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Had I elected to partake of my flatmate’s evening menu – chicken breasts with a pine nut crust, creamy leek sauce and steamed veg – I would have missed this superlative tasting, the first which I have had cause to chronicle since the Adelphi tasting back in October. Striding into the Scores Hotel after a hasty pasta-’n'-sauce, the atmosphere spoke of more than 300-odd glasses of single malt gently exhaling, but about 50 persons squabbling for seating, too. The place was packed out.

Such exponential interest could have been down to the projector/PowerPoint assemblage, which certainly conferred upon Ian from Springbank a heightened aura of professionalism. Unfortunately, as I had experienced when I gave a talk to my local Rotary Club, there were technical difficulties. Solutions were soon improvised, however, and an exterior shot of the distillery gateway, of which I had likewise taken a photograph with my bike lent against it, appeared on the screen. After a preliminary request that someone keep him informed as to the latest developments in the Rangers match, we got under way.

A healthy turnout.

Springbank – and indeed the Argyll area as a whole – made a singular impression on me, yet I have had minimal opportunity to explore their output beyond the delicious 10 and 15yos. Ian would redeem my ignorance.

The first of the six sparkling glasses of the evening contained a dram I have been very keen to source: Kilkerran. Produced in the J & A Mitchell-owned and restored Glengyle distillery, expressions have been released annually for the last couple of years as ‘Works in Progress’. The representative on this occasion was 6-years-old and mightily intriguing it was, too. Firm, clean and very sweet, barley sugar notes stood out on both the nose and palate, the former became more tropically fruity with waxy mango skin after a touch of water. Honey and citrus also made an appearance. Spicy, oaky and vaguely biscuity on the palate, a creaminess slowly developed. The casks have been doing their jobs impressively, and this is set to be a very enjoyable malt.

Ian was to surprise me with his next selection: not the CV expression of the triple-distilled and unpeated Hazelburn expression, produced in the Springbank distillery, but the limited release and Sherry-matured 12yo. Apricot-like initially, that Springbank saltiness came through in a rush. Grungey, oaky, leafy and oily, there was a dustiness in the mouth that reminded me of very old houses. These drying flavours lightened, and intensely herbal aromatics appeared. Returning to this later on in the evening, however, the Hazelburn seemed a tad washed out beside its richer, peated siblings.

Our measures for the evening.

A couple of gents whom I had not met at previous tastings were asking some very intelligent questions and between them and the folk on the committee table, Ian was given a real work over. However, with rakish assurance cask-variety percentages, barley strains and peating levels were all related to us – although he got a little bit distracted when news of Rangers’ last-gasp goal which ensured their passage to the next stage of the Europa League came through. On the subject of barley, the distillery has been using Optic for some time now, and malts 100% of their requirements on-site. Where possible, they aim to use the produce from local farmers in the west of Scotland, but during especially damp winters, supplies from the East (Lothian) have to be brought in. As I mentioned in my review of the Springbank experience, they were distilling batches of ‘Local Barley’ again from farms immediately around Campbeltown and this is intended to be kept back for a few years yet. On the subject of peating levels, we now embarked upon the Springbanks.

At roughly 20ppm, the standard Springbank is a medium-peated malt whisky. It is no Ardbeg, but peat does constitute a large proportion of its character, although as we would all discover with the next three malts, in complete harmony with the other flavours hailing from the Mull of Kintyre. The first of these was the CV expression. CV stands for Chairman’s Vat, and represents the company’s endeavours to market both a more affordable whisky and a perfect introduction to the Springbank house style. If it helps, it gets my seal of approval. Matured in a mixture of Bourbon, Sherry and Port casks, with an age profile of between 6 and 10 years, this boasted lovely sweet and rich notes. Banana cream pie, nutty, very toffeed with a breath of sea air, the palate was a medley of crisp peat and smoke, big, lively richness and a slight appley character.

