Croftongea 10 Year (Exclusive Malts)

 

Exclusive Malts was an imprint or brand or wing of the independent bottler The Creative Whisky Company, which was founded and run by David Stirk, a veteran of Douglas Laing and Cadenheads. 

For whatever reason, Exclusive Malts bottles were widely available here in the Washington DC region in the mid-2010s. Unfortunately the Creative Whisky Company apparently folded in August of 2018 and all their stocks were sold off. The website is no longer accessible, which is often the final and most conclusive mark of death.

Clynelish 14 Year Second Take

 It's been a year and a half since I last reviewed the official bottling of vaunted distillery Clynelish, and it's long overdue for a return look. 

Aged 14 years in ex-bourbon casks, although rumors persist that a little refill sherry casking is present as well - I came across that claim on numerous websites - and bottled at 46%.

Diageo is infamously mum about most of the important aspects of their various single malts. 95% of the output of Clynelish goes to Johnnie Walker, as far as I can tell, despite their very high reputation in the independent bottling scene. 

Is this colored? Almost certainly. Is it chill-filtered? Very probably. But my memory is that the famously waxy character of Clynelish still shines through, and this is a particularly delectable single malt. Let's explore...

Ardnamurchan AD/03.21:02

 

This is the inaugural bottle released in the American market. Here are the basic stats: Aged somewhere around ~6 years, only 5004 bottles released, 35% ex-sherry casks and 65% ex-bourbon, 50/50 peated/unpeated, non-chill-filtered, uncolored, bottled at 46.8% ABV. 

Ardnamurchan is the much-heralded new distillery in the western Highlands, and I was much intrigued by the first bottle I had through the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Thank you to Rob Martin for this one! Let's see how this one comes across...

Ardnamurchan 5 Year (SMWS 149.2 "Peaty Peninsula")

 

Ever since my friend Rob had a bottle of the newly released whisky from Highland distillery Ardnamurchan, I've been very interested in trying some. This month's outturn from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") offered a 5 year expression, aged entirely in a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt - I couldn't say no!

Old Pulteney 7 Year (SMWS 52.40 "Sweet and Zesty Sea Air")

 

Now this is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one - a young Old Pulteney! A single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I was just so curious I couldn't resist - the normally oily, salty Old Pulteney house style at a very young age and filed under the SMWS flavor profile Young and Sprightly?? Yes, please. Someone once said that SMWS Young and Sprightly bottles were "not for the faint of heart." 

Glenturret 11 Year (SMWS 16.52 "Campfire Breakfast on a Damp Morning")

 

I have absolutely loved and respected the three previous peated single cask Glenturrets I've had from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). They were real surprises, richly flavored, with a very distinct rich sweetness paired to a note of fresh pencil shavings (!). This bottle is, of course, also heavily peated, and was a lottery release, chosen at last year's tasting panel experience by US members - it's exclusive to the US SMWS. 

Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.193 "An Engine Starter For Cold Mornings")

 

Anyone who has read through this blog over the last year or two knows I'm a big fan of Ardmore, a somewhat chameleon-esque distillery in the eastern Highlands of Scotland. Capable of making all kinds of wild, vivid flavors, I buy almost every single cask offering that's released by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS").

Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.192 "The Dalai Farmer")

 

I am such an aficionado of Ardmore - a Highland distillery owned by Japanese beverage giant Suntory - that I love basically every bottle I've come across. Originally built by William Teacher's son Adam, to supply blend fodder for Teacher's Highland Cream, they did have a small core selection of single malts for some time. 

Unfortunately, my delightful original experience with their official distillery bottling, the Traditional Cask (no age statement), was short-lived - Ardmore pulled it from the market, and whatever they've replaced it with has taken years to come out, and doesn't seem to be widely available in the American market. At least, I can't find it anywhere. Which leaves independent bottlers. 

Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.189 "A Doric Takeaway")

 

Of all the unknown or little-known distilleries out there, Ardmore is my favorite. I have had some really incredible bottles from Ardmore, both official (the old Ardmore Traditional Cask) and single cask independent bottlings from various places. This bottle is a lightly peated expression from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), called A Doric Takeaway (your guess is as good as mine - more at the end of the review) and aged for 7 years in first fill bourbon barrels, bottled a very robust 61.4%. Part of the 2021 Highland Festival. 

Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One 2019 (NAS)

 

Yes, the name is a real mouthful: Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One 2019. Glengoyne is a very old distillery ("Unhurried since 1833" the bottle and packaging proudly says), but very new to me. One of the bottles I tend to overlook as my hand drifts around the shelving. However, perhaps it's time to rectify this; thanks much to Rob Martin for this bottle!

Glen Ord 8 Year (Exclusive Malts)

 

Exclusive Malts was an independent bottler that, sadly, no longer exists. One of their releases was known as the "Exclusive Region," where they released an unnamed single malt generally related to the main whisky regions of Scotland: Islay, Speyside, Highland, Peated Highland, Single Grain. 

Inchmurrin 13 Year (SMWS 122.66 "Dark and Flaming")

 

This was one of those Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) bottlings that I just couldn't pass up - a Loch Lomond (under their Inchmurrin imprint) aged for 11 years in ex-bourbon casks and then ... drumroll please ... another 2 years in a new oak heavy char #4 "alligator" casks. It is pretty unusual to find a #4 in scotch in general (more common in bourbon), let alone in an independent bottling like this. I simply had to try it. Bottled at a very stiff 64.4%, in typical craft presentation, nicknamed "Dark and Flaming." Let's see what alligator char does to a typically sweet, vanilla-forward spirit...

anCnoc Cutter (NAS)

 

According to my blog history, I haven't had anCnoc since ... 2014! Seven years, too long for this Highland single malt. Pronounced "an-nock" (I feel every lead-in for this distillery must start with that wild name, right?), this is a discontinued part of their peated line. The current expression, I think, is called "Peatheart," which is pretty good. I really want to try the also-discontinued Flaughter, but can't find it near me for a decent price. This however, I got for a steal. Peated to 20.5 ppm, non-chill filtered, uncolored, appears to be ex-bourbon, and bottled at 46%. Here we go: 

Glenturret 6 Year (SMWS 16.46 "Cooking on a Rusty Grill")

 

This is my first experience with Glenturret, a distillery fairly south in the Highlands. An independent bottle presented by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), this is peated, aged for 6 years in a re-charred hogshead and bottled at a very stiff 64.9%. Nicknamed "Cooking on a Rusty Grill." Let's see what I can find...

Inchmurrin 13 Year (SMWS 112.73 "Sweet and Savory Excitement")

 

Another lottery bottle (for Burns Night 2021) from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), this one is from the Inchmurrin imprint of Loch Lomond distillery (as near as I can tell). I know nothing about Loch Lomond or any of its imprints, but I learned when researching this review that they are the only distillery that makes both single malt and grain whisky at the same facility. Inchmurrin-branded bottles seem to review better than the core Loch Lomond bottles. 

Deanston Virgin Oak (NAS)

 

Deanston Virgin Oak is an interesting idea on paper. Take some young spirit, and age it in totally virgin oak - never yet held bourbon OR sherry, nor wine or anything else. Just new American oak. But how does it actually fare? No age statement, 46.3% ABV, presumably no chill filtering or coloring. 

Ardmore 12 Year (SMWS 66.165 "Mesmerizing and Entertaining")

 

I recently joined the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) - trying to be a bit more adventurous and social in my tasting journey - and this was the bottle I chose as my joining gift. The SMWS has a somewhat idiosyncratic way of labeling their bottles, using a cask code instead of stating the distillery. However, there are multiple websites that "decode" these numbers, which is how I learned that cask code 66 equals Ardmore - my beloved Ardmore. I jumped all over it.

Wolfburn 3 Year

 

Wolfburn is an interesting whisky, as it might be the youngest Scotch you can buy - aged only 3 years in bourbon barrels! It's also the northernmost distillery in mainland Scotland, in Thurso, which is pretty interesting all by itself. 

Tomatin 12 Year (New Bottling)

 

This new edition of Tomatin (post-2015) is now a blend of bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at 43% ABV, and presumably colored and chill-filtered. 

Tomatin 12 Year (Old Bottling)

 

In 2015, Tomatin rebranded itself - but this bottle of 12 year Highland scotch, matured in sherry casks, comes from before the change. 43% ABV, chill-filtered, and colored.