Distilleries produce the spirit and, to a large extent, they sell it under their own brand name. There are, however, many other companies that will buy a cask, or casks, from a distillery and then re-sell under their own branding. These are called Independent Bottlers (aka Indies). Why do they do this? Sometimes it is to use orphan stock from the distilleries i.e. a barrel that the distillery has no use for. Maybe they can’t use it or don’t want to if it doesn’t fit the distillery flavour profile - they are, after all, seeking consistency. Sometimes Indies will buy to sell as a single cask offering, maybe a barrel strength offering, sometimes to make their own individual blend. They can choose when they will release the whisky, how long it will be matured, what finishes will be used, chill filtered (sacrilege!), or not. Sometimes they will declare which distillery their bottling originates from, sometimes it will be kept a secret; sometimes the distillery will not allow their name to be used. The Indie can also choose how much profit they are going to make, but in general they offer good value and give us the opportunity to get a different take on many of our favourite whisky brands.
Tonight’s theme entitled “Independently Happy” gave us the chance to try five Indie bottlings. Were we collectively happy? Read on…




GLENGOYNE 7 YO KEITH BATCH 4, 24YO – Bottled by Douglas Laing at 46%. £37 a bottle.
A highland single malt with a very light straw colour, had obviously been nowhere near a sherry cask. Aromas of lemon, grass, vanilla and a slightly acrid alcohol showing its youthfulness. Very light to taste with honey and citrus fruits followed by alcohol burn and finishing with a bitter lemon aftertaste. Addition of water, mellowed the alcohol burn, but also took away a lot of the character.




GLENLOSSIE 16YO – Bottled by Gordon & Macphail at 46%. £58 per bottle
Glenlossie is a Speyside distillery just south of Elgin. Single Malt, finished in a sherry cask giving the typical dark fruit, raisins & fig aromas – although not heavily sherried, so maybe a refill cask. A creamy fudge taste with dark fruits, finishing with sweetness and a lingering spiciness. Adding a few drops of water, made the finish very drying and a little unpleasant for some.




LINKWOOD 17YO – Bottled by Signatory at 46%. £50 a bottle
Linkwood is another Speysider and also very close to Elgin. This was highly anticipated by the author, as two previous official distillery releases had been very impressive. Quite floral to smell with some woodiness and a little mustiness, but not unpleasant. Some felt that the nose was disappointingly weak. In the mouth, a very different experience, with loads of character, very fresh with honey, light fruits, spiciness and slight salt. A medium length finish with notes of spice and wood.




BENRINNES 17YO – Bottled by Gordon & Macphail at 46%. £51 a bottle.
Another one bottled at 46% - is there a sub-theme going on here? Yet another single malt Speysider and again not too far from Elgin. Finished in a sherry cask, this had dark fruits, and caramel on the nose and, in the background, a little mustiness; some even detected a slightly sulphurous note. Full bodied to taste, with plenty of sherry flavours, vanilla and oak leading into a sweet, spicy finish with tobacco there as well.
CORRIEMHOR CIGAR RESERVE, NAS – Bottled by Fox Fitzgerald at 46%. £47 a bottle
There is very little information about this whisky, no age statement and no distillery information. It has been matured in a mix of sherry cask and bourbon wood and the blurb says it compliments a good Cuban cigar. We’ll have to take their word for that. The sherry is very evident in the nose and the taste with dark fruit, oranges, Christmas pudding and sweetness both in smell and flavour. There may even have been a hint of smoke in there. Finish was spicy with a lingering sweetness - straying very close to bourbon territory.


How did they fare? Very close for the top three with just 6 points in it.


1st Place – Corriemhor Cigar Reserve, just one point ahead of
2nd – Linkwood 17YO
3rd – Benrinnes 17YO
4th – Glenlossie 16YO
Wooden Spoon – Glengoyne 7YO​

Twice a year we have a blind tasting - tonight was the first of this year with Jo,  our longest-standing member choosing whiskies to challenge our tasting skills, or maybe to expose our paucity of knowledge?

