Overview
Dornoch Distillery has become my favourite distillery. I love their relentless pursuit of flavour in the whiskies they release, whether it's spirit produced in their miniscule distillery in the Northern Highlands of Scotland or in the form of yet another excellent independent release under their Thompson Bros brand. They're doing things their way, and I think they're nailing it.
A Dornoch single cask release (if you can get your hands on one) is never dull experience. This is especially true when you're sampling one of the small octave casks from their early crowdfunder days – every cask is different, and the early ones can be wonderfully wild. More recent single casks showcase Dornoch's evolving house style of spirit, which continues to be excellent. Each of their single cask releases is a unique experience, as are all single casks of whisky, but there's nothing out there quite like Dornoch. They're consistently dialing it up to 11.
For over a year, I've been patiently gathering a diverse group of Dornoch single cask bottlings to share with you. Let's delve into what Dornoch's been up to.
Special Guest
Jack Lowrie of Dornoch Distillery and Thompson Bros will be joining us to talk about the drams and the various, fabulous whisky antics that are happening up Sutherland way.
Jack's official title is Warehouse Manager, but he's also a highly skilled, creative blender, and he wears many different hats due to how small the Dornoch team is. Dramface recently did a fun interview with Jack if you'd like to learn more.
Quite generously, Jack is bringing two mystery drams that he's chosen specifically for this tasting, which will be revealed on the day. It's extremely unlikely that you've ever tried these two expressions of Dornoch before.
The Lineup
This tasting is comprised of 7 drams in 20ml measures.
The final order of the tasting lineup is still being worked out and will differ from the order on this page.
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Mystery Dram #1 (Dornoch single cask, chosen by Jack Lowrie)
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Mystery Dram #2 (Dornoch single cask, chosen by Jack Lowrie)
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Dornoch Cask #22 6yr 55.2%
- Cask: 1st-fill bourbon octave
- Barley: floor-malted Plumage Archer
- Fermentation: Brewers Single (C) for 7 days
- Filled on 15 Sept 2017, bottled in July 2024
- Bottle #29 of 69
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Dornoch Cask #49 5yr 54.5%
- Serge’s cask, bottled for 21st anniversary of whiskyfun.com
- Cask: 1st-fill bourbon octave
- Barley: floor-malted Plumage Archer
- Fermentation: Brewers Mix (e) for 9 days
- Filled on 19 Dec 2017, bottled in Sept 2023
- Bottle #56 of 63
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Dornoch Cask #130 5yr 58.1%
- Cask: ex-Islay 100L / ex-Koval
- Barley: floor-malted Plumage Archer
- Fermentation: Brewers Mix (Q) for 7 days
- Filled on 4 Dec 2018, bottled in Feb 2024
- Bottle #70 of 139
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Dornoch Cask #137 5yr 58.3%
- Cask: oloroso octave
- Barley: floor-malted Maris Otter
- Fermentation: Brewers Single (R) for 7 days
- Filled on 8 Mar 2019, bottled in May 2024
- Bottle #9 of 96
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Dornoch Cask #149 5yr 51.8%
- Former Dornoch distiller Jacob Crisp’s wonderfully mad experiment (truly a labour of love and borderline obsession)
- Cask: PX seasoned octave
- Barley: floor-malted (by Jacob!) peated Concerto local barley (obtained from nearby Dunrobin Farm where Jacob grew up), partially milled on a traditional millstone powered by water, and kilned with local peat Jacob cut himself
- Fermentation: propagated brewers yeast and local spent brewers yeast for 5 days
- 1 of 98 bottles
Ethos
My tastings are geared for whisky enthusiasts, but they're also intended to be fun, unintimidating, and inclusive of a diverse group of nice people. I just want to bring people together and open some silly whiskies that would otherwise be hoarded or flipped for profit.
Event Schedule
The tasting will start promptly at 2pm. Any presentational aspects of the tasting will wrap up by 4:30pm. The venue will reopen to the public at 5pm, but we can remain in the space for as long as we want to. I recommend you arrive 10-15 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can choose a seat, grab a pint, make yourself comfortable, etc.
The Venue
The Last Word in Stockbridge, Edinburgh is a place that's near and dear to my heart. I've been coming here for years, and I've had loads of fun combing through their substantial backbar. Part of Mothership and established in 2004, The Last Word is an excellent neighbourhood cocktail bar with a low-key atmosphere and superb hospitality. It has an extensive and criminally underrated whisky selection, courtesy of the owners and a series of fabulous venue managers who are serious whisky enthusiasts. It's a great space, and I'm happy they're graciously opening up for us.
For the duration of the tasting, The Last Word will be closed to the public, and we'll have the entire space to ourselves. 🎉
