I prefer to use small independent whisky shops whenever possible, unlike the bigger retailers they get to know you and will tell you when something similar to something you like comes up again.
Stevie's Drams is a small shop in the Shores Mall on the southern shore of Loch Lomond, they have great relationships with local distilleries and have had a number of exclusive single casks.
I didn't buy their first Glasgow 1770 bottling but @mgilberties did and I got to try it on our recent Islay trip.
We were all impressed and when Stevie's told us they had a second in stock I had to get one! Let's compare the pair!
| Dram | Stevie's Drams Winter 2022 Exclusive | Stevie's Drams Anniversary Exclusive |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 52.2% ABV, NCF, Natural colour Mix of peated and unpeated spirit Ex-bourbon with 2yr Virgin oak (Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky) finish. 52 bottles | 60.5% ABV, NCF, Natural colour Peated to 50PPM D: 17 Jul '16, B: 23 Dec '21 Ex-bourbon with 2yr Virgin oak (Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky) finish. 42 bottles |
| Distillery notes | Sweet smoke, orchard fruits, black peppercorn spice. | Sweet smoke, dark fruits, rich vanilla & spice. |
| My thoughts: | ||
| Appearance |  | |
| Light gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin jagged line, form small beads and fall as slow thin legs. | Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, form large beads and fall as slow thick legs. | |
| Nose | Gentle heathery peat smoke, tropical fruit and a hint of salinity. There's some citrus, vanilla cheesecake and a hint of peppery spice. | Thick, nearly medicinal peat smoke, tropical fruit, old leather and a hint of salinity. |
| Palate | Thick sweet arrival, honey, caramel and brown sugar, then the spice kicks in - black pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. There's notes of thick black treacle, milk chocolate and penny toffees. There's a little salinity and some sour citrus. The smoke is here but hiding in the background waiting for the liquid to disappear. | Another thick sweet arrival, the smoke is to the fore on this one, the spice follows along much later. The higher ABV is noticeable. Cinder toffee, brown sugar and honey give some sweetness, tropical fruit notes of charred pineapple and apricot enhance the dry smoke notes. There's a little dried fruit, salinity and some sour citrus as the liquid disappears. Yummy! |
| Finish | Lingering dry smoke, spice and tropical fruit. | Lingering dry smoke, spice and tropical fruit. |
| Overall | These were both small bottlings, yes 50cl, but also only 52 and 42 bottles so I'm guessing they were what was left in the cask after a bigger bottling for someone else? 1770 wouldn't give me any more details! Unfortunately this means they'll be hard to get hold of, but boy are they worth it! The first a mixture of 50% peated and 50% unpeated spirit at a slightly lower ABV reflects well on the spirit Glasgow DC are putting out, the second 100% peated does too but I think the higher ABV and extra peat gives a better dram. Although they must be using the same peat the 100% peated spirit is more chewy and mouthcoating than the 50:50 - maybe the higher ABV helps? The Virgin Oak finish on both of these drams add vanilla and toffee notes with a huge bite of spice - Yummy! If you can't get one of these look our for future Virgin Oak Limited Editions! | |
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| @BillyCowan's 1770 collection |
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