Category Archives: Grain

Macbeth’s First Ghost (Cambus 31) and Bloody Sergeant (Blair Athol 10)!

Posted on by
Reply

At London’s Whisky Show 2023, we were introduced to Elixir’s  Macbeth series. That year we selected for our “Dream Drams” a pair of Thanes – Lady MacDuff (Linkwood 31) and Menthieth (BenRiach 31 year).

This year, we were drawn to the Ghost and Household range: First Ghost (Cambus 31) and Bloody Sergeant (Blair Athol 10). This was partly because these whiskies did not require “Dream Dram” tokens!

What did we think in our sniff and swish?

We began with the grain from the closed Lowland distillery Cambus… With 650 bottles from a refill bourbon, we anticipated something light… 

Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.

The Ghosts: Cambus 31-year Single Grain “First Ghost” 43.2% (Lowland) GBP 301

  • Nose – Soft, and sweet, with a hint of tart lemon or limes, warms in the glass to reveal vanilla
  • Palate – Delicious! Light bourbon vanilla ice cream, with a hint of fruit  
  • Finish – Quite subtle

This whisky clearly fell into the “day dram” category – uncomplicated, light, and easy to sip.

What do they have to say?

The first ghostly apparition in the Macbeth series is portrayed by an elegant, mature single grain from the long-deceased Cambus distillery. More than three decades resting in oak has left this old Lowlander with an ethereal profile of green fruits, vanilla cream, coconut milk and a hint of sweet anise. An excellent choice of casks by whisky makers Elixir Distillers really brings this portentous figure to life… So to speak.

This bottling is the first of six whiskies representing The Ghosts in this series inspired by The Tragedy of Macbeth. Each bottling features specially commissioned artwork by famed illustrator Sir Quentin Blake.

Nice! And another reminder that Cambus produced some lovely grains once upon a time! Whilst I’ve had a few mixed experiences, this one reminded me of the lovely 24 year from Signatory that I bought from Singapore’s Whisky Live 2017.

Up next was a shift in gears from light to dark with xx

The Households: Blair Athol 10 year “Bloody Sergeant” 51.8% (Highland) GBP 95

  • Nose – Quite a hit of dry fruits, peppery spice… needs time to open
  • Palate – Sweet, rich with loads of dark fruits, spice
  • Finish – Has a kick
  • Water – We thought perhaps to tone it down with water in hopes it would reveal more elements. It certainly helped round out the palate however it also lost some of its character too 

Whilst the Cambus was soft and inviting, the Blair Athol was punchy and bold! This is entirely in keeping with Blair Athol’s character – some love its brash approach whereas for others it is simply a bit “too much”. 

What do they have to say?

An excellent addition to Livingstone’s ground-breaking Macbeth series. The Bloody Sergeant – who recounts Macbeth’s heroic deeds to King Duncan in the Play’s first act – had to be embodied by a rugged Highlander and this Blair Athol does the job perfectly. Matured in a combination of bourbon hogsheads and red wine casks, this is a richly texture dram packed with fruit and complex tannins. Expect blackberries and baking spices on the nose before a weighty palate of toffee and malt with a pickle of gunpowder in the finish.

This bottling is one of 10 characterful whiskies chosen to represent The Household of Macbeth. Each expression in this collectable series features character insights from whisky writer Dave Broom and specially commissioned illustrations by Sir Quentin Blake.

Both are different yet interesting. I hope we can continue to explore more from the Macbeth series in the future! 

From Macbeth Act One, there were… 

  • The Leads: Glen Grant 56 year “Old King Duncan” 48.2% (Speyside) GBP 10,000
  • The Ghosts: Cambus 31-year Single Grain “First Ghost” 43.2% (Lowland) GBP 301 – Sampled in 2024
  • The Witches: Ardbeg 19 year “First Witch” 51.7% (Islay) GBP 550 
  • The Murderers: Ledaig 18 year “First Murderer” 50.5% (Island) GBP 220 

The Thanes:

The Households:

  • Ardmore 12 year “Seyton” 52.5% (Highland) GBP 100
  • Blair Athol 10 year “Bloody Sergeant” 51.8% (Highland) GBP 95 – Sampled in 2024

And if you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Canada’s Shelter Point – Montfort District Lot 151 (2020) Single Grain Whisky 46%

Posted on by
Reply

Grain whisky often gets a bad rap for being the “extra” that goes into a whisky blend. And yet the range of possibilities with grains are immense! So when we had not one but two grain whisky options to sample with our Shelter Point quintet, we were open to the experience. We began with the single grain from a single lot on Vancouver Island – specifically the Montfort District Lot 151 to be found :

  • Latitude: “49.876166”
  • Longitude: “-125.126368”

Whilst the folks at Shelter Point refer to site-specific soil classification differences and the influence of proxmity to the ocean and forested land, unlike Ireland’s Waterford distillery who share extensive micro-provenance details, here we have just the location of the family farm on which the barley is grown.

