EXCITING NEW WHISKIES TO TRY IN 2023
Spring is a great time to be a whisky fan. The soaring
popularity of one of the world's most favoured spirits will continue to expand with
new bottlings from distilleries every day—be it Scotch, bourbon, Indian,
Taiwanese or American single malt. Of all countries named, India produces the
maximum volume of whisky, more than the output of Scotch, Irish, Taiwanese,
Australian and Japanese whiskies combined.
Figuring out which new whiskies are worth trying can be
a daunting task, even as prices soar. Here, I've tackled this difficult task
and selected the best bottles to highlight this bountiful season and enjoy it
with soulmates and friends. This article is a follow-up to my previous article on trends and recommendations for this year.
BENRIACH The Sixteen
Benriach The Sixteen is back—and the treasured Speyside
single malt sticks to its roots. This resurrection is the first step in
rebuilding one of the finest whisky brands in Scotland.
Benriach is not a new name in the whisky world. The
distillery first fired up its pear-shaped copper pot stills back in 1898, when
founder John Duff built it outside Elgin, Scotland, close to the North Sea. The
years since have been anything but smooth sailing, with the brand passing
through the hands of some of the biggest names in whisky—including Glenlivet,
Seagrams, Pernod Ricard, and a consortium that included Billy Walker, until
finally ending up in the hands of Brown-Forman (the company behind Jack
Daniels, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, and many others) in 2016. Since then,
the brand has continued to grow, most recently bringing back The Sixteen to its
core lineup.
Vibrant when young, it matures well – especially in
refill casks where fruits take on a more tropical edge and extra spiciness
steadily develops.
In the latter years of the Seagram era, Benriach
produced a smoky distillate for blending purposes. The enthusiastic reaction to
this style when its new owner bottled examples means a peated season takes
place every year. A wide range of finishes – of both styles – is also
available. Many of the bottlings have been given Latin names and the brand name
has been rewritten as BenRiach.
Just before The Sixteen was discontinued, it won "Best
Speyside Single Malt" at the World Whisky Awards in 2015, which means this
new update has some big shoes to fill. The good news is, it does. For many
Speyside whiskies, that point between 15 and 17 years old can be a sweet spot
between cask influence and spirit maturity, certainly the case for this new
bottling.
Speyside whiskies—single malt Scotch whiskies distilled
in the area around the River Spey in northeastern Scotland—are generally known
for their fruity characteristics, which remains true for Benriach. The pear-shaped nature of the still offers low
reflux and a high rate of copper contact, providing a medium-bodied spirit that
enhances the fresh, fruity and meadow character of the house style.
Known for its long-standing tradition of distilling
classic, peated, and triple-distilled whisky and a vast eclectic cask inventory
sourced from around the world, Benriach manages to take those usual Speyside
flavours and add a bit of variety and fire to them. In The Sixteen, Benriach
introduced a hint of peaty whisky to the unwashed spirit, an addition that works
particularly well with its exceptionally long middle still, allowing the
distillery to bring out all of the whiskey's flavours. While most central cuts
are extremely precise and take about 15 minutes, Benriach takes anywhere from
an hour and a half to almost two hours.
The Sixteen's Ageing Process
To craft The Sixteen, the spirit is then three
cask-matured for at least 16 years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and virgin
oak casks. The distillery gets its bespoke virgin oak barrels straight from
coopers at Brown-Forman's cooperages in Kentucky and Alabama, a rarity in the
single malt scotch whisky industry as these virgin oak casks are difficult to
come by and mainly reserved for making bourbon.
After 16 years spent in these various casks, the fruity
character of the house style meshes perfectly with the hints of heathery
Highland peat. On the nose, baked apple and creamy hazelnut malt aromas blend
with overtones of ginger-spiced apricot, honey, and a distant campfire. The
palate finds spiced stewed apple, stone fruit, and mellow nutty oak, with
honeyed malt and candied peel. For Glasgow, the whisky isn’t like anything else
currently on the market and shares more in common with Speyside single malts
found in the 1970s and 1980s than it does with today’s bottlings.
The return of Benriach The Sixteen is a very special
moment for the distillery, as it's one of their most treasured expressions. The
first flavours that arrive off the still at Benriach are citrus notes, most
notably lemon and even some lime. Next in the middle of the spirit run, there
are those classic orchard fruit notes—apples and pears. Deeper into the spirit
run, you get rich barley sugars and those peated smoky notes. Benriach master
blender Rachel Barrie adds, “Our signature Speyside style blossoms at 10 years
old, finding depth and richer layers of orchard fruit character as it turns 16.
