Classic of Islay? / Cask & Thistle

Feb 28, 2004 3 Replies

This no-name whisky has appeared on the shelves locally in n.a.s., 12yr and



21yr expressions. From the scant information I've been able to find this is supposedly bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. (Finlaggan, Cooper's Choice, etc.) and at least in some expressions is reputed to be Lagavulin.

Has anyone actually tried any of these bottlings? The prices are nice, but still dear enough to quell a blind purchase.



Binny's has launched their line of merchant bottlings called "Cask & Thistle", in addition to their various vanity bottlings by G&M and others. The bottlers are Highlands and Islands, of "The Ileach" fame.



All are bottled at 46% and are not chillfiltered (thank you Springbank and Cadenhead). I bought the Glen Grant 15yr Port Wood finish out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised. Extremely floral and fragrant on the nose; a nice blend of juicy sweetness with touch of dry spice and subtle perfume on the palate; finishes nicely with clinging lighter elements of floral, fruity, leafy and some traces of deeper slightly, chocolaty notes. A real departure from the typical sherry monster GGs normally encountered.



Sláinte, Bushido


FYI, I recently picked up a "Cask & Thistle" Aberfeldy 29yo (46%). It's label indicates it was bottled for D&M...

John,

Thanks for the information. That sort of calls into question their ad copy:"Binny's is proud to introduce merchant bottler Cask & Thistle to the USA. We were presented with over 20 barrel samples of rare whiskies, young and old, from distilleries shuttered and currently running, some in unique wood expressions. We took on the tough job of sorting through these samples to come up with 5 gems, interesting and impossible to resist. These bottles are available exclusively at Binny's."

Is D&M's price similar for the Aberfeldy? How do you like it? Does D&M have the same 5 bottlings?

Aberfeldy, 1974-29yr Old $109.99/btl; Glen Grant, 1988-15yr Old Port Wood $57.99/btl; Glenlivet, 1973-30yr Old Sherry Cask $109.99/btl; Imperial,

1975-28yr Old $99.99/btl; Macallan, 1993-9yr Old First-fill Sherry Cask $39.99/btl.

Sláinte, Bushido

Thought it was strange when Binny's announced C&T as their exclusive so I inquired at the Vintage Malt Co last month, this was their reply:

"This is a new Single Cask collection launched by our sister company – The Highlands & Islands Scotch Whisky Co Ltd. It is currently only available in the USA through Preiss Imports but is may be available in more markets in the future."

Johanna

Bushido wrote:

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