Adelphi International

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Overview

Adelphi was my introduction to the concept of independent bottling. Many of the details of that first experience have been lost to time, but I do remember the slender shape of the bottle, the microscopic font on the label, the ruddy darkness of the single malt whisky inside, and that the venue was somewhere in Australia or New Zealand. Murky memory aside, my first Adelphi experience might very well have been Mortlach... 😍

I've been hooked on independent bottlers ever since. They comprise 99% of the whisky on my shelves at home, and indie bottlings are often what I seek when I'm out and about. It's not that official bottlings (OB's) are rubbish ... far from it! I just find the indie ecosystem – with its higher ABVs, its single casks, its honest, sometimes irreverant blends (looking at you, Thompson Bros), and its otherwise largely unadulterated whiskies – loads more fun than the OB's that often aim for gentle consistency.

Independent bottler Adelphi has developed a stellar reputation over the past 30 years for bottling tremendous stuff. Just like the old adage “I've never had a bad Caol Ila”, so it goes with Adelphi. Their outturns are often in such fervent demand that most of us never even see Adelphi bottlings hit the shelf. I still always try my luck.

Adelphi is mostly known for bottling high quality single casks of single malt whisky from Scotland. However, over the years they've also released some bottles that are not scotch because, of course, Scotland isn't the only whisky-producing country in the world.

Featured in this break-even whisky tasting are a few of those Adelphi bottlings that showcase non-Scottish, international single/blended malts. We'll be visiting Wales, England, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Japan.


The Lineup

The Lineup

Only 5 of 7 bottles are pictured, see below for the other two.

Adelphi Penderyn 8yr 2015 56.9% 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

  • Welsh single malt whisky (Adelphi's first bottling of Welsh whisky)
  • 1st-fill bourbon barrel
  • Distilled in 2015, bottled in 2024
  • Single cask #1177
  • 1 of 247 bottles
  • Official tasting notes:
    “Freshly cut basil, biscuit, birch tree, and lemon marmalade.”

Penderyn Distillery began production in 2000, and it was the first Welsh distillery in over 100 years. Up until 2013, the distillery utilised only a single “Faraday” still for both the wash and the new make spirit, producing a spirit at 92% ABV. From 2013 onward, a second near-replica still was installed, as well as two traditional pot stills (for “experimentation”) along with mashing equipment.


If you're curious about the unique design of the Faraday stills, you can read more here. Also of note, Penderyn states on their website that their production team is currently 100% female. 🤘

Adelphi Spirit of Yorkshire 5yr 2018 48% 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  • English single malt whisky
  • 1st-fill moscatel hogshead
  • Distilled in 2018, bottled in 2023
  • Single cask #3054
  • 1 of 330 bottles
  • Bottled for Adelphi's 30th anniversary
  • Official tasting notes:
    • Colour: French horn
    • Nose: Bright, lavender, cherry cola, candy cane, refresher sweets, Macintosh red apple, pear, Dr. Pepper
    • Palate: Root beer float, salted liquorice, tannin, sarsaparilla, fish sauce, mandarin, dried fig, Underberg
    • Finish: Medium-bodied, slightly drying, herbal

Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery began production in 2016. Mashing and fermentation is handled off-site at founder Tom Mellor's nearby farm where he operates World Top Brewery. Local barley is also sourced from that farm. Distillation can utilise any combination of the pot and column stills on-site. Cut points are done manually by tasting the spirit coming through the spirit safe.


Dr. Jim Swan was a consultant for Spirit of Yorkshire in its early days, but STR casks make up only a very small percentage of the casks laid down. Most casks today are ex-bourbon. They're currently producing a expression/brand called Filey Bay.

Adelphi White Peak 5yr 2019 57.8% 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  • English single malt whisky
  • Red wine barrique (full maturation)
  • Distilled in 2019, bottled in 2024
  • Single cask #29
  • 1 of 323 bottles
  • Official tasting notes:
    “Creamy nougat, sundried tomatoes, herbal salt, heather, mossy forest floor, and Korean BBQ.”

White Peak Distillery produces Wire Works single malt whisky. It was founded in 2016, production began in 2018, and their first release was in February 2022. The name "Wire Works" is derived from the distillery building, which was a Victorian-era wire works that produced cables for bridges, train and tram lines, fencing, etc.