Our core flavour components of fruit, malt, and oak become more concentrated,
enriched with age at 16 years old, bringing layers of stone fruit, smooth
creamy malt, wild honey, and nutty oak spice.”
Particulars: 70Cl, £74.95, 43% ABV, Chill-filtered.
THE BENRIACH RANGE
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GLEN GRANT 21-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Celebrating a tropical explosion of flavour! The Glen
Grant Distillery, located in the heart of Speyside, launched its new
21-Year-Old single malt scotch whisky in March. Now the oldest expression in
the permanent collection, the 21-Year-Old signals the start of a new era of
exploration for the 180-year-old distillery.
Driven by a singular vision for over 180 years, The
Glen Grant distillery harnesses a constant pursuit to create the most singular,
aromatic, and evocative single malts. Inspired by the legacy of ‘The Major’
James Grant – the visionary and eccentric driving force which set the brand on
its ingenious path – we bring together inspiration from around the world
creating exceptional and intriguing whiskies celebrating the spirit of
innovation. This globally-inspired character is what separates The Glen Grant from
many of its Speyside neighbours and has guided it along a distinctive path,
defining its lasting legacy since 1840.
After his journeys to faraway locations, The Major
would gather an eclectic collection of fruits and plants, which he brought back
to Rothes and showcased in his personally- designed Victorian glasshouses and
later in a 27-acre garden sitting at the heart of the distillery.
The creation of The Glen Grant 21-Year-Old represents a
definitive moment in the evolution of The Glen Grant and marks a new chapter in
its story. Sitting at the gateway to the prestige expressions of The Glen Grant
portfolio, this 21-Year-Old joins the 10-, 12-, 15- and 18-Year-Old family of
single malt whiskies and sets the tone for a range of innovative new releases set
to be unveiled from 2023 onwards.
The rest of Glen Grant’s permanent line is quite
fruit-forward as well. Until now, that line has never extended beyond 18 years
of age. There have been one-offs before — independent bottlers Gordon &
MacPhail have released spectacular Glen Grants aged up to 70 years — but
nothing on a regular basis. Given that the brand was founded in 1840 and the
distillery’s capacity is rather enormous (as of 2016, according to whisky.com,
it was close to 6 million litres a year), you’d think that there would be
plenty of aged whisky lying around just by accident. In fact, while the Glen
Grant produces a lot of whisky, much of it has historically gone into blends,
most notably Chivas Regal. When it was acquired by the Campari Group in 2006,
the stocks of whisky that were passed on in the sale were on the young side, so
they’ve been building up aged stocks since then.
While it may be a little overdue, The Glen Grant 21-Year-Old is worth the wait. Bottled at 46% ABV without caramel colouring or
chill filtration, it’s aged in sherry butts and hogsheads as well as ex-bourbon
barrels. The sherry is pronounced both on the nose and the palate. But this
isn’t your standard orange/raisin/rancio sherried malt. The fruitiness is
lighter and livelier, with apple and cherry mingling with
coconut and melon notes. Light vanilla and burnt caramel show up to the party
as well, and the finish is dry, with an appealing, moderate spicy kick.
Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm hand-selected the
perfect combination of oloroso sherry butts, hogshead and ex-bourbon barrels
from Warehouse Number 4, the oldest traditional stone dunnage warehouse at the
distillery and married together the spirit to create the captivating flavours
which bring to life an intensity of fruity character. He commented: “This
21-Year-Old whisky marks a highly significant moment in time for The Glen Grant
and one which will pave the way for a new era. Each whisky tells its own story
and reveals its very own flavour journey defined by a captivating character,
with unfolding layers and surprising complexity.”
Bottled at 46%, natural in colour and non-chill
filtered, this 21-Year-Old is married in small batches to preserve the
integrity of the refined flavours and to ensure absolute quality. All of this
is done on-site at the Rothes-based distillery, reinforcing the exquisitely
singular ethos of The Glen Grant.
The resulting character is of a tropical flair,
beginning with aromas of sweet ripe peaches, toffee and raisins which leads to
an explosion of rich tropical fruits, such as coconut, and creamy butter notes
to taste. A soft welcoming mouthfeel alludes to a long enduring finish of
caramelised crème brûlée.
Particulars: 70Cl, £245, 46% ABV, Not chill-filtered.
THE GLEN GRANT RANGE
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COMPASS BOX Delos
Compass Box Whisky Company is headed by founder and
whisky-maker John Glaser, who spent many years working in the wine trade before
moving into Scotch whisky and a role as marketing director for Johnnie Walker.
