Four Indy Releases from late 2024 | Various ABV

It’s All About The Indies

Wally here. Being a whisky busy-body, I had to hop in and preface this little run-through of the - largely still available - recent Watt Whisky outturn by Innes.

It offers me a perfect opportunity to make mention of the recently released film about independent bottlers. It premiered last week and I was lucky enough to see it.

The full film title is “Independent Spirits: A Whisky Series” and can be considered something of a follow up to the previous feature “The Water of Life - A Whisky Film” by producers Blacksmith & Jones.

I say ‘film’, but it’s actually a short docuseries that’s been split into four short episodes of roughly 25 minutes, and it focuses fully on the reason for, and the rise of, interest in whisky’s independent bottling scene.

The first thing that strikes you is that they have zoomed in fully on a whisky niche - within the niche of whisky. This is a movie for folk who love whisky and especially those - like us - who enjoy revelling in the releases brought about by actual whisky aficionados; namely the indies.

Time and again at Dramface we raise our hands to the skies and chant “thank the whisky gods for the indies”. It would seem this film’s intention is to encapsulate that elation.

The concept of an independent bottler, and building a business based on what’s a very specific take on someone else’s product, is a pretty strange thing. It’s a difficult model to succinctly summarise. I often find myself a little tongue-tied while explaining what they are and the reasons for their existence.

For me, it seems the justification for, and value of, independent bottlers is something that dawns with time and experience. It can be pretty hard to get across exactly what an independent bottler is to non-whisky folk or beginners.

The series tackles this head-on with a humorous opener featuring a few famous whisky faces being asked “What is an independent bottler?” And the saga begins from there.

I’ve just purchased the four parts and will make a point over the weekend to watch over, as I couldn’t fully take in the story arc on first blush. I was completely distracted by the never-ending who’s-who of whiskydom popping up on screen, which meant I found myself missing a narrator to guide my short and flighty attention span.

For me there are highlights; the clear and direct matter-of-factness of David Stirk shines bright throughout. It’s no coincidence that he was approached to spearhead the associated Independent Spirits Festival. It was held on the weekend of the series premiere in Leith Theatre and was, in my eyes, a resounding success. I sincerely hope at least one of our writers who were present on the day finds the time to share the experience with all of you. Every attendee I spoke with, to a face, would love this event to be repeated. I’d love to hear what the exhibitors thought.

The other highlight was the utterly relatable human that is Mark Watt; it seems every time he appears on screen the mood is lifted by his comedic flair, delivered in his typically candid manner. Mark and his wife Kate (who appeared at the festival together for the first time ever!) are behind the whiskies sampled by Innes today.

Overall, the story of our favourite indies is carried through snippets of multiple interviews of many talking heads, almost all of whom whisky geeks will recognise from events and festivals everywhere. It’s almost like playing a game of whisky Guess Who?

In actual fact, so many are featured that you’re left with a sense of trying to fathom who didn’t feature. This deep-dive scope can mean that the overall feeling is that you’re taking in a movie made by whisky lovers specifically for whisky lovers, which is a great thing, but be careful who you invite for the watch-along. It’s whisky but it’s niche.

I paid $12.99 to watch it on demand and I believe, at some point it’ll be made available through other smart TV and VoD services in future.

When you think about it, it’s pretty fantastic that there’s a film production company out there interested in documenting the best aspects of whisky, even when it gets nichey.

Sorry Innes, over to you and your thoughts on the whisky…

WMc

Watt Whisky Winter 2024 Outturn

I’ve had a few Watt Whisky bottlings over the last few years, and I’ve been quite pleased with what I’ve had. Everything from a very tasty Imperial 25 year old to a 9 year old Orkney that impressed me so much at The Whisky Show a couple years back that I bought a bottle. Beyond that, I’m a Watt Whisky novice.

Kate & Mark Watt started the Campbeltown Whisky Company (Watt Whisky) in 2020 with a crowdfunder campaign. Both had a long history in the industry, with Mark as former Director of Sales at Cadenhead’s and head of Sales team at Duncan Taylor’s, among other experiences. Kate came from export-market focus at Springbank and then Glenfarclas.

When they launched their campaign, the stated goal was “to bottle good, honest whisky for drinking and enjoying”. Sounds pretty straightforward and unpretentious. It seems that Mark was the one responsible for releasing oodles of aged Cadenhead’s stock in his twilight years there, so it’s interesting to see him shift to what appears to be pretty accessible stock.

Looking at the 99 Watt Whisky bottles on whiskybase, just 25 of them were over the age of fifteen years old, 12 of which were grain. In other words, short on pretentiousness and long on drinkers.

