Glengoyne distillery

Glengoyne distillery
Dumgoyne, by Killearn
Stirling G63 9LB

South Highlands - Scotland, active

Flavour profile

Well, there it is - chocolate, peanuts and raisins. These flavours dominate Glengoyne whisky to the extent that I often think of chocolate-covered peanuts and raisins, the kind one can get in cinemas, or perhaps at Christmas. Glengoyne doesn't taste cheap at all though - it's sweet, unctuous and flavourful, to the point where I think it's the sort of whisky one indulges in as a luxury. Perhaps, indeed at Christmas.

These sweet, fruity, nutty notes are probably the result of the casks - official Glengoyne bottlings use a lot of sherried whisky, while the two independent bottlings that I've had appear to be aged in port pipes. There is no peat - Glengoyne of course advertises its whisky as completely unpeated. Nevertheless I've detected some odd leather notes in one or two Glengoyne bottlings, so it does exist.

Glengoyne 17 yo was one of the first whiskies I ever tasted, and the distillery's output remains a great introduction into the world of dramming and the related world of single malt whisky. I've often thought about putting together a Glengoyne tasting. Maybe one day...

All the Glengoynes I have tasted so far are here.

SMWS 123.5 - good
SMWS 123.3 - very good
Glengoyne 21 yo - good
Glengoyne 10 yo - good
Glengoyne 17 yo - very good

Distillery history

This distillery sits so southerly that it's practically in the Lowlands. In fact, I believe some of its grounds technically sit across the Highland line. I've decided that it needs a special designation in my categories, so I've simply called this malt 'South Highlands'. The distillery markets itself as the only distillery in Scotland to eschew peat entirely. Flavourwise this is certainly true, and one can taste it, but I'm not really sure.

Glengoyne distillery was founded in 1833 by one George Connell, and was first named Burnfoot of Dumgoyne. The distillery passed through the hands of several private owners till it ended up in the hands of Lang Brothers Ltd by 1876. Lang Brothers Ltd eventually became part of the Edrington Group. The group refurbished the distillery in 1967, adding an additional still. The Edrington Group sold the distillery to Ian Macleod & Co in 2003.

There are 4 single malts in the entry-level range - the 10 yo, the 17 yo, the 21 yo, and a new 15 yo that I haven't tasted yet (but I will!). There are also a host of other special releases, like the Teapot Dram, which are harder to find. There are a few indie bottlings around though.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Blairgar Burn
Washbacks: Six, Oregon pine, 19,000 litres each
Wash stills: One, reflux bowl neck, 16,520 litres.
Spirit stills: Two, reflux bowl neck, 5,000 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: slightly descending
Production per year: 1,200,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Burks Distillery

Burks Distillery
3350 Burks Spring Road
Loretto
Marion County
Kentucky

Kentucky, USA - Active

Flavour profile

Burks distillery is where the iconic Maker's Mark bourbon is made. Alternate expressions are hard to find. Legend has it that the recipe of Maker's Mark, the mash bill, was not developed by actually malting and distilling the whiskey, but instead by baking a loaf of bread using the mash bill's proportions and sampling the results. Maker's Mark contains red winter wheat, corn and barley.

It is an atypical bourbon, although there are a lot of sweet, estery notes in the whiskey. There is less of that musty, papery tang, and more interesting flavours abound. Fruit, chocolate and honey abound, and I detect a lot of bananas and strawberries (although bourbon always tastes somewhat of banana anyway). There aren't a whole lot of expressions here - only three, and two might be expected to be fairly similar - so the variation is small. Nevertheless, it is deliciously sweet and fragrant, and quite satisfying. The widely available red wax expression is probably meant to be a cocktail ingredient, but stands up fairly well on its own.

All the Burks whiskies I have tasted so far are here.

Maker's 46 - good
Maker's Mark Select Black Wax - very good
Maker's Mark (original red wax) - good

Distillery history

Burks Distillery was founded in 1805 by, yes, you guessed it - Charles Burks. Charles died a couple of decades later, but the distillery continued to operate under the guidance of his family. George R Burks, a descendant of Charles, rebuilt and expanded the distillery in 1878.