Given his wine background, Glaser has a deep commitment
to wood quality when it comes to maturation, and at times he has pushed the
boundaries of conventional whisky wisdom. For example, he created the first
commercial blended grain Scotch whisky, named Hedonism, and Spice Tree, which
fell foul of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) for its use of suspending
staves of toasted French oak within conventional casks.
Compass Box offers a ‘Signature Range,’ which comprises
The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Oak Cross, Asyla and Hedonism. Meanwhile, the
company’s ‘Limited Range’ offers limited edition whiskies such as Hedonism
Quindecimus and Flaming Heart. Compass Box’s third range is Great King Street –
blended Scotch with 50% malt content, which also bears the company’s trademark
transparency about component whiskies and maturation regimes.
For the second release in Compass Box’s Extinct Blends Quartet—which features whiskies inspired by flavours of the past—the producer looked to reimagine its iconic extinct blend, Asyla, a cornerstone of the brand until its retirement in 2018. To do this, the whisky makers turned to older stocks, focusing on capturing Asyla’s vibrancy and soothing sweetness. The result is Delos, bottled in November 2022 and launched in February this year.
Named after a Greek island strewn with mosaics and
ruined ancient temples—and said to be the birthplace of the god Apollo—Delos
signifies Asyla’s beauty and serenity as a whisky. The blend uses a mix of malt
and grain from some of Compass Box’s rarest stocks, including whisky from Glen
Elgin, Imperial, and Miltonduff distilleries—all aged in American oak barrels.
The result offers a sweet yet mellow medley of ripe pear, pineapple, orange, and vanilla notes, while the maturity of the grain whisky gradually builds to reveal guava, heather honey and spices.
Compass Box Delos Blended Scotch Whisky: Specs &
Tasting Notes
Origin: Port Dundas Distillery, North British
Distillery, and Strathclyde Distillery
Mashbill: 83.1% Malt Whisky (21.2% Miltonduff, 33.4%
Imperial, 28.5% Glen Elgin), 16.9% Grain Whisky (Cameronbridge)
Age: NAS
Location: Scotland
Price: $300
Eye: Pale gold, summer straw. Thin rims let teardrop
legs fall, though they stop before hitting the bottom.
Nose: Malty with a slightly smoky (not peaty) quality.
Smells old in a good way, like old books and libraries - my happy place.
Candied lemons, flesh and all. Lots of American oak creaminess and oak spice,
not much woodiness.
Palate: Dry and fruity, like a well-oaked Chardonnay.
MAlt and peppery bite up front give way to a filling, creme brûlée custard
filling. The American oak and old bookshelves are familiar and soothing. Spots
of lemon drops pop in and out, adding more fruity and candied notes. Mouthfeel
is piquant and coating, oily and creaming, filling the whole palate and
settling under.
Finish: Medium-length, the stronger vanillas of the
grain whiskies and the casks partnering beautifully. Stays full-bodied to the
end.
Particulars: 70Cl, £260, 49% ABV, Not chill-filtered.
Overall: One feels like one should be drinking this in a leather chair surrounded by old oak bookshelves. Simple in one way - vanilla, malt, full-bodied - and complex in another, giving every comfort one should feel when history surrounds you. Experience-wise, a top-of-the-year pour! Just shy of Ultramarine, if only by nature of its simplicity, but make no mistake that this is something not to be missed.
THE COMPASS BOX SIGNATURE RANGE
TALISKER Distiller's
Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2021
Experience the tale told by the tides with a swig of
Talisker Distiller's Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 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. Double-matured in Amoroso
cask wood, sherry replaces the usual pepper with luscious, oily sweetness.
Crisp peat softens to enormous richness with hints of sweet, roasty malt and a
heathery dryness. A full-bodied Scotch that is clean yet rich, it finishes with
deep cocoa notes, magnificent vanilla and earthy peat.
Distilled by the sea on the shores of the Isle of Skye
in Scotland, centuries of local distilling tradition and the rugged environment
are what make this whisky so unique. Their phenol content of 20 to 25 ppm puts
them at the lower end of peated whisky. All of their whisky is stored on the
coast or very close to it in warehouses where they are only stacked two high.
This is a dark full-bodied style that normally has
notes of dried fruit, caramel, and nuts. Oloroso is aged at a higher proof to
keep flor from forming. Flor is a layer of yeast that can form during
fermentation and ageing. Oloroso has a high glycerol content that allows it to
be perceived as sweeter, even though it is naturally dry.
