Tag Archives: That Boutique-y Whisky Company

That Boutique-y Whisky Co Blends

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In early 2019, I decided it would be fun to invest in a special tasting set for those quiet times between tasting sessions. My choice was to go super unique with the That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2018 Advent Calendar. 

Then my life changed with a move from India to Germany, followed by the world changing with COVID. Fast forward to the fall of 2025, when I was packing and unpacking and repacking between Germany, two homes in India, and Canada… I found myself on our Maharashtra farm contemplating a potential weekend getaway in Manitoba and remembered this delightful box full of quirky and curious drams!

My Manitoba getaway companion is a fellow whisky lady plus our fabulous cottage host, who also enjoys a good dram or two! As I would be just missing her birthday, I decided to pack a few drams to enjoy together in a quiet celebration! Even better – they could be considered an early “appetizer” for the 2025 Whisky Show in London coming up the following weekend! I remembered a brilliant exploration of special blends with TBWC at the Whisky Show in 2022 plus an exceptional 45 year blended grain featured in Paris Live!

What did I pick?

After so much time, it was tough to track down official bottle images and tasting notes; however, I could find a few insights into what the good folks at TBWC had to say about two expressions!

I decided to start with the Japanese and Scottish blend… with no idea what to expect! Here are our impressions, splitting a wee 30 ml mini between three!

Blend of Scottish and Japanese malt and grain whiskies 21 Year Old (2018) Batch 1, 43%

  • Nose – Oh my! Lots of bananas, caramel, ripe fruits, a sweet tropical fruit bowl, and warm vanilla cream. As it opened, it even had a caramel buttery quality.
  • Palate – Light chilli spice plus chai masala – mostly cloves, joined by coffee mocha, chased by nutty nougat
  • Finish – Lingers with an espresso tail, hint of wood

Overall, we enjoyed this one. It had a nice balance between sweet and spice. Nothing complex, and one described it as particularly promising on the nose, hints of sherry cask; however, it “flatlined’ after some time.

Whilst I couldn’t find tasting notes in That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s archive, Master of Malt has this to say:

The very first bottling of Blended Whisky made using malt and grain whisky from Scotland and Japan is here! This 21 year old expression is a globe-spanning delight, with oodles of vanilla and cooking spice notes alongside a deft touch of smoke. Also, the label is generally just rad, so that’s a plus.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: A very malty nose opens with Seville orange marmalade and buttered burnt toast. There’s some vanilla, juicy toasted barley and a touch of donuts underneath. Charred oak and red chilli add warmth and savoury spice throughout.
  • Palate: Nutmeg and clove add a drying spice which contributes depth to butterscotch and hazelnuts. There’s a subtle tropical fruit note underneath.
  • Finish: Medium length, with touches of burnt oak.

Next, we turned our tasting towards a young Scottish expression… I began with what was their #4 expression – the youngest of the bunch!

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 4 B1.jpg

Scottish Blended Malt #4 6 Year Old (February 2018) Batch 1, 53.6%

  • Nose – Fresh and light, youthful apple cinnamon, lemon drops, bay leaf, slipping into wet leaves, dark molasses treacle, and more vegetal elements
  • Palate – Sour mash, pepper, with the sense that it simply wasn’t really ready to be bottled
  • Finish – Limited

Alas, a massive disappointment after a potentially interesting nose. Now, in fairness, we were three people sampling from a 30 ml miniature. However, given that is the 10 ml Whisky Show pour, we certainly should have enough to get an impression!

What do the folks at TBWC have to say?

This time it’s almost exclusively a single malt from one of our more recently built Scottish distilleries that’s been ‘teaspooned’ (that to say, an imponderable amount of another well-loved single malt has been added). All hail Superspoon who is out to save the world!

Tasting notes:

  • Nose: Sourdough bread mix and waxy floral notes. It’s a little herbal/vegetal at first, damp grass, buts sweetens with time giving butterscotch. Hints of cinnamon too.
  • Palate: Cream soda, dessert wine grapes and some bramley apple tartness. A hot peppery kick then sweetening with vanilla buttercream.
  • Finish: Sweetened chocolate malt, with a hint of barrel char.

After a youthful 6 year, I thought it would be nice to shift back to something a wee bit more mature… This just so happens to be the 1st Blended Whisky expression from their 3rd batch. What did we think?

