Signatory Vintage 100 Proof

Signatory Vintage have been releasing a series of 100 Proof bottlings over the last 6 months or so...

Let's find out a little more.

Independent bottler Signatory has a new range called Signatory Vintage 100 Proof Edition. It fills a gap in their portfolio where a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) meets lower prices. 

100 Imperial Proof, the original UK alcoholic strength classification, is equivalent to 57.1% ABV.  

Alcohol proof (usually termed simply "proof" in relation to a beverage) is a measure of the content of ethanol (alcohol) in an alcoholic beverage. Our good friends at Customs & Excise imposed different levies depending on the strength of the alcohol, and so needed proof of the spirit’s strength.

The term was originally used in England and from 1816 was equal to about 1.75 times the percentage of  ABV. A small amount of the alcohol would be mixed with gunpowder, and if the the gunpowder could still ignite the spirit was 'proved' - a useful safety measure for naval warships. A safer – and somewhat more scientific – test was invented in 1740 thanks to Customs & Excise’s adoption of the Clark hydrometer, which itself was usurped in 1816 by scientist Bartholomew Sikes’ version, whose use was enshrined in law in 1818.

Mainland European distillers, however, used a different method which was devised in 1824 by French scientist Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac. This calculated strength as being a percentage of alcohol by volume in a solution of distilled water at a temperature of 20C. In time, the Gay-Lussac method became the standard way of measuring alcoholic strength and on January 1980 the UK bade farewell to Sikes’ method and legally ratified an adapted Gay-Lussac system of using alcohol by volume as the standard measure. You may see ‘GL’ as a suffix on old bottlings.

The proof system was replaced by the easier to understand alcohol by volume (ABV) on booze labels in 1980. The definition of proof in terms of ABV varies from country to country, in the United States, alcohol proof is defined as twice the percentage of ABV. 

On to the bottles...

So far all but one of the bottlings is labelled sherry matured but there's no mention of whether these are full term maturation in sherry casks or a finish, some seem to be lacking in sherry influence, especially the Staoisha, but it goes without saying that most of these are heavily sherried and any hint of distillery character will have been wiped out, so let's not mention it again but instead concentrate on 15 sherried whiskies!

Let's see how they taste...

Edition	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
Dram	Ben Nevis 2019	Tullibardine 2015	Blair Athol 2014	Ardmore 2010	Ben Nevis 2015
Characteristics	4yo RF Oloroso Butts Heavily Peated 2,988 bottles	8yo FF Oloroso Butts 2,949 bottles	9yo FF Oloroso Butts 2,680 bottles	13yo FF Oloroso Butts 2,804 bottles	8yo FF & RF Oloroso Butts
	57.1% ABV Natural Colour, NCF
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up and fall as slow thin legs.	Bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack, bead up slowly and take an age to fall as slow thin oily legs.	Dark bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.	Bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thick legs.	Bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Huge peat smoke notes to start, bonfire on a beach, seared steak, bacon crisps, burnt rubber. A little musty note, some struck match and a hint of dark fruit.	Berries and cherries, dried fruit soaked in sherry. Dark chocolate with some toffee and brown sugar suggesting some sweetness. A lovely musty plum note and some orange peel.	Black Forest Gateaux to start, some strawberries drizzled in balsamic vinegar, a little mustiness and some walnuts. There's a little sulphury struck match note and some grated dark chocolate.	Gentle heathery peat smoke, rubber, grilled pineapple. A musty, earthy, pine needle note. There's a lovely heavily sherried fruit note with cherries, figs and dates.	Obviously different from the peated Ben Nevis, this one is more like the Blair Athol: musty and dark. There's sherried dried fruit, prunes and plums. A dark chocolate covered marzipan note with a little walnut.
Palate	Thick dry and ashy to start, a little peppery spice and some sour citrus. To be honest there's not too much sherry influence here - this is more a 'standard' young peated Nevis. A little harsh but very drinkable. There's an ashy smoke, orange zest and liquorice note left on the tongue as the liquid disappears.	Thick sweet arrival, sherry forward, reminds me of the early A'Bunadh batches. Toffee, brown sugar and pineapple notes gives way to tart plums, figs and a clove spice. Nutty dark chocolate, a little drying and spicy as the liquid disappears.	Thick creamy arrival, sweet and very drying. Oloroso to the fore: dates, figs, prunes, dried fruit, black cherries and a little orange zest. Dark chocolate with walnuts and almonds. There's a blackcurrant note with some bitter coffee. No sign of the sulphur from the nose.	Thick and sweet: honey and drying icing sugar to start. There's caramel and tropical fruit, a little smoke and some salinity. Plums, dates and figs give the thick black fruit note and dark chocolate a little bitterness. A little peppery spice and very drying as the liquid disappears.	Thick sweet arrival, a little dry and a bite of peppery spice. Honey, toffee and brown sugar offer sweetness, liquorice some dryness and cloves some spice. The sherried dried fruit are here alongside cherry and almond slice, dates and a lovely mulled wine spice.
Finish	Long sweet and smoky, a little spice and sour citrus.	Long, dry and spicy with a little sour citrus. Yummy!	Lingering peppery spice, orange zest and sherried dried fruit.	Medium length, stoned fruit, spice and gentle smoke.	Lingering sherried dried fruit, spice and toffee..
Overall	The Peated Nevis was a little harsh, the only one of the five which hinted at the high ABV. The Tulli was a wonderful dram, still a hint of distillery character (you weren't going to mention that - Ed) and my favourite of the first five. The Athol was a lovely sherry dram - a winter warmer even, for sipping in front of an open fire. The Ardmore adds a gentle level of peat to the sherry, again a lovely winter warmer. The unpeated Nevis was more of an all rounder, not a sherry bomb, more a sherry hand grenade.

