Six Single Malts | Various ABV

Even Better Than Last Year

What a weekend!

I must apologise for taking more than a month to put out a recap of this year’s Independent Spirits Festival. Life’s been pretty hectic this past month, and I only found the time rather recently.

This year’s edition was special for me, as I was travelling with my family. I floated the idea to my dad, who’s a whisky drinker himself, that maybe he could come with me to Leith. He fancied the idea, and my mother and sister soon decided to tag along for the trip, though of course they would mostly stay out of the whisky sphere and do their own thing.

We gathered in Edinburgh on the Friday. The first day was spent wandering around the city, climbing up Arthur’s seat and doing a little shopping. Later, Dad and I left the girls to themselves to attend the pre-event tasting organised by David Stirk at the Leith Theatre. It was a blind tasting where David had purchased some utterly fantastic bottles of whisky, and put them ‘against’ each other, and our task was to correctly guess the distillery, age, ABV and price range. I did okay, correctly guessing an Edradour by basically just looking at the colour, but had very mixed results on the other drams which included a 30yo Clynelish and a 1990’s Bladnoch amongst other things.

The evening was concluded by a somewhat superfluous - in terms of alcohol intake - visit to Diggers’ new location in Leith. A recommended stop if you’re in the vicinity. After a few pints and drams, we eventually headed back to bed, in order to be ready for the madness that would unfurl the next day.

Saturday started with the obligatory full Scottish breakfast in order to line the belly with enough sustenance for the onslaught of drams which would ultimately follow. We then made our way once again to Leith to attend a premiere of an episode from ‘Field To Flavour’, focused on single farm distilleries and producers of other fine foods and drinks, followed by a Q&A featuring Joe from Spirit of Yorkshire distillery, and Francis from Daftmill.

Wally’s already touched upon this in his recap of the festival, but I don’t think anyone expected to laugh this much. Joe did his absolute best to give precise and detailed answers, while Francis focused on going straight to the point. I sincerely hope this session was filmed and is going to make it to the wider public. Thank god for Francis Cuthbert.

Off to lunch we went along with a few pals, including our very own Hughie and Gilbert. We found a delightful Indian restaurant - Punjabi to be precise - a short walk away from the theatre, called Sabzi. The food was both delicious and impossible to pronounce for this sorry Frenchman, but if you’re in need of an Indian fix in Leith, look no further. Absolutely approved. It was nice to eat outside in the glorious Leith weather as well.

We soon had to go back to the main attraction of the day, as the opening time approached. A quick semi-secret Dramface and friends gathering toast was organised by our host - with a glorious Banff opened by David Stirk himself - and off to the races we went.

As it’s been said before, there were two halls this year around, with a lot more exhibitors. Nearly every stand had interesting whiskies to share, which is not a given in any whisky festival normally. I feel like the level of the drams on pour was even higher than last year’s edition. A 40 yo blend from Living Souls, a 1982 St. Magdalene from G&M, a 1960’s grain from Adelphi, a 34yo Laphroaig from Decadent Drinks, a 50yo Ben Nevis from the Thompson brothers… The list goes on, trust me.

I did buy four bottles, to feed further reviews, of course.

Time flew by, and on top of these stellar drams, it was as always wonderful to catch up with familiar faces and equally great to make many new friends and acquaintances. I brought my rugby loving dad to Fib whisky’s stand, where we mostly chatted about the recent French victory in the Six Nations, rather than about the whisky - which was also great by the way! Catching up with Seb from Glasgow and Rachel from Fragrant drops, amongst a lot of others, was appreciated, as always of course. A lot of friends were in the punters as well; Desie, Frank, James, Gail, Pete, Andy, Hellen… so many more; there are countless others I forget to mention. This festival is turning into a second community gathering, for those who think going to Glasgow once a year isn’t enough. I’m firmly of this opinion.

In anticipation for festival co-organiser Roy’s tasting at the Belfry on the Sunday, I headed home early to catch some much-needed sleep.

Sunday started for me with a family walk down to Diggers, the original spot this time, where we had a pie and a warm up dram. Serendipity meant that everyone’s favourite New-Englanders James and Gail came along to the pub at the same time. Soon I had to leave to walk to the Belfry, which was the main event of the day. Roy from Aqvavitae and Rory, owner of the bar, had set up a little tasting where they would face off against each other. They each had a fixed budget to buy three whiskies from auction, and poured them blind to a crowd of around fifty whisky geeks. Each whisky earned points based on blind rankings and the loser of the two would have to pay the bill for everyone’s welcome pints and drams.

