NOEL ON WHISKY: WHISKY EXCHANGE WHISKY OF 2022

WHISKY EXCHANGE WHISKY OF THE YEAR 2022

Choosing just one whisky to celebrate is never easy, but this was the onerous task that Whisky Exchange's panel of industry experts undertook at their judging event in London, where, in the presence of attendees, they whittled down a shortlist of six to just one: The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2023.

This year’s shortlist included whiskies from the Highlands and the Islands, bold peat bombs, a fruity red wine cask single malt and a rich, coastal whisky. After much deliberation, the votes were cast and the winner was clear: the Whisky of the Year was announced.

FIRST: THE CONTENDERS

1. Ledaig 18 Year Old

WHISKY DETAILS

Spirit: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Tobermory
Country of Origin: Scotland
Region: Islands
Series/Description: Standard Edition 2022
Age: 18 YO, ABV 46.3 %
Chill Filtered No; Artificial Colouring No
Cask Wood Type: American Sherry Cask Finish
Bottler: Distillery
Stopper: Cork
Bottle Type: Standard, Bottle Size 70cl
Neck Level: Full
Cost: ~£80

Tobermory is a dark horse of a distillery. Sitting on the seafront in the town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, it has historically suffered from financial troubles and long periods of closure. However under current owners Distell, Tobermory’s fortunes have totally changed. Whisky drinkers around the world have embraced the distillery’s two very different whiskies produced there – the fruity yet coastal Tobermory and the powerful, smoky Ledaig.

Ledaig, the peated alter ego of Tobermory single malt, is owned by the Distell Group, which also brings in Bunnahabhain and Deanston. The peated expression produced at Tobermory is heavily peated, with Ledaig becoming a brand of its own in 2007.

This Ledaig was tricky but after a while, it managed to deliver the quality hoped for. Remember to let it rest in your whisky-nosing glass – to really open up and give off that subtle smoke.

Colour: Gold copper

Nose: Such a rich sherry nose. Dark chocolate and raisins. Smells like a baked apple with mango and apricots all baked in an oat crumble. More oats with granola and some dried cranberries. Big sherry blast in this glass. Some damp wood and moss. Smoke and brine for sure taking a step back, but it’s a little refined. Mint leaves are in the mix. Stone fruit juiciness. Cola cube hard sweets, like an artificial cola. Back end you can find cinnamon spice and dry roasted peanuts.

Palate: Vanilla custard. Parma violet sweets. Floral taste on initial sip. A much dryer peat smoke coats the tongue nicely. There’s some charred oak here. The finish and flavour last so much longer on this dram and comparing it to the 10yo. Velvety dark chocolate and a hint of cherry. Some delicious stroopwafel. Smoked ham and fried Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts. A wee hit of redcurrant bitterness develops after a while.

Finish: Starts with crispy smoke. Stingy and fruity. Drops of water add more smoke and make the aftertaste peppery.

Overall: A few drops of water make this Ledaig much better. Water takes some edge off and gives room for the sophisticated smoke. Tasty dram if you let it breathe and give it some water.

2. Old Pulteney 15 YO

Old Pulteney fans were quite excited to get to review the Old Pulteney 15 Years of today, with the passing of the late lamented Old Pulteney 17 YO. Like many distilleries Old Pulteney shifted to making “named” NAS whiskies a couple years ago and like related offerings from other brands… they sucked.

They didn’t have the life, the character or the richness of OP’s age-stated whiskies. The OP Navigator was piss-poor compared to the standard Old Pulteney 12 years and the OP Clipper was a weak shade next to the always amazing Old Pulteney 17.

Unfortunately, the OP 17 has been discontinued (and the OP 21 followed soon after), but in its place, this Old Pulteney 15 Years arrived. This one is better than either of the NAS attempts listed above.

