Dufftown Distillery is founded in 1895 as “Dufftown-Glenlivet Distillery”. It is currently owned by Diageo. This Speyside whisky is part of the component in Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd’s blended whisky. Dufftown distillery markets its single malt as Singleton of Dufftown.

This particular expression of Dufftown-Glenlivet is matured in an Oloroso sherry butt. It is likely distilled in the 1970s and bottled in the 1980s. It is one of those bottles which saw the expansion of the distillery from four stills to eight stills.

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Amber
ABV: 43%

Nose: Fresh blackcurrant (something like Ribena), dried fruits and definite sherry influence with hints of vanilla and toffee. (17/20)

Palate: Perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Sweet tropical fruits with vanilla essence coupled with juicy wood spice and beeswax. (18/20)

Body: Love it! Good balance of sweet berries with wood spice makes this a really pleasant drink. (34/40)

Finish: Medium to long finish. Tangy orange zest with fresh gentle wood spices lingers. (17/20)

Total Grade: 86/100

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Royal Brackla Distillery has a long history that dealt with Kings and Queens. It started with the Highland whisky winning the heart of King William IV of the United Kingdom. Captain William Frasers of Brackla House founded Brackla Distillery on the estate of the Cawdor Castle in 1812. After King William IV chose the Brackla whisky as his whisky for the Royal Court, the distillery was granted a Royal Warrant. This precious warrant allowed the distillery to wear the word “Royal” in its name, making it one of the three distilleries ever honoured with such a title.

This particular Royal Brackla expression is bottled specially for John Bisset & Co. and made available only in the Italian market.

Tasting Notes:

Colour: White Wine
ABV: 43%

Nose: Freshly cut grass with aromas of wild flowers and spicy toffee opens the nose. A little peat comes through as you nose it longer. (18/20)

Palate: Sweet toffee comes through with the first sip, with bbq meat sauce becoming more evident as you savoured it. Slight smoke but yet grassy and mellow on the palate. (17/20)

Body: Well balanced with a good mix of smoke and grass. A pleasant old style malt. (35/40)

Finish: Short finish. Pleasant toffee sweetness lingers just a while. (17/20)

Total Grade: 87 /100 

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September is coming right up! As we draw nearer to the end of the year, things are also dwindling to a slower pace. This is the best time to start planning for December holidays with a dram or two. In anticipation of the slower pace this coming month, Whisky Butler is launching 4 new independent bottlings from The Single Cask (TSC).

The 4 bottles hail from 3 different countries – 2 from Scotland, 1 from England and 1 from America. The differences between them are not just their country of origins, but their individual flavour profiles and characteristics.

The September Whiskies

1. Deanston 15 Years Old

Deanston 15 YO is a single malt Scotch from Deanston Distillery. It was distilled in 1997 and matured in a cask for 15 years before it was selected by TSC. Cask #1958 was then bottled at 45.8% abv under the label of TSC. As one of the 4 whisky choices offered to new members of TSC as a welcome gift, you can be sure that this is a bottle worth keeping!

2. English Whisky 7 Years Old

English Whisky 7 YO is a single malt from The English Whisky Co. It is a young whisky of 7 years and bottled at a high strength of 60% abv. Some may think that young whiskies are bad, but guess what, this whisky is not! Rich and flavourful, it packs a serious punch.

3. American Sour Mash 5 Years Old

American Sour Mash is an interesting whisky. It can only be produced in Tennesse, due to governance from the United States. As unique as it gets, this whisky is also bottled at cask strength of 59.7% abv by TSC. It may be just 5 YO, but it packs a serious tasting profile worthy of an 18 YO!

4. Auchroisk 21 Years Old

Auchroisk 21 YO is another single malt Scotch. It is from the Auchroisk Distillery that was distilled in mid-1991. By the time TSC bottled it in early 2013, it has been sitting in its cask for a whole 21 years! Interestingly, it is still a youthful whisky, with soft notes and gentle florals. It is an easy drink, despite the “advanced age”!

Find out more about these whiskies as we share the tasting notes in our next few posts!

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English Whisky is truly one rare whisky which everyone’s got to try. The Single Cask (TSC) has specially chosen a whisky that is not from Scotland for this bottling. It is from England, hence the name “English Whisky”. This whisky is a fantastic dram to chill with even though it is only aged for 7 years. Do take note that it is a small release with only 249 bottles if you are interested to get one!

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Straw
ABV: 60%

Nose: If you like peanut butter and smoked honey bacon, this is for you! The notes of peanut butter with sweet corn juice drift up the nose before smoked honey bacon invades. Hints of salt and wet wool follow after. (18/20 points)

Palate: It is sharp and spicy with a big punch, as expected from the high alcohol content. Rich and buttery on the palate, smoky oak chips follows the spice before giving way to hints of toasted nuts and creamy vanilla ice cream. Gradually, it gets dry on the palate like a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. (17/20 points)

Body: Well balanced whisky with a punch. Sharp and spicy versus rich and buttery, it has quite a complex flavour profile. (31/40 points)

Finish: A long and dry finish with a pleasant hint of vanilla ice cream (16/20 points)

Total Grade: 82/100 points

Comments:
Geek Flora: “This whisky definitely lives up to TSC’s motto of fine-quality single malt. A complex flavour profile coupled with its small batch release, this is a whisky that should fly off the shelves fairly quickly.” 

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This is the single expression that propels the Yamazaki brand and Japanese Whisky to fame. Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 is a no-age statement and was matured solely in oloroso sherry casks. Only 18000 bottles were produced for this expression. This single malt whisky is also produced from malts that created the flavours of the Yamazaki brand. Coupled that with the maturation in oloroso sherry casks, and you get a rich, complex whisky.

In 2015, whisky expert Jim Murray named this 2013 expression of Yamazaki as the World Whisky of the Year with a whooping score of 97.5! It was also the same year that none of the Scottish distilleries made it to the top five! Since then, the Yamazaki brand and Japanese Whisky gained a major foothold in the industry. The rest of the world finally took notice of this Asian giant that has slowly creeped up behind the Scots. Even Jim Murray said that the Scottish whiskies “fell flat” in his books. 2015 was certainly a “wake-up call” for the Scottish brands.

Jim Murray described this whisky as “rich and fruity”, with a nose of “exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice”. In addition, he said,”If anyone wants to find out roughly what the first Macallan 10 year old I had in 1975 tasted like, then grab a bottle of this …” Wow! That certainly felt like gold.

Unfortunately, the whisky was sold out so quickly that we were not in time to grab one in the primary market. Prices of this expression sky-rocketed in the secondary market. Surprisingly, the bottles found in the secondary market were sold out pretty fast as well. At present, only selected shops across the world still have stocks of this expression. The price, of course, is crazy.

We are sad that we are unable to taste this exquisite whisky but we hope to taste it in future!

What about you? If you have tried the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013, why not share your experience with us here?

Awards

World Whisky of the Year 2015 – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible

Tasting Notes – Not Available

Comment:
Geek Choc: “I remember back in 2010, I tried my first Yamazaki 12 years, and that made me realized that Japan is not only about sake. Subsequently, I managed to get hold of a bottle of Yamazaki 18 years from DFS, and WOW, I was really awed by the quality of the liquid. If I have the chance, the Sherry Cask is a must-try for me!

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