While Roy won on the whiskies poured - by a tiny 14 points overall - Rory was able to grab a bonus 25 points by spending less than Roy, and snagged the win. Safe to say that a good chunk of any profit Roy made on the Saturday selling Aqvavitae merch at the festival made its way to the Belfry’s till.

The early evening was then spent in tremendous company in the bar, chatting and dramming. Copious amounts of delicious and much needed thin crust pizza were also gobbled. Generosity was on display everywhere, and a wonderful time was had by everyone in attendance. Sadly, as all good things come to an end, everyone had to leave at some point, and back to our respective hotels and B&Bs we went, with newly made memories.

David Stirk announced during the festival on Saturday that there would be a third edition in March 2027, and I don’t think anyone’s going to complain about that. This festival weekend was a resounding success, and a much needed one in the bleak whisky climate of 2026. Positivity was everywhere. It truly felt like a reunion of savvy drinkers and producers whose main goal is to offer great whisky at a fair price. I don’t think any of the producers who had a stand here this year wouldn’t want to come back in 2027.

The word around these parts is that there are quiet meetings going on in the background to decide the size and shape of next year’s event.

I hope to be able to come back next year, and I hope to see the same faces there again.

Review 1/6 - Old Orkney 8yo

Old Orkney 8yo, (Highland Park), ex-bourbon & ex-sherry American oak hogsheads and butts, 47% ABV
£49 and still some availability

A few weeks ago, Wally announced to the Dramface writers chat that a few samples from DD’s latest outturn were up for grabs, and I was quick to raise my hand in the air, being quite a fan of their work. We took advantage of me coming to Edinburgh to hand-off the anonymous delivery of the sample box.

Independent bottler outturns being somewhat of a time-sensitive topic, and considering the weekend’s theme, I figured it’d be perfect to review them after telling you about the festival.

This first whisky in the outturn is also a first for DD: a core range product! If you’ve been reading Angus MacRaild’s reviews on Whiskyfun, you probably noticed he has a few ‘pet’ distilleries: Ardbeg, Glen Grant, and of course Highland Park.

I would guess that his liking of the Orcadian whisky and the relative availability of casks of ‘secret Orkneys’ on the market planted an idea in his head. DD purchased the rights to an old brand, ‘Old Orkney’ a few years ago, and now we see the reason why.

This 8 year old not-so-secret Highland Park is blended from American oak hogsheads and butts having previously contained bourbon and sherry, and bottled at 47% in a classic ‘tall round’ with a beautiful vintage-inspired label.

This is what DD has to say about it:

“Ever since Decadent Drinks was just a twinkle in Angus' eye, we've always wanted to have a delicious, very reasonably priced, core range bottling. One thing we have learned over the years doing independent bottling is that it's much harder to find really good quality at lower price points than at higher ones. That's why we never rushed to do cheap bottlings just for the sake of it. We always wanted to wait until we found the right liquid at the right price and - most importantly - the right quality, before offering a core product. This is the result of that approach: an 8 year old example of our beloved Old Orkney brand. This is Orkney single malt, matured in a mix of refill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry American oak butts and hogsheads, bottled at an immediately quaffable 47% and exhibiting ease, charm, evocative Orcadian personality and - most importantly - pleasure! Delicious whisky for sharing and quaffing without too much thinking and with an easy price tag to match.”

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*A whisky for the white wine drinker*

Nose

Surprisingly peaty, compared to the HP profile I’m used to. Vegetal peat, smouldering heather and dried lemon. Big sea spray whiffs. Algae washed up on the beach. Crushed walnuts and hazelnuts. A leather speedboat full of clams and mussels. Smoked heather honey. The sherry influence is there but barely noticeable, buried deep down.

With water: a bit more vegetal, like green vegetable peelings. Then cooked mussels in creamy sauce, and just a few boiled and salted potatoes on the side.

Palate

Clean, mineral, still smoky but it feels integrated. Dying embers, salty, rock pools, grilled oysters with heavy cream.

With water: a bit smokier, on the mid palate, yet leaner and more mineral. Wet granite and crushed aspirin tablets.

