Notes on The Casual Dram:15 - Sunday 26 January, 2.30pm, Mean Doses Taproom
Notes on the lineup… (tickets available here)
Springbank Local Barley 10yo 55.6% - Oloroso sherry
Maturation - Oloroso sherry casks
Peat source - Machrihanish in Campbeltown - this peat is more terrestrial than maritime (despite its location on a peninsula), contributing subtle earthy and herbal smoky notes.
Peat spec - 10-15 ppm.
The Springbank Local Barley range was first launched in the early 1990s as well-aged spirits crafted from malt distilled between 1965 and the early 1970s. Most of these bottlings were bourbon-aged, but a few, like today’s, were aged solely in sherry casks. One such example, a dark and devious-looking number currently fetching a score of 94.27 on Whiskybase can be yours for around €13000.
These whiskies are made with local ingredients. This one uses Belgravia barley from Glencraigs Farm found on the Kintyre Peninsula.
Kilkerran 8YO Cask Strength Sherry Cask Matured 57.4%
Maturation - Oloroso sherry casks
Peat source - Machrihanish in Campbeltown (as per Springbank).
Peat spec - ~15-20 ppm
Kilkerran is made at the Glengyle distillery which was founded in 1872 by William Mitchell but ceased operation in 1925. In 2000, J&A Mitchell (the family business that owns Springbank and to which William Mitchell belonged) acquired the distillery buildings and began reviving the distillery.
Production began in 2004 with gentle to moderate peating (15-20 ppm) being the general approach but with a heavily peated offering in the core lineup. These whiskies, like Springbank, have become sought-after in the secondary market - especially heavily sherried, cask-strength offerings like this one.
Benromach 'Cask Strength' #3 2014 Vintage 60.6%
Maturation - Bourbon and sherry
Peat source - Dava Moor (near Forres in Speyside) - produces peat rich in mosses and heather, imparting a softer, more floral smokiness.
Peat spec - ~12 ppm.
Benromach was founded in 1898 just before the whisky industry fell into tough times. As a result, it spent most of the 1900s opening intermittently and then closing whilst frequently changing hands. It was finally mothballed by DCL in 1983 and was then bought by the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Their vision was a return to an older peat and smoke style that had been all but lost to Speyside. Long ferments of 70 to 120 hours also give the malt a rich fruity character.
This is their limited-release, vintage, cask-strength whisky. It is aged in a combo of sherry and bourbon casks and peated to around 12 ppm.
Ardmore 'Adelphi' 2016 / 7 years #1051 61.1%
Maturation - Refill oloroso sherry butt
Peat source - St Fergus peat bog in Aberdeenshire. This peat is known for having a higher carbon content and less sphagnum moss compared to coastal / island peat.
Peat spec - ~12-14 ppm
Ardmore was founded in 1898 by Adam Teacher, son of Glasgow blender William Teacher. The distillery was very much built with volume in mind for the Teacher’s blend and is still, to this day, a large contributor to the blend.
The gentle peat level combines beautifully with the fruit from long(ish) ferments and clear worts, and is then given more weight thanks to downward facing lyne arms (which presumably reduce reflux).
Mystery whisky
From an undisclosed Scottish island - Pedro Ximénez puncheon matured (yum!).
