Scottish Whisky : Scotch

This 16 year old sits in the middle of the Royal Brackla range which consists of a 12 year old and a 21 year old. This is a whisky with quite a bit of sherry influence, with some lovely rich fruit flavours, spice and zesty notes.

This warm mahogany whisky has an aroma of a depth complex fragrances from apples, vanilla, and ripe fruit and a whiff of orange zest on the nose and the palate is creamy with caramel, fruit, citrus, and a touch of dark chocolate. The finish is satisfyingly long.

The oldest of three Royal Brackla single malts launched in 2015. Distillation at Royal Brackla is slow, with plenty of reflux and this whisky is matured in Oloroso Sherry casks. The result is a rich whisky with notes of dark chocolate, anise and sweet summer berries.

A favourite of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, being conveniently situated close by Balmoral Castle. Royal Lochnagar was originally a key ingredient in VAT 69, but most production is now for single malts. Royal Lochnagar is found near the village of Crathie, very close to Balmoral, the Royal family's Scottish country residence.

SAMAROLI APPRENTICE
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

An unusual young man appeared at Verrocchio's workshop one day in 1469, expressing his desire to learn and assist. Teacher and student relationships have always influenced emotions, passion, literature, and more. Aristotle and Alexander serve as a sufficient example. To educate means to bring forth. In today's information-saturated world, amidst all the noise, such a connection becomes vital. We embark on a new journey as we focus on nurturing young emerging talents, whom we shall refer to as apprentices. After exploring various options, we finally settled on Speyside. The aim is to grasp, learn, comprehend, understand, and acquire the essence of what stimulates the human intellect. Every dedicated student cherishes their mentor, but it should be reciprocated. This young spirit exhibits vibrant and fresh notes, with a malty introduction accompanied by hints of green apple, honey, yellow stone fruit, and a touch of citrus. It possesses liveliness and unpredictability, requiring time to settle down and allow the olfactory impressions to solidify upon savoring. Returning to Verrocchio, after witnessing his apprentice Leonardo's paintings, he never touched a brush again.

A.W.B.

BLEND COMPOSITION:
3 casks of Fortrie 2017 (Teaspoon Macduff) - Hogsheads - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1494
ABV: 43%

SAMAROLI ARCHITECTUS
BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Ten labels would not be sufficient. Protagoras, Socrates, Anaxagoras, and all the great figures of ancient Greece were orchestrated by Pericles, the city's architect par excellence. They created the perfect polis that inspired love from every corner of the known world, although it also provoked hate from some. May Zeus grant me the opportunity to take vengeance upon the Athenians! With these words, Darius ordered one of his servants to repeat the phrase "Master, remember Athens" three times during each banquet.

Here we present a blend of single malt and grain whiskies aged in sherry oak casks, originating from various city-states of Scotland and their distilleries. We have chosen the title "Architectus" to provoke those who dare to taste this blend, marked by impertinence and hubris. It is agile, simple, and clear, crafted by carefully selecting the finest elements. Upon nosing, it delivers a shocking aroma, fruity and delicate. On the palate, it offers a magnificent combination of flowers, sweet fruits, dried fruits, toasted nuts, cereals, and sweet spices. The fragrance of the Scottish fields gracefully merges with the mischievous sherry notes, creating a seamless and majestic experience that unfolds towards the southern horizon. Enhanced by a gentle summer glow, we find ourselves immersed in its captivating aroma as the sun slowly descends beyond the hills. Who knows how long it will take for such a remarkable alignment of eminent humans to occur again? It seems that even two thousand years have not been enough.

A.W.B.

BLEND COMPOSITION:
1 cask of Tomintoul 2017 - Hogshead - Refill - Bourbon;
1 cask of North British 2012 (Grain whisky) - Sherry Butt
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1392
ABV: 45%

SAMAROLI BLEND
BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

That tune, that song... often the emotions that find us out are too strong, the nostalgia sneaks up on us too quickly. You used to listen to that song with your folks… and now you aren’t with them, or they are simply not around anymore. Your memory feeds back sensations and feelings that the encaged present cannot capture; it is incapable of rationalising. But they occur, and they are the ones who will take your place, and in your honour that same melody, that same music, becomes a masterpiece of man’s ingenuity, capable of transcending the future and moving closer to those indescribable moments of infinity and eternity.
In the same way this blend was born with the precise intent of enabling those who are getting to know us what past we have been capable of bringing about and at the same time to remind those who know us well who we are now and that this is what we wish to be. 

Listen: the backing track of an iconic Speyside distillery marries up perfectly with a great grain, arranging an aromatic bouquet worthy of a solo in the spotlight. A slow ouverture, but now bursts of ripe fruit, hay, lawn and petrichor. In the mouth majestic, warm and harmonious: we are back among the flavours of grandma’s kitchen: her sweet baking, her slightly, perfectly burnt mostaccioli biscuits.