The Dregs

A resounding success. I was ready for this whisky to be a solid 6/10, but it truly deserves to sit a point higher. It’s classy, has heaps of personality and complexity, yet it drinks marvellously well at this perfect ABV. DD have hit the bullseye here. If you like white wine, think of this whisky as the lovechild of Chablis and Pouilly-Fumé, only on steroids. I’ll probably be tempted to grab a bottle when I see it in the wild.

Score: 7/10

Review 2/6 - Ardnamurchan 10yo

Ardnamurchan 10yo, Equinox & Solstice Spring 2026 edition, peated 1st fill and peated refill barrels, 299 bottles, 48.5% ABV
£95 and still some availability

On we go with the latest iteration of DD’s ongoing ‘Equinox & Solstice’ bottling series (Earie covered last Autumn’s Mannochmore yesterday). Whiskies meant to represent the changing seasons, bottled at 48.5% ABV and usually priced affordably. To mark the arrival of Spring in 2026 they have chosen to bottle a 10yo peated Ardnamurchan matured in ex-bourbon.

Here’s their official release note:

“Our 2026 Equinox & Solstice series commences with something peaty, medicinal and pristinely refreshing for Spring: a 10 year old, 2015, peated Ardnamurchan. This was created from a marriage of a peated 1st fill barrel and a peated refill barrel, before being bottled at this series' trademark dramming strength of 48.5%. It's a wonderfully medicinal and mineral example of Ardnamurchan, with brilliantly chiselled peat smoke, seawater, bandages and hints of farmyard. Abundant charisma that, as ever with this series, works in a copita, a tumbler, or a highball.”

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*When you want more coastal whisky*

Nose

This is going to be good. Immediately coastal and saline, with a peat character that is quite pronounced without being overpowering. Wet cement, smoky pear juice, and burning hay. French fries with a healthy dose of Maldon sea salt. Subtle whiffs of spearmint. Toasted wheat. Evolves to include some lemon juice and zest. Hints of sweet apple juice

With water: maybe a tad smokier, but doesn’t change that much to be fair. A few whiffs of tart orchard fruits, green apple, and some sheep wool.

Palate

Fresh, salty, peatier than the Orkney, but as with the nose, the smoke feels integrated. Salty and spicy, black and white pepper. Bright and vertical, like a razor blade. Maybe some dried chilis on the finish.

With water: the mouthfeel becomes a tad creamier and sweeter, but flavour wise, not much changes.

The Dregs

Tasting such a whisky, I think it’s fair to say Ardnamurchan’s future is bright. It would be very interesting to compare this whisky with the latest official 10yo, which is also peated - although to a lesser extent apparently - and bourbon cask focused. This Equinox & Solstice release is priced just below the £100 mark, as is common with this series but also similar to other single cask Ardnamurchan releases, and while it isn’t cask strength, I don’t think it suffers in comparison.

Score: 7/10

Review 3/6 - Mortlach 20yo

Mortlach 2005 20yo, Decadent Drams, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 174 bottles, 50.1% ABV
£235 and still some availability

After two very good apéritifs, it’s time to move on to the plat de résistance, if you will. We’ll start with this mouth-watering 2005 Mortlach, presented in its most simple apparel: straight from a bourbon cask. While Mortlach’s bold and sulphury spirit is one that I personally quite enjoy when sherried, it is always interesting to taste these types of malts from less assertive casks, as it’s usually where the unique characteristics of the spirit will be laid bare.

DD gets straight to the point with this one:

“Mortlach returns to Decadent Drams, this time in the guise of a 2005, 20 year old, first-fill bourbon barrel bottled at natural cask strength. It's juicy, it's waxy, it's sexy, it's fat and it's rather fruity!”

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Whisky with an above average BMI, and it won’t apologise for it*

Nose

Oily, buttery, and all sorts of cooking fats. Guanciale even. Ghee. You get the picture. Also a sense of sweetness, with lemon glazing and orange sponge cake. Pencil shavings. A croissant with twice the normal amount of butter. Golden honey, and a wee drop of peach nectar. Loads of pastries, alongside some bone marrow. I know, weird but it works.

With water: a bit sweeter and less oily. Orange juice, assorted pastries. White fleshed fruits.

Palate

Oily, rich, with bone marrow, olive oil. Length is impressive, and the finish turns quite mineral. The malty backbone shows itself in the form of some wheat flour. The ABV feels perfect. Such a beautiful thick mouthfeel.

With water: as on the nose, it gets a bit sweeter on all sorts of pastries. The texture gets a tad thinner though, so I think I prefer it undiluted.