So, how does a blind tasting work? First, Jo took a trip to Arkwright’s splendid whisky emporium near Swindon ( http://www.whiskyandwines.com ) and chose 5 bottles from their extensive range of over 800 whiskies. She then decanted her choices into unmarked bottles and brought them along to The Ram. Sometimes, we are given a few clues to help us along, but Jo is mean and we were given very little information other than there was a theme linking the whiskies. In a moment of compassion and 4 tots in she did tell us that one of them was a blend.

There’s a lot of fun to be had, having no guidance other than your sense of taste & smell, trying to guess the age, ABV, region, distillery and price. It also allows you appreciate the whisky without pre-conceptions about how good or how bad a whisky might be. Take a bottle of Glenfarclas 15YO and a bottle of Bells and, without tasting it, you just know which one you’re going to like most – you get my drift, right? A blind tasting can sometimes throw out surprising results.
 
Whisky No 1 – (Linkwood 12YO Flora and Flora range). Pale straw in colour with aromas of pear, tropical fruits and elderflower blossom. (Someone suggested alcoholic Lilt). A very smooth taste with pear and melon and a light spiciness developing into a very pleasant finish. A complex and pleasing tipple. A bottle of this would get emptied very easily -  but don’t try standing up too quickly afterwards.
 
Whisky No 2 – (Cragganmore 12YO) –  This one hinted of sherry cask (second fill maybe?) with sultanas and mustiness. A buttery mouth feel with light sherry coming through, some honey and a little saltiness as well. The short finish was spicy and warming with a drying bitterness at the end. Generally, felt to be lacking in character and depth.
 
Whisky No 3 – (Johnny Walker Green Label 15YO) – I’m not the biggest fan of JW whiskies, so disclosure came as quite a surprise. Smelling it gave hints of smoke, acetone, wood, damp grass and slightly medicinal notes. Tasting provided an enjoyable mix of smoke, dark fruits and some pear with a thick, viscous feel in the mouth (“chewy” was one description). A lingering finish of sweetness developing into saltiness. A very drinkable whisky – if you like a little bit of peat.
 
Whisky No 4 – (Talisker 10YO) – This one ratcheted-up the peatiness a notch or two and added quite distinct maritime influences – seaweed, old rope - that sort of thing. Definite salt and pepper on the taste buds and a little bit of sweetness balancing out the smokiness. A long warming finish rounds this off nicely. A classic malt.
 
Whisky No 5 – (Caol Isla 12YO) – No prizes were given for guessing where this came from - it shouts ISLAY at the top of its voice with characteristic peatiness and medicinal aromas. Smooth to taste, some oiliness and sweetness giving way to the peat and a lingering salty finish. There aren’t that many distilleries on Islay, so you would think that at least one of us would have got this right? Wrong!
 
At the end of the evening we independently rated the whiskies.
 
1st place – Linkwood 12YO Flora & Fauna
2nd place – Johnny Walker Green Label 15YO
3rd place – Caol Isla 12YO
4th place – Talisker 10YO
5th Place – Cragganmore 12YO
 
… and the theme linking them? Whiskies from Linkwood, Caol Isla, Tallisker and Cragganmore distilleries are constituent parts of JW Green label. All of them are part of the mighty Diageo empire.
 
Finally, the author humbly wishes it to be known that he takes back everything he has said about JW in the past and would now quite happily add a bottle of Green Label to his collection.

This month’s meeting was the first of the year and was due to fall on February 14th – Valentine’s Day. To avoid an outbreak of mixed marital arts (aka extreme violence) it was re-scheduled to the 7th.


Five excellent bottles were lined up for the tasting – no prizes for guessing the theme.
The Deveron 18YO
Glengoyne 18YO
Glenmorangie 18YO
Bunnahabhain 18YO
Talisker 18YO


The Deveron – Bottled at 40%. This is the latest brand out of the Speyside based McDuff distillery. Not to be confused with Glen Deveron which is, to help make things confusing, also out of the McDuff distillery. This is priced around £55 a bottle which is good for an 18YO. A nice golden colour the initial aromas are of light fruits and some creamy sweetness followed by a hint of liquorice and some floral notes. In the mouth notes of honey and wood came to the fore with a light, drying finish and spiciness at the end. Adding a few drops of water took away some of the woodiness and gave a buttery mouth feel.


