An introduction to Fragrant Drops (with wine casks)
Today’s Long Pour Session is dedicated to my handyman. This incredibly enthusiastic guy is a heaven-send for me, since I truly have two left hands. So, even for hanging up a painting, I am only good enough to keep the vacuum cleaner up to where he is drilling holes in my wall. When Marcel visited my house for the first time, he could not miss the cabinet with a large part of my whisky collection. This is where we found out we both dearly love this fantastic drink from Scotland, and we have been shoving back and forth samples every now and then. In case you are wondering, he does his work before we start drinking of course!
Marcel brought me some heavy hitters the last time he visited, mostly high on alcohol and lots of peat, which is totally his preference. By doing so, he also introduced me to Fragrant Drops, an independent bottler series I had heard off but never tasted anything from. The company is a project by George Keeble and Rachel Dixon, who run the Keeble Cask Company. The website looks lovely and judging by the whiskies in my glass today, George and Rachel must be quite adventurous, as these samples are nothing regular. Shall we dive in?
Caol Ila 2015, 9 years old, bottled at 57,2 % abv by Keeble Cask Company
First things first: This Caol Ila was distilled on 2 July 2015 and bottled on 22 July 2024 after partly (3 years) maturing in a Margaux Barrique, with the cask number being #315458. It produced 260 bottles. Margaux is one of the most famous Bordeaux wines.
Upon Sipping: If there is one spirit that stands up to anything and make it work, then it is Caol Ila. I have tasted it on sherry, port, wine, you name it, it always delivers. Strong meaty and barbecue notes that make you hungry and full of anticipation to go down on it. It is whisky in the glass, but it smells like a sizzling steak. Venison haunch with red wine, that is it, and put some redcurrant on top of it. Delicious. One would think you would be reading a menu here, but it is a whisky tasting note. The taste is nothing short of amazing either, with lots of these red marmalades that are just melting on top of a slightly burned piece of meat. The mouthfeel is incredibly soft, so the wine cask has left the traditional oily Caol Ila spirit well alive. It is all so balanced that I fear to put a splash of water in.
Undiluted, this Caol Ila comes off squeaky clean, and that is not a given with wine cask maturation. With water: more fragrant aromas that are floral in nature, like a mixed bouquet of summer flowers. The palate gets spoiled with an even softer touch, sweet ‘n sour berries now more pronounced. The finish is very rewarding, but eventually the tongue gets a bit dry, an inevitable characteristic of wine matured whisky, these damn tannins.
Word to the Wise: This whisky is very deserving of a “long pour” treatment, one you can easily take an hour of time with, enjoy a book or a cigar … both at the same time, whatever your fancy. This Caol Ila was a thrill.
Score: 88 points
Secret Orkney 2014, 10 years old, bottled at 64,1 % abv by Keeble Cask Company
First things first: Distilled on 28 May 2014 and bottled on 19 July 2024 after a full 10 years in a Bordeaux Barrique. Unlike the Caol Ila, there is no mention of Margaux, so maybe another Chateau? Cask # 255 produced 187 bottles at a whopping 64,1 % abv. The colour is crimson red.
Upon Sipping: If colour influences you to enjoy a whisky even more, this must be an orgasmic one. Not even PX-casks colour a whisky so profoundly deep. Unlike Caol Ila, this Orkney (of which we presume comes from the Highland Park Distillery) turns dirty rather quickly. We know some gunpowder examples from sherry casks in the old days. The wine cask gave off a lot of the red fruits you might expect. The smoky influence is toned down way more than with the Caol Ila. Asian spices remain, and indeed some sulphury components. This continues on the palate, lots of spices and ‘gunpowder’, with touches of iron. Alcohol hotness is not really an issue here, but let’s bring it down a bit to see what more there is. Yeah, more of the same, but amplified.
I know whole tribes of whisky enthusiasts that would tumble over each other to drink this. It is bold and powerful, no discussion there, but you need to be a fan of this dirty style. The taste does improve though, turning more sweetened, like eating barbecued strawberries that have been dipped in chocolate.
Word to the Wise: Quite an experience, this Highland Park. Big and bold, a heavy hitter that suits my friend Marcel perfectly. Nothing subtle about it, just powerful flavours and sensations. Fitting to be put in a bottle that carries the name ‘fragrant drops’.
Score: 84 points
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