Using distillers yeast along with brewers yeast from nearby Thornbridge Brewery (used for IPAs), the distillery operates a pair of traditional copper pot stills, their fermentation time is approximately six days, and they take higher cut points to chase a fruitier style of spirit. STR casks are being used for the majority of maturation just now, but other cask types (e.g. ex-bourbon) will be used more frequently in the future.

Adelphi “The Glover” 14yr 44.3% 🇯🇵 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  • Blended malt, a fusion of Japanese and Scottish single malt whiskies
  • Contains Hanyu (peated), Glen Garioch, and Longmorn
  • Blended by Charles MacLean and Alex Bruce
  • Youngest component was distilled in 2001, bottled in 2015
  • 1 of 1,500 bottles
  • Official tasting notes:
    • Colour: Autumn gold, old oak lights
    • Nose: Peat smoke (fresh, breezy, bonfire, maritime), Nutty (monkey nuts or peanuts, almonds), Fruity (green apples, orange pith), honey, flapjacks, oily, seaside
    • Palate: Sweet mid-palate (tangy), black cherries, blackcurrants (yoghurt), ashy, chimney smoke, drying
    • Finish: Medium weight, lingering smoke, charcoal, tannins, slightly salty, distant bonfires
    • Additional comments:
      Fresh, Scottish coastal influence, easy to enjoy with intricate flavour

“The Glover” project was created to celebrate the long relationship between Japan and Scotland, and it was named after Scotsman Thomas Blake Glover, who got up to all sorts of mercantile mischief in Japan during the latter half of the 19th century. The full history/mythos can be read about here.

Adelphi Akkeshi 3yr 2018 57.8% 🇯🇵

  • Japanese single malt whisky 🇯🇵
  • 1st-fill bourbon barrel
  • Distilled in 2018, bottled in 2023
  • Single cask #1011
  • 1 of 253 bottles
  • Official tasting notes:
    • Colour: Pale straw
    • Nose: Malt biscuit, green mezcal, kaffir lime, sourdough, maize crisps, tomato vine
    • Palate: Mesquite, whole wheat oatcakes, horseradish, toasted sesame, wet tobacco, ham hock, billowing smoke
    • Finish: Long, soft, briny, remarkably complex

Akkeshi Distillery was founded in 2015 on Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido, with production commencing in 2016. They produce a style of spirit that is coastal and inspired by Islay, and they have imported equipment and methods from Scotland to try and achieve that. They have two very fat-looking copper pot stills from Forsyths. The majority of their spirit is peated at 50ppm, but they also produce some unpeated spirit. Their capacity is approximately 300,000 LPA.

Adelphi Zuidam 19yr 1999 52.9% 🇳🇱

  • Dutch single malt whisky
  • 1st-fill PX sherry hogshead
  • Distilled in 1999, bottled in 2021
  • Single cask #2547
  • 1 of 165 bottles

Founded in 1974 and producing whisky since 1996, Zuidam Distillery is one of the last independent distilleries operating in The Netherlands. Known for its Millstone single malt and rye, as well as for genever, gin, vodka, and various liqueurs, they have recently started growing their own grain at a nearby farm. The distillery has 6 stills, 2 mash tuns, and 10 washbacks. Fermentation is approximately 5 days, and they do double distillations. Annual evaporation (i.e. the angel's share) is around 4-5%.

Adelphi Smögen 10yr 2013 58.1% 🇸🇪

  • Swedish single malt whisky
  • 1st-fill bourbon barrel
  • Distilled in 2013, bottled in 2023
  • Single cask #58
  • 1 of 232 bottles
  • Official tasting notes:
    • Colour: Straw
    • Nose: Wet barley, hessian sack, bottom of fireplace in the morning, fresh mint, bark mulch, savoury rosemary, gunpowder, sea spray, farmyard, cowshed
    • Palate: Tobacco leaf, sweaty leather, oily grain, Szechuan peppercorn, bitter lemon, flinty and fusty.
    • Finish: Vivid, long, and rich

Situated on the west coast of Sweden in Hunnebostrand, about 55 miles (90km) north of Gothenburg, Smögen Distillery was founded in 2009 with production beginning in 2010. Heavily peated malt is imported from Scotland with an intent to produce an Islay-style spirit. In 2018, they installed worm tubs. Over the years, the distillery has vied to produce some of the world's highest-ABV gin, having released “Strane Ultra Uncut Gin” at 82.5% ... ooft!

Sláinte ✌️