WHISKY DETAILS

Region: Highlands, Scotland
Distiller: Old Pulteney
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry
Age: 15 Years; ABV: 46%; Price: $80
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Colour

“Balancing two different sides of the flavour spectrum, this single malt marries these perfectly, whilst also reflecting our coastal home and its unwavering influence.” – Old Pulteney

The 15 YO is the middle rung in the Old Pulteney lineup and fits that role perfectly. It’s a lovely single malt, superbly balanced, and reasonably priced. However, the odd thing about the 15-Year-Old is it isn’t what one might expect from Old Pulteney, having a character a step removed from most of what the distillery does and quite a bit removed from its nautically-themed image.

The Scotch

A pour of Old Pulteney 15 has a typical look to it, that of golden straw. Swishing the glass on this 46% ABV malt leaves a thick coat on the glass, one that lets only a few reluctant legs hang out.

Nose: The nose tells you that this isn’t what one should look out for in a Highland malt with a nautical theme. Instead of a saline aspect and perhaps a whiff of smoke, it’s a fruity malt. The scent is rich with green apples, raisins and citrus zest, sitting in a pool of honey and vanilla extract. Accenting this is a dash of baking spice, a sliver of dry wood, and a tinge of earthiness.

Palate: The flavour adds toffee to the sweet mix while holding the spiciness, woodiness and a now chocolaty earthiness very much in the background. The latter aspects, although quite modest compared to the rich, sweet body, are just enough to hold the sweetness in check and add some sophistication to the whisky. The official tasting notes mention sea spray; when I didn’t get it I went looking around at what other bloggers and writers had to say, and found I wasn’t alone.

Finish: The finish flips the sweet and woody-earthy-spicy aspects of the whisky end over end, becoming far less sweet on the way down than the whisky was while sitting on your palate. It’s a nice capstone for the overall experience and really adds to it.

This is a warm, waxy, malt with a nice array of flavours that make this something you want to go back to over and over. A darn fine malt indeed.

3. Oban 2007 Distillers Edition
Bottled 2021

Everything in this product line starts by being aged in a barrel that is re-charred American oak with “crocodile-skin” charred new American oak ends. Part of the fascination of this Scotch is how difficult it is to describe while being so incredibly good. If any whisky could be said to hug you from the inside, this would be it. The chief virtue of the Oban Distillers Edition is how amazingly balanced it is, seeming to communicate sentiment rather than taste. Sometimes you don’t need to know why, you need only bask in the glory. This malt exemplifies what a great highland whisky can be, combining fruit and sweet and smoke and the sea, allowing a discerning palate to explore its layers. Even less discerning taste buds will appreciate the delicious bounty contained therein. All in all, this one is complex and requires savouring.

Founded in 1794, Oban distillery is one of the few urban Scotch distilleries still in operation. It is located in the city of Oban on the West coast of Scotland. The distillery was privately owned until 1898 when it began changing hands between whisky groups quite regularly until 1989 when it was acquired by Diageo. In all of this time, the distillery was only closed for about ten years, once due to the state of the economy and a second time due to remodelling.

Oban produces about 670,000 litres per year through a single 12,600-litre wash still and a single 7,200-litre spirit still. This makes it the second-smallest Scotch distillery owned by Diageo. It is one of the few still using traditional outdoor worm tubs in production. Oban’s flagship product is their 14-year-old single malt. With their limited production, it is rare to see Oban used outside of this. They set aside 300 barrels each year for the Distiller’s Edition, and now 300 barrels a year for the new 18-year-old. There are only three known independent bottlings of Oban. They do occasionally appear in very small quantities in blended whiskies as well.

For Oban’s The Distillers Edition, they did a second maturation in Montilla Fino sherry casks. The use of both Montilla and sherry in the cask type is a bit confusing. Montilla implies the Montilla-Moriles region, one that cannot legally be called sherry, even though it follows the same process and uses the same naming system for styles. Sherry is a denomination of origin protected by the European Union. Regardless of the use of the word sherry, it is a Fino in style, which means it is a dry pale style of fortified wine. It ages entirely under flor, a layer of yeast, preventing oxidation of the wine. Fino tends to have a flavour profile with yeast, salt, and herbs, a choice that shifts Oban more toward the flavours of the islands than the highlands.

