Speyside Distillery 27yo
Thompson Bros Mystery Malt Series 3 | 48.5% ABV
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
This beauty helps make sense of it all
Back Porch Therapy
I often pour a dram, then head out to my back patio to sit and ponder. C.S. Lewis once famously said that “a pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth.” As I sit here, again, on my back patio alone with a dram of whisky, I wonder which end of the pipe analogy I would fit. I do hope the former.
The world is becoming more agitated, irate, intolerant, and incensed. It is not coincidence to me that this has corresponded with the introduction, proliferation, and abuse of social media. I realise that the world has always had flare ups and conflagrations – as it has been inhabited by us problematic human beings. Eras and eons past will point to their own sources of angst, pain, and division. The 21st Century, however, sneers and seems to say to those bygone eras and eons: “hold my beer.”
Tonight is Thanksgiving. It has been a relatively quiet day after a few weeks of stress and unfortunate drama. I’m very glad to have had a low-key Thanksgiving with my better half and my son, Connell. It is cooler here in Carolina, and the brisk air is rather refreshing. As I sit silently rocking, I nose and sip my dram. I have had my kids – Connell, Leana, and Finn – all on my minds.
I wonder what kind of world has been bequeathed to them? Will they be able to find something that fulfils them, makes their hearts happy, and can they help give back to their communities? I do worry about these sorts of things. And yet, my kids have all, in one way or another over the six months, pointed out their concern for me; they all note I have been a bit more sullen. They all have, at different times, wondered aloud what could be wrong. It appears they have been worrying about me, too.
Upon some self-reflection, I have realised I am not as happy or content as I have been previously. Certainly, my job as a divorce litigator has jaded my sensibilities and has worn me thin. More than thirty years of being a family law attorney is caustic, for sure. Contributing to the malaise is that I have been limited to litigating. I’ve had to stop representing children, being a mediator, and being an arbitrator – the redeeming facets of family law work, in my eyes. I’ve kept a stiff upper lip, but my kids have noticed.
Between job and world events, my light has dimmed a bit. I hadn’t recognised it, but now see it after reflecting on the chats I’ve had with my kids. Reflection is, for me, a necessary exercise – and it has been long overdue.
I am closer to the end of my days than the beginning, but I have a good measure left in me for a good number of years. And, in order to make things better, I have come to realise that I need to start a reclamation project for myself. I need to shed the layers of stress and angst that have come with being a divorce litigator. I also need to act more fully on doing that which makes my heart happy, finding ventures that can hopefully help others; that enrich and provide a salve. And so it is that a wry smile starts to appear on my face as thoughts shift from stressors to the hopeful.
As I nose the liquid in my glass, I think about the changes that will come for Ogilvie in the coming year.
I have already started a venture with my brother from another mother, Lou. We started with much laughter and thought that our efforts were simply just self-entertainment, and now a few months later we have started to push our efforts of education and levity into the world. We have jumped in with both feet, and we are tentatively eager to have feedback and input. Our wives have provided input, and Lou and I simply charge forward (as we are wont to do) with laughter and smiles.
I have had some productive chats with a dear friend and fellow Dramfacer to find a venture that would warm the cockles of our respective hearts, and I have no doubt that when we start to put one foot in front of the other, we will produce a work product that fills our souls with satisfaction and, no doubt, some really neat and fulfilling results.
As I take a moment over the aromas, I take a breath with my nose in the bend of my elbow to reset my olfactory calibrator. The glass comes to my nose again, and I parse the lovely wafts once more. As I focus the senses, the mind wanders to a third new venture. This venture will be a focus to lean into what I have done for more than three decades, but to focus on the productive and helpful.
As a family law attorney, my joy in the job has always come from helping people find resolutions and move to a better place. And so, I will be pairing with a dear friend and colleague to start a new mediation venture to help warring parties de-escalate, collaborate, and resolve their issues. The work will be a salve – working to help people find a better place. A great pivot away from the angst from the last few years.
In stark contrast to my present job (with its stress and angst) and what I see of the world through my phone’s feeds (the strife and algorithm-driven-division lurking in our screens all around), I am choosing to, instead, concentrate on happiness. I choose to chart new courses of constructive collaboration, education, and humor. A much better path is being laid. It will take some time and effort for the transition, but, as noted, steps are already afoot and strides being made.
I now take a sip of the dram in my glass and close my eyes. So very good… and I think again of my children.
No. The world is not rotten. I hope they can resist the division being stoked among us and, instead see, find, and immerse themselves in the good that is all around but is hardly spoken of. That hope warms my heart, and the smile on my face is not only from that thought, but admittedly also from the whisky that I just sampled.
Review
Speyside Distillery 27yo, Thompson Bros Mystery Malt Series 3, Refill sherry butt, 46% ABV
£65 but sold out. Bottle purchased with a discount by Wally and gifted to me.
Before getting to the nose, I have to comment about what I am seeing in my glencairn. The liquid looks like pale Chardonnay, and with impressively distinct legs tumbling down the side of the glass.
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
This beauty helps make sense of it all
Nose
The only other whisky I have had that reminded me of butter creme was the AD Rattray Blair Athol I reviewed this past May. That same butter creme is here, but tonight’s dram is richer if that could ever be the case. Dragon fruit. Hint of banana. Golden Delicious apples. A hint of toffee and honey. Over-ripe pears. Slight waft of jasmine tea.
