Old Master Spirits XXO Armagnac Review!

No, that's not two kisses and a hug. Sorry to disappoint you! XXO stands for "Extra Extra Old", referring to a brandy that is at least 14-years old, but without giving a vintage or age statement. Read on!

We're entering the murky world of brandy/armagnac/cognac age "classifications"! There are eight different terms used in the cognac & armagnac industries including a couple of unofficial terms, but the three that are most commonly seen are VS, VSOP, and XO. Rather than actual age statements, these relatively loose terms range from the 2-year minimum age VS "Very Special", to the 4-year minimum VSOP "Very Superior Old Pale", through to the 10-year minimum age XO "Extra Old". Prior to 2018 that was the highest official classification, meaning if you wanted to release a 50-year old cognac or armagnac with one of these classifications on it, then XO was as far as you could go. XO is still considered to be the "cream of the crop" among many brandy drinkers. As with an age statement on a Scotch whisky the age classification of a cognac or armagnac can only refer to the youngest component contained in the spirit. As we've talked about before, an age statement on a cognac or armagnac can legally include time in glass vessels as well as time in cask - so a 4-year old brandy may have spent one year in oak and then three years in an inert glass demijohn. However, one advantage to these age classifications is that they can only include time spent in oak, and not time in glass. So an 8-year old cognac or armagnac that then spent another two years "ageing" in glass cannot be given an XO classification, because it only spent 8-years in oak casks rather than the minimum of 10-years. In 2018 the brandy industry increased the minimum age of the XO classification from 6-years to 10-years, and they added the XXO "Extra Extra Old" classification for spirits that are a minimum of 14-years old.

What we're looking at today is an XXO armagnac from Melbourne's Old Master Spirits, who have previously brought us the likes of vintage-stated 51-year old single cask cognacs and two 39-year old single cask armagnacs - reviewed here and here, along with more general armagnac information. Most of the "luxury product" big brand cognacs and armagnacs are blended products with spirits taken from many different producers, and are chill filtered, artificially coloured, and artificially flavoured with wood flavouring ("boise") and/or added sugar. I've delved into this sordid state of affairs in more detail here, so let's just say that the cognac industry's marketing departments have a lot to answer for... Thankfully Old Master Spirits are proper spirits enthusiasts, so they steer clear of those shenanigans. This latest "XXO" release is a single cask & single estate armagnac, which is cask strength, unblended, unfiltered, and unadulterated - no added caramel, or sugar, or wood flavouring. Just how any brandy purist would want it! This being Old Master's tenth release though, they decided to forego the vintage and age statements, instead giving us only the same age information as many of the gigantic corporate "luxury" brands do; simply the XXO classification, reflecting a minimum age of 14-years. I have it on good authority that this single cask armagnac is considerably older than that, but they're playing their cards close to their chest on this one. Just to mess with the "VSOP" and "XO" crowd even further, and as we'd expect from Old Master Spirits, there's no luxury price tag attached to this bottling. Retail pricing is just $159 AUD! 

This latest armagnac release hails from the Bas Armagnac region, specifically from Chateau Garreau, the 17th century estate pictured above which is located an hour's drive south-east of Bordeaux in southern France. Mr. Charles Garreau purchased the Gayrosse estate in 1919, changing the name to Chateau Garreau and installing a new armagnac still - which is still in use today! His grandson is now the current Master Distiller, over a hundred years later. This Old Master Spirits XXO Bas armagnac was aged entirely in a French oak cask from Gascony, matured entirely in the Chateau's unique 19th century dirt-walled underground cellar. Like most older brandies this 100% Baco grape armagnac was initially filled into a new virgin French oak cask before being transferred into a larger, older refill cask for long-term maturation. The cask yielded only 170 x 500ml bottles at a cask strength of 44.8% ABV. This tenth release from Old Master Spirits will be released to their subscribers on Wednesday the 29th of March, with the general release at 7pm (AEDT) on Thursday the 30th. Deni from Old Master Spirits was generous enough to send through a sample, obligation free, but it'd be rude not to share the XXO (no, they're still not kisses & hugs, sorry) love, wouldn't it? 

Colour: Amber. 

Nose: Rich, fruity & sweet. Stewed dates, molasses, leather, currants, orange peel. Touch of solvent (varnish & acetone) around the edges but fleeting. Thick & dark toffee sauce, oily builder's putty, touch of rum & raisin ice cream, dark chocolate, and warm wood spices. 

Texture: Medium weight. Warm, soft, velvety & fruity. No heat whatsoever. 

Taste: Sweet, warm & rich. Molasses, rum & raisin ice cream, oily varnish, baking spices. Dark chocolate mousse, currants, orange peel, tinned peaches in syrup. Stewed dates again. 

Finish: Medium length. Wood spices, warm toffee sauce, more dark chocolate mousse. Soft old leather, tinned peaches, currants, and oily varnish. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Lovely stuff. Another delicious brandy from Old Master! This one alternates between an old leather & wooden armchair and a slice of x-mas pudding with toffee sauce, and dark chocolate mousse with sweet stone fruit. And it's extremely easy-drinking, without sacrificing weight or texture. The amount of wood influence is spot-on for my brandy tastes, this cask has clearly been well cared-for and well-managed. Like the good NAS whiskies out there, I have no complaints about not knowing the exact vintage or age here. The liquid is what really matters, and this is another great "malternative", especially at $159 AUD. As mentioned, there are only 170 x 500ml bottles, and it's releasing on the 29th of March for subscribers with the general release on the 30th. All of Old Master's releases have sold out very quickly, and I'm guessing this one will be no different. So don't snooze on this one brandy fans!

Thanks as always to Old Master Spirits for the sample for this review, and a big congratulations on their tenth release. Here's to the next ten, and beyond!

Cheers!

Springbank Local Barley 10 Year Old (2021-2022) Whisky Review, plus a bonus!

Yes, more unobtainable Springbank. Two, in fact, both bottled in 2021. So I apologise in advance! Also, don't skip the bonus round on this one folks. 

The previous release of Springbank Local Barley was controversial. Mainly because of the ridiculous pricing brought on by secondary market stupidity, which was due to a) it being the first 100% sherry cask matured Local Barley release, and b) the colour, and c) timing (covid madness). But beyond that it was controversial because it was dominated by the sherry casks, which almost defeated the purpose of making a local barley whisky in the first place. I say "almost" because it was still a great whisky, but the character of the barley itself wasn't there. Unfortunately many local importers and retailers were watching those secondary prices and took advantage when their own allocations landed. But I'm not going to make this review another rant about price gouging importers & retailers, because I've already covered that in the review of said 10-year old sherry cask. Thankfully this more recent release, bottled in December 2021 and arriving in most markets in 2022, was slightly better-priced here in Australia. The RRP on this latest 10-year old was $299 AUD, which is still a ridiculous price compared to what was generally paid overseas, and yes, many retailers still decided to take advantage on top of that. Allocations were tiny again when the shipment landed in early 2023, and it was gone in the blink of an eye. Some fair & reasonable Australian retailers decided to use a ballot system this time around, which if you ask me both the importer and the resellers should be doing every time the Springbank stock comes in. But enough of all that, the distillery is doing all they can - apparently even sending warning letters to the less-scrupulous retailers - and they cannot be blamed for any of this. Their main concern is to continue making excellent whisky, just as it should be. So let's move on. 