Oban, a defined Highland whisky is, however, a perfect balance of something sweet, savoury, tangy sour and salty with a light maritime flavour. There is a whiff of smoke, and a hint of peat can be detected as it is a peat-dried whisky. It is rated the most explosive Oban ever.

WHISKY DETAILS

Distillery Oban
Series/Description Distillers Edition 2021
Vintage 2007, Age 14 YO, ABV 43 %
Chill Filtered Yes; Artificial Colouring Yes
Cask Strength No; Single Cask No
Cask Wood Type Ex-Bodega Montilla Fino
Packaging Cardboard Tube
Bottler Distillery
Country of Origin Scotland
Region Highlands
Stopper Cork
Bottle Type Standard, Bottle Size 70cl
Neck Level Full
Cost ~£79

Appearance: Golden honey in colour. This has thin long legs that take their time to form.

Nose: First thing on the nose is honey, raisin, and cinnamon. Sitting with it longer brings out the smell of green apple and a bit of acetone.

Palate: The nose really carries over to the front of the palate with those same notes of honey, raisin, and cinnamon. The middle gets a little meatier with a slight salinity, certainly the kind of Scotch one would want to chew on. The finish is light and long with a good amount of heat and black pepper. The addition of minimal water dilutes the shift of the front palate to more of a floral quality, the honey more of a honeysuckle. The transition from the front of the palate to the finish seems shorter but had something a touch medicinal.

Finish: Still just as light, but sweeter notes of honeyed pastry compliment the black pepper.

Overall: It’s certainly not cheap and a higher bottling strength would be preferable at such a price but it is a thoroughly enjoyable dram nonetheless. There’s an impressive depth of character for a 14-year-old whisky and the Fino finish undoubtedly adds an extra layer. There’s a superb balance of fruitiness which combines well with the warming cinnamon and light smoke to create an intriguing, complex yet highly drinkable malt.

4. Craigellachie 13 YO

WHISKY DETAILS

Distillery Craigellachie
Series/Description Standard 13 YO
ABV 46%, 70 Cl
Chill Filtered No; Artificial Colouring No
Cask Strength No; Single Cask No
Cask Wood Type ex-bourbon finished in an ex-Sherry cask
Bottler Distillery
Country of Origin Scotland
Region Speyside
Stopper Cork
Neck Level Full
Cost ~£51

Sulphur is an emotive subject but is most often misconstrued in whisky circles. There are two ways in which you can get sulphurous notes in whisky. One is through the burning of sulphur candles in casks to stop bacterial infection. Although this was once standard in Jerez with the rise of bespoke casks for the whisky industry the practice has now been outlawed.

The second form of sulphur comes from barley and is naturally produced during the whisky-making process. If you cut down the amount of copper available to spirit vapour, the higher the sulphur levels in the new make will be. What hasn’t been understood is that this sulphur disappears in time. It acts as a marker; an indication that once its cloak has been lifted a spirit will emerge either as meaty (Cragganmore, Mortlach, Benrinnes) or fragrant (Glenkinchie, Speyburn, Balblair, AnCnoc, and Craigellachie) In other words, sulphur can be desirable.

Craigellachie revels in its sulphurous nature. The first thing you smell as you enter the distillery is the notes of cabbage and beef stock. This is the odour emanating from the worm tubs which sit at the back of the distillery. It is the small amount of copper contained within them that helps to promote this character. They also add weight to the palate of the mature spirit.

Long fermentation has however fixed fruitiness within the spirit and this tropical/floral note emerges in the mature spirit. It’s this character: full, yet aromatic which has made Craigellachie a prized malt for blending: it has been a major contributor to White Horse since the late 19th century – with the result that it had to wait until 2014 to receive its promotion to the rank of front-line malts. And did it hit the right notes!

Craigellachie, owned by Peter Mackie of White Horse fame, was also the core malt in the hugely successful Old Smuggler and Old Gaelic brands.

Introduced in 2014, the malts have since become known for their meaty quality, something of a middleweight hitter on the spectrum of Speyside malts. Craigellachie 13 Year Old is drawn from ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry cask stock and bottled without added colour or chill filtration at 46% ABV. This bottling at the upper end of the typical Scotch strength (40-43-46% ABV) helps contribute to its heft, and it’s the entry-level run of the Craigellachie line.