The previous release tasting notes for the Montfort DL 151 are remarkably similar to the 2018 Montfort DL 141 – which we earlier sampled a few years ago. And now? If you head to the Shelter Point website, they no longer distinguish between the lots, bottling only as Montfort. Still field to flask, still from a family run farm, however I suppose over time this is more manageable to sustain, with more flexibility with cask management.

Setting all of these factors aside, what did we think?

Montfort District Lot 151 (2020) Unmalted Barley Single Grain Whisky 46%

  • Colour  – A bright sunny gold
  • Nose – Are those ripe dark cherries? Now some toasted notes chased by a light sea salt. Take a big breath and you are transported to a wheat field, full of cereal aromas. Then marzipan, some nutty notes, some maple, and tobacco leaves.
  • Palate – Mmmm…. starts a bit sweet and smooth, lightly fruity – perhaps white peach?, creamy then shifts into a darker earthy element joined by chocolate. It is incredibly soft yet not delicate as it has far too much “substance”
  • Finish – Dry yet satisfying

For a young grain, this was actually quite impressive. We also appreciated the true terroir focus – including the exact location on Montfort Lot 151! I don’t know what exactly I expected, however, this was really very enjoyable.

What do the folks at Shelter Point have to say?

Montfort 151 is a truly unique field-to flask whisky. The name itself is the very lot in which the single-grain barley was grown, as well the coordinates to the exact field are included on every bottle. The Montfort series has literal grass root beginnings, each field that we farm has a distinctive district lot number, as well as site specific soil classification, and a proximity to the ocean and forested land. These collective characteristics grow barley in distinctive and unique ways resulting in unique flavor profiles from these micro regions on our farm. Montfort 151 is distinctively different than the Montfort DL 141, and Montfort 151 is a proud product of our distillery home.

Tasting Notes

On the nose, Montfort DL 151 has distinct notes of vanilla fudge, dried fruits and hazelnut. The palate is honed and herbaceous with a luxurious assortment of dark chocolate cherries, leading to a warming spicy finish, with lingering oak and almond nougat.

Whisky Facts

  • Still: Custom-designed copper pot still
  • Base: 100% unmalted barley (That’s it. Nothing else)
  • Distillation: Small-batch, 3x distilled
  • Spirit: Natural colour and non-chill filtered
  • Alcohol Content: Bottled at 46% Alc.Vol

I purchased this when it was released back in 2020 for CND$30.43 + taxes for a 375 ml bottle – which to me is the PERFECT size!

Unfortunately, Shelter Point seems to have largely discontinued this option, which now seems to be only available for their Whisky Club at CND 225 (including tax) / year for 3 bottles – that’s over double what they were charging just a few years ago. Which, frankly is a lot per bottle – in the range of $130 each if it was full size. Clearly, something is going on with the distillery making this a necessary change, however, as both a consumer and fan, this is truly a pity.

Shelter Point Quintet sampled by the Nurnberg’s Whisky Explorers:

Interested in receiving more Whisky Lady posts? Why not follow on:

Finch Schwabian Whisky – An Exploration of 8 Expressions

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome to the Schwabian Alps! My explorations of German distilleries continue with Finch distillery… For those not familiar, the Schwabian Apls are found to the east of the Black Forrest, north of the Bavarian Alps, the Swabian Alps (Schwäbische Alb in German) are sometimes overlooked.

“Ulm, where the Danube swiftly flows, forms the boundary in the south, while the Neckar runs past half-timbered towns, limestone crags, beech woods, juniper-cloaked heaths, hilltop ducal castles, and robber-knight ruins further north.” (Lonely Planet)

As for Finch distillery, like several continental European distilleries, there is quite a lot of experimentation with various grains and casks. And what better way to explore these possibilities than with a set of miniatures – from barley to a variety of relatively obscure kinds of wheat to rye. As for casks? A mix of red wine, port, sherry and American Oak. 