Like the vast majority of American distilleries under Prohibition, this distillery was silent from 1920. The Burks family sold the distillery and the surrounding land to an Ernest Bickett in 1920. It is not known (at least not by me) when the distillery became active again, but T. William Samuels Jr (otherwise known as Bill) bought the distillery in 1954.

Bill created (or had access to the recipe for) Maker's Mark, and sold the first bottle in 1958. Sales have gone from strength to strength since.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Water from Bourbon Lake, on the distillery property 
Washbacks: Four, cypress, unknown capacity 
Wash stills: One
Spirit stills: One
Spirit still Lyne arm: nothing unusual
Production per year: up to 12,000,000 litres a year

Rosebank Distillery

Rosebank Distillery
Camelon Road
Falkirk
Stirlingshire (Falkirk) FK1 5BW

Lowlands, Scotland - Closed

Flavour profile

Rosebank whisky is sweetness and light. There seem to be 2 kinds of Rosebank - that which tastes like lemon sweets, tart and fragrant, and that which tastes like old-style rhubarb-and-custard sweets, tangy and fresh. Occasionally I seem to find one which has mixtures of these flavours. Underneath that, there's a whole host of sweet flavour elements - orange peel, honey, chocolate etc.

In addition there are a couple of chemical flavour elements that are usually present. First, there's brass polish, a sort of acrid, solvent-like smell. Then, there's usually some grass present, along with citrus fruits.


All the Rosebanks I've tasted so far are here.

Rosebank 17 yo 1990/2007 - very good
Rosebank 1992 Cooper's Choice - good
Rosebank 12 yo Flora & Fauna - very good
SMWS 25.46 - good
SMWS 25.47 - good
SMWS 25.48 - very good
Rosebank 16 yo 1991/2007 - very good

Distillery history

The distillery was founded by James Rankine in 1840. The distillery was demolished in 1864, but rebuilt again in 1865, giving it a second lease of life. It was one of the distilleries that was originally part of the Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd, which eventually became part of United Distillers, which in turn became part of Diageo. Like many Lowland distilleries, Rosebank practiced triple distillation.

The distillery was silent in the periods 1862-1864 and 1917-1919. It was closed in 1993, and though there are a lot of Rosebank fans who would love to see it come back, the distillery was has been dismantled. The site is now owned by the British Waterways Board, and is likely to be redeveloped.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Carron Valley Reservoir.
Washbacks: Eight?
Wash stills: One, normal neck.
Spirit stills: Two, constricted neck.

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Yamazaki Distillery

Yamazaki Distillery
5-2-1 Yamazaki
Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun
Osaka
Japan

West Honshu, Japan - Active

Flavour profile

Yamazaki whisky is rich, thick, and usually brings together very different flavour elements. The distillery can produce spirit of markedly different styles from its 12 stills, and this diversity of flavours is reflected in the Wordle below. Even so, there are some characteristics that can be picked out quite easily - raisins and peat predominate, followed by sweet-savoury notes of orange peel, roast pork, ginger, palm sugar and... burnt rubber?

The last, chemical, slightly harsh flavour actually represents a family of tastes that are quite subtle, but present in Yamazaki whisky (at least the 4 I have written tasting notes on). These flavours are represented in the Wordle by pepper, ginseng, cayenne pepper, bitter melon and fish sauce - bitter, savoury flavours. I do feel that every time I taste a Yamazaki (even one I have tasted before) I find a new and unusual flavour to add to the list. Yamazaki whisky is complex, subtle, and unusual. Oh yes, and delicious too.


All the Yamazakis I've tasted so far are here.

SMWS 119.10 -very good
Yamazaki 10 yo - good
Yamazaki 18 yo - very good
Yamazaki 12 yo - good

Distillery history

The distillery is the first whisky distillery to be established in Japan. It was established in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii, a wine maker, as part of Torii Shoten, a canned goods and liquor business founded in 1899 that would eventually become Suntory. The distillery has 12 stills (6 linked pairs) of different shapes, and can produce several different styles of spirit.

