Another month (well, nearly – it’s been over 3 weeks), another clutch of supremely awesome whiskies bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company. This time we’re bringing you whiskies from Brora, Arran, Tobermory, Tormore and Aberfeldy.
Sadly, one of these beauties has already sold out (no prizes for guessing which I’m afraid), but the rest are still available for your delectation:
The first new label this month is from a distillery that needs no introduction. Brora.
Brora – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) £379.95
24 bottles, 47.1%.
Pictured on this label is a nightmarish, demon-eyed big cat of some description breathing smoke from its nostrils. An homage to the smoky, untamed nature of this legendary closed distillery.
Sadly, all the bottles from this release sold out within literally minutes of launch. We’re trying to find more. Promise. You can however still buy a 3cl sample here.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: Smouldering, intensely oaky nose with hints of lemon, cracked black pepper and pine cones. Massive wood smoke and coal soot.
Palate: Maritime, oily palate entry with furniture polish, beeswax, hints of sticking plaster and anise, and a rich core of brooding peat. Very peppery and intense. A hint of Mezcal appears.
Finish: Long, slightly rubbery finish. Ginger, apple peel and smoke, hints of pine needle and baking spice.
Overall: An intense whisky – not for the faint of heart.
Next up is a cracking dram, at a cracking price, from a cracking distillery – Arran.
Arran: Moor Cask Strength whisky– £51
211 bottles, 49.1%
This label is chock-full of industry references. There’s a massive Eagle swooping down to have away the very bottle that’s pictured – this is a nod to the distillery’s history as the construction was initially delayed by a full three months due to the discovery of a nesting pair of eagles. You’ll also notice a couple of ladies marooned on the beach – that’s the illustrator herself, Emily, and a friend who regularly take holidays on the Island. They’re trying to flag down the Waverley Cruise Ship – the very last ocean-going paddle-steamer in the world which stops on the Island as part of its route. The palm trees on the label aren’t just artistic license either – there are an abundance of them on the island, due to the fact that the west-coast islands catch the gulf-stream.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: Citrusy, slightly coastal nose with a crackling, spicy malt note.
Palate: Hints of desiccated coconut, buttery malt, digestive biscuits and a touch of orange zest too. Maybe a little dark chocolate developing late palate.
Finish: Ends on cocoa, sweet, tropical fruit and hint more malt.
Overall: Gorgeous stuff: creamy, malty and full of character.
Third in this round is a cheeky little number from Tobermory.
Tobermory – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) £49.95
200 bottles, 53.8%
Tobermory Distillery is located in the town of Ballamory. The Head Distiller is named Archie. In his spare time, Archie is an amateur inventor. There are many multi-coloured houses in Ballamory, as well as a red shop, run by Suzie Sweet and Penny Pocket. These are facts, and they are indisputable*.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: Peppery, fruity aromas. Hints of cocoa butter, pine needle and allspice. A touch of chocolate-coated cranberry.
Palate: Rich, biscuit-y palate entry with a very fresh, coastal quality. Slightly oily in delivery with hints of baking spices, berry fruits and malt.
Finish: Long finish with cracked black peppercorns and exotic spice. Just a hint of candy floss on the tail.
Overall: A beautiful mix of spice and berry fruit with that classic coastal character…
Next up – a classic Speysider – Aberfeldy.
Aberfeldy – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) £64.95
155 bottles, 47.0%
Pictured on this bottle is legendary whisky writer, wit, raconteur, and owner of the most variable-length haircut in the world of whisky – Ian Buxton. Ian lives yards away from the Aberfeldy distillery, and is pictured here panning for gold in The Pitlie burn. This stream, running through the heart of the distillery’s land, has been found to contain gold in more ways than one, as it is also the water source for the distillery itself!
Look closely and you might be able to see a copy of Ian’s book – ‘101 Whiskies to try before you die’ in his top pocket.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: The nose offers up rich notes of runny honey and golden syrup, followed up by a mix of sweet cereals: porridge oats and a gristy barley character.
Palate: Creamy, cereal-lined palate entry with a macadamia nut character and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper. All the time there is a thick, malty core. Hints of juicy sultanas too.
Finish: Drying, oaky finish with a development of dried apricot and spice.
Finally – we’re off to Tormore Distillery.
Tormore – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) £69.95
226 bottles, 50.0%
Tormore is a distillery that tends to keep something of a low profile, with most of its spirit bound for Chivas Blended whiskies (specifically the ‘Long John’ brand popular in France and South America – I think you can see where we’re going with this).
In homage to this rather peculiarly-named blended whisky, we’ve transformed the (really quite pretty) distillery into a pirate ship, setting it to sail on the seas of malty goodness. Something like that. Look, it’s a pirate ship – that should be enough. There’s a parrot on there too.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: Quite a herbal, rich nose with hints of peppermint and confectioner’s sugar. A touch of maple syrup, apple peel and creamy Greek yoghurt.
Palate: Thick, vanilla-led palate entry with a solid core of woody spices (particularly nutmeg). Develops with dried raspberries and banana milk. A hint of pepper.
Finish: Peppery, fruity finish with dried cranberries and redcurrant jelly.
Overall: A lovely development of red berries arrives late palate. Jolly good stuff.
In the most recent slew of bottlings, we also launched a second batch of the stonkingly good Port Ellen. This also sold out in minutes, but again – samples are available on the product page should you feel the need to see what you could have won.
For those of you who’ve been asking / clamouring / threatening us with mischief if we don’t do more – there are second batches of the Aultmore, Clynelish, Bowmore, Springbank and Auchentoshan in production as we speak. I’m assured that these will be available by this time next week.
Finally – if anyone reading this is going to the Universal Whisky Experience in Vegas this week – come and seek Tom and me out – we’re on stand number two. I can’t guarantee we’ll be anything other than jet-lagged, vegas-addled husks by the time the show rolls around, but at the very least, you’ll get to taste some kick-ass whiskies and see the stand graphics. They’re quite something.
*They are neither facts, nor indisputable.