WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE
A modern distillery, surrounded by the past
A Scot on Scotch samples the latest release from Lindores Abbey Distillery in Fife.
There aren’t many distilleries in Scotland that feel as connected to history as Lindores Abbey. It is a modern, contemporary distillery but it is surrounded by the ruins of the past. The abbey itself dates from the 12th century and was disestablished in 1559. It’s relevance to the whisky world, however, falls towards the end of that lifespan.
The earliest written record of distillation in Scotland dates from 1494, when the Royal Exchequer Rolls mention “eight bolls of malt” bequeathed to one Friar John Cor “wherewith to make aqua vitae”. Very little is known about John Cor, or even where he was based, but the renowned whisky writer Michael Jackson was convinced the monk resided at Lindores and that interest in the location planted a seed that would grow to become the distillery we see today.
The Lindores team worked with Dr Jim Swan, a respected and much-missed distilling expert and consultant to design their distillery. Swan’s trademarks can be seen in various ways, not least through the deployment of twin spirit stills in the distillation regime, a set-up designed to increase copper contact in the spirit run. Throw in the use of rejuvenated wine casks using the Shaved, Toasted and Recharred (STR) process and you have some of Dr Swan’s greatest hits.
Production began in late 2017, and the distillery introduced its debut single malt in 2021. Thus far, my experience of the Lindores dram has been very positive. The Casks of Lindores expression (which I reviewed here) was very good indeed.
The Lindores team kindly sent me a sample of their latest release. It’s taken me a while to get round to it but the time has finally come to try it out. Let’s see what it has to offer…
Lindores Abbey Friar John Cor Chapter III Review
The Friar John Cor Chapter III was matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, amontillado and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks before being finished in refill sherry butts. It’s bottled at a cask strength of 60.2%.
Tasting notes: The nose is really appealing from the offset. It’s nutty and rich with a touch of sweetness – like treacle and golden syrup – and some toffee and vanilla fudge. It then arrives on the palate in a burst of sherry, with the sweetness of the PX to the fore. There’s all the dried fruits you’d expect, like raisins and sultanas, there’s the nuttiness of the amontillado, the vanilla oak of the bourbon and some gentle cinnamon and ginger spice. The finish is long with lingering spice and oak.
Thoughts: This is a really enjoyable wee drop. It comes together well despite what seems, on the face of it, quite a lot of different components. Lindores seems to be really finding its feet. The early releases showed a wee touch of immaturity but that seems to be shifting. Of course, there’s nothing like big old sherry casks to cover up a few flaws in a spirit but it doesn’t feel like that’s happening. Instead, it feels like Lindores is coming of age – not to mention showing a real tendency to work very well with sherry oak. A distillery, and a single malt, that are very much on the up.
Price: £70. It’s not exactly cheap but it’s in line with cask strength releases from other distilleries.
For more about Lindores Abbey visit here
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