Yamazaki single malt first became available in 1984. There are fairly widely available official bottlings available aged 10, 12, 18 and 25 years old. In addition there are the rare 25 and 30 year old official bottlings, and a number of vintage, specially aged expressions. Independently bottled Yamazaki isn't common, but does exist.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Rikyu-no-Mizu, natural spring near the distillery on Mount Tennozan
Washbacks: Douglas fir and stainless steel
Wash stills: Six, differently shaped.
Spirit stills: Six, differently shaped.
Spirit still Lyne arm: Pair 1 - slanted sharply downward
Production per year: approximately 3,500,000 litres

- courtesy of Google, compiled by Red Hare late at night

Glenmorangie Distillery

Glenmorangie Distillery
Tain
Ross-shire IV19 1BR

North Highlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Glenmorangie is, to me at least, the quintessential Highlands whisky. I associate the Highlands with robust whisky replete with intense bold flavours, tending to be on the sweet side, but occasionally containing big whiffs of peat and smoke. The Glenmorangie range is quite diverse in its range of flavours, as the official bottlings have mostly been finished in different ways, but even so, there are several common flavour elements running through them.

From the Wordle below, the most common flavour is vanilla, followed by condensed milk. Then a trio of chocolate bar flavours - chocolate (of course), raisins, and honey. Most of these flavours come from the finishing casks I think. Unfinished Glenmorangie (at least the couple I've had) has vanilla, is quite cereally and slightly biscuity. However, except for the vanilla, the finishing casks tend to overwhelm these flavours and replace them. There is one exception however - Glenmorangie Astar, where the whisky has been aged in American oak. It's loaded with vanilla, biscuit, some cereal elements, and surprisingly, smoke.


All the Glenmorangies I've tasted so far are here.

Glenmorangie 10 yo - good
SMWS 125.20 - good
Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban - very good
Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or - very good
Glenmorangie Lasanta - good
Glenmorangie 18 yo - very good
Glenmorangie Astar - very good


Distillery history

Founded in 1843 by William Mathesen, who was formerly a partner at Balblair distillery. The distillery was part sold to Macdonald & Muir and Durham Ltd in 1918. The new owners kept the name of the distillery (Glenmorangie Distillery Co) in the company name. In 2004, the luxury company LVMH bought the distillery. The distillery was silent from 1931-1936 and again from 1941-1944.

Glenmorangie is part of Baillie Nicol Jarvie and Highland Queen. After the LVMH takeover the range was revamped, with the flagship Glenmorangie 10 yo being rebranded as the Original, and a number of quite delicious finished expressions being introduced (with some existing ones also being rebranded). There aren't very many indie bottlings, although the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (part owned by the same parties) have a few casks now and then.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Springs from the Tarlogie hills, a source of hard water
Washbacks: Six, stainless steel, 48,500 litres each
Wash stills: Four, long and reflux bowl neck, 11,400 litres
Spirit stills: One, long and reflux bowl neck, 8,200 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Almost a right angle
Production per year: approximately 3,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Scapa distillery

Scapa Distillery
Scapa
St Ola, Kirkwall
Orkney KA15 1SE

Islands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Lots of sour (and unusual, at least in whisky) tropical fruits in Scapa, among them pineapple, grapefruit, tomatoes, pomeloes, papaya and even coconut. All this is wreathed in peat, and occasionally, something sweet like cocoa, or syrup. Fruit flavours are always good in a whisky, and Scapa has a lot of interesting ones. If this were wine, it would be white, from an excellent vineyard. Not bad for a distillery that was, once upon a time, worked only when the people at Highland Park had a spare moment.

Scapa whisky is generally tangy, perhaps slightly sour, although the latest official expression, the 16 yo, is quite sweet. There are occasional reminders of the distillery's proximity to the sea, with the odd whiff of sea salt.


All the Scapas I've tasted so far are here.