Let’s see how this batch compares.

Review 1/4

A Speyside Distillery, 15yo, hogshead (said to be Mortlach), 54.9% ABV
£80 (sample provided by Watt Whisky)

Purported to be Mortlach, by the community at least.

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Low cask influence, high strength, no nonsense*

Nose

Vanilla cream, bread pudding, and coconut cream pastry. Baked shortbread with a flour dusting. It noses like a fairly typical, flavorful, but simple ex-bourbon malt. Some oats and cereal grains. Fresh.

Palate

Quite hot at full proof. Charred vanilla, allspice and black pepper. Green apple peel. Lemon rind. Drinks a bit under the age, I’d say. Bread-y. Medium dry finish with some lingering bitter and oak notes. Tart and sharp but otherwise fine. Water makes it far more enjoyable, in my opinion. Sub 50% and it dances around the mouth.

The Dregs

Like the Glen Elgin and Dalrymple that follow, it’s quite light in color, so we know the cask influence is light, which explains at least some of the heat. It’s quite simple and straightforward. Low cask influence, high proof, no nonsense (and as such, not much complexity either).

Water bumped this a full point for me.

Score: 6/10

Review 2/4

Glen Elgin, 11yo, hogshead, 55.3% ABV
£70 (sample provided by Watt Whisky)

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*A pleasant drinker with some water, and my favourite of the batch*

Nose

Sharper but fruitier with underripe honeydew melon and very slight citrus rind. Lemon zest. Fresher and zestier than the Speyside 15 year old. Lime rind. Touch of grass.

Palate

Winner winner chicken dinner. The palate matches the nose. Zesty and fruity again, with the sweet and tart dance twirling round and round. Sour grapes. I’d say the tart notes are winning the battle (ok, I did say dance). Lingering notes of lime.

The Dregs

Surprisingly drinkable at full proof, this is very nice and very drinkable, albeit with intense flavours. Really enjoying this one, with slightly rounder and richer qualities vs the Speyside. A pleasant drinker with some water.

Score: 7/10

Review 3/4

Dalrymple, 11yo, Lowland blended malt (‘teaspooned’ Ailsa Bay), hogshead, 57.1% ABV
£70 (sample provided by Watt Whisky)

Score: 5/10

**Average. In a good way.**
***TL;DR***
*Decent but unmotivating ex-bourbon*

Nose

The sweet tooth has arrived. Almond croissant with confectioners sugar coating. Marzipan filling on this one, though. Touch of caramel. Then some spoiled fruit notes that I didn’t enjoy.

Palate

Toasted caramel, marzipan, and a tickle of pepper. Quite a nice oily mouthfeel. A bit hot again at full proof. Bitter toffee. Touch of tar and rubber.

The Dregs

Another decent ex-bourbon, this is a ‘teaspooned’ malt from Ailsa Bay. This one doesn’t quite pull together the way the Elgin does or the Speyside (with water). I’m less motivated to finish this one than I am with the others.

Score: 5/10

Review 4/4

Nc’Nean, 6yo, STR cask, 57.1% ABV
£80 (sample provided by Watt Whisky)

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Wide in flavour, shallow in depth*

Nose

Rich and swirling flavors of blackberries, blueberries, toasted almond. Cinnamon and nuttiness. I’d describe this as a cornucopia of berry flavors.

Palate

Blackberry jam, prune compote. Quite rich, with pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom. The cask-forward nature hides some brashness. Tastes exactly how you would expect an STR cask to taste. Quite a balanced finish.

The Dregs

Quite a world apart from the others, which is no surprise. It’s young but it’s….good. STR casks are quite common in young releases from young distilleries, and I guess there’s a reason. It rounds the edges and adds boatloads of flavor. If I were to pick it apart, I’d say it’s a bit wide and shallow. Easily drinkable at full proof.

Score: 6/10

The Final Dregs

When nosed in quick succession, the three hogsheads stand distinctly apart. The Speyside as the more cereal-forward (and worm tub?), the Glen Elgin as the fruitier and zestier one, and the Dalrymple as the sweet, yet unbalanced one. The Nc’nean stands alone but by no means in a bad way. At these ages and with these distilleries, I don’t think they’re meant to be home runs, but rather accessible and unique bottles to run through.

Looking back at Watt Whisky’s - or the Campbeltown Whisky Company as they’re known - stated goal in the crowdfunding campaign, they have succeeded, with the Glen Elgin being my favourite of this particular bunch.

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

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