The use of the Amoroso casks in finishing their whisky
provides a lovely complement and lessens the intensity of what are very polarising
flavours. Talisker is an enjoyable brand and its flagship product, annual
release, and one-off bottlings have all been goodly things. Their 10-year-old
release, however, is not quite as interesting as The Distillers Edition. The
maritime quality gets subdued in The Distillers Edition making for something that
is more approachable.
Tasting Notes: 45.8% ABV. Distilled in 2011 and bottled
in 2021.
Appearance: An orangeish honey colour. It forms a few
thick tears that fall quickly, followed by slow smaller ones.
Nose: Smells of sweet peat. The nose is a combination
of caramel, petrichor, and a faint smoke, like a distant campfire.
Palate: Starts off with notes of caramel and peat, then
progresses into a very earthy and slightly medicinal mid-palate. Subtle
mesquite bbq flavour on the finish is accompanied by an astringency remindful
me of lemon essential oil dropped right on the tongue. It is the feeling of an
oil rolling across the tongue while both drying it out and fully taking over
the flavour profile. Like that, but much more subtle. Peat is more present in the flavours of earthiness than it is in smoke.
The addition of water brings cherry to the front palate
and lets the smoke come out on the mid-palate, but keeps all of the other flavours.
Just a bit of water eliminated that bit of astringency on the finish as well.
Finish: Deep cocoa, vanilla and lingering, earthy peat.
Very engaging and peppery with an appetising sweetness.
Particulars: 70Cl, £64.95, 45.8% ABV, Chill-filtered.
Summary: The bottle is a crowd pleaser, without the standard
Talisker 10-Year’s rougher edges. With just a little bit of water, The
Distillers Edition really shines and captures that element of giving you just a
little bit more from a well-known product. That unbeatable maritime flavour is
missed, indubitably so.
THE TALISKER RANGE
KILCHOMAN 100% Islay
Barley Single Malt Scotch
Kilchoman sprang up in 2005 at Rockside Farm on the
west side of the Islay peninsula. Although grain is grown on the farm near the
Rhinns of Islay, the farm cannot produce enough to meet the needs of the
distillery and it orders pre-programmed maltings from Port Ellen Maltings,
which also supplies its peated product to Lagavulin, Talisker, Caol Ila and
Tobermory among others. However, Kilchoman’s 100% Islay is made from Optic and
Publican barley varieties from their farm.
Kilchoman is now on the twelfth edition of its 100%
Islay. Unlike some earlier editions, Kilchoman has recently begun experimenting
with maturation in different sherry casks along with ex-bourbon barrels. They
call it 100% Islay because they claim the whisky is “Scotland’s only single
farm single malt.” Every part of the process, including malting, is done on-site. The Kilchoman 100% Islay 12th Edition was distilled from the farm
distillery's 2009, 2010 and 2011 barley harvests.
This whisky from Kilchoman has an ABV of twenty per cent. This year’s bottling has made 12,000 bottles available for the 100%
Islay. The single-malt Scotch whisky was matured in 29 bourbon barrels and six
oloroso sherry butts for a minimum of eight years yielding a spirit with
signature peat smoke the moment you uncork the bottle.
Eye: Golden yellow.
Nose: Elegant, sweet peat smoke, followed by waves of
citrus and honey, finishing with notes of vanilla and salted caramel. These sit
alongside further aromas of malted biscuits, lemon zest and white chocolate,
plus a pinch of cocoa powder and white pepper.
Palate: A Bourbon-driven 100% Islay brings an initial
malt-driven profile followed by green fruits; apples and pear. The whisky has a
sweeter edge than the nose initially suggests. The peat smoke is soft and
gentle with notes of damp moss and charcoal ash. These are complemented by
something floral and heather-like, plus elegant leafy soil. A hint of bitter
green herbs comes next, and these characteristics are quickly joined by some
heather honey and golden syrup. The sweetness evolves to include flapjack and
chocolate-coated cereal bars with a hint of dried fruit in the background. The
growing maltiness adds to this biscuit-like quality. A twist of fresh lemon
zest and hints of orange marmalade, milky cocoa and white pepper add further
depth and complexity. Light spice, raisins and toffee are present towards the
finish.
Finish: Peat smoke returns and remains on the palate.
The oily texture of this 100% Islay allows for a creamy profile balanced with
toffee and caramelised sugar. A lovely note of crystallised ginger comes
through, especially once the sweeter elements have faded away. The smoke
becomes ashier and drying with time.
