Hello everyone

Finishing off the year there‘s a new expression from Glen Moray – Phoenix Rising, so named because it was matured in charred new oak casks. We also have some nicely maturing spirit from Tiree Distillery to see how it‘s progressing before bottling in early 2025. Beyond that I want to have a little look back at my whisky highlights of 2023 (would be happy to hear what yours are) and where the industry was, plus what looks possible going into 2024. No use of crystal ball! I‘m not into predictions.

We‘ll start with the Glen Moray Phoenix Rising which is bottled at 40% abv.

Appearance: Rich gold and light amber tones with old brass and tawny highlights.

Nose: Soft, sweet spices; some vanilla custard and a touch of tropical fruits. Waxiness and fresh oak; polished wooden floor; cherries and almonds; soft caramel and slight pepper.

With water, softer and brings out more spice sweetness (allspice, nutmeg, ginger and maybe mace). Some wood char and still quite fresh. Left to sit a while much more toffee and brown sugar caramel waft from the glass.

Palate: Slightly mouth-coating; sweetly spicy; wood vanilla and marzipan. Peppery on the tongue; pink peppercorns. Dries the tongue and cheeks a little.

Finish: Medium length, spicy and warming. Dry at the end with some char notes.

I‘ve rarely met a Glen Moray I was not convinced by (though in the past a couple of wine finishes were not quite my thing) and this one is a gentle yet flavourful and very pleasant introduction to the distillery if you don‘t know it. That might be as problem if you‘re in the Uk as this expression is available only from the distillery shop but its main markets are France, Netherlands, Japan and South Korea. It‘s very appropriate for the end of a year and the beginning of a new one to use a mythical bird „which mysteriously burns at the end of its life, before being born anew“ as the company expresses it. New charred oak is rarely used at this distillery but certainly deserves to be if this is but one result. The Glen Moray here had initially been aged in bourbon casks, then transferred into the heavily charred virgin oak casks. I think you‘d have to agree the packaging is very stylish too with vibrant colour. The packaging for their Twisted Vine was similarly very vibrant and quite a stand out on shelf. Even if you read this after we‘ve merged into 2024, do try it to toast the new year if it‘s available where you live.

The other spirit (not yet whisky) I nosed and tasted recently was that intended to form the launch bottling (2025) from the Tiree Distillery on that very island. The guys have two sherry hoggies currently nurturing spirit that started off as follows:

Cask 1

14 Months in Ex-Bourbon Quarter Cask; 11 Months in Ex-Bourbon Quarter Cask  (2 different casks)

Both of the above transferred to Sherry Hogshead – 12 Months Maturation in Sherry

Cask 2

24 Months in 50L Virgin Oak; 21 Months in Ex-Bourbon Quarter Cask; 14 Months in Ex-Bourbon Quarter Cask (3 different casks)

All of the above transferred to Sherry Hogshead – 9 Months in Sherry Cask.

Both of these obviously have similarities but also definite differences, brought about by Cask 2 having had some time in virgin oak, being a little older and having less time in sherry wood. The colour on both is pretty much the same and both hoggies are first fill oloroso. Cask 1 has, on the nose, lovely raisiny and other vine fruit notes with soft vanilla custard, baked apples and pears, warm wooden floors and plenty of sweet spices. Water brings out a bit of orange zest and some waxiness. Baked fruits and spices persist with a little bit of sherry wood struck match notes. It gets richer and warmer as it sits in the glass. The palate is definitely still young but a cracking base to start from. Prickly on the tongue with sweet oak and spices; slight licorice and orange oil and some sherry wood sulphur. A touch of citrus pith bitterness and sweet oak on the finish. Short – medium finish at present but which I expect to get lengthier.

Cask 2 is more about soft toffee notes and golden syrup though slightly fresher and airier despite the longer ageing. Dark brown sugar plus vanilla and spiced apples. With water there are sweet white wine notes, honey and blossoms and even a touch of wine gums. On the palate it‘s qute drying, spritzy with sweet sherry oak notes. More citrus zest and coffee grounds bitterness. Less sherry sulphur but it‘s spent less time in sherry wood. Something slightly resinous too; wax and damp woods. Medium length and dry on the finish at present.

Both are definitely youthful but given this auspicious start I have high hopes for the end result. In 2024, both of these casks will be married before the inaugural bottling and I don‘t yet know what cask type that will be.

