Clydeside 8yo Small Batch Oloroso
Limited Edition October 2026 | 55.5% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Clydeside’s best release so far
The importance of choice.
Eleven days.
That’s how long I was away from home before I missed my home selection. I suspect a lot of you worked this out years ago but, during those long days it dawned on me that I absolutely love having choice.
I love standing in front of my whisky shelves (three of them, and let’s not talk about ‘overflow areas’ in case Mrs Campbell is reading) and not knowing what I’m going to pour until my hand is on the bottle. In fact, quite often I change my mind after the bottle is off the shelf and put it back.
That period of choosing happens to me a lot, I can miss five minutes of a film because I went to get a dram and needed to think what to have, and of course Mrs Campbell can’t be relied upon to pause it.
I’ll get this bit out of the way early, because I can hear the eye-rolls from here. Yes, this is a first world problem and I do not need a GoFundMe to assist. After all, a man who spent a fortnight drinking perfectly decent whisky is not owed anyone’s sympathy. This trip taught me something about how I actually enjoy this stuff, and I doubt I’m alone in this.
I had a handful of drams to work with whilst I was away, not full bottles of course, mainly large travel bottles. Good ones, mostly. Nothing I’d turn my nose up at in a bar, and nothing I regretted drinking, life is too short to drink things you don’t enjoy. The first couple of evenings were lovely. But, by day four I’d fallen into a routine and by day seven the routine had become, well, repetitive, automatic. Pleasant enough but potentially forgettable.
At home, the decision about what to pour is part of the fun. It starts before the glass comes out. What sort of day has it been? Is it wet and miserable outside, the kind of west of Scotland evening that’s practically begging for something with Islay peat smoke? Or am I in the mood to be surprised, to open that odd bottling I hadn’t made my mind up about and promised myself I’d give it another try?
This got me thinking about how I would classify the content of my shelves, now they are already roughly curated by region and grouped by distillery. Surely, you would need to be some sort of feral animal to do it any other way?
The vision of Rob Gordon and his vinyl collection in High Fidelity, all categorised autobiographically, comes to mind, but that is a level of chaos that just isnae for me.
But within those distilleries and on those shelves, there are a variety of subcategories, you can slice and dice in a lot of ways, but here are some categories that occur to me.
The first is ‘Core’.
Maybe not what some would refer to as permashelf material, but absolutely good quality Scotch Whisky that almost every decent thinking whisky fan would be happy to have on their shelf – in that I would classify things like Springbank and Kilkerran core releases, Bruichladdich, Ardnamurchan, Arran, Laphroaigs, Ardnahoe, we all have our own thoughts on what that would entail.
Then ‘Treat’ whiskies.
On the whole these are the higher age statements and the bottles that I know I will struggle to replace. On top of the 25-year-plus age statements in this I would include the Springbank Bourbon Wood 14, Springbank Local Barley and Dornoch 6-year-old.
‘Guilty Pleasures’.
Everyone has a distillery or two they have a soft spot for, even if that distillery might add some caramel colouring from time to time or bottle at a low 40% abv. In my case I have already publicly “outed” myself on the likes of Dalmore and Glenrothes.
‘Mistakes and Space Takers’.
I find that many of these relate to an earlier phase in my whisky journey, some low ABVs and a few bottles I have bought for undertaking official versus independent reviews. Think Macallan 12, Aberfeldy 21, Bowmore 15, Cardhu 12, Talisker Skye in this category. Though comfort has its place; a number in this category seem to be favourites with non-whisky minded visitors to the house.
And then there’s the ‘Bonkers’ category.
This is, I think, my favourite category. The cask strength single cask that tastes magnificent with an ABV approaching a point where it is illegal to ship it, even within the UK. In that category I have a range of Octomore releases, some Torabhaig including a PX cask that is so dirty you just want more, a couple of mental ABV Woodrows, the list goes on. I don’t always want a bonkers whisky. But my point is, I always want bonkers available to me.
Away from home, I had maybe two of those categories covered. Unfortunately, bonkers wasn’t one of them, which meant the whisky had to suit me, rather than me getting to find the whisky that suited the moment. It sounds like a picky difference but in the glass it’s an enormous difference. I definitely feel that my enthusiasm for whisky is fed by the choice I have available to me.
