February Label Stories... A Summary

As it was National Storytelling Week in February we thought we would compile some of our favourite label stories that we have shared across the month, starting with our Category Winner at the World Whisky Awards 2020 -  Blended Whisky Batch 1!

Blended Whisky Batch 1:

It’s not Scotch, and it’s not a Japanese Whisky, but a blend of whiskies, malts, and grains from both Japan and Scotland.⁣

⁣The idea for the label came first, so we had to make the whisky to fit!⁣ A Japanese Dragon and a Scottish Rampant Lion take centre stage, but in the background is Mount Fuji in mid-eruption. Also included in the landscape of mountains is Ben Nevis.⁣

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James E Pepper - Batch 1:

Our label is set in an old school soda float shop, where distillery owner Amir Peay is pointing to a barrel shaped soda fountain that pertains to the finish style of our whiskies. Did you notice the four large mason jars labelled Corn, Rye, Barley, More Rye, amongst the shelves of lots of yummy colourful sweets?

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Aberfeldy - Batch 2:

The Aberfeldy distillery resides up in the Scottish Highlands, and has been producing whisky since 1896. They draw the water used for their single malt from the Pitlie Burn, which is also well known for its gold deposits. Our label features whisky writer Ian Buxton, who lived rather close to the distillery, looking to strike gold!

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Inchgower - Batch 1 :

Did you know there is a Goat Island in the middle of Niagara Falls? It’s the inspiration for our Inchgower label. Its name comes from Scots Gaelic for ‘island of the goats’. Standing between the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls you can look across to Canada from Goat Island, which we’ve depicted with fields of icewine.

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Teaninich - Batch 1:

This label is based on a true love story from many years ago about Captain Hugh Munro (founder of this distillery). He was shot in the head behind his eyes, but lucky enough to survive from this, however he lost his eyesight in the process. His sweetheart who he was due to marry was forbidden by her father to marry him as he didn't want her marrying a disabled man, so she married someone else.

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Langatun - Batch 1:

Our label shows a map that looks to be tracking something that's gone from America to Spain to Switzerland and finally to England...Perhaps this journey holds some secret about the whisky...? From the Ozarks, to Jerez, to Switzerland… Have you got it yet? Do we really have to spell it out? American oak, Sherry casks...

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A closer look at...The Dumbarton Distillery

A new label marked our first release from the Dumbarton distillery, one of Scotland’s more recently closed grain distilleries.

The Dumbarton Distillery was once Scotland's largest distillery. Built in 1938 where the river Leven meets the Clyde, and on the site of the former McMillan Shipyard. It was a major contributor to Ballantine’s Blended Scotch Whisky. Sadly the gates closed in 2002 and has since been demolished, but what else do you know about this distillery?

About the distillery
Dumbarton opened in the 28th of September 1938, and represented a significant investment by its owners Hiram Walker, who were struggling to acquire enough grain whisky to satisfy export demands for their blends.

Built on the nine acre site of the old MacMillan Shipyard on the river Leven, Dumbarton took 600 men about a year to complete. Its industrial lines were tempered by its construction in two million red Accrington tile bricks, chosen to mimic Hiram Walker's Canadian distillery in Walkerville, Ontario.

The distillery used maize exclusively, imported from Canada and America (naturally, given the ownership). However the stills were modified sometime in the 1990s so that wheat could be used if they so desired.

Unusually, they had a “clear wort” process where they separated the mash from the wort before fermentation. It was said that this gave a cleaner, lighter spirit that made for better blending.

The ‘clear wort process’ created considerable production of draff from the removed mash, which was much in demand with local farmers.

Dumbarton's column still was an American design rather than the traditional Coffey still, manufactured by Vulcan Copper & Supply Co. of Cincinnati. It could produce both potable whisky and neutral grain spirit, but was designed to work only with maize - possibly one reason for the clear worts process.

Sadly the distillery was closed in 2002 as it proved to be impractical for the column stills to be replaced without destroying the still tower completely. The distillery was mothballed, and in 2008 demolition began, and soon only the still tower was left, as something of a local landmark. It took until 2017 for the still tower to be demolished, and the site will soon be home to housing.