Craigellachie takes a pale straw cast in the glass. While one is looking at it, another quality comes right out of the glass and greets you, because the malt is very aromatic.

Appearance: Very light gold.

Nose: The ex-bourbon barrel vanilla leads, but it’s firmly backed by cinnamon, sandalwood and dry wood. Potent spike of caramel sweetness. There isn’t a lot of additional complexity – just various shades of wood and malty sugars. After a rest in the glass, some ripe banana notes creep in.

Palate: Medium body. The flavour expands on that profile. The sweet side takes on a banana note; this initial wave of banana is accompanied by a very mild tongue burn. the spicy aspect continues to run strong with cinnamon, sandalwood and toffee; the dry end becomes leathery and takes on a tobacco note. Then, slightly bitter and slightly smoky barrel char, oak chips, and burnt caramel.

Finish: On the short side. A very consistent finish, starting with leathery wood and tobacco, comprising the good notes from the nose and palate, but without much bitterness. Unfortunately, it fades quickly, without evolving.

With Water: A few drops of water release a nice orange peel note which merges well with the caramel. The palate seems thinner, the finish livelier. Water is a good idea with this malt.

5. Jura 18 YO

WHISKY DETAILS

Country of Origin: Scotland
Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Isle of Jura
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Bottling Series: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Stated Age: 18 YO
Chill Filtered Yes; Artificial Colouring Yes
Cask Strength No; Single Cask No
Casktype: Bourbon with Red Wine Cask Finish
Strength 44.0% ABV
Size: 700 ml
Stopper: Cork
Neck Level: Full
Cost ~£70-75

Old Isle of Jura whisky needed a change, so they could get to more people and vindicate the capacity of their small island distillery to produce good whisky. That change arrived with its new, revamped range: Signature Series. It was intriguing to hear that the brand was launching a complete new range with a new house style in 2018. The brand seems to be taking steps in the right direction. Unfortunately, there still seems to be a reluctance to release higher strength versions, which is a shame, because the team of whisky makers are working hard to give the island the product it deserves.

This whisky forms part of the core range from the island distillery of Jura. The range was revamped in 2018 and this 18-year-old is joined by other age statements at 10, 12 and 21 years old plus three other 'no age statement' expressions - the French Oak, Journey and Seven Wood. The whiskies involved in this 18 years old have followed two different paths - regular unpeated spirit has matured in ex-bourbon casks before a period of finishing in ex-red wine barriques sourced from Bordeaux in France, while rarer peated spirit (made at the distillery for only one month each year) has been matured solely in ex-bourbon casks. The two pockets of stock have then been married together to produce the final whisky. In other words, this single malt, created with a blend of both peated and unpeated spirit, has been aged in American Oak barrels and finished in red wine barrels.

The Jura distillery is located on the Hebridean isle of Jura and was founded in 1810 by Archibald Campbell. It was originally called the Small Isles distillery after the numerous islands located in Craighouse Bay, which the distillery sits on and overlooks. It was closed for a long period between 1901 and 1960, at which point it was rebuilt using a design by renowned post-War distillery architect William Delmé-Evans. It was only then renamed Jura.

Production restarted in 1963 and it has been operating ever since. The distillery has an annual production capacity of just over two million litres and is currently owned by Whyte & Mackay, who took control in 1993. Under their ownership, the brand has seen sales grow massively, especially in the last 10 years.

The Jura 18 years old is bottled at 44% ABV and is widely available globally. A bottle should cost around the £70-75 ($90 US) mark.

Appearance: Rosewood gold

Nose: Wood varnish. Cherry. Brambles and blackcurrant. Dark chocolate. Caramel. Orange peel and cinnamon. Ginger biscuits.

Palate: Like the nose, the palate arrives with brambles, cherry and blackcurrant. More dark chocolate – the proper high cocoa content stuff. Coffee creams. Tobacco leaves.

Finish: Dry and oaky, with some gentle spice. Faintest hint of smoke right at the end.

