Chorlton Whisky Ben Nevis 17yr bourbon barrel 48.8% and Sutherland 5yr blend (2024 edition) 48.5%

I’ve paired these tasting notes as there are similarities between the 2 and they make for a super side by side. I’ve been lucky enough to have chosen quite a few Ben Nevis single casks for a variety of bottlers and investment groups over the years and would say Ben Nevis is a distillery I know well and love. The Sutherland blend is something that has stuck with me since the exceptional 2022 bottling and has malts from distilleries I love- Dornoch, Clynelish, (and Brora ????- teaspooned).

Chorlton Whisky Ben Nevis 17yr bourbon barrel 48.8% Chorlton whisky have established themselves as bottlers of quality and evidently have access to some great casks across the industry. This is another example.

Nose: Classic BN vanilla cream, pineapple tinned and grilled, icing sugar, real marshmallow, ripe red apple and a faint touch of demerara, vanilla pods and a little white chocolate - this is presented as ‘bourbon barrel’ and I’m finding it hard not to think this isn’t a 1st fill barrel. Arrival: Creamy and oily (yes!) with buckets of vanilla, buttery mille feuille with burnt sugars, a little olive oil and again lots of pineapple- juice and grilled, light orchard fruits and white peaches. Juicy and chewy for sure. The 17yrs is understated and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is 12-14 in age, none of the dusty leathery notes we find in older BN. Even at 48.8% and 17yrs this benefits from a couple of drops of water and the scotch mist comes quickly and heavily. Finish: The finish is medium length and remains as sweet as the arrival and development. Chewy and oily but missing a dry or bitter element. Verdict: A decent BN, classic traits, well priced at £90 but not one I’m frantic for a back up bottle 85/100

Sutherland 5yr blend (2024 edition) 48.5% This is the whisky that turned me on to (excellent) young malt, admittedly the Dornoch component is the youngest at 5yrs, Clynelish several 9yr casks and a teaspoon of Brora. The quality is undeniable and drinks far beyond its age. It also highlights the promise of expertly blended malts as this has a perfect harmony to it.

Nose: Vanilla, tropical fruits like pineapple and a touch of mango, dusty books, toffee apples and icing sugar, buttery pastry Arrival: oh wow, all the vanilla notes are amplified, cotton candy, those cheap foamy banana sweets from childhood, spun sugars, butter and excellent olive oil, this is chewy, thick and mouth coating and a leathery dusty edge that suggests age. Clynelish to the fore here. The Dornoch spirit is always great and this marries brilliantly here. What a super example of Highland character. Finish: Medium long, oily, chewy with a sweet element that turns dry- great.

This is a superb example of what can be made when taking traditional production methods and a love for the process, Thompson Bros through and through. Whilst this is excellent, for me, the 2022 bottling was a point or two better 87/100. Thanks for indulging me in my first tasting notes here, plenty more to come x