Taychreggan Local Malts
Oban – 14yr old £5.60 25ml
The Oban distillery was founded in 1794 by three brothers, Hugh, John and James Stevenson who later founded the town around it from the fishing hamlet already there. The date makes Oban one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. The first licence dates from 1797 but expired the following year despite a House of Commons report describing the distillery as one of the best equipped in the Highlands. So the Stevenson brothers turned their attention to other matters before reviving the distillery 20 years later.
The building is set back from the harbour promenade in the heart of Oban town but the sea used to come right up to the door, unsurprisingly creating sea-influenced tones in the whisky.
Nose – Rich, sweet with fruits – oranges, lemons and pears, sea-salt and peaty smokiness.
Palate – A full and rich body with mouth-filling late autumn fruits – dried figs and honey-sweet spices followed by a smoky malty dryness. The finish is long, smoothly-sweet with oak wood, dryness and a grain of sea salt.
This produces a big malt ideally suited to after dinner.
Ben Nevis – 10yr old £4.30 25ml
This distillery is situated a few miles north of Fort William, one of the ‘forts and roads’ network steadily built up in the Highlands by the London government to control rebellious tendencies in the inhabitants. Most of the Highlanders were Jacobites and there was a succession of uprisings, those of 1715 and 1745 merely the best known. The founder, ‘Long John’ Macdonald, was a very tall man and, although this fact was immaterial to the making of his whisky, the nickname eventually served well when it came to choosing a brand name. His distillery was founded in the shadow of the eponymous munro in 1825 and the ‘Dew of Ben Nevis’ (now their blend) was the first name given to his product. In fact his association with Ben Nevis was short – little over a year – but, with a succession of Macdonalds and Macdonells as licensees, it could be said to have at least remained within the clan.
Nose – Sweet, malty bouquet with rich tints of smoke and vanilla.
Palate – Soft oils, citrus notes and very big on the malt, but sweet enough to chew on forever. The finish is long with hints of bitter roast coffee against the sweet oils.
Tobermoray – 10yr old £4.30 25ml
The name ‘Tobermoray’ is derived from the gaelic ‘Tobor Mhoire’ which means ‘Well of Mary’ and relates to the well and chapel of St. Mary. The distillery is one of Scotland’s oldest operational, celebrating its 210th anniversary in 2008 and is the only one on the island of Mull, directly north of Islay and the isle of Jura. These days the malt whisky produced is first shipped to the Deanston distillery on the mainland for filling into oak casks, before being transported outwards to Bunnahabhain on Islay for aging.
Many island and islay malts tend to be heavily peated. Tobermoray however, is only lightly peated as it draws its overtones only from the water on the island. This makes it particularly easy to drink and is why it serves as the perfect introduction to Island whiskies.
Nose – Notes of barley sugars and toasted cereals, hints of winter spice and soft oak with notes of salty melted butter and ground ginger.
Palate – Quite sweet and light. Notes of acacia honey and soft oak. The smoke and peppers thereof rise gently with a touch of dried fruit and peel with cinnamon. The finish is long and herbal with a touch of pepper.
Highland
Ardmore – distilled in 1981, bottled in 1996 £4.60 25ml
Founded in 1898 by the Teachers brothers to form the basis of their famous blend, Ardmore distillery is located at Kennethmont, on the eastern fringes of Speyside, yet sources its water from a spring high on Knockandy Hill giving it its Highland category. The only Highland distillery to fully peat their standard malt, it also double ferments its whisky firstly in full sized Oregan Pine ex-bourbon casks, before maturing it in hand crafted quarter casks giving it its renowned deep and smooth flavour.
Nose – Smoked Haddock and butter plus sweet, fruity malt and spices
Palate – Sweet and initially creamy, spices, peat smoke, tobacco and vanilla emerge and blend together. Water releases ripe fruits and accentuates the peat. The finish is long and mellow, a blend of sweet and smoke.