Much has been said about the 10yo, and even amongst such exotic company, the principal bottling held its ground. I loved the soft leather, barley, orange and pepper notes, and especially the velvety muscular body. The palate hadn’t the peaty presence of the CV, but was richer, oakier and nuttier.

The very best – to my mind – was saved for a penultimate encounter. The new addition to the range and hot on the heels of the other fairly young, age-statemented and above all cask strength releases from around Scotland was a 12yo at 58% ABV, which took the breath of some other tasters. A blend of first- and refill Sherry casks, I couldn’t help but glory at the complexity of body and depth of oak flavours faithfully rendered by the preserved strength. Perfumed, with oak and lots of pear and apple, the nose carried on into baked bread and earthy spice. Vanilla and nuts appeared, as did paprika, sawn oak and toffee. I loved the palate: thick and phenolic, with apple peel notes and general citrussy qualities. A touch of water revealed the maritime character, as well as barley sugar and burnt bark. The whole thing was a thrilling triumph and I want more, please.

Ian in lecture-mode.

The tasting concluded with the peat monster: Longrow. One of the best drams I was implored to try during my tour was a nip of the CV in Cadenheads after my tour of Springbank and I adored its rugged, seaside freshness in addition to thick, oily industrial smoke. The 14yo was somewhat disappointing after such fond memories. Peat had been present at first, but with so much time interacting with the air, this had if anything disappeared, blown over the sea to Islay where they know how to keep hold of their smoke. What I detected instead was a very pleasant rich pear aroma. Then came creamy toffee and ginger biscuits. I was beguiled by its apparent softness. Peat appeared on the palate, but only after a slow build. Otherwise, the experience was clean and sweet, with heather and more fruit on a return to the nose.

Ian encoutnered very little resistance selling the Springbank story. The traditional – some might say stone-age – approach to making whisky has not failed them yet, it would seem, and it is a very strong range, happily polished off but us thirsty students in the process of the raffle. I would like to thank Ian for bringing the word of Campbeltown from distant Argyllshire – we thoroughly enjoyed his company and knowledge. Credit must also go towards the committee of the Quaich Society who put on yet another seamless tasting. The next few promise to be very entertaining indeed, but I shan’t give anything away just yet…

     The first I heard of Glenglassaugh’s tour schedule was at the Glen Garioch distillery last April where I also discovered that a change in their own policy, unbeknownst to me, equated to the Oldmeldrum distillery opening for tours on Saturday after all. Both pieces of news were greeted with a mixed reaction: in the case of the former it was another distillery I could have visited but now wouldn’t, and in the case of the latter I had spent a morning rejiggling logistics some time in October in order that I could make it to Glen Garioch by the Friday for nothing. As it turned out, of course, the effort and stress were more than made up for in other unforeseen respects and Glenglassaugh, from the looks of things presently, isn’t going anywhere soon.

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The distillery from the north, over the Moray Firth. Quite a setting.

Portsoy, Banffshire, AB45 25Q, 01261 842367. Glenglassaugh Distillery Co. (Scaent Group). www.glenglassaugh.com

TOURS PROVIDED:

‘The Spirit Tour’: £7.50. Conducted around the plant with one of the workers (in my opinion the folk most qualified to tell you about the equipment they operate, in addition to possessing a hefty reserve of hilarious anecdotes), the tour ends after the spirit still, newly returned to gushing torrents of life (as in the water of life). It is some of this that will be offered to you in the form of a complimentary dram. One of the Spirit Drink range can be sampled which, though not legally whisky yet, is Glenglassaugh in its truest form – its DNA.

‘Behind the Scenes Tour’: £30. In the capable hands of a senior manager, the ‘Spirit’ experience is on offer in addition to an exploration of the obscure nooks and crannies one finds in old distilleries. The dusty corners may not see a huge amount of the action now, but whisky-making in its earliest days was never a wasteful process, and these forgotten spaces can tell you much about the provenance and history of the place. Pace the closed malting floors, imagining barley from the local fields spread upon them quietly turning to malt. Then head to the warehouse for a rarer privilege: the nosing of whisky-laden casks and encounter the silent but intense process of maturation. After the tour, enjoy a dram from the Spirit Drink range in addition to the 26yo and 30yo single malt whiskies.