This late-2021 bottling of Springbank Local Barley is actually the fourth 10-year old in the series so far, all distilled from barley grown on the Kintyre Peninsula within a few miles of Campbeltown, which is then floor-malted and lightly-peated at the distillery. Each of these 10-year old releases have consisted of a different mix of casks; the 2017 57.3% ABV bottling (reviewed here) was 70% ex-bourbon and 30% ex-sherry casks, then the 2019 56.2% ABV bottling (reviewed here) was 77% ex-bourbon, 20% ex-sherry and 3% ex-port casks, and the aforementioned 2020-2021 55.6% ABV bottling (reviewed here) was 100% ex-Oloroso sherry casks. This time around though, like the latest 12-year old Cask Strength that I reviewed recently, the 2021-2022 release was fully-matured in ex-bourbon casks. I've always preferred my Springbank to be ex-bourbon cask, or at least majority ex-bourbon cask, so I have absolutely zero complaints there, and nor should any real fans of the distillery. Hazelburn & Longrow too, for that matter. Ex-bourbon casks, particularly with both first-fill and refill casks involved, give the spirit character the best chance to show us what it can do. Never mind the damn colour, people!

This 2021 bottling / 2022 release is the largest batch of Local Barley that Springbank has ever released, consisting of 15,000 bottles, where the rest of the contemporary releases have numbered in the 8,500-9,000 range. It also has the lowest ABV to date at 51.6%, excluding a couple of the mythical 1960s vintage bottlings which were released around the turn of the century. I can't find any official word on whether or not this ABV was the natural cask strength, and given the higher number of bottles this time around it would make sense if they'd reduced it slightly. It's safe to say that there'd be no notable loss of flavour if that was the case, and if it makes the whisky more available then I'm all for it (just don't go all the way down to 46%, please). Then again it's close enough to still be natural cask strength, the 11-year old release was only 53.1%, which funnily enough was also from 100% ex-bourbon casks. So who knows. More importantly, as with everything Springbank and J&A Mitchell release it's natural colour and non-chill filtered. Even more importantly, let's find out what it smells & tastes like! The sample for this review was donated by a generous friend over in New Zealand. 

Springbank Local Barley 10-year old (2021-2022), 51.6%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Distilled 05/2011 from Belgravia barley grown on Kintyre Peninsula, matured in 100% ex-bourbon casks (both first-fill and refill), bottled 12/2021. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 15,000 bottles. 
 

Colour: Mid-gold. 

Nose: Malty, acidic (sour) & sweet, in that order. Dusty, dry, gristy (floury) malted barley. Pickled onions, and apple cider vinegar. Sweet liquorice, and runny honey. Sea salt too. Touch of clean sewing machine oil, and gentle, powdered, earthy peat. 

Texture: Medium weight. Malty, honeyed, much less acidic here. No heat.

Taste: More golden malted barley, less gristy / floury here. Thick rich honey, with olive brine behind. Hint of sourdough bread behind that. Touches of the pickled onion & apple cider vinegar but they're in the background now. Vanilla cream & sweetened lemon juice too. 

Finish: Medium length. Hefty pinch of sea salt, touch of icing sugar. That earthy peat comes through more strongly here, with a touch of hay barns & dirt floors. Sweetened lemon again, and peppercorns. Malty & earthy to the end. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Cleaner & less complex than some of the earlier releases, a little lighter too. But no less tasty. The casks have been very well-mannered, there's no bucketfuls of over-sweetened vanilla custard or sweet coconut here, and the malty & citric spirit character is front & centre. What isn't front & centre though is the "funky", "foosty", musty dunnage notes that we Springbank fans adore. In fact it's hardly here at all, save for that slight hint in the finish, and it's not as mineral as I expected either. The salty & earthy notes are still there though, alongside the gristy / malty and citric notes. The things that we all look for in an ex-bourbon dram from Campbeltown, with an extra dose of sourness / acidity. 

So, like I said in the latest 12-year old Cask Strength review, if you managed to get one of these at the RRP wherever you are, then you did well. But if you didn't, my advice is to let it go. Don't give the flippers what they want. The only way this'll slow down is if we ignore the F.O.M.O. and let things go, leaving them staring at their "investment portfolio" while it gathers dust. And yes, once again I'm also talking to myself. I didn't get one either!

Now for the bonus round, another 100% ex-bourbon Springbank. But it's a little different from the 10-year old Local Barley. This is an independent bottling from North Star, and it's a 21-year old single cask. One refill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled for the Facebook group "It's All About Springbank". This one was distilled in March 2000 and bottled in May 2021 at a cask strength of 45.2% ABV. Obviously this is far more unobtainable than the already-unobtainable official bottling we've just reviewed, with only 238 bottles released and only sold by ballot to members of said Facebook group, direct from the bottlers. Obviously it was also significantly more expensive at around £400, not including international shipping, duties or excise. So probably around $1,000 AUD landed on these shores, or just under. But that's relatively reasonable compared to what they could've charged for it here in 2023, and I don't want to know what these go for now on the secondary market. The owner of this bottle was generous enough to give me a sample for the purposes of review, and it'd be silly not to do so!

North Star Springbank 21-year old Single Cask, 45.2%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Distilled 03/2000, fully matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled 05/2021 at cask strength. Exclusive to Facebook group "It's All About Springbank". Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 238 bottles. 

Colour: Gold. 

Nose: My god. It's brilliant. Mineral, malty, fatty, and lightly honeyed. Creamy milk chocolate, aniseed, pork fat, camphor, sour cream. Well-integrated soft earthy peat, lemon butter, slightly waxy & greasy, floral too. Cold fireplace (soot), salted lemons, vanilla pound cake, black pepper. The complexity & changeability on the nose is incredible, taking my time with this one! 

Texture: Medium weight. Buttery, fatty, waxy, citric. No heat whatsoever. 

Taste: Rich with melted butter, lemon cake icing / frosting, sea salt, and creamy milk chocolate. Sour cream, touch of bitter orange. Licking a cold fireplace (soot) - or should that be, licking the mesh floors in Springbank's kiln? No, I'm getting carried away there. Pork fat / drippings, vanilla pound cake, greasy/oily saw coolant. Red apple skins, and aniseed powder. 

Finish: Medium length. More lemon butter, vanilla pound cake, damp malted barley, then bitter lemon peel, very soft earthy peat & soot, red apple skins, and table salt. Touch of pickled onions, preserved bitter lemons, and sour cream again. I don't want it to finish!

Score: 5 out of 5. 

Notes: Mother of god. I'm refraining from using colourful language here, but this whisky is a stunner. The nose alone is incredible, I'd happily nose it for hours (days, even) without ever taking a sip. Like I said, incredible complexity & changeability on the nose alone, every minute change in time, temperature & position brought out new notes. But the palate is also fantastic, in fact this whisky never drops the ball. From what I've tasted to date, I'd say this is my ultimate ex-bourbon cask Springbank. Apologies to the 14-year old Bourbon Wood which held that title previously, but it's not even close. I really did not want this one to end. Not at all. If I'm really picking nits, I suppose I'd like a little more length & weight on the finish. But only if that change didn't dampen a single other aspect, otherwise I'll leave it as-is without complaint, thank you very much. This is one of my all-time greats.

Every now and then we whisky geeks come across a dram that makes our eyes widen, one that makes us laugh out loud and involuntarily shake our heads like idiots. Or at least I do! And this is one of those drams. Of course it would have to be an ex-bourbon cask Springbank. A hall of famer, and a mind-melter.  

Thanks to the generous owner for this sample. What an absolute stunner. 

Cheers!

Lindores Abbey Casks of Lindores Whisky Review!

Lowlander Lindores Abbey Distillery's whisky has been around for nearly two years now, but I haven't actually gotten around to trying any. Until now! 

