A discontinued one, a recent one and a rare one.
Mitchell's 12yo (43%, J & A Mitchell & Co, b. ca 2016): of course, most people say buying Campbeltown Loch 21yo is a cheap way of buying Springbank 21yo. What most people fail to realise is that, apart from Campbeltown Loch 30yo, which is indeed teaspooned with Springbank, this blend here is the only J & A Mitchell concoction that contains any Springbank... or at least, that is the party line. Nose: stewed pears, apple compote, a drop of caramel coulis, Scottish tablet, fudge, toffee. Perhaps it has a dash of furniture polish and wood-floor wax, cider and Brazil-nut body butter. The cider note grows in intensity, followed by soaked blotting paper and mince pies. At twelve years of age, this is not a masterclass in complexity, but it does the trick. Towards the end, it goes towards the dusty interior of an old, wooden cupboard and baked plantain. Mouth: good balance, the 43% causing no damage. It has butterscotch, fudge, toffee, chocolate pudding, overly-baked apricot compote, caramel, a touch of peppermint and a certain acidity. It is softly oily, yet a little thin, all in all. Finish: with similar notes of caramel, toffee and Scottish tablet, the finish sees added cardboard, fresh mint, discreet liquorice root and candied ginger shavings, Japanese-restaurant style. the whole is augmented with a spoonful of dark-orange marmalade and faded, soft leather. This is a very fine, unpretentious, every-day blend. 7/10
William Cadenhead 20yo (46%, Cadenhead, B#1, 480b, b.2018): sherry casks are expensive. Sherry-matured whisky is therefore expensive. Cadenhead, being ever-inclusive, regularly bottle a fairly-priced, twelve-year-old blend, so anyone can try a decent, sherry-matured whisky without breaking the bank. This year, they also released this twenty-year-old, containing Glenrothes and Strathclyde. Nose: it smells exactly as it looks -- several types of exotic woods, such as mahogany and polished teak, walnut-stained chests, melted chocolate on a warm waffle, and Brazil nuts in sizzling butter. It is pretty buttery, actually, which comes as no surprise, as soon as one knows which malt went into this. That is not suggestion, by the way: I found the butter before looking at the composition. Linseed oil, water colour, old rags, stained with furniture wax. Mouth: gentle, yet a notch woodier than the Mitchell. It has raspberry, chocolate, some tannins under control, banana-and-chocolate muffins and sticky toffee pudding. The raspberry grows and grows, alongside Brazil-nut butter and sparkly brown soda. Despite a modest ABV, the mouth has enough horsepower to keep one challenged. Finish: more ample than expected, it has yet more raspberry, dark chocolate and Brazil-nut body cream, chocolate sponge cake, and a pinch of grated ginger. Treacle and fudge appear too, as well as a drop of dark soda (a certain Spice with a PhD). Cassia bark and toffee. This is brilliant. 8/10 (
Thanks for the sample, MSo)
Campbeltown Loch 25yo (40%, Springbank Distillers imported by Preiss Imports, b. mid-2000s): nose: this is a completely different animal, with a depth that the other two did not have. In no particular order, we have raspberries, overripe canary melons, stewed rhubarb, figs, stewed carambola (yes, it surprised me too), dark cherries, candied gooseberries, candied grapefruit segments, crystallised tangerines and satsumas, then soaked staves, moist cork and cask stopper, bung cloth, soaked with whisky spray, prunes in syrup, re-hydrated sultanas, extra-ripe, soft pears, candied pistachios and all sorts of lovely jams. Apart from the stave-y note, twenty-five years of maturation have miraculously brought no woodiness to this. Mouth: a mild acidity comes with the fruit, of which there is plenty. Citrus (tangerine, satsuma, pomelo), crisp apple and more tropical items too (guava, carambola, dragon fruit, even pink passion fruit). The mouth has the minor bitterness of orange peel as well. Every note is integrated to perfection. It is rather moving to see how a mere blend at 40% can be so amazingly well made. Finish: orange marmalade, mixed peel, a drop of lime, cucumber peel in tonic water, sandalwood, apple mint, laurel leaves, fir trees. The death oscillates between citrus fruit and pine forest, refreshing and beautiful. Geranium, tomato stem, lime zest. It is striking how much this reminds me of Indian tonic, with lime and cucumber peel added to it! In any case, it is excellent! 9/10 (
Thanks for the sample, DS)
