Review / Nc'Nean Organic Batch 2

This whisky was the third ever single malt release from the innovative and pioneering eco-friendly distillery of Nc'Nean. The spirit is made from unpeated organic Scottish barley and this batch has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-red wine STR (shave, toast and re-char) casks. Batch 2 consists of just 5,000 bottles and follows the inaugural release, named Ainnir, which sold out immediately in September 2020 and Batch 1. All the spirit involved was distilled in April, May or June of 2017 and then bottled in October and November 2020. They have since moved on to subsequent batches but the spirit recipe and cask combination remains the same. Each batch consists of just 14 casks.

Review - Benromach Organic

The Organic is from the small independently owned distillery of Benromach. When it was originally launched back in 2006, it was the first single malt on the market to be fully certified as organic by the UK Soil Association.  The whisky continues to meet their rigorous standards regarding the growing of ingredients (organic barley, local spring water and yeast), the whisky making process and the maturation in untreated virgin American oak casks.  Benromach is the real pioneer of organic Scotch whisky, having started production around the millenium. 

New releases > Bruichladdich Organic

Independently owned
The Bruichladdich distillery (pronounced brook-laddie) is located on the Scottish island of Islay in the west Hebrides. The traditional Bruichladdich distillery style is in contrast to the smoky style of whisky for which Islay is famous - it is lighter, fresher and generally with little or no peatiness. The distillery was originally founded in 1881 by Barnett Harvey and sits on the shores of Loch Indaal - it was built using stones from the local beach and was one of the first buildings in the UK to be constructed using concrete! The current owners are the Bruichladdich Distillery Company. They are an independent consortium of four businessmen and they took over in 2000. It is a small distillery with an annual production capacity of just 700,000 litres and Bruichladdich translates from Gaelic as 'the brae (hillside) by the shore'.

Organic whisky?
Examples of truly organic whiskies are hard to find - Benromach Organic single malt and the blended Highland Harvest are the two most readily available to the UK market. Here, Bruichladdich - the self proclaimed 'Progressive Hebridean Distillers' - have given a full scale release to their organic single malt whisky. This follows on from a limited edition organic release in 2009, which proved popular and won much acclaim. This new version will retail at £35-40 in specialist retailers and has an alcohol strength of 46% ABV. The whisky contains organic barley from three different Scottish farms and is certified as 'organic' by the Biodynamic Agricultural Association. It has been matured in a combination of fresh oak and ex-bourbon casks and has been created from a selection of different ages by Bruichladdich's Master Distiller Jim McEwan.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Bruichladdich Organic is a pale lemon yellow and the nose is youthful, fresh and vibrant. There is a lovely, appetising combination of aromas - firstly there are malty cereals, then juicy fresh green fruits (think of pears and apples) and vanilla, then something reminiscent of dried grass (or straw) and finally a hint of honey and some distinct almond notes. On the palate, this is light, delicate and again fresh. It has an immediate zesty (think of lemons) and mouthwatering quality that makes you want to have more. Through this comes prominent notes of vanilla, robust cereals and dried grass. These are followed by more subtle characteristics - some sweet honey, the fresh green fruits (especially pear - this is verging on peardrops now) and just the merest hint of some wood spice (imagine cinnamon). The finish is short, which is slightly disappointing. However, it is lively and crams plenty in to a short period of time - there is sweetness (vanilla, honey and a hint of icing sugar) to begin with, before turning drier with the malty cereals and dried grassy notes dominating. Finally, the flavours disappear to leave the burn of youthful alcohol in the mouth.

What's the verdict?
This is a refreshing and delicate whisky, where the quality of the barley used in production and the casking used in maturation shine through. It would make an excellent aperitif dram. The whisky is on the lighter side and may not be to everyone's taste, but should definitely be tried if you have the chance. Any distillery looking to produce and release an organic whisky should look at this Bruichladdich for quality and use it as a benchmark. In our opinion, it is one of the better new releases of 2010.

Have just tried ... Benromach Organic

Benromach is the smallest working distillery in Speyside and is located to the north of the town of Forres. Infact, with it's current production level of only 200,000 litres, Benromach is one of the smallest in Scotland with only two people employed to produce their spirit. The distillery was founded in 1898 with the current owners being the independent bottling company Gordon & MacPhail. They took over Benromach in 1993 and the distillery was reopened by Prince Charles, following 10 years of mothballing by the previous owners (mothballing is the term used for the process where production is stopped at a distillery, but all the equipment remains intact and ready to go again). Gordon & Macphail launched an innovative programme of whisky production including different wine cask finishing, heavily peating some of their malt (a very usual practice for a Speyside distillery) and producing the world's first truly organic whisky. The organic whisky is certified as such by The Soil Association and involves using organically grown Scottish barley and yeast, pure local spring water and untreated and unused American oak casks. They are not allowed to use casks that have previously carried another spirit (such as bourbon or sherry as all other distilleries use) to be classed as organic.

The result of their innovation was the release of this organic whisky for the first time in 2006 and it remains the only one on the market at this current time. Other distilleries have now produced organic whisky to meet the consumer demand but these are still too young to be released. This whisky is roughly seven years old and the colour is golden brown with a nose is more reminiscent of an American bourbon than a Scottish malt. The nose is loaded with oak, vanilla and coconut and these form the basis of the palate also. more subtle notes start to come through on the palate, including some butterscotch, some dried fruit (think of sultanas and candied peel) and sweet malted barley. The finish is long, smooth and rich with the vanilla, coconut and dried fruit slowly fading. This is a very good whisky and it has laid down a tough marker for the other organic whiskies that will soon be on the market. It is quite bourbon-like, but this is no bad thing and is due to the use of the fresh wood used in the maturation. Well worth a try, especially at the bargain price (well, for an organic product anyway!) of £30-35 per bottle.