A Scot on Scotch

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

A distillery of historical significance..?

A Scot on Scotch reviews a lowland single malt from Lindores Abbey Distillery in Fife and explores the history behind the site. Casks of Lindores Sherry Butts is a sherry matured take on the Lindores single malt.

Lindores Abbey Distillery celebrates a particular chapter in the history of Scotch whisky. The story goes that King James IV took a fancy for a wee dram and called on his favourite monk to make it for him… “To Friar John Cor, VIII bolls of malt, wherewith to make aquavitae”. That’s how the information appears in the exchequer rolls of 1494. It is the earliest written record of the distillation of whisky in Scotland.

I’ve highlighted the word written there, because it is an important point to note. The general consensus is whisky came from the west so there’s close to zero chance that it began in the Kingdom of Fife on Scotland’s eastern coast. It also seems more than a coincidence that the forces of the self same James IV sacked Finlaggan, less than a year before.

Finlaggan was the seat of the Kings of the Isles, a successful dynasty of rulers that had lasted almost five centuries. When that kingdom finally fell, the victor, in this case, James IV, had their records destroyed. Their history, their achievements, their learning were all put to the torch. So while no evidence exists, it seems a safe bet that there might have been the odd mention of uisge beatha within the halls of Finlaggan on the Gaelic island of Islay.

Where does Lindores come in?

The late whisky (and beer) scribe, Michael Jackson, seems to have started the whole thing off. He apparently showed up at Lindores Abbey one day, convinced that it was the base for Friar John Cor. What evidence he had for that seems fairly vague at this point because very little is actually known about John Cor, other than that he was a monk who had a good relationship with the King. From what my frantic googling could tell, historians don’t have any strong opinions as to where he might have been based. Maybe it was Fife, maybe it wasn’t.

Nevertheless, the family that owned the ruined Abbey decided to run with the story and it would be safe to say that they’ve made quite a go of it. The ruined abbey might not seem the most logical place to build a new distillery but the Lindores distillery is a truly beautiful sight and the whisky it produces has been of a reliably high standard thus far.

Whether or not the abbey was home to Friar Cor is a mystery but archaeological digs have uncovered fire pits that look suspiciously like those found under traditional copper pot stills. It seems someone was producing whisky here, even if it wasn’t John, himself. Personally, I love to see this exploration of whisky’s ancient history. We know so little about the spirit’s origins and there are so many stories that have been lost to the mists of time. The more we uncover, the more fascinating the picture becomes.

Casks of Lindores II Sherry Butts Review

Casks of Lindores was a series of bottlings that showcased the three key cask types in the distillery’s warehouses: bourbon barrels, STR casks and sherry butts. This release focuses on the latter. It’s fully matured in ex-sherry butts and bottled at 49.4% abv.

Tasting notes: We’re in proper Sherry bomb territory here. The nose has everything you’d expect… dried fruits, baking spices, new leather, rolling tobacco. Orange liqueur. A touch of oak char and dark chocolate in the back. The palate has more of the chocolate with a touch of coffee. Chocolate orange creams. Turns quite oaky in the middle with dry spice round the sides. More dried fruits. More tobacco. A splash of water brought out some sweet honey and even caramel.

Thoughts: There’s a nice texture to the spirit which helps to carry the sherry. That, and a complete lack of any spirit heat makes this dram really sippable. The sherry character leans towards the sweeter side of oloroso, something I personally appreciate as a fully certified sweet tooth. The only touch of dryness comes in at the end and acts as a nice counterpoint to all the chocolate / raisin / orange sweetness. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a Lindores sherry bomb but this is excellent.

Price: £60. Surprisingly good. A no-brainer for sherry lovers.

For more about Lindores Abbey visit here

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