The Dregs

What a great Mortlach, au naturel. It’s one of the best I’ve tried, and I love that it is so close to the distillate and not drowned in sherry, though it’s certainly a make that could handle it well.

Score: 8/10

Review 4/6 - Bunnahabhain 20yo

Old Islay 2004 21yo, Bunnahabhain distillery, matured in 1st fill Oloroso & PX butts, finished in PX hogsheads, 296 bottles, 55% ABV
£265 and still some availability

I know this one is going to make a few among you water at the mouth. Old sherried Bunna, at higher strength, should be a real treat. Let’s dive in.

DD says:

“Our yearlong Island Hop continues on Islay as we row round the north of the Island to Bunnahabhain. This is a fully sherry-matured Bunnahabhain 2004, aged for 21 years, initially in a combination of first fill, Oloroso and PX butts, then a first fill PX sherry hogshead for the final few years of its maturation. We bottled it with slight reduction at 55%, to bring out the wonderful leathery, coastal and dark fruit characters which abound within this rather tasty wee Bunny. Classical sherried Bunna with plentiful distillery character, alongside all that rich sherried goodness.”

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Take that! Officially bottled Bunna!*

Nose

Immediately coastal alongside the sherry influence. The balance between the cask and the spirit seems perfect at first glance. Just classic Bunna. Dark, high-end chocolate, with some sea salt sprinkled on top. Nesquik cocoa powder. Empty oyster shells after a seafood session. Tyre rubber. Strawberry jam.

With water: a bit fruitier, with what I tend to associate with sherried Bunna’s: cooked pears covered in dark chocolate sauce, otherwise known as Pear Belle-Hélène.

Palate

The sherry influence is more pronounced on the palate, bringing some sweetness. Ground coffee, dark chocolate and chocolate powder. Salinity is there in the background. Sweet but balanced. Peppery and spicy on the finish.

With water: a nutty side appears, and I’m here for it. Gorgeous hazelnuts, Nocciolatta, all of that spread on hot toast. Gianduja. Just delicious and decadent - that’s fitting!

The Dregs

A really great example of mature Bunna. I’d much rather buy this than the similarly priced official bottling of their 21yo. The balance between the cask influence and the spirit character is particularly remarkable, especially considering the use of first fill PX hoggies. Love it. A very high 8/10.

Score: 8/10

Review 5/6 - Benrinnes 28yo

Benrinnes 1997 28yo, Decadent Drams, 1st fill sherry hogshead, 220 bottles, 52.4% ABV
£350 and still some availability

I don’t think I’ve had such an old Benrinnes before. It’s a distillate I quite like, as even after ditching the partial triple distillation regime they had, it has retained a lot of body in my experience. I’ve not tried a lot of examples distilled using the old pre-2007 regime such as this one, and never in calm conditions. This particular cask was sourced from Signatory Vintage’s stocks and, judging by the colour, it seems to be pretty active sherry. Crossing fingers for a good one.

Here’s what the bottlers have to say about it:

“Some drams are born decadent, some mature to achieve decadence, and some have decadence re-racked upon them! Well, this 1997, 28 year old Benrinnes, which has fully matured in a hyperactive first fill sherry hogshead before being bottled at natural cask strength, is surely a fusion of those first two routes to decadence. For, decadent it undoubtedly is! A sultry, frankly ridiculous sherry bomb that is bloated with fruits, tobaccos, spices and generally 'dark matter'. You've already decided whether to buy one…”

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*So thick I’m surprised it pours into a glass*

Nose

Well, it’s very Signatory Vintage in style! Über rich, decadent sherry. Boozy fruits, fig jam and brand-dew leather saddle. Sticky sweet syrup covered hazelnuts. Amarena cherries avalanche. Sweet hot chocolate. Big sweet red things.

With water: doesn’t budge.

Palate

As expected, it is thick, rich and dense. Cola nuts, sweet boozy cherries. Driftwood. All about the sherry, but with a sense of density that could come from the distillate (which was still following a Mortlach-like distillation regime at the time), and a finish stretching for ages, turning to bitter herbs and roots like angelica and gentian and bitter tea.

With water: again, doesn’t really change.