Production Capacity
It’s capacity on opening was 3 million imperial gallons (13.6 million litres) which is pretty impressive. Prior to its closure in 2002 it had the capacity to produce 25 million gallons (113.6 million litres) and at the height of it’s production it was the largest grain distillery in Europe.

At its peak in the 1960's the Dumbarton complex with its distilleries, warehouses and bottling plant employed nearly 2000 people.

Did you know?
There were two malt whisky distilleries housed within the Dumbarton complex? The Inverleven distillery was built at the same time as the grain distillery. By historic coincidence the distillery sat right on the famous Highland Line, but it was always regarded as a Lowland malt. The other malt distillery, Lomond, sat adjacent. The Lomond distillerys claim to fame was that it was where the first example of a Lomond still was used. But which came first, the still or the distillery?

The Lomond distillery was mothballed in 1985 and Inverleven followed suit in 1991. When the Dumbarton distillery complex was being demolished, Lomond’s quirky still was secured by Bruichladdich for the production of The Botanist gin. It’s now known as Ugly Betty

In 1959 the owners acquired around 100 Chinese Geese who were encouraged to patrol the grounds as guards over the spirit in the bonded warehouses. They were known locally as ‘The Scotch Watch’ The geese became part of the tradition of the facility and were featured in advertising for Ballantines, and even became a small local tourist attraction. At one time there were 120 geese led by a gander called Mr. Ballantine. In 2012 the seven remaining birds were retired from their duties, and ended their day in a sanctuary in Glasgow.

About our bottling
Our first bottling from the Dumbarton Grain distillery is a 22 Year Old, bottled at 47.8% abv, and is a release of just 155 bottles. Jim Murray once said that the top-notch new make spirit was probably the fattest currently made in Scotland, so our label plays on that heaviness of the grain...Oh we are a giggle eh?

Batch 1 Tasting Notes
Nose: Creamy rum and raisin fudge, cocoa nibs and cherries.
Taste: Well-worn leather and a bitterness that in time reveals sweet vanilla and cherry flavours.
Finish: Vanilla ice cream, more cherries and a hint of white chocolate at the end

This drop of liquid history is available from fine retailers at the recommended retail price of £89.95

Off-trade/on-trade enquiries should be directed to our UK distributor, Maverick Drinks.

A Closer Look At... The Springbank Distillery

With four batches launched recently we thought it was high time we took a closer look at the iconic Campbeltown distillery.

The Springbank distillery is just one of three surviving distilleries from the once thriving Campbeltown region that had more than 25 distilleries in its late 1800s heyday.

Springbank is built on the site of the previously illicit still used by Archibald Mitchell was officially founded in 1828 but, what else do you know about this distillery?

About the distillery

The first reference to Campbeltown whisky is recorded in 1591 and by 1814 there were 22 legal distilleries in operation in the Campbelltown area.

Springbank was officially founded in 1828, some of the buildings the distillery is housed in today date back to this time, alongside buildings that were used for the long closed distilleries of Longrow, Rieclachan, Union, Springside and Argyll.

Brothers John and William Mitchell, Archibald’s sons, take ownership of Springbank. Later, John takes his son into the business, forming the company J&A Mitchell, making Springbank the oldest independent family-owned distillery in Scotland.

Production Capacity

Springbank do things a little differently than everybody else. It’s the only distillery in Scotland that malts it’s entire needs of barley using its own floor maltings. It also supplies all the malted barley for the neighbouring distillery Glengyle

The equipment at Springbank remains traditional: the Porteus mill dates from the 1940s, they still use an open-top cast-iron mash tun that’s around one hundred years old, and their wooden washbacks are made from boat skin larch.

Ferments are very long – in excess of 100 hours; with low-gravities which both produces a low-strength wash (circa 5%) but it has a high levels of esters. This fruity base is then distilled in three different ways, depending on the style being produced; Springbank, Longrow, and Hazelburn

The distillery is equipped with just three stills; one wash still and two spirit stills. The wash still is unique, certainly in Scotland, being both direct fired and having internal steam coils. Condensers are used on the wash still and one of the spirit stills, while a worm tub is used on the other spirit still.