Scapa 12 yo - good
Scapa 14 yo - good
Scapa 23 yo 1978/2001 - good
Scapa 16 yo - very good

Distillery history

Founded in 1885 by John Townsend, Scapa was owned by the founder's eponymous company until about 1919, when it was bought by a consortium. Then it passed through various hands until it ended up with Allied Domecq. It was nearly sold to a third party after Allied's merger with Pernod Ricard, but Pernod hung on to it in the end. The distillery was silent from 1934-1936 and again from 1939-1945. From 1994 it was operated on a part-time basis by employees of Highland Park.

There's a limited official range - a 12 yo and a 14 yo. Very recently, the 14 yo was discontinued to be replaced by a 16 yo. Scapa malt is part of Ballantine's.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Lingro Burn, a source of peaty soft water
Washbacks: Six, stainless steel, 21,548 litres each
Wash stills: One, ex-Lomond still, 13,500 litres
Spirit stills: One, normal neck, 12,563 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Bent s-shape
Production per year: 1,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Glentauchers Distillery

Glentauchers Distillery
Mulben
Keith
Banffshire AB55 6YL

Speyside, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Expressions of this whisky are difficult to come by, but the ones I've tried so far are quite distinctive in some ways. There are a lot of sweet and light flavour elements present, as you can see from the wordle below. However, there are two obvious flavours - black tea and butter. I associate this with Russian food, somehow. Maybe it's the way black tea, sugar, butter and black bread always go with a Russian meal.

The black tea flavours are not astringent on the tongue. Rather, there is a hint of bitterness that lingers a little in the finish. So with the butter - most whiskies are a little buttery and sweet because of a high alcohol content. The butter flavours here are slightly milky, salty, and different. I wouldn't call the whiskies from Glentauchers particularly outstanding, but they are unusual, drinkable, and, in some cases, rather good!



All the Glentauchers I've tasted so far are here.

SMWS 63.22 (Glentauchers 18 yo 1989/2008) - good
SMWS 63.21 (Glentauchers 18 yo 1989/2008) - good
Glentauchers 1990 10 yo (1990/2001) - good

Distillery history

This distillery was founded in 1898 by James Buchanan and WP Lowrie (by way of the Glentauchers Distillery Co.). The company changed names a few times, eventually becoming James Buchanan and Co. and was merged with Dewars in 1915. Buchanan-Dewars joined Distillers Company Ltd in 1925, eventually becoming United Distillers. They sold Glentauchers to what was eventually to become Allied Domecq in 1989. Pernod Ricard acquired Glentauchers in 2005 by buying Allied Domecq.

There's a semi-official Gordon & Macphail 10 yo bottling, which is the most widely available. A 15 yo official bottling was released in 2000. Other than that, there are some independent bottlings released in 2006. There's a lot of this whisky in Teachers, Ballantine's and Black & White.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Reservoir fed by Rosarie Burn or Mulben Springs
Washbacks: Six, larch, 60,000 litres each
Wash stills: Three, normal neck, 10,000 litres
Spirit stills: Three, normal neck, 10,500 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Nearly 15 degrees descending
Production per year: 3,400,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Blair Athol Distillery

Blair Athol Distillery
Perth Road
Pitlochry
Perthshire PH16 5LY

Central Highlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Blair Athol is a whisky where a simple core is hidden under a veneer of complex flavours. The core consists of something leathery, maybe slightly bitter and hoppy. I suppose where I say "leather" I really mean light peat. The tannic scent that infuses Blair Athol whisky (for me) isn't really strong enough to count as peat, certainly not the full-fledged peat one gets in Islay whiskies. Instead, it's gentle, subtle, a little whiffy, like the inside of a new car, or a leather wallet.

This is further leavened and hidden by a citric tang. In different Blair Athols I've found that this can take several different guises (orange juice and lemon juice, as well as peaches). There are several other sweet fruity notes, among them vanilla and raisins, that also soften the leathery flavours.


All the Blair Athols I've tasted so far are here.

