In 15th century Leith, the monks of the order of St Anthony controlled the movement of wine through the port. The barrels would be taken from ships and stored in the Vaults, by the Kirkgate in central Leith. They employed a cooper called Henry Douglas to keep the casks in good working order.
When wine began to go missing, suspicion fell on Douglas, who denied all knowledge. A local hermit decided to investigate and accuse the crafty cooper. Henry Douglas looked scandalised. ‘Me?’ he said, ‘I don’t know a thing about it. I swear I know nothing. And if I’m telling a lie, may I never head this cask!’.
The words had hardly left his mouth, when the cask he was working on fell apart into staves at his feet and he ran into the furthest parts of the great vaults, never to be seen again although the sound of him can sometimes be heard trying to finish his cursed cask.
Our whisky endures a similar fate. We fill our blending vat with mature Scotch whisky, sourced from across the country, before bottling at least half. The vat is then replenished, before once again being half emptied, the cycle repeating forever. It is an infinite vat of Scotch, delivering intriguing, complex and exquisite whisky in perpetuity.
Batch I
1,430 Bottles
45.7% ABV
Tasting Notes
Nose - Caramelised apple tart, custard danish pastries, sandalwood.
Palate - Crème brûlée, lemon sherbets, toffee, marmalade.
Finish - Lemon drizzle cake, clotted cream.
The Blend
Blender’s Notes
Batch 1 really starts with this Deanston cask. As a distillery, Deanston has this wonderful cereal forward, nutty robust highland style. This cask was a solid foundation on which to construct the other elements of the blend because it really had that undeniable Scotch Whisky character.
The next part of the process was to establish a solid grain base to complement the flavour profiles of the malt. Firstly, a North British ex-bourbon American standard barrel which exudes lemons. Working in partnership was another cask from North British, this time the whisky was almost bourbon compared to Scotch. The wood influence has allowed depth that you expect from old grain with thick caramel and espresso notes.
The final stage was to add a bit of seasoning and rich first-fill sherry hogshead was the perfect top note, and like the Deanston, every drop was used. Lots of spiced apple crumble that balanced so well with the backbone of sherry giving those rich dark fruits, raisins and leather. The whisky was mouth coating and so balanced for the age that it worked in tandem with the North British casks to bind these flavours together.