Private Cask Collection Bruichladdich 9yo & Strathdearn 7yo | 51% ABV

Score: 2/10

**Avoid.**
***TL;DR***
Flat and uneventful.

Oh no. Did I get scammed on these auction purchases?

With a recently self-imposed bottle purchasing embargo in full swing, I’m doing my best to dip into the bottles I already have at home, rediscovering those I often reach past or have completely forgotten about altogether.

…Instead, the past few months’ purchases have all been done via auction sites, picking up some absolute gems along the way. I‘ve picked few bottles well under the RRP, searched out some bargains and looked into a few distilleries/bottlings I've never tried before.

These two bottles from the ‘Matthew Adams’ private collection series intrigued me when I spotted them on the Just Whisky Auctions site. I’m not fully clued into all the independent bottlers based in Scotland (or further afield), and while these lots didn’t have much attention on them — with bids so low — I thought I'd take a wee risk and give them a try. It was not a bad auction win: a 9-year-old Bruichladdich and a 7-year-old Strathdearn (a wholesale/cask-trading name for Tomatin).

Once these bottles landed, I immediately dug into them for the initial neck pour and taste, starting with the Bruichladdich and then the Strathdearn. You’ll see from my notes on the Bruichladdich that it wasn’t at all pleasant, so I thought I’d have a wee look into this ‘Matthew Adams’ bottler and see if anyone else had reviewed this expression before. Surprisingly, not much came back from a Google search — which was a bit of a concern — but then, I didn’t spend much at all on these bottles at auction. A couple of older lots on Just Whisky came up in the search; even the Dramface writing team hadn’t heard of this bottler before.

The only thing I did find was an online forum post seeking legal advice on the whisky and wine purchases a married couple had made from Matthew Adams Ltd., which had left them feeling as if they had been scammed! Oh dear. I’ll leave a link to the post here for you to read into. In sum, there was little to nothing to go off when it came to Matthew Adams and this private collection series. Now I’m left wondering if the liquid inside these bottles indeed originates from the named sources. I’ve drunk a good lot from these bottles, and thankfully, I haven’t gone blind or been poisoned. However, the experience has made me wonder about the worry of scams and the legitimacy of what we buy online from third parties.

It’s a hot topic. Scams in whisky can come in many forms, from the fake bottles that can potentially be found on a live auction lot to the current prevalence of individuals lured by cask investment schemes being left seriously out of pocket — and high and dry with nothing to show. This is probably one of the reasons why Diageo are starting to rein in the amount of Caol Ila casks available to independent bottlers: their reputation is at risk due to cask investment scam instances going through the roof. And I’m merely talking about the tip of the iceberg here.

We have to be careful when seeking out our next whisky purchase and parting with our hard-earned cash. Instagram has also become a scammers’ marketplace recently, with Dramface’s own Jackie Muir coming across a bloke seemingly promising bottles for sale while passing off pictures from The Whisky Shop in Dufftown as his own.

As the saying goes, ‘If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.’ We place a level of trust in the likes of the auction sites we scroll through. Scammers can be super creative and manufacture un-genuine bottles that are incredibly hard to recognise as fakes. I’m not one for purchasing ultra-high-end, expensive bottles, but that’s the market in which this shocking behaviour mostly occurs.

The liquid I have in my two bottles seems to be whisky. I don’t know what’s become of Matthew Adams or the poor individuals who became real victims of scams in whisky. Just be careful when shopping online: exercise caution, ask questions, and do your research, and if any red flags pop up, just let it slide. If it’s meant for you, it won’t pass you by!

Review 1/2

Bruichladdich 9yo, Matthew Adams Private Collection Single Cask Series, 51% ABV
£35 paid (at auction)

This bottle was distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery on 12 June 2012 and filled into first-fill bourbon. The whisky was bottled on 26 July 2021 26/07/2021. This is bottle 135 of 240 and taken from cask 1887. It’s non-chill-filtered, and no colour was added.

Score: 2/10

**Avoid.**
***TL;DR***
*Cooking whisky*

Nose

Spirit-driven but one dimensional right away. Not even a hint of citrus, green leaves, or pine. It turns into wafts of nail polish remover. Maybe, just maybe, some grated ginger and unripened banana. Little tiny traces of malt, and a mixture of icing sugar and lemon juice.

Palate

So I had a sip, and a few more...and I’m still alive. It’s not poison or pish. Ok, maybe it is pish. It’s thin. It brightens up, ramps up with hints of fresh oak and maybe green apples. Youthful white pepper, sourness, and a lot of alcohol vapour. There’s more flavour in the water added to this. I’ve had worse, to be fair, but this might be relegated to a mixer or a summer drink over ice.

Score: 2/10

Review 2/2

Strathdearn 7yo, Matthew Adams Private Collection Single Cask Series, 51% ABV
£25 paid (at auction)

This Strathdearn was matured in a hogshead (no mention of what it previously held). It was distilled on 7 July 2014 and bottled on 26 July 2021. It’s non-chill-filtered, and no colour was added.

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*A delightful dram with bags of tropical fruits & malt*

Nose

Lovely tropical fruits right off the bat. Flavoursome pineapple chunks. Tinned peaches, light and floral. Clean linen and elderflower. Toffee confectionery, candied peel, ginger and vanilla pods.Sponge cake with raspberry jam. Some wafts of a new pencil case — surprisingly. Reminds me of primary school. Baked apples and roasted almonds.

Palate

Malty! Crisp and delicately sweet. That tropical fruit from the nose develops nicely with pineapple, apricots, and a soft honeydew melon. A lick of spice, maybe some nutmeg. Overall mouthfeel is warming and enjoyable. Medium to long finish with that fruit-forward, malted tone continuing. Going back for more, you can tease out heavy, sugary fudge, chocolate caramel, and orange peel. A drop of water allows the palate to bring out fizzy cola bottle confectionery, which is delightful.

Score: 6/10

The Dregs

It feels like the Bruichladdich must have been in its first-fill bourbon cask for about 12 minutes. There has been an obviously poor quality wood effect on this liquid.

That said, the Strathdearn is a delight, so this auction win wasn’t all bad, if I’m honest. This further cements my love for all things Tomatin and what’s being produced at that glorious Highland distillery.

The Bruichladdich was very disappointing, but the Strathdearn was a tasty pour, one I’d go back to each time. It’ll not be long until the bottle is polished off, but I think the Bruichladdich will become cooking whisky, unfortunately.

Regardless, I’m a bit miffed that this production has a cloud of deceit around it, with the indie bottler seemingly swindling folks out of either money and/or whisky/wine.

This hasn’t put me off fishing on auction sites, or indeed buying an indie bottling of a particular distillery. However, I think I’ll stick to those we all know and love like Cadenheads, Signatory, etc and hedge my bets that future indie purchase will have better liquid inside.

Like I said, be cautious and vigilant when parting with your money, especially when it’s not going directly to the producer or a reputable drinks specialist.

Tried these? Share your thoughts in the comments below. HF

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