Notes on The Casual Dram:11 - Sunday 26 May - Mean Doses Taproom
Notes on the lineup… (tickets available here)
SMWS 4.312 'Old-School with a twist' 13 years old 61.2%
Highland Park - first fill bourbon hogshead
Highland park is found in the Orkney Islands about 10 miles north of the north Scottish coast.
The peat found on the Orkney islands is composed entirely of sphagnum moss and heather - there is little to no tree component and therefore less lignin and less smoke. This gives the whiskies an aromatic, floral heathery note.
Highland park uses a fill strength of 69.5% (the abv the new make is watered down to prior to going into the cask). This is higher than the industry standard of 63.5%.
Glenallachie "Whisky Galore's 21st Anniversary'' 2009/14 YO 57.9%
14 years in a single ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry Hogshead
GlenAllachie is one of the 1960s built distileries making it a young ‘un by many other distillery’s standards. It is now owned by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, operated by former BenRiach MD Billy Walker (and others) and has just added the Meikle Toir single malt brand to its offerings.
Whisky galore celebrates its 21st anniversary with this bottling! Congrats to the team at WG.
Springbank 12YO Cask Strength 2023 Release 54.1%
Cask types used - 60% Bourbon, 40% Sherry
This is Springbank distillery’s lightly peated line at around 10ppm.
If there were one word to sum up Springbank it would be consistent. It was established in 1828 on the site of Archibald Mitchell's illicit still and has remained in the Mitchell family ever since. Long fermentations, its own maltings, a worm tub, a dunnage warehouse and a direct fired still, not to mention it’s complicated (almost) triple distilling regime all result in a super complex malt which is cleverly coaxed out of its shell by clever cask use.
Ledaig 'Signatory' 2007/10yo Peaty Artist #9 60.8% (refill sherry butt)
Refill sherry butt