Scottish Blended Malt #1 18 Year Old (2018) Batch 3, 47.3% 1,049 Bottles

  • Nose – Lightly fruity, soapy and floral, summer Scotch, vanilla, yet then becomes oddly musty or dusty, like a neglected wood closet
  • Palate – Different – from the sprightly aromas, we weren’t anticipating something quite so “charged up”. Lots of pepper and a few flashes of fruit, imbalanced
  • Finish – Stays, but doesn’t say much – a bit peppery and then perhaps sweet

I managed to track down a photo from Batch 3, however, try as I might, I could only find tasting notes for this expression from Master of Malt, who had this to say:

It’s another brilliant blended malt Scotch whisky from That Boutique-y Whisky Company! As you can see on the label, all those whisky fans are admiring the glory of the teaspoon, in reference to this being a “teaspooned whisky”. It’s made almost completely with malt whisky from one distillery, along with just a tiny bit of malt whisky from another distillery. This way it may no longer have which distillery it came from on the label, nor can it be sold as a single malt. However, they do then to be rather brilliant value for money, hence those rather charmed whisky lovers!

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose – Rich with honey and poached pear, alongside a good helping of mature oak. Slowly but surely dried fruit and fresh peels take control of the nose.
  • Palate – Honeycomb, milk chocolate, sultana, stem ginger and black pepper.
  • Finish – Continued peppery malt, tempered by the return of the honeycomb and some floral air.

Next up, we continued to the Blended Whisky 2nd expression, also a few years older. Given the earlier ones were a wee bit disappointing, we hoped for something a bit more up our palate “alley”.

Blended Whisky #2 22 Year Old - Batch 3 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company).jpg

Scottish Blended Whisky #2 22 Year Old (May 2022) Batch 3, 41.8% 1,650 Bottles

  • Nose – Yummy! Chocolate, mocha, rum raisins, caramel – more specifically salted caramel pretzels
  • Palate -The espresso follows through, heavier than the nose, dark red fruits
  • Finish -A touch of marmalade joins a gentle sweet spice finish

We remarked that this was like Hallowe’en candy, preparing for Christmas. Really quite delicious and one we fully appreciated!

Here’s what TBWC have to say:

This right here is our Blended Whisky #2, which is rather different to Blended Whisky #1. There’s no massive sphere here, but the disembodied glove has returned! This time, it looks to have discovered a massive, soft planetoid. It’s another one of those metaphors!

Tasting note:

  • Nose: Honey, oak, vanilla pod and chocolatey cereal.
  • Palate: Cherry, spiced rum, thick caramel and a hint of earthy pear.
  • Finish: Menthol, freshly baked bread with chocolate spread, orange oil.

In closing, we progressed to the 3rd TBWC Scottish Blended Whisky expression, from their 1st Batch.

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Scottish Blended Whisky #3, 23 Year Old (2018) Batch 1, 48.2%

  • Nose – Mellons, complex and mature, nuanced, layered, creamy hot milk chocolate, salted caramel, walnuts, cherries, buttery, vanilla pods, rich fruits
  • Palate -Soft and silky, a great mouthfeel, joined by warm honey, soft fruits
  • Finish – Melting in your mouthmilk chocolate, long with a hint of smoke curling at the end

Gorgeous. Finally. The kind of dram that envelops you in a warm, comforting blanket by the fire and be lulled to sleep. It was both a class act, beautiful, and yet at the same time unpretentious and comfortable. The sample was simply too little as we would have loved to settle down to enjoy it for the rest of the evening.

Here are the original TBWC tasting notes:

The disembodied gloves from Blended Whisky #1 and #2 continue to explore the deep reaches of space on the label of Blended Whisky #3! On this label, they’ve found something rather curious indeed – a length of chrome which seems to go on forever… Metaphors? Metaphors!

Tasting note:

  • Nose: Rich and fragrant, with old oak furniture and red grapes on the vine. Intense orange oil later on.
  • Palate: Honey’d cereals, dark chocolate and crumbly biscuits. A little bit of vegetal oak in there.
  • Finish: Very long, with further indulgent notes of dark chocolate and cigar box.

What an interesting quintet! Whilst we were clearly partial to the 4th and 5th, less enthused about the 2nd and 3rd, it was well worth doing!

We closed our evening moving into a different direction – still a blend but this time a mix of malts from 6 Isles. As the temperature dipped, the fire burned, shifting into a peaty expression was just right!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Co – Cinema Expressions

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After exploring That Boutique-y Whisky Co’s new “core” range, a trip down under with their Australian “Return to Oz” range, we closed our explorations at London’s 2023 Whisky Show with their new Cinema expressions!

