Travel Retail Exclusive Quartet
Four TRE / GTR Releases | Various ABV
Gems amongst garbage
It’s pretty hard for me to see shelves full of whisky and not pick something up, especially when there’s an aura of ‘exclusivity’ to the offering. Today, that focus is Travel Retail Exclusives (TRE) available through selected Global Travel Retail (GTR) airport whisky shops. It’s my belief that amongst swathes of dire, diluted and dull disappointment, we can still find occasional diamonds.
As I alluded to in my recent Aberfeldy review, I spent a wee weekend in Edinburgh last month with my significant other. That was my Christmas present to her this year. Yes of course it was also a present to myself.
We only had three days in the city, landing on a Sunday at noon, and leaving the following Tuesday at five in the afternoon. I had chosen accommodation in the form of an extremely cute Airbnb near Leith walk, putting us at walking distance from basically everything we wanted to see.
The first day was devoted to Mrs Fife’s mandatory discovery of the old town and Royal Mile, punctuated by drams and pints at the Bow Bar and the Ensign Ewart, and a wonderful dinner at Howie’s on Victoria street. They didn’t pay me a dime, but I recommend all of these places if you hit the old town. As for Mrs Fife, she likes cullen skink and haggis, so I guess she might be the one!
Personally, this was my third time in the Scottish capital and I finally got around to trying the local delicacy; a deep fried Mars Bar. As someone hailing from the land of fine gastronomy and fancy cuisine, I’m sad to say that it can be likened to Nickelback, in the sense that I wanted to hate it but, in reality, it ain’t half bad. That is, if you don’t mind losing three years of life expectancy.
The next day was spent going down Leith Walk, finding out Port of Leith distillery was closed on Mondays, trying to see the Royal Yacht Britannia (hint: if you don’t pay you can’t, and the mall next to it is creepy), and eating a fish and chips in Newhaven.
Then, thanks to our legendary Wally who drove from Glasgow to Edinburgh and back just to say hello and give me wee samples (and of great stuff too!). We then had a nice little car ride together towards Dean Village and its beautiful sights, what a little paradise that place is, and what an absolute legend Wally is. There we unfortunately parted ways with him, as the Macaulay kids needed picking up, and we prepared for a night on the town.
We headed back to the Ensign Ewart for drinks first. The whisky selection there is amazing, and you could literally go there four times a week for a year and drink a different whisky every time. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable, and the prices are great too. For example, the malt of the month was Ardnamurchan AD single malt, for £5 a 35ml, and I was even able to enjoy a break-even dram of the latest Springbank 13yo Local Barley for less than £4. Yes, you read that right.
They also still have both of the Aqvavitae Ardnamurchan bottles behind the bar. I then asked the bartender to pour me four drams of his choice to try and have a nice and fun blind tasting. I’m really happy I was able to correctly guess the Kilkerran 8yo sherry in the lineup, though I have to say that when our bartender brought the flight to the table, I unwittingly caught a glimpse of the answers and saw Kilkerran written. Still, I’m happy I was able to pick it out.
The other drams ranged from a fresh and vibrant 14yo Glen Ord bottled by James Eadie for the pub, to a magnificent 15yo sherried secret Ardbeg bottled by North Star, on top of a Madeira cask finished Aultmore by Glaschu spirits, which Mrs Fife, though not as interested in whisky as yours truly is, liked very much. A great night was had.
The following morning was spent packing our tiny suitcase and doing some shopping. You see, this wee suitcase desperately needed to be stuffed with presents for friends and family, as well as a solid amount of the amber liquid, stored in 70cl happiness capsules. Once achieved, we headed off to the airport.
Edinburgh airport is built so that, during the security checks, it’s as if you’re part of a herd of cows being directed towards a slaughterhouse. And only after being yelled at for not removing your shoes, will you find comfort in the extensive whisky selection available at the Global Travel Retail (GTR) shop.