Springbank accounts for 80% of their production capacity.  The lightly peated (12-15 ppm) was is partially triple-distilled and is often quoted as being distilled 2.5 times. The direct fired wash still works as normal producing low wines, the strongest portion of which are directed to the spirit still charger, while the remainder is redistilled in the intermediate spirit still which has a worm tub. The low wines are put into the feints receiver along with the heads and tails from the spirit still distillation. This mix makes up 80% of the final charge, with the low wines from the wash still making up the remaining 20%.

Longrow accounts for just 10% of the distillery’s production It’s a heavier and smokier with its malted barley peated to 50-55 ppm. It runs through a slightly different process to Springbank, with just two distillations with the second distillation carried out in the spirit still which has the worm tub.

Hazelburn uses unpeated malt and accounts for another 10% of their production capacity and undergoes standard triple distillation using the three stills in sequence.

Did you know?

Financial difficulties in the 1980 resulted in the Springbank distillery was closed between 1979 and 1987

The Campbelltown region listed by the Scotch Whisky Association was almost resigned to history in the late 1990s when Springbank became the only operating distillery on the peninsular. Glen Scotia was closed in 1984 and remained closed until 1999. When the Mitchell family opened Glengyle, the region’s future was secure with three distilleries, which at the time, was the same number that were located in the Lowland region.

While the distillery is well known for being the only Scottish distillery that malts all of its requirements, during the whisky boom of the late 1950’s the maltings were actually closed in 1960. It wasn’t until 1991 that the floor maltings reopened at the distillery.

While many distilleries produce a seperate sub-range of single malts that showcase different styles of whisky these days, Springbank were the first. In 1973 they started distilling a heavily peated malt that went on to be known as Longrow. Another range was added in 2005 when the first Hazelburn single malt was announced.

Both Longrow and Hazelburn are named after long closed Campbeltown distilleries. The Longrow distillery closed in 1896, and the Hazelburn distillery in 1925. One of the surviving warehouses from the Longrow distillery is now Springbank’s bottling hall.

The Springbank distillery is the region's largest employer and was the first distillery in Scotland to become a living wage employer.

About That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Springbank bottling(s)

We released our first batch back in 2013, it was a release of just 2746 bottles, It was very good and was awarded Gold in the Independent Bottlers Challenge that year. Batch 2 followed in shortly afterwards, with a four year gap before Batches 3 to 7 came along in 2017 - all with age statements, either 21 or 25 Year Olds oddly enough. Last year just three batches were released.

The most recent batches released since November 2018 are 10, 12, 12, and 14. You might be wondering where the intermediate release have gone? These batch numbers are reserved for US releases.

Batch 10 Tasting Notes
Nose: Fruit salad sweets and lemon drops with a touch of syrupy ginger.
Taste: A sweet entry followed by a lemon sherbet fizz. There’s more of that ginger too.
Finish: A herbaceous finish with a leafy freshness and juicy green grapes.

Batch 12 Tasting Notes
Nose: Very rich on the nose with treacle, plums and subtle honeysuckle coming through.

Taste: At first a sweet and thick mouthfeel with toast and honey, a prickle of ginger and  eventually a dryness cutting through.

Finish: More of the toast, warming ginger and a touch of lemon peel

Batch 14 Tasting Notes
Nose: Grain sack and tobacco leaf combine with gentle peat and a faint hint of cherry stone

Taste: Full, oily mouthfeel carrying peat, oaky vanilla and tart cherry

Finish: Oiliness continues through the finish, perfectly delivering sweet, warm nuttiness

Batch 16 Tasting Notes
Nose: Rich and complex with oak, cocoa, juicy black cherries and toasted oats.

Taste: Smooth toffee notes to start followed by tropical fruits and warming cinnamon.

Finish: A dry finish with more oaty flavours coming through. There’s also a final hint of burnt rubber.