Blair Athol 12 yo Flora & Fauna - good
Blair Athol 12 yo 1993/2006 - very good
Blair Athol 12 yo 1993/2005 - good
Blair Athol 13 yo 1993/2006 - ok

Distillery history

Blair Athol was founded in 1798, as Aldour distillery, by John Stewart and Robert Robertson. The distillery was renamed Blair Athol in 1825 by Robertson. It eventually passed to Alexander Connacher & Co, to Peter Mackenzie & Company, which eventually became part of Arthur Bell & Sons, which in turn became part of Guinness and thence Diageo. The distillery was silent in 1832 (possibly until 1860) and again from 1931 to 1949.

Besides the 12 yo Flora & Fauna expression, there aren't many other official bottlings. Diageo released a 27 yo cask strength malt, distilled in 1975, as part of its Rare Malts series in 2003. The whisky is a major component of Bell's (but of course!).

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Allt Dour, a burn running through the distillery grounds
Washbacks: Eight. Four, stainless steel, two 25,000 litres, two 30,000 litres, and four, larch, 18,000 litres
Wash stills: Two, normal neck, 13,000 litres
Spirit stills: Two, normal neck, 11,500 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Slightly descending
Production per year: over 1,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Benriach Distillery

Benriach Distillery
Longmorn
Elgin
Morayshire IV30 8SJ

Speyside, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Well, there it is. The 3 major flavour elements in Benriach whisky - bananas, lemons and peat. The peat, of course, is from the two peated whiskies that Benriach distillery produces (Curiositas and Authenticus), but all the whiskies display light notes of bananas and tangy lemons. The banana flavour is very unlike the sweet, intense banana notes one finds in bourbon. In Benriach whisky, it's light but flavourful, ethereal and silky.

The light banana flavours are in lockstep with tangy lemon, sometimes so tart that it tastes like lemon juice rather than the fruit itself. There's occasionally some bitterness that so often goes with lemon in whisky, but in this case I've caught it as white wine rather than lemon zest. The whole combination is rather refreshing.


All the Benriachs I've tasted so far are here.

Benriach 16 yo - good
Benriach 12 yo - good
Benriach 10 yo Curiositas - good
Benriach 21 yo Authenticus - good

Distillery history

Founded by the owner of Longmorn, John Duff and Co, in 1897. It changed hands several times, from John Duff to the Longmorn Distillery Company, then to the Glenlivet Distillers Ltd, then to Seagram, then to Chivas Regal (together with its sister distillery, Longmorn). When Pernod Ricard bought Chivas, Benriach was sold to a South African concern, Intra Trading. The distillery was silent from 1900-1965 (but not the maltings), in 1999 and from 2002 to 2004.

There are loads of official bottlings - 12, 16 and 20 years old, the peated Curiositas and Authenticus and several limited editions. The whisky used to go into Chivas Regal, I suppose Chivas still has some older casks it mixes into its blends. It also goes into Clan Murray and Something Special.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Springs on site
Washbacks: Eight, stainless steel
Wash stills: Two, long normal neck
Spirit stills: Two, long normal neck
Spirit still Lyne arm: ??
Production per year: 2,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Auchentoshan Distillery

Auchentoshan Distillery
Dalmuir
Clydebank
Glasgow G81 4SJ

Lowlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Sweet and light, that's Auchentoshan for me. Some nice dessert flavours - raisins, honey, and vanilla dominate, but there's a whole host of other flavours too, floral, fruit and even vegetal. I especially like the slight hint of leather. It's proof that triple distilling doesn't take away all the interesting flavours!

Auchentoshan whisky tends to be light, almost airy on the tongue. It's a pretty good aperitif, and the flavours are ethereal, silky and tend to tickle the palate. The lightness of the whisky also lends itself well to wood maturation. That's certainly where the brown paper (almost brandy-like) comes from, along with the orange peel, and perhaps the lemons too. I suppose too much wood would drown the whisky's characteristics, but I've not found one like that yet.


All the Auchentoshans I've tasted so far are here.

