-
Welcome to the highly decorated ‘new kid on the Scottish block’ – Lochlea. In the two years their spirit has been able to be called ‘whisky’ – they have picked up no less than TWO GOLD medals for their headline product – The Lochlea ‘Our Barley’ Expression and no less than THREE ‘Icons of Whisky’ awards for the distillery itself. These guys are not mucking around! With the team they’ve put together it’s no wonder Lochlea is kicking huge goals in the industry so relatively soon. Strong leadership has always been fundamental to the Lochlea strategy. Initially led by industry legend Malcolm Rennie (Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Glen Moray, and now Rosebank) Lochlea is now in the more than capable hands of John Campbell. You may have heard of John, or even the humble distillery he used to manage before he came to Lochlea – a little outfit named… LAPHROAIG! In the case of the Lochlea ‘Our Barley’, the own-grown barley is fermented and distilled before being filled into a mix of first fill bourbon, Oloroso Sherry and STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) casks. Bottled as Lochlea’s flagship product at 46%abv. -
A 7+7 triple maturation (Apera, then first fill Apera, then maple syrup) release from an Indy Bottler who’s first releases have propelled the brand to near-cult status amongst lovers of Aussie whisky – The Whisky in Isolation ‘Magnificent Seven’ Now the ‘Magnificent Seven’ is a whisky from a distillery the Club is very familiar with – Chief’s Son. To date, our club has featured the oldest maturing cask of Chief’s Son on no less than two previous occasions with two of the ‘Family Casks’ (filled by the children of Stuart) – the Aiden and the Cameron. This Whisky in Isolation Magnificent Seven is now the THIRD time we’ve featured the oldest Chief’s Son ever bottled!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Absolute masses of stewed fruits that you’d imagine from an Apera aged, then finished whisky. Justin mentioned a ‘rummy note’ and I get what he means – there’s a little funk in this nose! (..and I always thought Justin was a metal guy!) But there’s also some bubble gum notes there, as well as a definite hint of unburnt tobacco and a bit of peanut brickle too. Palate: Just as thick and rich a mouthfeel as the colour alludes to. A peppery burst (but surprisingly little at 58%abv - almost none with a ‘bloop‘ of water added) at first – but then an absolute WALL of flavour explodes on your palate. BIG stewed sultanas, prunes and raisons. And the flavours keep coming in waves. Candied citrus rind and a creamy note transform into an almost savoury, charcuterie note which then morphs into nut-butter. Finish: So chewy and warming. It’s all of the above – but slowly fading out as they cry ‘another… another… ‘. At the very end there’s a distinct nuttyness. This is a big, layered and immensely luxurious whisky. So massive in colour, mouthfeel and flavour, with delicious fruit and cream and all those things we’d expect from an apera aged and finished whisky- yet with a ‘sweet and fat sultana-ey shoulders’ reminiscent of a botrytis cask aged whisky I recently tasted. -
An EXCLUSIVE WORLD FIRST...a MATCHED PAIR from Tassie heavy hitters – Iron House. Both exclusive to the SMWC, both absolutely stunning in their own right, each one half of a world first – an Ocean Aged Matched Boilermaker! The Iron House Maverick Portside Single Malt Whisky and the optional matched Iron House Portside Red Ella Red Ale with the Red Ale being finished in the very same Portside whisky barrels! The Iron House Portside Ocean Aged Single Malt Whisky started its journey as ocean-side matured Iron House whisky – distilled in Feb 2019. A bit over a year ago it was decanted into some port barrels and strapped outside the port side of the wheelhouse of the Tasmanian abalone boat ‘Maverick’. For the next twelve months it braved over two-and-a-half thousand nautical miles of the worst that the Southern Ocean, Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea could throw at it. 6 metre seas, Antarctic storms, barometric range between 910 to 1040HPa etc. This isn’t just easy drinking whisky, this is easy-peasy drinking whisky. So many layers of flavours here to chew and cogitate on at length – fruits, spices, nuts, sweet, salt… even umami – but on the surface it’s just sooo damn easy to drink. Once again, the Iron House boys have really excelled with this novel, big-flavoured and muscular, yet genuinely easy-going whisky.