The Distillery Cask - Distillery Exclusive | 59.9% ABV

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*A wee summer peach, literally.*

Summer? What summer…

When I was young I spent some time dossing about in the loosely patrolled frenzy of mid-90s scouting. As with every activity I participated in, I was soon bullied into quitting.

Shortly before I gave up my scouting experience the troop went camping in the woods outside of our small mining town, where we’d learn to make petrol fueled fires, erect squint airy tents, cook poisonous noodles and attempt survival skills with a fair chance of death.

The sleeping arrangements were in order of rank, with the bullies in the middle of the tent, and the bullied further out. As a measure of my status on this hierarchy, I was positioned half-in and half-out of the tent, enjoying the outermost sleeping bag that kept me awake all night through relentless shivering and the tent flap whacking me in the face.

Morning arrived, not before time, and breakfast began with a mixture of cereals or bread burnt over a campfire and, as we poured ourselves bowlfuls of cornflakes, something caught our eyes - one of the other bullied kids, who slept at the opposite gable end, was preparing his breakfast on the periphery of the camp ground. Into a very small bowl he decanted a smattering of cornflakes and then, to collective astonishment, poured in a cup of water.

I was relieved to have the heat shifted off of me for a split second and watched on in sympathy, as his breakfast choices summoned the mockery from others - how could anyone enjoy cereal like that? Watery flakes! Strange choice but then again, strange kid.

Breakfast done and wits gathered, we all thumped off into the woods once again, for orienteering or building leaf huts or whatever. The vision of this boy's breakfast bowl stuck with me all day long. Something didn’t seem right about the way he’d reacted to the ridicule, almost as if he wasn’t sure why they were laughing.

It never occurred to any of us the reason why he’d made his breakfast that way. At the chance of unfettered breakfast cereals he timidly snuck some into a bowl, taking only what he felt he could get away with. He didn’t know any other way to prepare his breakfast, because his parents couldn’t afford milk, or much cereal. Watery flakes were what he was used to and murmured, under the onslaught of abuse, that actually, he quite liked his cornflakes this way. It was assumed by the braying horde that food appeared plentiful for everyone alike, magically arriving on their tables each morning, and he was choosing to eat his cereal like this.

What’s more upsetting isn’t just that this wee boy was bullied or ridiculed, but that with the opportunity to have cereal or milk at no charge, he didn’t take it. I’ve thought about this a lot since becoming an adult and then a parent myself. How, even though we didn’t have any luxuries growing up, we certainly did have cereal and milk - how fortunate were we?

What keeps me from hating myself for not sticking up for him, even if it meant more beatings for me, was what transpired as the boy and I prepared breakfast for everyone on the final day.

In the tranquil leafy ambience between the first sizzle of the frying pan and the hungry campers alighting from their snug mid-tent slumber, we discovered and subsequently popped every single packet of laxatives we could find into their fluffy pancakes and later watched on, in silent collusion, as the collection of campers shat where they stood in a thrilling chorus of agony, presented in woodland technicolour surround-sound splendour.

I don’t know why I tell you that story, other than it popped into my head just now and thought you might like it.

Review 1/2 - The Distillery Cask

4yo Ruby Port Barrique, 59.9% ABV
Sold Out

Launched in post-Covid lockdown 2021, Lindores Abbey Distillery’s inaugural, easy-to-remember MCDXCIV was met with nods of approval; another competent young distillery comes of age and delivers a delicious whisky into the fray. Then later on they followed the core range with the “Casks of Lindores” series, of which I bought two of the bourbon editions and one of the STR.

Whilst the bourbon was a good whisky, the STR was good too but a bit uninspiring, and with those bottlings thus concluded my journey with Lindores for the time being. The Sherry Cask bottling of the trio that makes up the core range MCDXCIV didn’t make it into my basket, for reasons no more complicated than I’d moved onto other things.