So, arriving home at the end of our trip, after going through the usual post-holiday requirements of dealing with the bags etc., I finally got the opportunity, about 8pm, to head to my shelves. I stood there for a ridiculous amount of time. Picked something up, put it down. Picked up something else. And eventually ended up opening something that had literally just arrived.
Review 1/2 - Charlie
Clydeside 8yo, Small Batch Oloroso, 2026, three oloroso sherry casks, ~2,100 bottles, 55.5% ABV
£50 sold out at the distillery but still some retail availability
This was waiting for me when I got back from holiday, having ordered it directly from Morrison Glasgow when I got the notification of its release. I was glad I had ordered it promptly since the next day I got a notification that the distillery stock had sold out.
This has spent its full eight-year life in Oloroso sherry casks and is then bottled at batch strength, a very respectable 55.5%. No detail on whether they are first-fill. Good to see it at natural colour and non-chill filtered like other Clydeside releases. The out-turn is stated to only be 350 cases, so this is not going to hang about on shelves.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Clydeside’s best release so far
Nose
The nose isn’t standard sherry cask in its entirety, the strawberries on the official tasting notes are definitely there, as is some caramel Frappuccino, vanilla and orange rind. There are definitely sultanas and raisins with a bit of cinnamon.
Palate
Almost a tale of two drams on this one. Poured neat I think it comes over as particularly individualistic, the strawberry notes continue along with Maraschino cherries and orange. The oloroso cask notes you would expect are in there with molasses, Christmas cake, dried fruit, nutmeg and walnuts. The oloroso hasn’t totally overpowered the Clydeside spirit, lots of the fruit still seems in there.
A couple of drops of water does change the liquid quite significantly, I would say that makes it more of a standard sherried whisky, the strawberry and fruity notes drop off slightly. I am not a regular water dropper with my drams, but this was a really interesting contrast.
On my initial sampling of this I thought the finish was short, and actually I couldn’t believe just how short it seemed, but on subsequent pours it is definitely moving towards a medium to long finish with nice warming spiciness. I’m not altogether sure if the initial impression of short finish was down to how the liquid opened up after the neck pour or if my palate was misleading me on the initial tasting.
It has a lovely oily, smooth mouthfeel, and it coats the glass magnificently to the extent that I can’t think of another dram that coats it more.
The Dregs
This bottle cost £50. There is not a chance that this bottle is a £50 example when you compare it to other more expensive but younger competitors. This is more of a £70 bottle in my opinion. At £50 per bottle and a very respectable 55.5%, this is a bargain. Everything that Clydeside has released so far has been great value in my eyes.
I actually can’t wait to get higher age statements from the team at Clydeside. There have been a few special release bottlings so far from them. The Limited Edition 8-year-old released for the World Cup was a different beast to this and while good, it didn’t land as well with me as this one did. I will need to start popping into the distillery to see what hand pour options they have more often.
I have never seen an independent bottling of Clydeside spirit and, while I suspect that speaks to how well capitalised the business is (no need to raise the cashflow early on like others), I think it would be great to see some independent bottlings to showcase their spirit in a different way. Clydeside are going about their business, doing it well and doing it in the way that all lovers of a dram can respect. Despite not appearing in the latest snapshot of The Dramface Top 40, I can share that they did manage to climb seven spots, so while they’re being noticed they do still remain under the radar a bit. They’re maybe not as geared up for publicity as some other distilleries of a similar age, but for me, they deserve a lot of praise for the products and excellent prices so far.
I would buy this again for sure, and where does it sit in the categories above? It’s not a Bonkers buy, and definitely not a Mistake or a Space Taker. I’ve placed this one comfortably on the ‘Core’ shelf.
Score: 7/10 CC
Review 2/2 - Wally
Clydeside 8yo, Small Batch Oloroso, 2026, three oloroso sherry casks, ~2,100 bottles, 55.5% ABV
£50 sold out at the distillery but still some retail availability
The Magic Recipe: if you make whisky, it seems there’s a way to go about your business where it’s all but guaranteed you’ll get placed firmly on the radar of vocal whisky geeks.
I’d include myself as such a geek. When I find things I like I tend to share them around. I will talk about them. I think most of us are similar, although with a little less Wally bloviation.
Whisky is such a convivial topic, either when people are congregated together in person, or connected online. It’s conducive to sharing in a way that’s difficult to compare. In other words, as long as you have good whisky to offer, it should be easy to get the whisky botherer comms channels lit, one way or another, in your favour.
To be well-received, in theory, all you need to harness that free word-of-mouth chatter is to bottle that good whisky earnestly, price it fairly, play it cool on the branding front, present it naturally, make yourself accessible and - last but not least - sprinkle a little personality on top.
A quick glance over the latest Dramface Top 40 will direct you to the movers and shakers who are doing this best. Because this list is made up of direct responses of those most invested in what’s available today and, as such, makes for excellent feedback for any producer. It’s yet another optional metric they can take and feed into the Big Decision Machine. I hope it makes some of them consider what they might be able to do better.
It is absolutely ambivalent when it comes to scale or brand recognition. It is from those at the forefront of whisky seeking, those on the consumer side, also known as: those in the know.
But with Clydeside, we have an exception.
Charlie touched upon the fact that, despite moving in the right direction and getting better all the time, and despite climbing in the Dramface distillery listings, they don’t make it into the Top 40. Not yet at least. In his words, they remain under our radar. Why is this?
Firstly, do they make good whisky? For this whisky wibbler, that’s a clear yes. Despite a stumble on their inaugural Stobcross - which for me was a little too hot and young - the five years since have proven to us that the spirit is great. The Stobcross is twice the whisky today it was at launch. If you need any convincing on what’s being made in Glasgow right now, don’t pass up the opportunity to try some distillery-exclusives, especially when it’s from bourbon or lighter-touch casks, the tropical side shines and there’s an oily weight to the spirit that’s gorgeous to behold. So, all in all, that’s a check-mark on the spirit quality.
Next up, pricing it fairly. Honestly, I don’t know how else you could ask a whisky maker to do more here. Their core range, entry-level offerings are made up of the Stobcross and the peated Fortnight, both of which are £38. Incredible. That’s close to supermarket pricing, for fully natural, new-wave whisky made at a relatively small scale.
Should you want something a bit ‘fancier’, how about the (subtly age-stated as six years old) Napier, fully matured in rich sherry casks for £41. No one else is close to these prices in this category of distilleries. It’s insanely fair. So, also… check!
And presentation? Honestly one of the best, straight-down-the-middle, chunky -but-still-quietly-fancy, easter-egg laden, sturdy bottles of confidence you could wield. They are now moving away from their (largely unnecessary) tubes too, and every bottle states proudly that their whisky is naturally coloured and non-chill filtered. Add to this just the right amount of label-verbage and you wouldn’t be leaning on hyperbole to declare it a masterclass. Once more; check!
What about the final part? Accessibility and personality? Well, I wonder if the distillery relies a little too much on footfall as people visit Glasgow, because that’s where the warmth lies.
If you’ve ever visited Clydeside, located very close to the city centre, you’ll likely have encountered a tower of welcoming hospitality in the visitor centre from VC manager Bridgeen Mullen. I really hope a visit would be something you’d remember anyway, but if you were to encounter Bridgeen on your visit, she’s who you’ll remember. The warm welcome, the Irish lilt, helping everyone feel seen. It’s a rare skill.
The rest of the VC team are always friendly, professional and helpful too and I know they have ambassadors and outreach, although I have to admit I’ve yet to connect with them at events. So, while this could be a ‘me’ problem (it is), I think they’d work wonders if they could take a little of that visitor centre magic and spread it outside too. Place a face behind the brand. A la Ardnamurchan. Maybe that’s happening, it should be; the quality and value offering is climbing fast and it deserves charismatic ambassadorship.
Also, a whisky-romantic thought: there was a time that the Clydeside model was a masterclass in collaboration; they were truly doing things differently. They were hosting events from all producers from all over the whisky map. Their shop, too, was filled with bottles from everyone, everywhere: a refreshing acknowledgement that they’re not the only whisky - and how powerful an impact such a statement and concept can be to visitors to the World’s Greatest City (now, once more, making the World’s Greatest Spirit - alongside all the other Greats).