In this case, the set was a compact gift-wrapped treat! 

Fun to open…

Even more fun to explore…

So what is contained in this Finch octet tasting set?

  • Finch Fine Selection 6 year Single Malt 42%
  • Finch Cask Strength 8 year Emmer Edition 3, 54.6% 
  • Finch Special Grain 8 year Spelt Port 42% 
  • Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Barrique Cask 42%
  • Finch Special Edition 8 year WOA Bullhead Single Malt 46% 
  • Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Single Malt Sherry Cask 46% 
  • Finch Special Grain 6 year Rye Edition 46%
  • Finch Distillers Choice 10 year Single Malt Smoky 46%

So now… on to the most fun part – tasting!

Where to start? We initially opened the 1st listed on the guide – the Emmer Edition 3 Cask Strength – however, we realised immediately the folly of this approach and switched instead to the Finch Single Malt. 

Finch Fine Selection 6 year Single Malt 42% (est. Eur 40 for 500ml)

The folks at Finch share that the barley for this Single Malt comes from their own cultivation, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and wine casks.

  • Nose – Initially quite fruity, then rubber took over – as in really quite rubbery – like childhood-flavoured erasers. As it settled in the glass, the aroma became sweeter with cereals. Over time it also shifted into roasted barley with honey, some green apples or green grapes
  • Palate – The first sip was a bit brash, full of hay sweetness, waxy chocolate, more of the cereals
  • Finish – Reminded us more of a simple single grain than single malt – there for but a moment and then disappeared

Overall this wasn’t the best beginning. It was compared with a breakfast cereal – Smacks – made of puffed wheat and honey. Whilst nothing was “off”, we just weren’t yet excited. 

Finch Cask Strength 8 year Emmer Edition 3, Re Wine Barrels 54.6% (est. Eur 59 for 500ml)

Next up, we returned to the cask strength we initially cracked open. Rather than barley, this whisky uses a grain – black emmer – from the Finch farm on the plateau of the Swabian Alb. What is Emmer you may ask? Otherwise known as Triticum decoction is a plant species from the wheat genus. It is one of the oldest cultivated grains, yet hardly grown today. This type of wheat with long-awned, usually two-flowered spikelets is hardly grown in Europe today – if it is, it is essentially black emmer.

  • Nose – Initially very shy, then spirity, slowly opening into marzipan, caramel, biscuits, hint of red wine or raisins
  • Palate – Started like a sour calvados, then from tart apples to pears, giving way to clear red wine influence
  • Finish – Light
  • Revisit – What a lovely perfume, silky smooth on the palate, closing with a light spice finish

Could clearly tell this is a grain rather than a single malt, yet we enjoyed it much more than the 6 year Single Malt expression. Whilst it came across as young, once the nose opened up, it was quite inviting…

Finch 8 year Dinkel Port 42% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

This expression uses another lesser-known grain for whiskies – spelt – this time, combined with an ex-Port cask.

  • Nose – The first whiff was very promising. Light yet very sweet. It was a bit like cotton candy or the powder on a marshmallow.
  • Palate – Sparkling grape juice, sweet spices, smooth and surprisingly light for a port-matured whisky.
  • Finish – Honey and raisins

Our overall impression was that it makes a nice starter whisky. The aromas were appealing and the palate enjoyable.

Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Red Wine Barrique Cask 42% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

We now shifted into “weizen und gersten”, in other words – wheat and barley, matured in a Red Wine Barrique.

  • Nose – Oh nice! Juicy red berries. black forest cake
  • Palate – Very light, sweet, red cherries and a touch of chocolate
  • Finish – Light

Again, like the others, it comes across as young and spirity. Then once it settles in, quite pleasant. What we would consider an ‘entry-level’ whisky – an interesting way to introduce folks new to whisky. Whilst not complex, it has enough interesting going on to engage.

Finch Special Edition 8 year W.O.A. Bullhead Single Malt 46% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

For those not familiar, W.O.A. is Wacken Open Air – a massive heavy metal music festival in northern Germany. This particular expression was made for this festival – matured in three casks: American oak, Port and red wine.

