Infrequent Indies

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Overview

Some distilleries remain under-represented by the world's independent bottlers of distilled spirits. Like anything, though, there's an ebb and flow to this depending on market conditions.

The entire whisky industry is entering a down cycle indicated by reports of lost jobs, bad financial statements, the odd distillery closure, and the sheer volume of casks now available to purchase from whisky producers that have historically been quite unwilling to part with their stock. It's a buyers market. It's a whisky drinker's market.

Remember when Macallan used to be a rarity from independent bottlers?

The whisky landscape has changed markedly since I first began assembling this lineup of "infrequent indies" in early 2023. Signatory's somewhat controversial flood of indie Macallan into the market over the past year means we're still tripping over well-priced, tasty-enough sherried Macallan, a.k.a. the not-so-secret "(M)". It may become a rarity again but, for now, there's a LOT of well-priced whisky out there from the indies.

As you can see, there's a not-so-secret "(M)" from Signatory on this very tasting. Unlike the waves and waves of cannon fodder Signatory released recently, this particular beastie allegedly harbours more heft and depth. We'll soon see!

The Lineup

The lineup consists of seven cask strength drams in 20ml measures. Six of the drams are from single casks.

The Lineup

Balblair 25yr 1997 44.5% from Fragrant Drops

  • Refill ex-bourbon barrel, cask #831
  • One of 150 bottles
  • Author's tasting notes:

    • Palate: Nectarine, green grapes, orange blossom, jasmine, Turkish delight, a wee bit lactic, hint of fresh pears, a few drops of diluted maraschino cherry juice

Glenmorangie 18yr 2005 59.0% from SMWS

  • 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel, cask 125.80
  • One of 180 bottles

  • Entitled “Dance of the Pastry Chef” by the ever-whimsical SMWS tasting panel

  • Author's tasting notes:

    • Palate: Granulated Demerara sugar, big whack of ginger, baking spices, almond croissants, brioche, shortbread, strawberry laces, confectionery miscellanea

    • Definitely add a splash of water! Dilution and time in the glass is needed for this one.

    • For once, I largely agree with the SMWS published tasting notes!

Bladnoch 26yr 1990 62.4% from Adelphi

  • Refill ex-bourbon barrel, cask #30319
  • One of 144 bottles
  • Author's tasting notes:
    • Nose: Dusty, dry hay, moderately cheesy, marzipan, overripe apricots

    • Palate: Marzipan, strawberry fruit leather, fizzy orange Fanta, weetabix, traces of candy floss

    • A moreish dram with intriguing depth and satisfyingly high viscosity

Dalmore 14yr 2008 57.1% from Gordon & MacPhail

  • Refill ex-bourbon barrel, cask #800113
  • One of 163 bottles
  • Bottled exclusively for The Whisky Castle in Tomintoul
  • Author's tasting notes:

    • Palate: Malty, toasted coconut, charred pineapple, black pepper, orange pith, vanilla extract, asparagus, puff of smoke

    • When rubbed between hands or nosed from a finished glass, this dram is a wee bit smoky! Quite unexpected!

Macallan 17yr 2005 57.5% from Signatory

  • 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, cask “DRU17 A106 #12”
  • One of 683 bottles
  • Author's tasting notes:

    • Palate: Chocolate cream, marzipan, hazelnuts, dark Jamaican rum, ginger, figs, fresh tobacco, almond butter, linseed oil, damp oak, pencil shavings, trace of cigar smoke

Glenkinchie 10yr 2014 58.0% from Woodrow's of Edinburgh

  • Double Maturation

    • 5 years in ex-bourbon
    • 5 years re-racked into 2 quarter casks (oloroso & PX) and subsequently vatted
  • Released as part of Woodrow's May 2025 outturn
  • Official tasting notes:

    The double finish gives a complex balance of nuttiness, leather and fruits. However, despite this double finish, the distillery characters of citrus, floral and grassiness still fight back.

Talisker 9yr 2010 48.4% from Douglas Laing

  • Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, cask DL13728
  • One of 365 bottles
  • Part of the “Old Particular” range
  • Author's tasting notes:

    • Palate: Very fresh, extinguished coastal bonfire, white smoke, rain clouds (um ... what?), dried pineapple rings, artificial lemonade, lemon rind, lemon oil, somewhat medicinal 🍋 🍍 💨 🏥

    • Finish: Medium to long finish, similar notes to palate with more white smoke