In Whisky Magazine s 13th

Transcription

1 STRONG AND INDEPENDENT Another year of exceptional bottlings, as we announce our winners In Whisky Magazine s 13th s Challenge, one thing is clear great independent whisky bottlers are continuing to push the boundaries of whisky and expand its horizons. What do we mean by this? Well, independents offer whisky lovers expressions from distilleries where house bottlings might be rare or non-existent, while also allowing us a different perspective on others by offering single cask and limited edition expressions. The growing success of the whisky category means that fewer distillers are prepared to part with their precious casks, however the overall standard remains excellent. With new s coming to the fore, we ve expanded the awards this year to celebrate those of America, Japan and Ireland and we are proud of the positive impact that this has had on the awards. INDEPENDENT BOTTLING COMPANIES A.D. Rattray ADR ATOM Brands AB Bartels Whisky BW Cask 88 C88 The Craft Works Whisky Company CWWC Douglas Laing & Co. DL Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd. DTSW GreatDrams Ventures GDV Malts of Scotland MoS. SMWS Tasmanian s TIB American MoS Lawrenceburg MoS % Smoked paprika, curry leaf, black treacle, chipotle and tobacco on the nose. On the palate is sticky toffee pudding, Perhaps a little more like a Scottish grain than big Bourbon, with toffee popcorn too and gentle oaky spice. Tennessee Bourbon Whisky #1, 14 Years Old, Batch % Blackcurrant wine gums, chicory, coffee cake and pencil shavings on the nose. Milk chocolate, caramel and butter biscuit a veritable millionaire s shortbread. Palate is very candied spice on one side, syrup on the other. Sweet Turkish coffee on finish. American ATOM Brands Japanese SMWS Bamboo wood and cherry blossom 59.6% Deep copper, even blood orange in hue. Shoe polish, liquorice allsorts and sweet pipe tobacco on the nose, with a little savoury note too. On the palate, plum skin, chinotto orange, almond and fresh cherry. A very pleasant, well balanced taste with white chocolate in the finish. SMWS Tropical Thunder 60.9% C88: Dekanta Ki Series Kikou Japanese Whisky Eigashima 58.4% Japanese 48 Whisky Magazine Issue 156

2 s Challenge Grain SMWS G15.4 Thermonuclear banana 58.3% The nose starts with toffee, becoming more treacly with time. A touch of raisin, which heads towards a fruity Cognac-esque note. On the palate, it begins with a Rob Roy and then becomes more Manhattan-ish. Let it sit a little and it becomes toffee and bitters. The finish is Vermouth with salt and black pepper bitters. GDV: GreatDrams Invergordon 11 Years Old Single Cask Single Grain Scotch Whisky 46.2% Port Dundas 8 Years Old 53.6% DTSC Rare Auld Scotch Whisky Strathclyde Sherry % Lots of variety here, all balanced. Nose has BBQ sauce, ketchup, and a balsamic vinegar note. On the palate, syrup, ginger, cranberries, blackberries. The finish is very much dark chocolate, with spice. A very good fun grain whisky. SMWS G10.16 Touched by Midas 59% SMWS G % Grain humorous) name to capture your Irish Irish Single Malt #2 12 Years Old, Batch % Elegant nose of oatcakes, honey, fruit and a dash of black pepper. Tang of sherry on the palate with notes of peach and raspberry. Good, strong finish with notes of apple and Cognac. Elegant, but flavourful. A truly gorgeous dram. SMWS 51.5 Inside a confectioner s dreams 55.7% A bright and refreshing nose with notes of fruitcake, vanilla and spiced cake batter. Rich spice follows on the palate, with solid wood notes and savoury hints of peppered steak. A little cherry pie. Even the finish is bright, with the perfect balance between fruit and wood notes. SMWS 51.9 Sinful indulgence 54.2% Irish Single Malt #1 13 Years Old, Batch % Irish humours) name to capture your Issue 156 Whisky Magazine 49

