Thompson Bros X Campervan 8yo
Blended Malt Scotch, Beer Cask Finish | 46% ABV
Sometimes, I forget to have fun with whisky
Such is the bane of anyone reviewing whisky, I suppose. Although I like to write reviews and tasting notes very much, and despite the fact I know it contributes to make me a better taster each time, there are times when I look back at the empty glass in front of me and say to myself: “Did I just forget to enjoy that dram?”
Be it because it’s expensive whisky and I only got a sample to try it, or simply because I tried too hard to take proper tasting notes, I sometimes have to snap myself out of that analytical mindset, and remind myself that it is just a drink and its consumption should, first and foremost, be fun. This is something I really noticed when I reviewed J&A Mitchell’s Edinburgh Blend back in May, it was much more pleasant to drink to relax after a long day than to pick apart with a pipette and a notebook; proper tumbler whisky.
Though I have noticed this with whisky only recently, I have known for a while that I can be subject to this type of over-fixation on technical details at the detriment of pure enjoyment. You see, I wasn’t always destined to work in retail. I actually studied to become an audio engineer, specialising myself in music production in recording studios. I’ve been enamoured with music long before getting to appreciate whisky, or any alcoholic drink for that matter. Recording, mixing and even mastering music is an incredible rabbit hole of geekery and technical subtleties that I fell into head first.
Which compressor works better on this voice, what is the width of the sidechain filter I should apply to this multiband dynamic controller, which microphone sounds best with this kickdrum, how should I place my overheads relative to the drumkit to achieve the best sound and phase coherence, which plugin EQ is best for surgical moves - it’s Fabfilter’s ProQ3, debate ends now - which do I like better between Rev A and Rev D 1176’s, you name it, I immersed myself fully in it. I even wrote a memoir on mastering music in the digital age, which is basically the most obscure and misunderstood subject you can think about in sound. We’re talking about Tyree Kai levels of technical geekery here.
What I realised only after leaving this career path, is that during all this time, I forgot to enjoy music for what it is. There were artists I started listening to just because the mix sounded perfect, or I liked that weird bass sound they created, or because I saw a production breakdown of one of their songs on Youtube and thought it was innovative. But I completely bypassed the emotional connection I had with music. That became secondary. I had lots of fun mixing and recording music, but I really got hung up on the technical side of things, arguably too much.
I do think there are different types of fun with whisky too. Writing tasting notes is fun. Adding water to a dram to open it up is fun. Learning about the fermentation time, yeast type and still shape of a distillery is fun. But knowing my susceptibility to become engulfed in the technical aspect, I often actively try to just pour myself a dram and enjoy it for what it is.
One great way of doing that is asking Mrs Fife if she would pour me a small measure of any opened bottle in the cabinet, and serve it to me blind. Blind tasting, in any form you might be able to experience it, is always a very humbling and difficult task, but it is also one of the most fun things to do when tasting anything, like whisky, wine, beer, or even food like cheese and chocolate.
There are some whisky brands trying to have fun with their product as well, like That Boutique-y Whisky Company and their often hilarious labels, Decadent Drinks with their industry insider jokes, and NAS range, Little Brown Dog and their “Avatar-like CGI and motion capture abilities” North Star with their “Soop” April fools bottlings, or Thompson Brothers of course, and their recent Tesco and Buckfast inspired labels. You could even argue that Ardbeg’s special releases are fun as well - and I would agree - if it wasn’t a way for them to milk their fanbase dry and release sub par whisky at a premium price.
Some might go even further than having fun with the label, and start experimenting with the process: White Peak with petites eaux dilution, Port of Leith with the concept of “Table Whisky”, or most notably maybe, Loch Lomond with long fermentation times and wine yeasts.
In the end, I think that having fun with whisky is what keeps us engaged. If it was all objective and factual, I bet a lot of you would find another hobby.
So, have fun: taste whisky blind, make your home blends, pour tonic/soda/coke into it, or just pour a dram, grab a nice book and sit by a crackling fire to enjoy both. Whatever floats your boat.