Of course, this harks back to the days prior to them having their own whisky for sale. But I sense that, with the switch to in-house offerings only, something’s been lost. Just when another node in Glasgow’s network of whisky attractions was establishing itself, it switched to a more passive brand-home mode for their own whisky only. Exactly like every other distillery you’ve ever been to. With that move, we lost lots of other reasons to drop by.
It’s an inevitable evolution, I suppose, but there was a possibility there for the place to become much more holistic. I miss this dynamic at Clydeside, especially now their whisky is as good as it is and capable of competing with - and beating - many comparable peers on every measurable metric.
Anyway, I’m now at the point of meandering, but I wonder why, in 2026, Clydeside isn’t farther up that Top 40 list and isn’t more on the lips of whisky botherers everywhere? Maybe you can share your own thoughts in the comments. I’m sure they’d prove valuable. Personally, I’m truly interested.
In any case, spoiler: this 8yo is another example of why they deserve a lot more attention.
Score: 7/10
Very good indeed.
TL;DR
Not my favourite Clydeside, but quite possibly yours
Nose
Apricots and cooked apples, with a little cinnamon and sweet, buttery pastry too. Caramel toffee, hazelnut praline, and some cracked black pepper with a cola and vanilla-themed overtone throughout.
Palate
Soft. Then chilli heat through the development. It’s as if it arrives with easy smiles and departs with loud shouts. It is not a classic ‘sherry-bomb’; it’s more subtle.
The fruits are lighter and lean towards cooked stone fruits as opposed to dried. There are lots of orchard fruits present too. The spice is elusive - it’s either a gentle pepper or a mild chilli - as both last night and tonight I’m stuck between the two. Water tempers this but a drop too much nullifies it completely. I prefer neat. As usual. I like the spicy edge.
The Dregs
This is not an epic standout, it’s another solid and confident step in the distillery’s development. Actually, I suspect this would do better blind. If you pick this up, slip it in amongst your age-stated sherry pours and see how it performs when you don’t know what’s what.
Tonight, I sipped it alongside a Glendronach Allardice and an Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask and they somehow managed to show it up, yet elevate it too. There are delights to be uncovered in younger whiskies. Here, the texture of the Clydeside was the highlight in this experiment, it’s oily as get-out. Also, a herbal quality became apparent which didn’t show in isolation.
I’m glad I have this. I didn’t intend to own it, but I’ll share how I came to pick it up.
I received an invitation to attend the launch of this in early October at the distillery. Actually, that’s a fib. They don’t know who I am.
A friend got an invite and I was their Plus One. It was a small affair and I was able to sneak in and scoff all the canapés, like the greedy pelican I am. This was before I realised there was curry on offer. Luckily, the spice came after the initial sips of their newest whisky. It was also served alongside a very tasty Drygate beer which I understood to be made from the Clydeside wash. Amazing. I think it’s only available at Tennent's Drygate Brewery, but still, the flame of collaboration flickers.
The whisky had been launched earlier that day and the distillery stock was already low, so I snagged a bottle and left quietly, ninja style, swiping a goodie bag on the way. Not without pondering how they can achieve this though. Think about it…
This is, as near as damn it, cask-strength eight year old liquid for £50. Only Signatory Vintage is doing that at the moment. Someone at the Morrison helm is very serious.
Let me thank you for reading these words, because you’ll understand the subtlety behind the scoring. If I was given this glass cold, blind, and in isolation, I’m confident I’d score it a 6/10. It’s not my preferred style of whisky and I also - personally - believe it’s not the best way to present the beauty of the spirit made in Glasgow’s city centre, but I’m able to put that all to the side and weave in the wider audience, and the value proposition therein, to comfortably award a 7/10; Very Good Indeed. I agree with Charlie, it’s fully deserved.
I don’t know what more Clydeside needs to do to get our attention in 2026, but it’s time we paid them some.
Maybe a small batch bourbon-cask banger is on the way. If they got that right; I’d go full Glasvegas on it.
In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled. Yet another distillery has found a new gear.
Score: 7/10 WMc
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. CC
-
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.
What’s your own personal top distilleries?
At the point of this article’s publication, Clydeside does not appear in the Dramface Top 40.
You can influence that vote here!
