Thompson Bros. Dornoch Distillery Cask No.54
Official Bottling | 55.5% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A youngster with style and substance already
Den Of The Geek
Whisky from Dornoch Distillery is a rare and precious commodity. A rare drop in your glass is to be appreciated and explored. Larger and newer distilleries, such as Lochlea, have since made their debut and have been swept away with the usual bottle antics. The Lochlea whisky might not have impressed us yet, but very few distilleries land an impressive debut.
One notable example was Dornoch distillery, with their single cask inaugural release landing at the end of 2020. Quality spirit combined with good wood produced a high benchmark and underlined the potential of their ethos. Now, I appreciate you may have missed out on that bottle – or even a pour – but it was an impressive beginning and vindication of their approach.
Since then, the team have focused on their increasingly popular independent bottling series. Their own casks being filled and put aside for maturation. It might have slipped your mind that Dornoch has a distillery of its own and much of it is legally called whisky. No publicity, no bravado or showboating; just the simple graft of distilling and waiting.
So, you can imagine the collective surprise when 2 single cask releases were announced. In theory, the army of flippers upped base camp around Campbeltown and headed north… Fortunately that wouldn’t be required, as the brothers have a system, which we’ve touched upon when discussing their balloted approach and rewarding enthusiasts who open whisky. So, go read my prior Teaninch review about the balloting process. Sorted? Good, let’s move on.
I’m not going to go into detail here about what Dornoch Distillery are doing, but you should explore and embrace it. As a cask owner myself, I have an interest in the journey and a desire to taste it. You can read about their process online. In summary, if the geeks inherited a distillery, then it would be called Dornoch. Simple as, really. For years, you might recall how we’ve been fed lines about yeast being not important, barley strains bringing very little to the equation, fermentation being a step rather than a fundamental and we could go on now, couldn’t we? These lies – sorry, mistruths – are slowly being reassessed. Especially the one about wood bringing 80% or thereabouts of the flavour; a new dawn and balance is forming.
Still, Dornoch is tiny, miniscule almost. Compared to Glenlivet and many others, its annual output fizzles out in the blink of an eye. It’s more labour intensive, less efficient and costly – by design we may add. The key component is flavour. The love and attention that goes into creating the spirit before it even caresses a wood stave. Freedom is a good word to describe the goings on at Dornoch. Being able to explore inefficient or ancient grain strains, experiment with yeast and max out fermentation to biblical extremes. I’m excited and so should you be if we all get that opportunity to try their wares.
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
Now I do recall there being some under the counter animosity towards Dornoch when it was first announced. I distinctly remember discussing the project with someone within the industry and they seemed alarmed that I had put down £2k on a cask that was distilled by untrained whisky geeks, or something along those lines. Perhaps that was because their own casks were being sold at £8k? Quite possibly. Another industry person, who is an aloof prick to be honest, referred to Dornoch as distilling for tourists. Despite never having distilled a drop himself or herself, or visited the distillery, which is as ridiculous as it sounds. Yet seemed on the verge of wetting himself or herself, when the Thompson Brothers gave a thumbs up to one of his or her, releases. I expect they were being polite – because it wasn’t very good – unlike the individual with the biblical ego.
These exchanges and others did surprise me as did the industry types feel threatened? A wee distillery with an insignificant level of production. Slowly, but surely, that resentment (in some) has been replaced with excitement. A distillery the size of Dornoch is well-suited to engaging in such activities and proving (or disproving) those theories and debates that rage across pubs, tastings and official events. The freedom – that word again – of being the owner and distiller comes through. Seeing if the old methods and ingredients do shake the apple tree. Each revived variety, every distillation and attempt, increases knowledge towards the definitive revival of an old-style whisky. In-between we’re going to see the results of all of their endeavours and debate the outcomes.
Fire Station come distillery
Review
4 years old, cask #54, 55.5% ABV
Sold out, sadly.
Two casks were recently bottled, the one we’re not reviewing is cask #16, which is a 1st fill ex-Journeyman bourbon octave. Using brewers’ yeast (Belgian Trappist) and floor-malted plumage archer barley, fermented for 7 days. Instead, we’ve moving onto cask #54. Distilled on 26th January 2018 and bottled at 4 years of age from a 1st fill 100 litre ex-bourbon cask which produced 176, 50cl bottles. Floor-malted plumage archer barley is used again and bottled at 55.5%.
Our thanks go out once again to the Dunkeld Whisky Box, who were fortunate to receive a bottle and then sell it by the dram. Other bars and retailers received stock for the very same purpose. Securing 5cl for £14, we’re able to bring you some insight into this release.
Nose
Fresh and zesty. Lemon sponge cake with plenty of drizzling. Vanilla pod, green apples, some wood but not detrimental. Bitter orange oil, mint leaf – no make that mint humbugs and caramel. Returning to the glass, traces of pineapple, grapefruit and guaiac wood. You wouldn’t immediately peg this as being so young, more like double the age it really is compared to other whiskies. Another pour? Pine resin, Custard Creams and wool. Time for water… immediately fruitier, poached fruits with vanilla.
Palate
The viscous nature is what strikes me initially, this isn’t a lightweight whisky. The youthfulness comes through on the palate though. Plenty of vanilla, green olives, chalky, white grapes and a minerality that is rock salt minus the full-blown salt, although Dornoch is coastal. I’m taken by its rugged nature, assisted by a buttery oiliness. Water brings a more mainstream vibe to the experience. The oiliness is still present and dense.
The Dregs
Impressive but then you’d expect the care and attention initially to come through in the final whisky, wouldn’t you? Layers are already forming, depth and density taking shape. You can sense where this is going - and in the meantime - we’re able to appreciate that formation. Who said David and Goliath was confined to scripture?
Score: 7/10
Our thanks to Nickolls & Perks and Dornoch for the images.
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DM
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