This 12th release is another lovely offering from
Kilchoman. The peat level of 20ppm allows both the smokiness and other
characteristics to shine and complement each other superbly. The 100% Islay has
become something of a cult classic and this whisky will just add to that. It is
also interesting to see how Kilchoman's spirit is evolving as their spirit
reaches increased age. The results are very promising.
Particulars: 70Cl, £74.95, 50% ABV, Not chill-filtered.
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LOCH LOMOND INCHMURRIN 12-Year-Old Highland
Loch Lomond was set up by its former owner to be
Scotland’s self-sufficient distillery. The original distillery held a set of
pot stills with rectifying plates in their necks (also known as Lomond stills),
allowing different flavour streams to be produced. Expansion in 1990 saw a
second pair of the same design being installed, before the distillery installed
two continuous stills three years later in which to make its own grain whisky.
Two ‘traditional’ swan neck pot stills were added in 1998, before an additional
continuous still, set up to produce grain whisky from a 100% malted barley mash,
was installed in 2007. With the recent addition of two more Lomond stills, Loch
Lomond has the capability to produce 11 different distillates for its whisky
brands (not including the spirit coming from Glen Scotia). Wine yeasts have
also been used to help create different flavours. In many ways, it is more akin
to a Japanese approach to distilling than a Scottish one.
Loch Lomond is also the only single malt distillery in
Scotland to have a Coffey column still on site, allowing them to also make the
grain whisky that goes into the company’s blends. As well as the High
Commissioner blend, Loch Lomond has produced a range of single malt brands,
including Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Inchfad, Old Rosdhu, Croftengea and Craiglodge.
While all have been available as official and independent bottlings at one time
or another, only a handful continue to be bottled as part of the distillery’s
current range.
In 1984, it passed into the hands of Inver House who
flipped it to Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd in 1986. The firm added Glen
Scotia to its portfolio in 1994. Glen Catrine was the bottling and ageing arm
of Bulloch & Co, a well-established blending and retail firm which owned
the High Commissioner brand as well as, in time, Glen’s Vodka. Under Glen
Catrine’s ownership, Loch Lomond grew to become the most flexible – and
arguably the most innovative – distillery in Scotland. Its specialisation in
the private label and export business however meant that its operations were
never widely reported, or understood.
The firm was sold in 2014 for an undisclosed sum to
private equity firm Exponent whose new distilling division, Loch Lomond Group,
is headed by former Diageo executives.
The Inchmurrin 12 is one of the three single malt
brands coming from the Loch Lomond Distillery. It’s an unpeated single malt
that’s distilled in their straight neck pot stills, the other two being the
semi-peated Loch Lomond (a blend of unpeated distillates from the traditional
pot stills, peated and unpeated straight neck still distillates) and their
heavily peated Inchmoan (a blend of highly peated distillates from both the
traditional pot still and straight neck still).
Similar to Springbank, Inchmurrin being unpeated is the
equivalent of Hazelburn. Loch Lomond, being semi-peated, is the equivalent of
Springbank. Inchmoan, being heavily peated, is the equivalent of Longrow. But,
Loch Lomond distillery is more versatile, having more varieties of stills
including the column stills for single grain production.
The 46% ABV whisky is bewitching the moment one smells
the whisky. There are so many dark fruit aromas that it makes you think there is
some ex-wine cask influence in it and without any sulphur. This is a blend of
80% refill ex-bourbon and 20% first-fill ex-bourbon casks.
Colour: Honey.
Nose: This is a fruit bomb. Medium-intense aromas of
blackberry jam, orange marmalade, peppermint, concentrated cherry juice, dried
apricot, canned peaches, blueberry jam and burnt caramel at the end. In between
are flashes of banana-flavoured candy, dehydrated lemon peels, ginger candy,
honey and Granny Smith apples.
Palate: It’s still a fruit bomb but is less tart and
more peppery. Medium-intense tastes of caramel, vanilla, honey, orange
marmalade, caramelized orange peel, Doublemint chewing gum, blackberries,
cherry jam, milk-chocolate, blueberry syrup, dried apricots, canned peaches and
Granny Smith apples at the end. In between are light creamed corn, an assortment
of berry skins with some pulp, more caramelised orange peel and mocha.
Finish: Medium-long. Smokier, now, like an active fire
in a rustic fireplace. Slight bitter barrel char. Drier, without those sweet
caramel notes. Fades slowly, but without added flavours.
With Water: A few drops of water make the aroma a
little sweeter but add nothing new. The palate is thinner, but the finish is
rounder and better balanced with some of those sugary notes. Water doesn’t hurt
here.