Lindores Abbey is one of the "new breed" of Lowland single malts. Easily the fastest-growing of the five official Scotch whisky regions, the Lowlands is a large one geographically, and it actually produces more whisky than Speyside. That's down to the gigantic grain whisky plants in and around the central belt of course, including the largest distillery in Scotland, Diageo's Cameronbridge site which pumps out over 136,000,000 litres of grain spirit per year. But when it comes to malt whisky, just twenty years ago the Lowlands was home to only three active distilleries; Beam Suntory's Auchentoshan, Diageo's Glenkinchie, and the then-recently revived Bladnoch. The Lowlands region had seen a number of closures during the industry's most recent low point of the early 1980s-early 1990s, including famous names like Rosebank and St. Magdalene and less famous grain distilleries like Carsebridge and Cambus. Bladnoch had also sat silent for seven years, until it reopened under new owners in 2000. Things are a little different now though, with close to 15 active malt whisky distilleries in the Lowlands, with at least another ten currently in development. That latter figure includes the revival of Rosebank nearly twenty years after it closed, although it's really a completely new distillery built on the original site. Most of the new crop of Lowland distilleries are located in the central belt, being close to Glasgow and Edinburgh, but there's also a smaller revival in Fife, the peninsula that sits between Edinburgh and Dundee. The region is more widely known for golf than it is for whisky, but that's changing now. Tiny farm distillery Daftmill was one of the first of these new Fife distilleries, opening back in 2003, and is still the most famous of the bunch. Unfortunately that fame is mainly due to their whisky being extremely scarce, even five years after their first release.

In the north of Fife you'll find the small town of Newburgh, and on the edge of that town you'll find the ruins of Lindores Abbey church, which was built in the early-12th century and operated until the late-16th century when it was sacked and closed down by John Knox and his brutal Reformation movement which essentially changed Scotland from a Catholic nation to a Protestant one. More relevant to us though is the fact that Lindores Abbey is closely tied to the history of Scotch whisky. The earliest written record of whisky production in Scotland dates back to 1494, when King James IV granted "eight bolls of malt" (equivalent to half a tonne) to one Friar John Cor of Lindores Abbey, to "make aqua vitae". Aqua vitae is Latin for "water of life", or "uisge beatha" (pronounced "oos-ga-bay") in Gaelic, which was then shortened to uisge ("oos-ga"), which was then anglicised to whisky. Further adding to the history of whisky in the area, during archaeological work in 2018 remnants of a distillation vat were found at the site, along with traces of barley, oats, wheat, and charcoal. The legendary whisky writer Michael Jackson visited the site circa 2001, going on to write about the abbey and it's history in his book "Scotland and it's Whiskies". Prior to this the site owners had been unaware of the abbey's link to Scotch whisky history, and Jackson's book was the spark which eventually, 16-years later, would inspire the owners to build a distillery of their own.

On the farmland across the road from the historic ruins you'll find Lindores Abbey Distillery. Founded in 2016 with distillation first taking place in late 2017, this is a small, privately-owned distillery with a capacity of approximately 260,000 litres per annum. Lindores was yet another distillery that was heavily influenced by the late Dr. Jim Swan, employing his go-to recipe of clear wort, long fermentation (just under 120 hours in this case) in wooden washbacks, and slow distillation in small stills with boil balls and downwards-angled lyne arms, plus the use of STR and/or first-fill casks. The idea behind all of this is to give a light, fruity spirit that will mature relatively quickly and will lend itself well to a range of different casks, preferably without sacrificing distillery / spirit character - which is helped by bottling at 46% and above, and without added colouring or chill filtration. Unfortunately Dr. Swan passed away before distillation began at Lindores, so the actual distillation regimen is all down to the distillery staff - which interestingly uses one larger wash still and two smaller spirit stills. So I'm guessing we'll also see a triple distilled release in future. 

Speaking of different cask types, I suppose we should talk about the whisky! Lindores single malt first hit the shelves in July 2021. Rather than some limited release collectable in fancy packaging - although the bottle design is certainly unique, as you can see below - this bottling would become the core range Lindores product, with the first commemorative batch consisting of 12,000 bottles released at 46% ABV. It was a mix of three cask types: ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry, and ex-STR red wine casks. Today though, the three whiskies that we're looking at are the next step from Lindores, titled "The Casks of Lindores". As you can probably guess, they've separated the three cask types that go into the core range single malt to show how the spirit works in the individual casks. So we have an ex-bourbon barrel matured, an ex-STR red wine barrique matured, and an ex-Oloroso sherry butt matured, all presented at a slightly higher bottling strength of 49.4% ABV. These are obviously young whiskies, so we should get a good idea of the distillery character with each - the (natural) colour on that sherry cask matured is hard to ignore though, despite being a young whisky matured in big 500-litre casks. Obviously very fresh casks, so that'll be an interesting one in comparison to the others - a bit of a sherry bomb, perhaps? Pricing on all of the Lindores single malts is very reasonable on these shores, at $110 AUD for the core range bottling and $125 AUD for each of these "Casks of Lindores" releases. The samples for this review were kindly sent to me, without any obligation to review, by Scott Farrow of Wonderland Drinks, the Australian importer for Lindores, among other brands such as Bimber and North Star. Let's see how they go! 

Lindores Abbey "Casks of Lindores" Ex-Bourbon, NAS, 49.4%. Lowlands, Scotland.

Fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels, non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Pale gold. 

Nose: Light, fresh & malty. A little nippy, i.e. hot chilli flakes. Beyond that is warm barley porridge, fresh sweet stone fruit - white peach especially - with vanilla custard in the background. Touch of toasted oak, baked red apple, and cinnamon. 

Texture: Light weight. Malty, fresh, lightly creamy. No heat here, that nose prickle doesn't carry through on the palate. 

Taste: Creamy vanilla custard, more barley porridge & sweet stone fruit. Baked red apple, white peach, touch of sweet green grape. Black pepper, nutmeg, toasted oak again. A little tangy & creamy lemon around the edges. Lemon cheesecake. 

Finish: Short length. Dusty barley porridge. Malty, fruity & spicy. That black pepper and toasted oak coming back with vanilla custard and that creamy, citric tang in the background. 

Score: 3 out of 5. 

Notes: Young & fresh, as expected, but there's nothing wrong with that at all - this is a very tasty young Lowlander! The spirit itself is clearly very good, and the bourbon casks have done a great job in the time that they had. Interesting that the nose prickle didn't carry through to the palate, which is a good thing, and I'd assume it's because of the creaminess of the spirit. This is certainly very promising for the distillery's future, although there's no reason not to enjoy it now! A great example of the youthful, malty "new" Lowland style. 

Lindores Abbey "Casks of Lindores" Ex-STR, NAS, 49.4%. Lowlands, Scotland.

Fully matured in STR (shaved, toasted & re-charred) red wine barriques, non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Brass. 

Nose: Fruity, fresh & spicy. A little prickly again. Fresh red apple, orange, and apricot. Touch of red grape, and toffee. Spicy toasted oak. Creamy sweet cheesecake with fruit syrup. 

Texture: Light-medium weight. Malty, creamy, spicy. No heat at all, once again the nose prickle doesn't carry through. 

Taste: Spicy, creamy & fruity. Fresh sweet orange, vanilla cream. Apricot syrup over creamy cheesecake (continental, not baked), with the sweet biscuit base. Black pepper & grassy malt, touch of grape skins (tannins) as well. 

