Blackadder tasting - March 2026
Blackadder describe themselves as “a family-run, independent bottling company, established in 1995 by Robin Tucek who now runs the business with his son, Michael, and daughter, Hannah.
All Blackadder whiskies are bottled as single cask and most at cask strength. And we absolutely never, ever, chill-filter or colour our whiskies”.
Recently I had the opportunity to join a tasting session organised by The Sample Guys with Robin and Hannah to look at the current range from Blackadder. A very interesting evening, with six very different whiskies from across their current portfolio.
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Speyside 9y 2015 Virgin Oak - 59.3%
This Speyside single malt has been matured in virgin oak casks, allowing the influence of fresh oak to bring vibrant flavours to the whisky.
Virgin oak maturation adds notes of vanilla, toasted wood and warm spice while maintaining the fruity elegance typical of Speyside whisky.
Bottled at 59.3% ABV, this cask strength release delivers bold oak influence and rich whisky character.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Tawny gold, forms a thin a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla, caramel toffee, nutmeg comes through with time in the glass
Palate: Caramel, vanilla and wood spice and a prickle of chilli. Water brings out a little more caramel and reduces some of the heat and astringency
Finish: Oaky astringency and black pepper heat
Overall: A very astringent dram with a lot of spicy heat, although both are improved by the addition of a little water
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Glentauchers 12y 2012 Refill Sherry - 65.6%
This Speyside single malt from Glentauchers has been matured in refill sherry casks, allowing the distillery character to shine through while adding gentle layers of dried fruit, spice and oak complexity.
Bottled at a powerful cask strength of 65.6% ABV, this release offers a bold yet balanced sherried Speyside whisky experience.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thick legs
Nose: Soft notes of dried fruit, particularly sultanas and raisins and nutty oak
Palate: Rich dried fruits, oak spice and a significant hit of the elevated abv. With water, the spiciness relents and allows even more of the dried fruit to appear, together with more nutty oak
Finish: Woody oak comes through together with more spice
Overall: A really enjoyable Glentauchers, a little woody but not enough to be unpleasant
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Tamnavulin 29y 1993 - 43.4%
Distilled in 1993 and matured for nearly three decades, this Tamnavulin release showcases the depth and elegance that long maturation can bring to Speyside whisky.
Extended ageing develops layers of oak, fruit and gentle spice, creating a refined and complex whisky.
A rare opportunity to experience a mature Speyside single malt with nearly 30 years of cask maturation.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: New gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thin legs
Nose: Orchard fruit, honey, vanilla
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, poached apples, honey, vanilla and a prickle of pepper. With water, a little more orchard fruit appears
Finish: Long and lingering, soft orchard fruits and honey together with black pepper and a touch of cinnamon
Overall: A lovely soft, summery dram. This whisky feels fresher than many whiskies of similar maturity, that ‘old library’ mustiness that you often find is absent here.
The regular price tag for this one is a whopping £800, although it can occasionally be found below £700. For that kind of price I’d be expecting something extraordinary, this is a very good whisky but I wouldn’t be tempted with that kind of money for it.
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Westland Peated PX 2019 - 57.6%
This unique release from the American distillery Westland combines peated malt with Pedro Ximénez sherry cask influence.
The result is a complex whisky where rich sweetness, dark fruit and smoky peat character combine to create a bold and distinctive dram.
Bottled at 57.6% ABV, this whisky offers a powerful and memorable tasting experience.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Tawny gold, forms a thin a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Barbecued meats, honey, dark berries
Palate: Ashy bonfire smoke, dark berry compote and drying oak. With a little water it becomes more ashy but less astringent
Finish: Oak tannin astringency, caramel,tobacco leaf and old leather. With water a little sulphur comes through but the astringency is also lessened
Overall: Nice and smoky but a touch too astringent when taken neat. Better with water, if you’re not bothered by a touch of sulphur.
Regular price on this is £199, for me that feels like at least £100 too much
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Smoking Islay 11y - 59.5%
Smoking Islay is a bold peated whisky from the famous whisky island of Islay, known for producing some of the most powerful and smoky Scotch whiskies in the world.
This 11 year old release captures the maritime character of Islay with intense smoke, coastal notes and rich whisky depth.
Bottled at a natural cask strength of 59.5% ABV, this whisky offers a powerful and authentic Islay tasting experience.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Old gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Smoked meats, bonfire smoke and a hint of coastal brine
Palate: Smoky bacon, bonfire ash, maritime salt, vanilla, a hint of lemon citrus and crystallised ginger heat
Finish: Long and lingering, dry ashy smoke, vanilla cream, lemon citrus and a touch of saltiness
Overall: Feels like a Staoisha but a little more drying. A really enjoyable dram and, with a regular price of £95, well worth having a look at.
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Black Snake Vat 4 6th Venom - 61.2%
“Black Snake is produced from a vatting of casks finished in a Single Butt. It starts its life in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks. We then put three of them into new Oloroso or PX butts and leave for around a year for further maturation before bottling two thirds of the cask. We call these “Vats” as they are a kind of mini Solera. After each bottling we add two more ex-Bourbon casks, always of the same whisky, and leave for around another year before again bottling two thirds of the Vat. All future bottlings from each vatting of Black Snake will therefore contain some spirit that was in previous expressions from the Butt. From time to time the Butt is renewed. Each edition bottling of Black Snake is called “Venom”, as in a snake’s poison. A touch of Blackadder humour! The first bottling from each Vat is called “First Venom”, the second “Second Venom” and so on”.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Old gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Light, mild sherry notes
Palate: Youthful, soft notes of dried fruits and nuts, together with red apple skins and chilli heat. Water takes some of the heat away, allowing the light sherry notes to come through but brings through a struck match note
Finish: Mild oaky astringency, wood spices and chilli heat.
Overall: It’s not the first time I’ve tried this whisky, the only real difference on this occasion was the appearance of a struck match note with the addition of a few drops of water.
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Summary
A really interesting tasting session with a very diverse range of whiskies to try. There’s something oddly enjoyable about the feel of particles of cask char in your mouth when drinking a whisky and the Raw Cask series always manages to deliver that pleasure. I really enjoyed the opportunity to try the 29 year old Tamnavulin, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
My favourite of the night was the Smoking Islay, not only is it a lovely whisky but it’s also at a price point which feels like you’re getting bang for your buck. I’ve no doubt it will also be one of those Islay whiskies which leads to endless discussions on its distillery origins. I’m staying with my original thoughts that it was a Staoisha from Bunnahabhain, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been wrong.
If you would like more information on the Blackadder range, follow the link to the company website.