Auchentoshan 10 yo - good
Auchentoshan 1973 29 yo (1973/2003) - very good
SMWS 5.22 (Auchentoshan 9 yo 1999/2008) - very good
Auchentoshan 21 yo - good
Auchentoshan Three Wood - good

Distillery history

Auchentoshan was granted its official licence in 1823, although it may be identical to Duntocher (first mentioned around 1800). It was founded by John Bulloch, passed through the hands of owners named Filshie and Maclachlan, and finally fell into the hands of Stanley Morrison, eventually the owner of Morrison Bowmore. Morrison Bowmore still own the distillery today. It is the only Scottish distillery still making the whisky by triple distillation (where the low wines are distilled twice before being passed to the spirit still for final distillation). The distillery was silent during World War II.

Auchentoshan was a major part of Rob Roy, although production these days is mainly for single malts. There are 6 expressions in the core range - Classic (no age statement), Select (no age statement), the 12 yo, the 18 yo, the 21 yo and the Three Wood (matured in bourbon, oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks).

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Loch Katrine
Washbacks: Four, Oregon pine, 38,000 litres each
Wash stills: One, constricted neck, 17,300 litres.
Spirit stills: One, constricted neck, 11,000-12,000 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: nearly 5 degrees descending
Production per year: 1,800,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Old Pulteney Distillery

Old Pulteney Distillery
Huddard St
Wick
Caithness KW1 5BA

North Highlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Old Pulteney is in Wick, next to the sea, and maybe it's not surprising that it's quite a salty whisky. Peat and seaweed also add to its maritime character. The whisky isn't that savoury, however, there are some distinctly unsealike characteristics in it. These are mostly very sweet notes.

Sometimes the sweet notes manifest as fruit, but more often, as chocolate and caramel. Caramel blends better than chocolate with the brininess of the whisky. Strangely, any fruitiness tends to get overwhelmed by the brine and the peat, and is rather hidden and elusive. It takes some work and attention to find these notes.


All the Old Pulteneys I've tasted so far are here.

Old Pulteney 17 yo - very good
Old Pulteney 21 yo - good
SMWS 52.18 (Old Pulteney 7 yo 2001/2008) - very good
Old Pulteney 12 yo - good

Distillery history

The distillery was founded by James Henderson in 1823, supposedly named after Sir William Johnstone Pulteney, a Scottish lawyer, MP and once the richest man in Great Britain. It eventually fell into the hands of one of Allied Domecq's ancestor companies. Allied Domecq sold the distillery to InverHouse Distillers, now a subsidiary of Thai Beverages. The distillery was silent between 1930 and 1959 (closed, then rebuilt).

Old Pulteney is a component of some fairly obscure blends (like Inver House, Catton's and Pinwinnie Royal). There are 3 single malt expressions, the 12 yo, 17 yo and 21 yo. Most of the malt is now diverted to these expressions.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Loch of Yarrows
Washbacks: Six, cast iron, 24,000 litres each
Wash stills: One, reflux bowls neck with T shape, 21,707 litres
Spirit stills: One, reflux bowls neck, 17,343 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Almost right angle, bent vertical descent
Production per year: 3,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Lagavulin Distillery

Lagavulin Distillery
Port Ellen
Islay
Argyll PA42 7DZ

Islay, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Lagavulin is fragrant and smoky, not sweet and smoky like other Islay malts. I think the only sure fire way to ensure that there is some sweetness in Lagavulin whisky is to age it in sweet sherry casks - like the fantastic Lagavulin Distiller's Edition releases, aged in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

The whisky also absorbs vanillin well. All the official bottlings I've tried and recorded notes for (as well as a couple I didn't manage to note) display huge vanilla influences alongside the ubiquitous peat and smoke. Some fruit flavours are usually also prominent, although it's not always the same fruit.



All the Lagavulins I've tasted so far are here.

