Glen Moray, Royal Brackla & North British | Various ABV

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Good whisky - but not at RRP*

Wemyss meet Dramface, Dramface meet Wemyss

While other Dramface writers have enjoyed treats from Cadenhead’s or Thompson Bros., my shotgun purchasing style has led me to collect many different indies over the years.

I’ve written about James Eadie with a five-way review of several 2021 releases and I examined a few bottles from That Boutique-y Whisky Company, including a 6 year old Campbeltown blended malt and a duo of well-aged blended scotch whiskies. A.D. Rattray’s distributor recently switched representatives in my market and more have been pouring in, including their ex-bourbon Ardlair.

With my scattergun approach, I’ve also managed to snag a few Wemyss single cask releases. I was initially drawn by the unique bottle and product names, plus the large variety of releases I found were ex-bourbon and not matured or finished in a way that obscures the underlying spirit. And at Dramface, the only Wemyss we’ve covered previously was when Clyde reviewed their Smoky Shores blended malt in January last year.

Wemyss have several product lines, running from a trio of core range blended malts: Peat Chimney, The Hive and Spice King, a variety of blended malts under their Family Collection, their Lord Elcho blended scotch whisky that features at least 40% malted barley content, and finally their single cask releases - three of which I’m reviewing today.

Wemyss Malts were founded in 2005 by William Wemyss, with the whiskies selected by William’s sister Isabella whose signature can be found at the bottom of some labels. Charles Maclean is often quoted as helping out Wemyss with a variety of their products, and the gold-foiled castle atop their label is Wemyss Castle, the family’s ancestral home which is a nice tie-in to their history.

With the ever-expanding options of independent bottlers, it’s getting difficult to know who to trust. It seems they all have well-polished websites which discus how their offerings use the highest quality casks. What they don’t tend to mention is how they obtained those casks. I’m constantly struggling to find a second level of additional detail from most indies these days and it’s frustrating. I feel like I’m cheated on some essential details and if they were available, this may influence my purchasing habits.

Let’s dive into this trio before I waste your attention span on the preamble as I’ve got a few points to discuss at the end.

Review 1/3

Glen Moray 14 yo, Clubroom Confidential, Matured in a Barrel, 147 bottles, 2007 Vintage, 57.2% ABV

£45 at auction plus fees. CAN$135 (£79) landed.

This is matured in a mystery barrel, which likely refers to a traditional 200-litre American oak ex-whisky (ex-bourbon) cask, or an unknown mystery refill barrel of untraceable provenance. Whatever it was, it has done some yummy things with this spirit.

wemyss glen moray 14yo — Score: 8/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Rich and sticky, just the way I like it*

Nose

Rich concoction of vanilla, berries, cinnamon and a healthy mound of Werther’s toffee candies. There’s some toasted oak and barrel candy - notes I often find in good quality bourbon; that caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, woody swirling concoction.

Palate

There’s a lovely rich and fresh duality present combined with a viscous mouthfeel. Toffee apples, blonde brownies, a healthy pour of thick honey and cinnamon, candied pecans, and praline pie. The fresh aspects come through with a cinnamon and sugar-dusted apple slices and an indistinct floral element, just before the medium length and sweet finish.

The flavours and viscosity trigger me to equate the mouthfeel to be similar to the slightly runny caramel drizzle draped over ice cream or loafs. It’s been a while since I’ve had a sticky toffee pudding, however there’s elements here that remind me of that. It’s also that lightly sticky toffee/caramel note that’s making me reach for more sips.

The Dregs

The first sip I thought was good and I’m happy to report this has remained true while carving my way through the bottle. While flavours - despite being subjective to the individual - can be described with words, feelings or textural descriptors are just not as descriptive and harder to align with someone else’s experiences so I’ve tried my best.

Now for a bit of a curveball. Wemyss have this listed for £95 on their website, with a small handful of bottles left. Now consider I bought this for £45 at auction. I’m not complaining, but it it worth the original RRP? Absolutely not. But at the auction price I paid even after shipping, it’s definitely worth it compared to whiskies available near me. If you’re in the UK and don’t have to fork over the significant shipping and import fees I paid, this is a good cask strength dram for the price. The presumably American ex-bourbon barrel was a good one.

It’s delicious and has earned a place on my top ranking shelf with each successive pour.

Score: 8/10

Review 2/3

North British 14yo, Melting Moments, Matured in a Hogshead, 456 bottles, 2007 Vintage, 46% ABV

£35 at auction plus fees. CAN$115 (£68) landed.

