{"id":38695,"date":"2021-06-24T16:00:31","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T15:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/post\/master-of-malt-tastes-lindores-abbey-first-whisky\/"},"modified":"2022-05-18T11:35:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T10:35:25","slug":"master-of-malt-tastes-lindores-abbey-first-whisky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/master-of-malt-tastes-lindores-abbey-first-whisky\/","title":{"rendered":"Master of Malt tastes\u2026 Lindores Abbey first whisky"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whisky’s coming home. The first Scotch whisky from <\/b>Lindores Abbey Distillery<\/b><\/a> is now available to the UK public, just 527 years after distillation was first recorded at the abbey in Fife back in 1494. Of course, we had to try it to make sure the dram lived up to its name…<\/b><\/p>\n

Sounds the trumpets and get drafting your social media posts. The first whisky from Lindores Abbey Distillery is here! Well, not quite here here<\/em>. But the distillery has revealed in the last week that the public will be able to pick up its first official core release on 2 July. It comes a mere 527 years after distillation was first recorded at the abbey in 1494. You can read the whole history here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Very excitingly, there’s not just one bottle, but two: the Lindores Single Malt Scotch Whisky MCDXCIV (1494) Commemorative First Release and the Lindores Single Malt Scotch Whisky MCDXCIV (1494). Both contain the same liquid, however, a Lowland single malt spirit, but the Commemorative release has a special label to mark the occasion. <\/span><\/p>\n

Co-founder Drew McKenzie Smith says the idea behind having two releases was informed by the auction market. “We want all our whisky to be accessible and enjoyed rather than only collected. We know a lot of it will be flipped. The collectors can buy the Commemorative bottle and for those who want to drink the whisky, for the same price they can have the core. Ideally, people would drink both”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lindores

Here it is: Lindores Abbey Single Malt Scotch Whisky MCDXCIV!<\/p><\/div>\n

The weight of expectation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Lindores’ colourful past presumably makes marketing and tourism easier than a Roman driving test. But it also adds a considerable weight of expectation. It’s rare anyone makes history in Scotch whisky anymore. But Lindores Abbey is doing just that with its first release. \u201cEverything has built up to this point. This is us getting to the top of the first mountain,\u201d says McKenzie Smith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To be honest, my hopes are high. I\u2019ve already peeked behind the curtain myself and learned of the brand\u2019s production process and it ticks a lot of boxes. The barley supply is unique, sourced from two neighboring farms a \u00bc mile radius from the distillery (a malting floor is also under consideration). The water source is historic, the same one the monks would have used. Fermentation takes place for a huge 117 hours in traditional wooden washbacks. The stills are designed to ensure lots of copper contact and there\u2019s been no expense spared on casks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe set our stall out to be a patient, premium quality process distillery,\u201d McKenzie Smith acknowledges. \u201cWe’re not going to start cutting corners because people will see through it. Good casks can mask some things, but not a badly made spirit. For any distiller, their new make is their DNA. If you taste the pure bourbon cask samples we have, you see that, in a drink where there\u2019s nowhere for the new make to hide, it really shines\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lindores

The distillery and the spirit may be relatively new but the story is the oldest in Scotch whisky<\/p><\/div>\n

Cheers to not taking the easy way<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fundamentally, this is a distillate-forward operation. What goes into the wood has been a priority for the family from the start, who resist a frustratingly common approach from new distilleries to talk about casks as if it\u2019s the only thing that defines a whisky\u2019s flavour.\u00a0 The estery, fruity <\/span>new make<\/span><\/a> quickly sold out when it was released and was also voted as the Best Scotch New Make by the World Whiskies Awards 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the decision to release <\/span>Aqua Vitae<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s a frankly commercially baffling choice when you consider how easy it is to make a few quid from more recognisable spirits like gin or vodka. But the move demonstrates that this is a brand that is more concerned with realising a legacy and creating authentic spirits with a story than it is with its bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings us to the whisky. The spirit is just over three and a half years old and was bottled at 46% ABV. It\u2019s matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and STR ex-Burgundy red wine casks, which you might recognise as a classic Jim Swan<\/a> formula.\u00a0<\/span>McKenzie Smith is keen to recognise his contribution in helping to get the distillery off the ground, consulting on cask quality, distillation style and more. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lindores

The new make was award-winning. Will the whisky follow suit?<\/p><\/div>\n

Whisky by committee<\/strong><\/h4>\n

But, sadly, Swan, died before any spirit flowed from the still. This meant McKenzie Smith and distillery manager Gary Haggart (formerly of Cragganmore) had to forge their own path. If you read my previous piece<\/a> on the distillery, you\u2019ll know Lindores Abbey had no shortage of cask types to choose from. The eventual combination was decided samples were test tasted across numerous tasting panels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This involved <\/span>key members of the team<\/span><\/a> including Drew and Helen McKenzie Smith, Haggart, sales manager Murray Stephenson, and Lorna Baez, a Chilean native with a degree in food science who applied to be a chef and ended up becoming a blender. It was a democratic process in which everybody made anonymous picks to whittle down the selection. Eventually, there were just five possible drams that everybody agreed would all be worthy choices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like the Euros. All the teams at this stage were great quality but somebody has to get knocked out,\u201d says Stephenson. \u201cA unanimous pick resulted in the whisky we\u2019re tasting now. We didn\u2019t know what we were looking for as we were stretching the surface of something that had never existed, and yet everybody had this connected feeling of aiming for something that \u2018felt Lindores\u2019. A rich, creamy whisky with mouthfeel that tasted older than it was. There was definitely a eureka moment\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lindores

Will it prove to be worth the wait?<\/p><\/div>\n

High hopes<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the future, you can expect a lot of special releases in small numbers showing off the numerous exotic cask types. There will always be a core range, however, very much in the Kilchoman model of doing things. What you won\u2019t see is traditional packaging. The founders were concerned they encourage flipping and are rarely disposed of responsibly. What they\u2019ve lost as a platform to convey information has been replaced by a QR code on the bottle. \u201cIt\u2019s not as detailed as say Waterford who will tell you the name of the farmer\u2019s daughter, but there\u2019s still quite a lot of information out there for those who do love to get geeky,\u201d says McKenzie Smith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The brand is proud to make Lowland whisky, although the distillery does possess the unique quirk of being on land which actually borders on the Highlands too. The Lowland\u2019s ranks are swelling with an influx of new blood, but Stephenson underlines that the distillery feels it\u2019s adding something different to the scene. \u201cYes, it\u2019s light and unpeated like the Glenkinchie\u2019s of this world, but it\u2019s also got this full-bodied, fruity complexity and richness\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which gives us an idea of what to expect. As does the new make, which is creamy, slightly grassy, and fully orchard fruit sweetness. It\u2019s hard for the expectation to not be informed by the story too. This is the same barley, sunshine and, water as the monks would have used half a millennia ago. It’s exciting to taste history. The distillery has a production process that prioritises quality. It’s thrilling to try the fruits of that labour. But despite all of this, what\u2019s in the glass matters more than any story, no matter how compelling. And Lindores Abbey has nowhere to hide now. The reviews are in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lindores

The whisky will be available from MoM Towers at some point in the near future…<\/p><\/div>\n

MoM tastes…\u00a0 Lindores Abbey first whisky<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Well, my review at least (I’m sure they’re on tenterhooks) and I’m pleased to say it’s the attention to detail has paid off. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Combine quality\u00a0casks with a well-made spirit and you won’t go wrong. This is an engaging and moreish whisky. The balance of the casks is good. The influence of the STR is here but is measured, the sherry gets a little ahead of itself at times but brings plenty to the table and the bourbon stands proud at the centre, throwing down the welcome mat for the new make with gusto. The former two need more time I think but early signs are promising.<\/span><\/p>\n

The immaturity of youth rarely rears its head. It’s approachable for its strength. This is a well-composed dram. I\u2019d doubt if anyone would place this as being just over three years old.\u00a0Remove that rough edge and let time add an extra layer of depth and you’ve got a corker. Full tasting note below.<\/span><\/p>\n