We didn’t get through them all, however, each was distinctive and worth sampling!

Here is what we tried:

  • Italy’s Puni 4 year old (2023) Batch 2 46.1% for GBP 75
  • Sweden’s Mackmyra 9 year old (2023) Batch 3 46.8% for GBP 100
  • Australia’s Corowa 4 year old (2023) Batch 2 46.8% for GBP 100
  • Scotland’s Aultmore 13 year old (2023) Batch 18, 50% for GBP 75

So where did we begin?

Puni 4 year old (2023) Batch 2 46.1%

My eye immediately spotted the Puni – it had been years since I sampled anything from this Italian distillery. Normally I’m meticulous about capturing some kind of impression – even if it is just a few words that trigger evoking some kind of memory weeks and sometimes months later when I take the time to write up what I found. In this case? Nothing! So you will just have to tolerate my sharing with the good folks at TBWC have this to say:

PUNI is the first Italian whisky distillery, located high in the Italian alps, in an environment well suited to growing cereal crops. The distillery takes its name from the local river, Puni. Their striking distillery design, a 13-metre tall red brick cube is unusual, as is the combination of three malted cereals in their mash bill recipe. This release uses their three malt mashbill, and has been matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and finished in a Pinot Noir Cask, which we’ve then finished in a Sherry cask, so this is a fruity little number

Recommended movie for watching while sipping this whisky: ‘The Good, Bad, and The Ugly’

And their official tasting notes?

  • N: Malty, Digestive biscuits topped with blackcurrant jam. More sweet notes follow, with hints of wild strawberries and some nutty, woody spices.
  • P: The malty biscuit notes are followed by a fruity sweetness, nicely balanced with some woody spices.
  • F: A medium length finish with some chilli chocolate.

Mackmyra 9 year old “Duka Upp Til Fika” (2023) Batch 3 46.8%

Thanks to a lovely Swedish whisky-tasting companion, I’ve had the pleasure to explore quite a few Mackmyra’s over the years and even go on a tour of the distillery. Whilst they have a real range – largely split between their “Elegant” (aka without peat) and “smokey” styles, they have quite a range of experimentation. If you really pushed me to describe, I would default to calling it a “Ccandi” style – thinking of minimalist wood furniture, with clean lines, something fresh producing an overall quite pleasing effect.

Then to explain this time it would be with roasted green tea? Hmm…. either it will completely work or be a total disaster! My reaction? It is worth trying. There was subtle fruitiness, fresh cedar or pine on the nose yet also something a bit bitter. On the palate, it was harder to describe. Some herbal elements and something else that could not be captured by a mere sniff and swish. 

What more do they have to say?

Now this is something very interesting for the original ‘Nordics’ distillery; Mackmyra were founded in 1999 and have really led the way in the Nordic whisky scene. This is a 9 Year Old Swedish Single Malt that has spent time in a cask that has been seasoned with Hojicha Green Tea. Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that originated in Kyoto 100 years ago. Unlike traditional green teas, Hojicha is roasted after the leaves are steamed.

Recommended movie for watching while sipping this whisky: ‘The Seventh Seal’

And TBWC official tasting notes:

  • N: Signature Mackmyra notes of banana and pear initially. This is quickly followed by an earthiness of petrichor and some fresh cedar notes.
  • P: Fresh and fruity. Light and nimble. A tropical fruit salad of papaya, not fully ripe banana and hints of coconut, vanilla, and caramel flavours, with some chilli spices.
  • F: As the spiciness fades some sweet, drying, herbal green tea notes come through.

Would I agree? Why certainly!

Corowa 4 year old (2023) Batch 2 46.8%

This was my first intro to Corowa distillery. Founded in 2010 in New South Wales, it is in the heart of prime Australian wine region! No surprise then that they chose to use local Australian wine casks to mature their whiskies. In this case – Muscat. 

My tasting notes are brief but clear! I found quite an organic “farm-like” quality to this whisky. Sweet yet also quite minerally. On the palate it was surprisingly smooth yet also came with a kick. Yes this sounds like a contradiction but that’s what I discovered! Bold fruity flavors and a lot more of that mineral element.

And what does TBWC have to say?

