I’ve special memories of Lindores because I once spent a day working in the distillery. However, while it might not be fair to expect a lot of a 3-year-old single malt, the distillery’s First Release was just average. With the release earlier this year of a few single casks exclusively for the Netherlands, I’m happy to put Lindores up on my stage again. Here we go!
Lindores 2018 3 Years The Exclusive Cask (60.2%, OB, C#18/408)
- Matured in a fresh ex-bourbon cask
- Distilled on 11/05/2018
- Bottled on 21/02/2022
- Outturn of 290 bottles
Nose: There’s a touch of mint, some Greek yoghurt, and lemons. Whiffs of bran, roasted peanuts and fermented mash too, but also some peach. Pretty immature though.
Taste: Pretty decent mouthfeel. The arrival is on the spicy side with white pepper, ginger and even some crushed mint leaves. Plenty of oak too, maybe even more so after adding water. It’s only after a while that some fruit pops up – a hint of pineapple.
Finish: Lingering spices, chalky and sweet lemon. Medium in length.
Lindores 2018 3 Years The Exclusive Cask (59.1%, OB, C#18/577)
- Matured in sherry butt
- Distilled on 02/08/2018
- Bottled on 21/02/2022
- Outturn of 720 bottles
Nose: The total opposite, this is all about the cask, although I do get a whiff of Greek yoghurt again. But mostly this is about gunpowder, dark chocolate and dried fruits, but also a whisper of strawberry gelato and juniper. Intense, but there’s not much depth.
Taste: Sticky mouthfeel. Too sticky. The first sip is a little too much. Bitter coffee, dark spices and dark chocolate. Something burnished and more gunpowder. It reminds me of this heavily-sherried Daftmill, which isn’t a good thing. It doesn’t improve much upon further sipping or after adding water.
Finish: More of the above, but with a hint of aniseed.
Final Thoughts
Even though this is a set of 3-year-old whiskies, I hoped (or even expected) more. The bourbon cask is average and doesn’t really inspire. Much like after tasting the distillery’s First Release, I’m left with the impression that the Lindores Abbey Distillery spirit is much better suited for longer ageing.
And then there’s the sherry cask release, which is just … I don’t really know where to begin. What is this and how wet was this cask when it was filled in 2018? I’ve no other explanation for the overtly sticky texture. Honestly, I’m not even sure I would pick this out as single malt whisky in a blind tasting.
Not exactly a glowing recommendation, I know. But these are still available in a number of places if you’re interested. A quick Google results in plenty of shoplinks.