  • Nose – Wood, honey, bourbon-like, lots of vanilla, fruity and sweet, pleasant
  • Palate – Hmm.. a bit peculiar and confused. It had a bit of a grain or bourbon bite with wine. There were different elements – each on their own interesting yet somehow didn’t come together harmoniously.
  • Finish – Unremarkable

Our discussion centered around the festival and the conclusion this could be a great festival drinking whisky. On its own, in a festival setting, the combination of elements would just join the cacophony of pounding Heavy Metal music. But in comparison with the other Finch whiskies sampled that cool late November evening? Alas, it fell a bit short.

Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Single Malt Sherry Cask 46%  (est. Eur 59 for 500ml)

Next up was a shift into a more classically styled single malt. No rare grains or cask experimentations here. Just barley, and an ex-sherry cask – back to the basics.

  • Nose – Our first impression was – this is no heavy sherry, yet still unmistakable. Raisins, creamy sweet spices, cracked black peppercorn
  • Palate – Thick and creamy, sweet with more of those raisins and spice, 
  • Finish – Spicy yet still light

This one simply goes down exceedingly easily. A solid package. For one of us – it was the clear favourite of the evening!

Finch Special Grain 6 year Rye 2nd Edition 46% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

We then decided to shift into Rye, again from Schwabian rye, matured fully in red wine barrels.

  • Nose – Yup! This is definitely rye, yet also soft and sweet. Almond paste, marzipan 
  • Palate – Sweet nuts – like pecans, quite atypical
  • Finish – One of the few Finch finishes that stays – spirity, dry 

Rye but not a typical rye. Also quite different from the other Finch whiskies.  Perhaps this is the influence of the red wine cask?

Finch Distillers Choice 10 year Single Malt Smoky 46% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

We closed with the peaty expression. They share it is a combination of their local barley and oak smoked malt, then matured in wine barrels plus Islay barrels. 

  • Nose – Ashy, like cold coal, smoke…. after some time we could finally detect a few additional elements – a bit of caramel nuts, speck
  • Palate – Hmm… the tasting notes say marshmallows, but for us it was only the black ash of a burnt marshmallow. Burnt honey nut, burnt toast with a little bit of honey, very  dry, granite stone
  • Finish – The ash remains, with a hint of caramel

This was a total departure from all the others. The only consistency was that it also came across as youngish despite being matured for 10 years. Also, whilst ash was the single predominant feature, it wasn’t the forceful hit of a Smokehead, instead it was light ash. For us though, ash is ash and not our favoured type of peaty whisky.

Finch isn’t Scottish, it isn’t trying to be. Instead they are celebrating what is available locally for a range of experiments – some more appealing than others for us. The single malt and smoky were not our whisky style, however the Sherry, the Emmer and Dinkel Port stood out. Even the Rye, with its lighter touch, was interesting.

These aren’t the only Finch whiskies in my Germany Whisky Cabinet! I also have the following pair, ready and waiting for the right opportunity!

  • Finch 5-year Single Malt Sherry 42%
  • Finch 8-year “Barrel Proof” ex-Red wine, Bourbon, and Port Cask 54%

Curious to know more? Why not follow Whisky Lady on:

That Boutique-y Whisky Co – New Core Range

Posted on by
Reply

No Whisky Show is truly complete without the dynamic duo of Dave Worthington & Sam Simmonds. That Boutique-y Whisky Co is just a “must go”! 

At London’s 2023 Whisky Show, you could spend the entire day at their wee stall! This year, they introduced their new core range along with three different features:

  • Land of Oz
  • American
  • Cinema expressions

We somehow managed to stick with just a partial sampling of the Core Range, Oz, and Cinema… however that took rather a large amount of restraint!

Starting with the World Whisky Blend (fabulous and affordable!), the good folks at Atom Brands aka That Boutique-y Whisky Co, decided it was time to have something a bit more regular and dependable for fans. Shifting from 500ml bottles of unique expressions with sometimes only 100+ bottles in existence where you could “blink” and they are gone, their new core range can be found in “industry standard” 700ml bottles, all at a traditional strength of 45.8% in batches of approx 1,000 liters, with the intention of being much more accessible.

Naturally, there had to be something a bit cheeky about the approach with Emily Chappell’s labels! With a nod to traditional scotch whisky which often featured deer… in this case, the age of the deer was linked to the age of the dram… except of course for the Canadian whisky, it simply had to be a moose! Dave also shared the bottle colours are meant to reflect the northern lights too. 