Lagavulin 16 yo - good
Lagavulin 12 yo 1991/2004 Cask Strength - very good
Lagavulin 1991 Distiller's Edition (1991/2007) - very good

Distillery history

Founded in 1816 by John Johnston. It was merged with a neighbouring distillery called Ardmore in 1837. It was acquired by James Logan Mackie in 1867, and passed into the ownership of his eponymous company Mackie & Co. Peter Mackie used the old distillery buildings to house a new distillery, Malt Mill, which was eventually closed, and now houses Lagavulin's visitor centre. Lagavulin distillery eventually passed into the hands of Scottish Malt Distillers, which eventually became part of Diageo. The distillery was silent in 1918, 1953 and 1960.

Lagavulin was, and probably still is, an important component of White Horse. Independent bottlings are rare. The flagship bottling is the 16 yo, although the famous, delicious one is the Distiller's Edition, usually aged around the same, matured in Pedro Ximenez casks.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: 2 Solan lochs, Loch Sholum and Loch Lochan
Washbacks: Ten, New England larch, 22,000 litres each
Wash stills: Two, normal neck, 12,300 litres each
Spirit stills: Two, short pear shaped neck, 12,900 litres each
Spirit still Lyne arm: Nearly 45 degrees descending
Production per year: 2,300,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Balvenie Distillery

Balvenie Distillery
Dufftown
Keith
Banffshire AB55 ADH

Speyside, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

I would consider Balvenie the quintessential Speyside - sweet, fruity, and not too heavy (but not too light either). For me, it's a benchmark malt, what I measure other Speysides against.

Balvenie is quite fruity, with lots of oranges (this seems to be consensus) and apricots (not really consensus). I think it's also got a fair bit of vanilla, although this flavour element is quite unobstrusive and is usually underlying the fruit. It's pretty ubiquitous though. There are lots of caramel notes going on too (do they add caramel to their official bottlings?) - caramel itself, dulce de leche, butterscotch, in the Wordle below.



All the Balvenies I've tasted so far are here.

Balvenie 12 yo Double Wood - good
Balvenie 15 yo Single Cask 1990/2006 - good
Balvenie 21 yo Port Wood - good

Distillery history

Founded in 1892, by William Grant. It was originally supposed to be called Glen Gordon. It's still owned by William Grant today. It's never been silent, according to the information I have.

The original 2 stills were added to in 1957, again in 1965 and again in 1971. An entirely new distillery, Kininvie, was constructed on Balvenie's premises in 1990. This distillery supplies malt for the Grant's blends, freeing up more Balvenie malt for bottling as single malt. There are many official bottlings, with the 12 yo DoubleWood the most popular.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Springs from the Conval Hills
Washbacks: Ten, Oregon pine, 50,000 litres each
Wash stills: Four, reflux bowls neck, 2 are 12,729 litres each, 2 are 9,092 litres each
Spirit stills: Five, reflux bowls neck, 12,729 litres each
Spirit still Lyne arm: nothing unusual
Production per year: 5,000,000 litres a year

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Caol Ila Distillery

Caol Ila Distillery
Port Askaig
Islay
Argyll PA46 7RL

Islay, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

The Wordle below doesn't fully reflect my impression of Caol Ila. Yes, there's smoke and peat, but the major flavour element besides those is soy sauce, then maybe lemons and honey. For me, behind the smoke and peat Caol Ila whisky is usually sweetness and light veiled in a savoury, umami, salty cloak. The word "soy sauce" should be bigger.

All 5 flavour elements are prominently displayed in the Wordle. I suppose Caol Ila whisky wouldn't be Ileach if it didn't have at least a little smoke and peat, but it doesn't have a little, it has quite a lot! That big "smoke" word is very appropriate.



All the Caol Ilas I've tasted so far are here.

Caol Ila 16 yo 1991/2007 cask strength - very good
Caol Ila 12 yo - good
Caol Ila Cask Strength NAS - good
SMWS 53.115 (Caol Ila 15 yo 1991/2007) - very good

Distillery history

Founded by Hector Henderson in 1846. Henderson sold just 6 years later, and the distillery eventually passed through a succession of owners to United Distillers (eventually Diageo) in 1992. The distillery was silent from 1930-1937, 1941-1945 and 1972-1974.