‘The Ultimate Tour’: £80. This sounds like a lot of money, and it is pitting itself against the likes of the Magnus Eunson Tour at Highland Park and the Cask Idol Tour at Glengoyne. The stops do appear to have been pulled out, however. Distillery manager Graham Eunson will take care of you on the route of the Behind the Scenes tour to the spirit receiver vat where a lesson in recording alcoholic strength awaits. I am given to understand that there is more to it than giving you a sample of the new make and waiting for you to say ‘Phwoar! That’s strong!’ or similar. Take a peak at racked warehouses 2 and 3, then the bottling hall and then assume your honorary position on the Glenglassaugh cask selection scheme. Your opinion is desired on a range of single cask samples to assist in the decision of the next Glenglassaugh release. The tutored tasting includes the drams as for the Behind the Scenes tour in addition to the IWSC Trophy-winning 40yo. Regarding this last, should you decide to buy a bottle of it there and then, the cost of your tour will be refunded.

DISTILLERY-EXCLUSIVE BOTTLINGS:      N/A   

CASK OWNERSHIP:      That there are no distillery exclusives is a bit disengenuous: there is the opportunity to own your very own cask of new make Glenglassaugh and watch it mature with the Octave programme. Unpeated (£500) and Peated (£600) Glenglassaugh spirit is filled into a 50 litre Octave cask make from staves previously used to mature Scotch whisky at 63.5% ABV. The filling process can be done by a distillery employee or by yourself. Choose the inscription on the cask head and you are presented with a certificate of ownership in addition to a photograph of your cask to take away with you. Progress is monitored annually, with a sample sent to you. Better yet, phone ahead and visit your cask in person/ As to how long your cask rests in Glenglassaugh’s coastal warehouses is up to you but when you do decide to bottle your whisky (at natural or reduced strength is also your decision), Glenglassaugh are there to hold your hand with their on-site facility. It is even possible to design your own label, although this must be formally approved. With the whisky now bottled, the Octave vessel is yours to keep. I can imagine it working very well, turned on its head, as a side table for supporting your evening dram.

Making history is something The Dalmore brand does very well. This eclectic distilling complex on the Cromarthy Firth north of Inverness has released such sumptuous, sought-after and eye-wateringly expensive drams over the last five years or so that its imprint on the single malt landscape is certain to remain profound for the foreseeable future.

The latest release from The Dalmore.

Basking in the mahogany glow of their iconic, ultra-premium, 50yo+ releases, however, has never been master blender Richard Paterson’s style. The cult status afforded by the 64yo, Selene and Trinitas amongst others grants them license to explore and mark their distinguished history. The distillery, in operation since 1839 and under the control of the Mackenzie clan for significant periods since then, has now come to the aid of their ancestral bonds: Castle Leod, seat of the Mackenzies since the early 17th century, is in need of care and attention. The Dalmore Castle Leod is part of the rescue package, with proceeds of the £100 price tag going towards the restoration of the building.

‘I’m honoured that Richard Paterson has created this extraordinary single malt in tribute to Castle Leod, which is both my home and the spiritual home of the Mackenzie clan,’ affirms John Cromartie Caberfeidh of the Mackenzies. ‘The castle is filled with rich heritage and history, but more importantly, it has stood the test of time, and I have no doubt that in years to come The Dalmore’s Castle Leod will equally be recognised as a timeless classic.’

The Dalmore spirit has been aged initially in American oak before an 18-month period finishing in Premier Cru Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from Bordeaux and the producer’s tasting notes are fairly wonderful, promising a deeply enthralling experience: ‘exhilarating romantic notes of Rose de Mai’ on the nose, with ‘flirtation’ promised on the palate together with a ’sensual fusion’ renders this a ‘passionate love affair’. If only my history lectures were quite this fervent. 

