We interrupt our regular program for some fresh in messages…
I announced last week that I’d use the month of June to look at some alternatives for the south after (and expensive) Feis Ile releases, to help counter the FOMO. The plan for this week was to take a look at a cask strenghth Kilchoman, and that’s still on. Here’s the thing… I usually push the ‘publish’ button to my weekly blogpost on Thursday and write down a first draft of next week’s post over the weekend, allowing me plenty time to add, delete and adjust bits left and right the next couple of evenings so I can have something resembling a final edit by Wednesday evening. So ‘mentally’ I had already worked out an idea on how to build the Kilchoman review, only to find the postwoman had pushed a brown package through my mailbox on Friday morning, containing 6 shiny samples of Dràm Mòr’s Spring release. Usually, post Brexit, a package from the UK takes weeks, sometimes near 2 months even, to make it to my doorstep, quite often coming with a full orchestra of red tape and customs declarations prior to the actual delivery, in which I try to state my case that the package at hand does not contain items I purchased from a non-EU company (and therefore are free of extra charges, taxes and fees), with mixed results in the past. The downside being that it takes repetitive mails back and forth to the post offices who in turn get in touch with customs who in turn respond to the postal offices who in return get back to me. Repeat this procedure once or twice and you ‘ll understand how this whole affair would cost any of the involved parties more in terms of working hours than the actual taxes that are sometimes due. Not to mention time. Bureaucracy: you gotta love it! The only upside being I usually have a rough estimate on when the parcel might arrive, give or take 2 or 3 weeks. Not in this case, though, so I was taken by surprise a bit to have this delivered to me without any prior notice or fuzz, leaving me with two options: either continue the series on Islay whiskies and push the Dràm Mòr Spring 2023 release to the back, or push pause on the Islay thing.
I opted for the latter, as it means me sharing my 2 cents on the Dràm Mòr releases might actually be meaningful to some of you in terms of this release being available. Because when talking about indie releases with an outturn of a few 100 bottles, chances are they won’t be around for very long, especially when they’re released by a company run by Viktorija and Kenny MacDonald, who have gained a lot of popularity in their targeted markets in a fairly short time. In just 3.5 or so years, they have managed to make a name for themselves, and not even a global pandemic was able to stop them. They’ve done so by both making sure they’re bringing quality releases, knowing damn well that they need to deliver time and again, as it only takes one or two duds to tarnish their reputation. I know it may seem as if I’m biased here, but if I' d feel their releases were subpar I either simply wouldn’t review them or I’d call them out for it. Why? Because not unlike them, I’m a fairly small fish in a pretty big pond, so if I were to sing unwarranted praise to any whisky, I too would get called out for it sooner rather than later, and rightfully so.
But making sure you release good quality whiskies (as if that isn’t a challenge in its own right) doesn’t cut it these days. You need to have people take notice, meaning they also got where they are today by working their asses off. Each release implies a shit ton of preparation and follow up. Sampling and selecting casks, bargaining fair prices, transproting them, stocking them, recasking them, bottling them... Bigger companies have dedicated teams available for each part of the porcess. When you're a family run businnes, however, it means you do it all by yourself. Then, when it's finally bottled and released, a whole new part of the game begins, visiting as many whiskyfestivals and tastings as humanly possible, representing the brand, winning over visitors one at a time. Kenny MacDonald is a man who travels so frequently and so fast that if you hang around long enough in any random European airport lounge, chances are you’ll run into him sooner rather than later. The man travels so frequently, he basically would do himself a favour by not bothering with luggage altogether, but would get by with just leaving sets of fresh undies and toothbrushes at various hotel reception desks across mainland Europe and beyond, knowing he’ll be back there shortly in any case.
So, Islay will have to wait, as this week and the next one, I’ll tackle Dràm Mòr’s latest Spring Release. There’s 6 whiskies in the line-up, which I’ll spread out over two blogposts. And I’ll start with those who are, on paper at least, on the softer side of the spectrum: A Mannochmore, a Blair Athol and a Tullibardine.