Our second cask from Australia’s Corowa distillery is a 4 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, that’s been matured in an ex-Muscat cask. Muscat vines have been cultivated in Australia for about 100 years. Several different types of Muscat grape are grown as wine grapes and several different wine styles have been developed ranging from crisp dry whites, to rich late harvest sweet wines and the unique and world renowned fortified Liqueur Muscats.

Recommended movie for watching while sipping this whisky: ‘Mad Max’

As for their official tasting notes, here you go!

  • N: Bitter chocolate, molasses, Medjool dates, figs, with hints of white pepper, flint, and wild fennel
  • P: Big, bold, and fruity! Dried fruits; raisins figs, dates. Malt loaf, and a mineral spice with a hint of ginger too. This is really tasty!
  • F: Longer than I was expecting, with that mineral flinty spice and some bitter chocolate nibs…

Well, I would certainly concur with all the mineral references! From a fuzzy memory, the balance also seems to jibe with my experience. 

Aultmore 13 year old (2023) Batch 18, 50% 

Aultmore’s can be quite summery drams yet with substance – this was no exception! It was fruity and citrusy fresh, throw in some baked goods – simply delicious on the nose. Whereas on the palate, the sweetness was there but also yes – call it the power of suggestion – something a bit soapy too! Then a hint of bitter – again just enough to remind you this dram is not a complete lightweight!

What do they have to say?

Aultmore malt has always been revered by blenders as the perfect whisky to build up a blend. Our 14 Year Old has spent 11 years in a refill ex-bourbon cask until we got our hands on it, and Dr. Whisky had this re-racked into a first-fill bourbon in 2019 for reasons that can only be disclosed in the secrecy of ‘Bath Night.’

Recommended movie for watching while sipping this whisky: ‘Fight Club’

And their tasting notes?

  • N: A soft oiliness; peanut oil perhaps? Panettone, macaroons, grist, digestive biscuits. Followed by some citrus notes; grapefruit and lime
  • P: Pilsner lager with a wedge of lime, summer grasses,a little green tea bitterness. I like this!
  • F: Medium length, chalky, grassy, with some pepper lingering.

Wow! And what fun! I love how they chose to not only introduce their new core range as a “constant” but to also have 3 distinct sessions throughout the day. Whilst we missed one, I figure catching 2 out of 3 isn’t bad! Can’t wait to see what these folks do next!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Co – Oz range

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After exploring their new “core” range, next up in our That Boutique-y Whisky Co explorations at London’s 2023 Whisky Show, was a trip down under!

This was their 2nd collection, released at a time when there are a remarkable 318 Australian distilleries in operation – producing a range of spirits from whisky to gin, vodka, and rum. In their “Return to Oz” line-up, we managed to try:

  • The Gospel 3 year Rye Batch 1 58.6% 434 Bottles GBP 75
  • Launceston 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 62.5% 187 Bottles GBP 150
  • Limeburners 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 51.5% 434 Bottles GBP 145
  • Tria Prima 2 year Single Malt Spirit Batch 1 52.2% 232 Bottles GBP 140
  • Chief’s Son 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 52.1% 462 Bottles GBP 140
  • Fleurieu 3 year Batch 2 Single Malt 65% 428 Bottles GBP 145

Given this was a festival setting, we sniffed, swished, and spit our way through the collection, so my impressions are quite limited. Though it was good fun to have a wee saunter around these Australian drams… 

So… we began with one that Dave openly admitted is one of his festival drams (yes – that’s what’s in the glass in the pic)! 

The Gospel 3 year Rye Batch 1 58.6% 

The Gospel distillery from Melbourne produces a range of ryes – in this case, matured in an Australian red wine cask finish. We understand they use a mash bill of 51% Australian unmalted rye, and 49% malted barley, from the Murray Mallee region of South Australia.

What did we think? No question this was a rye and yet with a twist! Lots of juicy fruits, plum, red grape peel, with some spice and sweetness. As for the palate, more rye with dark fruits and some ground white pepper and sweet spices.

Launceston 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 62.5%

Based in Tasmanian, Launceston distillery is located in an airport Hangar which was built in 1932. Their focus is on local ingredients and production with local people. They produce a range from unpeated ex-bourbon to Tawny port finish, to Apera (Australian sherry), to rum, including some peat expressions too. As for this particular bottle? It was matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel.

Dave described it as the closest to a Scottish style. On the nose, it was a delicious dessert, generous and creamy with sweet spices. On the palate, it was beautiful – marvelously sweet, spicy, and robust – full and flavourful.