Dalmore – 12yr old £5.70 25ml
Much of the whisky produced in Scotland in the 18th century came from Easter Ross and Dalmore was one of the new distilleries built in the wake of the 1823 Act, which made distilling both viable and legal. In 1263 the ancestor of Clan Mackenzie, using a single arrow, saved King Alexander III from being gored by a stag. The grateful King granted him the right to bear a stag’s head in his coat of arms with the motto ‘Help the King’ (Cuidich ‘N Righ in Gaelic). The Dalmore distillery was long owned by the Mackenzie family and every bottle is adorned with this noble emblem. Half the whisky is matured in ex-oloroso sherry wood with the other half finished in ex-bourbon American white oak.
Nose – Attractively perfumed offering sweeter malt, thick cut marmalade, sherry and a hint of leather.
Palate – Initially a dry sherry taste, though sweeter sherry develops in the mouth, along with spice and balancing, delicate, citrus notes. The finish is long with more spices, ginger, lingering Seville oranges and a suggestion of vanilla.
Dalwhinnie – 15yr old £4.60 25ml
Scotland’s highest distillery at 326m (over a 1000ft) above sea level, Dalwhinnie shares its site with a Meteorological station, the readings of which are taken by the distillery manager. The distillery is sat at the very bottom of an enormous exposed bowl of encircling mountains where in winter the wind scours the slopes unchecked and snow drifts so deeply that distillery workers have on occasion had to go to work leaving from the first-floor windows of their cottages.
Nose – Gentle, full of fruit particularly lemon, orange rind and pomegranate, with gentle peat smoke and a touch of honey.
Palate – Smooth entry of heather honey, some peat, cocoa, a little milk chocolate and malty flavours that shine through at the mid-palate. A long, warm finish with salt and fresh ground black pepper akin to a Kosher pretzel lingering after the dram is swallowed.
A sweet dram to complement a desert.
Glenturret – 10yr old £4.20 25ml
Founded in 1775 but with records of a distillery in the area as early as 1717, Glenturret is the oldest operating distillery in Scotland today although illicit distilling is known to have occurred almost with impunity in the surrounding hills. The distillery buildings form a line along the base of a little wooded ravine just outside Crieff and the scale of production is very small; a total of six production staff work there. Tasks that are done automatically in larger distilleries are still done by hand here – rather laboriously but deliberately so – in order to recreate the kind of routines that were worked a century ago.
Nose – Spicy citrus notes with a mild peaty aroma and tones from the bourbon cask.
Palate – Very soft with mature orange zest and hints of vanilla developing to a long, smooth finish.
A good relaxing mid-afternoon malt.
Tullibardine – 10yr old £4.25 25ml
There was a Tullibardine distillery in the Blackford area in the late 1790s but it did not last long. Its successor took a long time to appear, and then it was in the shall of an old brewery in Auchterarder that goes as far back as the year 1488 when it produced a special ale for the coronation of King James IV at Scone. Distilled from the purest highland spring water (indeed from the same source as ‘Highland Spring’ itself), Tullibardine’s qualities make it an ideal introductory malt and it is described as being eminently quaffable.
Nose – Quite soft, there is a fresh, floral scent with hints of vanilla, chocolate orange, overcooked vegetables and some smoke.
Palate – Begins with a mild and distinctive creamy sweetness, developing a fruity flavour and a gritty, peppery taste later on. The finish is clean and crisp with an almost tannin-like dryness at the end.
Lowland
Auchentoshen – 10yr old £4.20 25ml
Founded in 1800, Auchentoshan (“Och’n’tosh’n”), meaning “corner of the field” in Gaelic, is hidden in a hollow between the Clyde and Kilpatrick Hills. The whisky is triple distilled and matured solely in American Bourbon casks.
Nose – Initially intensely sweet with peaches and Madeira with vanilla and coconut notes from the Bourbon casks then making themselves felt. Water brings out more overt vanilla.
Palate – Smooth and fruity, with vanilla ice cream. The finish is fresh and floral with a lingering note of ripe peaches.