Overall: The Inchmurrin 12 isn’t close to being the best single
malt… but if you’re looking for something new, then this is for you; Inchmurrin
will breathe a new style of single malt into you. There’s a strong chance that
tasting this will make you forget about trying different single malts from traditional pot stills that are then aged or finished in ex-wine casks for
a while.
Brands love to talk about innovation. While this isn’t
new anymore, and I don’t know the history of this still to call this
innovative, who else in Scotland uses this still? I feel like the straight-neck
pot still is a kind of innovation or rare equipment that has not gotten the
attention it deserves due to the dominance of barrel talk and the lack of
understanding of how stills work.
A steal of an every-level single malt. This variety of
“being different” might be the idea of a big brand’s limited edition release…
but most fail at it, and they’re going to fail as long as they rely on
half-assed cask finishes that just keep getting recycled. To have this as an
entry-level expression at this price is just amazing.
Particulars: 70Cl, £39.45, 49% ABV, Not chill-filtered.
DEANSTON 18-Year-Old Highland
Single Malt Scotch
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46.3%
There are many distilleries in Scotland which started
life as mills, but not on the scale of Deanston. This huge plant was
constructed on the banks of the fast-flowing River Teith in 1785. It also had
what was claimed to be the largest water wheel in Europe. Fot the changeover to
a distillery, three floors were removed to accommodate four copper stills and a
mash tun and the even temperature in the former weaving shed made the ideal
resting place for whisky to delicately mature.
It can claim to be one of the greenest distilleries in
Scotland. All of its power is generated by a turbine house which processes 20
million litres of water an hour. The excess electricity is then sold to the
National Grid.
Production started only in 1969, but it has seen many
owners since. Eight years later, it was bought for £2.1m by Burn Stewart. Burn
Stewart established the new Deanston Distillery Company in the same year, and
the company remains the licence holder for Deanston Distillery following Burn
Stewart’s sale to Distell Group in 2013.
For most of its life, Deanston was one of Scotland’s
great workhorse distilleries – dutifully turning out stock for blenders. But in
recent years it has emerged as a sustainable rising star of the single malt
category. The Deanston core range offers a masterclass in contemporary whisky
making: it contains malts made from Scottish barley, bottled at 46.3% ABV as
standard, and offered without colouring or chill-filtration.
Its mash tun is open-topped for example, while the way
it is run – low gravity worts, long fermentation, slow distillation – helps to
produce a new make style which is in the waxy quadrant. This represents a
switch back to the original style. In the Invergordon era, Deanston had
conformed to a modern style of production, making a light dry ‘nutty-spicy’
make.
Today organic barley is also run through the stills
and, in common with all of Burn Stewart’s single malts, it is bottled without
chill-filtering or caramel tinting.
The Whisky Exchange’s Whisky of the Year 2022, this
18-year-old Highland malt is matured entirely in first-fill Bourbon casks,
dialling up Deanston’s trademark tropical fruit and honey character to eleven
and reinforcing it with rich American oak notes of butter and vanilla.
Note that there’s another Deanston 18 with a brown
label that has an additional finish in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels… but there’s
no mention of it on the official website. This particular (white label) 18 year
is matured only in refill ex-bourbon, so the oak influence should be light to
nonexistent. Deanston 18 is bottled at 46.3% ABV and without chill filtration
or added colour.
Nose: Lovely. White peach, kiwi, sweet green tea, green
apple, and a very nice array of floral notes that I can’t name. There’s a light
undercurrent of sweet malt, honey, and beeswax. Light, airy, and very perfumed.
Palate: Thin body. Moderate tongue burn (actually a
little hot for 46%), but with an elegant array of bakery sweets, graham
crackers, raw honey, dried apricot, and sweet tea. There’s also a waxiness that
reminds me of Clynelish.
Finish: Medium-short. Warming. A little drying tannin
but almost no bitterness. Fades with predominant notes of honey and buttery
oak, but no evolution.
With Water: A few drops of water reawakens some of the
aroma notes that had faded in the glass. It also amps up the nose tickle a bit.
The palate seems unchanged. I don’t think this needs water, but if your glass
has started to languish a few drops might wake it back up.
Overall: It’s a very middle-of-the-road kind of
Speyside malt: honey, orchard fruits, light malt, little oak, but it’s executed
very nicely and there’s no tell-tale grassiness or bitterness. An easy-drinking
pleasure from start to finish. That said, you expect a lot from an 18-year
label and a $120+ price tag, and I think those expectations are met.
