Coldorak's whisky blog.
Reviews of whiskies from independent bottlers
We reviewed three cognacs from the sample pack that Cognac-Expert sold a few weeks ago. This sample pack included six cognacs, and with today’s trio, we will have reviewed them all. In addition to today’s three cognacs, the pack contained Guynot Elégance, Bégaud Instant Rare, and Egreteau 80–81 B23. The last three cognacs we’re reviewing today are from Maze Churchill, Landreau, and La Prenellerie, with Authentic Spirits bottling the latter.
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Compass Box, known for its inventive style of Scotch whisky blending, introduced a major update to its core range in July 2024. This change signals a fresh chapter for the brand, coming after John Glaser left in May 2024 and a period of careful planning about the direction of its whiskies. The new core range now includes six distinct expressions: the returning favourites Orchard House and The Peat Monster, the established Artist and Glasgow blends, and two new releases – Nectarosity and Crimson Casks. With this update, Compass Box has retired The Story of the Spaniard and Spice Tree, aiming to bring more clarity and definition to the line-up. Now, let’s take a closer look at the two latest additions: Compass Box Nectarosity and Crimson Casks.
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Living Souls is a new independent bottler that Calum Leslie, Jamie Williamson, and John Torrance founded. Together, they bring decades of experience in the whisky industry. They aim to take a different approach from other independent bottlers by focusing not on single casks but on delivering small batches, sometimes through a solera system. We will review three expressions from their batch #1 release: the Ninety-One & One, Secret Ardbeg 19-year-old, and Blended Scotch 40-year-old Living Souls.
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Until now we had only reviewed just one Glasgow Distillery whisky, and one that wasn’t official nor a single malt, but a single grain bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. But since its launch (or relaunch, as we’ll see below), the distillery has gained a deserved following and love from many whisky fans, as they continue releasing good and reasonably priced whisky, even a few years ago, moving to 50 cl to 70 cl bottles without changing the price. It’s time we take a closer look, with three single malts, two official bottlings and one indy, with the Glasgow 1770 Tokaji and Marsala cask finish, and a Vin de Paille cask bottled by Le Gus’t, who has not disappointed us so far.
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Convalmore Distillery, established between 1893 and 1894 in Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland, is a now silent single malt Scotch whisky distillery renowned for its distinctive waxy and fruity character. Originally constructed during the late Victorian whisky boom, it was one of Dufftown’s famed seven distilleries and primarily contributed to blends such as Black & White and Lowrie’s. The distillery underwent various ownership changes, including acquisition by James Buchanan & Co. and later integration into the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), now part of Diageo. After modernisation efforts in the 1960s, Convalmore was mothballed in 1985, and its site was sold to William Grant & Sons, who repurposed the buildings for whisky maturation linked to Glenfiddich and Balvenie. Although distillation ceased decades ago, Diageo retains the rights to the Convalmore name, leaving open the possibility of other future releases under this historic name. Convalmore’s whisky does not seem to have been bottled officially as a single malt during its operational years, making official single malt releases rare and highly sought after today (a few were released by Diageo as part of the Rare Malts, Special Releases, Prima & Ultima and the Casks of Distinction series since the 2000s). However, today we are not reviewing an official bottling; instead, we are reviewing a Convalmore 1975 from Gordon & MacPhail, released in 2015.
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A few years ago, Philippe Gosmand, a whisky enthusiast for 30 years, founded Spirit Paradise, a young company specialising in spirits, primarily focused on collectible whiskies and limited editions. The company incorporated the ‘Rare & Collectors Whisky Club’ into its activities. Created in 2013, the club has around a hundred members and regularly organises tastings in Paris or the Paris region, and on request in other parts of France. In 2021, Spirit Paradise launched its first bottling from a single malt cask from the Texan distillery Balcones. At the end of 2022, the company released two more bottlings from selected casks at the Breton distillery Warenghem, known for its Armorik whisky. Then, Philippe selected a whisky from Maison Benjamin Kuentz stocks that we’re reviewing today: the Esprit Libre 2017 Spirit Paradise.
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We return to Bruichladdich to review four previous releases. These are not particularly old, although two of them date back about twelve years. The selection includes one official bottling and three independent ones, with ages ranging from eleven to twenty-two years. As we have already introduced Bruichladdich in a recent post, I will move straight on to these four Bruichladdich: one OB and three from Cadenhead’s and Chorlton Whisky.
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When an independent bottler releases a blended malt, it can mean one of two things. First, it might be a true blended malt-a carefully crafted combination of single malts sourced from different distilleries, skilfully married to create a unique flavour profile. Alternatively, it could be what’s known as a ’teaspooned’ single malt. In this scenario, and as we’ve already mentioned in the past, the original distillery, wishing to keep its name under wraps, adds a tiny amount – just a teaspoon – of another single malt to the cask. This minuscule addition is enough to legally classify the whisky as a blended malt, even though it has virtually no effect on the taste. In some cases, that ’teaspoon’ might be purely virtual – a symbolic gesture rather than a physical addition – used solely to navigate labelling regulations without altering the whisky itself.
Today on our tasting table, we have two intriguing Campbeltown Blended Malts: one from Swell de Spirits and another from Chorlton Whisky. Let’s dive in, savour each dram, and see if we can guess what’s really in the glass!
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Invergordon Distillery, established in 1959 and producing whisky since 1961, stands as a key Highland single grain whisky producer in the northernmost part of Scotland’s grain whisky region. It ranks among only six dedicated single grain distilleries in Scotland and supplies spirit crucial for blended whiskies, especially for Whyte & Mackay’s portfolio. The distillery crafts its whisky using a unique mash bill of maize, malted and unmalted barley, and Scottish wheat, combining this with pure water from Loch Glass and massive column stills that create a smooth, refined spirit. Because Invergordon primarily contributes to blends, official single grain bottlings remain rare and mostly appear through independent bottlers. Here, we review three indy Invergordon aged over 40 years: one from That Boutique-y Whisky Company and two from Scott’s Selection.
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Glen Moray may not always grab the spotlight in the crowded world of Speyside single malts, but it consistently offers a solid foundation for independent bottlers to showcase a range of intriguing expressions. Known for its bright, fruity character and willingness to experiment with various cask finishes, Glen Moray provides a versatile canvas that can reveal surprising depth and charm beyond its core range. In this review, we explore six independently bottled Glen Moray whiskies, each bringing its own unique twist-from ex-bourbon and sherry casks to more unusual finishes, like IPA and Vino de Naranja. While some expressions lean towards the classic Speyside profile of fresh fruits and gentle spice, others push aside the habits with richer, more complex layers. Whether you’re a seasoned Glen Moray fan or new to the distillery’s independent releases, this selection of six indy teenager Glen Moray offers a compelling glimpse into the distillery’s diverse potential.
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