Movin’ On Up

At home in our new venue

It looks like our search for a city centre venue for Glasgow’s Whisky Club’s tutored tasting may finally be over. The Springbank tasting was moved upstairs in the Iron Horse, and it proved to be near-perfect venue. Previously consigned to the basement bar, which was not really suitable due to ‘sight line issues’ (apparently), the upstairs room was just what we needed. A bit of space to spread out and a dance floor for those so inclined. Indeed, we had to tarry a while at the main bar while the ladies’ Zumba class was finishing up, treasurer Ian Black becoming a willing volunteer to check on the girls’ progress.

That our Springbank night was the first in the club’s history remains a mystery – it’s a distillery that is a bit like the club itself. It goes its own way, does things at its own pace and is quite proud of its slightly shambolic, slightly eccentric way of doing things. Oh, and it makes great drams. It also has Iain Scott, its UK sales chappie who pours an excellent drappie while spinning some extremely entertaining tales, few of which could be repeated outside the libel courts.

Iain Scott, pourer of drams, spinner of stories

We began the evening blind tasting three whiskies; the Kilkerran Work in Progress, the quite sublime Hazelburn 12 and the new Hazelburn Sauterne finish. I’m not normally a fan of finishes, but this was a cracking dram. The Kilkerran was the second release and will see continuing WiP until 2014 when a 10 year old will become the label’s standard. The Hazelburn 12 is Springbank’s unpeated whisky. Initially houses in bourbon casks, it spends the last three years in sherry. I first sampled it at Whisky Fringe last year and was blown away. A second tasting just reinforced my opinion that this is a great whisky.

Next was Springbank’s sister company, Cadenhead, which bottles other whiskies under its Duthie’s label. This was about as far away from Campbeltown as you could get – a 14-year-old Clynelish. Full of cream and honey.

Often a distillery’s core bottling gets overlooked at these tastings, but the Springbank 10 is well able to hold its own in any company. A quality whisky that underpins everything else the company does. The tarry biler Longrow 10, with its heavy peat and thick, oily presence, completed the ‘ordinary’ offerings, but we had a couple of surprises in store.

First was club member Peter Allen’s own cask, distilled in September 1999 and bottled at nine years old. It sits at a healthy 57.62% and was a big, beefy dram. We may get Peter to do a tasting for us next!

Peter talks us through his cask selection

Our final dram was donated by club member Niall Woods and provided much mystery. A Murray McDavid bottling from 1967, it boldly stated it was 31 years in oak casks, but the figures on the label suggested it was a youngster at a mere 21 years! However old, it was a cracker to end the evening.

Next up is a Wemyss tasting on May 11. Get your names in to Julie ASAP please. Susan’s nights are always a barrel of laughs.