Glengoyne – Bottled at 43% and around £70. A Highland distillery, although being just over 10 miles north of Glasgow it only marginally creeps in. Another golden coloured whisky this has been matured in sherry casks which give a distinctive aroma of darker fruits and sweetness. There was also a slightly musty, but not unpleasant smell. Drinking gave a little spicy kick at the back of the throat and some warmth. There was a bit of disagreement on flavour with some picking up on the sherry and others hardly noting it. A medium length warming finish with a little bit of sourness, drying at the end. It was generally felt that this whisky had a narrow flavour profile and not as complex as might have been expected for an 18YO.


Glenmorangie – Another Highland whisky, bottled at 43% and circa £85. Labelled as “extremely rare”. It isn’t hard to buy, so “extremely rare” must refer to the maturation process which is described on their website as “Fifteen years maturing in American white oak casks approximately 30% is transferred into Spanish Oloroso casks to spend a further three years maturing. Then, when both elements have reached 18 years, we blend them back together” Was it worth all that effort? Find out in the results of our tasting later in this report. A light golden hue with a very floral nose, some vanilla and sweetness. Very smooth in the mouth with notes of orange, some honeyed sweetness and a richness. Jo likened it to Tooty Fruity sweets! A long, complex and well-balanced fruity finish rounded this whisky off very nicely. Class in a glass.


Bunnahabhain – Around £80 a bottle and 46.3% ABV. Hailing from Islay, this is a re-introduced version of their traditional 18YO without artificial colouring and chill filtration. This is light copper in colour (I’m getting fed up of saying golden) and gives satisfying aromas of toffee, leather and a little wisp of peat. Tasting gives sherried notes with some saltiness and a warming spiciness. Quite a long finish with waves of spice and a little peat developing at the end.


Talisker – Bottled at 45.8% and approx. £75. World Whisky Awards named this the best single malt in the world 2007, so it has a lot to live up to. Coppery in colour there were a lot of interesting comments about the aromas – antiseptic, germoline, plasticine, linement were just some of the terms used! Some detected a little smokiness as well, someone suggested it smelt like Gloucester Royal. Don’t let it put you off, as tasting gives a complex fruity, salty and peppery experience and a long and salty finish with peat at the end. More class in a glass.


As usual we rated the whiskies at the end of the evening. There may have been a pre-conception that Talisker would be first past the post, but it was narrowly beaten into second place.


1st place – Glenmorangie
2nd place – Talisker
3rd place – Bunnahabhain
4th place – Glengoyne
5th Place – The Deveron


Tasting notes by Sean.

Guess The Mystery Whisky

The Ram Inn is holding a competition to Guess the mystery whisky. Simply buy a glass ofthe unlabelled whisky and answer the questions below to win a night for you and a friend of whisky tasting with the Stroud Whisky Club.

Clue: The Whisky is a Single Malt From Scotland.

1. Can you guess the region? (Lowland, Speyside,Campbeltown, Highland, Islay?)

2. Can you guess the distillery that produced this whisky?

3. How much do you think this costs per bottle?

Forms are available behind the bar of The Ram Inn (Woodchester).

Entry is subject to the purchase of a Shot (25ml) of the ‘Mystery Whisky’ and is subject to availability. The person with the most correct (or closest) info is the winner. In the event of a tie a tie breaker question will be set. 