Glenkinchie – 12yr old £4.20 25ml
Situated near Pencaitland just outside Edinburgh in the Lammermuir Hills, the glen of Kinchie lies in an area of productive farmland known as the ‘garden of Scotland’. Being something of a punchbag over the centuries, East Lothian lies on the route that invading English armies tended to favour and the open rolling countryside made it useful for battle when the Scottish forces rallied in defence. Indeed there is just a frission of an impression that you have gone back a little in time when you drop into the green dell that contains Glenkinchie. The ‘kinchie’ element of the name derives from the de Quincey family who owned the land hereabouts in the 14th century and the Kinchie Burn still flows through the distillery which contains a museum containing an excellent collection of old and traditional implements and tools and is well worth a visit.
Nose – Soft and delicate aroma with grassy and slightly sweet, fruity notes.
Palate – A light body that is smooth and malty with a touch of peat. The finish is dry and clean with a soft and mellow afterglow.
Island
Highland Park – 15yr old £5.50 25ml
In the course of announcing his 1993 Budget to the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the UK Exchequer raised a glass of malt whisky to toast the success of the Scotch Malt Whisky industry. The whisky he waved before the nation watching on television was Scotland’s most northerly, Highland Park; more than a little ironic considering its illicit origins.
At the tail-end of the 18th Century, none of the Orcadian distillers were permitted to export beyond the islands as the gin producers of the south were shamelessly protected by Parliament. Despite this extensive smuggling networks made it available in the Lowlands. Orkney whisky was of a very high quality and Kirkwall provost, Thomas Traill, must have had excellent connections to enable him to transport his product. In 1805, the Excise blitzed the outer Orkney islands and seized a number of illicit stills so Traill played safe and opened a licensed brewery and distillery on Mill Street in Kirkwall. He worked with Magnus Eunson who had run an illicit still since 1798 on Kirkwall common land and it is thought that this was the original distillery on the Highland Park site. Eunson was said to have stored his full casks under the pulpit of a local church, away from the attention of the Excise officers. Never has the ‘angel’s share’ been more aptly named.
Nose – Very aromatic, this is smoky and malty with a hint of camphor.
Palate – Rich and medium bodied, it is initially sweet with notes of heather and honey developing to a dry smokiness. The finish is long and spicy with lingering notes of peat.
One of the true malts capturing the island style, it is much acclaimed by many and makes for a splendid after dinner dram.
Jura – 10yr old £4.20 25ml
The Isle of Jura distillery is located so close to the island of Islay that they often participate in the ‘Feis Ile’ whisky festival of the Islay distilleries. But even though the Isle of Jura distillery is located just a ferry ride away from the ‘parish of peat’, its house style is completely different. They produce a few peated batches, but most of their regular expressions show a trademark oily profile – not unlike cod liver oil. Up until the turn of the century however, the whisky made at Jura was big and peaty just like those of neighbouring Islay but when the distillery was reborn in 1963, after being abandoned and dismantled in 1901, the stills were designed to produce the lighter, distinctly Highland-style of whisky now associated with the island name. Its lightness shows in its silky gentles, but it still has excellent presence with a subtly peaty flavour, mellowness and balance.
Nose – Light, clean and fresh with a hint of sea salt, almonds, resin, oil and pine.
Palate – Light-bodied, it has malt and peaty notes, with fruit and spicy overtones leading to a drying saltiness. The finish is malty, nutty with more salt and perhaps just a wisp of smoke.
Jura – Superstition £4.20 25ml
This whisky is created from the marriage of traditional Islay style peated barley and a selection of aged malts to produce a stronger peated, but also slightly sweeter bottling.
Nose – Light, delicate aromas with strong honey, spice and cinnamon overtones.
Palate – Add a little water and the delicate peat smoke will fill your mouth mixed with the honey and spices. It has a long lasting and balanced finish.