There are to be 5000 bottles of the Castle Leod released.

Richard Paterson (L) with John Cromartie Caberfeidh with The Dalmore Castle Leod.

These are fairly exciting times for The Dalmore, as my ringing-round the industry reveals that they are also renovating themselves. The visitor centre and the plant itself is experiencing a thorough overhaul and polish-up at present which, if I am honest, was required to bring the visitor centre into line with some of its other competitors which, in the luxury market, means The Macallan. The former manager’s house was a quaint venue in which to begin the tour, but the fairly cramped and dark conditions did not display the magnificence of the various Dalmores enshrined within.

I’m excited to see how this highly idiosyncratic site is to be opened up: the still house in particular is a ‘jungle-gym’ of copper and piping which cannot very easily be re-shuffled. My sources tell me that, to commerorate this expansion process, there will be a distillery-exclusive single cask released which, I don’t mind telling you, I want very badly indeed.

An apology with a reservation coming up: I have been something of a wandering whisky soul of late and that has meant not a great deal has been visibly happening on the pages of the Scotch Odyssey Blog. However, general exploration in whisky circles is what this blog has been based upon from the very beginning. I have not been idle.

My inter-semester break from University was more than productively spent, in fact - although I had to make the pragmatic decision to abstain from a stint in Dufftown, Scotland’s ‘Whisky Capital’. NB: ‘Pragmatically’ relates to an absence of ‘Money’. Nevertheless, I read, I tasted, and I arranged a meeting with Top Bloke and ever-increasingly my Malt Guru, Chris Hoban, in Edinburgh. In order of appearance, Dave Broom’s World Atlas of Whisky has been an utter joy to digest (I want more Linkwoods in my life so very very badly); the Glenfarclas 1990 Family Cask lived up to billing and then some, and Chris introduced me to all the best places and all the best people during my afternoon in Auld Reekie.

Whilst I know it isn’t, Chris’s recommendation of Coco Chocolate on Brunstfield Place may have been directed squarely at me. What became very much apparent during the whisky bloggers’ Inver House tour in November, as I jabbed a finger in the direction of notable cafes we were passing, was that I am very fond of cake. Jason and Chris are running with this one, suggesting there could be a supplementary blog in there somewhere. Coco did not disappoint my sweet tooth and the Aztec blend (one of seven hot chocolate mixes they have on the counter for you to select) was one of the most exciting hot frothing mugs of just about anything you can think of I have had for a very long time. The brownies are fairly awesome, too. Find Coco Chocolate online here.

With a bar of Organic Dark Chocolate with Organic Earl Gray and Organic Bergamot Oil stashed in my bag, it was to the Scotch Whisky Experience that we repaired for lunch. I did my best to follow the many interesting and complicated things Chris is now involved in as part of the Master of Malt sales team while enjoying a magnificent soup-and-sandwich in the relaxing environs of the Experience’s Amber Restaurant. I grabbed a dram of The Glenlivet 21yo Archive at the bar, scribbled some thoughts down (so reminiscently Glenlivet-y with biscuit, toffee, stewed apple and creamy malt. It was as if I had returned to Ballindalloch), and then we were off again to Robert Graham’s.

Chris ushered me into a little shop on Canongate which I had cycled past twice on the first day of my Odyssey but cannot recollect spotting. Andy, on his employers’ behalf, evidently forgave me as plentiful samples emerged from under the counter and disappeared down my throat. Another former Experience tour guide, Andy has been working at Robert Graham Treasurer for only a few months, but his enthusiasm and professionalism ensured that their product range was as familiar to him as the face of my companion, Mr Hoban. As I sniffed and swallowed, I learnt that the shop’s independent bottlings have done very well for themselves indeed: finding their way in front of Jim Murray and Whisky Magazine, they have been handsomely praised.

With neither camera nor receptacles conducive to tasting, nor the presence of mind to keep track of the whiskies I was sampling, all I can say with confidence was that some of their Islay’s are very interesting and their own-brand labels (provenance highly-classified) were intriguing, too. I really enjoyed one of their Tobermorys, in fact: clean, sweet with a spring onion/shallot quality. Their miniature selection is not massive, but there are some surprises lurking. I had to have a Graham’s-own 5cl sample of Allt a Bhainne, keen as I am to explore the make from this most anonymous of distilleries but with such an extraordinary location. Thank you, Andy, for your knowledge and hospitality. Robert Graham website.

By the end of the week I had returned to Whisky Country and student digs. The first Quaich Society tasting of the semester appeared with startling rapidity – so startling that I was late for it. A happy accident as a result was that the first seat I came to following my surreptitious entrance was on the committee table beside our host for the evening, Graeme Broom (a Dave Broom, A Robert Graham, and now a Graeme Broom).

Descending on us thirsty students in the capacity of his personal project, Straight Up Whisky, he had brought along three ‘finished’ whiskies and the wines whose former barrels had been snapped up by the various distillers to complete the maturation of their product. The challenge was to match the three different wines to the whiskies their personalities had helped to ‘finish’. I’ll be quite honest, I was rubbish, but some succeeded in matching Whisky A (Auchentoshan Three Wood) to the Oloroso Sherry; Whisky B Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban) to the Port, and Whisky C (the new Springbank Claret Finish) to the red wine.  Allowing us to debate each pairing first, Graeme would then describe the various processes involved in creating the wine, how materials were then adopted by the whisky industry and finally what impact it was intended to have on the final whisky. I say intended. Healthy debate ensued as to how successful the various finishes were (I don’t remember the Springbank being so expressive) and Graeme gave us some hard facts behind the general lament that there are comparatively few good wine casks out there. The ‘treating’ of American oak within the Spanish Sherry bodegas is a practice I knew about from my visits to The Macallan and Highland Park, is an example of how companies seek to circumvent these barriers.

Heavily-involved in the wine industry and a passionate exponent for those doing things right in the whisky industry, Graeme provided a very refreshing perspective on matters. Details of Straight Up Whisky can be found here.

As I hope I stress often enough, whisky is about the people involved in making, selling and teaching it. Be sure that when I cross paths with the very best ambassadors for the drink, those who devote themselves to providing something distinctive, unique and personal, you will here about it from me.

      I was wet, I was cold, and I was not prepared to accept when faced with a darkened and locked visitor centre that it was my fault for not reading the opening information properly. On a filthy day from Culrain to Helmsdale discovering that Clynelish was closed was almost too much to take. I debated how much trouble I would get into if I broke into the distillery and showed myself around. I elected to abstain from breaking and entering, and squelched on to Helmsdale for cake and something hot and sweet. My itinerary meant that I couldn’t double back on myself to tour Clynelish when  it opened again on the Monday. I had to get to Orkney.

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Clynelish in white and Brora in grey.

Brora, Sutherland, KW9 6LR. 01408 623000. Diageo. http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/clynelish/

TOURS PROVIDED:

‘Clynelish Distillery Tour’: £5. A tour of the distillery (including a visit to the warehouse), with a dram of the 14yo to finish.

‘Taste of Clynelish Tour’: £10. The same tour, with a tasting of three Clynelishes at the end: the 14yo, the Distiller’s Edition and the Cask Strength Distillery-Exclusive.

‘Taste of Brora Tour’: £20. This sounds to me like a superb tour in which to participate. There is a tour of both distilleries on the Clynelish site: Clynelish itself and the now cult Brora. It is in the latter that the visitor is treated to a tutored tasting of the Clynelish range (as for the ‘Taste of Clynelish Tour’) with the edition of the 2009 and 2010 Brora 30yo Special Releases.

DISTILLERY-EXCLUSIVE BOTTLINGS:      A cask-strength, non-age-statement at 57.3% ABV, £45 approx.