Let’s face it; I am a fan of independent bottlers of Scotch whisky. What is an independent bottler you might ask though? We touched on this topic briefly last week, but let me get into it a little more now. An independent bottler, or IB, doesn’t actually distill or “make” any whisky. Instead, the IB samples individual casks from various distilleries all over Scotland and chooses which ones it wants to purchase and ultimately bottle. IB’s offer a unique glimpse into a distillery’s character that you normally would not be able to experience from their standard releases. Normally distilleries strive for consistency when they release their standard expressions. This means that multiple casks are combined until a consistent flavor is achieved.

The thing is, each cask can have a unique flavor – two casks sitting side by side that were
filled with the same spirit can ultimately have two distinct flavors. This is where the IB’s
come in and allow us to experience these variations. IB releases are predominantly single
cask releases. Once all of the bottles are sold of a specific cask, that whisky is gone
forever! Some examples of IB’s are A.D. Rattray, Duncan Taylor, Murray McDavid, Old
Malt Cask, Provenance and Signatory.

Chieftains is another IB, however it was not widely available in the US until a couple
of months ago. So when I learned that K and L Wines was hosting a tasting for the
complete US lineup on July 13, I signed up immediately. The event was limited to 35
people and filled up quickly. It was a little bit of a trek to make the tasting: Martin’s
West in Redwood City, but I was betting it was going to be worth it.

The lineup was quite extensive, covering varying regions and flavor profiles: Allt A
Bhainne 31, Dalmore 11, Glencadam 22, Glenrothes 14, Longmorn 13, Linkwood 16,
and the great Port Ellen 25.
Allt A Bhainne is a fairly obscure distillery and not many people know about it. It is
located in the Speyside region and is used primarily for Chivas Regal blends. So it
is very rare to get the opportunity to try a single malt Allt A Bhainne. This malt was
surprisingly lively for its age – full bodied, butter, grassy with a slight hint of smoke
which was also a surprise.

Dalmore is a distillery that we are a lot more familiar with. It is located in the Highland
region of Scotland and generally has deep-sweet flavors. This malt was enhanced in a
Madeira cask. I found the Dalmore to be rather underwhelming unfortunately. There
was some tropical fruit sweetness, caramel, you can taste the wine influence but it faded
rather quickly.

Glencadam is another Highland malt but it does not release many single malts. The
Glencadam was viscous and chewy with lots of malt. There was some licorice and grain
notes with some fruit underneath it all – a decent dram.

Glenrothes is a very well known distillery out of the Speyside region. This Glenrothes
was finished in a Burgundy cask to add some wine flavors. The distinctive dark red fruits
and sweetness immediately came to the forefront. The wood was definitely present as well.

Linkwood, like Glenrothes, resides in the Speyside region of Scotland. However, you
probably won’t find a bottle of Linkwood at your local bar. My first thought was WOW!
Big fruit, malt and green apples. I also found flowers and some heather in the palate. I
really enjoyed this malt, it tasted almost like a Lowland malt to me. A big surprise.

Longmorn is a neighbor of Linkwood in Speyside. This malt had baked bread, oak and
grain with a slight hint of smoke. Unfortunately, it faded really fast and I didn’t find it all
that interesting.

Finally, I was able to taste the Port Ellen. For those that don’t know, Port Ellen is one
of the most sought after malts out there. Port Ellen, located in the Islay regions, was
demolished in 1982 making whatever was left aging in barrels at that time the last whisky
to ever be produced from this distillery. Unfortunately, the price point for Port Ellen’s
is extremely high and keeps increasing as the years go by and the stocks of the whisky
dwindle. This Port Ellen was a nicely balanced malt. A perfect balance of peat, coastal
brine, seaweed, smoke and ashes.

Over all the Chieftain’s line up is solid but to be honest I was expecting a little more. I
really enjoyed the Linkwood and the Port Ellen. The others weren’t bad but they didn’t
stand out for me. It is nice to see another IB enter into the US market. I am hoping that
Chieftains line will flourish and continue to grow so that we can all experience different
and unique flavors from more great distilleries.