Limeburners 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 51.5%

Next up in our Oz journey was a shift to Western Australia with Limeburners Distillery. They share how their spirit is matured in second-fill American oak bourbon barrels, and then some expressions are further finished in Australian fortified wine barrels. They also have peated whiskies using locally sourced peat from the Valley of the Giants in nearby Walpole. In the same region, the parent company Great Southern Distilling has three distilleries – making gin, malt, grain, and rye whisky. We tried their single malt, matured in an ex-Pedro Ximenez Apera cask.

This one was very memorable. Call it the power of suggestion or something else, however, we began with key lime tart, then an exuberant red berry and raisins. The 1st sip was a powerhouse – rich, dark, spicy and bursting with flavours, including a bit of black forest cake! We kept the glass without rinsing for some time – what a delightful perfume sweetly floral with lime cordial! 

Tria Prima 2 year Single Malt Spirit Batch 1 52.2%

We then moved on to something completely different! Just like bourbon only requires only two years to be called whisky, so too does Australia consider two years sufficient to be known as whisky. Which is exactly how long this “spirit” from Tria Prima Distillery matured.

Turns out there is quite the TBWC connection. As the TBWC folks tell, this distillery was founded in 2017 by a fan – Paul Shand, and his wife Trang, with funds from Paul’s whisky collection – including TBWC bottles. So what did Paul do with his investment? In the case of this TBWC bottle, it was matured in an ex-Grant Burge (red wine) and 1st fill Tawny cask.

And what was the result? Something rather fun – fruiting, plummy, with a quite strong wine influence. Even on the palate, the Tawny port comes through loud and clear.

Chief’s Son 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 52.1%

What next? Chief’s Son was started near Melburn by spouses Stuart and Naomi McIntosh in 2016 after a trip to Scotland. Their approach is hand-made and small scale – as in an annual capacity of 5000 liters small! As for the expression bottled by TBWC, it was matured in an ex-Apera cask.

What did we find? Lots of big fruits and sherry influence, with some light peat. 

Fleurieu 3 year Batch 2 Single Malt 65%

Last in our tasting was Fleurieu Distillery from outside of Adelaide. Another family-owned distillery, Gareth & Angela Andrews were earlier brewers before turning their attention to whisky. Dave shared how their casks are named after family members rather than numbered.

It greeted us with a big bold peat on the nose – apparently, this was the distillery folks were inspired by a Caol Ila style peat. It was joined by a sea breeze and full flavours on the palate.

There was another expression on offer – Corowa 4 year Single Malt Batch 1 48.5% – however we found ourselves pausing and then passed.

What followed? After many explorations of other stalls, we simply had to return to TBWC for their “At The Movies” expressions!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Co – New Core Range

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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!

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TBWC Cotswolds 3 year 50.4% – Happiness in a glass!

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At the London Whisky Show, two things stood out – a most enjoyable start to our explorations at the Cotswolds booth and the fabulous 10th Anniversary celebrations with That Boutique-y Whisky Co.

So what better idea than to combine the two by acquiring That Boutique-y Whisky Co’s Cotswolds’ Batch 1 for our April evening for the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai.

What did we think?

Cotswolds 3 year Batch 1, 50.4% (TBWC, Home Nations Series) 1,785 bottles

  • Nose – Honey, floral, very soft and sweet, some ripe cantaloupe, then a little prickly herbal quality – like fresh mint, mid-summer, cucumber, apricot – pulpy and inviting, and was there the tiniest hint of peat or perhaps smoked almonds? Shifting back and forth between tropical then citrus fruits
  • Palate – Had a surprising spice burst of mixed peppercorns and red chilies to start, then mellowed into Big Red chewing gum with that cinnamon sweetness, and finally settled into a fruity compote with drizzled honey or caramel
  • Finish – With the 1st sip there was a quick burn, but once we calibrated to the cask strength – realized it had a lovely finish with some spice and vanilla bean
  • Water – We didn’t even try – this whisky was perfect exactly “as is”
We absolutely loved this whisky. At only 3 years it was a delight with a wonderful nose, rewarding palate, and satisfying finish. Perfect for mid-summer sipping… what a delicious dram!
We set it aside to try the other whiskies in our That Boutique-y WHisky Company evening, and returned to such a joyful, happy dram – simply fabulous!! And for many, this was the favourite of the evening!
So, what do the folks over at That Boutique-y Whisky Co have to say?

