New Scottish Cats Special, Part Two


October 18, 2023

New Scottish Cats, Part Two (indies)

There's really myriads! Maybe should we get less busy with old Port Ellens and Broras, and focus more on these new names…

Old Annandale Distillery (Annandale)

Glasgow 5 yo 2017/2023 (50%, The Independent Selection, butt)

Another Glasgow 2017 by Kate and Mark Watt, bottled last year, had been particularly excellent (WF 86). Colour: amber/copper. Nose: first prominent struck matches and gunpowder, then a little gas and walnut skins, then roasted peanuts and a lot of black nougat. In theory, water will erase any gunpowder that would be left. With water: not totally, but it's more on burnt cakes and roasted nuts for sure. Summer truffles. Notes of aged genever (oude) and aquavit too. Mouth (neat): extremely nutty and nougaty. Loads of that thing they make in Andalusia, turon (and of course, sherry). I find it pretty amontillado-y, in fact. With water: some metal, some leather, and bags of walnuts. It became almost basaltic (are there any volcanos around Glasgow?) Finish: medium and pretty leafy. Tobacco and truffles. Comments: It's a style that doesn't appeal to everyone, but I know there are passionate enthusiasts who love it. We'll remain somewhat positively neutral, after all I've got Swiss ancestors.
SGP:362 - 84 points.

Perhaps another one from that new series and from the Lowlands…

Annandale 7 yo 2015/2023 (50%, The Independent Selection, butt)

Colour: gold. Nose: rather gas and cabbage and leek soup this time, but in moderation. Some sourdough, yeasts, brown ale, muesli, then Maggi, marrow quenelles, umami, glutamate… Rather shadow and light this time. With water: oils, plasticine, sunflower seeds, stearin, old banknotes… I like this, even if it's a tad deviant. But as Frank Zappa used to say ,'Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible'. Mouth (neat): old-school dry sherry, salty, extremely leathery, with the strange feeling of having eaten your cigarette while you were meant to smoke it (if I remember well). With water: sunflower oil, bitter herbs and ultra-dry herbal liqueur. I'm reminded of Underberg here and there. Finish: long, dry, bitter. Eggplants and artichokes. Comments: tough, extreme guy, but I like it better than the Glasgow. Those passionate enthusiasts we've mentioned before will love it.
SGP:262 - 85 points.

Why not another indie Annandale 2015…

Annandale 8 yo 2015/2023 (53.6%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon barrel, 228 bottle)

This one should be relatively cleaner… Colour: white wine. Nose: starts with pear cider (we call it poiré in French) and a lot of sweet barley, sweet maize too, sweet polenta, some nougat… Moves towards popcorn then, white chocolate, and just proper croissants. Proper croissants means a lot of butter but no icing sugar, no almonds and no raisins. C'est compris? Lovely soft nose. With water: malted barley, porridge, muesli and Golden Grahams. For breakfast. Mouth (neat): very fine, lemony this time, a tad fizzy perhaps (lemonade), with a little cinchona in the background and some smoke. It's peated, was it not? With water: sweet, lemony, with a grassier smokiness. Preserved pineapples coming out. Finish: medium, on the same notes. Lemons and a little pineapple over ashes. More ashes yet in the aftertaste. Comments: the opposite. Gentler, softer, less controversial and just as good. Don't Annandale do both peated and unpeated?
SGP:653 - 85 points.

Perhaps Chivas's Dalmunach?

Dalmunach 6 yo 2016/2023 (57.1%, Watt Whisky, amontillado finish, 456 bottles)

Right, first, we love amontillado, and second, this is barely a finishing with 22 months of extra-maturation, is it. Colour: straw. Nose: some deeper, yeastier porridge at first, then pretty massive notes of fresh rubber, sauna oils, compost and Marmite, all that from the sherry, I suppose. Walnut wine too, 25-box of big cigars, horse saddle, a lot of pipe tobacco, Barbour grease, more yeasts… Boy is this spectacular. With water: nitrogen, potash, potting soil… This is all extremely singular. Mouth (neat): what a cask that was! Heavy pepper, two tonnes of lemon zests, extreme walnuts, cumin and nutmeg, cinnamon rolls… With water: more cinnamon rolls yet, and bags of walnuts. Finish: very long, back on caraway and cinnamon. Crude cocoa beans in the aftertaste. Comments: I know we must be judging the cask here. And? Poe's own dram (ooh that's smart, S.)
SGP:363 - 89 points.

Another 6 years old and we're done…

Ardnamurchan 6 yo 2016/2023 (61.2%, James Eadie, wood refill barrel, cask #911, 262 bottles)

Another very smart bottling by James Eadie, I would suppose. It's true that Ardnamurchan is one of the Rolls-Royces of the new Scottish distilleries (just a private joke, don't bother). Colour: white wine. Nose: riesling and rhubarb, with a gentle smokiness, plus woodruff and a little borage. Impeccable, no novel needed (as if I could write any…). With water: farmyard, hose stable, barley, fuel oil… Mouth (neat): of course it is a little strong, hot, even burning, but grapefruits, ashes and smoked lemon yoghurt (should anyone ever try to make that) are already there. With water: and there. A few pears from youth, perhaps, otherwise ashes and citrus. It's less greasy now. Finish: medium, relatively gentle, refreshing, coastal, pure… One oyster with a little lemon juice and a drop of tabasco in the aftertaste. Comments: I'm sure there are oyster farms near the distillery. I'll have to ask.
SGP:554 - 87 points.

Check the index of all new distilleries we've tasted so far