New release - Stronachie 10 years old

Stronachie is a single malt released by the independent bottling company A.D. Rattray. This new 10 years old bottling coincides with the 110th anniversary of the original Stronachie single malt, which was first sold in the early 1900s. The whisky was produced at a distillery of the same name in a remote part of Perthshire in the Highlands between 1890 and 1928. A.D. Rattray (then known as Dewar Rattray) distributed that whisky and revived the name some years ago after buying an original 1904 bottle at auction.

Inbox - April 25, 2014

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Our Top 10 - Independent Bottling Companies

The world of the independent whisky bottling companies can seem confusing, especially when in your whisky journey.  However a few pieces of basic information can help - this opens up a huge new corner of the industry and offers many more products to choose from and taste. Essentially, these companies buy casks from the distilleries, or send them empty casks to be filled and stored, and then carefully choose when to bottle and release them.

Have just tried ... Glencadam 1990 16 years old from A. D. Rattray

Glencadam is a little known distillery that is located in the eastern Highlands. It was built in the town of Brechin (between Dundee and Aberdeen) in 1825 and is the last remaining distillery in an area that was once a thriving whisky producing area. The current owners are Angus Dundee Distillers and they took over the distillery and in 2003. It had been closed by the previous owners in 2000, but kept intact so that production could restart when required (this is known as 'mothballing'). They soon had Glencadam running back at full capacity (approx. 1.4 million litres per year). Glencadam has a reknowned history for producing and supplying whisky to Scotland's biggest blending houses and formed an important part of top selling blends like Ballantine's and Teacher's.

A.D. Rattray is one of Scotland's best known independent whisky bottlers and was originally an importing company for wine, olive oil, continental spirits and aperitifs. Formerly known as Dewar Rattray, it was founded by Andrew Dewar and William Rattray in 1868 and soon became involved in the bottling and blending of whisky from some of the local distilleries. Nowadays, the company is run by Tim Morrison, who is a fourth generation descendent of Andrew Dewar. He took control in 2004 and independently resources top quality whiskies from all over Scotland, with the aim to bring unusual, different and single cask whisky to the consumer. For further information, go to www.adrattray.co.uk.

This Glencadam was distilled in 1990 and bottled at 16 years of age. It is a single cask release (a bourbon cask), consisting of just 271 bottles and is at cask strength (a hefty 59.7% ABV in this case!). The colour is bright and golden and the nose intense but very fresh. There is a lot of malty cereal grain initially with a lovely combination of intense coconut, vanilla and a hint of dried fruits (think of apricot especially) coming through. On the palate, this is clean, lively and again very fresh. Despite the high alcohol content, the whisky feels very well balanced but we did try it with some water later. The maltiness is again the first thing that appears before being quickly joined by the vanilla, coconut and apricot notes from the nose. In addition, there are some oak, toffee, nuts (think of almonds) and spices (imagine nutmeg) that add to the complexity. With water, it feels creamier in the mouth and the initial zingy nature is reduced, with even more maltiness and nuttiness. The finish is lovely and long with a heap of toffee, vanilla and coconut. The prominent maltiness is strong, almost to the point of becoming a little too dry for comfort. Otherwise, an absolutely cracking dram.

Have just tried ... Stronachie 12 years old

The name of Stronachie has not been around in the whisky world for a significant length of time. The original distillery of this name was built during the 1890s in a remote part of Perthshire and during the early 20th century was distributed by an independent bottling company called Dewar Rattray. However, following the massive slump in the whisky industry during and after the First World War, many distilleries were forced to close. The first to go were normally those in the remotest locations. Stronachie was closed in 1930 and dismantled, so money could be raised from selling the distillery equipment. The story of name's revival starts in 2002 when Dewar Rattray (now A.D. Rattray) bought a bottle of Stronachie from 1904 at auction. They decided to try and recreate a whisky from this long lost distillery and distribute it once again. A sample was taken from the 1904 bottle and A.D. Rattray tried to link to characteristics to a currently operating distillery. The distillery was Benrinnes in Speyside and this now supplies the whisky that goes into Stronachie.

This 12 years old actually has some older whisky from the same distillery present, so as to give a closer representation of the 1904 bottling. The different ages of whisky are given time to marry together in a cask and the result is very good. The colour is a golden amber and the nose is full of sweet dried fruits (think of raisins and sultanas), malted barley and something nutty. There is also a lovely floral note (imagine heather) and a whiff of earthy smoke in the background. Smokiness is unusual in Speyside or Highland whiskies these days but was common in the late 1800s and early 1900s. On the palate, this is rich with that fruitiness and maltiness, some toffee, warm spices (nutmeg or cinnamon, i think) and that gorgeous smoke backing it all up. The finish is long, sweet, spicy and peaty. This is a very good whisky that is rich, complex and very well rounded. It is easy to drink and would be a good introduction to someone who thinks that they don't like whisky. A great bargain at under £30 and only available in independent retailers.