13/09/2020 Trip to Ayrshire

During the no-longer-so-recent closed distilleries tasting  the presenter observed that, if the whisky is officially bottled as Ladyburn, independent bottlers call it Rare Ayrshire.

Indeed, some do: Signatory, The Whisky Talker and The Ultimate do call it Rare Ayrshire, with the latter two probably using Signatory's stock anyway. Duncan Taylor and Gordon & MacPhail have both bottled Ladyburn under the name Ayrshire (not Rare), whilst James MacArthur has done a limited run of miniatures under the official name; it was but a re-bottling of an official bottling.

That leaves but Cadenhead and Blackadder, who both bottled Ladyburn under that name. Cadenhead probably did so before William Grant became so protective of their brands, and Blackadder tend not to give many fucks about what they are allowed or not allowed to do.

The above is so well known, these days, that (Rare) Ayrshire and Ladyburn are used almost interchangeably, outside of the legal mine field that is the label on the bottle. Case in point: as I was browsing the latest auction on the evening of 8 September, it was not even a surprise to see several lots advertised as Ladyburn-Ayrshire, alongside a brief description of the long-lost set of stills within the grain plant.

Being a ghost hunter, Ladyburn is of course a distillery I am fond of. One of the aforementioned lots had a reasonable highest bid. It was a Malts of Scotland bottling, which was interesting to me: one I have not yet tried and that is not on my shelves. I put the lowish bid down to the bottling not being well known (I did not know it, after all; I could not be the only one). I bid on it without thinking too much.

It took me several minutes to realise my mistake.

Looking a little closer, it turns out it was a 1991 distillation, bottled 2020. Ladyburn closed in 1975. Also, the cask number was on five digits. It did not add up. Looking even closer, the label read 'Single Grain'. The penny dropped.

I suddenly remembered that independent bottlers, Signatory perhaps leading the pack, had started bottling Girvan under the name Ayrshire (not Rare). Maybe William Grant asked them not to use the name Girvan any longer, now that they bottle it officially too, I do not know.

The result is that, on the market, one can now find:

1. Ladyburn: officially-bottled Ladyburn single malt
2. Ladyburn: officially-bottled blended malt that may contain Ladyburn single malt
3. Ladyburn: independently-bottled Ladyburn single malt
4. Rare Ayrshire: independently-bottled Ladyburn single malt
5. Ayrshire: independently-bottled Ladyburn single malt
6. Girvan: officially-bottled Girvan single grain
7. Girvan: independently-bottled Girvan single grain
8. Ayrshire: independently-bottled Girvan single grain
9. Ailsa Bay: officially-bottled Ailsa Bay single Malt
10. Images of Ayrshire: independently-bottled Ailsa Bay single malt

The lot I bid on, I thought was #5, but it was instead #8.

I immediately contacted the auction house and pointed out the confusion generated by their labelling a Girvan Ladyburn-Ayrshire. I expected nothing. After all, many auction houses tend to go to great lengths to shift the responsibility towards the bidder (what you see is what you bid on, and your bid is legally binding).

The auction ended and, of course, my bid was the highest. The previous high bidder was probably ecstatic that another absent-minded bidder saved them buying a 28yo grain whisky for the price of a 30yo Caol Ila. Especially seeing as said grain was still widely available in shops for a third of the winning bid.

I put it down to experience. Bitter experience.

Much to my relief (and surprise, let me be honest), the auction house took responsibility for the mistake the following day and cancelled the sale. For that, many thanks; it was a very professional gesture.

Clearly, I should have paid more attention and done more research. The thrill of the last-minute auction got the better of me. I was lucky, in the end: I noticed when something could still be done about the situation, and the auction house was willing to do that something to correct the situation.

With a name being used to designate so many different things, confusion is almost inevitable, even amongst the professionals, as illustrated by the above screen shot and my little tale. Vigilance is needed. Others may not take responsibility for the confusion and it may result in an expensive bottle of grain whisky indeed.

To celebrate, let us have the real thing (#3 above).

Ladyburn 20yo 1966/1987 (45.7%, Cadenhead): nose: it is bold, it is assertive, and it is welcoming. Waxy apple peel, pencil erasers, a sprinkle of dust, and old rags, crusty with dried beeswax. The nose becomes more floral shortly thereafter, with buttercups and daffodils, then geranium and tagetes (marigolds), and even more herbal tones of fresh sage and saxifrage foliage. The carousel of alternating flowers and waxes is nothing short of spectacular, really. Vine leaves, ripe plums and a drop of gentle ink complete the first nose. The plums become riper and darker over time, bordering on soaked prunes, eventually. The nose also carries something else, something discreet that may even be plasticine, rather than modelling clay or wax. Mouth: miraculously, the mouth is similar. It has plums, prunes, waxy apple peel and sweet flower nectar (daffodils, buttercups). The texture is thick and oily (extra-virgin olive oil), and there is a faint bitterness akin to when one licks a pencil eraser. The crusty rags are still there, the wax on them has lost nothing of its fragrance. The second sip sees a nutty side too, perhaps sweetened macadamia-nut paste, or cashew-nut-paste sweets (kaju katli), as well as dried fruits (dried apricots, dried figs). Every sip is chewier than the previous. The alcohol is perfectly integrated, yet maintains enough power to keep one engaged. Finish: a drizzle of milk-chocolate coulis punctuates the plums, daffodils and pencil erasers from previously. We also have waxy plants: geranium foliage, laurel leaves, schefflera leaves, and beeswax, though less of that last one than on the tongue. The dried fruits (apricots, figs, sultanas) are in the finish too, and they are well chewy, which makes for a lasting impression -- a good one. What a superlative whisky! 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)