The distillery is the brainchild of Daniel Szor who acquired an estate with two stone buildings and proceeded to convert them into a distillery and visitor centre.

The distillery was set up with guidance from renowned industry legends Harry Cockburn, former Distillery Manager at Bowmore, and Dr Jim Swan, fondly known as ‘the Einstein of whisky’ for his formidable knowledge of the science of distillation and maturation.

The distillery is committed to using only local barley. All the barley will have been grown in the Cotswolds. The distillery uses Britain’s oldest working maltings at Warminster. 100% of the malt they use is traditionally floor-malted.

The malt is milled and mashed at the distillery, and two strains of dried yeast are used for fermentation. Long fermentation of just over 90 hours to allow fruity flavour compounds called esters to form. This was one of Dr Jim Swan’s masterstrokes. It gives the spirit a fantastic fruity complexity.

And here are their official tasting notes for this 1st batch:

  • Nose: Sweet and rich on the nose – there’s caramelized almonds, sweet pineapple and cherries with a hint of vanilla too.
  • Palate: The sweetness continues, but citrusy warmth interjects – there’s lemon, orange and grapefruit.

I purchased this bottle online in Germany from Whic.de for Eur 52 (on sale)  and opened it in Mumbai for a Whisky Ladies‘ session in April 2023 together with:

As for our other Cotswolds whisky-tasting experiences? Check these out:

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TBWC English Whisky 12 year 63.1% – A poetic nose with a dragon fire palate!

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Whilst Scotland is considered by many the true “home” of whisky, go a little south and you will find the English are also getting into the game! To celebrate this, That Boutique-y Whisky Co started a “Home Nations” series… My original aim was to get an English trio however despite some efforts, couldn’t track down in Germany the Adnans, Circumstance wheat spirit, Oxford grain, or White Peak Single Malt Spirit.

So instead, brought two fine English single malts to an April evening for the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai – this English 12 year and Cotswolds 3 year.

It was fitting to close our evening with the oldest new English distillery – named ‘St George’s’ but bottled under the label “The English Whisky Company” (perhaps so as not to be confused with their American St George cousin?). Regardless of the name, it was the 1st English distillery to produce whisky after 100 years, with its inaugural bottle released in 2009. Which I believe makes this 12 year the oldest English whisky available!

What did we think?

English Whisky Company 12 year Batch 3, 63.4% (TBWC Home Nations Series) Bottle 146 of 299

  • Colour – Burnished copper
  • Nose – Vanilla custard and biscuits, butterscotch, a hint of rum raisin, and hiding behind the dessert elements, a whiff of blossoms
  • Palate – Deceptively soft and fruity and sweet at first and then wildfire, settling down into a Canadian butter tart
  • Finish – Quite a bit of masala spice, gentling into marmalade with cloves
  • Water – A must!!! It absolutely transforms this whisky from something promising but a bit imbalanced into something stunning. The hints of rum raisin on the nose and palate blossom into a rich single rum, charred pineapple, simply delicious.
This whisky was described as being quite romantic and poetic on the nose, Then like dragon fire on the palate… or akin to the first time you smoke a cigar! Of all the three single malts we tasted that evening, this one is best with water. Beautiful!
And what do the folks over at That Boutique-y Whisky Co have to say? Let’s start with their amusing take on describing the distillery:
The English Whisky Company distill English single malt whisky at the aptly named St. George’s distillery with their own logo featuring St. George and the dragon he’s said to have so bravely vanquished. Well, we weren’t going to turn down the chance to have a scrap with a dragon on one of our labels were we? Our dragon, potentially a connoisseur, appears to have some gorgeous golden Boutique-y whisky amongst his hoard of treasure.

Then move on to their tasting notes for Batch 3:

  • Nose: Delightfully delicate, with butterscotch, light honey, floral – spring blossom, backed up with the oak spices,
  • Taste: Gently warming with creamy custard cream biscuits, spicy oak, vanilla essence, clove, and a long satisfying finish.