Particulars: 70Cl, £89.95, 46.3% ABV, Not chill-filtered.
GLEN SCOTIA Victoriana Campbeltown
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
One of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, Glen
Scotia is also one of just three currently operating in Campbeltown.
The distillery, originally named Scotia, was built in
1832. In 1924, when the axe was falling across Campbeltown, Scotia was
purchased by Duncan MacCallum who had founded Glen Nevis. MacCallum committed
suicide in 1930 after owing his life savings in a scam (his ghost is said to
haunt the distillery) and it was bought by Bloch Bros (Glengyle, Scapa) which
added ‘Glen’ to the name.
Bloch sold the distillery
estate to Canadian giant Hiram Walker in 1954, but Campbeltown malt was not
part of its plans and 12 months later it was in the hands of blender A. Gillies
& Co. In time, Glen Scotia came
under the ownership of Gibson International in 1989.
In 1994, Gibson’s whisky interests were bought by Glen
Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd which promptly mothballed Glen Scotia once more.
It worked intermittently until 1999 when it returned to fully staffed
production. Although a 12-year-old was available, it was more widely available
through occasional bottlings by independent bottlers. In 2012, however, a new
range, with striking wrap-around packaging featuring Highland cows, was launched.
Its owner since 1994 is Loch Lomond Distillers and its Parent
Company since 2014 is the Loch Lomond Group.
It could be its years spent as a supplier of fillings
for blends, but there are elements of flexibility built into Glen Scotia. Three
types of malt are processed [unpeated, medium-peated and heavily-peated] in its
open-topped, cast iron mash tun giving wort which is fermented in (new)
stainless steel washbacks, but the fermentation time will vary between short
(giving nutty) and long (fruity). There is a single pair of stills. The
greatest level of investment today is going into wood.
Glen Scotia Victoriana won a gold medal in the prestigious 2020 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco. The competition is renowned for its high standards, and not only did Victoriana — and indeed several other of Glen Scotia’s whiskies — scoop a gold, but Glen Scotia 25-Year-Old was awarded the highly prestigious ‘Best Whisky in the World 2021’ title at the following year’s competition.
Inspired by Victorian times, Glen Scotia Victoriana is
matured in specially-selected casks and finished in heavily-charred oak and ex-sherry
casks to emulate the character of the early Campbeltown whiskies. The region
has a rich history of whisky production, at one point having 29 working
distilleries in the town itself, and Glen Scotia carries on this tradition by
producing the subtle maritime style for which the region is still renowned.
Glen Scotia Victoriana has been bottled at cask
strength and finished in heavily-charred oak casks. I prefer diluting my cask-strength whisky, even if great power delivers
great flavour and the Victoriana delivers this, both smell and taste, in bucket
loads, even if diluted to ~46%.
The colour of the whisky is burnt amber and it’s
robust, oily and textured, clinging to the glass. One can quite easily nose a
small pour of this whisky all evening and feel like the time has been spent
wisely, such is the thicket of flavour presented. What’s more, it’s
identifiable as Glen Scotia - those marine-like coastal notes and opulent
creamy creme brulee seams can be mined in all of the expressions from the
distillery. The Victoriana seems to take the Glen Scotia formula and crank it
up to eleventy - what is it about the combination of casks that makes this
particular whisky this potently enjoyable? We don’t know what makes Victoriana
so good, because no one is willing, or able, to tell us. We can but ruminate and
make “educated” guesses, which are possibly thinly-veiled regurgitations of
what the folk who made it “might” have told them. Other than those insider
secrets we, can only look upon that green bottle and thank the whisky gods for
giving us the chance to experience a Campbeltown flavour tour de force that
doesn’t cost the earth.
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Nose: A strong smoky saltiness wafts out of the glass as it warms up. It smells really richly inviting. Polished wood and the aroma of freshly sawed cedar combine to form a rather lovely vision of wooden rocking chairs inside ticking-clock home libraries. After a bit of time, a cola note appears but the biggest character is that of salted caramel, and what a delicious, mouth-watering prospect it is. Fresh fruit but with salted peanuts embedded in there too.
Palate: Waves of heated prickly spice followed by some
leather armchairs and almonds greet you. There’s wood in here and it’s not oak,
but cedar again. There’s a very alluring flavour that draws me in, but I can’t
seem to identify it - it tastes, for want of a better term, delicious. A mouth-coating oiliness and a richness of body that fills the whole palate force me
to sit and deconstruct it. Little zingy pops of citrus flash and linger long
after the dram is down. It’s a nicely balanced sweet-sour combo of misty-eyed
opulence. The salted caramel notes permeate the whole mouth and are exacerbated
with a drop or two of water - tamping down that heat and smoothing off the
splintered wooden edges to make it potently decadent. With a few drops of water, it’s a dram to sit with all evening!