Finish: Short length. More sweet orange, vanilla cream, apricot syrup, sweet continental cheesecake. Spicy toasted oak, and mild wine tannins again (red grape skins). 

Score: 3 out of 5. 

Notes: Richer & spicier (as in spices, not alcohol heat / prickle) than the ex-bourbon cask, as you'd expect. Those creamy continental cheesecake notes are interesting, and they work well against the fruitiness and mild tannins. There's obviously more weight and more cask here than in the ex-bourbon, that's what STR casks do of course, but the creamy & malty notes from the spirit still show through nicely.

Lindores Abbey "Casks of Lindores" Ex-Oloroso Sherry, NAS, 49.4%. Lowlands, Scotland.

Fully matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts (500-litre casks), non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Red bronze. 

Nose: Rich & sweet, a little metallic too. Copper coins, dried orange, sweet & thick blackcurrant cordial (Ribena). No nose prickle to this one. The malty warmth comes through with more time. 

Texture: Medium weight. Sweet, metallic, fruity. No heat at all. 

Taste: Toasted oak, wood spices, dried orange, prune juice, and blackcurrant cordial (Ribena) again. Touches of creamy vanilla underneath, with a slight hint of sweet maltiness. A little nutty as well, walnut, and a touch of marzipan. 

Finish: Short-medium length. More Ribena, dried orange, and marzipan. Flashes of grassy malt in the background, and peach yoghurt in the final moments. 

Score: 2.5 out of 5. 

Notes: A young sherry bomb, and the simplest of the three different expressions. Thanks to that hefty cask influence no doubt. There are still flashes of the creamy & malty notes from the spirit though, so it hasn't been a landslide victory for the sherry casks. This is the softest of the three on the nose, and the sweetest on the palate. I do prefer the extra spirit character in the other two, but I can see sherry-heads liking this one more. 

Overall Notes: Three very different styles of course, there's something for everyone here. I can see sweet-tooths preferring the sherry cask, my personal pick is the ex-bourbon cask, and the ex-STR holds the middle ground between them. The distillery character does show through nicely in the ex-bourbon and ex-STR, and it's not completely overwhelmed in the ex-sherry either. These are young & fresh whiskies of course, very reasonably priced and well worth trying. I'd say the future of Lindores Distillery is going to be bright. The same goes for the rest of the new Fife distilleries, based on what I've tried so far, and for the Lowlands region in general. It's about time!

Cheers!

Glengoyne 18 Year Old & Glengoyne Legacy Whisky Reviews!

My first look at Glengoyne's 18-year old and also one of their more recent additions, the second edition of the NAS 'Legacy' - which is the cheapest way (and one of the only ways) to get Glengoyne at a decent ABV. 

Here in Australia, Glengoyne single malt is essentially exclusive to our largest retailer. For quite some time they have been importing the brand directly from the manufacturer, along with owner Ian McLeod's other brands like Tamdhu and Smokehead. This does not mean it's cheaper (particularly not the 21yo and above) than it would be otherwise, it just means that the owner of said retailer is making more profit than they would otherwise since there's no third party involved. That owner used to be one of our two major supermarket chains, but their liquor & hotel division separated from the supermarket a couple of years ago. This is the largest liquor & hospitality company in the country, with literally thousands of bottle shops / liquor stores, over 350 pubs & hotels (including gambling machines of course), half a dozen wineries, and even a wine auction house. They have enough buying power, even in our small whisky market, to import brands of whisky & whiskey directly from the distilleries or their owners, cutting out the competition and netting higher profit margins. That higher profit margin does have one advantage for the customer though; it means that they're more aggressive with their promotional / clearance pricing, with regular discounts of $20-40 off various Glengoyne expressions in said retailer's "member's offers" - which of course is just a glorified mailing list and "loyalty" program. I shouldn't complain here, because I'm on that mailing list, and I've recently taken advantage of one of these "member's offers". Thanks to a heads-up on social media I picked up a sample pack containing 3 x 200ml bottles of Glengoyne - 12-year old, 18-year old and NAS 'Legacy' - for $57 AUD, which is a serious bargain on these shores for 600ml of single malt, regardless of age. This purchase did make me feel a little dirty, since I try to support our smaller independent retailers wherever possible, and I can count my whisky purchases from this retailer on one hand, but this was impossible to resist. That discounted price would be below cost price for any independent retailer in this country, if they were able to get their hands on it at all, which they can't because it's exclusive to the giant corporation that is well & truly dominating the industry. Moving right along...

I've only reviewed Glengoyne's entry level 10-year old previously, where I've covered most of the distillery details (click here), so I won't repeat them all again. The main points are: no peat or smoke whatsoever, the southernmost mainland distillery in the Highland region, and slow distillation. One major claim to fame in the past was their use of Golden Promise barley, the same variety that played a large part in building Macallan's historical reputation. I've had the privilege of trying an absolutely brilliant Glengoyne distilled in the 1970s when they still used it exclusively, but Golden Promise is no longer used at Glengoyne in any proportion, and not at Macallan either. Another historical claim to fame was Glengoyne's exclusive use of sherry casks in official bottlings, but much like Macallan and also Highland Park that's no longer the case. It may not surprise you to learn that those three distilleries were owned by the Edrington group right up until 2003, when Glengoyne was sold to current owners Ian McLeod Distillers. As for the current range, Glengoyne 10-year old is an OK whisky as a basic entry level single malt, but being bottled at 40% ABV, matured in tired refill sherry casks, and being chill filtered means it's unlikely to blow anyone's mind. The 12-year old is the next step in their very busy line-up, with a small step up to 43%. Then you have a 15-year old, an 18-year old, and a $330 21-year old, all bottled at 43% and chill filtered. Then there's a 25-year old (for a silly $875 AUD) and a 30-year old (even sillier at $1,700 AUD) that are bottled at 48% and 46.8% ABV respectively. Then there's two non-age statement bottlings, the $120 'Legacy' at 48% ABV and the $150 Cask Strength, both of which are non-chill filtered. And that's only the distillery's core range! 

We'll take a look at the 18-year old first. Considering it's bottled at 43% ABV and is chill filtered, this isn't a cheap whisky among other 18-year olds - $220 in this great southern land. I suppose that's not as bad as some, though (ahem, Highland Park, and now also Talisker). Maturation in the 18-year old is "a generous proportion of first-fill sherry casks", which leads me to believe the rest will be refill casks. Supposedly all of Glengoyne's casks are "prepared" for six years before their first whisky filling, in fact they even print this figure on their labelling, including those where refill casks are used. Don't take that figure to mean that they've been seasoned with bourbon or sherry for six years - that time includes the air-drying of the wood prior to the casks being coopered and then seasoned before they're sent to Scotland. It'd certainly be nice to get a little more transparency from Glengoyne, and while they're at it they might as well skip the chill filtration and bump some of their ABVs up to 46%. At least they don't add any artificial colouring to their single malts, all are natural colour. Let's see how the 18-year old fares, shall we?

Glengoyne 18-year old, 43% ABV. Highlands, Scotland.

Matured in "a generous proportion of first-fill sherry casks", with the remainder being refill casks. Chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Gold. 

Nose: Fruity, spicy & sweet. Caramelised brown sugar, baked red apples, golden raisins (not the dark variety), and orange peel. Vanilla cake frosting / icing, apricot jam, white pepper. Ginger syrup & fresh stone fruit around the edges. More oak spices & some golden syrup with more time. 

Texture: Light weight. Thin, fresh, spicy - drying spices. No heat. 

