Greetings from a storm-wracked Chorlton Towers, and welcome to an autumnal celebration of the bourbon cask!

There are four examples for you below, but have no fear if you’re after something sherried. Christmas isn’t too far away you know…

With that unsubtle hint out of the way, let me introduce you to these dapper chaps:

So, from left to right then.

First up we have a 16-year-old Ben Nevis. This is the sister cask of the 14yo from a couple of years back, now a little more aged, at a really perfect ABV and (in a modest attempt to address the cost of living crisis) at the same price.

On the nose it’s clean, maritime and gently fruity, with lime juice, blueberry muffins*, candlewax and rose petals. I also get banana milk, clay and touches of something saline and green-peppery in the background.

The palate has a lovely arrival, with lemon, white peach, bilberry and mint leaves, developing in a salty direction (it really is quite a coastal feeling BN this), with tropical fruit, honeysuckle, lime and salted liquorice.

(* – I really thought I might have gone off-piste with the blueberry muffin thing, but Matt at Hopscotch independently put “blackberry cheesecake” in his tasting notes, so I reckon we’re on the same track.)

I’m always delighted to receive another cask from Hector McDram, and you can’t go too far wrong with these batches of Nevis. Tons of distillery character and perfectly quaffable.

This 2nd-fill barrel produced 277 bottles at a cask strength of 52.8%, and they are available for £85 each.

Second in our line-up we have a 12-year-old Inchmurrin. This is (so the story goes) Loch Lomond’s attempt to clone the lost Littlemill distillery in the Lowlands, and – just to complicate matters further – this is the lightly-peated version of the make.

On the nose – almond brittle, fruit salad, old tins of emulsion, piña colada, funky esters and mango lassi. Super fun! I also get hibiscus tea, blackcurrant leaves and a tiny bit of background peat.

On the palate – pure fruit juice, guava, lime, waxed paper, warm oranges and coal tar. You don’t really taste the peat, but it just adds a bit of grit and backbone to proceedings. With a bit of water a floral side comes out – orange blossom, spring meadows – clean, easy and fruity.

I don’t know about Littlemill, but this does ring a lot of Irish whiskey bells. It’s charming and fruity whisky, with an enjoyable mischievous edge as befits the distillery.

This 1st-fill barrel produced just 201 bottles at a cask strength of 56.3%, and they are available for £65 each.

Number three! This is an 18-year-old Glen Grant. A distillery I’ve always wanted to bottle, and tough to find at a sensible price!

On the nose – this has that classy Speyside feeling of fruit and waxed banisters. I get red apple juice, apricot, butter, orange and obscure resins. In the background, touches of chalk, Juicy Fruit gum and coal tar.

On the palate – a big, orangey and peachy arrival. More Juicy Fruit, cider, wax and pink peppercorns – all against a decidedly phenolic background. The finish is really pure – barley by the truckload, apple rings, tar and menthol.

The stone fruits that run through this (and only grow as you let the glass breathe) are delightful, and the unexpected edge of smoke/phenols works a treat.

This refill barrel produced just 122 bottles at a cask strength of 54.0%, and they are available for £85 each. Most of them have been kept back for the site, to give you lovely newsletter subscribers the best possible chance of getting hold of one despite the very low cask yield.

And, last but not least, another distillery debut for Chorlton – this is an 18-year-old Craigellachie. They’re (somewhat) famous for using worm tub condensers, producing a chunky, fatty distillate with an often industrial edge. The quest has been to find a cask that balances the distillery character with drinkability – you’ll have to let me know how I’ve done.

So, on the nose – baled hay, orange, olive oil, and apples stored for the winter in a garden shed – with maybe a few old tins of creosote nearby. I also get barley, sweet woodruff, and touches of brioche, cinnamon sugar and anise.

The palate is fat and oily, with apples baked in salted butter, liquorice, waxy citrus, and a smidge of peanut butter. The worm tubbiness manifests in the form of burnt sugar, herbal bitters and a bit of greasy soot. The finish has citrus, oil, barley and liquorice – elemental and kind of perfect.

I love this – it’s really textural and old-fashioned feeling. There’s a directness to the spirit, and connection to the barley and the process that made it, that’s really compelling. It’s also just very tasty!

This refill hogshead produced 273 bottles at 57.3%, and they are available for £85 each.

And…

…that’s it for now. As alluded to above, this year’s Christmas bottlings are underway and should be ready with plenty of time to spare – stay tuned for details.

In the meantime I’ll be at the HopScotch Whisky Festival on the 28th November. I think there are a handful of tickets left.

Thanks, as ever, for your support, and I’m always available via the usual channels if I can be of any assistance.

Cheers!

David