Infrequent Indies

Overview

Some distilleries remain under-represented by the world's independent bottlers of distilled spirits.

This is not necessarily due to a lack of interest in those distilleries by indie bottlers. It's often the parent companies of distilleries restricting their spirit and maturing casks from entering the marketplace to begin with. Those companies would rather release their matured spirit themselves, exercising absolute control over their own brands and presentation, for better or for worse. That's certainly their perrogative, but it can sometimes yield a “meh” end product for the enthusiast, and it can also yield an uneven independent bottling landscape that's oversaturated by a handful of distilleries while being completely devoid of others. The indie ecosystem ebbs and flows ... seen much new indie Caol Ila lately?

For this tasting, we'll be sampling whiskies from distilleries that you don't often see bottled independently. These distilleries definitely have been bottled by indies many, many times before (some much more than others), but you're unlikely to encounter indie examples all that often.

The Lineup

This tasting is comprised of 7 drams in 20ml measures drawn from single casks, all at cask strength.

1. 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

2. 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

3. Balblair 25yr 1997 44.5% from Fragrant Drops

   • Refill ex-bourbon barrel, cask #831
   • One of 150 bottles

4. Bladnoch 26yr 1990 62.4% from Adelphi

   • Refill ex-bourbon barrel, cask #30319
   • One of 144 bottles

5. Nc'nean 6yr 2017 57.3% from Berry Bros & Rudd

   • Ex-bourbon hogshead, cask #198
   • One of 253 bottles
   • Part of the “Collective #1: The Pioneers” series

6. Macallan 17yr 2005 57.5% from Signatory

   • 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, cask “DRU17 A106 #12”
   • One of 683 bottles

7. Talisker 9yr 2010 48.4% from Douglas Laing

   • Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, cask DL13728
   • One of 365 bottles
   • Part of the “Old Particular” range

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 at 7pm. I recommend you arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can choose a seat, grab a pint, make yourself comfortable, etc. There is no assigned seating so, if you're coming with a friend or a group, I recommend you arrive even a bit earlier so you can all sit together.

The venue will remain open to the public during the tasting, but we'll be occupying 75% of the space and will effectively have the place to ourselves.

The Venue

The Belfry is located on the border between Tollcross and Bruntsfield in Edinburgh. Sister pub to the legendary The Ensign Ewart, The Belfry has quickly become an important space in the local Edinburgh whisky scene, hosting many enthusiast-targeted events and various whisky club gatherings. The whisky selection is extensive, consisting mostly of indies and vintage bottlings. The rotating beer selection is great, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and there's even a wee beer garden hidden in the back.