Taste: Light & easy. More caramelised brown sugar, dried apricot, fresh red apple skins, and orange peel. Currants here rather than raisins. White pepper and ginger again, but crystallised ginger this time. Touch of cocoa powder. 

Finish: Medium length. Crystallised ginger and white pepper carry through, touch of pear juice, and spicy dry oak. Orange peel, bitter black tea, and toffee 'til the end. 

Score: 2.5 out of 5. That's still an easy pass mark for all of you score snobs! 

Notes: Pleasant, easy drinking dram but with a surprising amount of drying spices & tannins. I know they said the proportion of first-fill sherry casks was "generous", but this seems more refill sherry cask-led to me, particularly given the age. There's nothing wrong with a good dose of refill sherry casks of course, this is merely my own observation and is not a criticism. While we're not criticising, the finish on this 18-year old has a surprisingly good length to it given the low ABV and the unfortunate chill filtration. But it'd be nice to see Glengoyne up the ABV on these older releases (i.e. 18-years and beyond) to 46% and to ditch the chill filtration in the process. That'd give them some more texture and weight on the palate, which is sorely needed at the current asking prices, which are far from cheap. Still, for a light, easy drinking Lowland-style Highlander, this Glengoyne does fit the bill, and the attractive packaging will help get it over the line for much of the target audience.

Next up, the NAS 'Legacy', bottled at 48% ABV and retailing for $120 locally. A reasonably-priced Glengoyne at a decent strength without chill filtration. Yippee! This is the second version of Glengoyne Legacy, labelled as "Chapter Two", which was bottled in late-2020 but is still readily available here in Australia. There's obviously no age information given, but they do tell us that it was matured in 48% first-fill bourbon casks, 17% first-fill sherry casks, and 35% un-specified refill casks. Price-wise this expression seems a little oddly placed in the Glengoyne line-up, since it's close to the asking price for the NAS Cask Strength bottling, but is nearly half the price of the 18-year old, making it the cheapest way to get a Glengoyne at a decent bottling strength. 2019's "Chapter One" used some first-fill European oak sherry casks combined with "prized refill casks" (bleurgh), and the third Legacy bottling released in 2022 was from a mix of refill sherry and refill bourbon casks, so it'll be different again when it lands in Australia. One complaint before we get into it though; unless I've missed it there is no mention of non-chill filtration either on the packaging, or on the labels, or on the distillery's website. The first Legacy release had non-chill filtered clearly stated on the tube and on the label, and yet with chapter two and also chapter three that has seemingly been omitted. Surely it's non-chill filtered since it's bottled at 48% ABV like chapter one, right? But if that's the case, why take the statement off the label & packaging. Come on Glengoyne!

Glengoyne Legacy Chapter Two, NAS, 48% ABV. Highlands, Scotland.

Matured in 48% first-fill bourbon, 17% first-fill sherry, and 35% un-named refill casks. Presumed non-chill filtered but not stated on bottle or packaging, or website. Natural colour. 

Colour: Gold. Almost identical to the 18. 

Nose: Fruity, rich & inviting. The additional weight is immediately obvious. Marzipan, cinnamon, sweetened vanilla cream (Chantilly), buttery oak. Fresh orange & nectarine, raspberry jam on white toast. Nice malty cereal sweetness in the background. Touches of old leather & powdered ginger. 

Texture: Medium weight. Silky, fruity, light spicy. No heat at all. 

Taste: More sweetened vanilla cream, fresh nectarine, touch of white peach. Marzipan & buttery oak again, touch of dried banana (i.e. banana chips) and a little milk chocolate. Powdered ginger, pear juice. Dried lemon around the edges. 

Finish: Medium length. Lovely malty sweetness with more dried banana, cinnamon, and vanilla cream. Sweet pear juice, and dried raspberry. Sweet pastry (e.g. tart cases) and dried lemon to finish. 

Score: 3 out of 5. 

Notes: Quite the surprise, since I was - wrongly - expecting a youthful rush-job when looking at this Legacy bottling on paper. Particularly given the small difference in pricing compared to the Cask Strength. But it's certainly not a rush-job. Of course there's more weight on the palate than the 18-year old, that's immediately obvious, and those first-fill bourbon casks have been well-mannered. There's not a huge amount of complexity here I suppose, which could be down to youth, but what is there is easily accessible and very enjoyable. This is my first bourbon cask-led Glengoyne bottling (since there aren't many to choose from!), but it certainly seems to work very well. Reasonable pricing as well. Definitely worth a try. 

Cheers!

Springbank 12 Cask Strength 55.9% Whisky Review!

The latest release, batch 23, which is the first 100% ex-bourbon cask Springbank 12 Cask Strength bottling. Like most experiences with Springbank now, this is going to be a bittersweet experience...

Sadly like most Springbank / J&A Mitchell products this may as well be unobtainium. Each tiny allocation pre-sells to a distributor's and/or retailer's VIP list, shortly followed by hundreds of the same bottles appearing on auction sites. Many retailers and also some importers & distributors have followed suit by applying extra mark-ups, sometimes of a reasonable amount but increasingly verging on the obscene. Many of these retailers / licensed flippers will receive their Springbank allocation, sell some to a few friends, and then hold the remaining stock for a few months before releasing the "extra parcel" at double the recommended pricing. The distillery itself has not increased it's pricing substantially across any of its releases, and they are doing their best to blacklist some of these retailers who are greedily trying to cash-in on the insatiable demand for anything & everything that leaves the distillery gates. But the distillery has limited jurisdiction, and none at all in international markets where their importer should be doing the same, but often isn't - or in some cases, seem to be cashing in themselves by withholding stock. J&A Mitchell have tried to calm things down by ditching the outer packaging on all but the high-end releases and reducing their supply to some markets, and also increasing the sizes of each release where possible, but there's only so much they can do. In fact that's pretty much all they can do. A small, traditional distillery like this was never capable of keeping up with such a sudden almost-vertical surge in demand. We should be thankful they aren't cutting corners, and are still producing outstanding whisky. Sadly the 12-year old Cask Strength is one of the worst hit by this insanity, most likely because it flew under the radar for so long - outside of enthusiast circles, at least. Only a couple of years ago this whisky was selling for $160-170 AUD, and stock would last for weeks rather than minutes. The usual British & European auction sites are constantly flooded with the latest batches, often commanding upwards of $280 AUD plus premium, which may seem a lot, but is only $50 more than the retail pricing here in Australia, although that doesn't include shipping and customs charges of course. As a rough guide that would equate to over $350 AUD landed here, which is just too much. As much as I personally love these whiskies, I don't think they're a viable proposition at or over $250 AUD - which probably sounds like a lot of money to those playing overseas, mainly because it is a lot of money. Sadly that's what they will be commanding soon, probably if & when the next release arrives. 

