THIS ONE IS A LONGER READ, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!
Here we have our second non-distillery stop on the tour: the Midlands Whisky Festival! A charcuterie board of tasting options from a large variety of distilleries! Some I was familiar with in one way or another, some I had no knowledge of. I’ll try and keep this brief, but it’s going to be hard given I tried 31 drams, 3 of which were older than me!
Before I get to the main event, I want to quickly mention that the staff and catering from the event organisers themselves were amazing! The food and drink was surprisingly cheap for having a captive audience, and the security staff were absolutely lovely! All of the distillery staff I met running the stand were also doing a bang up job, so compliments all round!
Right, onto the good stuff! I’ll try and divide these up into subheadings for each distillery, I’ll say a quick note about the location itself, then speed through the drams I tried. Sounds good? Fantastic.
Glasgow Distillery:
I’m familiar with Glasgow Distillery for two main reasons: I’ve reviewed their Ruby Red Wine Cask finish whisky on the Whiskey Wash before, and my good friend Libby Barmby works there. They’re trying to restore the spirit (pun intended) of the original Glasgow Distillery that operated for 200 years before its closure in 1902.
I got to sample two whiskies of theirs, the 1770 Peated Cognac Cask and the 1770 Calvados Cask. The Peated Cognac Cask was fruity with a vanilla twist, but overall quite sharp. The Calvados Cask was floral and super intense; best enjoyed when watered down slightly. The former was my favourite, but I liked them both!
Sagamore Spirits:
One of the distilleries on here I knew nothing about going in, Sagamore Spirits are a rye whiskey specialist from Baltimore (Maryland, USA), and they are dedicated to creating farm-to-table rye whiskey, an unfortunate rarity nowadays.
I got to try both of the spirits they were showing off: their Signature Rye Whiskey, and their Double Oak Rye Whiskey. The Signature was full of sweet vanilla, summer fruits and prominent oak notes. The Double Oak was intensely caramel, with dark fruits and a more subdued black vanilla.
Hampden Estate:
One of the biggest names in rum, the Hampden Estate is a distillery I hadn’t tried before this, but I had read up on extensively. As a Jamaican distillery they have that familiar providence and taste you expect of the island, but even more so as this distillery has kept it’s traditional techniques alive for over 200 years!
I only tried their Hampden 1753, their signature rum style. It has that familiar taste of nail polish you get from all Jamaican rum, but also comes alive with fermented dark fruits and peppercorn. Not really for me, but I get why people love this rum.
R.L. Seale’s:
Owned by Foursquare, the same company that owns Doorly’s, R.L. Seale’s is a more niche rum brand out of Barbados that I had no knowledge of walking in, which is why I wanted to try it! It’s been going since 1926 and has been family run all the way through.
I got to try their 10 year old expression, one of the only two expressions currently available. It’s light, tropically fruity, and refreshing, even when neat, thanks to a slight minty flavour! I really enjoyed it and might pick it up in future!
Ninefold:
A name I’d heard once or twice but never had a chance to learn anything about, Ninefold are a Scottish rum distillery that are quite new, only starting in 2018, with their first batches being produced in 2019. They’re a small operation, but one with a lot of heart!
I only tried one of their rums, their Cask Aged expression. It was very sweet, running with notes of caramel and light vanilla, ending with more of a wildflower honey taste. It was very enjoyable!
DropWorks:
The first distillery I encountered here that’s on my tour! DropWorks are very local to me, being located in Sheffield, and are actually the next place I’m visiting after this, so I’ll talk more about them there!
I got to try a whopping four of their rums: Barrel Drop, Dark Drop, Funk Drop and Clear Drop. Barrel Drop is currently their only cask aged expression, and is a light and berry filled rum with some exciting spicy elements. Dark Drop is their dark rum expression, which is rich and earthy, containing some tastefully done alcohol influence on the palate. Funk Drop is their white over proof expression, with an intense Jamaican style funk that has quite a cloying aftertaste. Clear Drop is their standard white rum expression, which is a clean, refreshing taste with a little bit of fermented fruit influence, particularly orchid fruits. I certainly have my favourites, but they’re all great!
