Bruichladdich Greener Still Notes; New from The Dalmore; Gleneagles & The Glendronach
Hello everyone
Well, my promised sample of Bruichladdich Greener Still did turn up shorty after my last piece as posted so here are my own notes on this one. Just as a reminder, it‘s bottled at 51.6% abv and fully matured in former bourbon casks (first fill).
Appearance: Bright, rich barley gold with polished brass highlights. Tears very slow to form and run.
Nose: Dolly Mixtures - softly sugary. Ripe melon. Some vanilla and sweet oak wood (like fresh shavings). Fresh and floral with honeyed baked apples and pears. With water, soft oak and sweet orchard fruits more forward. Light maltiness more noticeable too. Icing sugar. Touch of caramel/toffee and milk chocolate. After being left in the near empty glass for a while, flashes of tangerine and green apple.
Palate: Silky texture but a bit peppery at first (despite plenty of water). Honey and apple; some wood tannins. Liquorice and a slight cherry bitterness. Dabs of vanilla and salt. Mild coffee grounds. Refined and complex – sit with it and savour over a while.
Finish: Quite long with vanilla from toasty oak with fruit sweetness and salt.
This liquid will have been distilled under the watch of Jim McEwan but the casks were chosen for the bottling by Adam Hannett. This makes a great combination for us all to drink. The bottling is available from www.bruichladdich.com and in specialist whisky retailers right now at a price of around £120 per bottle (UK pricing). There‘s no indication of how many bottles have been produced but do seek it out. You won‘t be disappointed.
Recent news from The Dalmore of the release of The Dalmore Distillery Select 2026. This series consists of whiskies that are non chill-filtered and bottled at natural colour. They say, „Each expression is finished in rare casks that perfectly compliment our signature style, and are nurtured until the whisky reaches its defining moment.“ This year‘s offering is a Semisecco Marsala Cask Finish Aged 14 Years, semisecco being literally „half dry“ or „off dry“ being the more usual format. Strength is 53.7% abv. As of this week, it‘s available only to members of The Dalmore Guild so if you‘re keen to have some, you‘ll need to join. It does mean you get exclusive offers or advance opportunities to purchase select whiskies. Drawback on this one is that it‘s £350 per bottle and you can buy only at the distillery or via the website at https://www.thedalmore.com/en-gb/distillery-select .
After 30th August, it‘s available to non-Guild members but only through the same sources. I must admit to being curious about the cask type and what it offers the whisky. 1,110 bottles have been produced so they may be around for a little while but not forever. The Guild also offers exclusive experiences for members at the distillery if you‘re looking to do a rather different type of distillery tour in Scotland.
My old brand, The Glendronach, has just announced a partnership with the Gleneagles Hotel. I‘m a bit wary of associating the brand with things that are rather grand as we always thought of The Glendronach as a bit of a secret (though we were increasing its sales), possessed of much integrity and authenticity and what we used to call in the team a whisky for „Lovers“ not „Flashers, lovers being lovers of the whisky itself almost no matter the packaging and flashers being those who needed all the flashy packaging clues to reassure themselves and flag to others what they were drinking. Having said that, The Glendronach has the degree of excellence that somewhere like Gleneagles shares and, reading the back story, this partnership seems to be a good fit. I‘d just hate it to become a „lifestyle“ brand which seems to be where Macallan is now. 
This new venture is „Moments from The Glorious Playground, a trilogy of single malt whiskies made in collaboration with The Glendronach... Released annually from 2026, each of the three bottles will artfully capture and celebrate the way Scotland casts its magic light on unforgettable moments...A Moment of Reflection launches in The Still Room on 1st September, the first of three limited-edition single malts. A Moment of Reunion and A Moment of Celebration will follow in 2027 and 2028, collectively celebrating a day spent at The Glorious Playground as an evening unfolds from The Shooting & Fishing Lodge, through to The American Bar, ending in The Ballroom.“ This is a 14 year old whisky, matured in former oloroso sherry casks. Please note that it‘s mainly available only to resident guests and members of Gleneagles to buy from The Still Room from 1st September 2026. This first bottle is priced at £160. A very small number of bottles will be available to non-guests via a ballot for which you can register. I have registered though I do think £160 is a bit steep for a 14 year old whisky, but then I haven‘t tasted it and it will be an exclusive vatting created by the excellent Rachel Barrie.
That‘s it from me for August. I‘m out and about over Scotland next week on a secret mission!
Till next time, happy dramming.
Slainte mhath,
Caroline
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