Long overdue, but this bottle here, An Orkney 16 year old, is Watt Whisky’s inaugural release (bottled for the Watt Whisky Buds), the label of Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd, the company of Mark and Kate Watt.
Between them, they have more than 40 years of experience in the whisky industry. We mainly know Mark from his years at Cadenhead and before that Duncan Taylor, Kate worked for years in sales & marketing at Springbank and later also at Glenfarclas. More recently, she has also hosted quite a few tastings and walking tours in Campbeltown. It was therefore not entirely surprising that they would eventually join forces.
Thanks to the very successful crowdfunding campaign, they were eventually able to take the brave step of founding The Campbeltown Whisky Company and that is also how the Watt Whisky label was created, with which they have now released two batches.
However, this Orkney was released just before the first batch, as this was the first cask that was bottled especially for the crowdfunders, the Watt Whisky Buds.
This Orkney is a marriage of 2 hogsheads, rested in a brandy butt for 3 months. Bottled at a strength of 59.1% ABV.
An Orkney 16 year old tasting notes:
Nose: a trace of smoke and heather. Raisins and cherries. A hint of oranges. Caramel fudge and toffee. Honey. A touch of fresh milk, oddly enough. Somewhat earthy and later also grapefruit.
Taste: honey and smoke. Red grape peels. Oranges. Gooseberries in the very back. Oatmeal. Caramel fudge and milk chocolate. Later also a hint of cane sugar, it gets quite sweet now. Slightly peppery, ginger and cloves.
Finish: long with a bit of peat, honey and oranges. A touch of oak and the same spices as on the palate.
Ok, before I tasted it I was a bit sceptical about the Brandy cask finish. And I really had to taste it a few times before I could really give my opinion on this because it is quite unusual in some respects. But I really like it. The brandy cask and the Orkney spirit work together very nicely, which is especially noticeable on the palate.
