The Scotch whisky industry is a diverse and complex beast, consisting of companies large and small. Amongst the whisky enthusiasts’ community, attention can often focus on the big players (e.g. Diageo, Pernod Ricard / Chivas, etc), or there are some smaller players that attract a healthy slice of the spotlight (e.g. J. A. Mitchell & Co of Springbank fame, or J. & G. Grant of Glenfarclas renown, etc). Meanwhile, there are some medium-sized operations that quietly yet effectively keep ticking over and grow their space. Ian Macleod Distillers is one such company. Ian Macleod Distillers’ portfolio of distilleries and brands – which includes Glengoyne, Tamdhu, Rosebank, and Smokehead – are not whiskies that punch above their weight. Rather, they are whiskies whose impressive weight is perhaps still to be fully appreciated.
The process of better understanding and appreciating three of those brands, at least in Australia, began this month with a visit to these shores by Gordon Dundas, Global Ambassador for Ian Macleod Distillers. With a renewed focus on showcasing Tamdhu, Glengoyne and Smokehead through established drinks distributor, Swift and Moore, Dundas was in town to give insight into the character and nuances of these single malt whiskies. But first, some background…
Ian Macleod Distillers’ history officially dates back to 1933 when it was founded as Ian Macleod & Company Limited. A blender and bottler, Ian Macleod’s chief product was the well-known blend Isle of Skye. In 1963, Ian Macleod & Co was acquired by the Russell family. Peter J Russell & Company Limited was chiefly a whisky broker, and the acquisition made for an entity that combined whisky blending, bottling, and brokerage. The stage was set. Over the next five decades, the company acquired other whisky brands (e.g. King Robert II) and also branched out into other spirits, acquiring the likes of London Hill Gin and the Watson’s rum brands, amongst others. In 1984, it set up a bottling plant operation, Broxburn Bottlers, in a joint venture with J. & G. Grant (Glenfarclas).
The company became Ian Macleod Distillers in 2003 when it acquired the Glengoyne distillery. It purchased Tamdu distillery in 2011 and, in an incredible development for the industry, in 2017 it purchased the Rosebank trademarks (and remaining casks) from Diageo and obtained £80M in funding to acquire the original site and effectively re-build the distillery. Rosebank distillery had closed in 1993 and the site was gradually dismantled, demolished, and sold off in the years that followed. The ambitious project to bring the site, distillery, and brand back to life will come to fruition later this year.
In the meantime, a happy and vibrant group of media folks gathered at The Pacific Club at Bondi Beach on a cold and windy July day to taste a selection of malts under the guiding hand of Gordon Dundas. Dundas boasts nearly 20 years in the whisky industry, including in the publishing and event game with Whisky Magazine and Whisky Live, and 11 years as a brand ambassador / advocacy director for the likes of Morrison Bowmore, Beam Suntory, and now Ian Macleod Distillers. In a whisky scene that has seen huge upheaval and realignment through and following COVID, Gordon is cut from the “old school” cloth of brand ambassadors that bring everything to the table: Knowledge, education, entertainment, hospitality, conviviality, experience, warmth, wisdom, and style.
The lunch paired some incredible dishes with a selection from Ian Macleod Distillers’ portfolio, namely the newly released Tamdhu Distinction, the Glengoyne 18yo, the Glengoyne 25yo, and the Smokehead Sherry Bomb. All the whiskies impressed, with our thoughts as follows:
Tamdhu Distinction, 48% ABV: Tamdhu makes the claim that it is the only distillery in Scotland to fill its spirit 100% exclusively into ex-sherry casks and nothing else. With the full name of this release actually being Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction, the key feature here is that the sherry casks are made of American oak. For a no-age-statement whisky, the Tamdhu Distinction impressed immediately with its full, rich, and developed palate. The American oak provides a lighter, fruitier profile that adds vanilla and citrus to the mix, delivering a balanced whisky that showcased a silky mouthfeel and a medium-length finish. This was the surprise package of the day, and is a genuinely delicious whisky.
Glengoyne 18yo, 43% ABV: Courtesy of its previous owners, Edrington and its forebears, Glengoyne has long had a reputation for its rich spirit and its affinity for sherry cask maturation. The 18yo is a vatting of 35% 1st-fill European oak sherry casks, 15% 1st fill American oak sherry casks, and 50% refill casks. The result is a complex whisky that offers a little bit of everything. Not surprisingly, at 18 years old, the spirit is refined, elegant, and well rounded.
Glengoyne 25yo, 48% ABV: A heavy-hitter in the luxury stakes (check out the colour below!) the 25yo is made from spirit matured 100% in ex-sherry casks, predominantly 1st-fill European oak. This is the classic sherried whisky style, and fans of some of the more fancied sherried whisky houses would do well to grab a bottle of this and reward themselves. It is a beautiful whisky: Superbly balanced with the perfect input and influence of oak; sherry that is neither dominant or overwhelming; and bottled at a strength that allows the barley, spirit, sherry, and oak to all shine with equal measure.
Smokehead Sherry Bomb, 48% ABV: Smokehead is a heavily peated single malt from an undisclosed Islay distillery that Ian Macleod Distillers first launched in 2006, and there are a number of releases under the moniker. The Sherry Bomb expression sees the spirit receive a finishing period in ex-sherry casks. The whisky was served in a cocktail on the day (see video and photo below), and there are some brilliant cocktail recipes available online using Smokehead as the whisky base. However, Whisky & Wisdom was keen to see how this dram stands up on its own two feet, and sourced an unadulterated dram. The sherry influence imparts a slight barbecued pork or pea-and-ham soup profile, and the whisky holds its own with the new brigade of younger whiskies emerging from Islay these days.
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As can be ascertained from the above, ex-sherry casks play a significant role in the maturation regimen for Ian Macleod Distillers’ portfolio. Unlike many brands or releases where the sherry influence can be coy or seemingly non-existent, these four whiskies showcase the wood, yet in a way that is balanced and integrated. Fans of the style should jump onboard. And for those heading to Scotland, Glengoyne is just a 30 minute drive from Glasgow and has an excellent Visitor Centre and distillery experience. Tell them Whisky & Wisdom sent you…. 😉
Cheers,
AD
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With thanks to Swift & Moore, Believe Advertising, and to Gordon Dundas for making the long trek to Australia in our winter.
PS…Glengoyne appears in Whisky & Wisdom’s feature article, “The most beautiful distilleries in Scotland”, which you can read here.
PPS….Whisky & Wisdom attended a vertical tasting of Glengoyne expressions back in 2014. You can read our thoughts from that tasting here.