The flippers and "investors" go mental for anything first-fill sherry cask from this distillery (largely driven by colour), and they can have them, because if you ask me it's in ex-bourbon casks - whether refill or first-fill - and refill sherry casks that Springbank's character really shines. Refill sherry casks work brilliantly as well though, in fact you'd actually be hard-pressed to find a cask type that doesn't work with the three different spirits that this distillery produces; the unpeated Hazelburn, the lightly peated namesake Springbank, and the heavily peated Longrow. But most Campbeltown purists will generally lust after the refill varieties for the distillery character - in fact you could almost call it regional character in Campbeltown's case, easier than most cases since there are only three distilleries to choose from. Yes, I'm talking about the much-loved "Campbeltown funk", which ranges from pungent, dirty, oily diesel and farmyard notes down to a general oiliness and slight briny character. In reality it's more of a traditional regional style rather than a direct result of the geography or regionality, despite the local environment (microclimate & microorganisms) having some small impact it's chiefly the "old school" production methods that are responsible, from mashing & fermentation through to distillation, maturation, and even bottling at decent strengths without chill filtration or colouring. Yeast, lactobacillus, and even spirit-derived sulphur as opposed to cask-derived sulphur (see here for more information, and a great example of both types combined), have a part to play here as well. Springbank's triple-distilled Hazelburn whiskies, and also sister distillery Glengyle (producing Kilkerran whisky) and the ugly duckling of the trio Glen Scotia for that matter, don't often exhibit the same level of "funk" as Springbank and Longrow, although they do show this delicious character in different ways. Springbank's direct-fired wash still (on the left in the above photo) and it's worm tub condenser on the intermediate / first spirit still (centre in the above photo) no doubt play a part there, alongside other natural, almost alchemistic and even unknown variables. It'll be interesting to see what the town's planned new distilleries work towards in this regard, I'm sure they'll be aiming for a similarly characterful production method and flavour profile - they'd be crazy not to! 

The 12-year old has had a change of approach over the last few years, going from 100% ex-sherry cask (both first-fill & refill) maturation in the earlier releases up until 2015's Batch 10 when an average of 30% ex-bourbon casks were added into the mix. 2021's Batch 21, which was never officially imported into Australia, is still the crazy outlier in the series with some ex-port and ex-burgundy wine casks added to the vatting (reviewed here alongside the more conventional Batch 22). Now with Batch 23, bottled back in late 2021, they've gone to 100% ex-bourbon casks for the first time. In fact as far as I can recall this is the first 100% ex-bourbon cask general release (not a Society bottling or a single cask) Springbank that we've seen since the outstanding 14-year old Bourbon Wood from late 2017. I can't find any word on the proportions of first-fill and refill casks in this latest release of the 12-year old, which is something Springbank hasn't disclosed since they moved away from 100% ex-sherry maturation in these releases over seven years ago. Based on smell & taste though I'm guessing there's a good chunk of refill bourbon casks in there, which is certainly no bad thing. Cask strength in this twenty-third batch is 55.9% ABV, and it is of course non-chill filtered and natural colour. This was the first of the 12 Cask Strength to skip the outer packaging, which doesn't seem to have slowed the flippers & speculators yet, but let's hope it does in future. I was lucky enough to get this bottle for the Australian RRP, almost a year ago now, and it'll probably be the last 12 Cask Strength that I get my hands on for the foreseeable. Stand by for another bittersweet whisky moment...

Springbank 12-year old Cask Strength, 55.9%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Batch 23, bottled late 2021. Matured in 100% ex-bourbon casks, presumably first-fill & refill. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Medium gold. 

Nose: Malty, mineral, slightly minty. Lovely dry maltiness, coastal minerality (i.e. damp & muddy rockpools), silent machine shop. Touches of fresh orange, tinned peach juice, and red apple. Spearmint around the edges. Tangy malt vinegar & oily brine (think salt & vinegar seasoning), hint of fresh green chilli. Earthy & musty dunnage warehouse, and salted white fish. 

Texture: Medium weight. Oily, malty, dry, fruity, salty. Bang on. Slight heat but no complaints here. 

Taste: Golden malt biscuits, tangy malt vinegar, clean machine oils, and sweet citrus. Flashes of herbal honey & vanilla bean. Tinned peach juice, white pepper, lemon, oily brine. Touches of smoked white fish, lanolin (sheep's wool oil), and damp hessian. 

Finish: Long length. Gentle earthy smoke behind more tinned peach juice, golden malt biscuits, and pickling brine. Earthy, musty dunnage "funk", like an old barn. Spearmint & dried grapefruit around the edges. Browning (oxidising) red apples, gristy maltiness & clean oils to finish. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5.  

Notes: Yes, I'm afraid it's excellent. But that's not really a surprise, is it? It's quite a challenge to find a Springbank 12 Cask Strength that is anything less than great. Batch 23 is certainly "cleaner" in style than most of its predecessors, but that's not a surprise either given the 100% bourbon cask maturation. And it's not a criticism by any means. We're dialling back the dirty, sulphurous & eccentric notes, but dialling up the maltiness and brighter fruitiness instead, and giving that beautiful characterful spirit a better chance to shine. There are flashes of the brilliant 14-year old Bourbon Wood here in this 12-year old, but I suspect this one has more of a refill cask component than that special release did back in 2017. As great as the exotic cask types can be from this distillery, there's always a slight element of risk there. Which is not the case with their bourbon cask releases. I just don't think you can go wrong with that combination! I did warn you this would be bittersweet...

I'm sure there'll be some groaning at that score. I know people are frustrated at the lack of availability of Springbank, and at the constant flipping and profiteering from both "retailers" and secondary resellers. But this is not the fault of the distillery, they're largely doing what they've always done; focussing on making good whisky. They haven't even increased their pricing substantially, beyond covering the increases in their own costs. So as Roy from Aqauvitae pointed out recently, why shouldn't Springbank still receive praise for their outstanding work? They're still making brilliant whisky without cutting any corners, and they're doing everything they can (which isn't much) to mitigate the insane demand from the price-gougers and the flippers. So yes, it's nigh-on impossible to get for a reasonable price, and the stock & allocation situation is still dire. But whiskies of this quality always deserve to be praised, regardless of where they came from or how easy they are to buy. 

Here comes the bitter part. This whisky is not worth the $400-600 AUD that some greedy "retailers" are attempting to get for it in Australia. If you can get it for a reasonable price, i.e. close to the RRP, then go for it. That's where the value is. But if you can't do that, then you may have to settle for a dram in a bar, or you may have to confront the FOMO head-on and just let it go. And I'm talking to myself here as well. The more people are willing to do that, the more chance we have of this insane situation starting to correct itself, or at least slowing down. That's the only way things are going to change. If we keep feeding the flipping machine, they won't. 

Cheers!

Old Pulteney 13-year old Single Cask (Barrel & Batch) Whisky Review!

Pulteney Distillery's marketing team make plenty of noise about maritime influences and salty flavours, even calling it 'The Maritime Malt', but anyone familiar with the saltier end of the peaty spectrum will struggle to find any trace of it in their core range. When presented properly, though - i.e. at a good ABV and from active casks - Old Pulteney is a rich, full-flavoured dram that almost seems to scream "worm tub"!

Pulteney Distillery is located in the town of Wick on the far north-east coast of the Scottish mainland. The trek from Edinburgh is well over 5-hours, or over 2.5-hours from Inverness. That's not exactly a stone's throw by anyone's standards, and the round trip is going to make a serious dent in any traveller's itinerary. You'd probably stop in if you're also going further north to Wolfburn or even Orkney, but even still this is not an easy distillery to visit. Pulteney Distillery was founded in 1826 at a time when Wick was a busy fishing port, but the distillery wound up closing from 1930 until 1951 while under DCL ownership. That closure was largely thanks to Wick becoming a dry town from 1920 until 1947, supposedly after an American evangelist convinced the local council to ban alcohol. Imagine going through World War II without a whisky while a distillery sat silent in the middle of town! Supposedly it was a very rough town prior to that alchohol ban, and it still doesn't have the best reputation today. Pulteney Distillery was sold to a local solicitor in 1951 and was re-opened, then changing hands multiple times and eventually becoming part of Inver House Distillers along with Balblair, Speyburn, KnockDhu (bottled as AnCnoc) and Balmenach. The official bottlings from Pulteney Distillery are branded as Old Pulteney, which was supposedly the nickname of Sir William Pulteney whom the original Pulteneytown, now part of Wick, was named after. 