June’s soirée was extremely well-attended and we were very pleased to welcome some new faces. For the regulars amongst us it was a great opportunity to re-try some of the most popular bottles from previous tastings; for the newcomers it was a great opportunity to venture deeper into the world of whisky trying a selection of different whiskies. As usual with this type of evening the structure was very informal and the discussions lively - getting more raucous as the evening went on and more of the amber volume juice was consumed ;-)
Interesting statistic – in the three years (nearly) that the club has been running we have tried over 100 different bottles of whisky from 17 different countries.
15 of those bottles turned up on the night and everyone was able to taste at least 5 of these. The whiskies were pooled into five groups of three bottles and everyone got to select one dram from each of the groups. There was also the opportunity towards the end of the evening to try another wee dram. Whiskies on offer were –


Group 1

• Auchentoshan - American Oak
  
• Glenfiddich 12
  
• Tullibardine – Sovereign
  

Group 2

• Glencadam 10
  
• Strathmill 14
  
• Glenfiddich 15 (Distillers Edition)
  

Group 3

• Deanston 17
  
• Ben Nevis 22
  
• Mortlach 18
  

Group 4

• Floki (Icelandic)
  
• Glen Els (German)
  
• Glendalough (Irish)
  

Group 5

• Highland Park - Dark Origins
  
• Lagavulan 12 Cask Strength
  
• Oban Little Bay
  

At the end of the evening a straw poll was taken and everyone asked to nominate their favourite whisky of the evening. Tying in first place were the Highland Park Dark Origins and the Lagavulin Cask Strength.


Next month’s theme will be American whiskies with some really excellent bottles on offer. Sadly, Donald Trump declined to attend, got some other commitments apparently, but we are working on a surprise. You’ll need to come along to find out.


Finally, a special mention goes to Tom, for his input to the website that stated “This is a social and informal way to try different males from around the world”. Not sure how many people turned up under a misconception;-) Tom assures us that it should have stated “malts” and he will no doubt blame his spill chocker or predictive toxt. We are not going to let him forget in a hurry!

May’s event was a blind tasting with a difference. The tasting was led by Sean, giving Tom the opportunity to take part without any prior knowledge of the whiskies being presented.  How did Tom do? We’ll get to that later!

The challenge this month was to identify the country of origin of each of the whiskies, the ABV, the type of finishing cask, the age and the price. Clues given –

• The whiskies are from five different countries – America, Ireland, Japan, Scotland and Switzerland.
• Two of the whiskies are NAS
• All whiskies are below £60 a bottle
• None of the whiskies had featured in any previous tastings at SWC

 
Bottle Number One – (Japan - Nikka Pure Black Malt, NAS, 43%ABV, £50 for 70cl and probably matured in Japanese oak – Nikka would not divulge)
Golden amber in colour with an earthy nose, some peat, some fruitiness and some sherry on the nose. Sherry and slight peat to taste with some sweetness. Finish faded quite quickly.

Bottle Number Two - (America - Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7YO, 49.5% ABV, £50 a bottle and matured in American white oak casks) 
A deep cooper/ light brown appearance with definite sweetness on palate and taste. Vanilla fudge and citrus fruit in there and some peppery notes. The medium length finish was warming with lots of spice with vanilla coming through at end
 
Bottle Number Three – (Scotland -  Auchentoshan American Oak, NAS, 40% ABV, £32 a bottle matured in American first fill oak casks)
 Bright gold liquid with aromas of vanilla, some wood and some fruitiness – coconut and banana maybe? This was quite light on the palate with vanilla ice cream notes and some oak. The finish was short leaving a drying, but not too unpleasant bitterness in the mouth.

Bottle Number Four – (Switzerland – Langatun Old Bear 6YO, 40% ABV, £56 a 70 cl bottle matured in ex-Chateauneuf-du-Pape casks)
Similar to bottle three this was bright gold in appearance. To nose it seemed to be a young whisky, with a quite strong vegetative smell something akin to turnip! A bit of woodiness as well. Tasting proved to be a bit more pleasant than the nose with a sweetish flavour of red berries and some tannin. Maybe a hint of smoke? The finish was medium length with sweetness and some smoke remaining.
 
Bottle Number Five – (Ireland – Glendalough 7YO, 46% ABV, £45 per bottle matured in first fill bourbon casks)
Another bright gold whisky with aromas of citrus fruit, floral and some warming spices. Quite spicy on the taste-buds as well with pepper, cloves and oakiness. A lingering finish with the warm spices and oak repeated.
This was a difficult challenge - how would any of us be able to identify a “Swissky”? The Irish whiskey was double distilled which is unusual as most Irish whiskies are triple distilled; the Auchentoshan is the only Scottish whisky that is triple distilled; the Japanese whisky was peated, which also isn’t very common.
So how did we do?

