This year The Dram Team achieves an age statement of 8 years, and we’re celebrating the occasion by making this box our most remarkable ever. Through industry friends, we came into a parcel of stock featuring very special independent bottlings dating back to the late 2010s, and decided the best use for it was to raise a glass with our beloved Dram Teamers (that’s you!). We hope you enjoy exploring six spectacular Scotches from these two legendary independent bottlers. A tasting for the ages! – The Dram Team
Eight-Year Extravaganza, August 2024 Box
Samaroli, Islay 2017 Edition
Italian legend Silvano Samaroli was the first independent bottler of Scotch outside of Britain. Advocating for cask strength and single cask, single malt whiskies at a time when blends were considered the peak of Scotch, his legacy cannot be overstated. This Islay blend, rumoured to be 99% Laphroaig, aims to show off quality young whisky, and may well have been one of the last releases Silvano oversaw before his much-mourned passing in 2017.
Tasting notes
Nose: Medicinal herbs, vanilla and leather base notes mingle with liquorice in a perfect corollary.
Palate: Excellent persistence on the palate, where the typical salty notes of Islay prevail.
Finish: Lingers very long despite its youthful age, which quivers in the glass.
Samaroli, Glenallachie 8 Year Old
Upon buying this cask, Samaroli re-racked the spirit into new American Oak. We'd venture the cask wasn't heavily charred or toasted (like, for example, with Bourbon matured in virgin oak casks), as the fruity, herbal delicacy of the original spirit really shines through. This is one to dwell on and sip slowly to really appreciate the subtle complexity.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Pear blossoms, cotton candy and a touch of marzipan.
Palate: Poached pear dusted with just a hint of chili and vanilla bean.
Finish: Delicate-but-lingering persistent ripe pear and vanilla.
Samaroli, MacDuff 19 Year Old
We up the age-statement ante now with our third and final Samaroli indulgence; a 19 year old beauty matured in a sherry butt. This fabulously sherried Speysider is a complex dram, demonstrating a remarkable mix of savoury and sweet notes intermingled throughout the sipping experience. The sort of unusual but exceptional quality bottling you'd expect from Samaroli.
Tasting notes:
Nose: A touch of struck match quickly gives way to savoury notes of a roast beef, complete with wholegrain mustard.
Palate: The savoury notes continue, like a good Stroganoff laced with sherry.
Finish: Sweet sherry notes burst through, joining the gorgeous beef gravy hints. Floral cherry blossom notes explode leaving a lasting, delicious sweetness.
A.D. Rattray, Glen Elgin 21 Year Old
Onto a second trio from a second industry legend: With a storied history dating back to 1868, the present-day incarnation of A.D. Rattray is as a top-notch indie bottler. Our first of their drams is the youngest at a whipper-snapping 21 years, and is an unreleased cask sample of Speysider Glen Elgin, most famous for featuring in the popular White Horse blend.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Shortbread cookie dough with a crisscross lacing of vanilla icing.
Palate: A rum-like hit to the tongue rolls into a spicy candied ginger and nutmeg combination. Truly complex.
Finish: Some pepper notes on the finish join the spicy ginger.
A.D. Rattray, North British 30 Year Old
Our next A.D. Rattray is another not-publicly-released whisky, the first of two 30 year old bottlings. Our love affair with well-aged single grain is no secret, and boy does this one make us fall head over heels again! Our research leads us to believe this whisky only ever saw the light of day as a "bottle your own" special at A.D. Rattray’s Scotch Whisky Experience, so it's a very special treat indeed.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Unfurls with time to reveal an old wooden spice chest of cardamom, cinnamon sticks, orange taffy and mahogany.
Palate: Beautiful rum and raisin ice cream, with herb garden notes, parsley and spring onion.
Finish: Chewy orange taffy lingers with a dusting of burnt demerara and some subtle spice.
A.D. Rattray, Glen Grant 30 Year Old
Our third A.D. Rattray Scotch is the only one of the three to have been officially released, featuring in their 2018 Cask Collection series. A genuine dream dram, the Speyside spirit from Glen Grant spent no less than three decades slowly maturing in a single sherry cask, producing a truly magnificent drop. We feel very proud and fortunate to be able to share this with you here!
Tasting notes:
Nose: Walnuts, hazelnuts, gooseberry and banana chips.
Palate: Almond butter, gentian and vanilla.
Finish: Exceptionally nutty, with cacao nibs and Seville orange.
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