Fielden:
Fielden have been on my radar for a little white now, how could they not be? Being one of England’s only rye whisky distilleries is going to turn heads, but I hadn’t actually had a chance to try their whisky until now.
I got to try three of their expressions: Signature Rye, Harvest 2020, and Field Notes: Hedgerow. Signature Rye was sweet and rural, with notes of sweet straw, golden syrup and chewy toffee. Harvest 2020, which as of me writing this hasn’t been released yet, was much more grain focused, with notes of wheat, fresh bread, but also butterscotch to sweeten the mood. Finally, Hedgerow, a limited release which only has a few bottles left, has notes of hay, plum and apricot, with even the nosing giving that impression of barn yards and work fields. All very cosy, all very tasty!
Retribution:
Another distillery on my tour; Retribution was truly a surprise to see, given how small of a distillery it is compared to those around it, but I was ecstatic to get to chat with them! As a distillery run by one man out of Somerset, it’s focused on experimentation and pushing whisky to its limits. I just love Retribution, and so did everyone else I talked to!
I only tried one dram, but it was a doozy: their unreleased 2 year Tawny Port expression. The liquid colour really caught me off guard as it was pink! But taste wise, it was really sweet, with flavours of spiced berries, red grapes and burnt heather, with quite a dry finish. Very tasty, I can’t wait to see how it pans out once fully aged!
Bimber:
Another one I had no knowledge of; Bimber was recommended to me by a friend due to how fast their whisky sells out once a new batch releases, so I had to give them a look! Bimber is a London based distillery which features references to Poland, such as the name Bimber itself, thanks to its founder being polish himself!
I got to try a healthy four of their samples: 8 year old Bourbon Cask, Fino Cask, Westminster (Madeira Cask), and their currently unreleased Japanese Cask. The 8 y/o Bourbon Cask had notes of warm honey, vanilla sponge, clove and white peppercorn. The Fino Cask had notes of rich raspberry jam, fermented grape and cassia bark. Westminster had notes of Macaroons, black olive and warm mulled wine, whilst having mild alcohol flavour mixed in as well.The Japanese cask had notes of vanilla, caramel, lilac, cherry and clove.
Bimber is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The Bourbon cask is pretty middle of the road and Westminster was just not for me, but the Fino cask was fantastic and the Japanese cask was really good too, which is exciting for future releases! Overall I think this shows Bimber has a strong variety of flavours on display, instead of trying to impress everyone with one bottle, they make multiple bottles to tackle different palates, which is a great approach!
Wireworks:
My relationship with White Peak is a long established one, they were the first post on this here page and were also one of my first spirit reviews. This is thanks to them being local to me, being based in Belper, and in general being a distillery I can only describe with two words: heritage and finesse. They’re also another stop on the tour, so stay tuned for that!
I’ve tried plenty of the Wireworks line, but I took the time today to try a couple I hadn’t had a chance to yet: Necessary Evil and Caduro Cask Strength. Necessary Evil was surprisingly mild, with notes of marshmallow, walnut, dark ale and chocolate. Cask Strength was, of course, more intense, with notes of charred oak, white chocolate, punchy mulled berry and a spicy finish. Both really great, but Necessary Evil really stood out to me!
Ardnamurchan:
My knowledge of Ardamurchan going in was exactly nil. They just seemed interesting, so I wanted to learn more! These guys are a relatively new Scottish highland distillery, only being founded in 2013, but they are gung ho on experimentation and embodying the surrounding maritime countryside they reside in within their spirits, an ethos I’m all for!
I tasted three of their whiskies: Core Release, Sauternes Cask, and Sherry Cask. The Core Release was quite grain focused, with a malt forward palate, soaked in seaweed and gentle peat. Sauternes Cask brought a more floral approach, with lighter peat than the core release, but with more complexity. It also had notes of salty straw and hay. Finally, the Sherry Cask was full of Christmas spice, plum jam and butter, with the aroma even giving off the smell of essential oils. All of these were fantastic, but I particularly liked the Sauternes Cask, and might track one down for a future review!