Which was exactly where we began, the good Canuck that I am! 

Canadian Corn 8 year 45.8% (GBP 38)

Big bold and sweet aromas, caramel toffee sweetness, nutty, and more! And on the palate? Even more of that dramatic desert with some cracking ginger spice. Yet even with all the big bold aromas and flavours, it was in harmony and not overwhelming. A fun, fabulous sweet treat with a punch.

What more do we know? It was matured in 100% Oloroso casks. As for official tasting notes?

  • Nose – Fruity muffins, buttery oak, opening up into sherried goodness: raisins, prunes, dates, drizzles of runny toffee and toasted nuts.
  • Taste – Big, bold, and fruity! Toffee ripple ice cream, wafer, and popcorn join toasted almonds and cooked peach, white cracks of black pepper nestle in the depths.

Where did we go next? We then shifted to the oldest offering in this new core range – the 30-year-old blended grain!

Blended Grain 30 year 45.8% GBP 75

As bold and youthful as the Canadian corn was, we shifted to a genteel dame with the blended grain. On the nose, it was a friendly ‘breakfast dram’ with delicious buttery pastries, honey, and a hint of marmalade, some cream with vanilla. Then on the palate? Soft, even creamier, and far too easy to drink. This one was dangerous in its deceptively easy style. Yum!

What more do we know? It is a blend of refill casks of ex-Bourbon hogsheads and ex-Sherry octaves. As for tasting notes?

  • Nose – Honeycomb, red grapes, immensely buttery biscuits or shortbread, waxy orange peel, polished oak and a touch of floral spring breeze.
  • Palate –  Thick, textured with rich butterscotch, freshly baked cookies with still-soft chocolate chunks, hints of cedar and white pepper in the finish.

Next up was the Speyside….

Speyside 12 year 45.8% GBP 45

If the Canadian was big and bold, the Grain genteel and intoxicating, the Speyside was a sherry delight with substance!

On the nose, we found crunchy chocolate caramel with roasted nuts, some fruity sweetness too, and a puff of smoke. It had real substance on the palate – this was no lightweight! Warm and full of classic sherry dark fruits combined with a hint of salt. Far too drinkable too!

What more do we know? It is a combination of all-new Oloroso casks.. with the official tasting notes:

  • Nose – Caramelised nuts and chocolate mousse, flamed orange peel, cinnamon, earthy density, punchy cassia, and smoky oak.
  • Taste – Fruity, chewy and spicy. Tangy cranberry, salty jerky, oily walnuts, an absolute belter of a Speyside whisky. Complex and quaffable.

We held off on checking out the Highland 18 year and Islay 8 year. I’m sure they are equally worth checking out. Our overall conclusion for the trio we tried is that each is, in its distinctive way, simply too easy to drink. Which I supposed is exactly what they were aiming for with this more accessible range – bravo!

What next? Well… join me as we dive into a selection from Australia!

And if you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Darkness Sherry – Mortlach, Blair Athol, Cambus

Posted on by
Reply

At Paris Whisky Live 2022, the VIP section had an area dedicated to Atom Brands – best known for That Boutique-y Whisky Company which was celebrating its 10th anniversary! However, they also featured their Darkness range of intensely sherried whiskies.

Is it OK if I confess to being a bit confused about their new “Darkness” range? After all, That Boutique-y already has their well-known Whiskies, Gin, and now also rum… so why not build a twist on this? Nope! True to form, they don’t do the predictable.. instead created a completely new brand for intensely sherry whiskies – both limited edition vintage and then another line which are matured for only 8 years.

As they explain, their approach for their Limited Editions is:

Finished in Octave Casks that may have held any type of sherry wine, our Head of Whisky explores specific finishes (Oloroso, Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel or Manzanilla) chosen for their ability to enhance individual distillery characteristics.

These are unrepeatable releases that have each undertaken Darkness’ signature liquid transformation in tiny octave sherry casks.

As always, what matters most is what is in the glass! On offer in Paris was:

  • Mortlach 20 year 49% (Darkness) EUR 171 for 500ml
  • Blair Athol 18 year 49.4% (Darkness) EUR 105 for 500ml
  • Cambus 29 year 45.7% (Darkness) EUR 145 for 500ml

As it was just a sniff and swish, please forgive the light impressions… however enough to hope there will be future opportunities to explore further!