Mannochmore 13 yo, 54.8% ABV, refill hogshead, 275 bottles, app. £65/€75
Nose
Fresh orange peel, floral and soapy-oily and lactic notes of cream and vanilla yoghurt. More fruit in the form of lemon merengue, unripe kiwi and green apples. Overall a very pleasing mixture of sweet and soft sour notes.
Palate
The ABV shows itself with a clear peppery note. Let’s tone it down a bit with some water. This brings out a gentle, sweet cereal note and a soft creaminess with citrus, making for a medium full and grainy-slightly drying mouthfeel . A lot from the nose translates into the palate, albeit more subdued.
Finish
Medium long, where the green apples make a comeback, which sits interestingly on the back of something slightly peppery and drying.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love the nose on this Mannochmore, as it is a real treat. It may take a little step back on the palate, but that still brings plenty of good things with that mixture of fruitiness, grain and floral notes. Mannochmore is in more than one sense of the word all about delivering efficiency, a purpose built workhorse distillery, as it caters to several of Diageo’s blends, located in a distillery resembling an administrative building from the 1970’s which is as far away from the romantic picture perfect distillery as you could imagine. I also believe it is often overlooked or even completely ignored by many whisky lovers, so I’m quite pleased to see this one making an appearance in the line-up. The timing is spot on too, as this makes for a lovely summery dram.
Blair Athol 11 yo, 56% ABV, refill hogshead, app. £70 / €80
Nose
Super fruity with both fresh AND stewed apples. Something distinctively minty – menthol, oranges, cereal. Gentle, soft and absolutely lovely.
Palate
A big viscous – oily mouthfeel. Grainy, slightly grassy, with a soft umami element to it. While it’s still gentle and pleasant, the change and development when compared to the nose makes it an absolutely pleasant surprise.
Finish
Long with a dark bitter sweetness, almost has an ashy-charred vibe to it.
Final thoughts
Things start off good, yet also quite classic and traditional on the nose, but the almost 180° turn it takes on the palate lifts it beyond it being just ‘good’, it also makes it intriguing and interesting. Blair Athol in my book is a safe bet if you’re looking for decent, steady, flavourful and reliable whisky and this one is no exception.
Tullibardine 8 yo, 53.7% ABV, refill bourbon cask finished in 1st fill oloroso sherry cask, app. £55/€63
Nose
The oloroso cask makes a mark, but this is by no means a sherry bomb. Sure there’s sultanas and cherries and ripe oranges, but also quite some bourbon notes of honey and vanilla and some oak and roasted notes of toffee and chocolate with soft spices of sweet clove, gentle ginger and cinnamon marrying things together.
Palate
Again, the nose translates nicely into the palate and again a melange of the oloroso cask and the ex -bourbon barrel singing together in harmony. Leathery and tobacco notes, and some spicy chocolate even sitting on some dark fruit and roasted notes.
Finish
Medium long, with wood, spices, leather and chocolate.
Final thoughts
Warming and also a bit playful – this Tullibardine brings the freshness of a relatively young whisky with the depth of a seriously good finish. The bourbon cask influence makes for a pleasant baseline on which the Oloroso cask can build. Job well done!
So as said, I started off with the 3 that I believed would bring the ‘softer’ touches of this Spring release, based on the casks and the distilleries. And while the Blair Athol and especially the Mannochmore indeed make for enjoyable summery whiskies, with a freshness from a refill hoggie, the Tullibadine really showcases a lovely balance between spirit, bourbon barrel and the oloroso cask finish. So next week, I’ll take a look at what I expect may be some more ‘heavy hitting’ whiskies, with a Benrinnes, a Speyside finished in a 1st fill Moscatel cask and a Glen Garioch matured in an ex-Islay cask. Stay tuned!
(all photocredits: Dràm Mòr)
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