The first time I went there, early in my whisky journey, I was amazed to see so much choice, and bought my own personal first bottle of whisky, in the form of Ardbeg Uigeadail. You probably already know that in other parts of the world, the whisky offerings amount to the usual Macallan Uber-expensive NAS, Glenfiddich 40% NAS, and various sizes of good ol’ Jack Daniel’s. However, in Edinburgh there is a plethora of Travel Retail Exclusives, or “TREs” for short.
Ardbeg’s Uigeadail isn’t actually a TRE, but is still sold there nonetheless, and at a good price. This was rinsed fairly quickly. Then during my second trip, I grabbed two litre bottles: a Laphroaig PX cask and an Old Pulteney 10yo.
Then, last summer I went to Montreal, and was surprised to find a 15 year old, un-chillfiltered Glenfiddich at 50,2%, which was quickly brought up to the counter. Finally, on this most recent trip in Edinburgh - even if I already filled the suitcase with bottles purchased at the Cadenhead’s and Royal Mile Whiskies shops - I was eventually tempted by a cask strength, 10yo Glen Scotia.
I will write the reviews in this order, but rest assured, the whiskies were tasted in separate sessions, and the Laphroaig was kept for the end.
What follows is shared in earnest honesty.
A note from Wally
Spoiler; you’re just about to see Dramface ‘award’ its first ever 1/10. We don’t take this lightly and we are in no way weaponising our scoring system. Some of you will be aware of the previous careful steps we took while considering a previous 1/10. The same care was taken here.
Ainsley tried this on several occasions over a long period of time. He tried it in contrast with other things, in one case - and at our request - alongside the cheapest and ‘worst’ he had on hand. He also took it to his workplace where, as a spirits buyer, he has knowledgable colleagues and the opportunity to harvest other opinions.
When all is said and done, we need to back up the opinions of our writing team. They need a platform to call out where the quality control has failed. You rely on us for the same. This is a scotch malt whisky from Global Travel Retail, yet it is not representative of what scotch whisky should be. At any price.
Something has failed it; be it the pressures of making a saleable product for the demands of GTR, a QA failure or cynicism.
Take note of the bottle code and - especially at GTR airports - always try before you buy.
Review 1/4
Laphroaig PX Cask, ex-bourbon and quarter cask maturation before an unspecified finish period in PX casks, 1 litre Travel Retail Exclusive, Bottle code: 44-TLLL0157, 48% ABV
£75 via selected TRE airports
I was quite excited when I grabbed this one, about a year and a half ago. 48% ABV Laphroaig at an appealing price for a full litre, and I do like the peat and sherry combo.
No mention is made about chill filtration, but man, if this isn’t coloured, I’m the Queen of England. This whisky is so dark it would be too much even for an emo teenager. I don’t get the point in adding so much colouring in a whisky, only to put it in a green bottle, which itself is inside an opaque box.
But of course, there are clearly people at Beam Suntory who know things that I don’t.
Nose
Burnt caramel and burnt rubber. Burnt pepper. Burnt meat stuck to the bottom of a pan. All sorts of burning stuff. Water immediately tones it down (kills it), with only faint charcoal smoke remaining.
Palate
Sweet, undefined sherry fruits, then suddenly very acrid and prickly. Bitter finish. With water it’s just hot and bitter.
The Dregs
There’s no nice way to say this, so here it is; this is awful, don’t buy it.
There are no good things to say about this whisky. It is so bad it makes me angry. That’s rare.
If I refer to the dramface scale, I’m afraid to say it fits a description quite well: “Don’t bother. Not even as a curiosity. Don’t encourage this trash. If quality control does its job, this should be a rare thing, but it makes us consider adding a zero.”
Sorry Laphroaig, I love you, but, somehow, you brought this upon yourself.
Score: 1/10
Review 2/4
Old Pulteney 10yo, second fill ex-bourbon, 1 litre Travel Retail Exclusive, 40% ABV
£35 via selected TRE airports
As I mentioned earlier, this bottle was purchased at the same time as the Laphroaig. Back then, I set myself a £100 budget, and after getting the peater, I was on the hunt for another, less expensive bottle to bring home.
We were a bit late, so I browsed quickly and found this 10yo Old Pulteney, from second fill ex-bourbon casks. Since I like distillate-driven whiskies, I quickly grabbed it without thinking twice, as it was in the right price bracket.
Back home as I unpacked, I discovered that what I initially read as 46% was in reality 40% - on top of the dreaded “mit farbstoff” on the back label.
I still opened it. Ah well, you never know…
Nose
Sweet. Very sweet. Cheap caramel and wet cardboard. Fake sickly sweetness. The only discernible notes I get are cheap industrial caramel and marshmallows.
Palate
You guessed it; sweet. Caramel, vanilla extract, very sweet, yet very watery and bland.
The Dregs
I don’t know how they manage to make such a sweet whisky with second-fill bourbon casks and I’m not sure it was worth it anyway. Nothing offensive, no real off notes, just nothing.
At least it makes a decent Bobbie Burns!
Bobbie Burns :
50ml scotch
20ml sweet vermouth
5ml Bénédictine
Assemble in a mixing glass and stir over ice for roughly 30s. Strain into a coupe, and express an orange peel over the glass.
Score: 3/10
Review 3/4
Glenfiddich 15yo, Perpetual Collection, European oak ex-sherry, Virgin oak, ex-bourbon, non chill-filtered, 70cl Travel Retail Exclusive, 50.2% ABV
CAD$125 (£71) via selected TRE airports
After the two previous fiascos, I was firmly determined to stop buying whisky at airports.
Yet last summer when I went to Montreal I still browsed what was available, out of curiosity, and there I spotted this 15yo, high strength, non chill-filtered Glenfiddich.
Given its fair price for a 15yo age statement, and how hard it can be to find high strength Glenfiddich without the filtration, I decided to pull the trigger.
Nose
Sweet apples baked in brown sugar. Honey glazed peanuts. It is slightly dominated by the virgin oak and the sherry, which I imagine to be oloroso. Water brings out all sorts of viennoiseries, such as croissants and apple turnovers drenched in butter. Smells like a french bakery at eight in the morning.
Palate
Arrival is a tad hot but still relatively in check. Again, very pastry-like, with tarte tatin, melted brown sugar, and shortcrust pastry straight out of the oven. Everything is drenched in full fat butter, along with a medium body. With water, it gets progressively fruitier, with soft white peaches, quince and mirabelles.
The Dregs
This has improved quite a bit since I first opened it a few months ago. If I had to score it based on my memory of it alone, it wouldn’t have been more than 5/10. Time and air in the bottle have been beneficial though, and this goes up to a comfortable 6/10. Once again, whisky teaches us to slow down. This is now an enjoyable malt, not overly complex for a 15 year old, but still decent value.
Score: 6/10
Review 4/4
Glen Scotia 10yo, Cask strength, First-fill bourbon barrels, Batch 01, 70cl Travel Retail Exclusive, 55.3% ABV
£55 via selected TRE airports
As mentioned, this bottle was acquired on my trip only last month. I had already bought quite a few whiskies, and again wasn’t planning on getting a bottle at the duty free shop, but the specs on this Glen Scotia were so tempting, as well as a great price for a 10yo cask strength, that I took it and brought it to the counter anyway.
I suspect that, thanks to the growing reputation of this distillery, many among you dear readers may likely have done the same.
Now the question is, should I have?
Nose
Very medicinal at first, mainly on cough syrup. Sweet barley sugar, pine sap, hint of rubbery peat, oils from a flamed orange swath. Horse saddle leather. Funky whisky!
With water it heads towards dried herbs like thyme, sage and rosemary (no parsley though, sorry S&G), black tea leaves. Fresh apples in the background, with linseed oil and a whiff of chalk. In short, water makes it more normal.
Palate
Round, rich mouthfeel, chock-full of heavy mountain honeys. Butter biscuits (petit beurre, don’t know if you get these where you are). Still this cough syrup, medicinal side, but less than the nose. Quite sweet, but there’s substance to it, so not a problem like in the Old Pulteney. Water again makes it taste like a more normal malt whisky, with rich barley and less of the herbal and medicinal notes.