The Dregs

One of the densest sherried drams I think I’ve ever come across. If tasting this blind, I’m positively sure I would have guessed it was from Andrew Symington’s stocks way before being able to identify Benrinnes. It’s very much cask driven, and while the cask is of very high quality, I do feel like the Benrinnes character might have been bulldozed to smithereens. Score wise, I’m on the fence. Some people might award it an 8 or even a 9, but for me, I would have liked a tad more spirit character to come through, especially for liquid this old. It’s a great whisky, but not everyone will like it. Sweet tooths and sherry aficionados will.

Score: 7/10

Review 6/6 - Pittyvaich 35yo

Pittyvaich 1990 35yo, 1st fill sherry hogshead, 145 bottles, 44.3% ABV
£495 and still some availability

And now, the cherry on the cake, the clou du spectacle, Decadent drinks’ mandatory whisky-from-a-ghost-distillery. It seems like there’s one nearly every outturn, but this is one of the rather odd ones. Pittyvaich was a short-lived distillery originally built in 1975 to feed the then quite popular Bell’s blend. It was later acquired by Guinness, which later merged with DCL to form United distillers. The new management decided it was redundant, and Pittyvaich closed its doors in 1993, before being demolished in 2002.

Maybe due to its short lifespan, it is one of the rarer ghost distilleries to see on a whisky label. Prior to the festival in Leith I had never tried any Pittyvaich, and this one is the first I can spend some time with in order to try to figure out what it’s all about.

The price is somewhat eye watering, but understandable considering the rarity of such casks, and I’m honestly just glad to be able to try it.

DD says:

“There are some very lonely casks in Whiskyland... casks like this sherry hogshead of 35 year old Pittyvaich 1990: a lonesome wee dude! His distillery is closed and most of his chums and siblings are gone, scattered to the winds and whims of time. Thankfully, the Spirit Sprites are constantly at work in Whiskyland, searching out these lost wee wooden souls; guiding them with their light to life of company and good cheer in the great indie bottling hall in the sky. Just as well really, this particular cask is lusciously dark, sultry and full of soft, plummy dark fruits and earthy richness. An unusual sherried example of Pittyvaich and a beautiful old dram, full stop!”

Score: 9/10

**Exceptional.**
***TL;DR***
*This whisky studied at Cambridge*

Nose

Very noble, almost balsamic aroma. Fresh vanilla beans. Candied orange peels. Cigar tobacco. Fancy black tea. Dried flowers, pot pourri. Leather armchair. Flamed orange oils on top of an old fashioned next to a humidor. Such a classy whisky. Hints of set caramel and custard, maybe like a Saint-Honoré. Sultanas. Cooked plums and pear liqueur. Candied ginger.

With water: more floral, that pot pourri aspect taking the lead, alongside some touches of violet and rose petals. A meaty umami side also appears in the background, with just a drop of Hoisin sauce.

Palate

Not a shouty whisky, but at this age and ABV, it is to be expected. Lean and elegant, on those tobacco and dried leathery flavours, alongside some dried walnuts. Dark forest honey. Sweet coffee. A drop of old Sauternes.

With water: it becomes a bit rounder and more fresh. Very nice bitter herbs and an earthy side on the finish, almost like petrichor. Antique cabinet.

The Dregs

I feel like this whisky is one of the classiest I’ve tried in a long while. Old whiskies in sherry like this one often don’t burst with fresh fruits, but they exhibit class and aromas that only come with age. Everything feels like it’s part of a whole. Kudos to DD for selecting this cask and bottling it at the exact right time. It’s pricey and I won’t be able to buy a bottle, but for those of you with pockets deep enough, you’d be buying a piece of whisky history as well as a great whisky at the same time. Very grateful to have been able to try it.

Score: 9/10

The Final Dregs

Well, I hope this outturn review was helpful to at least a few of you dear readers, and more importantly, I hope to have conveyed the excitement of the Independent Spirits Festival to you, so that you may consider joining in on the fun if you haven’t done so already. Thanks to David, Keith, Roy, Guy and all the helpers for running the show on festival day, and making everything feel like a well-oiled machine.

Thanks also to Angus, Julie and the whole team at DD for trusting us to review their whiskies. It’s gone well today score wise, but that hasn’t always been the case, yet they still send every outturn, without ever giving instructions or expecting something other than an independent, fair review. Kudos to them for getting this 8yo Orkney out at such a great price, while still selecting amazing, unique, old casks.

I’m gonna leave you with music from Bristol based band Heavy Lungs, and their song Caviar. Nothing classy about it, and I’m loving it.

Tried these? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF

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