I almost never compare one independent bottler against another, but as a self-confessed Ardmore aficionado, I feel empowered to note: this is an excellent bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") that stacks up against any other independent of Ardmore I've had.
At this point it's just a widely acknowledged public fact that Bowmore stinks at bottling their own whisky. Basically every single scotch whisky reviewer or community says this, and all them report that independently bottled Bowmore is simply fantastic. Who knows what's wrong over at Bowmore? Let's just be glad they keep selling casks to people who do the right thing, like (in this particular case), the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS").
Tamdhu is an underrated distillery, founded in 1897, and currently owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers (Rosebank, Glengoyne, Smokehead blended, Sheep Dip blended, many more). I only see independent versions of it from time to time, and apparently it's been a long time since the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") had a cask from them. This cask, the 43rd that SMWS has released from Tamdhu, was matured for 7 years in a first fill PX sherry butt, and released as part of the 40th anniversary of the SMWS.
This is a new one for me - I've never had anything by (or even heard of!) North British Distillery. Apparently it was founded in 1885, and is located near Edinburgh. Currently - and this is really interesting - it's a joint venture between beverage giants Diageo and the Edrington Group. The grain output is used for both Johnnie Walker and Famous Grouse. It's also apparently the last working distillery in Edinburgh, and is routinely nicknamed "the NB."
It's been a while since the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") released any heavily peated Bunnahabhain. This 9 year old features a rather unusual four year finish in a second fill oloroso sherry hogshead, which made it more enticing than usual.
Mannochmore is a very recent distillery - it only opened in 1971 - and was closed from '85 to '89. In the 1990s it became "known" for the jet-black Loch Dhu ("Black Lake") bottling, which was, frankly, a curiosity or novelty. It's owned by Diageo, which means it's usually consigned to blend fodder except through independent bottlers.
For some reason, I had a strong intimation - a sixth sense - I would like this one - and I was right. Released by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") as part of their Spirit of Speyside festival in 2023, from the hardly-known distillery of Allt-a-Bhainne, it's a 14 year first-fill ex-bourbon, bottled at 58.3% ABV.
This throwback label celebrates 30 years of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in America - and the whisky behind the label is a 14 year unpeated Bunnahabhain. I really like Bunnahabhain and was delighted when I won this lottery-only release.
I picked this up on a lark, to fulfill a minimum purchase requirement to get free in-city shipping on a Mother's Day gift. I do love Craigellachie quite a bit, and I'm always impressed by Douglas Laing bottlings, which are often characterful... so why not?
The sixth and final of six samples provided at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society May 2023 outturn event at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. This is a 10 year Highland Park, revatted after 6 years, bottled at a rousing 63.3% ABV.
The fifth out of six samples at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society May 2023 outturn tasting at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. This won a gold medal at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and is already long sold out on the SMWS website. It's a 13 year Glen Spey, finished in a Marsala barrique (!), bottled at 57.8% ABV.
The fourth of six samples at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society May 2023 outturn at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. This is a 14 year Royal Brackla, finished in a #3 char hogshead, and bottled at 55.1% ABV. I will admit that the six drams of the night were had in short succession, and this one is where I noticed my abilities to taste and smell might not have been 100% accurate. That said, I think I did an OK job tracking the main flavors here.
Third of six samples at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society May 2023 outturn event at the Jack Rose Saloon. This is a 21 year Inchmurrin (one of the Loch Lomond imprints), bottled at 53.6% ABV.
Second sample of the six offered by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at their May 2023 outturn tasting event at Jack Rose Saloon. This one is a 19 year Glentauchers at 52.3% ABV, all maturation in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel.
Normally I try to stagger my reviews, when I have more than one ready at a time, to every other day... but I've decided with these Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") outturn tastings to just dump them all at once, to better help people who are still trying to decide while the outturn is fresh. So the other five samples will be posted as soon as I can write them up tonight or tomorrow.
This is the first time in quite some time I'm reviewing a bottle from a distillery I've never covered! I could have sworn I've had Benrinnes (alternately, Ben Rinnes) before, but my archives say I haven't.
Benrinnes is a Speyside distillery owned by Dewars, and dates all the way to 1826. It's very close to Mortlach, Cardhu, Dufftown, and many others in the heart of Speyside. Until 2007 they did an unusual partial triple distillation (like Mortlach), but this bottle dates to after they renovated and reverted to a simpler process.