Edition	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10
Dram	Glenrothes 2015	Bunnahabhain 2013	Glentauchers 2012	Blair Athol 2014	Caol Ila 2015
Characteristics	9yo FF Oloroso Butts	10yo Heavily Peated FF Oloroso Butts	11yo FF Oloroso Butts	9yo FF Oloroso Butts	8yo FF Oloroso Butts & Bourbon HHDs
	57.1% ABV Natural Colour, NCF
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.	Gold in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack in the glass, bead up and fall as slow thin oily legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up and fall as slow thin legs.	Dark bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, take an age to bead up before falling as slow thick legs.	Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, bead up and fall as slow thick oily legs.
Nose	Strong cherry and balsamic vinegar notes to start, some dried fruit, dates, figs and prunes. There's a little vegetal note, marzipan chocolates and a little orange marmalade.	Sweet maritime smoke, salinity, black cherries and a little sour citrus. There's some honey, dried pineapple and a little caramel.	Gentle sherried dried fruit notes, cherries, blueberries and a little lime. There's some liquorice, almond chocolate and a little cinnamon spice.	Thick sherry bomb nose, another A'Bunadh type dram. Blueberry jam, plums, dark chocolate with some toffee and brown sugar.	A more intense maritime nose than the Bunna, smoky bacon crisps, dried seaweed and a little minerality. Toffee, burnt brown sugar and dark fruits.
Palate	Thick, creamy arrival. Spicy thick cut orange marmalade, black cherries, marzipan and a lovely ginger spice. There's tropical fruit mixed in with the dried and dark fruit typical of a sherry bomb. A little drying and spicy as the liquid disappears.	Oily smoky arrival, vanilla ice cream, honey and pineapple notes. Sour grapefruit and tart lemon give lovely citrus notes. There's some berry and cherry notes and a little toffee. Briny peat gives a bitter note, walnuts the nuttiness. There's some dark chocolate and cinnamon spice as the liquid disappears,	Thick sweet arrival, blueberry jam, red cherries, dried fruit and baked apples. There's a lovely liquorice note, strawberry laces even. Marzipan adds a lovely nutty layer, there's some vanilla ice cream and a bite of cinnamon spice. Dry and minty as the liquid disappears.	Thick sweet arrival: honey, brown sugar, orange segments and a lovely plum note. Red berries sit alongside prunes, figs and dates. There's a lovely almond note and a lip tingling ginger spice, A coffee chocolate note finishes things off. Yummy!	Thick oily smoky arrival, salted marzipan and toffee to the fore. There's some honey, BBQ steak, grilled pineapple and a little sour cherry. A lovely salted lemon note and some marzipan rounds things off.
Finish	Short and sweet with dry spice and a little toffee chocolate.	Lingering ashy briny smoke, honey and cinnamon spice.	Lingering liquorice, cherry and toffee with cinnamon spice. Yummy!	Lingering honey, dried fruit and dates with a lovely ginger spice.	Lingering salted lemons, smoke and gentle spice.
Overall	The Rothes was a lovely dram mixing tropical fruit alongside what you'd normally expect from a sherry bomb. The Bunna was a typical Staoisha with briny peat and spice, there was very little sherry influence to be fair. A short finish rather than full time maturation?  The Tauchers was lovely, loads of cherry notes, almonds and liquorice with a gentle cinnamon spice I was expecting the Athol to be the same at #3 but they are very different, more fruit forward, less bitter and more spicy my favourite of this group. Caol Ila's typical maritime smoke and tropical fruit notes are here - again little sherry influence.