I purchased this bottle online in Germany from Whic.de for Eur 76 and opened it in Mumbai for a Whisky Ladies‘ session in April 2023 together with:

Curious about other English drams? Read on:

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TBWC Macduff 10 year 52%

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Now I will admit to having a mixed experience with Macduff Distillery. Whilst normally Bacardi uses Macduff in blends, you can also find Macduff under the label Glen Deveron or just The Deveron – named after the nearby Devon River. Specifically under the brand Glen Deveron, they are known to have more affordable age statements. However, every time someone says “Oh wow a 20-year-old whisky for only xyz?!” I remind them of the old adage – typically you get what you pay for!
That shared, I trust the folks at That Boutique-y Whisky Company, so when this bottle was on sale from Whic.de, thought why not try?? Especially as 50 cl bottles means you can bring 3-4 bottles into India instead of just 2!

Macduff 10 year Batch 10, 52% (TBWC – Single Malt Scotch Whisky) Bottle108 of 1024, 50ml

  • Colour – Bright golden straw
  • Nose – Initially quite sour, then reminded a bit of Grappa, quite vegetal, some agave or Mescale, capsicum… is that also a whiff of sulfur?? Yikes! That’s much more than a whiff. Egads.
  • Palate – Was that pudina (mint)? It coats the tongue with a texture a bit like ghee, was it like eating sourdough starter, barley, or something a bit bitter? Not very pleasant at all.
  • Finish – Licorice bark, a bit malty
  • Water – Reminded one lady of sniffing oregano oil
You can tell the nose was described as anything but a typical whisky. Remarks such as heartburn, acid reflux, etc were bantered about. The palate was also filled more with questions than answers…
Which is part of why we enjoy tasting together. It is such fun to experience the unexpected and have both very pleasant surprises along with a few duds. You can tell which category this one fell into!
There is also something to be said for the whisky-tasting order. I struggled a bit with this set as initially thought to begin with the Macduff before the Cotswold and English. However in the end decided to go with a simple age progression. Which didn’t do the Macduff any favours…
Let’s just say after the remarkably good Cotswolds, we were again reminded age does not necessarily make it better… In this case, a mere 3-year-old clearly outclassed a 10-year!

What more do the good folks at That Boutique-y Whisky Co have to say? A few words about the distillery but alas not this particular batch!

The Macduff distillery was founded in the 1960s and is kitted out with five stills, four of which have lyne arms that are rather oddly arranged, with one of the wash stills’ lyne arms being U-shaped too, just so they’ll all fit in the still room! They don’t release whisky themselves under their own name – they release it under the name The Deveron. This is why the name Macduff might be more familiar to you from Shakespeare’s play, ‘Macbeth’. We’ve even put one of the deleted scenes from the play on the label of our Macduff bottling. Press the stopper down to hear the director’s commentary from Shakespeare himself (probably a lie).

I picked up this bottle in Germany from Whic.de for Eur 51 during a whisky sale – yes these do exist! But back to my starting comments… sometimes a “deal” is a “deal” for a reason!

We tried it together in Mumbai with the Whisky Ladies in April 2023 together with more bottlings from That Boutique-y Whisky Co:

Curious about other Macduff whisky experiences? Read on:

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TBWC World Whisky Blend 41.6% – Summery treat neat or in a cocktail!

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In the world of whisky, what do Scotland, Canada, Ireland, Sweden, USA, Switzerland, Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Germany (Bavaria), France, Japan, and Finland have in common? A fabulous new World Whisky Blend from That Boutique-y Whisky Co (TBWC)!

In April 2023, our Whisky Ladies of Mumbai got together to explore a collection from TBWC. I was hosting, and as it was our first evening entertaining in our new Mumbai flat, I wanted to kick things off with a “welcome” drink – something refreshing, and summery – a whisky cocktail to both enjoy and calibrate our palate for the tastings to come!

There is a reason an “Old Fashioned” remains a familiar standard in the world of whisky cocktails. In our case, we played around with the regular recipe (maple syrup instead of simple syrup, adding a dash of fresh orange juice) until we got something that suited the blend and our mood.

World Whisky Blend Batch 1, 41.6%

  • Colour: Light gold
  • Nose: Citrus at first, then a lovely nutty element, back to freshly squeezed orange, sweet, mild and friendly, inviting and gentle, vanilla, apricots, peaches, and cream
  • Palate: Super smooth and nutty
  • Finish: Easy, sweet, and long with pink peppercorns adding a nice addition to the peaches, a hint of bitterness at the end gives it a wee bit of character
This was such an enjoyable blend. A versatile dram to be had as you want. Whilst it was a bit on the milder side, it was so incredibly balanced with harmonious elements, that it could be forgiven for not having more “oomph”.
So what was the collective Whisky Ladies verdict? We loved this one! It is exactly what you want in a summery blend – most enjoyable to sip neat, equally fabulous in a sprightly cocktail. In other words – simply perfect for our Mumbai climate and mood that evening.