I generally like single grains or grain whiskies (I’m specifically referencing the Scottish variants here). They provide a unique experience to malts and can often be found at lower prices. I usually keep a few around as a reference point of different flavours, textures, or even just as a mixer. Most of my grain whiskies have been from North British as it seems to be the most available option to me. However there are several other options including Cameronbridge, Invergordon, Girvan, and if you know what you’re looking at, the odd Loch Lomond bottling as well.

Nearly all of these North British bottles have been ex-bourbon and quite a bit older than this teenage expression, so let’s see if this is refined and mature or teenage and shouty.

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*An excellent example of what young grains can be*

Nose

The nose isn’t very expressive and has some of the more typical younger grain whisky notes of a distinct alcohol prickle. Dry grain dust, vanilla, red apple skin, and Arrowroot biscuits. The nose smells syrupy and not metallic. This is not a nosing whisky.

Palate

Glazed donut, apple fritter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Perhaps a touch of white chocolate. Nothing extravagant but there are no jagged edges that can sometimes be found on younger grain whiskies. It’s a clean drinking experience with a decent mouthfeel and texture - a bonus in my book as I consider these factors in my rankings. The finish is medium-short, drying and is a well-balanced blend of apples, vanilla, and cinnamon.

The Dregs

A solid grain whisky that wasn’t aged in a terrible condition or exhausted wood barrel is the exception to the rule. Grain whiskies can become quite good and even at younger ages. I consider typical grain whiskies filled into distillery wood (many times used) to come into their own past 20-25 years. However, when put in a good barrel they can be very drinkable at a much lower age, such as this lovely £35 drinker. Splash some in your glass and enjoy. Weather outside trying to melt you? Toss some ice or carbonated water in, it’ll be great. And by buying younger grain whiskies, maybe it’ll send a signal to independent bottlers to begin releasing more grain whiskies that were partially matured or finished in higher quality casks. I think we can all agree we could use more non-chill filtered, natural colour, and 46 % options on the shelves at £35, and grain whiskies may have the ability to fill that gap.

Review 3/3

Royal Brackla 15yo, Violet Tapestry, Matured in a Hogshead, 286 bottles, 2006 Vintage, 46% ABV

£55 at auction plus fees. CAN$155 (£91) landed.

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*A Floral and fresh Brackla*

Nose

A departure from the previous two. Honey drizzled into Earl Grey tea. Pine resin. Cardamom and vanilla. There is a floral aspect that reminds me of roses or potpourri.

Palate

Manuka honey, orange zest, agave syrup, grapefruit juice in club soda, papaya, and aloe. There’s a healthy zing on the tongue that’s similar to the carbonated bubbles of champagne. Sometimes the bubbly and orange notes resolve into Orange Crush soda. Zesty and refreshing.

The finish is medium-short with cinnamon, pine resin and a honey or light caramel sweetness. Lightly charred vegetables and crushed spearmint.

The Dregs

This reminds me of a sweeter and darker Ardlair with its unique variations of tropical fruit notes. It’s very moreish and I’m finding the bottle level to be rapidly dropping.

I had tried all three whiskies of these whiskies before even considering writing or researching this review. I know the pictures may lead you to believe I was enjoying the neck pours but the reality is that I carve out some time on the weekends to photograph multiple bottles for upcoming reviews, sometimes months in advance of writing my notes.

I was ready to recommend all three of these bottles before I saw the original retail prices, but the RRP on two of these bottles are astronomical and out of touch with the quality of the liquid and the market. I will note I’ve not deducted any points for the price or value proposition here because I’m assessing the liquid as-purchased. If I can find these for an appropriate selling price, then I’m sure you can with some patience.

I now realise Wemyss may be going for a more upscale market here. The bottle design is fantastic, the label design and gold foil lettering adds panache and shelf presence, and they are perhaps trying to emulate the SMWS with bespoke names for each release.

Wemyss have been releasing single casks into my market over the past 18 months. But with each carrying a £100-£115 price tag for 14-15yo whisky, it’s no surprise why I hadn’t tried any until now. I now understand why there are so few reviews online of these bottles as they’re just too expensive - especially compared to other indie bottlers.

So when I bought these from various auctions, even with me shipping them long distance, I felt I was getting them for a steal compared to local prices and was hoping the juice inside was worth it. I feel confident saying that the whiskies are of good quality, but not at their RRP. Let them sit on a shelf. Send a message the pricing is too high. Instead, snipe them at auction or when a retailer has them on offer.

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. BB

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