TBWC 22yo & 32yo Blends | 41.8% & 40.1 ABV

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Fun labels and taste-tastic whisky*

Price of single malts got you down? Then 2023 could be the year of blends

We consider and talk a lot about value, whether it’s doing our weekly grocery shopping, bang for your buck on family vacations, or our purchasing habits with our discretionary funds. Even our scoring system at Dramface considers the price where the scores are increased or decreased based on the price vs flavour factor. While this runs counter to many scoring systems used by many around the world, we writers always try to state if the score has been altered based on the price, usually at the end of the review.

For me, I’ll be seeing my purchasing habits change throughout 2023. It’s not driven from the price of energy, food, fuel or other necessities, but rather the shrinking distance my discretionary whisky fund is able to go.

In the last two months, prices near me have me flipping the proverbial table. For example, an 8 year old ex-bourbon cask Caol Ila for $150 (£92) please and a 6 year old ex-bourbon cask Ardmore for $90 (£55). If you want some Ben Nevis, there’s a 9 year old ex-bourbon cask bottle going for $145 (£89). No, I didn’t cherry pick some of these bottles to prove my point. These were the average ones, usually bracketed by +/- 25% variance depending on the bottler.

If you want to buy a whisky with an age statement, perhaps as a gift, then Lagavulin 16 and Glengyone 18 are selling for $190 (£118) without considering any sales taxes. Unequivocally outrageous and practically theft. My monthly whisky budget just can’t handle this daft move.

On the flip side and for the optimists, it generally means my whisky collection growth will slow drastically, something that would appease my significant other. But for me, I’m fuming. In the chase for flavour, I’d like to be the one in the driver's seat and able to control my purchases while reigning in any FOMO. However, with these recent price increases, that autonomy has been removed.

I’m sure a few of you are in the same boat. With some of the negatives and my whining out of the way, I’m lucky to have a moderately sized stash of unopened bottles to keep dipping into. Most of the retailers in my area hold quarterly sales, typically offering 15-35% off almost all whiskies, something I routinely take part in. This is a hobby after all and we need to be smart with our purchases. The only downside is having to explain why 5-10 bottles randomly show up in the house, which is usually tempered with a version of but they were on sale dear.

This brings me back to value and my purchasing habits. I’m not a scotch or malt snob. I’ve got many whiskies from eight countries and four different continents, varying from corn, wheat, rice, and barley raw feedstocks produced from batch-run pot stills or continuous distillation column stills. So while I moan about some Scottish-origin malt whisky prices, there are still some bargains and excellent whiskies out there - and many of those are likely going to be blended malt or blended scotch. I might be blowing smoke here, but it’s likely that blended whiskies are going to lag the global single malt price increases, offering a temporary reprieve to savvy buyers.

I generally keep my eyes out for That Boutique-y Whisky Company releases as I’ve had good luck with their quality and consistency across many bottles, and I’ll pull the trigger if the value proposition makes sense when adjusting for the smaller 50cl bottles. It’s a simple multiplication factor of 1.4 and the 70cl bottle size value assessment can be completed. If you want to take things a bit further and perhaps nerdier, you can build yourself a simple spreadsheet that allows you to account for various factors, including ABV and age on top of bottle size. I’ve got such a pocket spreadsheet where I also keep some basic whisky prices plugged in, thus allowing me to compare my potential purchase against a favourite.

Is your potential purchase going to double the experience of one of your favourites? Maybe that’s a save for later purchase if it goes on sale. Perhaps the ratio is closer and you might deem the extra price increase for a new experience is worth it. For me, I’ve got “presets” of Arran 10 and some indie Caol Ila’s showing their “Price / 40% ABV ratio / age ratio / bottle size ratio” against my potential purchase. Nothing like seeing a potential purchase having a ratio double that of one of your favourites to reign in your FOMO. So when these age-stated Boutique-y blended scotch whiskies appeared on the shelves with value ratios incredibly similar to my Arran 10 reference, I knew I had to pull the trigger before they were gone.