Here’s what the folks at TBWC have to say:

Snap up our first non-limited edition bottling, that can be enjoyed all year round!

World Whisky Blend has been designed with the world in mind. A harmonious blend of whiskies from across the breadth of planet earth, to achieve a truly global flavour.

While beautiful neat, this blend has been designed to be mixed seven different ways, to celebrate the way the WORLD really drinks whisky.

Double bonus, this blend is quite affordable – the only challenge is being in a part of the world where you can buy TBWC whiskies! In my case, I bought it online in Germany from Whic.de for Eur 29 (700ml, larger than the usual TBWC bottles). So… if you can, it is well worth keeping on hand for a nice summery everyday dram!

Here’s what other That Boutique-y Whisky Co bottles we tried together with the World Whisky Blend:

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company – World Blend, Cotswolds, Macduff, English

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After such fabulous fun in Paris and London celebrating That Boutique-y Whisky Co‘s 10th anniversary, I simply had to bring back some for the lasses in Mumbai.

It turned out to be a bit of a slightly random assortment… My initial plan was to do an English whisky theme however could only find two TBWC bottles from merry old England. Then I spotted the World Whisky Blend and couldn’t resist, followed by another TBWC on sale, so thought, what the heck!

So, here is what we tried from That Boutique-y Whisky Co:

We opened them in April 2023, as part of inaugurating our new Mumbai flat. It was a typical sweltering April evening, which is exactly why I wanted to start with a “welcome cocktail” using the World Whisky Blend! A couple of friends came early and we played around with variations on an Old Fashioned with different elements and proportions until we got it “just right”!

So what was our recipe?

And the steps?

  1. Bring together the maple syrup, bitters, orange juice, and whisky in a mixing glass – stir til well mixed
  2. Add the ice, and then stir until well-chilled
  3. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (or several small ice cubes if you don’t have a mega cube – which was the case for us that evening!)
  4. Express the oil of an orange twist over the glass, then drop into the glass to garnish

And if you want a wee bit of fizz, throw in a splash of soda. And voila! Refreshing and fun!

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TBWC 10th Anniversary – A funky Ben Nevis 25 year

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I have to admit, Ben Nevis isn’t typically my preferred style of whisky, however, there was no way I would pass up a recommendation from Dave Worthington! Or miss trying a 10th Anniversary dram from That Boutique-y Whisky Company after the absolutely stunning 45 year Grain blend or the delightful Clynelish.

Ben Nevis 25 year (2022) Batch #16 55.8% (TBWC 10th Anniversary) GBP 260 for 500ml

  • Nose – Mineraly, salted chocolate, then some fruity elements, then shifting to cheese with a dash of balsamic
  • Palate – Spicy and robust, meaty, more of that balsamic, a touch of tobacco
  • Finish – Nice peppery finish

Dave described this as a “dirty Ben Nevis – in a good way!” And I would have to agree. Well worth trying… very interesting.

What do the folks at That Boutique-y Whisky Co have to say?

One of the few remaining truly “old-style” producers in Scotland, Ben Nevis has arguably never been as fashionable as it is now, with certain vintages (including this 1996 example) earning devout cult followings.

And the official tasting notes? Entertaining and spot on!

  • Nose – Overripe oranges on the turn, waxy shoe polish, a little sour apple juice too. Hints of rancio, dried fruits, and balsamic. Funky!
  • Palate – Big, and meaty. Balsamic glaze, dried fruits, leather, tobacco, slightly earthy, waxy, and black pepper.  Ooh dirty!! Classic ’96 Ben Nevis!

About the label?

Our label artist Emily Chappell has taken cues from our long-standing Ben Nevis label that features a chap atop Ben Nevis (mountain), looking at Ben Nevis (distillery), drinking Ben Nevis (whisky) and holding Ben Nevis (bottle, featuring the scene again on its label). Here, it’s just the mountain itself in a glass, raised in (Ben’s?) hand for a 10th birthday “cheers”

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

  • Clynelish 25 year (2022) Batch #11 47.1% (TBWC 10th Anniversary)
  • Blended Grain #1 45 year (2022) Batch #3 44.2% (TBWC 10th Anniversary)

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