Sometimes all you need is a little bit!

A year or so ago, not one but two That Boutique-y Whisky Company Advent Calendars were purchased – for the express purpose of evenings when there are only 3-4 of us tasting. Rather than opening a full 700 ml bottle, our merry Bombay Malt & Cigar lads would turn to these minis!

I missed most of these evenings – some were apparently fabulous, one a bit “meh”, yet overall I’m a huge fan of exploring through such small 30 ml samples!

We began with a pair of grains:

North British 30 Year Batch #6 50.1% ~GBP 70
Strathclyde 31 Year Batch #4 45% ~GBP 70

Then moved on to a mix of malts (in Part 2):

Whitlaw 15 Year Batch #1 49.7% (possibly Highland Park)
Glendullan 16 Year Batch #3 48.8%
Speyside #4 24 Year Batch #1 47.8%
Tomatin 36 Year Batch #5 46.8%

Let’s start with the grains, shall we?

We began our grain journey in the Lowlands – more specifically, Edinburgh’s North British distillery.

North British 30 Year Batch #6 50.1%

Nose – Very floral – think white flowers mixed with gulabi (rose). Then warmed into a buttery, flaky pastry, joined by marzipan, with a hint of citrus too!
Palate – Caramel or toffee, a decent mouthfeel, mostly sugar water, yet with a hint of something slightly bitter with a kick
Finish – Sweet
Water – Helps

Yowza! Going from 0% to 50+% alcohol was a shock – a reminder that starting with a calibration dram really makes a difference! This is why adding water to this grain helped improve our experience.

As the minis were from last year’s calendar, the expressions are no longer available on TBWC website, so sharing here what the chaps at Master of Malt had to say

Nose – Banana foam sweets, tablet fudge and dried fruit, with Christmas cake spice and a hint of lime peel.
Palate – Creamy vanilla, yellow fruit and cinnamon, with touches of horseradish underneath.
Finish – Orange chocolate and a hint of nutmeg.

Whilst we didn’t find everything the chaps did, the horseradish was not a bad way to describe the bitter kick peaking underneath the sweet!

We then moved on to the next Lowlands grain with Strathclyde – considered Glasgow’s most successful grain distillery and the backbone of Ballantine’s.

Strathclyde 31 Year Batch 4 45%

Nose – Much more vegetative than the North British, fresh green grass and moist moss, sweet, hard, fruity candies
Palate – A lovely citrusy sweetness – reminiscent of lemon drop candies, a light honey drizzle, some gentle cereals
Finish – Quite nice, closing with a hint of bitterness and pepper
Revisit – Softly sweet, interesting, and overall quite lovely

This would be the kind of grain one shouldn’t dismiss – give it some time in the glass, some careful contemplation, and it will gently reward. Of the two grains, the Strathclyde was for us the clear winner!

Again, let’s see what the chaps at Master of Malt have to say

Nose – Initially super light and tropical, with lots of pineapple and banana, a hint of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of honey develops with a flint-y mineral backdrop.
Palate – Somewhat oily, with more floral honey, cereal notes, drying oak spice and hints of candied citrus peel alongside vanilla pod.
Finish – A creamy finish of banana milkshake, with lingering notes of white pepper spice and butterscotch sweetness.

Curious about other Strathclyde experiences?