Orkney Sponge 2005 16yo
Decadent Drinks 2022 Release | 55% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Enough maritime flair to draw anyone back in
Getting back into it.
The festive season has been quite hectic for me, as it kind of always is. December is where the money’s made when your day job is selling wine and spirits, as you can imagine, so I worked pretty much every day. With only two days off during the second half of the month, I drank far less whisky.
When I pour a whisky, I like to at least give myself the better part of forty-five minutes to an hour of enjoying it slowly. I don’t like to pour whisky and do something else. If the dram is good, it will steal my attention anyways. So I drank far less whisky in December than I’m used to.
I still found the time to have a virtual hangout and blind tasting with the boys in the Five Nations crew - Tav, Hamish, Dougie and Jackie - and I did have two or three drams on Christmas Day, but that’s about it. I’m only now coming back to my whisky cabinet and finding the time to enjoy these wonderful iterations of golden amber.
There’s always this period of seasonal blues right after Christmas. A few other Dramface contributors seem to suffer from it as well. Vitamin D is in rare supply when the sun sets at 5pm. Whisky enjoyment was down for me, and though I want to get back to it - now that I have a bit more time off - the sheer fatigue from these past weeks made it hard to sit down and focus on tasting notes.
As I didn’t drink a lot, I didn’t have an excuse to write a review either, nor the time to do it. But as the days passed I realised I missed it. Contemplating my cabinet, or rather my Whiskybase account, where all open bottles are catalogued, I was left wondering: which of them inspires a review?
Like some fellow Dramfacers, I like to have a link, or rather a common theme, between the preamble and the whisky under scrutiny, at least some of the time. But I couldn’t really find inspiration for a write up, and thus I couldn’t choose a specific whisky to review. Mrs Fife would certainly not understand the conundrum, as there are plenty of whiskies not reviewed yet in Chateau Fife.
Anyway, after a few days of going back and forth, I just decided - to hell with that. I want to go back in the saddle, I want to write about whisky again, and I want to do it now. So I just glanced at my open bottles and decided which one was going on the surgeon’s table, basically on a whim.
Sometimes, you don’t need a good reason to uncork a bottle or pour yourself one of those ‘special occasion’ drams. You never need a good excuse to pour good whisky. Sometimes, you just need to do what you enjoy and not apologise for it.
Similar to what Roy said in his latest vPub, I’d like to be more optimistic this coming year, at least whisky wise. There are so many great bottlings available to us, prices are coming down, and the year will once again be packed by wonderful events. These occasions to meet like-minded whisky folk and enjoy all the terrific whisky. I’ll hopefully be seeing you in March in Leith for the Independent Spirits Festival, in September for Whisky Live Paris and of course in Glasgow in November.
While we plan, as a little warm-up, let’s look at this ‘Secret’ Orkney single malt.
Review
Orkney Sponge, 2005 16yo, Decadent Drinks 2022 bottling , refill hogshead, 55% ABV
£139 paid, secondary only
Anyone who knows my whisky preferences knows the affection I have for Decadent Drinks. I love their quirky labels, what they choose to bottle and how they choose to bottle it, and I get along with Julie quite well. The only thing I’d like to see change is the pricing. But I understand that running a small bottling business is not something you do to get rich. On the plus side, in the past year, I’ve seen bottles released by them at very good price. There’s been a 17yo secret highland at sub £100, another more recent one is an upcoming 8yo Deanston in the 70-ish range, and I was mightily impressed by the ‘World Peat Highball Blended Malt’ I reviewed as part of their July outturn, selling for only £50.
I purchased the bottle I have in the glass today at a discount at one of La Maison du Whisky’s Parisian shops, as it was the last bottle they had. I managed to get it for what I deem the high range of acceptable prices for mature Highland Park. I suspected it would be good judging by the specs, and I wasn’t wrong.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Enough maritime flair to draw anyone back in
Nose
Buttery lemon. Salinity, minerality, wet concrete. Freshly milled grist. Dry apricot. Yeasty German beer. Maritime, whelks and rock pools. Distant pop corn. Chips and vinegar. Malty at its core.
With Water: A bit creamier, and the smoke starts to appear, though it remains in the background.
Palate
Dry, salty, lemony. Perfect strength. Lemon zest and citrus oils. Malty undertones, with porridge.
With water: Creamier as well, and a bit of smoke and white pepper appear on the finish.
The Dregs
This is right up my alley. It’s a pricey whisky, but mature Highland Park doesn’t come cheap these days, let alone 2022. It is pure, naked malt, unadulterated by heavy hitting casks. I think it probably needs some time and air to unravel all of its subtleties though, but that’s no problem. I’m not in it to drink, I’m in it to taste. As such, I don’t mind waiting a little. This bottle has been opened for a bit less than a year now, and it sings.
I’m not one to make resolutions for the new year, but I will say this: taking the time to sit down and write tasting notes has revived the writing itch. You’ll see more of me this year, whether you like it or not. I can feel the inspiration for more writing coming.
Let’s toast to 2026 with good music as well : One Fine Day, by Brian Eno and David Byrne.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF
-
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.
