Whisky Review: A.D. Rattray Cask Collection: Royal Lochnagar Distillery

Single Malt

Individual Cask Bottling

Non-chill Filtered

Style/Region: Highland

Age: 14 Year

Cask Type: Sherry

Distilled Date: July 17, 1996

Bottle Date: August, 4 2010

Alcohol: 56.3%

Water added: yes

Nose: Floral with honey. After water was added a sweet, honey nose comes through with considerable vanilla and hints of sherry.

Mouth Feel: light cream

Flavor: sweet smoothness and a bit of sherry, with slight oak and peppery tones.

Finish: smooth and muted, lingers with no overwhelming single flavor.

Overall Impressions: This is a very smooth, easy-going scotch and an excellent example of the Highland style. The Highland style combined with a sherry cask makes for a sweet and smooth drink that is very approachable and probably a scotch that a newcomer could enjoy. It’s not complex and doesn’t have the in-your-face feel of something like an Islay allowing it to come across as a bit more refined as a result. One of the best aspects of this drink is that it comes in full cask strength and allows me to water it down to the level I prefer. The A.D. Rattray Cask Collection: Royal Lochnager is a very pleasant drink that invokes the ideal of sitting in a plush leather chair with a good book (and quite possibly bunny slippers and pipe of fine tobacco).

Royal Lochnager has been around since 1845. Early on it gained the favor of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, hence permission to use the ‘royal’ name. It helps that it’s located rather close to the royal family’s summer residence at Balmoral Castle.

A.D. Rattray is a distributor and independent bottler that takes whisky from around Scotland and bottles it directly, without watering down, dying, or chill filtration. The principle purpose of this old merchant company in modern times is to bottle unusual and exclusive casks of scotch whisky chosen to reflect the six individual whisky regions of Scotland. I’ve previously been very impressed by A.D. Rattray, and I’m happy that the trend is continuing. I got this bottle at BevMo, and for the price, it can’t be beat.

Whisky Review: A.D. Rattray Cask Collection: Bowmore Distillery

Single Malt

Individual Cask Bottling

Non-chill Filtered

Style/Region: Islay

Age: 14 Year

Barrel: Bourbon Oak

Distilled Date: March 27, 1996

Bottle Date: August, 4 2010

Alcohol: 59.1%

Water added: yes

Nose: smoke and peat. After water was added a sweet, briny nose comes through and the smoke and peat diminish somewhat.

Mouth Feel: thick and oily

Flavor: sweet smoke and pepper. Less smoke and peat then expected

Finish: strong and complex, peppery, brine, long lingering peat smoke

Overall Impressions: This is a very nice scotch and an excellent example of the Islay style. The smoke and peat flavors are very present, but don’t overwhelm, though they certainly linger long afterward. As with most Islay scotch, this isn’t a subtle drink, or overly complex – but I’ve come to love the strong smoke and peat flavor, possibly above all else in scotch. One of the best aspects of this drink is that it comes in full cask strength and allows me to water it down to the level I prefer. This whisky invokes a cold, damp and drizzly day with a mist hiding the surroundings – in a good way. This drink is reminiscent of my visit to Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh – that is the moment I transformed from a novice whisky drinker into a blissful addict as I chatted and sampled for over an hour (free of charge) before making a modest purchase (and it was a cold, damp and drizzly day).

A.D. Rattray is a distributer and independent bottler that takes whisky from around Scotland and bottles it directly, without watering down, dying, or chill filtration. The principle purpose of this old merchant company in modern times is to bottle unusual and exclusive casks of scotch whisky chosen to reflect the six individual whisky regions of Scotland. This is my first bottle of A.D. Rattray, and I’m very impressed. It won’t be my last. I got a couple of bottles at BevMo, and for the price, it can’t be beat.