Review
Thompson Bros x Campervan 8yo, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Beer Cask Finish, 46.7% ABV
£37.50 and decent availability
Another way of keeping whisky fun is to buy intriguing bottles that deviate from my purchasing preferences. That’s rarer, because a few factors have to align, like the price, the reputation of the producer, and most importantly, my willingness to part with cash and accept the risk that it might not be for me after all. There’s no one to complain to in such cases. I’m normally attracted to either ex-Bourbon/refill or sherried whisky, whether peated or not, but I’ve been surprised many times by how much I liked whiskies in less “usual” wood types.
So a while ago, as I was in the Scottish capital, I stumbled upon this very attractively priced blended malt from the lads in Dornoch. The only thing that made me wary at first was the finish: beer casks. This is a collaboration with Campervan, a brewery based in Edinburgh. They provided the casks for the whisky to be finished in. The whisky itself is none other than Thompson Bros great value SRV5 blended malt. I had tried this whisky before and liked it quite a lot, so I decided to give it a shot, as the sub £40 price tag was tempting me.
If someone can pull off a beer cask finish, it’s the brothers from Sutherland, right?
“Beer cask” is a bit vague though. Beer comes in all shapes, sizes and tastes. A quick look on Campervan’s website informs me that two types of cask were actually used: one cask which previously contained a mixed fermentation of beer and riesling (a white wine grape), and one cask of Imperial stout which started its life as a Shiraz barrel in Australia.
If all of this sounds like gobbledygook to you, it basically means a sour and funky beer, and a rich dark, chocolate-y and probably a tad winey beer. I have not tasted the exact beers these casks used to age, but I drink enough beer to roughly know how they should taste.
Quite an unusual cask makeup, right? Let’s see what it does to the whisky.
Nose
Hoppy! Modern grapefruity hops. Wood spices and pine resin as well. Citrusy. Dried roses and sandalwood. A hint of raspberry syrup. Café latte, fresh bananas.
With water: Creamier, vanilla. Condensed milk. Éclair au café. Milk stout. Still some floral hints.
Palate
Fresh and citrusy on the attack, quickly replaced by pine resin and dry spices. Fresh, almost alpine, with bitter coffee on the finish. Medium length, light to medium body.
With water : A bit rounder, and slightly more balanced, while keeping these spices front and center. Dry flowers such as tulips and orchids appear after a while.
The Dregs
This is clearly a mood dram. It is funky, unusual, and it’s not one I want to drink most of the time, but it is enjoyable and there is nothing else in the cabinet that does what it does. One thing I don’t really understand though, is how hoppy it smells and tastes - those citrusy and piney notes - while the beers that were aged in these barrels are absolutely not the most hop-forward styles. Some chemical magic is at play here, no doubt. The stout influence is present, with those creamy coffee notes, while the mixed fermentation beer is not really discernable, but surely contributes to the madness.
After all I’ve said, you might see this score and think I don’t make sense. Let me remind you, on this website, 5/10 is not a bad score per se. It means this is average. This whisky is kinda mad and arguably a bit unbalanced, and as such, I cannot award it a 7 or 8/10. I toyed with the idea of giving it 6, but re-reading the scoring guidelines comforted me in my initial 5/10 score. It is not amazing whisky, but it is very much enjoyable in its own right, and I think you should try a dram if you get the chance. I suspect some people would hate it, but I also feel like a lot would love it much more than I do. As for myself, I’ll put it back in the cabinet and take it out again when the mood strikes for something out of the ordinary. Or when I need to pour something blind for someone and want to mess with them.
For music this week, well, let’s stick to the experimental topic, shall we ? Many of you will already know this band, so let me suggest one of Nine Inch Nails’ lesser known songs, All Time Low, from their 2013 album Hesitation Marks. A masterpiece, as is everything Mr Reznor ever released.
Score: 5/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF