Whisky Archive

This is the first time Adelphi has bottled a single cask blend, but the opportunity was too good to miss. MULTIPLE PERSONALITY AWARD, MALT MANIACS 2005.

This has been drawn from a ‘traditional’ ex-sherry butt – a refill, so the distillery character has not been masked by the wood.

This cask of Inchgower has been drawn from an American oak hogshead, and the colour is an attractive orange-gold. The first impression was of wax floor polish, immediately giving way to a jolly bowl of fruits (Chinese gooseberries, common gooseberries, orange peel)

We always find Tamdhu to be a most reliable malt, well made and well matured. This is a good example. It has spent its 22 years in a re-fill American hogshead (so has a deep gold colour), which has retained the distillery character while rounding and smoothing and adding its own nuances.

Having made a virtue of the ex-sherry cask for many years, Macallan has recently discovered that refill American wood presents a whole new range of aromas and flavours, deriving more from the excellent inherent character of the spirit, rather than the wood. We have long known this, and this cask is an example.

Aultmore Distillery is situated between Keith and the Moray Firth, quite a long way from Speyside proper, although it produces a typical Speyside malt, with a high reputation among blenders, who rank it 'Top Class'. This is drawn from a first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead, and has a deep amber hue.

Another 'Top Class' malt, Benrinnes is a famously big and robust Speyside, so is not completely dominated by 'sherrywood' maturation, although it is not commonly found in first-fill butts like this.

We have always been impressed by how well Bunnahabhain is made: it invariably satisfies, but this elderly expression adds layers of complexity to the original make. It has been drawn from an American oak hogshead and has a deep amber colour, shot with orange.

Just look at the strength of this bottling! Yet the nose is not nearly as aggressive as you would think, indeed the whole profile has a well-mannered style to it, quite typical of Highland Park. It has been drawn from a re-fill ex-sherry butt, and the colour is pale mahogany, with pink lights. SILVER MEDAL, MALT MANIACS 2005

Miltonduff is ranked 'Top Class' by blenders and is a key component in the Ballantine's and Teacher's blends. As a result little is available as a single – indeed, Allied Distillers, its owner, do not bottle the malt themselves. The cask is a hogshead and the colour full gold.