Overall: You couldn’t accuse this one of lacking depth. Those chocolaty flavours go on for miles. Still only the faintest hint of spice which makes it easily drinkable although the intensity has undoubtedly been helped by the 44% bottling strength. It’s a bit of an oddity, that. If you’re bottling at 44% why not just bottle at 46%? It’s a nice drinking strength, I suppose and gives the whisky a little more oomph than you’d find at 40%, without overdoing the spice.

Of the current core range, the 18 is one of the standouts and Jura deserves some credit for their reasonable pricing too. There aren’t too many 18-year-old malts on the market at £60. Jura is one of the best-selling single malts in the UK and that budget-friendly price structure no doubt contributes to that.

I understand that there’s a lot of competition at £60 but even then, I’d consider buying a bottle of this. I like it enough. From me, that’s a pretty big compliment because I’ve never spent anything like £60 on a bottle of Jura before. Knock it up to 46%, bin the chill filtering and it would be an absolute winner.

6. Glen Grant 15 YO Batch Strength First Edition

John Grant, a respected landowner, and his brother James, Lord Provost of Elgin jointly built what was then a massive distillery in 1839 in Rothes, a town on the banks of the River Spey in Moray, Scotland. They were also far-sighted enough to realise that large-scale whisky production would flounder if transport links were not established. James pushed for a rail line from Lossiemouth to Elgin and in 1858, the brothers personally paid for the extension of the route south to their base six miles away.

The House of Glen Grant continued to grow through the century and much of its splendour arose from the entrepreneurial actions of John’s son (also John, best known as ‘The Major’) who took charge of the business in 1872. The Major installed the first electric light in the area powered by turbines in the distillery and was the first to own a motor car in the Highlands.

A dilettante? Not really; The Major was an engineer like his uncle who deliberately designed a distillery which was different to others. He laid down the purifier pipes, designed the look and shape of the stills, and had the foresight to start exporting.

In 1898, with demand rising, The Major built a second distillery across the road from Glen Grant but, like so many constructed at this time it closed soon after in 1902, a victim of the Pattison crash. Its maltings –the first pneumatic malting drums in the Highlands–continued to supply the needs of its sister plant. Originally called Glen Grant No. 2, it was renamed Caperdonich when it re-opened in 1965. New make was run across from the stillhouse to Glen Grant via a pipe which spanned the thoroughfare. But Caper’ never made the same character as its sister and was closed in 2002.

In 1952, George Mackessack (The Major’s grandson) merged with the Smith Grants of The Glenlivet and in 1970, joined with Longmorn/ Benriach. Eight years later, Seagram bought them all, thereby ending the family involvement.

When Pernod Ricard took over Seagram’s whisky arm in 2001, Glen Grant was deemed legally surplus and in 2006 it was snapped up by Gruppo Campari. Appropriately so, as Glen Grant was the largest-selling whisky (including blends) in the 1960s and the country remains the malt’s most significant market. With the Italian market focussing on young, light expressions, as well as Sherry cask finished options, older and stronger bottlings have long been handled by Gordon & MacPhail.

Glen Grant has traditionally produced light and floral whisky with a uniquely fruity character but has remained a 40% ABV brand for ages. The Glen Grant 15-Year-Old is an award-winning addition to the distillery’s core range, originally available in global travel retail. Its higher strength and intensity show a different side of Glen Grant’s traditionally more delicate character, with its maturation in first-fill bourbon casks adding layers of spice to the distillery’s famously fruity character.

The Scotch

WHISKY DETAILS

Distillery Glen Grant
Series/Description Initial 15 YO
ABV 50%, 70 Cl
Chill Filtered No; Artificial Colouring No
Batch Strength Yes; Single Cask No
Cask Wood Type ex-bourbon
Bottler Distillery
Country of Origin Scotland
Region Speyside
Stopper Cork
Neck Level Full Cost ~£57

John Grant increased the original pair of stills to four in the late 19th century. A new stillhouse with a further two was added in 1973 and another four were installed there in 1977. In 1983, the old stillhouse was closed and two larger stills went into the new stillhouse, giving the current complement of eight.

