Our taster bottle for July was aged and bottled by the cask-gobbling beast that is Gordon & MacPhail, a 20 year-old Macallan distilled in 2004, marketed under the modified name of “Speymalt” due to the independent bottling.
This one promised to be fantastic, a big sherry bomb at 59.1%, and did not disappoint. Chocolate was the word of the day during this sampling. Good Macallan is hard to come by at an affordable price these days, so we’ll take it! Sourced from Alberta, with some still available at the low low price of $500 +tax. Darn Lovely!
Arran distillery is one of few distilleries on the Isle of Arran, nestled in a firth between the west coast of the Scottish mainland (near Glasgow) and the 40-km-long Kintyre Peninsula that is home to Campbeltown.
The distillery was founded in 1994, however, its construction was not completed until 1995 due to a delay related to nearby nesting golden eagles, which are a protected species in Scotland. It opened in 1995 and we have the pleasure of trying one of its first 25-year offerings, Arran 25. This bottle boasts a beautifully designed wooden case, and the whisky is held in the classic Arran-style bottle, slightly wider at the top than the bottom. 46% ABV and sourced from Alberta for an all in-cost of $630 CAD. We liked it, as well as the price for 25 year-old whisky!
Distiller’s tasting notes:
Nose: rich oak, gentle nutmeg. Baked ripe figs, sultanas and black cherries.
Palate: fruit cake with toasted almonds and cinnamon. Zesty oranges and mandarins mellow perfectly with manuka honey, muscovado sugar, baked apricots and an interesting white pepper note.
Finish: creamy and spicy with dark chocolate, walnuts and dark fruit compote.
The fifth and final bottle from our 15 year anniversary. Port Dundas 43 – distilled June 1, 1974! Bottled by independent bottler, The Exclusive Grains, with only 228 available. There is very little out there about this rare bottle, from a closed and demolished (2011) Lowland distillery, which once was the largest in Scotland. From our perspective, this was a light and easy-going dram, with some vestiges of vanilla, and definite cereal and herbal tones. A whopping $2300 CAD average on Whisky Base!
What a pleasure to sample these 5 great bottles this past January, now concluding our “139 years in the barrel” journey.
Taster #4 from our 15th Anniversary prestige whisky extravaganza, leaving only 1 more reveal for that total of 139 years in the barrel! Do the math, this means our 5th and final taster was a whopping 43 years old (post coming soon)!!
Check out Cadenhead’s Strathclyde 31, a single grain whisky from the Scottish Lowlands. It was aged in ex-bourbon casks, with heaps of vanilla ice cream and pecan pie on the nose, and subtly spicy, orange chocolate on the pallet. Sounds scrumptious, and it did not disappoint!
Strathclyde distillery opened in 1927 and its production primarily goes into blends. It is currently used in Chivas Brothers offerings and owned by Pernod Ricard. There are very few bottlings of straight-up Strathclyde ever made, all from independents. One of a kind, ours was bottled in 2020. Couldn’t have an anniversary without another new distillery to the club, at an impressive 31 years old!
A lovely pre-pop photo, chilling in a snowbank just waiting for us to crack into it!
Our third selection for our 15-year anniversary was “A Marriage of Casks” Bunnahabhain 27, from the Single Malts of Scotland range bottled by Elixir Distillers. This is a small batch vatting of 4 refill bourbon hogshead casks bottled in 2018. Apparently, the bourbon influence is front and centre! Rich, fruity, complex, balanced and buttery with spicy notes. Round and beautiful. It has an average price of $786 CAD. A unique and limited quantity run – a hogshead generally holds 250 liters, meaning less than 1000 liters of this nectar were ever available!
Taster #2 from our 15th Anniversary line up, inching closer to that total of 139 years in the barrel!
From the Glenfiddich web site: “The finest flavours of Scotland and France have been fused together to redefine moments of celebration and create a new extraordinary drinking experience.”
This exclusive expression has been matured for 23 Years in American and European Oak casks and elegantly finished in rare French Cuvee casks.
Colour: Deep Gold (Mark loves gooooooold) Nose: Apple blossom, freshly baked bread, candied lemon Taste: Layers of rich vanilla oak, sweet brioche, sandlewood, pear sorbet and white grape Finish: Long, opulent, sweet 40% Abv.
The 15th anniversary of ETKW did not disappoint! 139 years of skilled patience went into aging the 5 highly sought after drams featured by the Club on January 28, 2023.
Our youngest selection was Laphroaig 15, which was a regular product offering in the 1990’s. Its discontinuance was met with harsh reaction in the whisky world as it was very popular among lovers of Islay. We sampled a revived limited edition created to celebrate Laphroaig’s 200th year. Considered highly collectible, it was one of the most sought-after whiskies of 2015. Full-bodied, rich and balanced, with an average listed value of $670 on Whiskybase.
Stay tuned as we highlight 4 further age statement bottles selected to celebrate ETKW’s landmark 15 year anniversary, for a total of 139 years in the barrel!
