palate in the best way, smooth and delicious. Shifting between cinnamon rolls and stollen stuffed with dried fruits and marzipan paste – yum!
  • Finish – What a fabulous finish! Slightly bitter (think mocha or chocolate), then followed by bonbons
  • Revisit – This dram also stands the test of waiting in the glass. With the revisit, we found it even fruitier on the nose – all the Christmasy dried fruits and sweet spices joined by citrus marmalade, peaches, and apricots…

From the 1st whiff, we LOVED the nose, reveling in the aromas of a proper sherry dram. The palate did not disappoint either.

For the Glen Ord, both the Bombay Malt & Cigar folks and Whisky Ladies were unanimous in pronouncing this the clear favourite of the evening. This just goes to prove – for a tasting order, the whisky profile can be more important than vintage. In this case, the youngest proved to be the right one to close the evening!

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

First up we have an 8-year-old Glen Ord. I think I’ve only tried about three or four Ords in my life, despite it being a large distillery. I don’t know where most of it goes, but happily a little bit has found its way into a Chorlton bottle via a rather lovely oloroso cask.

So, on the nose we find dried figs, beeswax, old leather and soft cigar smoke. It’s a very old-school dry sherry vibe (no fruit cakey PXy nonsense here!), but you do get some pear tart and orange bitters as it starts to breathe, backed by some solid jammy dark fruits and black spices.

On the palate: really big and mouthfilling! Fat, lightly smoky and waxy, with glazed fruits, marmalade, baked apple and some ginger syrup. The finish is really long and “chewy”, with dry sherry, cigars, oranges and chocolate.

This whisky really does have an old-fashioned feeling to it. It’s like going into an ancient gentleman’s club off Pall Mall (I mean, what I imagine that to be like. I’m sure they keep riff-raff like me off the premises.) full of polished oak and leather armchairs suffused with old smoke. Ask your valet to serve this to you on a silver salver.

This whisky was released in the UK for £65. I purchased this from Whisky.base in October 2022 for EUR 74 + 18% tax + shipping.

So there we have it – another set from Chorlton! What was the final verdict from our two tasting groups in Mumbai?

From left (#4) to right (#1), we ranked our whiskies as:

#4 Teaninich 12 year 54.2%. No converts to this distillery post our experience. Whilst I never say never, if even a Chorlton bottle doesn’t nudge me towards this distillery, it is safe to say that its profile simply isn’t one for me!

#3 Benrinnes 14 year 55%. Remains a mixed experience. Some interesting elements but also disappointing on the palate after such an appealing nose. One described it as feeling a bit “cheated” by the taste after the teasing aromas!

#2 Deanston 14 year 52.6% was the surprising runner-up. In fact, after this photo was taken, there was even less liquid?! Whilst it was still considered average, sometimes average works.

#1 Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% By the end of both evenings, there was zero doubt! Once I removed a small sample for fellow whisky explorer Whisky Flu and another to bring back to Europe, there was barely even a single dram remaining! This hardly ever happens in our whisky-tasting evenings, where typically we have a good portion of the bottle remaining.

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Sharing is caring

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I truly believe sharing is caring – even more so in the world of whiskies – where a dram shared is a dram enjoyed. Alas, having whisky friends scattered around the world means we do not always have an opportunity to taste together. This is why sharing a mini or two is a way to share the journey, even if experienced independently.

A couple of years ago, I brought a wee pack of minis back from Europe to India to share with Whisky Flu. His wonderfully detailed and evocative tasting notes are such a treat – enabling me to experience the drams yet again through his nose and palate.

Knowing he was through the original set, I decided it was time for a wee booster shot of interesting drams, so packed up further whiskies from one of our favourite independent bottlers – Chorlton and Gordon & Macphail Discovery. Then in India, when cleaning and sorting through my whisky cabinet, added a trio from That Boutique-y Whisky Co to the mix and the latest Chorlton’s opened with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents.

Completely unexpectedly, I received a “return gift” with an interesting assortment from his open bottles:

  • Blend #4 51% – Must find out more about this one!
  • Grace O’Malley Irish Whisky 40% – So far I’ve only had a whiff of this one, so looking forward to trying
  • Camikara 12 year Rum 50% – A new Indian cane juice rum, matured for 12 years in American oak casks. 
  • Timorous Beastie 18 year Blended Malt 46.8% – We last tried a no-age statement expression of this Highland Blend from Douglas Laing in 2016. It will be interesting to contrast that with this limited edition.
  • Rock Oyster 18 year Blended Malt 46.8% – For this Island expression, we last tried their cask-strength version in 2018. As a blend of Islay, Arran, Orkney, and Jura whiskies, I have a feeling I will enjoy the 18 year!
  • Indri 46% – I need to check if this is the standard Trini or something different!

For a variety of reasons, this trip to India left little scope for independent tasting. So I decided to keep these well stored for my upcoming trip in April or May 2024.

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Chorlton’s Benrinnes 14 year 55%

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As a bit of background, some 8 years ago we did an evening devoted to Affordable Adults – all above 20 years, all cask strength, all from independent bottlers, all reasonably affordable (by whisky standards!). Imagine today getting a 27-year-old Blair Athol at cask strength for under Eur 150?