The distillery setup is an interesting one, with unpeated malted barley put through a relatively short fermentation time of 56-60 hours on average, followed by some interesting contradictions in the distillation regimen and reflux, where heavier vapours fall back into the body of the still and are effectively redistilled before rising up again. The wash still & spirit still both feature large "boil balls" or onions at the bases of their necks (for more reflux), but then the wash still has a very short flat-topped neck with a slightly downwards-angled lyne arm (for less reflux), and the spirit still has a fat neck & very odd U-shaped lyne arm which starts horizontal but turns 90-degrees downwards (again, less reflux) before twisting at a right-angle into a large purifier which sees heavier compounds sent back into the still for re-distillation (for more reflux). Then in one final contradiction, the vapours that do make it past the purifier head into a worm tub condenser, which means slower condensation with less copper contact than a modern shell & tube condenser, resulting in a heavier, oilier and sulphurous spirit (see here for more information). Interestingly this worm tub is a series of straight pipes stacked on top of each other submerged inside a rectangular steel vessel, rather than the conventional coiled tube (the namesake "worm" in a worm tub) submerged inside a round wooden vessel. 

Old Pulteney's flagship 12-year old is bottled at 40% ABV (the legal minimum) and is both chill filtered and artificially coloured, so it's not the example to reach for if you want to experience the distillery character. You're going to want a higher bottling strength and natural presentation, which would usually mean you'd need an independent bottling, and there's not many of those around. The distillery does occasionally release single cask official bottlings, both from the distillery shop and occasionally for certain markets - which brings us to our hero of the day, Barrel & Batch. This free-to-join "whisky co-op" group is the brainchild of Sydney hospitality stalwarts Ray & Simon, who bring small batch and/or single cask whiskies and whiskeys to a growing fanbase here in Australia. Unlike the multiple subscription services that we now have, Barrel & Batch does not operate as an automatic "send by default", where you'll automatically be sent a bottle of everything they release unless you manually "opt out" each time - yes, I hate that idea. This small duo already has some serious notches on their bedposts, featuring exclusive bottlings from Bruichladdich (reviewed here) to Highland Park and Redbreast in the past. They're also the people responsible for the 13-year old Old Pulteney single cask that I'm reviewing here, which was released early in their journey soon after the pandemic hit Australia back in 2020. 

This is a single cask release bottled specifically for Barrel & Batch, fully-matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel for over 13-years and bottled at 53.0% ABV - reduced slightly from cask strength due to a miscommunication with the bottling hall, but I don't it's hurt this whisky in the slightest. I've been lucky enough to try a couple of sherry cask Old Pulteney single casks which were big & powerful meaty whiskies, so an ex-bourbon cask example will make for an interesting comparison. This 13-year old was the first single cask Old Pulteney bottled for Australia, while more recently there's been a younger refill cask release (not a single cask bottling) that was bottled at cask strength for Australia's largest subscription service - having tasted both of these Australian exclusives, let me assure you that there is no comparison at all between them. In fact I found the aforementioned cask strength to be very unpleasant and almost undrinkable, while this Barrel & Batch single cask bottling on the other hand is very much drinkable - maybe a little too drinkable! At the time of writing it's still available from the Barrel & Batch website for the reasonable sum (by Australian standards) of $199 AUD, That's a decent deal for any single cask official bottling on these shores. Let's get to it!

Old Pulteney 13-year old, Barrel & Batch, 53.0%. Highlands, Scotland.

Distilled 2006, fully matured in single ex-bourbon barrel #1451, bottled 2020. Reduced slightly from cask strength. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 258 bottles. 

Colour: Mid gold. 

Nose: Very thick honey, as in straight from the fridge. Very malty too, and slightly meaty & vegetal. Worm tubs ahoy! Fresh juicy oranges, roasted nuts & toasted oak. Touch of fresh herbs (sage & rosemary?) in the background. Vanilla fudge, and a hint of yeast extract (vegemite/marmite).

Texture: Heavy weight, thick & chewy. Rich & malty. Very slight heat, and it works well. 

Taste: Lovely chewy maltiness, like munching on a handful of still-damp barley in the kiln. That thick chewy honey and fresh oranges again, but it's less sweet here than on the nose. Vanilla fudge and that meaty yeast extract again. Touch of warm toasted oak. 

Finish: Medium length. Chewy malt again, but more gristy (flour-y) now. More fresh orange, and the vanilla fudge & yeast extract. Orange & cream chews (lollies / confectionary). And there's even a salty tang at the end. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: More of these please Barrel & Batch, and more of these please Old Pulteney! Worm tubs, high strength, a good first-fill cask in the early teens, and reasonable pricing. Just what the doctor ordered! For those who've overlooked Old Pulteney in the past like I did, find yourself an example which also ticks all of those boxes, and it'll completely change your mind about the distillery. Which is precisely what a good single cask bottling should do, whether official or independent. If you're an unpeated worm tub fan - think bourbon cask Craigellachie, Mortlach, or Edradour, then an Old Pulteney like this will be right in your wheelhouse. If the above checklist applies to you and you're also in Australia, get to the Barrel & Batch website and order one while you can. That's purely a recommendation from someone who bought this very bottle and reviewed it. There are no kickbacks, PR firms, marketing pressures or paid links involved here. Just good whisky!

Cheers!

Port Charlotte MC01 Whisky Review - Plus A Bonus!

The last few years haven't been kind to travel exclusive bottlings, and this one took a long time to sell out in Australia. It appears to be gone now though, at least on the usual duty free websites. So by way of apology I'll tack on a bonus review of a rather different Port Charlotte!

MC01 is a heavily peated (40 ppm) Port Charlotte from Islay's Bruichladdich that has been finished in Sicilian marsala fortified wine casks, but like many of Bruichladdich's products that's not explicitly stated on the bottle or packaging; where you'll only find "ex-Sicilian fortified wine casks". Marsala is Sicilian a fortified wine ranging from semi-sweet to sweet in style, generally aged in continuously topped-up casks in a similar system to the soleras used in Spanish sherry maturation. Here in Australia marsala is probably more widely used in tiramisu or zabaglione desserts than as a standalone drink, but it's commonly served as an aperitif elsewhere. As far as I'm aware this 2018 bottling is the only marsala cask matured Port Charlotte that the distillery has released, possibly even across all three of the distillery's brands. However, like the more recent limited bottlings; MRC01 French red wine cask, OLC01 oloroso sherry cask, PAC01 French red wine cask, and now SC01 Sauternes sweet wine cask, MC01 was only finished in those casks rather than being fully matured. I actually spotted these casks in the Bruichladdich warehouse during my first visit / pilgrimage back in 2017, with MC01 being released roughly 6-months later. Despite this connection though I never picked up a bottle, which is a decision that I might regret after this review! Unfortunately none of the subsequent limited release Port Charlottes - 2020's OLC01, 2021's PAC01, or 2022's SC01 - have made it to Australia in any official capacity. A few cases were parallel imported by a couple of enterprising retailers, but as is usually the case their pricing was prohibitive. For what it's worth, the duty free pricing of MC01 here in Australia was circa $160, which is quite the bargain, but admittedly a little unrealistic here in 2022. The earlier MRC01, the last general release to actually make it to Australia, was around $180, but again that's unrealistic here in 2022. The whisky world is a very different place on this side of the continuing pandemic. 

