The third and last malt which will form a part of the first ‘new style’ blend (if you want to avoid me coming up with yet another pun as a name, please suggest one in the comments… ) is a 17 year old Linkwood which has been bottled by a relative newcomer on the scene of independent bottlers: Whiskybroker. This bottler eliminates the middleman by selling his bottlings direct over the internet and luckily for me now and then I am able to have a few of these come over to Holland. This Linkwood will have to provide much of the complexity in the blend as both the Kilkerran and […]

The second blend-component after the Kilkerran is even younger. It is one of the youngest tasting malts I’ve ever had the pleasure to lay my hands on. It tastes and smells so young in fact, that many would probably consider it immature to a fault. However, for blending purposes, this springy little number (which is a very pale yellow to look at) may be just what the doctor ordered. The full details: Clynelish 7yo, distilled 15/04/04, bottled 01/02/12, Cask #800013 (Hogshead), Bottle 16 of 429, The Ultimate (van Wees). The Nose gives it away immediately. The new spirit is strong in this one! Cauliflower, brussel sprouts and freshly mowed grass compete for attention. […]

Kilkerran is the brandname for what comes out of Glengyle distillery in Campbeltown. Rebuilt 10 or so years ago under the wings of Springbank distillery, it has brought out an annual series of Work In Progress bottlings starting at 5 years old. The one I have before me is the 4th in the series, and at 9 years old it is approaching the traditional ages for standard bottlings. The nose is very particular. Sour, sour fruits are prevalent, as well as warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg). As you let it breathe it calms down and becomes more mellow with notes of vanilla, apple and cloves. In the background I detect some […]

There is a time in all of our lives when we must stand still, look back upon what lies in our wake and ponder. With Vatted, this time is now past me. Due to life getting in the way I’ve let this blog sit for a while, but now I think I have both a sustainable new direction and a little bit of time I can dedicate to the lofty goal of thrusting my opinions in all your faces. First, I shall describe my problem (briefly, don’t worry), then present the solution. All in a neat little package deal. The problem basically boiled down to this: due to my progression […]