Talisker – 10yr old £4.50 25ml
Within sight of the famous Cuillin mountains of Skye, the Talisker distillery sits in the less of its own hill on the shore of Loch Harport, the buildings pristine white between the vivid green of the slope behind and the slate-blue of the loch water lapping below. Just beside where the distillery now stands, Boswell and Johnson climbed onto their ponies to journey to the local clan house, Sir Walter Scott also visited and Turner found time during a stay to paint Loch Coruisk in one of its more sombre moods. The distillery produces a highly distinctive whisky with a strong smoky, peaty flavour due to both the malt and the water used to make it are heavily peated. It has had a distinguished reputation for most of its existence and Robert Louis Stevenson described is as ‘king o’ drinks’ in his 1880 poem “The Scotsman’s Return from Abroad”.
Nose – Powerful peat smoke with sea-water stillness, the liquor of fresh oysters, a citrus sweetness and notes of pepper, liquorice and even clay.
Palate – A hot, peppery start filled with a rich, dried-fruit sweetness combined with clouds of smoke and strong barley-malt flavours. It develops into a full, sweet centre packing the punch of an explosion of pepper at the back of the mouth before a huge, long and warming peppery finish.
Islay
Bowmore – 12 yr old £4.50 25ml
Founded in 1779 on the shores of Loch Indaal producing a balance between the intense flavour from the south shores to the gentler ones of the north, Bowmore is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and indeed one of the first legal ones on Islay. It was bought for despatch to Windsor Castle on behalf of Queen Victoria on more than one occasion and, while the appropriate invoice may have been issued, the monarch was required to pay no duty; a principle with which the smugglers of Islay and elsewhere had long agreed. Bowmore is a classic Islay malt that has a lighter persona but retains a beautiful balance of peat with good, firm iodine-and-seashore complexity.
Nose – Lemon and gentle brine.
Palate – Smokey and citric with notes of cocoa and boiled sweets appearing in the length. A complex finish.
Bruichladdich – Waves £4.60 25ml
Pronounced “Brook Laddie” meaning “Shorebank” and affectionately referred to as the ‘Wee Laddie’, Bruichladdich is the newcomer to Islay founded in 1881. The distillery lies directly across Loch Indaal from Bowmore but, unlike the older distillery, is viewable plainly from its shore-road site. It sources its water rising from a hillside spring flowing over peat but which has less peaty flavour than water used by other distilleries.
Nose – Fresh and lively with enticing spices, tropical fruits and a background whiff of smoke.
Palate – Rich, full-bodied and mouth-coating with stewed fruits, dates and even a sprig of mint leading to emerging notes of sweet peat. The finish is medium to long with spicy, gentle peat notes.
A real anytime of the day dram.
Bunnahabhain – 12yr old £4.50 25ml
Pronounced “Boon-a-havn” meaning “mouth of the river” in gaelic, Buunahabhain is the most remote distillery on Islay. It is renowned for producing one of the island’s less heavily peated whiskies, sometimes described as the Islay malt that lacks the island’s character. Established in 1881 in a setting similar to a Bordeaux Chateau, the proprietors even had to build their own road to get things started. Houses and food stores for the workers and a school for the children soon followed until it became a fine example of the self-sufficient distillery communities grown up all over Scotland.
Nose – Fresh with light peat and discreet smoke.
Palate – More overt peat, nutty and fruity but restrained for an Islay. The finish is full-bodied and lingering, with a hint of vanilla and some smoke.
Caol Ila – 12yr old £4.50 25ml
Meaning simply the ‘Sound of Islay’ in gaelic, Caol Ila (“cull-eela”) is hidden in a cove near Port Askaig on the north shore. It is built at an old crossing point for the Islay cattle-drovers and used to be on the delivery route of the DCL’s famous puffer coaster, the SS Pibroch. Caol Ila as the pepper, smoke and peat of Islay but has its own velvety, oily/glycerine texture and middleweight presence.
Nose – Fresh peat, sweet malt, fish oil, gentle smoke and a touch of brine.
Palate – Smokey, dry, spicy and intense, with a slightly waxy mouth feel. The finish is long, peaty and peppery, with fish oil reappearing at the very last.