Heating has been equally convoluted. Everything was coal-fired until 1973 when gas was brought in to run the new stills. In 1983 however, all the wash stills were converted back to coal while the spirit side switched to steam. Today all are indirect fired. The effect? Hard to say, but there is some greater weight in older bottlings that suggests the effects of flame did have an influence on character. Certainly, peat was used into the early ‘70s.

The main driver of lightness however is the shape of the stills which have almost square boil bulbs (reminiscent of a WWII German soldier’s helmet) which increase copper surface significantly. They are also fitted with purifying chambers in the lyne arm which act as a pre-condenser, refluxing back heavy elements which are carried down a purifier pipe into the body of the still. Today most of the make is aged in ex-Bourbon and refill casks which accentuate this delicacy. The ex-Sherry casks which defined Glen Grant for many years are rarely seen at the distillery these days but remain the signature of the bottlings from Gordon & MacPhail.

This particular expression is a 15-year-old “batch strength” bottling, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks. Although the term “batch strength” may conjure up images of a cask-strength whisky (another term with no legally defined meaning), this is bottled at 50% ABV, not true cask strength. The marketing is, at best, a bit misleading here. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see a Glen Grant expression bottled at 50%, as most of their other bottles hover around the bare minimum ABV requirements for scotch whisky.

Appearance: Shiny Gold

Nose: Mild prickle. Vanilla extract. Malty. A bit floral, with rose pedal. Honeyed cereals with a backbone of orchard fruit. Citrus, especially tangerine. White grapes. Coffee beans covered in dark chocolate. Cereal grains. Fresh mint. A bit restrained and light overall.

Palate: A moderate tongue burn. Heat caused by a 'rush it' at the spirit safe? That is followed by a good bit of creamy vanilla on the arrival. Deeply sweet marshmallow, vanilla cake frosting, melted ice cream, and chewy fruit-flavoured candy (gummy bears?). White grape juice. Herbal. Menthol then comes to the forefront. A good bit of berries—huckleberry, in particular, comes to mind (that’s a note I don’t recall previously finding in a whisky). Light caramel sauce. Heather and honey. Sweet mint. Ginger. Bitter lemon. A bit of the coffee note from the nose, but here it’s more like a cup of chilled cappuccino. Citrus. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, a touch oily, which is really the best feature here.

Finish: Short. Vanilla mint. A little honey. Menthol. Herbs. Anise. Lemon. Ginger. Simple syrup. Some nice notes, but they don’t last long, fading without evolving. Odd that all of those sweet/candy notes have vanished.

With Water: Several drops of water seem to mute the aroma, even after a rest in the glass. The palate is softer but otherwise unchanged. The finish acquires some much-needed fruit notes and some sweetness. Try without water first, and then see if water changes it for you.

Overall: Hard to believe this is a 15-year-old whisky, it tastes much younger. Even harder to believe this is the best whisky Scotland has to offer. The texture is nice, but that’s about all this dram has going for it. There are some interesting tasting notes, but the odd sweetener and white grape juice create a mental imbalance. A bit of menthol is great when it’s well-balanced by other notes, but here it’s too much. A rather dull dram that’s rescued by a nice texture. There are things to like here, but not enough to love. Or really even like all that much. I will say that it’s nice to find a high-ABV, non-chill-filtered Glen Grant at a fairly reasonable price. Worth trying a sample, but not worth hunting down a bottle.

AND THE WINNER IS:

LEDAIG 18 YEAR OLD

A richly smoky 18-year-old single malt from Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull, the oldest expression in its heavily-peated Ledaig range. Time spent in ex-sherry casks has added layers of fruit and nuts that temper the earthy, robust smoke that Ledaig is known for, offering aromas of sherry-soaked raisins, seaweed, phenols and dried chilli flakes, spicy black pepper and sweet oak. The palate brings waves of herbal peat smoke, orange peel, tobacco and rich coffee, followed by white pepper and sea-salt flavours, before a long, pungent finish full of liquorice and peat smoke.