I was feeling somewhat smug about a month ago. Bottling was already underway, and it seemed – for the first time ever – like I was ahead of the curve and could enjoy a civilised run-up to Christmas. Of course the universe cannot tolerate even this fairly mild hubris, and here we are – as usual – with a slight air of festive panic. I don’t know how Father Christmas doesn’t have an embolism quite frankly.
It’s quite alright though, as I have four brand new bottlings for you, all of which I’m really rather delighted with.
ps/ As well as the 4 newbies, there is also a small restock of the Dun Dearg 5yo available through the site now. This is the very last of it.
pps/ EU friends! Please check the note at the bottom of this email for some developments.
Onwards!
First up we have an 18-year-old Highland. This cask has had a slightly obscure history, but is alleged to be peated single malt from a well-known mountain-adjacent distillery in the western Highlands…
The nose starts with a rather complex and aromatic fruitiness: orange juice, mango, fig leaf, even a bit of Juicy Fruit gum. It then develops in a more savoury direction, with sweet soy sauce, touches of liquorice and sage, grilled bacon and a bit of smoky BBQ sauce.
The palate is sweet, lightly syrupy in texture, and smokier than the nose. I find papaya, lemon, salty green olives and coal dust, then rooibos tea with honey. The finish is quite long, with sweet, salty and slightly medicinal peat smoke and black treacle bacon.
A drop or two of water makes everything saltier, with green fruits, lemony smoke, herbal tinctures and tar.
It’s the balance of fruitiness / savoury smoke that really makes this one. It made me think of old Caol Ila and Laphroaig at points, which can only be a good thing.
This refill barrel produced 267 bottles at 54.0%, and they are available for £120 each.
Next we have a 14-year-old Bruichladdich. No funny histories here – this cask spent its entire life up until the last couple of months on the Islay shore.
On the nose: Bruichladdich! So, seashore, ozone, baled hay, mineral oil, tangerine peel, and all that good stuff. It really is one of the most distinctive distillates. I also get milk bottle sweets, mint leaf, bandages, and increasing apricots and honey as it breathes.
The palate has a lovely texture, with candied lemon and lime, salted butter, grassy olive oil, barley water, apricot jam, waxes and oils. The finish is really long, salty, malty, warmly peppery and orangey.
As usual for Bruichladdich this loves water. The diluted nose has herbs, melon, sweet lime, and touches of butterscotch and almonds, while the palate is a balance of citrus, plums, camphor and minerals. It just works a treat.
This first-fill bourbon barrel produced 229 bottles at 57.9% and they are available for £105 each.
Thirdly we have an 8-year-old Glen Ord. I know the last Ord I bottled about 18 months ago was a favourite for many (me too!) so I’m delighted to have another one.
On the nose then: butterscotch, peaches, cigarette smoke and coal tar. This is fun! And it really does feel like there’s some peat somewhere in the mix somehow… It develops on banana, hazelnut syrup, buttered panettone, peanut butter, a little aniseed and beech smoke.
The palate is fat, malty and buttery, with a smouldering coal dust backbone. (Can one have a backbone made of dust? Answers on a postcard please.) I also find lemon cake, hazelnut nougat, apple tarte tatin, caramelised banana, sloe syrup … and smoky malt running throughout.
Water really makes the fruity side of Ord pop – with toffee apple, limoncello and white blossom on the nose, and lemon & lime syrup, baked apple and dried pear on the palate. It still feels really fat and mouthfillng when diluted.
This is brilliant. It’s richer than the last Ord, but the smoke cuts through it beautifully. I’ve been holding onto this for a while as it feels like a perfect mid-winter dram.
This was fully matured in a first-fill PX hogshead which produced 304 bottles at 58.6%, and they are available for £65 each.
Foreign Affairs
I’m very happy to announce that Chorlton Whisky will shortly be available through Angel Share Spirits in Italy. EU customers will be able to buy directly through their website, and they’ll also be supplying trade customers in Italy at a better price point than before.
Hopefully between them and the Whiskybase Shop everyone across the EU should be able to get hold of Chorlton bottles at a sensible price, but please do get in touch if you’re having troubles on that front and I’ll try to help.
And…
…that’s it for now. I’d like to wish those of you who celebrate a very merry Christmas, and I hope you all find a little something from Chorlton Whisky in your stockings.
Thank you as ever for your support through another topsy-turvy year. It really does mean the world.
Cheers!
David