What have been my whisky highlights from all I have nosed and tasted in 2023? It‘s sometimes hard to remember past the more recent ones tried so better to look back all my notes of this year which include whiskies from overseas and England as well as Scotch. Well, I think the major one has to be the Cutty Sark Centenary Edition in which the youngest whisky was 23 years old and the whisky was so beautifully packaged in tribute to the blend‘s maritime associations. Loved it. The Wolfcraig 30 YO Premium Blend was another absolute beauty in terms of character and flavour. I did also enjoy the 14 YO Deluxe Blend but the 30 had it all for me. Another from Glen Moray was Twisted Vine Cognac Cask. I love what these people do with wood up there and look forward to more of their offerings in future. Fettercairn Warehouse 14 was a delightful example from the Aberdeenshire distillery. Back with blends, in March I got round to trying Chivas Ultis XX which was real treat from Sandy Hyslop at Chivas Bros. A last stand out for me was Bruichladdich The Regeneration Project grain whisky. Aromatic and delicious and put to good use at my whisky dinner in The Port Charlotte Hotel during Feis Ile. If Adam Hannett wants to play with this kind of thing again, I‘ll be waiting, glass in hand. Mention of that Islay dinner brings another highlight to mind. I‘ve so enjoyed doing those over the years. It‘s always stressful deciding the pairings of whiskies with the menu but it‘s always been worth it on the night to see them working well, to meet the diners and hear their views.

In 2023 some young Scotch distilleries launched their first bottlings, some others received planning permission and building works started. Some are still at planning stage. Sales were still largely good despite economic situations but the UK and Scottish governments continue to disappoint with their treatment of Scotch Whisky and, in Scotland, of the drinks and hospitality industries in general. Looking to the future, two drinks companies with Scotch Whisky interests have set up distilleries in China this year or at least have plans to do so and I hope to try more whiskies/whiskeys from overseas. We have other Scotch Whiskies to look forward to from young distilleries. Some whisky brands have changed ownership too so let‘s hope those changes are positive. There really is never a dull moment in this industry.

So, time to decide your drams to welcome 2024 and let‘s look forward to another fine whisky year, malt, grain and blend. All the best to you and yours for 2024.

Slainte,

Caroline

Hello everyone

Meant to be a couple of days earlier than this but life conspired against me.  A few weeks ago I received a sample of Kilchoman 16 Year Old. Good grief! It seems hardly any time since the distillery was opened but I guess I’ve just been around a long time. Also, I promised in a previous column that I would revisit Octomore 14.2 as it wasn’t my preference of the three received a little while ago so I’ve done that too.

Let’s look at Kilchoman 16 Year Old first. It’s bottled at 50% abv and is peated to 50ppm. Twenty-one casks were chosen, mainly bourbon with a little bit of ex-oloroso sherry.

Appearance: Rich old gold/light amber. Old brass and tawny highlights. Tears initially swift for a peaty Islay whisky of this age then slower, more clingy in the glass and more widely spaced.

Nose: Floral and leafy notes at first. Some barley sweetness and medium smoke. Ripe melon; touch of light vine fruit (baked sultanas) as well as orange zest and slightly overripe apple juice. With water, still fresh for a 16 year old whisky.The smoke and orange softens. Some wood char; spent embers, still slightly smouldering. Some caramel sweetness; chocolate roasted barley; waxy. Soft oak spices and a dab of vanilla. All balanced and quite mellow.

Palate: Quite rich smoke and charred oak with some sweetness. Hints of varnish and licorice. Richly roasted barley and coffee ground bitterness. Not too mouth-drying.

Finish: Long, smoky, wood char and a waft of sweetness.

Despite it being far more peated and at higher strength (which I softened by addition of water, obviously), I did re-try the Octomore 14.2 from Bruichladdich first as it’s a younger whisky. On this second run of nosing, I still found it youthful and quite light though I tried it on its own and not with its two “siblings” this time. I also found a touch of chocolate as well as a slight resinous note. More overtly peaty than the frst time and no spice except a little touch of mace. On the palate, the slight flatness I found last time was gone and I put that down to trying it right after 14.1 last time. I got a little more sweetness from barley and rich maltiness than before and more smoke with a char aftertaste. Plenty of char and toasted barley in the finish. It is long, though still a shorter finish than 14.1 in my view. It’s a good whisky and I did like it but it wasn’t my favourite of the three sent to me. However, I’m sure there will be plenty of you out there who prefer this one or 14.3.

End of last week, I received samples of two casks which will be those used for the first malt whisky release distilled on Tiree by Ian and Alain at Tiree Whisky Company. The spirit still has some time to spend in cask and will also go through a marrying process but I’ll do the nosing and tasting of the samples for my end of year piece. Good news for Tiree is that they offered the first 400 bottles of their first release as a kind of en primeur some weeks ago and the offer sold out in an hour and a half! Great encouragement. There will be around 900 bottles in the first release when it’s ready in January 2025 and the remaining 500 or so bottles will be offered for sale at time of bottling.

Douglas Laing & Co. are getting in early for Chinese New Year. It will be the year of the Dragon and they have several new bottlings to celebrate the Wood Dragon in 2024. The offerings from their Exceptional Cask Releases are an Old Particular Craigellachie 10 Years Old, an XOP Bunnahabhain 35 Years Old and an XOP Carsebridge 46 Years Old.

Each bottling has been distilled in a previous ‘Year of the Dragon’ in 2012, 1988 & 1976 as follows:

Old Particular Craigellachie Single Cask Single Malt – Vintage 2012: Year of the Water Dragon

XOP Bunnahabhain Single Cask Single Malt – Vintage 1988: Year of the Earth Dragon

XOP Carsebridge Single Cask Single Grain – Vintage 1976: Year of the Fire Dragon

The other offering is a Cask Strength edition of Rock Island, finished in fiercely charred ‘Crocodile Casks’ is announced. It’s, “Packaged in a unique crocodile skin premium tube, with artwork from renowned Asian designer and tattoo-artist, Milkabean. RRP: £55.00 / 65.00 EUR.”

Their tasting notes are:

“Nose

Experience ashy bonfire embers, grilled pineapple and soft peat smoke on the nose.

Palate

Anticipate waves of sea-salt, caramelised sugar and BBQ’d banana.

Finish

The finish has remnants of smoke with brown sugar, coconut and salted caramel.”

Sounds good to me but no sample this time. It’s usually a tasty dram so one to try if you usually like this range. It’s also not expensive.

News of another Douglas Laing offering arrived just too late for my last piece. It’s XOP Scallywag Tormore 35 Years Old limited-edition bottling. “As part of our 75^th Anniversary celebrations, this spectacular bottling is one of 285 available globally and is presented in the signature XOP glass bottle and black suede gift box along with a certificate of authenticity.  

Cara Laing, Director of Whisky commented: “This limited-edition Single Cask Single Malt is a celebration of time, skill and the artistry of whisky-making. A toast to luxury, a nod to tradition, and the perfect embodiment of our 75th Anniversary celebrations—this exceptional bottling is a testament to our commitment to excellence and one we are extremely proud to share.”

I was pleased to see them featuring Tormore here as its a brand I worked on years ago and it’s a delightful Speyside offering. If you get the right expression it’s great with chocolate cake or some chocolate desserts too. Their tasting notes are: “A sweet symphony of vanilla essence, decadent dark chocolate, and spiced oak on the nose. The palate delivers a velvety journey where juicy red berries dance alongside warming cinnamon spice and candied orange peel. The grand finale is marked by an elegant and enduring finish, leaving lingering hints of zesty orange and the indulgent essence of freshly baked fruitcake soaked in sherry.” That would do for me though the price is considerably higher than my current capabilities – retailing for £750.00/€866.00 on www.douglaslaing.com and in selected specialist retailers.

My last mention for this time is of Diageo partnering with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck as Creative Director for Mortlach single malt. I’m a big fan of much of Starck’s work in furniture and homeware design and we have a few pieces at home but found myself wondering what he and Mortlach were actually going to do together. What is the need here? The two quotes we have are:

“One of the most visionary contemporary creators, Philippe Starck, joins Mortlach as our true partner and we are proud to be the first Scotch whisky brand he has ever worked with. Together we will venture into creative new heights, reinventing what whisky will represent to a generation, reimagining and rebuilding the spirit of Mortlach.” – Pedro Mendonça, Diageo’s Global Reserve Managing Director  

Well, I have to say I’m no further forward as a result of reading these. I’m swithering towards pretension as both quotations are rather vague but I am intrigued so there’s a bit of excitement too. We’re told the MORTLACH x STARCK debut collection (of what – whiskies, accessories, events, other, all of these?) will be revealed in Spring 2024 so I’m certainly looking forward to finding out more.

I won’t be back till between Christmas and New Year so do enjoy the first part of the festive season (unless you’re in the U.S. and have already got Thanksgiving out of the way). See you later this month and have fun with your celebratory dramming.  

Slainte,

Caroline