AD Rattray Cask Collection No. 71
From the company
Single cask whisky is at the heart of A. D. Rattray. We go to great lengths to source interesting and unusual casks from the six traditional whisky regions of Scotland. Each distillery represented is different and every cask is unique.
We curate 4 releases of our Cask Collection per year, choosing between 6 and 8 casks for each collection. Our cask are evaluated over time and are selected for inclusion only when we judge they have reached the peak of perfection.
Once a cask is selected, the spirit is rough filtered, removing any fragments of charred wood left behind by the cask, and then bottled at natural colour and cask strength, with no chill-filtration. There are therefore a limited number of bottles from each cask.
This process retains the true essence of the distillery character and cask maturation for your enjoyment.
A. D. Rattray’s 71st Cask Collection and final curation of 2023 is a celebration of boldness. Covering drams from the southern lowlands of Annandale to the northern highlands of Balblair, this release focusses on intensity of flavour. The subtle quirks of single casks remain, but the overarching quality throughout this selection is a certain strength of character. Major contributors to this style include the spirit itself and its method of distillation, fresh, high-impact wood, and of course Islay peat. All feature prominently in this collection.
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Matured in Bourbon barrel #652696 for over 9 years, before finishing in an ex-Longmorn barrel for 34 months.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Pale white wine in colour, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thin, oily legs.
Nose: Soft citrus, icing sugar, fresh orchard fruit, vanilla, mild grassiness.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, baked apples with cinnamon, honey, fennel and black pepper warmth.
Finish: Slightly bitter wood spice, nutty oak and chilli heat. A few drops of water brings out more bitterness.
Overall. It’s a decent enough dram on the palate but the bitter, slightly herbal finish isn’t something I enjoyed. Water brings out more even more of that bitterness, so this isn’t one for me but I’m sure many will enjoy it.
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Tamdhu 2013 - 65.0%
Matured in Bourbon hogshead #354
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Pale white wine in colour, forms an inverted crown before slowly falling as thin, oily legs.
Nose: Green apples, macadamia nuts, pear drops, lemon citrus and slight woodiness.
Palate: Creamy caramel toffee, vanilla pods, a hint of coconut cream, hazelnuts and chilli heat. With water, baked apples and caramel sauce comes to the fore.
Finish: Nutty, slightly astringent oak, a touch of tobacco leaf and a prickle of chilli.
Overall: When I think of Tamdhu I tend to think of Oloroso Sherry seasoned casks, so it’s nice to get the chance to try something a little different from them. This bourbon hogshead matured expression in enjoyable, well balanced and with a nice level of complexity to it. Unlike the previous whisky, this is one which really comes to life with a few drops of water.
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Annandale 2015 - 57.2%
Matured in Bourbon barrel #156
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Tropical mango, pencil shavings, green apples, elderberry cordial, Battenberg cake.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, baked apricots with honey and almonds, a tropical hint of pineapple and mango, a touch of sour lemons and black pepper heat. With water, more fruit and nutty, astringent oak.
Finish: Honey, vanilla and drying, nutty oak with a decent prickle of heat.
Overall: A decent enough dram, just a little on the hot side and a shade too much woodiness and astringency for me.
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Balblair 2011 - 57.4%
Matured in Sherry Butt #635 for over 11 years, before finishing in a first fill Oloroso Sherry Butt for 1 year.
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms an inverted crown before falling as slow, thick legs.
Nose: Rich California raisins, sultanas and nuts, caramelised sugar on a crème brûlée, floral bordering on herbal, dunnage floor funk
Palate: Creamy, fudgy mouthfeel. Caramel toffee, Ambrosia tinned custard, stewed apples, dried fruit, nutty oak and a prickle of chilli. Water softens the chilli and allows more vanilla to appear.
Finish: Rich dried fruit, nutty oak and black liquorice with that hit of chilli spice.
Overall: Rich and complex, falling just short of Christmas dram levels of dried fruit and spices and with a little dunnage note in there that invites further investigation. It's a good, interesting dram and, for me anyway, one where addition of a little water brings out the best in it.
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Islay 2016 - 57.4%
Matured in First Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead #302390
Appearance: Copper gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Sweet, ashy and mildly phenolic wood smoke, honey glazed barbecued ham, lemon citrus and coastal breezes.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel. Baked peaches stuffed with Amaretti, slow beach-barbecued honey glazed ham slightly burnt on the edges, sticking plasters, lemon puff biscuits, just a hint of peppery heat.
Finish: Nutty, astringent oak which gradually disappears to leave that lingering sweet, barbecued meat smokiness.
Overall: Beautifully put together, smoky, medicinal and sweet all working in harmony. This is a whisky which gets so close to being too sweet but just manages to stay on the right side of the line. If there was such a thing as a peated Islay dessert whisky, it would be this.
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Summary: These Cask Collections from AD Rattray never fail to impress, and in this set there really is something for everyone. My favourite of the set though would have to be the 2016 Oloroso Hogshead from Islay, it's one of those whiskies which ticks all my boxes and just a little bit more.
These bottlings are available from the AD Rattray online shop, just click on the link to enter.
