A Scot on Scotch

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

Brave New Spirits’ WhiskyHeroes

Brave New Spirits is an independent bottler, blender and soon-to-be distiller based in Glasgow. They bottle whiskies under various brands, including Voodoo, Cask Noir and the WhiskyHeroes range. The latter is a series of single-cask and small-batch whiskies, traditionally matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

Defender of the Crown is a single malt distilled at Annandale in the southwest of Scotland. This distillery was originally established in 1830 on the outskirts of Annan but closed down in 1921 and lay dormant until 2014 when the site was restored and a new distillery installed under the guidance of the late whisky consultant, Dr Jim Swan.

Having had some experience with Annandale’s whisky in the past, I can vouch for the distillery’s ability to produce quality whisky, though I’m yet to be fully convinced about its consistency. I’ve had some great drams but also encountered a few that fell flat. There’s also the small matter of the marketing of the spirit which has gone in some interesting directions, to say the least. Perhaps most confusingly of all was the decision to bottle everything as either Man-o-Words or Man-o-Sword. Throw in an exclusive single-cask bottling policy and some stiff pricing and you have a tough sell.

In fairness, Brave New Spirits is no stranger to bold branding. This Annandale is named Defender of the Crown. I presume, like Annandale’s own Man-o-Sword, this is a reference to Robert the Bruce: King of Scots, Earl of Carrick, 7th Lord of Annandale, spider voyeur and sender-homeward of Proud Edward and his army. It’s a cool name, to be fair.

*Full disclosure: the whisky featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

“Defender of the Crown” Annandale Review

This single malt was distilled at Annandale in the Scottish lowlands. It was aged for 8 years in a first-fill oloroso sherry butt and bottled at 52.9%.

Tasting notes: Rich sherry with dried fruits, raisins and sultanas, figs and sticky toffee pudding. There’s orange and lemon peel, dark chocolate and oak with black pepper. Likewise, the sherry leads on the palate with all the dried fruits up-front. That’s followed by some tingly, peppery spice and dark chocolate. Thick, runny honey. There’s a wee wave of smoke just as it moves into the finish which is long and oaky.

Thoughts: This is another strange one from Annandale. Having sampled a few peated drams from the distillery, I expected a bit more smoke to come through but there’s little evidence of peat in the nose and it only really comes through the palate in the finish. Prior to that, it’s all about the cask. The sherry seriously dominates but on the plus side, there’s a nice weight to the liquid that can just about carry such a highly active cask. Perhaps you could argue that there’s a lack of balance. The smoke, when it eventually comes through, feels disjointed. Even after a splash of water, I thought there was a lack of harmony there. It’s a shame because it’s almost a good dram. The weight on the palate and the rich sherry arrival are enjoyable but it rather falls apart after that. Close, but not quite for me.

Notes: £72.90. The pricing of official bottlings from Annandale has been, to say the least, baffling. So much so, at £72, this 8-year-old is probably the most reasonable I’ve seen, so fair play to Brave New Spirits for that. Sadly, it doesn’t quite hit the spot for me.

For more about Brave New Spirits visit here

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