My uncle purchased the sherry cask bottling and sent me some, with huge claps of approval from him, and sure enough I enjoyed it. But I was still cutting my own path and, honestly, just forgot all about it. Lindores seem to just get on with doing what they do, without much fanfare.

The war in Ukraine began in February 2022, and with the resulting fallout did Lindores, along with the reputation that they’d spent so long growing, suffer at the hands of the Russians. By March 2022 news articles started appearing and Lindores released a statement declaring that all Russian ties were severed. Despite their moves there are still echoes of ramifications, with Lindores still taking hits in Whiskyville.

Apart from the quite unfortunate Russian connection (made possible by the Scottish Government’s Business Gateway), there is something about Lindores that keeps the folk in my circles from talking this place up, stops them from getting excited. Re-reading my review of the two “Casks of Lindores” bottlings I see, back then, I was wondering what was up. 5/10 for both maybe doesn’t help, I agree, but surely there’s more than enough single casks kicking about to inject some groundswell?

Lindores remained at arms length for me until I was asked to take some photographic evidence of a good night had by all at the Opening Dinner for the Fife Whisky Festival 2024, hosted at the Lindores Abbey Distillery. It would be my first time in the distillery that, for 6 years when I lived down there, was my closest distillery. Why I didn't visit when it was literally 15 minutes from my house, I still can’t fathom.

We spent the evening taking in a flight of whiskies, not just from Lindores, but from Spey and Lochlea too; each one was accompanied by an introduction from the brand representatives and another course of delicious food. Of all the drams we sipped that night, the very first whisky presented at the table stole my heart: a Lindores Distillery Exclusive Ruby Port cask. It was rose gold and delicious, and my eyebrows were affixed firmly to my receding hairline thereafter.

Come Saturday and a successful first session shoot safely in the pants, I was able to relax a bit and take in the sights as a punter, rather than from behind a hunking mass of magnesium alloy and glass. I spoke to Seb from Glasgow, said hello to the Ardnamurchan team and wandered around Kingsbarns, Fragrant Drops, Single Cask, Cadenheads, Arran and Daftmill.

All I could think about was Lindores, and during my Session 1 wandering, I’d noticed that Murray Stevenson, UK Sales Manager for Lindores, had brought a bottle of that red-labelled Port with him. I needed to try it again, so after some energetic Seve chat at Daftmill, we all headed downstairs to the table to see what we could find.

Alongside a few quite special secret drams that Seve unlocked with a word spoken, we spent some time with the Ruby Port and, I think it’s fair to say, all in attendance were smitten. It just seemed to sing from the glass, cutting through the noise of an afternoon fug played at full volume. I must, must get my hands on a bottle of this, I said.

In the end I didn’t, because it’s a Distillery Exclusive only available at Lindores Abbey, and my journey home on the Sunday couldn't factor in a diversion to get one. It would seem that the opportunity to get one was gone. Such is life! Whisky is infinite; another Lindores exciter would surely come along.

Getting back to the Misty Isle and downloading the raft of images I’d managed to wrestle out of the camera, I felt a second wave of disappointment when the images of the Lindores’ stall appeared. Once the images were submitted I gave thanks to the team once again for a wonderful opportunity, and after my submission came a responding request for what I’d like in return for my services.

I didn’t charge for my duties at the Fife Whisky Festival 2024, despite being offered payment. I did it for the thrill of it. For the opportunity to test my resolve and skillset, and to experience a festival from the perspective of the organisers, rather than the punters. It was a way to see how it all works, and what it takes to make an event like the Fife Whisky Festival happen. I was left in no doubt: it takes everything from everyone to make a festival weekend happen as joyfully and successfully as the Fife Festival is every year.

I mentioned only that I really loved the Lindores bottling but lost my chance. A few weeks later two bottles turned up at my door - a bottle of the official Fib Whisky Festival Glenglassaugh, and a bottle of Lindores Abbey Ruby Port Distillery Exclusive.