Lagavulin – 16yr old £5.75 25ml
This is one of the great whiskies of Scotland, a grand and complex spirit that epitomises the richly peaty style traditionally associated with Islay. The distillery lies below the Dunyveg promontory and covers about six acres on Lagavulin Bay. It is the sole surviving unit of a bustling illicit distillation complex that spread along the foreshore in the 1740s. There were almost a dozen bothies – small primitive distillation shelters – ranged alongside a mill in a little hollow in the ground, the ‘laggan mhouillin’ of the whisky’s name. By 1817 there were just two distilleries on the site and by the 1830s only one remained. Today’s Lagavulin malt whisky has won numerous awards, including nine Gold Medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competitions. Indeed the 16yr old is considered the best of the Islay malts by many connoisseurs because of its balance. A bit of iodine, a bit of smoke, moderately peaty but with the smoothest of finishes.
Nose – Intense peat smoke with iodine and seaweed and a rich, deep sweetness.
Palate – A full and rich body, dry peat smoke fills the palate with a gentle but strong sweetness followed by sea and salt with touches of wood. The finish is long, smooth, elegant and peat-filled with lots of salt and seaweed.
Laphroaig – Quarter Cask £4.80 25ml
Laphroaig (pronounced ‘La-froyg’ and affectionately nicknamed ‘The Frog’) is arguably the distinctive Islay malt, a pungent, primal, classy spirit that has come to embody not only the traditional style associated with the island but also the small and earthy impact that the rest of the world regards as the essential person of Scotch malt whisky. Before single malts were properly marketed in the bottles, it was Laphroaig that the pundits had in mind when they said that consumers could not cope with such a thrusting, uncompromising whisky and would have to be weaned onto it via the gentle Obans and Dalwhinnies of the world! Part of Laphroaig’s particularity is its medicinal aroma – first-time tasters are often reminded of iodine, cough mixture or disinfectant. This helped it sell in the US during prohibition, to the extent of being made available on medical prescription.
This bottling is taken from whisky matured in smaller quarter casks, providing greater contact between the whisky and both the oak of the cask and the North Atlantic air it breathes from.
Nose – Burning embers of peat in a crofter’s fireplace, hints of coconut and banana aromas.
Palate – Full bodied, it is deep, complex and smoky yet offers and surprises the palate with a gentle sweetness. The finish is very long and dries appropriately with smoke and spice.
Speyside
Auchroisk – 10yr old £5.50 25ml
The story goes that because someone stumbled across the well at Mulben, near Keith, on the side of a steep ravine some time during the 1960’s, the company Justerini & Brooks, owners of one of the world’s top selling blended Scotch brands, decided to build a distillery on it. Established in 1974, Auchroisk (“Ah-thrusk”) meaning ‘Ford of the Red Stream’ in gaelic, uses this clear, soft water together with lightly peated malt and high necked stills to produce a light and sweet estery spirit which they mature largely in ex-bourbon casks before finishing a proportion of each batch in dry oloroso sherry casks.
Nose – Mellow with floral notes and soft fruits, notably peaches. A vanilla sweetness develops and the addition of water emphasises the fruity aromas.
Palate – Quite light-bodied, sweet and fruity with cereal notes and a slightly salty edge. Water draws out more malty and nutty characteristics. The finish is medium in length, clean and gently drying.
Balvenie – Doublewood 12yr old £4.20 25ml
Balvenie is the sister distillery to Glenfiddich, built by the same man right next door and only four years after. William Grant had obtained inexpensive second-hand distillation to build Glenfiddich and he pursued the same money-saving policy with Balvenie, sourcing old stills from Glen Albyn and Lagavulin distilleries. Indeed, the whole distillery has a thrift feel to it. Unlike those at Glenfiddich, the four pairs of stills are not coal-fired, but it is waste-heat from next that creates the steam-heat to boil them. The two even share the same water supply with Robbie Dubh spring. Balvenie however, is considered to have the greater quality across the breadth of its range.
