Another new Lowlander! Exciting times. And this one with some historic, if not proper pedigree. Whisky lore (and oh, so many tasting events) always mentions ye auld friar John Cor and his VIII bolls of malt, but perhaps Lindores Abbey is the only one going that can actually hang its hat on some legit sort of provenance. In fact, the distillery rests on the site of the old abbey referenced in the earliest written word on the spirit we love. Cool, aye? I think so.

This commemorative first release (at a wee $80ca!) is only a 3 or 4 year old malt, but there’s already some cool stuff going on. We always try to look at these whiskies for what they are, and not simply hold them to an expected generic median scotch whisky flavour profile. In other words, we want to assess the quality of the spirit, speak to execution more than anything, and cast an eye to how we think this may develop through the years. The score (which can usually be ignored in almost any review, IMHO), however, needs to be a bit more objective. Hopefully both reflect truth.

So, at its heart, this one isn’t ripe. There’s no hiding that. I can almost feel my gums hurt like when biting into an underripe pear or something. A few more years are needed here, but are we geeks or aren’t we geeks? Rhetorical; we are. That means we should be excited to try a new distillery and to try the spirit all along its life journey. That, mes amis, is how we really get to know whisky.

I just want to say, I’m not really a fan of the bottle itself, but I suppose it’s just a vessel, aye?

A bit of a wild one, this Lindores Abbey. Spirit-y, but also spirited. This distillery is gonna be a fun one to follow if this release is any indication. I’ll be anxiously watching for more samples or expressions to try now.

A marriage of Bourbon, Sherry and Wine Barrique. 12,750 bottles. 46% abv

Tasting Notes

Nose: Young, sweet, and spicy. Pears in spiced syrup, and some darker plummy notes too. Glayva. A fresh package of cinnamon sticks. Some floral notes; peonies, I think. Orange and tangerine. Saltwater taffy. Maltesers or Whoppers. Cream of Wheat with currents. And maybe a squeeze of lemon. Palate: Not wine-y, but…ok, a tick wine-influenced. Not sour and funky, if you know what I mean. Slightly flinty. A build-up of cinnamon and mulling spices. Boozy fruitcake. Ginger. I think the best thing about this one is that it is still mostly distillate-forward, despite the rather vocal casks having a say. Better balance than expected for this age. Finish: Malt, Cinnamon toothpicks. Fennel. Long and woody. 80.5/100