The Glenglassaugh is a honey pot to be discussed soon, but the Lindores sat in my cupboard sealed since it arrived because I was scared to open it and potentially find that it was just the heat of the moment, or the ambience of a dining experience at a 100ft long table, or made spectacular when whacking Seve’s hand and spilling whisky all down his magnificent beard, surrounded with the heady fumes of a long afternoon spent inside a whisky festival. The time to find out, is now.

Nose

Pencils. Melon. Salty apricot jam. Petrichor, flick of rubber and loads of cedar. Strawberry foamies. Beefy downwind barbeques. Lime Starburst.

Palate

Flash of firework, leading to a salty pretzel and then the sweets - Parma violets, humbugs even. Creamy strawberry lifesavers. Peach schnapps. Peach Melba.

Review 2/2 - The Exclusive Cask

Oloroso Sherry Butt 180591 for Abbey Whisky, 59.5% ABV
£59.95 still available @ Abbey Whisky

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Almost soaring, this is a very engaging and moreish wee dram*

In the time since the Fife Whisky Festival I’ve also been watching closely as another bottle of Lindores pops into my sphere of interest. The whisky inside this bottle was originally sent to me as a sample by the shop to whom this exclusive bottling belongs. Abbey Whisky, located in the leafy city of Dunfermline, Fife, released this single cask 180591 of 4 year old Lindores Abbey whisky, matured in a single Oloroso butt, in March 2023.

Since then the bottle has remained in stock, nearly 15 months later and it’s astonishing to me that it’s still around, because of two reasons. The first is that almost everything that goes up on Abbey Whisky’s site is very quickly sold out, and the second is that Abbey Whisky Exclusives are always phenomenal whiskies. Mike, buyer for Abbey Whisky, has a special gift for finding beautiful whiskies in warehouses, and both the Bimber and the Benromach Exclusives were stunning. What is it about this Lindores bottling that is putting people off?

I didn’t try the “Casks of Lindores” Sherry Cask at length, but I did try a few samples from my ever generous Uncle, and I thought it was really good - the bright tropical fruity Lindores character seemed to balance really well with the sherry influence. It wasn’t what you would call “lights out” in the way some youthful whiskies grab you by the jowls, but quality nonetheless.

Surely this single cask would follow suit? The samples Mike sent in March 2023 were, as memory and email chain serves to remind me, really very good! At the time the samples arrived I was on a bit of a voyage of discovery, using all my disposable whisky bank for things I wanted to investigate, yet the Lindores, despite all the clues afforded to me, remained off my shopping list. What was it about Lindores that was putting me off?

I’ve asked a few folk now what they think of Lindores Abbey and the response is either that they find it good, but without much more to add, or they haven’t tried it yet. Lindores is available plentifully, is more than reasonably priced, comes in a beautiful bottle, is a lowland single malt and has many permutations available to purchase online or at their stunning distillery outside Newburgh. It’s perplexing.

This bottle has struggled to catch the attention that other Abbey Whisky Exclusives have. Well, it’s time to get into it and see what’s occurring.

Nose

Over-ripe fruits. Deep earthy mint. Spicy, fresh cedar. Fruit & nut chocolate. Wee bit of funky farm, but not much. Match striker.

Palate

Initial fruity blast - reds and maybe a bit of green in there too. Settles to an earthy, chalky sweetness. Very clean. Raspberry jam. Nice chocolatey raisin thing. Rubber at the death.

The Dregs

So the Tawny Port Distillery Exclusive is lovely. It’s coming with all that tropical brightness that base Lindores brings, but with a really mouth watering melon and peach melba/peach schnapps sun-soaked slurper. I could see myself in a Mediterranean scorcher under a beach parasol, budgie smugglers firmly affixed, scoffing this like it’s a non-alcoholic peach guzzler, but at 59.9%ABV, would be seriously unwise to do so.

