OLD MALT CASK RELEASES

 Single Cask From Hunter Laing

Old Malt Cask Series

Created by Hunter Laing, Old Malt Cask is a range of exceptional single-cask releases from every region in Scotland. They pride themselves on bottling at exactly the right time to capture the unique characteristics of each cask. Each whisky is bottled at 50% ABV to maintain drinkability and every new expression is non-chill filtered.

HUNTER LAING & COMPANY

Hunter Laing & Co, an independent bottling company and Islay whisky distiller based in Glasgow was established in 2013 when the brothers Fred and Stewart of Douglas Laing & Co decided to split the company assets and operate their own independent bottling operations. While Fred Laing was joined by his daughter Cara, Stewart Laing’s two sons Andrew and Scott were recruited to the new firm.

As a young man, Stewart Laing learnt about the whisky business at Bruichladdich distillery under A&B Grant & Co. He then worked for Stevenson Taylor & Co, a wine and spirits company to gain an insight into the commercial side of the Scotch whisky industry.

He then joined the family company of Douglas Laing & Co, initially being involved in the bottling side of the operation, before accompanying his father Fred on sales trips to the firm’s key blended Scotch markets in Asia and South America. Following the death of Fred senior in 1982, Stewart and his brother Fred ran the business until 2013, moving away from the export blend market to concentrate on specialised single malt bottlings.

In 2016, Hunter Laing & Co. revealed plans to build its own single malt distillery on Islay to meet the rising demand for peated Scotch whisky. Ardnahoe distillery, situated on the island’s east coast, filled its first cask of whisky on 9 November 2018 and opened to the public the following April.

The company is headed by Stewart Laing and his sons Andrew and Scott, who had previously established their own bottling enterprise called Edition Spirits, which was absorbed into Hunter Laing along with new customers and markets in the Far East.

Hunter Laing’s portfolio of brands includes Old Malt Cask – rare and old malts bottled at 50% ABV, the Old & Rare selection – cask strength bottlings of older malts, House Of Peers and Sovereign Single Grain, as well as a bottling facility in East Kilbride. In 2014 a new range of younger single malts was launched under the Hepburn’s Choice banner, along with the blended malt Highland Journey.

THE OLD MALT CASKS

The Old Malt Cask range was first created by Douglas Laing back in 1998 as their flagship range of single cask bottlings and the core principles of the range have remained unchanged. All OMC bottlings are single cask releases and are bottled at 50% abv unless the natural cask strength has fallen below this mark. All whiskies are non-chill-filtered and bottled without the addition of caramel colouring.

There have been some remarkable whiskies bottled in this range over the years. Early glories such as the 1952 Glenlochy, 1960 Bunnahabhains and later bottlings of 1971 Clynelish and 1969 Port Ellen at great ages are all highly sought after and now very difficult to find.

There have been spectacular examples from numerous distilleries including 1971 Brora, 1967 Ardbeg - and a multitude of other terrific Ardbeg single casks from the 1970s - and Port Ellen has also featured strongly in the range over the years.

Today there are still forgotten gems appearing, bottlings such as 1970 Glen Ord and 1966 Banff which don’t show up very often but are very popular when they do. The Old Malt Cask range remains popular and continues to bottle excellent single cask malt whiskies at the very quaffable strength of 50%.

In 2018 Hunter Laing opened its first distillery, Ardnahoe, on Islay, alongside the release of fair-price sourced Islay single malt, Scarabus, which created a favourable impression at Feis Ile 2019.

Old Malt Cask has spent twenty years as one of the market leaders in the single cask category. I will look only at the affordable range of their releases, starting at £62.95 and stretching up to £42,500.  All these bottles are available at Hard To Find Whisky.

BLAIR ATHOL

The original distillery was named Aldour after the burn which supplied it with process water, but changed its name to Blair Athol [after a village seven miles to the north] in 1825, more likely to sweeten the Duke of Athol who owned the land.

A member of the ‘nutty-spicy’ camp which defined the old Bell’s distilleries, Blair Athol takes the first part of the descriptor to its boldest expression. Cloudy worts and a short fermentation time give the nutty base, but it is distillation which adds real weight to the distillate. A controlled level of solids coming across in the wash still add a rich, deep, malt-loaf character to the new make. It is this character which allows it to show so well in ex-Sherry, although for blending purposes the majority of the make is destined for ex-Bourbon.

THE OLD MALT CASK

Single Sherry Cask 2011 11-Year-Old Whisky £69.95                     

DISTILLERY	BLAIR ATHOL
Series	Single Sherry Cask
Vintage	2011
Year Bottled	2022
Age	11 Years
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Sherry
Cask Number	19614
Single Cask	Yes
Number Bottled	729
Packaging	Original Box
Bottler	Hunter Laing
Country of Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70 Cl
Neck Level	Full Level

Product Description: One of 729 bottles from a single Sherry Butt (HL19614). This 11-year-old single cask Blair Athol was distilled in June 2011 and bottled in August 2022 as part of Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Range.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Vanilla, Custard, Apricots, Honey
Taste: Caramel over Ginger sponge cake
Finish: Long with Toffee and Brown Sugar

FETTERCAIRN

This traditional distillery set in the foothills of the wild Cairngorm Mountains was once owned by the father of a British Prime Minister, John Gladstone.

Fettercairn has a traditional distillery set-up with an open-topped mash tun (producing cloudy wort), wooden washbacks and small stills. There are even soap grinders on the sides of the wash stills. These would have been used to add non-perfumed soap as a surfactant to stop the stills from boiling over.

Everything points to a firm, quite heavy, nutty style. This was accentuated between 1995 and 2009 when the condensers were made of stainless steel. This added a slightly burnt, pot ale character to the new make. However, a quirky cooling ring attached to the top of the swan neck, which sprays cold water down the sides of the still, aids reflux and helps the spirit lean toward a lighter style.

THE OLD MALT CASK

Single Cask #19420 - 2008 13-Year-Old Whisky £84.95

DISTILLERY	FETTERCAIRN
Series	Single Oak Cask
Vintage	2008
Year Bottled	2022
Age	13 year old
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Bourbon
Cask Number	19420
Single Cask	Yes
Number Bottled	122
Packaging	Cardboard Tube
Bottler	Hunter Laing
Country of Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP16334

Product Description: This Single Malt from Fettercairn is one of 122 bottles, charged from a single bourbon cask. Distilled in April 2008 and bottled in April 2022, for a total ageing period of 13 years.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Orange, lemon zest and malted barley
Palate: Sweet, fruity, malty and rich
Finish: Long, lively and spicy

GLEN GARIOCH

This is an old distillery which for many years was self-sufficient in malt. In fact, the maltings, sadly now disused, dwarf the production facility. That malted barley would have been dried with peat from Pitsligo, giving Glen Garioch its distinctive reek.

Although the layout inside Glen Garioch is typical of a centuries-old site, with small rooms being added on and converted into use as production increased, it contains a relatively modern kit. The mash tun, squeezed inside a tiny chamber, has a lauter system; the washbacks, in another tight room nearby, are stainless steel. The stillhouse with a panoramic window facing the road has three stills, but only one pair is used.

Ferments are short, giving a deep cereal and spice note to the new spirit which also has a distinctive waxy, tallow-like, character. When mature, the heaviness changes into a thick, fat texture, allowing honeyed fruits and heather to emerge.

THE OLD MALT CASK

Single Cask 2008 13-Year-Old Whisky £69.95

DISTILLERY	GLEN GARIOCH
Series	Single Cask
Vintage	2008
Year Bottled	2022
Age	13 year old
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Hogshead
Cask Number	19524
Single Cask	Yes
Number Bottled	287
Packaging	Original Box
Bottler	Hunter Laing
Country Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP16827

Product Description

Distilled at Glen Garioch in 2008, this Single Malt is one of 287 bottles charged from a single refill hogshead cask.
Nose: Butterscotch yoghurt, vanilla pastry and waxy toffee apple.
Palate: Tart fruit jam, lemon oil and green apples.
Finish: Long, satisfying and pleasantly sour.

CRAIGELLACHIE

Sulphur notes in new make is an emotive subject in recent years, but it is one which is also misunderstood. People do not know 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.

Most of the 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. Craigellachie revels in its sulphurous nature.

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 and Old Smuggler 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.

THE OLD MALT CASK

Single Sherry Cask 2007 15-Year-Old Whisky £89.95

  

Description	Single Sherry Class
Vintage	2007
Year Bottled	2022
Age	15 year old
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Sherry
Cask Number	19528
Single Cask	Yes
Number Bottled	753
Packaging	Cardboard Tube
Bottler	Hunter Laing
Country Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP16832

Product Description

One of 310 bottles charged from a single sherry butt (#19528), this 15-year-old Single Malt from Craigellachie was distilled in April 2007 and bottled July 2022.

Nose: Apples, toffee and garden flowers.
Palate: Fruit chews, salted caramel and red berries.
Finish: A long finish with lingering spice.

SPEYBURN

Tradition and innovation are regular bedfellows in the world of single malt and the products from Speyburn are a classic example. Speyburn’s parent, Inver House Distillers, is a believer in the old way of making whisky and has kept the distillery pretty much the same as when it was first designed by Charles Doig. 

Speyburn's stillhouse is the same (albeit now with steam-driven stills) and the worm tubs have been retained. Like most worm sites this method of condensing produces a deliberately sulphury new make like Knockdhu, Dalwhinnie and Glenkinchie, which changes in the cask to reveal the singular delicate, fragrant character which lies underneath.

Located in a tight little glen opposite Glen Grant, Speyburn started operation in 1897 and was one of a number of distilleries with the classic Doig’s pagoda, the defining feature of any plant, originally built to help ventilate the distillery’s kiln. It would have worked hard as Doig also installed the first ‘pneumatic’ (drum) maltings in the Highlands on site, allowing Speyburn’s production not to be tied to the size of its malting floors. These stayed in use at Speyburn until 1968.

In recent years, Speyburn has been marketed as a value-for-money malt in the US. While this has resulted in large volumes in terms of sales, the price pot hasn’t helped the whisky’s reputation. Strangely for a top-10 malt brand, it is still unknown to most of the world and probably under-appreciated where it’s a best-seller.

THE OLD MALT CASK

Single Sherry Cask 2007 15-year-old Whisky £99.95

DISTILLERY	SPEYBURN
Description	Single Sherry Cask
Vintage	2007
Year Bottled	2022
Age	15 year old
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Sherry
Cask Number	19721
Single Cask	Yes
Number Bottled	669
Packaging	Cardboard Tube
Bottler	Hunter Laing
Country of Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP17202

Product Description

One of 669 bottles that were charged from a single sherry butt, this single malt from Speyburn was allowed to mature for 15 years.

Nose: Toffee, strawberries and malt.
Palate: Sweet chocolate orange with toasted almond.
Finish: Long, morish and dessert-like.

BENRIACH

In a similar vein to its immediate neighbours Glen Elgin & Longmorn, fruit is at the heart of the Benriach character, here manifesting itself as pears and peaches with an added aromatic top note.

Vibrant when young, it matures well – especially in refill casks where fruits take on a more tropical edge and extra spiciness steadily develops.

Benriach once 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.

The Pattison crash of 1899, coupled with a downturn in the domestic market, took Benriach down, only running for two years before languishing in silence for the next 65, during which its large malting facility was used to supply Longmorn’s requirements.

The upturn in whisky’s fortunes in the 1960s saw Benriach run from 1965 onwards. A single malt was bottled in 1995 but volumes were limited and its reputation was not particularly high. As a result, most malt whisky drinkers dismissed it.

Once bought by Billy Walker, a selective series of bottlings, mixing old (from Seagram days), very young (from their ownership) and peated (from both) proved an eye-opener to malt drinkers. It has rapidly become a strong performer in the global market. Today it is back in full production and in 2013 the floor maltings reopened.

The BenRiach Distilling Co. now owns Benriach itself, Glendronach and Glenglassaugh, under Brown-Forman’s stewardship. 

THE OLD MALT CASK

Single Cask Matured 2001 20-year-old Whisky £169.95

DISTILLERY	BENRIACH
Description	Single Cask Matured
Vintage	2001
Year Bottled	2022
Age	20 year old
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Hogshead
Cask Number	19523
Single Cask	Yes
Number Bottled	297
Packaging	Cardboard Tube
Bottler	Hunter Laing
Country of Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP16831

Product Description

One of 297 bottles charged from a single hogshead cask (#19523), this Single Malt from BenRiach was distilled in October 2001 and bottled July 2022.

Nose: Caramel and fragrant orchard fruits.
Palate: Oranges, apples and grapefruit, overlaid with malted barley.
Finish: Fruity with a touch of drying oak.