So… where did I begin? With the Mortlach naturally!

Mortlach 20 year 49%

  • Nose – A burst of flavours! Loads of sweet dry fruits, chocolate
  • Palate – Amazingly rich. Gorgeous and delicious – nothing shy about this Mortlach!
  • Finish – Resinous and rewarding, mocha

If this Mortlach was any indication, calling this an “intense” range was spot on! Stunning and well worth exploring. A mighty and most enjoyable Mortlach malt.

I then moved on to the Blair Athol….

Blair Athol 18 year 49.4%

  • Nose – Oh my! Also quite the sherry bomb! Strong sherry elements – dark fruits, nutty
  • Palate – Yum! Superb. Figs and nuts, like an indulgent chocolate bar
  • Finish – Fruity, caramel

A clear stamp of Olorosso sherry! And frankly, simply delicious.

And last but certainly not least, an aged grain from the closed Cambus distillery.

Cambus 29 year 45.7%

  • Nose – Initially quite shy, then opened up to a lovely fruit basket
  • Palate – Complex, creamy, subtly sweet
  • Finish – Soft finish

After the incredibly robust Mortlach and Blair Athol, it was quite a shift to this Cambus. However, once my senses adjusted to something softer and gentler, could appreciate the lovely nuanced character.

What an interesting trio! Whilst I miss the fun That Boutique-y Whisky Company labels can appreciate the quality of the liquid in the Darkness bottles!

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

TBWC 10th Anniversary – Wow! 45 year Grain Blend

Posted on by
Reply

Birthdays can be brilliant good fun! At Paris Whisky Live 2022, That Boutique-y Whisky Company did this in style! It was also SUCH a treat to catch up with That Boutique-y Dave at the stand. I will fully confess to happily monopolizing some of his time whilst exploring their birthday treats!

Blended Grain #1 45 year (2022) Batch #3 44.2% (TBWC 10th Anniversary) GBP 190 for 500ml

  • Nose – Buttery and creamy, subtle warm fruits (white peach?), warm vanilla custard
  • Palate – Wonderful mouthfeel, smooth and sweet… lightly fruity and fabulous, confection
  • Finish – More soft vanilla and cream

I had no idea what to expect…. and was blown away. It was absolutely delicious!

I’ve had only a few whiskies above 40 years and this was my first experience with a grain blend of such a vintage. To add to the unique and “once in a lifetime” element is this blend is from two closed distilleries: North of Scotland and Carsebridge.

North of Scotland was a  Lowland grain distillery in production only from 1958 to 1980. In its short 22 year history it was “thought to be one of the more flavoursome grain whiskies” with higher congeners in the spirit cut.

Whereas Carsebridge (aka Scottish Grain Distillers) can trace its history back to the 1790s, converted in 1852 to a grain distillery, in its heydey possibly the largest Lowland grain producer. Closing its doors in 1983, increasingly rare aged releases can still be found.

What more do we know? Here is what the folks at TBwC have to say in their official tasting notes:

  • Nose – Gentle, with vanilla, white chocolate and a touch of coconut,. Fresh sawdust, tinned peaches. Icing sugar.
  • Palate – Fresh and fruity. Kiwis, blood oranges, a touch of mango. Jaffa cakes, vanilla and soft oak tannins. Delicious, like only old grains can be!

And would I agree? You betcha! What a fabulous experience to taste this piece of history.

Their brilliant cheeky “That Boutique-y Whisky Company” 10th Anniversary special drams:

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Paris Whisky Live 2022 – ATOM Brands

Posted on by
Reply

My Paris Whisky Live 2022 VIP wanderings moved on to Atom Brands section – with their “fan favourite” That Boutique-y Whisky Company 10th anniversary selections then the newer Darkness range of intensely sherried whiskies.

Their brilliant cheeky “That Boutique-y Whisky Company” 10th Anniversary special drams:

From their new “Darkness” range, dedicated to intensely sherry whiskies, I tried:

As for their peaty whiskies? I knew it was too early in the day for me to explore, however, my lovely tasting companion and her exceptional chocolatier friend dipped into the smokey side and were raving about the Octomore!