Review 1/2

That Boutique-y Whisky Co. Blended Whisky #2 Batch 3, 41.8% ABV
£67 (paid CAD$110)

1,650 bottles available, 50cl bottle, limited availability.

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*A tasty dram but the price gets in the way*

Nose

Supremely smooth, sweet, and roasty/toasty. Dark honey, vanilla, roasted almonds. Candied orange peel and a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. A floral oil if that were such a thing - it’s not bright like fresh flowers but almost like an essential oil essence extracted from flowers. Cold black tea leaves with the slightest touch of musty malt and old leather in the background. After 30 minutes in the glass, a distinct caramel sauce and maple syrup candied pecans come out of nowhere.

An interesting contrast between the fresher notes and older notes. It is a very enticing nose.

Palate

The toasty notes and vanilla lead the charge. Toasted oak, real vanilla extract, lightly burnt orange peel. Milk chocolate and light caramel pops up half-way through, contrasting with the barest touch of bitter wood and tannins, used cold black tea leaves, and baking spices. Hint of a citrus furniture cleaner. A surprising red apple pops up on retronasal.

Luscious and smooth mouthfeel with a finish that lasts quite a while.

“a white glove stroking a hairy space testicle”

— Angus @ Whiskyfun

The Dregs

In response to WhiskyFun’s playful jest at the label, Boutique-y simply meant to depict the smoothness of this blended whisky. There’s very little information available regarding the components or cask information of this blend. I’m led to believe this is lighter in malt content compared to the St. Thomas blend. I found there was very little in the way of fruity type notes that are more commonly found in malted barley distillates. I could totally be spinning a web of errors and frankly, it doesn’t matter to me and it shouldn’t matter to you either. In the flavour chase, one shouldn’t get caught up in the details, focussing on the experience in the glass and with those around you.

It’s a 7/10 whisky but with the price-per-experience ratio, it earns a solid 6/10 score. While the price ratio is similar to Arran 10 when equated (for me), it’s still not a cheap whisky (£94 if equated to a 70cl bottle).

Score: 6/10 BB

Review 2/2

That Boutique-y Whisky Co. Blended Whisky #2 Batch 3, 40.1% ABV
£105 (paid CAD$165)

437 bottles available, 50cl bottle, limited availability.

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*This hairy Highland cow is headbanging*

Nose

Orange oil. Unsalted roasted almonds and walnuts. Dried apricots and pineapple chunks. Homemade ice cream laced with Madagascar vanilla pods. Milk chocolate fudge drizzled with a light caramel sauce. The longer this sits in the glass, the vanilla pokes through more and the orange oil fades and morphs into an orange furniture/leather cleaner. Old leather chair. Background waft of wet cedar.

Overall, the St. Thomas nose is brighter and more alive than the 22 yo and is my favourite of the two. It just keeps leaping out of the glass.

Palate

A damp cellar or musty fog blankets the following notes: orange zest, sweetened dark chocolate, heavily toasted wood, lightly burnt vanilla, baking allspice mix, old leather. Dark roasted candied almonds and pecans. Musty tropical citrus fruits abound on retronasal. Jujube gummies and cinnamon. It’s deliciously creamy, rich, and thick.

The finish lasts for ages and is fizzier and zestier than the 22 yo blend, providing just that little bit extra panache to this whisky.

The Dregs

If you don’t want the mental arithmetic exercise, this equates to £145 for a standard 70cl bottle. Not bad for a 32 year old. Personally, I also love this label. The little details are like tying a bow into the majestic mane of that glorious Highland cow. The vintage label design cues, including the tactile feedback from the well-textured paper and “extra special” labels, are awesome and make this stand out on the shelf and in your hand. From what I can discern, “Worthington’s Extra Special Casks” pays homage to Dave Worthington, the Global Brand Ambassador and rocker of an epic beard. “Thomas” pays homage to Liz Thomas, head of sales at Atom Brands, and “P. Gilbert & Daughters” refers to Phoebe Gilbert, a product manager at Atom Brands. You can tell they had fun with this label, and the Highland cow just puts that little extra special touch to this delicious whisky.

10/10 would buy again and resoundingly earns the full 8/10 score.

Score: 8/10 BB

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

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