A.W.B.
BLEND COMPOSITION:

1 cask of Glenburgie 1995 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of North British 1992 (Grain whisky) - Barrel - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 236
ABV: 48%

SAMAROLI ISLAY
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Our eye - or better our nose - dwells on this youngster, allowing us to bottle yet another iteration of our philosophy of Islay, the queen of Scotland. We stand before a young, arrogant and daring Caol Ila. Despite its youth, the mastery conferred by wood presents us with a slightly peaty note. In addition, we sense shy hints of yeast, butter and smoked meats reminiscent of our hearth after last night?s fire is spent. And now almond, hazelnut and candied fruit. 

The saline plane surprises us in terms of equilibrium and harmony. Suggestions of herring and anchovy, a classic marina scent with flashes of the mineral. Those caper bushes descending towards the Sicilian sea are now evoked. To the right the Pillars of Heracles. To the left, the mysterious and intriguing East. There is a narrow border between the ocean and the sky which is lighter and therefore easy to identify. Some may say that Brittany is where we can best learn to distinguish this.

A.W.B. 

COMPOSITION: 3 casks of Caol Ila 2013 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1104
ABV: 45%

SAMAROLI SPEY
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Our iteration of this year's Speyside. An elegant and sensual colt within our 2023 stables. A princely efflorescent malt carrying our nose to a whole host of places: the scent is Moorish, Latin perhaps, or rather Byzantine? smacking of the stone walls of Otranto, that bridgehead from Italy and what was left of the Western Empire, to the dazzling Constantinople. And immediately our mind is jolted back to the monasteries of Asia

Minor where myth, faith and search for self began in the mists of time.Then a great vegetable garden lush with plants all destined for the kitchen: aubergine, sweet pepper and mint; now lavender, an unknown number of flowers in full summer, powder and peach. All a prelude to an abundant satiating and fulfilling palate. A rich and dense spirit whose specific gravity is noteworthy. Leaving grooves on our tongue which, as second follows second, are filled with piquant and surprising meaning. We remain seated in a corner of the ballroom as we look on at the glitter of the gowns and envisage nights of passion between whiskies. Thoughts and fears entwine and perhaps darken us a little. Salento is a large herbarium made up of villages at the centre. Around them, the sea.

A.W.B

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BLEND COMPOSITION:
1 cask of Linkwood 2012 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of The Speyside SM 2013 - Barrel - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of The Speyside SM 2014 - Barrel - Refill Bourbon

BOTTLES PRODUCED: 810
ABV: 45%

Big Peat's gone and got himself a trusty sidekick in the shape of a dapper Fox Terrier wearing a monocle! Scallywag from Douglas Laing is a vatted malt made from Speyside whiskies, including Mortlach, Macallan and Glenrothes. Many of the whiskies used in the small batch release come from Spanish sherry butts, giving Scallywag a fab sweetness that's balanced by some "mischievous" bourbon cask whisky also in the blend.

Nose: Sweetness jumps up like an excited puppy. Icing sugar, sultanas and candied ginger. A few hints of grain here and there, but sweetness steals the show.

Palate: The sweetness surprisingly retreats, revealing nutmeg and cereal. Vanilla comes in near the end. Cinnamon too, giving it a prickle of spice.

Finish: A pinch of oak spice joins the vanilla and sherry for the finish.

Overall: Incredibly pleasant, the Scallywag is an absolute treat in every sense.

A very interesting whisky from one of Scotland?s most northerly distilleries, the Orkney-based producer, Scapa! This whisky has been matured in American oak casks, before being finished in barrels that once held smoky, peated malt whisky. This is an excellent, lightly peated dram which serves as a stepping stone to the more powerfully smoky malts of the scotch world. Glansa is a nod to the Nordic history of Orkney, with the term meaning ?shine? in Icelandic and ?gloss? in Norwegian. On the nose, this dram opens up with sweet fruity flavours of pineapple, peach, mango and overripe banana, accompanied by a gentle peat smoke. The palate returns the peach and tropical fruit notes of the nose, adding vanilla and oak flavours with the same elegant smoke. The finish is long, smoky and spiced, with plenty of lingering flavour. A lovely little dram that will appeal to fans of both gentle and powerful whiskies.

Scapa call Skiren the honeyed tropical one because of its smooth, creamy sweetness with a hint of tropical fruit, citrus and coastal heather. It is exclusively matured in first-fill American Oak Casks, selected by Scapa artisans.

Nose: Delicate scented floral flavours with a hint of fresh pear. Sweet and fruity pineapple notes with a citrus tang.

Taste: Smooth and sweet, ripe honeydew melon slices, bursts of fruity pear and lemon sherbet.

Finish: Long, refreshing, shimmering sweetness.

Mackinlay's - Shackleton ordered 25 cases of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky to take on his expedition of 1907.  In 2007, eleven intact bottles containing this perfectly preserved whisky were recovered from under the ice beneath Shackleton's base camp.

This has inspired our Master Blender, Richard Paterson, to create this Shackleton whisky as a personal and deeply felt project.  He has combined the best Highland malt whiskies, allowing them to marry over a long period to create an enigmatic blended malt with a dash of body and a whisper of smoke.  It has complex notes of vanilla, honey and orchard fruits with real warmth and depth at it's heart, like Shackleton himself.