Paul John:
Ah, Paul John, one of the most recognisable whisky distilleries out of India, and current holder of my favourite Indian whisky. I’ve always loved the way these guys tackle whisky, taking the methodology of scotch and softening it with their own approach, making a delicate, slightly sweeter dram that just tickles my taste buds in the right way.
But what did I try? Well I got to try two of their whiskies, both new to me: Paul John Bold, and their Christmas 2022 expression. Bold, despite its name, was quite gentle, with a peated front, and a foray of cardamom and jasmine to keep it complex, but delicious. Just talking about it makes my mouth water. Christmas 2022 was an odd one to see, for obvious reasons, but I’m glad I got to try it. It was juicy, with hints of white grape and pear. It too is a very gentle whisky. I just can’t express how much I love Paul John. Keep it up guys!
Bushmills:
Do…do I even need to introduce who Bushmills are? Alright, for those of you in the back who are unaware, Bushmills are one of the big three distillers in Ireland, having been around in one form or another since 1608. They’re very well established and, on the whole, make really good whisky. They make one of my favourites at least, in the form of The Sexton, which I did a dedicated review for in the past.
I got to try two of their standard expressions: 16 year old (Port Cask), and their new 12 year old (Marsala Cask). 16 year was complex, but very aftertaste focused, full of raspberry jam, gentle tree honey, vanilla and very delicate fermented grape. 12 year was more grain forward, with other notes of roasted toffee, fermented plum and spiced nutmeg. All complex, but absolutely delicious.
That wasn’t all I got to try, however. I got to try something quite rare indeed in the form of their 1997 Rum Cask expression, valued at £349. It was surprisingly sweet and delicate, with notes of hibiscus, peppercorn, caramel and menthol, with a light cherry twist to tie it all together. Simply delectable!
Old Pultney:
Another distillery I knew very little about before trying a dram of theirs. Old Pultney is a distillery on the coast of the Scottish highlands that’s been going strong since 1826, and still uses traditional techniques and machinery to this day.
Despite not having tried their core series yet (which I will soon) I was offered a chance to try one of the rarest offerings they had at the show, so of course I took it! So now, my first taste of Old Pultney was their 25 year expression worth around £500 (I feel quite spoiled honestly). It was quite an oily dram, with a surprising influence of coriander, though this paired nicely with the notes of gooseberry and mulled sherry, topped off with a trickle of golden syrup. All round, a fantastic, if unorthodox, introduction I’d say!
Talisker:
I know Talisker quite well, I enjoy some of their expressions well enough, though they aren’t usually the brand I reach for as their peat expressions, while the intensity is fantastic, are a little sharp for me. Hailing from the Scottish island of Islay, it’s no wonder why they’re peated, but their popularity, in my mind, is well founded, as although it’s not really for my palate, they really do make great whisky!
But on this day I didn’t have any normal Talisker, it was the grand finale for me, the final thing I tasted this day. I tried a special bottle, one of the rarest there, named Talisker 1967 100 proof, courtesy of N&B Fine and Rare. This bottle is worth, on average, £2100, but can go much higher. Was it any good? Oh, it was good alright. With flavours of lavender, pumpkin and tobacco, and some of the cleanest peat I’ve ever tasted in a whisky, this unusual combination of notes came together to make something truly magical! Talisker, I hope I can find something in your repertoire today that has a similar beauty to this specimen, because back in the 60’s you made something truly special!
Overall top to bottom this event was a joy, I found a lot of new distilleries to keep my eye on! I did pick up a couple of bottles from some of my favourite samples I tried, but I’ll reveal what I took home a little further down the line! I’ll certainly be attending next year, and I hope to see you there too!
This post’s recommended song is: “In My Life” – Ozzy Osbourne