Which inspired me to return just before leaving to check out the “Character of Islay” duo:

  • Ardbeg 15 year (2004) 54.9% (Character of Islay) GBP 315
  • Octomore 9 year (2011) 50% (Character of Islay) GBP 187

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

London Whisky Show – Colourful Watt Whiskies

Posted on by
Reply

Back in June, I caught in Cape Town, South Africa a rather unpleasant version of COVID. It not only knocked me flat for weeks, it also robbed me of my olfactory senses – a complete disaster for a whisky aficionado!

I’ve often described the experience as akin to seeing only in shades of grey instead of a burst of brilliant rainbow colours. Gradually over the months, some sense of smell has returned but it remains muted compared to the previous clarity – where I could usually easily discern distinct elements, today it can be trickier and I often know there is something more a layer deeper that I just can’t quite penetrate or surface enough to describe. Frustrating indeed… but I’m at least grateful some sense has returned!

This brings me back to colours – in a recent impromptu tasting in Germany, I shared that when first exploring different types of whiskies, one idea is to consider what colour one would associate with that particular whisky profile? This is a great technique to start processing more creative impressions – Does it remind you of a hot and fiery red? A verdant cool green? Or more seaside in style, bringing hints of blue to the fore? What about sunshine yellow?

I’ve seen some “colour coding” before – most recently Gordon & Macphail’s discovery series uses green for ex-bourbon casks, purple for ex-sherry, and grey for peaty drams. However what if the colour wasn’t according to such strict logic?

Enter Watt Whisky – a new independent bottler started by a husband / wife duo Mark and Kate Watt in Campbeltown. As Kate shared, they both came from the industry and decided to set-up their own range with a view to bringing interesting affordable whiskies to the world. The colour approach comes from her husband’s synaesthesia, where he literally smells colours!

We were tipped off that the Paul John was worth checking out, so this was the 1st we sampled.

Intrigued by Kate’s story of how they began their independent bottler journey in challenging times (2019 then….COVID!) with this being their 1st big whisky event, we continued on to the Dunbarton 21 year followed by the Belair Athol 13 year.

We were highly tempted to continue, however, this was getting into the later stage of our whisky wanderings where you know you need to become highly selected else every impression will simply blur together, losing its magic of discovery!

Well worth exploring more another time… enjoy our quick impressions from a small sniff, swish tasting at The Whisky Show London 2022!

Paul John 4 year (2016 / June 2021) 57.1% (Watt Whisky) 1 of 279 bottles

  • Nose – So incredibly tropical – taking the normal PJ tropical fruits and ramping them up several degrees
  • Palate – Intense spice, a bit of a flavour bomb, tropical fruit bowl, chocolate
  • Finish – Ahh… there is that spice shifting into bitter
  • Water – Yes, please!

It was great trying Paul John‘s character as selected by Kate & Mark Watt. What do they have to say:

Fully matured in an underground warehouse in Goa. Tropical fruits, spices, cloves & plums.

We shifted from India back to Scotland with a discontinued Lowland distillery – Dumbarton is a Lowland grain distillery, which also housed Inverleven and Lomond malt distilleries. Previously used primarily in Ballentine’s blends, the distillery closed in 2002 and is now demolished.

Dumbarton 21 year (2000 / June 2022) 57.1% (Watt Whisky) 222 bottles

    • Nose – It started off quietly, gently unfurling, caramel, light smoke
    • Palate – Clearly a grain, what was a light peat influence on the nose became a full-fledged smoke bomb…. frankly more like sipping an ashtray
    • Finish – Closed on more smoke

Wow! I don’t know what exactly I expected. One normally thinks of Lowland grains as being either gentle or harsh alcohol. I think this may be the 1st that I’ve tried which was finished in an ex-Caol Ila Hogshead,

What do the Watt Whisky folks have to say:

Finished for 9 months in an ex-Islay cask. Light, dry smoke, butterscotch, syrupy, ashy and medicinal.

We then moved on to the Highlands with the Blair Athol 13 year (2008 / Sep 2022) 56.7% (Watt Whisky) 301 bottles.

    • Nose – Nice! Extra berry, jammy
    • Palate – Well rounded
    • Finish – Dry and peppery

What a brilliant contrast to Dumbarton! Kate shared it was matured in a Hogshead and then finished in an ex-Red wine cask.

What do the Watt Whisky folks have to say:

Rested in a red wine barrique for 16 months. Strawberries, jelly sweets and cured meats.

This pair – Dumbarton and Blair Athol – had the same coloured labels and yet could not be more different in character! Fascinating.