Summer drams are just the ticket right now as we head into what’s heralded as the wettest summer to arrive since Hamish was caught unaware in his undies during a freak Belfast heat-wave. Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. Daftmill. The Glasgow 1770 Cognac Small Batch release. The Little Brown Dog Glenwyvis Madeira cask. And this, you little beauty. Stick those rose-tinted shades on and sprint into the crashing surf, man, because this is the perfect accompaniment to the beach dream.

The Oloroso cask by Abbey Whisky is a different, but still connected prospect. It’s not a sherry bomb, no sir. It’s not an overwhelmingly dark fruit stramash. Think of it more like a seriously moreish whippy vanilla ice cream with lashings of that strawberry sauce, but tucked inside is an arrangement of fresh red and purple fruits that add a bit of refreshing zing to the situation. A balanced dram, but in the scope of sherry based, youthful spirits how does this fare?

This is 4 year old whisky. Comparing it to 7 or 8 year old whisky is bad joo-joo because double the maturation will always bring more width, body and character. So what to compare against? Well how about the 5yo Hearach? This is head and shoulders above that, easily. Ok, the Lagg Corriecravie, at an assumed 4 years old? Well that’s peated, which automatically gives the Lagg some additional scope for flavour, but I think the Lindores still competes really well with this unctuous and moreish spirit. Glasgow Manzanilla? An extra year for the Glesga spirit aside, the Manzanilla delivered spectacularly well for such a young whisky, and I don’t think the Lindores quite keeps up… but the Manzanilla was also an ex-Glasgow peated cask, so unfair again to the Lindores, perhaps.

I think where I’m getting to is that both the Lindores Abbey whiskies in review here today are really good, and are definitely worth your time. Do they both set me alight? Almost. I’ve recently reviewed an Ardnamurchan 5yo Oloroso casked whisky that blew my little socks off, but that bottling also used Golden Promise barley to add some serious flavour magic and a heap of malty, savoury goodness. The Abbey Whisky Lindores Cask is a straight shooting Oloroso cask of unpeated spirit matured for 4 years and delivered at cask strength. It’s bright, very clean, fruity, moreish and alluring. But that’s where it stops.

I longed for a definitive grab, a twist that would suck me in, but it doesn’t seem to arrive in enough gusto to catch my attention. A “Very Good Indeed” 7/10 feels fair, reflecting the Ruby Port, which is a bloody nice summer whisky but doesn’t quite pout the lips either, to be honest. If it had a bit more flavour stage wideness - a wee savoury something or an unavoidable reach reflex, then great, but it also stops frustratingly short when removed from the heady heights of tail-end whisky festival excitement. Both high 7’s and very, very good.

Lindores are offering us some really great whiskies, that much was clear at Fife Whisky Festival when Murray produced those special under-the-table samples. The final Opening Dinner 2024 Rivesaltes cask was to die for, and an Australian bottling to which all present have no further details (because we were all lying on the floor in stunned silence) shows what Lindores are capable of, and so many folk have messaged me to recommend the Friar John Cor bottling. I’ll go for that next time and see what it means to me.

That Lindores are not in the exciter zeitgeist is strange and, for Lindores, surely frustrating. But maybe they’re ok with it, given their multiple income streams from events, distillery tours, club members and so much more besides. Maybe they don’t wish to be in the limelight and are happy doing what they do, getting on with things their way.

From a detached perspective I can’t be anything but thrilled at what is happening right now: fantastic whisky absolutely everywhere we turn, and Lindores have joined my list of “keep an eye out” distilleries.

Score: 7/10 DC

Dramface is free.
Its fierce independence and community-focused content is funded by that same community. We don’t do ads, sponsorships or paid-for content. If you like what we do you can support us by becoming a Dramface member for the price of a magazine.
However, if you’ve found a particular article valuable, you also have the option to make a direct donation to the writer, here: buy me a dram - you’d make their day. Thank you.
For more on Dramface and our funding read our about page here.