Would people buy tickets to a tasting where they didn’t know which whiskies they would try or even a theme?
Only one way to find out and so here was our pitch:
“Much as the exercise regime you committed to in dry January, this tasting requires faith: but in this case, the slightly easier faith that you will taste 6 amazing whiskies without knowing a theme or a connection in advance.”
“Will we open your ideas to new whisky wonders? Buy a ticket to believe…”
The drams
28 bold souls arrived on a rainy Saturday to be faced with 6 cryptic clues:
(A) 16yr Speyside with a Crunchy Nut palate
(B) A PX made from barley ground by wind
(C) It’s a classic, but you have to travel for this Oloroso
(D) An indy Speyside with a bourbon zest
(E) Could be your waterloo but the name’s above you (7yr virgin oak)
(F) Smoked in the desert, but not by the usual
Which aligned to the following whiskies:
1. Berry bros 16yr old Speyside (48.2%) 70cl – £94.90 (A)
2. Millstone 2010 12yr old (53.2%) 70cl £87.95 (B)
3. Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Sherry edition (50%) 70cl £65.90 (C)
4. Aberlour (Woodrow’s) 12yrs refill bourbon (55.3%) 70cl £84.95 (D)
5. High coast (Sweden) Cadenheads 7yr new American oak (61.8%) 70cl £60 (Cadenhead shop) (E)
6. Cask #0006: Santa Fe Spirits Mesquite Smoked Single Malt. 65% ABV £109 (F)
We asked for guesses after each dram then revealed more about the whisky and distillery. Having two Speysides foxed the room and there was A LOT of debate around where dram #2 was Oloroso or PX, prompting a few new catchphrases from your host:
“You’re fishing in the right pond but with the wrong rod”
“I can neither confirm nor deny…”
“It’s good, but it’s not right”
(The last borrowed from Roy Walker of 80’s and 90’s Catchphrase TV fame)
Regular Classic Laddie fans were thrown by Bruichladdich’s travel retail Oloroso, and there weren’t any successful guesses of the distilleries; however, when you have an off-piste Swedish distillery and a mesquite-smoked New Mexican whisky, that’s fairly understandable.
No blindness from those two 60%+ ABV drams sourced from the Edinburgh Cadenheads shop and Scotch Whisky Auctions, and they were 3rd (Sweden) and 2nd (USA) in our dram of the night voting.
Top spot for dram of the night went to The Whisky Exchange PX special 2021 Millstone, which we discovered at our 2025 Summer Festival courtesy of Billy Abbott. We liked it so much at the time, that we speed-purchased a bottle to put into a future tasting and this received 220% of the votes of the runner up.
A fun evening of confused expressions and blind discovery!
BIG thanks 🙏 to Berry Bros. & Rudd for the 16yr old Speyside and the Islay blend which went to Dave who won the “Donate during checkout” raffle – as part of our fundraising for St Leonard’s Hospice.
BIG thanks 🙏 to Doug in Bruichladdich’s finance team for the Classic Laddie Sherry Edition – a welcome surprise gifted to the club when his family attended Whisky & Sherry III last year.