The Dregs
This is a weird whisky. It only fuels a suspicion that brands use travel retail releases to ‘get rid of’ weird batches. Water helps it though, and while weird, it is interesting. Quite hard to score though. Neck pour was really tough and challenging, almost pure, thick cough syrup, but it has mellowed quite quickly, and I suspect it is only going to get better.
Take my score with a grain of salt, as some of you guys will probably hate this whisky. It’s going to be mood dependent for me, but I’m glad I have this curiosity on the shelf.
And also, thank you Loch Lomond group for releasing this at a great price.
Score: 7/10
Final Dregs
I think it’s clear not all GTR TRE whiskies are garbage, but man, they can be weird. There is a case for suggesting that brands could be compromised by costs and target pricing. It could also be that, in order to get that precious travel retail shelf space, producers are forced to offer the keenest pricing they possibly can, and are therefore encouraged to either subsidise the project or give up their ‘lesser’ stocks and make the best of them that they can.
Personally, I am today firmly convinced that brands use this space to get ‘rid of’ average, weird or what they may deem ‘faulty’ stock, and that there are a lot more duds in duty free shops than in your regular brick and mortar retailers. So if you’re flying for your holidays this summer, proceed with caution. There are still good whiskies to be found though, somewhat unexpectedly.
Now, addressing the elephant in the room. There are four whiskies in this review, but I know which one everyone is going to talk about. This Laphroaig is Dramface’s first ever 1/10 and we’ve not taken it lightly. I feel like I’ve got to be really clear with the reasoning behind this action.
First of all, I’m not scoring this bad because I don’t like Laphroaig. In fact I really like Laphroaig, yes from indies (often labelled Williamson), but even many of the OBs. And I’m not talking about the Cairdeas and 10CS only, for example I think the regular 10 at 40% is a great whisky for the money, and though I’d like it to be naturally presented, if I were to score it here, for context, it would probably warrant at least a 5/10.
I initially had this PX one at 2/10, but after my pure disappointment and upset before consulting the scoring guidelines, I must say it fits the 1/10 description, especially this:
“If quality control does its job, this should be a rare thing.”
I believe that something wrong has happened during the bottling of this whisky. Never have I ever tasted a whisky dominated this much by what I think are flavours associated with caramel colouring. I’ve never tasted pure e150 myself, but judging by how people who have usually describe it (burnt stuff, bitter), I think it weirdly echoes my tasting notes of this whisky.
Has someone inadvertently dumped extra e150 in the blending vat ? Was the colouring not thoroughly mixed and did it sink to the bottom of the vat, making some bottles of the batch much more coloured ? I genuinely don’t know if this is possible, these are just theories, and if you have one which is more convincing I’d very much like to read it.
I think that this batch is faulty, a belief accentuated by the fact that older reviews of this whisky seem to indicate a much more palatable liquid, which doesn’t look as dark as the one I have at home. This hunch that something wrong happened is why I score it 1/10 and not 2/10. I think it passed quality control when it shouldn’t have. For reference, the batch number on my bottle is 44-TLLL0157.
This score kinda puts me in a precarious position. I feel like I’m the guy who pushed the red button. I’ve only been here two months, and here I am, dropping this website’s first ever 1/10 score in over two years. I assure you this is not sensationalism, as I’d rather just have bought a decent Laphroaig.
I have tasted this whisky at least five separate times in the past six months, and it’s never a good experience. In fact, I’m afraid it’s worse every time. Alas, I stand by my opinion, but I’m very curious to hear about yours in the comments below, especially if you have tried this whisky too.
I’ll leave you with something far more positive as we head back to normal Ainsley business; today’s musical piece is from an artist I discovered last year and her music blew my mind. Introducing, for those who don’t know her already, Madison Cunningham, with the song Life According To Raechel, from her most recent album Revealer.
Tried these? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF
Other opinions on these:
Laphroaig:
Whiskybase
Gwhisky (Youtube) (clearly not the same batch colour wise)
Old Pulteney:
It was all a dram (Youtube)
Glenfiddich:
Whiskyfun
The whisky Waiter (YouTube in German)
Glen Scotia:
Whiskybase
Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.