After the launch of the Whiskyland series (August 2024) there is a steady stream of really good bottlings from Decadent Drinks. Today we’re trying the latest chapters five, seven and eight. Most of them seem to be sister casks of previous Whisky Sponge releases.
I don’t think I’ve received a sample of chapter six, but that could be a deliberate choice – I’m generally not the biggest fan of perfumed and flowery Bowmore from the 1980s. No urge to confirm this, thank you.
Tomatin 30 yo 1994 (51,6%, Decadent Drinks ‘Whiskyland’ 2024, refill hogshead, 230 btl.)
Nose: bright yellow fruits, with honey. Red apples, pears, guava and pineapples, as well as honeysuckle. Grapes and gooseberries, going back and forth between greener and more tropical fruits. Light chalky notes, hints of wisteria. Then a hint of vanilla in the distance, along with some scented candles.
Mouth: more fruit salad, mixing lime and tangerine with guava, green plums, pears and unripe mirabelles. Then hints of green tea and green bananas. The candles are back, leaving a waxy footprint, along with some citrus oils. Very nice honeyed notes, as well as a light oaky touch in the end.
Finish: quite long, with more sweet plums, crystallized ginger and waxy oak.
A rather Irish style of Tomatin, centered around fruits of different colours and continents. Very nice fruit salad. Probably a sister cask of the Whisky Sponge Tomatin 1994, but this one seems slightly wider. Available from Decadent Drinks or retailers such as The Whisky Exchange.
Springbank 30 yo 1994 (48,8%, Decadent Drinks ‘Whiskyland’ 2024, refill sherry hogshead, 247 btl.)
Nose: very elegant, with lots of berries hint of polished brassware and old Oloroso notes. It’s actually quite juicy, with hints of cognac, orange cake and drops of old Rivesaltes. Some mineral and waxy elements too, along with some furniture polish and sweet mint. Not much of the typical Springbank funk, except for a subtle earthy hint and tobacco in the background.
Mouth: still elegant, but now more pronouncedly Springbank. More berry juice, bright honey, along with walnut cake and savoury hints of herbs. Then the coastal side comes forward, together with soft peat and a hint of camphor. Old Oloroso runs throughout it. Beautiful musty notes underneath, as well as leather and cocoa nibs in the end.
Finish: medium to long, with more tobacco and waxy notes, nutty sherry and lingering fruits.
There are funky Springbank versions from sherry casks (like this Westie Sponge 1999), but this is an equally beautiful style, incredibly balanced and harmonious. It reminds me of its Whisky Sponge sister, but it’s rounder, fruitier and frankly better. A highlight of 2025, so soon in January? Sold out, as far as I can tell. Score: 93/100
Caol Ila 32 yo 1992 (51,8%, Decadent Drinks ‘Whiskyland’ 2024, refill hogshead, 210 btl.)
Nose: instant maritime notes. Iodine, wet rocks, brine and green pepper. Refined peat smoke (wood ash), as well as rubbed lemon skins and sea salt. Then some greener notes, like fresh grass and pine needles. Menthol and mineral oils too.
Mouth: the kind of mineral sharpness that reminds us of late 1970s Port Ellen, perfectly matched to a lightly sweet, waxy note. Oyster juice, fisherman’s rope, herbal tea and plenty of brine. Then back to an almost syrupy and oily layer of citrus, yellow apple and squid ink, as well as light caramel. A gentle peatiness with an underlying peppery note.
Finish: long, peppery, still showing this sweet layer along with green tea and earthy smoke.
A very elegant and refined Caol Ila, much like the early 1980s releases that we saw ten years ago, though perhaps slightly richer. Mineral and coastal, but showing an above average sweetness too. Excellent. Available from Decadent Drinks, or The Whisky Exchange, or Royal Mile Whiskies for instance. Score: 91/100