The doublewood, as its name suggests, is matured in two different casks starting its maturation in traditional whisky oak before being transferred to first use European oloroso sherry.
Nose – Vanilla, honey, subtle oloroso sherry notes and orange skins.
Palate – Nutty, sweet and honeyed with orangy fruitiness, heather and cinnamon spice. The finish is long-lasting and warming, smoky and a little spicy with a big vanilla tang.
Cragganmore – 12yr old £4.50 25ml
Cragganmore founder, John Smith, wholeheartedly embraced the facility of the railway and travelled everywhere by train. Because of his great 22-stone girth however, he was unable to squeeze through the carriage doors and always had to travel in the guard’s van. The leather armchair he had made to measure is still at Cragganmore. The distillery was the first to plan its layout and distribution to suit the new rail transport and in 1887, a year after John Smith died, the first ‘Whisky Special’ train steamed out of Ballindoch station with a load of 16,000 gallons. This event is recorded on the label of the 12yr old.
Nose – A blend of marmalade with roasted nuts and caramel, plus whiffs of tobacco smoke and grass.
Palate – Punchy and a little grassier than on the nose, slightly salted but with an obvious maltiness and hints of roasted nuts and orange cake. The finish is of average length but clean, with lingering toffee and chocolate flavours.
Glenfarclas – 10yr old £4.10 25ml
Meaning ‘Valley of the Green Grass’ in gaelic, Glenfarclas was built in 1836 by Robert Hay before being bought by John and George Grant in 1865. Five generations later it is still a family-run business and all the Grant males have either been called John or George. Its copper stills are the largest in Speyside and some of the largest in Scotland and maturing is in first use oloroso sherry casks, with some in refilled sherry casks and some in plain wood until a finish once described at a tasting as ‘going down singing hymns’ is achieved.
Nose – Lots of sherry, the nose is juicy with honey, a touch of toffee with creamy malt and barley.
Palate – Winter spice, fruitcake, toffee and a hint of smoke. The finish is long with spiced fruit and oak.
Glenfiddich – 12yr old £4.00 25ml
Founded and built in 1886 by WM Grant & Sons using second hand stills, the distillery is still under the same independent family ownership today. It was the first to take malt whisky out into the world and, just 30 years after the first steps across the border in England were made in 1963, the familiar triangular bottle has become the top-selling single malt in the world. It is the only distillery in the Highlands, and one of only three in Scotland, where the whisky is ‘chateau-bottled’ – i.e. bottled where it was made and matured. Indeed Glenfiddich still has its own coppersmiths and cooperage on site. Whilst most of the traditional elements are here to be seen, the distillery is big and spreads out a long way. It has to be since all whisky is matured at the distillery and, with the scale of Glenfiddich’s sales that means warehousing for over 250,000 oak casks on the premises.
Nose – Delicate, floral and slightly fruity.
Palate – It is well mannered in the mouth, malty, elegant and soft. Rich fruit flavours dominate with a developing nuttiness and an elusive whiff of peat smoke in the fragrant finish.
Whilst it is considered fashionable in some quarters to sneer at Glenfiddich as a malt for those who know no better, it has been known to catch out many a ‘connoisseur’ in a blind tasting.
Glen Moray – 12yr old £4.00 25ml
A brewery, built in 1815, was converted in 1897 as part of the distillery-building bandwagon of the time in the Highlands. This one was named Glen Moray and it made fine whisky but times were hard and it could not escape closure in 1910. Bought 10 years later by Macdonald & Muir (owners of Glenmorangie), production continued with the then current set-up until the post-war boom in demand for whisky made investment in its expansion and doubling of capacity a good idea.
Nose – Sweet, fruity and floral. Highland toffee and candyfloss with honeycomb and sweet malt notes.
Palate – Smooth, warming and rounded with a good firm body. Lots of sweet, soft malty flavours evolve in the centre of the palate, surrounded by toffee and mouth watering fruits. The finish is medium in length with toffee, blackcurrants and a hint of liquorice at the end.
Glentauchers – distilled in 1979, bottled in 1993 £5.10 25ml
The Glentauchers (pronouched glen-toch-ers) distillery was founded during the height of the ‘Pattison Crisis’ at the end of the 19th Century. Unlike many other distilleries that were founded around the time, they have managed to survive until this day despite being ‘mothballed’ for four years from 1985. Nevertheless, the brand is fairly obscure as there are no official bottlings although this 1979 vintage and a 13yr old were recently made available from independents. Instead, Glentauchers has always been used almost exclusively for blending and is a key component of the Ballentine’s, Teachers and Black & White blends.
Nose – Delicate esters – very fresh and fragrant. Fruity influences with a sweet honey edge.
Palate – Starts gently, developing a slight spicy, silky core before finishing quite strongly with smoky, mellow fruit and little medicinal flashes.
Macallan – 10yr old Fine Oak £4.20 25ml
Macallan is one of the great whiskies of Scotland, its reputation for finesse, richness and complexity at least partly due to the exclusive use of sherrywood for aging its whisky. Hardly any sherry is shipped to the UK in cask anymore so Macallan were the first distillers to take special steps to meet their needs. New oak casks are commissioned in Jerez, Spain and used for ageing sherry for two or more years before being shipped as whole barrels to Scotland to host Macallan spirit. As this Fine Oak bottling is triple cask matured, it also uses whisky matured in ex-oloroso sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon casks.
The Macallan single malt is a favourite with malt whisky drinkers worldwide and is often given the label ‘The Rolls-Royce of single malts’.
Nose – Complex, with hints of fruit and heather honey.
Palate – Soft, with a maltiness that is balanced with oak and fruit. A lingering finish has hints of oak and fruit.
Singleton of Dufftown – 12yr old £4.50 25ml
Dufftown was the sixth distillery to be built in Dufftown itself, when a stone built saw and meal mill was converted in 1895 into a distillery. By the 1920s the distillery had a growing reputation and had an exploding market in the US. However prohibition hit Dufftown badly and by the time it was repealed in 1933 the company was struggling to survive. Bought by Arthur Bell and Sons in ’34, it has seen a complete turnaround with 98% of its total production going to produce the well known Bells blend.
Nose – Rich with vanilla, a sawdust woodiness, fresh dough and almonds.
Palate – The nuttiness and vanilla are joined by dried fruits with the fresh dough aroma evoking images of digestive biscuit in the palate. The finish is short and refreshing.
Blended & Overseas Whisky & Bourban
Scotland
Famous Grouse £2.50 25ml
Ireland
Jamieson £2.50 25ml
American
Jack Daniels £3.00 25ml
Jim Beam £2.50 25ml
Woodward Reserve £3.50 25ml
Canadian
Canadian Club £3.00 25ml
Brandy & Cognac
Martell V.S. £3.00 25ml
Asbach £3.00 25ml
Courvoisier V.S. £4.50 25ml
Courvoisier X.O. £8.50 25ml
Remy Martin Grand Cru £5.50 25ml
Liqueurs
Advocaat £3.00 25ml
Disaronno Amaretto £3.00 25ml
Amarula £3.00 25ml
Baileys £3.00 50ml
Crème de Menthe £3.00 25ml
Crème de Cassis £3.00 25ml
Cointreau £3.00 25ml
Drambuie £3.00 25ml
Glayva £3.00 25ml
Grand Marnier £3.00 25ml
Kahlua £3.00 25ml
Midori £3.00 25ml
Tia Maria £3.00 25ml
A larger selection of liquors and spirits is available at the Bar
Please feel free to inquire with your server
Cocktail List
Taychreggan Fling £6.75
Our house cocktail is a slight twist on the traditional ‘Hilton Fling’. Dubonnet, a wine based aperitif, is mixed with Drambuie whisky liqueur and a dash of bitters to create a rich and warming drink.
Taste of Scotland
Prince Charlie £6.00
Drambuie whisky liqueur, Courvoisier V.S. Cognac and freshly squeezed lemon juice are poured together in a strong and warming concoction.
