July 2021
Summer came and went like a flash. Though, I have to say, I’m glad of that. As I get a touch older, it seems that I’m liking the heat less and less! But, I am sure there are a great many of you that are enjoying the sunshine and being able to get out and about again.
This month, the chips fell so we have FIVE whiskies in the running for the top spot, which always makes it even more difficult that usual for me to pick. I know, you all feel sorry for me right? Jokes aside, there was an abundance of quality this month, with THREE being in very close contention for #1. If you picked up any of those three, I can all but guarantee satisfaction.
In any case, as usual, I will list the runners up for this months accolade in order of release and finish up with the winner below.
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Runners Up
First up this month is the Scapa Skiren. This bottle was donated to me by James Palmer from my Amazon Wishlist.
Scapa has been a bit of a silent distillery, often overshadowed by it’s older and bigger neighbour, Highland Park. And I have to say, when I initially tried Scapa some years ago, I wasn’t that impressed. Maybe through some misguided logic that they’d be a little like HP. As always though, I am very happy to be proven incorrect and I make a habit of trying to challenge my own misconceptions.
The Skiren, then, is rather lovely when judged against itself. It’s a little light and breezy for my personal tastes but it certainly has it’s place in the world. This month, it was just a little outclassed but the take home is very much it’s a good whisky in it’s price category.
Next up we have the latest release from Heroes & Heretics. The first release in their new ‘Classic Series’ is a 12 yr old single malt from an undisclosed distillery in the speyside region.
This sort of thing really fascinates me, as its great to sit with it and guess where it might be from. And that is genuinely anyones guess. I tried to find out directly from HAH and they wouldn’t tell even me! That said, if you know your whisky, I think we can take a pretty good stab at where it’s from. I will leave that up to you though.
Secrets aside, I’ve covered a lot from HAH recently, and the overarching vibe from them is one of quality (as well as a good stab at price). £50 for this is an absolute steal. I would call this a joint 2nd place with the next dram this month. Both of which could easily have won the month if not for the intrepid winner
In the previous entry, I mentioned a joint 2nd place. This next dram is that other joint 2nd place.
Waxhouse Whisky first popped up on my radar in May, when they released their 4th bottle, a wonderful Cotswolds 4yr (which, incidentally, won the WotM for May). Whilst I was purchasing said Cotswolds, this Linkwood somehow dropped into my basket (if you’re reading this soon after writing, there maybe a bottle or two left!).
This truly is an exceptional whisky. And the video contains a bonus cameo from Brian.
The last dram before the winner then is the Bimber Kings Cross St Pancras. Released as part of the opening salvo of the Spirit of the Underground collaboration with Travel For London, the hype was real. So much so, I written off all hope of trying these bottles. But thanks to Mark Littler, the review is inbound.
On release, these were ~£125 and sold out so quickly I couldn’t even blink. And, of course, the secondary market went nuts for it right after (something which has since died down).
Here’s the controversial bit, the quality of this bottle vs the other Bimber releases I have tried is not up to scratch. And certainly not for the asking price. Even if you account for the bottle size difference, you’ll get far better value for money (if you intend to drink it, of course) by purchasing this months winner. In fact, if you missed this bottle and had to pay auction prices, you can actually by all four of the other whiskies this month and get much better experience.
I caveat this remark by saying that I am a big fan of Bimber, and they create some truly excellent whisky. Sadly, this particular bottle is not that.
Top Dog
This month winner surprised me. The other release from the Glasgow Distillery are good, but this on really sung to me. The 1770 Peated is a mix of virgin oak and ex-PX casks and the smoke comes from the barley (rather than the wood). The result is an immensely pleasurable and luxurious experience that I just can’t get enough.
Sure its a 50cl bottle, but as far as I’m concerned this is a top notch dram that deserves the attention of peat fans everywhere. Buy with confidence