What fun being introduced to another interesting independent bottler. Wishing Kate & Mark the very best with their venture!

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

London Whisky Show – TBWC’s Fabulous Invergordon 44 year Grain 47.6%

Posted on by
Reply

I think we could be called ‘frequent flyers’ of That Boutique-y Whisky Co’s stand at the London Whisky Show. which meant we made it into being offered a ‘nip’ from Dave’s hip flask… Over the two whisky festivals, he had kept aside some extra special grains from:

  • Port Dundas 8 year old
  • North British 26 year old
  • Invergordon 44 year old
  • Cameronbridge 39 year old

We were fortunate to try an Invergordon grain – wow!!! Until this point, I had only tried Invergordon once before – a 28 year from Douglas Laing’s Old Particular series which was a bit of a mixed experience.

However, TBWC did not disappoint!

Invergordon 44 year (Aug 2018) Batch 18 47.6%, 305 bottles RRP £142.95

  • Nose – A curiosity box! Toasted coconut, roasted hazelnuts, then cream… reminding one of a frothy milky caramel coffee concoction!
  • Palate – Liquid gold! Complex, balanced, the complete package! Again… I was reminded of an indulgently sweet dessert or maybe even a Mars bar!
  • Finish – Soft yet firmly remains, long and lasting

We were completely smitten! It was such a beautiful, elegant whisky and such a remarkable to have an opportunity to try a slice of history.

What do the folks over at TBWC have to say?

We love tasty single grain whisky, which is why we were more than happy to bottle even more from the Invergordon Distillery in the Highlands! For a short while, there was a malt whisky distillery in the same complex as Invergordon, but these days Invergordon produces top quality single grain which ages in the cask very well indeed. Invergordon used to be home to some beautiful Coffey stills, so we thought we’d include a technical diagram of a Coffey still on the label of our Invergordon. A very technical, scientific and completely accurate diagram. Sort of. Look, “Coffee” sounds a lot like “Coffey”, ok?

Tasting notes

  • Nose: At first there’s warming cinnamon, hazelnut and burnt caramel, followed by hints of milky coffee.
  • Palate: A thick mouthfeel with nutty praline and wintery spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.
  • Finish: The creamier flavours disappear to reveal a crisp and fresh finish with citrus and peppery flavours lingering.

Would we agree? Definitely!

And with that, our remarkable “select” journey through TBWC offerings at The Whisky Show in London, 2022 was done! With a HUGE thank you to @BoutiqueyDave both for this beauty and also for helping us explore under his guidance:

TBWC European whiskies:

TBWC Scottish drams, including two beautiful blends:

And even tried Christian Drouin’s 21 year Calvados!

Which meant we managed to work our way through 10 of the 21 bottles on offering (plus this bonus!), skipping those I had tried the previous weekend in Paris… wow!!!

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

The Whisky Warehouse No. 8 – Port Dundas 10 year 47.9%

Posted on by
Reply

Port Dundas distillery closed in 2011, demolished by its owners Diageo two hundred years after its operations began. The folks at Whisky Warehouse No 8 selected this discontinued grain as the Lowland whisky for its regions set. And what a chance to taste something that will not be repeated!

So… what did we think?

Port Dundas 10 year (26 Oct 2009 – 31 Oct 2019) Refill Sherry Hogshead 47.9% (288 bottles)

  • Colour – Dark amber
  • Nose – Moss, seaweed, wet leaves, petrol… then began to shift into Port, prunes, cherry syrup, herbal with a medicinal edge…. then after the 1st sip delightful vanilla cream, rum raisins
  • Palate – Oh my! What a contrast! It reminded us of a dark single rum such as Criterion or Hampden…. super smooth, heavy and rich, molasses and wood elements… all of this in the 1st sip! As we went in for the 2nd sip, we
  • Finish – Consistent with the palate… rummy and long
  • Water – We didn’t add but instead took a nice swig of cold water between sips… brought out more of the dark fruits and berries, tempering the rum quality slightly

Wow! This was quite an interesting one! It was hard to believe it was a ‘mere’ grain, however, we’ve learned to not underestimate the liquid magic that makes a blend.

We found it had such a distinctive character with a huge difference between nose and palate. And whilst we knew it was a refill sherry cask, the intense rum flavours from just 10 years in a refill sherry hogshead was remarkable.

What more did we have in ourWW8 Regions set?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on: