WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE
Not Such a Secret After All
Blind Summit is a new name on Scottish whisky shelves. It is a single cask and small batch bottler, releasing various whiskies from distilleries across the country. It’s a small company of just two people, both of whom oversee the entirety of the process, from sourcing casks, to sampling, to reracking (where necessary), to delivery.
Blind Summit is based in Leith, an area which, in my opinion, is the highlight of any trip to Edinburgh. Each release features a unique image that is the result of a collaboration with artists and designers from the local community.
Early releases have seen drams from distilleries like Glentauchers, Fettercairn, Benriach, Dailuaine, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Mannochmore, Cameronbridge, Glencadam, and Ben Nevis. Quite the selection!
Unfortunately, the owners have decided to bottle in 50cl bottles for now, which is always slightly irksome, though the prices I’ve seen have been fairly reasonable, thus far. For the most part, the RRP seems to reflect the smaller quantity.
I picked up my bottle of Blind Summit at the Good Spirits Co, still, after 14 years, among the finest shops in this land. It is a “Secret Islay” expression, though we are given a step for a hint by its listing on the Blind Summit website as Secret Islay (A). I wonder what that could mean…
The whisky is 8 years old and has been finished in a virgin oak cask. Although that doesn’t quite tell the full story. The spirit was initially matured in refill bourbon before being transferred to an ex-Rum, ex-Cider cask and then finished in Virgin Oak. There were 160 bottles available and it’s bottled at 56.7%. The artwork on the label is by Francesca Pulisci.
Blind Summit Secret Islay (A) Review
Tasting notes: On the nose there’s toffee apples, runny honey, grassy malt and thick, peaty Islay smoke – all campfire ash and charred driftwood. There’s also new oak spice and Scottish tablet. The first thing I noticed on the palate was the lovely oily mouthfeel, there’s a bit of weight behind this and it carries the peat smoke beautifully. Even at 56%, there’s little in the way of heat, instead there’s caramel and milk chocolate, some nutmeg and aniseed.
Thoughts: From the list of components – ex-cider, ex-rum, virgin oak, peated malt… you’d be forgiven for expecting a bit of a mess from this dram but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a really nicely balanced wee drop with a bit of sweetness, a bit of dryness, a touch of spice and peat smoke that runs throughout yet never becomes overpowering. In short, it’s really bloody good.
Price: £80. I dislike 50cl bottles but Blind Summit’s releases are generally well priced. Most seem to come in around the £50 – £60 level and since the vast majority of independent bottlers are charging closer to £70 – £90 for their 70cl alternatives, it seems doable. Of course things tend to get more expensive when you bring Islay into the conversation. £80 is more than I’d like to pay for a dinky 50cl bottle but then it’s hard to compare it to the rest of the market, because there simply isn’t an awful lot of indie Ardbeg out there to compare it with. For me, it was good enough and unique enough, to warrant a purchase.
For more about Blind Summit visit here
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