Rob Roy Cocktail £6.50
The Scottish take on the traditional Manhattan. Famous Grouse blended whisky shaken with Sweet Martini and the juice from Griottine Cherries, poured into an Angostura Bitters coated glass and garnished with a Griottine Cherry.
Rusty Nail £5.50
Famous Grouse blended whisky meets an ancient blend of Skye liqueur in Drambuie, served over ice in this introduction to the Highlands.
Whisky Fancy £5.50
Famous Grouse is mixed with Cointreau and Angostura Bitters for a sweeter, fruity way of drinking whisky.
Whisky Mac £5.50
Famous Grouse blended whisky and Stone’s Green Ginger Wine meet over ice for a spicy Scottish flavour.
Classic Cocktails
Bloody Mary £5.50
The cocktail that’s almost a meal in itself. Absolut Vodka is mixed with Tomato Juice and seasoned with fresh cracked Black Pepper, Celery Salt, a dash of Tabasco and topped with a splash of Tio Pepe dry sherry.
Brandy Alexander £6.00
A delicate blend of Martell V.S. Brandy, Crème de Cacao and Cream; garnished with fresh orange and dusted with grated nutmeg.
Cosmopolitan £6.50
This well known New York creation combines Absolut Vodka, Cointreau, fresh Lime Juice and Cranberry Juice.
Daiquiri £5.00
The classic Cuban cocktail of White Rum, Fresh Lime Juice and Sugar Syrup, garnished with a slice of lime.
French Daiquiri £6.00
Similar to above but including Crème de Cassis to give a blackcurrant flavour.
Gin Fizz £5.50
This classic cocktail of Tanquery Gin, fresh lime juice and soda makes for the perfect aperitif.
Long Island Iced Tea £8.00
Designed to look and taste just like the name suggests, this classic cocktail is not for the faint hearted. Absolut Vodka, Cointreau, Bacardi Rum, Sierra Tequila and Tanquery Gin are all shaken together and served with a dash of Coca Cola. Enjoy at leisure.
Margharita £6.00
Sierra Tequila, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice are shaken and served in a salt rimmed glass. A little taste of Mexico in the heart of Scotland.
Mojito £6.00
Another classic Cuban cocktail of White Rum mixed with fresh lime juice muddled with fresh mint and topped with soda.
Martini Cocktails
Classic Martini £5.50
The timeless classic of Dry Martini shaken with Tanquery Gin. Served with an olive.
Vodka Martini £5.50
As above but using Absolut Vodka instead of gin.
The Vesper £7.50
Invented by Ian Fleming and the recipe made famous by Daniel Craig’s Bond in Casino Royal, this take on the martini combines Tanquery Gin, Absolut Vodka and Dubbonet (in place of Kina Lillet), garnished with a slice of lemon rind; a good twist on a good drink!
Apricot Twist Martini £7.00
A flavoured twist on the Classic, this cocktail adds Apricot Brandy, a splash of Lemon Juice and a dash of Grenadine to the original. All topped off with a Griottine Cherry.
Chocolate Orange Martini £7.00
We know it’s not a real martini, but this one is too tasty to miss out. Absolut Vodka is shaken with Crème de Cacao and a dash of Grand Marnier. Served in a glass rimmed with powdered Chocolate. A desert in a glass.
Fun Cocktails
Bahama Muma £7.00
White rum combines with Malibu coconut rum, tropical fruit juices and a splash of Grenadine to produce a cocktail with both the look and taste of the Caribbean.
Freddy Fuddpucker £7.00
A twist on the well known Harvey Wallbanger, this cocktail starts with Absolut Vodka, adds Orange Juice then floats Kahlua and Galliano on top. Best drunk through a straw.
Holiday Hopper £6.50
Melon flavoured Midori meets Crème de Menthe, Crème de Cacao and Cream for a delicate yet highly satisfying drink.
Snowball £6.00
Advocaat combines with Absolut Vodka and lemonade in this cocktail. Served garnished with a Griottine Cherry.