Palate
Butter creme for days. Deep and rich creaminess of whipped butter on croissants. A most pleasant of fruit salads – bananas, apples, peaches, and pears in heavy cling. Unlike the Blair Athol with its accompanying spice and pepper, there is no significant spice layer here.
The twenty-seven years this Speyside Distillery distillate has spent in its refill butt have smoothed the edges in a luscious way. It is not rounded to the point of removing character, but instead has tamed the hints of candied ginger, nutmeg, and white pepper into lovely and harmonious background singers that blend amazingly with the creaminess of the lead song. Throughout the sip, it is rich and creamy; almost buttery.
There is a tiny tingle on the tongue at the finish, but it does not distract let alone overwhelm. The finish is lovely, though not very long. Hints of crème brûlée are here and a tinge of white chocolate. This is a bottle I will remember, and will miss, when it is gone. An absolutely mesmerizing creaminess and fruit that I do not want to put down.
The Dregs
The hope and positivity that I am feeling this evening is surely stoked by the Speyside liquid in my glass, but also from whence it comes. This bottle was gifted to me by Wally when I made my way to Glasgow back in October. The bottle was unexpected, and just the tip of the iceberg of generosity and grace given to me by him. Thank you, again, Wally.
As a gift, I had no idea what the price was to purchase this bottle. Almost two months after receiving the bottle, I have had to look up the price to include in this review. To do that, I have used Royal Mile Whiskies online website.
The idea of a mystery bottle – you purchase a bottle with no knowledge of what you will be getting – was a bit problematic of a concept for me, at first. Over time, however, I have warmed up to the idea. It would be something completely different if, say, among the bottles offered was a chill-filtered and colored 40% ABV Glen Beige. No, this isn’t whisky roulette.
What made the difference to change my mind was the fact that we are in the very good and capable hands of the Thompson Bros, and all of the possibilities to unwrap are fascinating and whisky-geek-level drams. In short, they aren’t going to steer us into a less-than competent dram.
The Mystery Malts, third series, comprises a total release of 4,996 bottles. Take a look at Hamish’s and Jackie’s fantastic review from October in which they lay out the twenty-four different options that could land in your hand – each with the percentage of likelihood of having that particular one be the expression you reveal upon uncorking.
When I look at the Third Series chart, I am amazed by what has been gathered together under this label. Truly drool-inducing expressions. A 33 year old Islay? A 24 year old Tobermory? What would a Dutch oak virgin hogshead do with Raasay spirit? All intriguing, every one. And, to think, that among the four most likely bottles that can be realized would be a heavenly twenty-seven year old Speyside Distillery offering.
As for this dram, I had never before had a drop of liquid from Speyside Distillery. It really is wonderful. I am having a hard time recalling ever sampling a whisky as old as this. There is certainly something magical about whisky that has been left for more than twenty years in a good cask.
“Rich and creamy; almost buttery” is not usually a phrase that is aligned with single malt whisky, at least to my experience - it is not done. Here, however, it applies amazingly so. I sit and ponder with this dram, and it does make me lose track of time. The sheer enjoyment of calm and contemplative sipping of this Speyside is off the charts.
When I was scoring this, I heard my good friend Aengus in my head saying “we need to review more so-so or bad bottles here on Dramface as we are now 7/10 and 8/10 top-heavy.” Also, Broddy’s analysis of Dramface scoring trends and statistics that he included in his terrific Loch Lomond review from the end of November rings true here, as well.
While I agree with both, the fact is that we score the bottles that we purchase ourselves or that are given to us. If the former, we are not going to knowingly fork over our money for bottles of piss water. If the latter, we certainly hope our friends and family know of, or ask about, good bottles to give as gifts. All I can say is that for the bottle presently in my hand, I unabashedly score this a very firm 8/10. No doubt about it. Period. Mic drop.
The bottle brings me wonderful comfort in my time sitting here in solitude. Whisky, as we know, is not something to chug or gulp or drink – it is for sipping. Whether with someone else or in a group, or sitting alone, it is for flavor. I am very glad to say that the flavor in my glass presently is written in capital letters. I slow down, nose, sip, sit back and soak in those flavors. It gives and allows for quiet contemplation. And, as to Mr. C.S. Lewis, this is a dram that gives me time to think.
I am glad to redirect some of my life’s choices so as to infuse some grace, to find opportunities to help others, to make time to laugh, and to find time to immerse myself in education. To embrace and enhance the good and positive in and around me. I will continue to help guide my children – now young adults – to see and foster the good in the world instead of being sucked into the mire by algorithms and those that wish to keep us divided and angry.
Perhaps my actions to pivot will help serve as a pathfinder for them. And, the wish I have for my children I also wish for all of you Dramface readers. When possible, take the initiative to take steps for you and your families to extricate yourselves from the purveyors of fear porn on social media and instead to find yourself landing on the shores of happiness to do what makes your hearts happy. An early new year’s resolution? Perhaps.
As a start, I, personally, would recommend sitting on your own ‘back porch’ or what have you, with a good single malt in hand as you rock slowly back and forth in your chair.
A cigar accompaniment is not a bad choice, either. Or, as C. S. Lewis would have it, a well-stuffed pipe.
Score: 8/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
-
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.
