Two Islays, A Fettercairn, A Dalmore & A Tiree Update; Whisky Bar of the Year

Hello everyone

First of all, an update on the upcoming whisky from Isle of Tiree. The guys there were kind enough to send me another sample to look at before their first bottling is launched in January. Without going into my full tasting note, I can says it‘s coming along nicely. Two separate vattings which will be used for the final single malt bottling were put together before re-racking into a 2nd fill sherry cask a few weeks ago. Now, that sherry cask will make a bit of difference to a young spirit like this and my sample was before that re-racking but the signs are distinctly positive. I‘m looking forward to tasting the final version.

Back in the summer, I was honoured again to be asked to be an independent judge for the Scottish Licensed Trade News Awards, looking at the finalists for Whisky Bar of the Year. Myself and fellow judge were all over Scotland to see the 6 finalists and ask questions. I don’t have to keep the result secret any more as the winner was announced at the awards banquet on 7th November, brilliantly hosted by James Corden. A worthy winner was Tipsy Midgie at 67 St. Leonard’s Hill in Edinburgh. I first saw this entrant a few years ago when it was a fairly recent opening and we all felt it wasn‘t quite ready at that point. However, it has developed its offering so well in the intervening time. The other two which made the final cut were The Pot Still in Glasgow and The George Hotel in Inveraray. Both of them have been previous winners and are truly excellent whisky bars. It was close amongst all three.

I said I‘d cover more of the Ferg & Harris sample pouches that were sent to me a few weeks ago. I‘ve chosen to do one which is a peated Bunnahabhain and do so alongside the latest Sanaig offering from Kilchoman which arrived only on Friday before I ran away to attend an Italian (in fact, Puglian) wine tasting.

Let‘s look at Kilchoman Sanaig Cask Strength 2024. A bold one at 57.8% abv and 50ppm of peat level.

Appearance: A rich amber with tawny and orange highlights and some brown tint too. Tears achingly slow and clingy – the rim pretty much a solid line after first swirls round the glass. Spacing not too wide.

Nose: Controlled smoke and brown sugar sweetness; dark caramel. Toasty oak. Roasted plumsand a hint of wax. Richly roasted barley. Char and tar plus a little creosote. With water and letting it sit longer, more brown sugar caramel and treacly sweetness; coconut cream and warm engine oil.

Palate: Distinct oiliness; light-heavyweight mouth feel; oil fumes in the throat; bonfire smoke, char and tar but also wood swetness. Salt water; slight pine resin; earthy; the smoke is still quite controlled but a definite presence.

Finish: Long, resinous, smoky and dry.

For this bottling Kilchoman used the usual Sanaig maturation recipe but didn‘t dilute it to 46%. The finishing was in oloroso sherry hogsheads. I‘ve found a range of prices from about £67 up to almost £80 at UK pricing. This one is available in Europe now but other markets may have a little longer to wait.

Now on to Ferg & Harris Bunnahabhain 14 Year Old. Again, I didn‘t look at their notes before doing my own and was surprised to find this is a peated Bunnahabhain. It‘s at 54.7% abv and matured in a 2nd fill oloroso hogshead with 3 months finishing in a Sauternes barrique. I was intrigued to see what this combination had done to the whisky.

Appearance: Shining tawny with old brass and old gold highlights. Tears are slow and clinging like tinned fruit syrup. Fairly widely spaced.

Nose: An intriguing smokiness; ash and bonfire smoke; salty sea air; smoked ham. Baked apples and smoky honey. A lightness for its age but the maturation was 2nd fill sherry nd the sauternes cask will have contributed to that. Light peat with some maltiness and vegetal notes. With water, softer with more sea air; salted potato crisps; potato cooking water; more fruit and honey; golden syrup.

Palate: Medium – heavy mouth feel. Much smokier and peatier than on the nose. Richly roasted barley; licorice and salt. Not so fruity on the palate as it was on the nose; savoury spices, tar fumes and ashes.

Finish: Long, peaty,smoky, ashy, salty and dry.

Interesting to compare these two. There‘s no age statement on the Sanaig. In terms of preference, I think the Sanaig does it for me though the Bunnahabhain is a decent dram. I just preferred the Sanaig‘s element of sweetness. There are two more from Ferg & Harris to look at and both are from Craigellachie so I‘ll do those next time if there‘s room.

The third and final sample I have this time is Fettercairn 18 Year Old 2024 Edition at 46.8% abv. It‘s „fully finished in responsibly sourced Scottish Oak after initial maturation in first-fill and refill ex-Bourbon American White Oak barrels“.

Appearance: Rich, medium amber with tawny and orange marmalade highlights. Tears very slow and fairly widely spaced.

Nose: From the bottle, it‘s rich, fruity and warmly spicy with some caramel and milk chocolate. In the glass, rich and fruity again but clean, not cloying, sherry influence. Baked honey and apple. I couldn‘t detect any of the pineapple I often get in Fettercairn. With water, softer but not much change at first. Then more oak, peach nectar and brown sugars; golden syrup.

Palate: Medium mouth feel; warm spices, oak and earthiness. Plenty of tongue tingle. Drier than expected and a slight dab of sulphur. Citrus zest and pith. Slight dark chocolate bitterness and almonds.

Finish: Medium length, spicy, vanilla, woody and dry at the end with a touch of marzipan.

I‘m not overly fond of the standard Fettercairn 12 year old finding it pleasant but a tiny bit bland. I prefer it at older ages. This one does a fine job but at a suggested price of £212.

Fettercairn‘s owner, Whyte & Mackay, has also recently launched The Dalmore Vintage Collection 2024, offering two expressions – The Dalmore Vintage 2009 and The Dalmore Vintage 2006. The Dalmore Vintage 2009 is a 15 Year Old Single Malt, 48.9% abv, £173 RSP and The Dalmore Vintage 2006 is an 18 Year Old Single Malt, 47.2% abv, £403 RSP. In the 2009, flavours have been created from an initial maturation in American white oak ex-Bourbon barrels, followed by a dual finish in hand-selected matusalem sherry casks and 10 Year Old tawny port pipes. As for the 2006, it has been matured in American white oak ex-Bourbon barrels and finished in hand-selected rare and aged matusalem, and amoroso Sherry casks. Both should be opulent whiskies and their tasting notes certainly lean that way. Find out more on https://www.thedalmore.com/en-gb/our-collections/limited-editions/ .

Well, that‘s it for this time. I already know there‘s more to write about at end of the month so I‘ll be back soon. Till then, happy dramming.

Slainte,

Caroline