3 s Challenge Non-Scotch (other) TIB TIB RD % A real fruit bomb. Mango, lime and pineapple candy flavours fight for attention. On the palate the rest of the sweetshop joins in, with caramel and sherbet. So much going on. Sticky long finish. CWWC Craft Works IB/Black Soul Beast (BSB) 60% SMWS An English country Mordor 62.4% Fresh, estery nose with some peat. Luxurious, sweet palate of Christmas spices. Bright, cinnamon finish, with notes of a wood fire. All of the loveliness of the palate, but with the abundance of dried tea pods and a bitter dark chocolate. SMWS Struts its stuff 57% SMWS War seahorse 62.3% Non-Scotch (other) Tasmanian s Tasmanian s was established in Their aim is to produce whiskies that have a wide range of appeal, with a philosophy that whiskies bottled at a subtle 48%, rather than dinosaur high midsixties are more accessable. Their whiskies are matured in Australian quarter casks, with the spirit sourced from several Australian and one New Zealand distillery. Scotch Campbeltown MoS Image Of Campbeltown MoS % Nose of musty tangerines and pear drops, but not much else is revealed. With water, barley sugar, fruitcake and chewy meaty iberico ham flavours are revealed on the palate. Red berries come through with time. The finish displays a lot of wood influence, with bitter dark chocolate, but is quick to finish. DTSW Rare Auld Scotch Whisky Springbank % Deep. A real sense of brooding, depth and warmth. The smoke alluded to by the nose is there on the palate, but very much as oily wood smoke. The sense of staves dripping with oily smokiness pervades. Very satisfying and chewy. SMWS Tails of the sea 56.6% SMWS Full metal hospital 58.8% On the nose, moss, orange sherbet, new leather jackets and apricot jam on shortbread. A salty sea breeze in the background. Palate has a juicy texture with a fizzy sherbet buzz. Dry cardboard and clay (not unpleasant) and offers a consistency in length and depth. Bitter orange peel comes forward after a while. SMWS Maple peat-smoked bacon doughnut 58.5% Springbank 21 Years Old, Batch % Mint humbugs, camphor and a tobacco pouch. Palate follows with tar liquorice, citrus, wood and leather. SMWS Like a vintage dessert wine 53.3% SMWS A coal bucket of marshmallows 48.8% Scotch Campbeltown humours) name to capture your 50 Whisky Magazine Issue 156

4 s Challenge Scotch Highlands Glencadam Batch 1, 6 Years Old 47.5% Sweet and fruity nose, focused on apples and chalky fizzy candy. Sweet on the palate too, with more candy, as well as citrus. DTSW The Octave Macduff % SMWS Pleasingly precocious 59.4% C88: Scottish Folklore Series Ben Nevis 1972, 45 Years Old, 1st Release 43.2% Butter icing and brown sugar start on the nose, with aniseed and oak. The palate is sweet at first, before oak rolls in dry wood, spice and brown leaves. Fruit stays at its core, with apples and pears. MoS Glendronach MoS % MoS Clynelish MoS % MoS Ben Nevis MoS % Very buttery, with a hint of cheesecake. The palate continues on the creamy theme, with blackcurrant yoghurt. Very sweet, with mixed peel and crunchy candy. Leafy finish. Blair Athol Batch 2 17 Years Old 48.8% SMWS Tropical breezes fill the sails 58.2% Scotch Highlands ATOM Brands Atom Brands have a simple philosophy. They aim to make and select liquids that are the best they can possibly be, and package them in a way that is awesome. They don t believe in compromise, don t cut corners and don t strive to fill niches or build back from arbitrarilydefined price-points. Instead, they aim to build the very best liquids that they can. Their famous That Boutique-y bottlings are inspired by this philosophy and carry labels with creative and often funny images that draw inspiration from whisky industry characters, myths and in-jokes. Scotch Islands (Non Islay) MoS Image Of Orkney Kirkwall 53.2% Floral nose of light smoke and ash. Light body revealing lemon and bergamot, leading to a beautifully balanced and complex finish. DL Rock Oyster Cask Strength Edition, Batch % Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited The Octave Highland Park % Aromas of earth and wet woodland. Light body, sweet and firm, complex with honeysuckle, smoke, lemon, and marmalade. A smooth and balanced finish. MoS Ledaig MoS % DTSW The Octave Tobermory % Scotch Islands (Non Islay) DL Rock Oyster 18 Years Old 46.8% Mature nose of wood and coffee. Palate is well balanced with malt and leather sweetness yet dry overall. Seamlessly balanced finish, very nice. SMWS Surrender your soul 59.7% ADR Cask Orkney 18 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46% SMWS High sea rebellion 51.8% Pleasant notes of barley sugar and polished oak, soft spice. Very beguiling, very come hither. Big, full leather and tobacco pouch, overflowing with autumnal fruits, with an oak lid sitting decorously on top. Lovely soft chewy finish. This bottle won t last the night... Douglas Laing & Co. Established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, this family-owned company specialises in the selection and release of specialist whiskies. DL & Co. selects some of the finest and often rarest Scotch whisky stocks from across all the whisky regions of Scotland, which are then bottled at high alcohol strength and without any artificial colouring or chill filtration. Issue 156 Whisky Magazine 51

