We all consider Lindores Abbey to be the spiritual home of Scotch Whisky, with the fist recorded distillation in 1494 of aqua vitae. In 2017, spirit started flowing from new copper stills at Lindores Distillery, a modern plant near the ancient ruins, and their first single malt was released in July 2021.
Actually there are two releases: the Lindores Single Malt MCDXCIV and this Lindores MCDXCIV Commemorative release. Both contain the same Lowland spirit, the difference lies merely in a small mark on the label. The whisky was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and STR red wine barriques from Burgundy. It is now three and a half years old.
Lindores Abbey MCDXCIV ‘Commemorative First Release’ (46%, OB 2021, 12,750 btl.)
Nose: quite light and fruity, with bags of Granny Smith apples and lemon peels. Pear drops and hints of fresh pastry and bread dough. Meadow flowers. Vanilla, minty notes, and maybe a light nutty note in the background. Simple but pleasant already.
Mouth: a nice oily texture, but quite a few harsher notes now. Pepper, nutmeg and clove, a big grainy core, some aniseed and vague hints of apple skins. Light caramel. More lemons, a little beer. None of the casks seem to have the upper hand (good) but the wood spice is altogether rather loud.
Finish: fairly short, with peppery oak, a bitter edge and vanilla.
This is quite a good 3 year-old, even though there’s nothing really that makes it stand out from the crowd. A lot of start-ups deliver high quality these days (Dornoch, Torabhaig, Bimber…) so it remains to be seen which position Lindores is able to achieve in the market, hopefully with slightly less active wood. The general release is still available from The Whisky Exchange, in case you’re interested.