Another basket of blends and unknown malts


July 13, 2023

Another basket of blends and unknown malts

There's more around. Apparently, either you buy or build your own distillery, or you create and market your own brand(s) of blends. Or you do both. The trick is not to bore us, humble consumers, to death.

Pete and Jack, originally published March 31, 2017

Blended Scotch Whisky 5 yo 2017/2023 (57.1%, Watt Whisky, blended Scotch, 2023)

This one's nicknamed 'a tale of two cities and a wee toon'. Not too sure what that is, what's sure is that the 'Wee Toon' is the nickname of Campbeltown. Colour: light gold. Nose: fresh, malty, appropriately herbal, with good vanilla and whiffs of fresh-broken branches, then paraffin and soot, which would remind us of that malt starting with 'S'. With water: smoked meats and fish (moderately), porridge and sourdough, damps ashes, roots and wax. Carrots! Mouth (neat): bright and very citric, with a mineral and slightly petroly fatness coating all that. Gets a little bitter… With water: no, it's perfect now, sooty, lemony, and in my opinion, partly 'S'. Unless I'm wrong this time again. The dough is not 'S.' though. The grain is anecdotal. Finish: long, sooty and doughy. Comments: very excellent given that it's 'just a blend'. The best use of grain whisky ever. This should become a permanent expression.
SGP:552 - 86 points.

MacNairs 10 yo 'Lum Reek Cask Strength Batch 2' (55.8%, OB, blended malt, sherry casks, +/-2023)

A blend by Glenallachie's famous Billy Walker. It does come with a story and, apparently, with some peat. Colour: gold. Nose: smoke and soot and ashes and dough and tons of bacon. With water: lemon peel, grass, plasticine, hand cream, garden bonfire. Mouth (neat): Islay. That's the thing, when you add 5%, you feel it. When you add 10%, it's smoky. And when you add 20% and beyond, it's a peater. With water: an excellent, crisp, chiselled, uncomplicated citrusy peater. Finish: long and peaty. Zillions of companies are having such peaty blends these days, but I believe this one's particularly, err, peaty. And good. Walnuts and teas in the aftertaste, that should be the 'sherry'. Comments: of course it's good.
SGP:455 - 83 points.

NAS 17 yo (53%, Decadent Drinks, blended malt, sherry, 2023)

A multi-vintage blend of Aultmore with some blended malt. Let's see if it's become Aultless (as they would say at Ardmore – I know what I'm trying to say). Colour: golden amber. Nose: some rejuvenated or fresh American oak at play, it seems, as we're finding some coconut and vanilla, otherwise croissants and brioches. Not too sure at all, especially given that there's also some lovely muesli and porridge, Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams… With water: good fun, some aniseed biscuits, anis bredala (that's the Sponge's Alsatian input), Basler Läckerli (that's the Sponge's Swiss input), Stolle (that's the Sponge's German input)… Mouth (neat): firm, spicy, oaky, modern. Pepperz and bitter orangez. With water: back to spicy pastries, ginger, turmeric, also some green oak, green tannins, uncharred fresh barrique, cinnamon… Finish: pretty long, mainly on fresh oak spices. Comments: hard to say – and I swear I am not in the know at all – but it feels as if someone's been playing with fresh oak. Very good, naturally.
SGP:361 - 86 points.

How do you pique the crowd's interest and curiosity with new blends and no brand aura? When you cannot visualize a Distillery? A location? Some people? Even cats or cows?

Blended Malt 1996/2022 (43.5%, The Maltman, Or Sileis & Drunk Choice, sherry hogshead, cask #1633, 291 bottles)

Colour: amber gold. Nose: superb dried fruits, oriental bread, dried figs, beeswax, a pack of menthol cigarettes, dried longans and rambutans, raisins, pack of Camels… What could this actually be? I am asking you! Mouth: Edrington stock? Mint, tar, raisins, dried dates and figs, a drop of retsina wine, a drop of Cointreau, a tiny bit of Parma ham, a droplet of cognac, a hint of chocolaty propolis (which wouldn't exist in real life)… Awesome! Finish: medium, perhaps even a tad short, but complex, on dried fruits, more old cognac (did we mention old cognac before?) and just raisins. Comments: almost whiskygnac, or cognacsky, really. As you like, but the drop is top notch. Possibly not 'just a blend'.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Speyside Malt 12 yo 2009/2022 (57.5%, Buds & Barrels, hogshead, cask #174, 142 bottles)