5 s Challenge Scotch Islay ADR Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46% Intense peat smoke nose. Baked apples and dark chocolate. Initially quite a sweet palate, with green apples, and then the smoke floods in. Smoky finish and then comes fudge. MoS Image Of Islay Port Askaig 53.2% MoS Laphroaig MoS % Pleasing, with a nice mixture of dried fruits and peat smoke that balances well. Marine notes go beyond the sultanas and raisins, the saltiness balancing sweetness. DTSW The Octave Caol Ila % SMWS A fisherman s nightcap 59.1% Scotch Islay DTSW Rare Auld Scotch Whisky Bruichladdich % Fruit cake nose. Chocolate. Raisins and wood. Peat smoke and spearmint to finish. MoS Bruichladdich MoS % AD Adelphi Selection Bowmore 56.3% SMWS A perfect moment 49.3% SMWS A chimney sweep s lunch box 55.3% MoS Dark Side Of Islay Mulindry 48.9% Fruit cake. Very elegant. A touch of rum and also Assam tea. Raisin, chocolate and tobacco smoke on the palate. Finish is more tobacco smoke. BW: Highland Laird Bunnahabhain 1991, Aged 26 Years 50.3% SMWS The scents of perfection 52.8% Malts of Scotland This award-winning independent bottler prides itself on sourcing only the finest single casks from across the country for bottling under its Malts of Scotland logo. Their strapline, Every Bottle A Benchmark, speaks volumes of their business philosophy and commitment to quality whisky. Scotch Lowland SMWS Paradise in a paradis 60.4% Butterscotch, vanilla and green apple on the nose. On the palate is black treacle, cinnamon, coffee creams and poached pear. MoS Auchenthoshan MoS % Tinned pineapple, dried mango, and rice pudding on nose. On the palate, Eve s pudding, clementine juice, Pastel de nata. SMWS 5.69 Triple Whammy! 57% Scotch Lowland SMWS Tantric meditation 53.7% Oily and spicy nose. Greengage flan. Dry overall and slightly buttery at reduced strength. Pleasant oily texture and a sweet taste, but drying in the peppery finish. SMWS A day trip to heaven 53.7% SMWS Sheer perfection 53.8% humours) name to capture your 52 Whisky Magazine Issue 156

6 s Challenge Scotch Speyside MoS Macduff MoS % Charred wood and dark fruit on the nose with cherry, raisin, liquorice, and treacle. Dark, rich notes continue on the palate. Black Forest gâteaux, oats and sticky gingerbread. The finish is dry and leafy. MoS BenRiach MoS % SMWS Devilishly opulent 61.3% AD Adelphi Selection Mortlach 56.1% Bright, tart notes of oak and the nuttiness of sherry, before baked apple and spice. The palate gradually develops to warmer, sweeter notes of apricot, before a finish of fruit flapjack and complex notes of oak. SMWS Timeless allure 44.7% SMWS Sweet, smooth s more 58.1% Ardmore 14 Years Old, Batch % Lightweight, clear notes of smoke on the nose, with smoked sausage and cheese. Complex peat on the palate clean, graceful applewood and grape-like sweetness. More peppery on the finish, with apple and oak. Strong flavours handled exceptionally well to produce a measured but interesting whisky. Dailuaine - 15 Years Old, Batch % SMWS A Blue Lady and a Seraph s smile 58.4% MoS Macduff MoS % Scotch Speyside Adelphi Distillery Ltd Based in Fife, the company specialises in single cask bottlings presented non chill filtered and without the addition of artificial colourings. Their criteria for selection include rarity and maturity, but above all, flavour. Such are the standards they expect from their bottlings that, on average, Adelphi accepts a mere 4% of the casks it is offered. The Society was founded in Leith (Edinburgh) in 1983 and is a membership organisation that became famous for selling single cask, single malt Scotch whisky. Over the decades, however, it has also garnered a reputation for bottling very high quality rums, Cognacs, Armagnacs, grains and international whiskies from countries such as America and Japan. SMWS purchases individual casks from more than 180 distilleries across the globe, bottles them when they re ready and retails the liquid directly to its members. It also runs private members rooms in the UK, including its original venue at The Vaults in Leith, and in several international locations. In recent years, SMWS has also branched out into bottlings of batchstrength blended malt and also cask finishing. Issue 156 Whisky Magazine 53