The Benrinnes we tried that evening retailed for approx Eur 120 at the time and was aged for 24 years in an ex-bourbon Hogshead, bottled by the Single Malts of Scotland (Elixir). It was frankly awful. As in, we described it as having anti-freeze on the nose and solvent on the palate. In fairness, it came to us after being baked in the trunk of a car in the heat of Mumbai. I revisited it later and was a bit more charitable, however it was a clear disappointment.

Fast forward and I have since come across a few Benrinnes that deserve the description of rusty and rustic! I also find that whisky profiles like Benrinnes need more time to open up to truly come into their own, interesting to try yet one can also see why they may add more in combination with other whiskies to craft whisky blends.

So what did we think of this expression from Chorlton in our “Chances” evenings? Would it be a thumbs up or a decisive thumbs down? Or somewhere in between? Weighing into the verdict were two groups: The Malt & Cigar men on the 1st day and the Whisky Ladies on the 2nd day. Both evenings this whisky was sampled 3rd out of 4 bottles.

Benrinnes 14 year 55%

  • Colour – You can certainly see the Sherry finish influence here! A lovely dark amber hue.
  • Nose
    • Now we are talking! A very inviting start – warm peaches, some strawberries, an odd yet not unpleasant perfumed soap water, some sweet wood, honey… the longer we sniffed, the more it changed nicely… subtle and nuanced, buttery hot muffins, some cream, a bit rum-like – leaning more towards a sweet spice rum, mashed bananas, rose hip tea.
    • On the 2nd day we also found it reminded us of a perfumed fruity waxy candle – one of those over-priced indulgences you give as a special gift! As it opened up, we found the sweet shifting into a slight saline, then revealing other elements. One lady called it capers in brine, another found it more herbal, and a 3rd described it as a fat buttery cinnamon bun.
  • Palate
    • One gentleman described it as “gulkand” which is a sweet preserve of rose petals, others thought more of jammy berries. There was a bit of this, yet I found it a bit more earthy – in a good way. I particularly found quite pronounced macadamia nut butter, creamy… as soon as this was identified, there was agreement – both the gents and ladies.
    • One lady described it perfectly as being quite “unctuous”. We found some spice, cloves, and bay leaves, a bit savory and slightly bitter too – coffee perhaps?
  • Finish – Long and strong, some of the salty nuts carrying through or a sweet salted butter
  • Water – Yes. Softens and rounds it out nicely without detracting from its character

There was certainly a contrast between the sweetly fruity and perfumed nose and the more substantive palate. Personally, I enjoyed this dichotomy, whereas others were disappointed as they would have preferred the sweet summery styled aromas carry through on the palate. Not to be sexist, the nose was described as quite feminine whereas the palate was much more masculine.

And yet as the whisky opened up further in the glass, the contrast between aroma and palate lessened, with the nose veering more towards the palate. Even after an hour, there was a complete range of reactions to the revisit. From some continuing to find it interesting, changing further to others finding it watery and no longer having much character! In other words – two ends of the spectrum!

My sense was one should just consider this whisky on its merits, not comparing side by side with others. Something to settle down with for an hour or so, just seeing how it continues to evolve in the glass. In some ways, it comes across as quite “active” with an intriguing nose that reveals different elements over time, shifting back and forth.

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

This spent its first decade in a bourbon barrel and then the last 4 years in a sherry butt. I don’t usually do “finishes” but this was a particularly good sherry cask that I just had to do something with. It’s a little bit darker in colour than the photo suggests.

The nose starts with a soft waxy fruitiness (strawberry laces, cherry chapstick, banana chips) then a little earth and dried honey, plus something a little floral. There’s some buttered toast here, and a little savoury note in the background – not meaty really, maybe more like herby dumplings?

The palate has a classically sherried start, with dark chocolate, orange and coffee, before the fruitiness from the nose starts coming through (red berries, strawberry fondant). The development is long and quite complex, balancing some light fruitcakeiness with zingy fruits and then a quite meaty and salty aftertaste.

Adding water brings up tarter fruits (lime and yuzu syrup, rhubarb and custard sweets), and adds salted butter and a sort of honeyed grassiness to the aftertaste. Étienne (who you should all follow on Instagram @themaltcask) tried this and suggested it was a value for money bottle as you could easily spend half an hour on each glass! I always think of Benrinnes as quite a boisterous spirit, and there is a lot going on here to have fun with.

The cask produced 226 bottles at a cask strength of 55.0% and they are available for £80 each.

I purchased this directly from Chorlton in May 2022 and collected it from London in Oct 2022, sending it back to India!

So what was the verdict in comparison with the other three bottles?

  1. Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% – the bottle on the far right. Spoiler alert – by the end of both evenings and after removing a small sample for Europe, there is barely a dram remaining!
  2. Deanston 14 year 52.6% was the surprising runner-up. In fact, after this photo was taken, there was even less liquid?! Whilst it was still considered average, sometimes average works.
  3. Benrinnes 14 year 55% – 2nd from the left. Remains a mixed experience. Some interesting elements but also disappointing on the palate after such an appealing nose. One described it as feeling a bit “cheated” by the taste after the teasing aromas!
  4. Teaninich 12 year 54.2% – the bottle on the far left. No converts to this distillery post our experience. Whilst I never say never, if even a Chorlton bottle doesn’t nudge me towards this distillery, it is safe to say that its profile simply isn’t one for me!

Curious about other Benrinnes tasting experiences?

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