Two people got a creditable three out of five correct and two got two out of five correct. More importantly how did Tom do? Rather annoyingly he was one of the two that got three out of five correct.

Before the whiskies were revealed all had to give their personal rating for each whisk(e)y in order of preference and the results are as follows –
First place with 37 points – Nikka Pure Black Malt
Second place with 33 points – Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon
Third place with 22 points – Langatun Old Bear 
Fourth place with 15 points – Glendalough 7YO
Fifth Place with 13 points –Auchentoshan American Oak

When we think of Whisky producing nations we inevitably think of Scotland, Ireland, Japan; maybe some will also think of India & America. Wales and England just creep in because where we live we know about their whiskies – ask an American, ask a Japanese, ask an Indian - the chances are that they will never have heard of whiskies from England and Wales. There are many countries out there producing whisky (or whiskey) that even some whisky aficionados will not know about. Tonight’s tasting was an eagerly anticipated event where we would get a chance to try whiskies from Iceland, Finland, Germany & Holland. An Indian whisky was also thrown in for good measure.

The whiskies tasted during the evening were:

Tonight was a “No Age Statement” (NAS) tasting.  No age statement simply means that there is no age listed on the bottle itself. This is becoming more and more common and the controversy around the why’s and wherefores rages on and is sufficiently documented not to give it space here.

The line-up:

 Mortlach Old & Rare

 Aberlour A'bunadh (Batch 50)

 The Glenlivet Nadurra

 Fettercairn Fior

 Highland Park - Dark Origins


Mortlach Old & Rare – Bottled at 43.4% and retailing at just under £60 for a 50cl bottle 
made this the most expensive of our whiskies tonight. Light gold in colour with some sherry, dark fruit, honey and a hint of spice on the nose. Sweet to the palate with dark fruit again and some pepper leading to a slightly spicy medium finish. A few drops of water made the aromas less complex and diminished the taste, so not recommended!

Aberlour A'bunadh (Batch 50) – This is released at cask strength (59.6%) in limited run batches with the batch number being displayed on the label. Note that each batch can be quite different to the last. Batch 50 was rich, spicy and Christmas cake on the nose with a mouth-coating palate of dark fruits. A medium, very warming finish, with some dryness. Water opened up the aroma and the taste taking away some of the alcohol ‘burn’.

The Glenlivet Nadurra – A whopping 63.1% ABV matured in first-fill American oak 
barrels giving very distinct vanilla notes to the nose with maybe some pear on the top. 
Meatiness to the taste, alcohol, banana, water melons also there with a long lasting pepper finish. Addition of water mellows the alcohol nose and flavour allowing the other attributes to come to the fore and also releasing a slight smokiness?

Fettercairn Fior – Back down the ABV scales to 42% this is an award winning and highly regarded dram. A little meaty on the nose with some vegetative matter in there, also some butter, heather liquorice and a trace of smokiness. Tasting it reveals mellow sweetness, some fruitiness and smoke with a nicely balanced lightly-smoked finish. Adding a few drops of water didn’t seem to have much effect.

Highland Park Dark Origins – and finally at 46.8% this offering from HP, matured in 
“double first fill sherry casks” - their words not mine. Sherry comes to the fore, with dark fruits, some coffee and a slightly bitter chemical on the nose. In the mouth it’s sweet and peaty and very drying with some spiciness there as well. Adding water prolongs the finish, but it’s still very drying.

The Result - So, how did they compare to each other? In first place was the Aberlour, 
followed fairly closely by Fettercairn. Highland Park came in third, the Glenlivet Nadurra was fourth and, maybe surprisingly, Mortlach takes the wooden spoon; could this have been influenced by Messrs Diageo’s high price tag and the small bottle size?

​Notes by Sean.