As one of 7 or more distilleries on Islay, the malt from Caol Ila used to almost entirely be used in Johnnie Walker. This was so until 2002, where Diageo "promoted" Caol Ila to Classic Malt status, and began to sell official bottlings. There are even some unpeated official bottlings available now. Unfortunately, due to the expansion in production, almost all Caol Ila whisky is now matured on the mainland.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Loch Nam Ban
Washbacks: Eight, larch, 60,000 litres each
Wash stills: Three, normal neck, 35,345 litres each
Spirit stills: Three, normal neck, 29,549 litres each
Spirit still Lyne arm: Nearly 5 degrees descending
Production per year: 3,500,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Balblair Distillery

Balblair Distillery
Edderton
Tain
Ross-shire IV19 1LB

North Highlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

My impression of Balblair is that it's chockful of fruit. Quite a lot of "yellow fruits" (as opposed to red fruits) - pineapple and lemon - and some floral elements that vary from whisky to whisky, and consequently I can't pin down. The fruit tends to be quite sharp, and the whisky quite tangy.

Slightly chaotic Wordle here, but it shows pineapples, apricots and lemons as major flavour elements. That's accurate for the 2 official bottlings that I've tried, at least, but for the Balblair 40 yo, there was a lot less fruit than more usual sherried whisky elements.


All the Balblairs I've tasted so far are here.

Balblair 1997 9 yo (1997/2007) - good
Balblair 40 yo 1965/2007 - very good
Balblair 1989 17 yo (1989/2007) - very good

Distillery history

The first licence was obtained by John Ross in 1790, but there had been distilling on Balblair farm for about 40 years before that. The distillery stayed in the Ross family until 1894, when it passed into the hands of one Alexander Cowan, and eventually to Allied Domecq, who then sold Balblair to Inver House Distillers. The distillery moved at some time early in its history, but it kept the same ownership, and moved only a short distance.

The distillery was silent from 1911 to 1948. In February 2007, all 8 age statement bottlings were discontinued and replaced with 3 vintage bottlings, 1979, 1989 and 1997.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Allt Dhearg, 4 miles from distillery.
Washbacks: Six, Oregon pine, 22,000 litres each.
Wash stills: One, normal Dumpy neck, 19,093 litres.
Spirit stills: Two, normal Dumpy neck (old one no longer in use), the one in use is 11,044 litres, and the old one is 8,182 litres.
Spirit still Lyne arm: Almost a right angle
Production per year: 1,300,000 litres.

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Oban Distillery

Oban Distillery
Stafford Street
Oban
Argyll PA34 5NH

West Highlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Oban whisky, to me, is something very Oriental. There's a lot of Chinese sour plums in there, as well as Japanese nori (dried seaweed for sushi), in addition to sherry, peat, and lots of tasty sweet things.

The Wordle below is interesting - Oban whisky seems to always have sherry and peat, as well as a basic sweet salty taste. The sherry and peat then tends to followed by lots of sweet notes, as well as the odd savoury note. The whisky is usually quite oily and heavy on the tongue.


All the Obans I've tasted so far are here.

Oban 14 yo (OB) - good
Oban 1992 Distiller's Edition (1992/2006) (OB) - good
Oban 32 yo 1969/2002 Cask Strength (OB) - very good

Distillery history

Founded 1794 by brothers John and Hugh Stevenson. Goes through a long chain of owners before finally being bought by the Oban Distillery Company in 1923. The ODC, through mergers and acquisitions, was eventually folded into Diageo. The distillery was silent from 1931 to 1937, and again from 1969 to 1972, and for a few months in 1991.

The distillery is an urban distillery. There aren't many of these left. The flagship 14 yo bottling was chosen as one of Diageo's Classic Malts, representing the West Highlands. The malt also goes into Dewar's and Old Mull.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Gleann and Bhearraidh Lochs.
Washbacks: Four, European larch, 36,000 litres each.
Wash stills: One, constricted neck, 18,800 litres.
Spirit stills: One, constricted neck, 8,296 litres.
Spirit still Lyne arm: Unusually short.
Production per year: 700,000 litres.

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo