A 31-year old blended malt from Signatory Vintage, matured in ex-sherry casks (for 26-years!) with only 1,148 bottles released. This is basically independent bottler Signatory's answer to the legendary Samaroli's / Masam's "No Age" blended malts - should be good!
Oh no, the dreaded "B word". Is there a dirtier word than "blended" in the wide world of whisky? Even here in 2025 when clarity is a simple google search away, there's a still a huge amount of confusion surrounding the definitions of whisky labelling. Even among the whisky drinking folk there is constant confusion about the meaning of "single" - social media is awash with people thinking that a single grain whisky can only be made from one type of grain, rather than meaning any non-malt whisky produced at a single distillery. While attending a whisky show recently I was told that a popular blended Scotch whisky contained "just single casks of distillery x" blended together, which would make it a single malt. Thankfully that was from one of the show's volunteers from a local whisky club, rather than a representative of the brand. The rise of the blended malt - a blend of malt whiskies from two or more different distilleries that was until 2018 known as a "pure malt" or "vatted malt" - over the last decade or so has only worsened this confusion, since most buyers don't know the difference and many will simple see the word "blended" and run in the opposite direction. The wording of the SWA's regulations don't really help either, reading more like a military manual than a buyer's guide. The simplest explanation is; malt whisky can only be made from malted barley and can only be distilled in pot stills, if a whisky doesn't meet these criteria then it can only be a grain whisky or a blended whisky. A single malt must meet those malt whisky criteria and be produced at one single distillery. A single grain whisky is any whisky made at one single distillery that is not a single malt or a blend. If a whisky is not made entirely at one distillery then it's a blend, if that blend is all malt whisky then it's a blended malt, and if there's both malt whisky and grain whisky in that blend then it's a blended Scotch. Things can get much murkier when we're talking about whisky from other countries. Ireland and the EU use regulations that are very similar to that of Scotch whisky, whereas Australia has extremely loose definitions which then aren't enforced. But let's not get into that today...
The "B word" gets a bad wrap partly because of marketing, and partly because the low-end blends can be nasty when purchased for the wrong purpose - by which I mean, purchased with the unrealistic expectation of that low-end blend equalling a more expensive product that is aimed at a different market. Just as there are single malts that are below average quality, there are blended whiskies that are below average quality. Yes, in blends that average is lower, but so is the pricing. Cheap blends are meant for mixing or to be used in highballs and cocktails, but there are high-end blends - and blended malts in particular - that can absolutely stand up to single malts, often with significant age statements and natural presentation (decent bottling strength, no colouring, and no chill filtration). The Samaroli/Masam "No Age" blended malts that I mentioned above are a brilliant example, since they contained single malts that would be unaffordable on their own. I've reviewed the 2020 cask strength bottling here if you'd like more details on that one. The subject of this review seems to be a similar idea from independent bottler & Edradour Distillery owners Signatory Vintage, except it has an age statement - a whopping 31-years of age, which is the age of the youngest component in the blend. Just like those Samaroli/Masam blends there's an extensive list here telling us which distilleries' whiskies were involved in this Signatory blend, and again there are some legendary names included. Obviously there could be tiny amounts of some or most components included - the SWA does prohibit producers listing proportions and ages of their blend recipes, after one of their corporate members complained about blender Compass Box including their exact recipes on their packaging. Still, a list of distilleries is better than nothing!
This is a 31-year old blended malt (all malt whiskies, no grain whisky) that was vatted together when the youngest component was 5-years of age, with the blend then matured in sherry butts for a further 26-years. The back label states that there are 104 different single malts in this blend, and it lists all of those 104 distilleries in alphabetical order. I'm not going to name them all, but there are plenty of standout names including closed distilleries like Banff, Caperdonich, Convalmore, Dallas Dhu, Glen Mhor, Imperial, Littlemill, Linlithgow (St. Magdalene), and the now-revived trifecta of Brora, Port Ellen, and Rosebank. The list also includes obscure long-lost distilleries like Coleburn, Dunglass (peated spirit from Littlemill!), Glen Albyn, Glenugie, Glenlochy, Killyloch (a lightly peated Lowland), Lochside, and Millburn, some of which were never bottled as a single malt in their own right. The 31-year age statement is the age of the youngest liquid in this blend as per the regulations, but many of those dead distilleries listed above closed in 1983, which means that those particular components were at least 40-years of age when this whisky was bottled in 2024. Looking even closer, some of the more obscure components would have to be even older, such as Dunglass which was only produced briefly in the late 1960s, and Killyloch in the Lowlands which stopped producing in the early 1970s. So both of those component malts would likely be more than 50-years old. Naturally there won't be large amounts of those malts in this blend, with a total release of 1,148 x 700ml bottles, or 803-litres, at a natural strength of 43.5% ABV. But it's still a very impressive and enticing list! This 31-year old blended malt seems to still be available in Britain, at around £280 - not cheap, but seems reasonable for the age and the rarity of some of the contents. Let's get to it!
Signatory Vintage Old School Malt, Blended Malt, 31-years old, 43.5% ABV. Scotland.
104 distilleries' malt whiskies vatted together at minimum 5-years of age, then matured in sherry butts for a further 26-years, bottled 2024. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 1,148 bottles.
Colour: Copper.
Nose: Fruity, savoury, spicy. Walnuts, red apple skins, aniseed, old leather. Dried apricot & nectarine, and bitter orange. Touch of baking spices - nutmeg, slight ginger. Dusty old library, oily furniture polish. Touches of melted butter, pie crust, and wood chips. Leaf litter (e.g. forest floor) around the edges.
Texture: Medium weight. Soft & savoury, fruity, spices. No heat.
Taste: Savoury & leathery. Lots of old leather, stewed stone fruit, baking spices, and walnuts. Touch of almond paste (not sweet like marzipan), aniseed, and toffee fudge in the background.
Finish: Short-medium length. More dried orchard fruit & stewed stone fruit, and more old leather. Cigar box (tobacco & wood), black pepper. Vanilla pod & butterscotch in the background. Raisins & a hint of rye bread (pumpernickel) to finish.
Score: 3.5 out of 5.
Notes: Nice old sherried malt. Certainly does seem quite "old school" like it says on the tin! This is an extremely different proposition to the Samaroli / Masam "No Age" blends though, they were entirely spirit driven while this Signatory has plenty of sherry cask influence - which is a given after 26-years of maturation in sherry casks! The sherry influence here is more savoury, more nutty, and more "old school" than the more modern, cleaner, brighter sherry influence that we might be more familiar with. If I was tasting this blind I'd have guessed it to be an older Glenfarclas family cask, maybe with a dash of Mortlach thrown in for good measure. Maybe we would have gotten more spirit character coming through without such a long period in sherry casks or with some time in refill casks, but it's a very complicated blend regardless - 104 different distilleries - so that doesn't really matter. Besides, Signatory Vintage do love a sherry-led whisky!
Cheers!