Linkwood is a distillery whose marquee is little known to most of the public - being another quasi-anonymous Diageo holding, whose output mostly goes to the various Johnnie Walker blends (as far as I can tell). But to single malt fanatics, it's pretty well known for having a high-quality spirit when you run across independently bottled versions of it. This 16 year from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is one of those.
It's very rare to see an oily/coastal/briny Clynelish these days. The official 14 year bottling has touched of coastal salinity, but only a bit - it's been deliberately rounded, I'm sure, just the way that the famous waxy note has been tamped down pretty dramatically over the years.
So when I spotted this independently bottled oily/coastal 9 year Clynelish from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I was quite curious. Clynelish operates in Brora, Scotland, right on the water, so you'd expect a bit more oceanic influence than you usually get.
The latest in Bruichladdich's "Cask Exploration" series, the heavily peated Port Charlotte SC:01 is the first to feature 100% barley from Islay. This isn't quite the rarified air of the Black Arts series, but is a distinct notch up in quality from the normal (and hard to find, these days) Port Charlotte 10 Year.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Glenfarclas belongs in sherry casks. I've had a number of ex-bourbon single cask bottles of Glenfarclas (all from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society) and I haven't loved a single one of them. Some I didn't even like.
I have taken a bit of a shine to older, more mature Islay expressions this last winter. They are softer, hazier, subtle, and complex. The peat punch to the face becomes a smoky breeze full of savory things and sweet things. So when I saw this 15 year Caol Ila while at a whisky tasting, I took a chance. It'll be the last bottle I get for a while (budget reasons) so I figured to make it something I could enjoy for some time to come.
The second of two Blackadder Raw Cask bottles of my favorite distillery Ardmore that I purchased from Passion for Whisky in the Netherlands. This one is a year older than the prior bottle, coming in at 11 years old, yet it's bottled at the exact same strength - 60.6% ABV. I'm deadly curious to see how this tastes, even as tendrils of smoke from the previous bottle remain on my tongue!
So recently I discovered the fabulous whisky shop Passion For Whisky, based in the Netherlands, and simultaneously discovered they had a phenomenal selection of Ardmore. I bought three - a 24 yr from WhiskyNerds, and two Blackadder Raw Cask bottlings. This is the first of the Blackadders.
This was the introductory dram at the March 2023 outturn tasting of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") at Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. I like Ben Nevis (owned by Japanese company Nikka) the most when it is dank, dirty, and industrial. Weirdly, almost none of the single cask releases I've had from SMWS have showcased that particular angle.
The final sample provided at the March 2023 outturn tasting of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") was easily the favorite of basically everyone in the room: a 16 year Highland Park, finished in a PX cask that had been shaved, toasted, and recharred (!). A very curious choice, since you'd expect the PX influence to be literally scraped and burned away by the STR process. That said, the result was incredible, as we'll see in a bit.
Inchgower is another of those little-known distilleries owned by Diageo that gets funneled wholesale into various blends (and specifically Bell's), with the odd off-profile cask sold off to independent bottlers and escaping into the wild to be sampled by curious drammers like myself. This was the 5th and penultimate sample provided at the March 2023 outturn tasting of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS").
Glenfarclas was the very first distillery in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), founded by Pip Hills and his friends, hence earning Distillery Code #1. This was the third sample at the March 2023 Outturn tasting for the SMWS, held at the Jack Rose Saloon here in Washington DC.
I have a theory that the fancier and more involved a nickname the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") gives a whisky, the better that whisky is. For example, the 30-year Macallan is "A Wizard's Poem" (wow) .... this poor Glenlossie - while not a bad whisky - got the short end of the stick: "Lotta Good Stuff." Gee, thanks, naming committee. The only name that could have less effort put in would be "A Whisky."
Oh, Loch Lomond... how you have resurrected your reputation in a short span of time! Many distilleries have had their star fall a bit in this modern era of integrity bottling - Dalmore, Bowmore, Highland Park, many more have ad their paltry 40% ABV bottling damned by the more-and-more educated Scotch drinkers, who now prefer independent bottlers and single cask offerings. Cork sniffers!
From time to time, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") pulls a move out of the Compass Box repertoire and releases a curated blend, usually at 50% ABV. This one is Batch 15, which is peated Islay and Orkney distilleries matured for ten years in a wide variety of casks: ex-bourbon, ex-PX sherry, ex-Oloroso sherry, American oak, French oak, etc.
