Islay Archives - More drams, less drama

Islay Blended Malt 2009 Thomson Brothers

10th December 202310th December 2023Coldorak

Phil and Simon Thomson, the founders of Dornoch Distillery, are well known in the whisky industry. Independent bottlers, they’re also the owners of the famous Dornoch Castle Hotel Bar, which boasts a fantastic selection of bottles. The Thomson Brothers have already released more than 370 bottles and are known for their indy bottling branch, which usually releases whiskies through a ballot as they are highly sought after. In 2017, they started producing their own whisky at Dornoch Distillery, which has already gained a reputation for producing an already internationally acclaimed single malt whisky. The Thomson Brothers have recently been granted permission to build a new distillery in Dornoch South, which will be carbon-neutral and sustainable. But it’s their indy bottling branch that interests us today, as we try an Islay Blended Malt 2009 that the Thomson Brothers released in 2021.

Bowmore 25-year-old (2021)

28th November 2022Coldorak

We’ve tried a couple of Bowmore already on More Drams, and they were stunning, but they were both from independent bottlers, and at cask strength. One was a single cask that came from La Maison Du Whisky in its Artist series, and the other was a small batch from the SMWS. But obviously, the central Islay based distillery has an official range. And, poor me, the only sample I have from the high-end part of the range, thanks to my friend Aurélien, and Bowmore‘s French ambassador Antoine. So thanks to them, let’s review this Bowmore 25-year-old.

Quick review: Islay #3 13yo batch 4 TBWC

15th December 201924th December 2019Coldorak

Behind the fifteenth window of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s 2019 Advent Calendar we will be reviewing each day until the 24th of December was hidden an undisclosed Islay #3 13yo batch 4, bottled at 48.6% abv by that Boutique-y Whisky Company. The label is inspired by the movies Back to the Future, but replaced Doc and Marty by Jon and Mike from LivingRoom Whisky after they won at (I copy-paste it as I’m sure I can’t write that without typing wrong) That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s “Islay Ultra Competition Showdown Throwdown Extravaganza To The Extreme Lucky Best Time”. No idea what that is, but they won. Great Scott! It’s available on Master of Malt for a steep £119.95, let’s find out if it’s worth it, and if we can guess the distillery.