MC01 was released shortly after the Port Charlotte brand underwent major cosmetic surgery. Prior to this it was packaged and labelled very similarly to the distillery's namesake unpeated whisky, which resulted in it being the attention-starved middle child sitting between Bruichladdich and Octomore while they enjoyed their time in the spotlight. As of mid-2018 though Port Charlotte suddenly had a new and distinctive bottle and labelling design, along with a permanent 10-year old core range expression and an annual Islay Barley release (both reviewed here). All that attention and expenditure certainly seems to have worked, and the brand is now extremely popular, largely thanks to the affordable pricing of said 10-year old, which like all core range Bruichladdich bottlings is bottled at 50% ABV and is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. 

MC01 was distilled in 2009 and released in mid-2018 with a 9-year old age statement, and was bottled at a cask strength of 56.3% ABV. It was finished in European oak casks that had themselves matured marsala wine for nine years, while the whisky spent its first 6-years in a combination of ex-bourbon casks and unnamed French oak casks (which I'd assume to mean refill wine casks) before being vatted together and filled into the finishing casks. From those figures we can deduce that it was finished for 2-3 years in the ex-marsala casks, or nearly 30% of the total maturation time. All of these cask-finished high strength Port Charlotte limited releases - MRC01, MC01, OLC01, PAC01, or SC01 - have been similar ages and have followed similar maturation regimens, with a mix of cask types going into the finishing casks for a couple of years. As I've already mentioned, sadly only 2018's MRC01 ever made it to Australia as a general release, while MC01 was duty-free / travel exclusive, and the other two were never officially imported here. Not that I'm upset about it or anything...

Port Charlotte MC01, 9-years old, 56.3%. Islay, Scotland.

Travel exclusive, distilled 2009, released mid-2018. Matured in ex-bourbon and refill French oak ex-wine casks for 6-years, finished for 2-3 years in ex-marsala Sicilian fortified wine casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Bronze. 

Nose: Spicy, smoky, sweet. Sweet stone fruit - apricot, nectarine, touch of peach - and spicy sweet smoke. Creamy salted caramel fudge with extra sea salt. Touches of toasted oak, seaweed, raisin, and orange peel. A little nippy on the nose, let's call it "rough around the edges", which isn't common in Port Charlotte.

Texture: Medium weight. Thick, sweet, smoky & spicy. Touch of heat, warming but not harsh. 

Taste: Sweet BBQ smoke, slightly ashy. Fruity BBQ sauce, toasted oak, sweet stone fruit - apricot & nectarine again. Some runny honey, roasted hazelnuts, smoked almonds. More salted caramel, touch of raisin, and dried orange peel. 

Finish: Medium-long length. Black pepper, burnt & bitter herbs, spicy oak, ashy peat smoke. Runny honey, sea salt, creamy caramel, smoked almonds. Add in some bitter dark chocolate & ginger to finish. 

 

Score: 3.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Tasty Port Charlotte - well, aren't they all? There's a spicy, fruity & nutty edge to it, which I assume is from the marsala casks, and it works well. I don't think it quite hits the highs of the delicious MRC01, but it's not far behind. Sadly MRC01 is the only other expression that I've tasted in this series of Port Charlottes to date, since none of the others have come to Australia - and yes, I did have to mention that one more time. There is a touch of heat here in MC01, it's a little rough around the edges, which is unusual for a Port Charlotte. But this is still a relatively young whisky, so we'll forgive that minor transgression. I've never tasted marsala wine on it's own, but the finishing cask influence does seem well-managed, well-integrated and unobtrusive. Which is what all finishes should aim to be! I'm really going to have to hunt down the rest of the series...

Now for something a little different!

Part two of this review is an independent bottling from Dramfool, but it's not quite that simple, thanks to the involvement of legendary Bruichladdich Master Distiller Jim McEwan, who has recently been awarded an MBE for his efforts. When Remy Cointreau purchased Bruichladdich in 2015 Jim took his private casks with him into semi-retirement, initially selling them as "The Cask Whisperer" series through a Swiss independent bottler, and latterly through Dramfool as "Dramfool's Jim McEwan Signature Collection".  There have been two series' of Bruichladdich/Port Charlotte/Octomore bottlings from Scottish independent bottler Dramfool, one labelled as "Journey's End" to commemorate Jim's retirement (which still hasn't really happened, over seven years later), and the other as "Jim McEwan Signature Collection". I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell only a few bottlings from the "Journey's End" series were actually Jim's private casks, while the remainder of both series' have been private casks owned by others and sold to / bottled by Dramfool. This small bottler has been around since 2015, but they've been releasing a large amount of bottlings in the last couple of years, including a lot of Bruichladdich spirit, and the level of quality certainly seems to be high. 

The bottling that I'm looking at here is Release 2.2 of the "Jim McEwan Signature Collection" series, which is a single cask of 10-year old Port Charlotte that was distilled in July 2010 and bottled in February 2021. The most interesting & exciting point of difference here is that said single cask was an ex-bourbon barrel, which is a very rare thing for a Port Charlotte in general, and is unheard-of in official bottlings save the hand-filled Valinch distillery exclusives. Most Port Charlotte tends to be either matured or finished in wine casks of some description, so an ex-bourbon cask should give the spirit character & distillery character more time to shine. In this case the cask was a first-fill Jim Beam bourbon barrel, with a yield of 257 bottles at a cask strength of 59.4% ABV. It is of course non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Let's get to it!

Dramfool Port Charlotte Release 2.2, 10-years old, 59.4%. Islay, Scotland.

"Jim McEwan Signature Collection" independent bottling. Distilled 7/2010, fully matured in first-fill ex-Jim Beam bourbon barrel, bottled 2/2021. 257 bottles. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Bright pale gold. 

Nose: Sweet, acidic, smoky. Sweet vanilla custard, smoky gristy (floury) barley, acidic under-ripe tropical fruit - particularly pineapple, plus pear, and watermelon rind (the white & green bits). Loads of sharp, bright lemon, and a touch of lime zest. Sweet spicy BBQ smoke, black pepper, warm toasted oak. Touches of sandalwood and earthy peat with more time. 

Texture: Medium weight. Sweet, acidic, smoky. No heat at all. 

Taste: Creamy vanilla, sweet & ashy BBQ smoke, lovely sharp lemon acidity again with that under-ripe pineapple & melon rind. Smoky gristy (floury) barley & black pepper. 

Finish: Medium length. Creamy sweet vanilla, earthy peat, black pepper. Pinch of salty sea breeze. Camphor (mothballs), sweet nutty smoke, sharp lemon peel. Just what the doctor ordered. 

Score: 4 out of 5. But close to a 4.5. Damn you, 5-point scoring system!

Notes: Yep, I'll take more bourbon cask Port Charlotte please! I don't know why the distillery won't give us many bourbon cask options - or any, really - when they can be this good. Well it's probably because they don't stand out as much among the other Islays as their wine cask bottlings do, as far as flavour profile goes, and because most Octomore comes from bourbon casks. But who cares? Basically everyone else uses this proven recipe for a reason - because it works! I absolutely love the acidity in this Dramfool Port Charlotte, plus the subtle vanilla sweetness and that lovely spicy smoke. I suppose if I'm really forced to nit-pick I'd like just one notch more weight on the palate, and one notch more length on the finish. But don't get me wrong, it's no lightweight in either department as it stands, and in terms of flavour we're bang-on. Right in my wheelhouse. This Dramfool bottling hides it's higher ABV extremely well after that unusual slight roughness in the official bottling, more than an extra year of maturation would give. Delicious. 

Cheers!