Firkin 49 Tullibardine 2012

Get ready for one of the FIRKIN greatest whiskies we have ever released! With spirit from the Tullibardine Distillery, aged in Firkins own custom casks that are made of alternating staves of American and French oak seasoned with both Amontidillado and Oloroso sherries and individually numbered and bottled exclusively for The Single Malt Whisky Club – the Firkin 49 Tullibardine 2012 is a Firkin awesome whisky from the whisky legend that is Mike Collings.

This month we are so firkin happy to FINALLY be able to offer a Firkin Whisky Co. release as our ‘Malt of the Month’. I say finally as we’ve featured Firkin releases in the past as our ‘Members Extra’ (and they’ve sold out every time!) – but there’s never been enough brought into Australia to be able to offer it as a ‘Malt of the Month’.

About this time last year, we started talking with the legendary Mike Collings about fixing that. And this month’s release sees the culmination of this fantastic collaboration of the Firkin 49 Tullibardine 2012 being bottled especially for our members!

For our newer members, the Firkin Whisky Co. is the brainchild of Mike Collings. Now Mike once used to work for a little company called Johnny Walker (you may have heard of them?) Now whilst Mike was employed at said JW, he came up with a couple of products that you may have also heard of, or even seen and tasted. One of these is the Johnny Walker Blue Label – said to be the finest (and certainly the most expensive) of all blended scotches. He also came up with the idea of a JW single malt – and hence the JW Green was his baby as well. Amongst other accolades, he’s also the father of the Diageo ‘Classic Malt Collection’. Simply put, Mike’s whisky ‘rap-sheet’ could wallpaper your lounge room.

The Firkin 49 is named for the fact that the Tullibardine distillery (where the spirit is made) AND Mike Collings were both born in 1949 – hence the Firkin 49! It is fully aged in Firkins own custom casks that are made of alternating staves of American and French oak. For the ’49, these casks are seasoned with both Amontidillado and Oloroso sherries, with the aim of imparting softness and sweetness from the Oloroso with some nutty, dryer notes from the Armontadillo. This expression is a 2012 vintage, bottled last year making it 8 years old.

We’re especially happy to have commissioned the Firkin 49 to be bottled exclusively for our members. On top of that, it’s been a blast working with Mike and Matt from Firkin on this release. I’ve learnt something new every time I’ve spoken to them during the last few months. It’s been an absolute pleasure, guys, and we look forward to teaming up again in the future!

Colour: Light amber

Nose: Sweet frangipani at first, but a mild salty savoury note follows closely – salami?

Palate: Sweet nut brittle, stewed fruit and yet more floral notes alongside a malty milk arrowroot biscuit swirl with a delightful creaminess in the mouth

Finish: A mild spice tempers the sweetness but the nutty-maltiness persists and fades out enticing you to take another sip.

This is a delightfully different whisky – nutty, sweet, floral and even savoury to boot! Easy and delightful to drink strait up, but adding a dash of water separates the flavours somewhat – and certainly doesn’t lessen the impact very much at all. You won’t be ready to rinse out your glass after just one, that’s for sure