Campbeltown Christmas Carols – part 1: Wee Broon Electric Coo

I think it’s safe to say that Campbeltown whiskies are held in high regard by many enthusiasts. The smallest of the official regions in Scotland has captured the hearts and souls of many. Springbank being a trifecta winner at the OSWA’s, and Glengyle’s Kilkerran 12 bagging ‘best value’ whisky in their most recent edition just a month ago, whereas Glen Scotia’s Victoriana took home ‘best whisky of the year’ in 2022 illustrate nicely how Campbeltown whiskies tend to get a firm nod of approval from many. Despite (or possibly ‘because’?) there only being a handful of distilleries currently operating in the ‘Wee Toon’ , all (by and large) focussing on catering to a market of dedicated whisky afficionados, they can do little wrong, and long may that continue!

It’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store as, if everything goes to plan, the number of Campbeltown distilleries might well double in 2025 or 2026 – with Withcburn, Dál Riata and Machriehanish all getting the required permissions to start building and operating. There’s been talk about these ‘to be’ distilleries for a few years now, but it’s also undeniably a fact that things have changed since those first few rumours during the covid pandemic and now. The buzz and excitement about all things new have significantly slowed down  and momentum seems not in their favour, as the market is all but saturated at the moment. Having said that, I also firmly believe that there will always be room for good quality whisky, but I also predict that they will need to get it absolutely right from the first release. Where until recently we would be  empathic, lenient even,  towards new distilleries building and growing, understanding how their initial first releases might be something of a work in progress, I feel as if distilleries still to release an initial product won’t have many room or leeway. ‘Shows potential’ might simply not cut it.

So apart from them having to live up to the high standards we associate with Campbeltown whisky, the new kids in town  will  also need to hit the ground running.

Wee Broon Electric Coo 7 yo. Blended Campbeltown malt whisky, 58.8% ABV, 525 bottles, app. £60

I like a nice alliteration as much as the next guy, so to end the year I’ll dedicate the month of December to one of my favourite whisky regions. To start of this series, why not take a whisky consisting of all 3 currently operating Campbeltown distilleries? Campbeltown Loch would be the obvious pick when discussing blended malt here, but as I was able to get my hands on this one, and I feel there’s not been a huge amount of noise being made about it, I figured it’s time to give it some due attention. The Wee Broon Electric Coo is a tongue in cheek reference to the people behind this release (Little Brown Dog, Watt whisky and Stirk brothers)  while also giving something of a wee nod towards the famous disco cow bottlings from Glen Scotia from years back.  Roy raved about this release during a Jeffpub takeover back in May when I hosted the QATE and afterwards we arranged that he would try and secure a bottle for a few of us. Jeff immediately loved it and sang its praise and while I patiently waited for the mule network to shift gears, making sure this made it over to Belgium (many thanks, Nic!), Dramface also shone its light on this one, and interestingly they managed to reveal its contents, which I’ll happily share with you as well:

-Glen Scotia 7 year old first fill bourbon barrels

-Glen Scotia 8 year old first fill bourbon barrels

-Kilkerran 16 year old refill hogshead

-Springbank 12 year old refill sherry

-Springbank 21 year old refill sherry

So with those facts neatly lined up, time to see what’s what…

Nose

The first thing I get is a combo of fruit and sweetness. Think citrus notes from oranges and lemons  and green apples mixed in with granulated sugar and vanilla notes. Underneath a dry, farmyard – hay like note lingers, but it’s a bit hidden as there’s also pear drops, honey and a subtle umami note of fungi  in there. After a drop of water things turn noticeably ‘fresher’ as those citrus and sweet notes develop further towards lemon meringue, while at the same time that umami element turns into a deep, darker earthy note, making itself more noticeable.

Palate

A bit nippy – this is fairly close to 60% ABV after all – but dig past that and I find that combo of sweet and sour notes returning, as well as that lingering umami element, with notes of dry leaves and farmyard. With the added water it opens up further. Less sweetness  and more funky and umami notes on a medium light mouthfeel that is somewhat  peppery and spicy.

Finish

Long with distinct echoes of citrus and pepper and it turns increasingly drier towards the very end.

Final thoughts

 Very enjoyable and very well ‘put together’ – I have to applaud the guys and gals responsible for this – giving up (even if it’s possibly  just a small portion) well aged stock from Glengyle and Springbank, blend it with equally decent younger stock from Glen Scotia to release a very well made 7 yo blended malt for a very reasonable price was likely not the ‘economically sensible’ thing to do here. It shows dedication towards fellow enthusiasts, if anything, and I’m very happy to have this one in my cabinet. While there is Springbank in the mix, what it reminds me of most is like Glen Scotia and Glengyle having a lovechild. Intriguing, layered and captivating stuff! 86/100