Mitchell's 12yo (43%, J & A Mitchell & Co, b. ca 2016): of course, most people say buying Campbeltown Loch 21yo is a cheap way of buying Springbank 21yo. What most people fail to realise is that, apart from Campbeltown Loch 30yo, which is indeed teaspooned with Springbank, this blend here is the only J & A Mitchell concoction that contains any Springbank... or at least, that is the party line. Nose: stewed pears, apple compote, a drop of caramel coulis, Scottish tablet, fudge, toffee. Perhaps it has a dash of furniture polish and wood-floor wax, cider and Brazil-nut body butter. The cider note grows in intensity, followed by soaked blotting paper and mince pies. At twelve years of age, this is not a masterclass in complexity, but it does the trick. Towards the end, it goes towards the dusty interior of an old, wooden cupboard and baked plantain. Mouth: good balance, the 43% causing no damage. It has butterscotch, fudge, toffee, chocolate pudding, overly-baked apricot compote, caramel, a touch of peppermint and a certain acidity. It is softly oily, yet a little thin, all in all. Finish: with similar notes of caramel, toffee and Scottish tablet, the finish sees added cardboard, fresh mint, discreet liquorice root and candied ginger shavings, Japanese-restaurant style. the whole is augmented with a spoonful of dark-orange marmalade and faded, soft leather. This is a very fine, unpretentious, every-day blend. 7/10
William Cadenhead 20yo (46%, Cadenhead, B#1, 480b, b.2018): sherry casks are expensive. Sherry-matured whisky is therefore expensive. Cadenhead, being ever-inclusive, regularly bottle a fairly-priced, twelve-year-old blend, so anyone can try a decent, sherry-matured whisky without breaking the bank. This year, they also released this twenty-year-old, containing Glenrothes and Strathclyde. Nose: it smells exactly as it looks -- several types of exotic woods, such as mahogany and polished teak, walnut-stained chests, melted chocolate on a warm waffle, and Brazil nuts in sizzling butter. It is pretty buttery, actually, which comes as no surprise, as soon as one knows which malt went into this. That is not suggestion, by the way: I found the butter before looking at the composition. Linseed oil, water colour, old rags, stained with furniture wax. Mouth: gentle, yet a notch woodier than the Mitchell. It has raspberry, chocolate, some tannins under control, banana-and-chocolate muffins and sticky toffee pudding. The raspberry grows and grows, alongside Brazil-nut butter and sparkly brown soda. Despite a modest ABV, the mouth has enough horsepower to keep one challenged. Finish: more ample than expected, it has yet more raspberry, dark chocolate and Brazil-nut body cream, chocolate sponge cake, and a pinch of grated ginger. Treacle and fudge appear too, as well as a drop of dark soda (a certain Spice with a PhD). Cassia bark and toffee. This is brilliant. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, MSo)
Campbeltown Loch 25yo (40%, Springbank Distillers imported by Preiss Imports, b. mid-2000s): nose: this is a completely different animal, with a depth that the other two did not have. In no particular order, we have raspberries, overripe canary melons, stewed rhubarb, figs, stewed carambola (yes, it surprised me too), dark cherries, candied gooseberries, candied grapefruit segments, crystallised tangerines and satsumas, then soaked staves, moist cork and cask stopper, bung cloth, soaked with whisky spray, prunes in syrup, re-hydrated sultanas, extra-ripe, soft pears, candied pistachios and all sorts of lovely jams. Apart from the stave-y note, twenty-five years of maturation have miraculously brought no woodiness to this. Mouth: a mild acidity comes with the fruit, of which there is plenty. Citrus (tangerine, satsuma, pomelo), crisp apple and more tropical items too (guava, carambola, dragon fruit, even pink passion fruit). The mouth has the minor bitterness of orange peel as well. Every note is integrated to perfection. It is rather moving to see how a mere blend at 40% can be so amazingly well made. Finish: orange marmalade, mixed peel, a drop of lime, cucumber peel in tonic water, sandalwood, apple mint, laurel leaves, fir trees. The death oscillates between citrus fruit and pine forest, refreshing and beautiful. Geranium, tomato stem, lime zest. It is striking how much this reminds me of Indian tonic, with lime and cucumber peel added to it! In any case, it is excellent! 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, DS)
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