Some undisclosed single malt from Speyside. The fact that this bottle seems to be about having fun in some way is much more interesting than the fact that it's 'another secret Speysider'. Buddies over barrels, anytime! Colour: white wine. Nose: the fact is, this is some good malty, doughy, average-in-the-best-sense-of-that-word malt whisky. In short, more fresh brioche, cider, ale and quince jelly. With water: cassata, melons, croissant and nougat. Mouth (neat): good, fruity, with sweets and syrups, toffee apples, some fruity spices (Szechuan pepper) and pink grapefruits. With water: sweeter and fruitier. Crystallised angelica and cherries. Fruit cake, doux/sweet cider. Finish: medium. More of all that, cakes and fruits. Comments: as they say, it's probably not totally earthshattering but it's jolly, pretty good.
SGP:541 - 83 points.

Oh, we were having this older one in the boxes…

Images of Dufftown 1988/2013 (53.2%, Malts of Scotland, 254 bottles)

From the old days indeed, I hope they're doing just fine at MoS! The Clock Tower on the label, could this be 'fiddich? Colour: light gold. Nose: these aspects that both Glenfiddich and Balvenie do share, mirabelles, pears, vanilla… Not much else to say, except that this is a 'seminal' style. Hope they won't lose it by using only very silly two-pence wine-seasoned casks. I mean, the distillers. With water: pilsner, preserved peaches, sourdough, plums, vanilla… I find this awesome. Mouth (neat): awesome indeed, with grapefruits, greengages, rhubarb, granny smith and white peaches. Very singular, and possibly part of the endangered species, according to several recent and pretty lousy official bottlings that I could try. With water: amazingly fresh and fruity, with ripe kiwis and lemons. Finish: medium, awesome indeed, fresh, tart, elegant. Granny smith and grapefruits. Comments: holy Suzy, nostalgia is striking, already! Isn't this wonderful style gone, gone, gone?
SGP:651 - 89 points.

A Secret Speyside 2007/2022 (62.8%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Kirsch exclusive, butt, cask #13910, 612 bottles)

I totally love it that they would have written 'FINISH: NONE' on the labels, congrats Ronnie, Doug, Jonny or whomever this concerns. F-that-S. Now whenever BB&R do a 'secret Speyside', that's usually Glenlivet. Colour: full gold. Nose: it could very well be Glenlivet, for it's all on cereals, cornflakes, cakes, honeys, sultanas, maple syrup and biscuits. And it's even noseable, at almost 63% vol. (which, in real life, should be lethal). With water: no changes, perhaps more ripe apples? Mouth (neat): grand but indeed, lethal. Some false route and your partner sends you to the hospital. With water: excellent, on wonderful apples, plums, honeys, cider, quinces… I'm sure it would be extremely good for the reputation of the Distillery if the bottlers could use the name on their labels. Finish: medium, mainly on artisanal cider. Comments: terrific, and wonderful after the secret Dufftown. Do we really have to count on the indies? Where are the distillers?
SGP:551 - 89 points.

Last one, peated one…

Islay Single Malt Peated (50%,, Hart Bros., +/-2022)

We've got zillions of un-named NAS peaters but let's have only one, just because we like to showcase Hart Bros. every once in a while for they are another old and seminal name. Plus, the price is fair, so the whisky should be fair (what???) It is a secret single malt (so Caol Ila, ha). Colour: white wine. Nose: nosing an ashtray with drops of lemon juice and some very chalky sauvignon blanc. Perfect. With water: wool, new jumper, perfect. Mouth (neat): crabs, oysters, green pepper, ashes, seawater and even more ashes. Simplistic, yet utterly perfect. With water: ashes, lemon amaretti cookies, seawater, oysters. That's four aces. Finish: awesome tart and gritty grassiness, lime skins, lemony smoke. Comments: well done Hart Bros., total and utter respect. What's more, no wine's been harmed or killed for the production of this wonderful peaty malt whisky. Bang-for-your-buck award guaranteed (should we ever do that). Buying alert.
SGP:466 - 88 points.

(Thank you, Tom)