Oxhead Whisky sent us samples of a couple of recent bottlings. It’s quite hard to find information about this Singapore-based bottler (at the time of writing I can’t seem to access their website), but they seem to have good taste.
We start wih a Blended Scotch, which contains 70% malt whisky and 30% grain. A cryptic message that accompanied the sample indicates it contains Bunnahabhain, Glenlivet, Highland Park, Macallan and Glenrothes, along with Invergordon and North British. I expect this to come from the same batch of casks that gave us the Maiden’s Blend releases.
Blended Scotch 26 yo (44,9%, Oxhead Whisky ‘Dram-Addicts’ 2024, sherry butt #117359, 286 btl.)
Nose: fruit cake and hints of vanilla pastry, with mild hints of chocolate and nougat. Gets increasingly more fruity over time, with tangerines, light cherries, plums and bananas. Raisins too, obviously. Then also a subtle hint of oak polish. Very elegant.
Mouth: still a bright fruity core, with more oranges, tangerines, berries and quince jelly. Herbal honey, as well as some ginger and baking spice. Walnut cake, a little vanilla and gingerbread, hints of biscuits, as well as some coppery notes. Hint of tea, which gradually evolve towards cold coffee. Hardly any grainy notes by the way.
Finish: long, more leafy now. Still oranges and mild baking spice. Now there’s a slightly sharpness of the grain components.
A really beautiful blend, offering depth, nicely fruity sherry and high drinkability. It doesn’t feel blend-like either, making this a perfect daily dram.
The next one is an undisclosed Speyside malt, but the label design doesn’t leave any doubt as to the distillery.
Speyside Single Malt 21 yo (55,3%, Oxhead Whisky 2024, Oloroso hogshead #4593, 195 btl.)
Nose: fairly juicy sherry again, on oranges, sultanas, mirabelles and even a hint of mango. Wee hints of marmalade, lime and mead, along with beautiful furniture polish. Then just a hint of coconut and baked apple, as well as a biscuity hint.
Mouth: light and clean. Plenty of oranges now, evolving towards grapefruit and cooked apple, along with green melon and lemon curd. Hints of muesli and ale, as well as anise. In the end some walnut, light tobacco and orange cordial comes out.
Finish: medium to long, bittersweet, with oranges in the lead. Light mint and greener oak appears late.
Very solid whisky, in line with some of the middle-aged Family Casks. Only towards the finish there is a younger, greener side that appears, lowering the complexity. Score: 88/100
Caol Ila 14 yo 2008 (55,3%, Oxhead Whisky ‘Spirit Medicine’ 2023, hogshead #322483)
Nose: olive oil and plenty of sunflower oil. Some vegetal and savoury notes, brine, oysters and a good dose of bonfire ashes. Then green apple (browning), whiffs of bandages and just a little porridge. Sesame seeds and scorched lemons as well.
Mouth: raw peat smoke, mixed with brine and lemons. The fundamental elements of Coal Ila, right? There’s a nice waxy texture, along with sea shells, almonds and black peppercorns. Still a vegetal undertone.
Finish: long, smoky and briny, with a fizzy touch, vegetal oils and dried grass.
Nothing groundbreaking here, just a very fine, typical Caol Ila with an above-average weight and a focus on vegetal oils. Score: 87/100