Overall: It's gorgeous whisky. No matter what mood I find myself in, with a wee pour of Victoriana, the world and all its troubles fade away into a hushed reverence, and the whisky becomes the spectacle. To pick this apart is to enjoy whisky as an experience, not an accompanying beverage. But the question remains: is it worth the price being asked for it? Despite falling under £80 this whisky is still pricey, comparatively speaking. There are many age-stated whiskies out there to be had in this monetary region, and many deliver excellent experiences. As a whisky to taste and smell in isolation, blind and deaf to outside influences and price hikes, Victoriana is surely superb value then?
Well…is it worth £75? The Glen Scotia distillery has
been around for ages, literally. The whisky that makes up Victoriana is at
least 10 years old, but longer matured whisky is also used in the vatting,
making for a hugely flavourful whisky. Whisky should be all about the smell and
taste experience, tied closely to what it costs to obtain that experience. Now,
more than ever, the whisky enthusiast demographic is scrutinising every single
aspect of all whisky for what the intrinsic value is, for them. I did my
homework and saw clearly that Victoriana is historically an exceptional smell
and taste experience.
Particulars: 70Cl, 54.2% ABV, £74.95, Not
chill-filtered.
SPEYBURN Bradan Orach
Single Malt Scotch
This isn't actually new, but I'm adding it here because it is an unsung hero that deserves recognition. A distillery with few accolades, Speyburn is mostly known for its pretty picturesque buildings on the road out of the town of Rothes, where it neighbours several big names in scotch whisky, such as Glenrothes and Glen Grant. The distillery was built in 1897 and is now owned by Inver House Distillers. Despite several changes of hands, the distillery and its methods have largely remained unchanged except for the closing of its drum maltings in 1967 and the conversion to indirect steam in 1962. Speyburn’s character, like Glenlivet and anCnoc, is very light and floral but tends toward dryness. The distillery’s process water flows from the Granty Burn, a tributary of the River Spey. It uses Douglas Fir washbacks, and its sole pair of small pot stills have wide necks and direct vapour into copper worm tub condensers.
Gaelic for ‘Golden Salmon’, Bradan Orach is a classic,
easy-drinking Speyside malt whisky, matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks.
The bourbon wood gives the whisky a wonderful complexity and depth, without
making it overly challenging.
Like most Speyside scotches, this one is light and easy
at a relatively low alcohol level. Floral on the nose with a bittersweet
palate, it’s not too powerful in any one direction, but it’s diverse enough to sip
neat or throw a cube in. Not more, though.
There aren’t many details about the makeup of Bradan
Orach on Speyburn’s website. It’s matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks. It’s
a vatting of different ages (probably, considering the lack of an age
statement), likely most younger than 10 years old. And it’s truly cheap for a single malt at $15. The distillery’s 10-year-old is also light on the wallet,
at around $22.
Nose: Malty caramel and a distinct green apple note. A
tad yeasty. There is no denying the youth of this vatting from the aroma, but
the effect is not off-putting or overly harsh. Deeper in there is a hint of
vanilla. After a rest in the glass, the nose gets a little thin.
Palate: Thin body – almost watery. Moderate tongue burn.
Sour apple, unripe cherries, sugar cookie, and a slight tannic woodiness. The
flavours are skewed towards the sour in an “unripe” way. Alas, too dry to be
well-balanced.
Finish: Short. Sparse, but slightly sweet, like a touch
of honey in green tea. Not bitter, but there is a fading sense of grassiness.
With Water: A few drops of water release a ghost of
barley grains on the nose, and add ever so little sweetness on the tongue. But
then, you pay for it with a distinct
acetone note on the finish.
Overall: The nose is gentle and expressive for such an
undoubtedly young vatting. The body and finish don’t quite live up to the
promise. A bit more sweetness or roundness on the palate would warrant a higher
rating, although it would probably be more expensive if that were the case.
It’s pretty hard to pass judgement on a $15 whisky. It’s certainly not bad and
is almost (almost) as good as the relatively pricier Glenfiddich 12. If you
really want a bottom-dollar sipper that can serve double-duty in cocktails,
Bradan Orach isn’t going to disappoint.
Particulars: 70Cl, £18.95, 40% ABV, Chill-filtered.
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