Bonnington Sherry Cask

The Bonnington Distillery in Edinburgh and a Tipsy Midgie

Today, I have the great honour of writing a tasting note for you from yet another distillery I had never tried any output from. That is not weird, of course, because if we take a quick look at Whiskybase, which is usually trustworthy with these things, there are only THREE known bottles under the name Bonnington out there. Strangely enough, I can also say I own two of them; this rare cask of peated Bonnington, and the one we will taste today. There are however “John Crabbie” and “John Cree” whiskies released, amongst others, that are distilled at Bonnington too. 

As this has been a themed week of distillery visit blogs, two of them in Edinburgh/Leith, I want to include a hotspot and must-visit location in the city. I speak of the Tipsy Midgie Whisky Bar. After touring the Holyrood Distillery which is literally across the street, we decided to finish our Saturday night at this location. Owner Colin Hinds welcomed us with grace and a seemingly limitless amount of knowledge; not only of whisky mind you! You can see why this bar was named Bar of the Year in 2023 and 2024. When my dear Mrs. Amour was getting a tad hungry, Colin phoned up the Junk Bar & Restaurant to make sure they could squeeze our naughty (mandatory when eating at Junk) behinds in for a late night snack. We had a great meal there! 

The Tipsy Midgie has an extensive menu of a broad range of whisky to choose from. For me, this was an excellent opportunity to catch up on whisky that I had not tasted yet or is unavailable on mainland Europe. So after drinking the most recent Tamdhu Dalbeallie and Clynelish Special Release 2024, and being introduced to a before unknown bottler (Woodrow’s of Edinburgh, wow!), we got to talk about our distillery visits. And this is when the name Bonnington also dropped. That distillery was actually the one we did not get to see, moreover because they do not yet have a facility to accommodate that. But Colin did have the Inaugural Release of Bonnington in his bar. It was not the time for making a detailed tasting note for that, but honestly, it would not have been a positive review. This single cask, matured in a Ruby Port cask for the entire 3 years, makes me wonder what the long game is for Bonnington. They certainly did not care to put out a broadly available first release. And the port cask definitely makes the release rather outlandish, because you really have to like your whisky very sour and … vomity? How is that for a tasting note! Let’s just say that I am very curious to the more widely available release we will taste today. 

Before we get to that, I wonder how many people know there actually already was a Bonnington distillery once in Edinburgh. This fact was crawling in the back of my mind so I dug out Brian Townsend’s “Scotch Missed” again and found an entry for a Bonnington. There is a big historical fact connected to this old distillery, because it was the very first site in Scotland to operate a legal Coffey still. The distillery was up and running by 1798 and there has always been a strong tie to the famous Haig family. The distillery spent most of its years (until 1853, when it was closed) as a grain distillery. But a link still remains, because the warehouses are in use till this day, now known as Bonnington Bond. I have tried to find out if there is any connection between the two sites that share the name, but there does not seem to be one. The current day Bonnington is not devoid of whisky history either, but the focus is on entrepreneurs of the past. After the example of Irish whiskey and Johnnie Walker, there are lots of releases that carry the name of these men of the past. That is a novel approach, at least for a Scottish producer. A special mention before we go taste some, is the release of an inaugural from the Chain Pier Distillery. This was a “boutique pilot distillery” and was operated while Bonnington was under construction. This is collectable stuff; only 39 casks were produced.

Bonnington Sherry Cask, bottled at 47 % abv

First things first: This release is limited to 1500 bottles of single malt whisky that matured in American oak Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The whisky was bottled in 2024. An age is not stated but it is safe to assume we are close to the 3 to 4 year mark, as the distillery is not older than that. 

Upon Sipping: There we go! Lots of toffee and caramel on the nose, sultanas, dried plums, and maple syrup. The PX-casks did the heavy lifting here. A little bit further under the first obvious layers we find some herbal notes, wood spice and a hint of gunpowder. Fruity and malty, making a good combination. On first sip, a soft blanket covers the palate, releasing nice red fruits, mostly raspberry, with a slight sour tang. Having tasted the inaugural (with port) and now this one (with PX sherry), I can carefully conclude that strong (fortified) wines bring out a sour edge from the Bonnington spirit. On repeated sniffing, the gunpowder aroma increases, but not too bothersome to put the glass away. There is still enough room for apricot and tangerine to emerge after some longer breathing. The sourness on the palate walks a tight rope, leading to a slightly bitter finish. It has a nice warming touch to it, making this a fine dram for dark January evenings.

Word to the Wise: A good entry level single malt that is not overly complex but pleases the senses nonetheless. The PX is dominant, but it masks some vulnerable youthful elements. If anything, this effort makes me curious about a more naked version of Bonnington, to see what the spirit is like without the cloak of red fruit over it. On the other hand, this is also not your regular ‘give my whisky colour and a sweetness overdose and be done with it’ PX influence. There is something to conquer in this glass.

Score: 79 points.