#11 is a German Exclusive Caol Ila  2nd Fill Rum Barrel, I'm still waiting to get a bottle!

Edition	#12	#13	#14	#15	#16
Dram	Auchroisk 2010	Mannochmore 2012	Miltonduff 2011	Secret Orkney 2010	Secret Speyside 2010
Characteristics	13yo FF Oloroso Butts	11yo FF Oloroso Butts	12yo FF Oloroso Butts	14yo FF Oloroso Butts & Bourbon HHDs	13yo FF Oloroso Butts & Bourbon HHDs
	57.1% ABV Natural Colour, NCF
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly forming an inverted crown and fall as slow thin legs.	Bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack in the glass, bead up and fall as slow thin legs.	Dark bronze in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly forming an inverted crown and fall as slow thin legs.	Gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, take an age to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.	Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, take an age to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Sherried dried fruit, plums, black cherries and a lovely balsamic vinegar note. There's some stewed pear, toffee and honey. A distant pine note rounds things off.	Dunnage funk, treacle, dried fruit and prunes. There's a little sweet citrus, liquorice and some shortbread. This one has a nice dry spice note to it, a little wood and some mint.	Thick black treacle, prunes, plums, dates and figs. There's some vanilla, sherried dried fruit and a faint hint of struck match. A little marzipan rounds things off.	Gentle heathery peat smoke layered on sherried dried fruit and figs. This one is unmistakably Highland Park! There's honey, stewed pears and a little salted caramel.	Very fruity - orchard fruit and berries - probably the least sherry influenced of the 15. Lemon peel, vanilla, honey and a little cinnamon.
Palate	Thick sweet chewy arrival, full on sherry, toffee, dark chocolate and a little coffee. There's a meaty note and come salted citrus. It turns all dry and a little sour as the liquid disappears.	Thick chewy arrival, not sweet - more savoury. There's some well done steak notes, burnt toffee and a some berry fruit. The mint from the nose is here - a little unusual for the palate. Loads of dry spice as the liquid disappears.	Thick, chewy and dry to start - another A'Bunadh wannabe and I think this one take it! Salted caramel, brown sugar, black treacle and a lovely plum note. Dark fruits and ginger spice add complexity and a little dark chocolate bitterness rounds things off.	Runny honey to start, a little salinity and smoke and then on to the tropical fruit. This is quite a way from being a sherry bomb but there is a little dark fruit influence. I love a fig note in my dram and this has it. Some berry jam and a lovely dry cinnamon spice.	Thin arrival, loads of lemon: Bon Bons, Drizzle Cake, zest and juice! There's tropical fruit: dried pineapple and mango. A dark chocolate influence and a big bite of chilli spice. There's a little honey and a squeeze of lime.
Finish	Short and spice with a little sour citrus and toffee.	Lingering dry spice, orchard fruit and a little citrus.	Lingering dry spice, toffee and dark chocolate.	Lingering dry spice, salinity, berries and tropical fruit.	Lingering dry spice, tropical fruit and a little vanilla.
Overall	The Auchroisk was probably my least favourite of the 15, not just this 5. Not very integrated and lacking any depth. The Mannochmore started off good on the nose but was let down by the palate and a lot of spice. One of those drams leaving you wanting more! The Miltonduff stands out in these 5 and close to the top in the 15 I've tried here - nose leading to palate and finish with a lovely integrated complexity. A perfect mid-winter fireside dram. The HP was a top dram, easily top of the 5 in this section, tremendously fruity, a little salinity and smoke and dry spice that just keeps saying try a bit more! The Secret Speyside is an odd one, probably the least sherry influence of the 5, maybe of the 15. My immediate thought was Glenfarclas - but maybe it's not...

So, what do I think?

All of these drams are good - mostly sherry bombs which hide the distillery character - but very drinkable. Winter rather than summer drams at a good ABV and a very reasonable price.

As you can see I went out and bought the first 16, two of which I had to get muled from Germany, the #11 still isn't here - and that is the odd one out - it's rum rather than sherry cask! My favourites of the 15 are probably the HP Secret Orkney, Miltonduff and Tullibardine.

Since I bought these SV have released more bottles, the whole list is below:

Edition	Distillery	Bottling
#1	Ben Nevis	2019 4yo (Heavily Peated)
#2	Tullibardine	2015 8yo FF Oloroso butt
#3	Blair Athol	2014 9yo FF Oloroso butts
#4	Ardmore	2010 13yo FF Oloroso butts
#5	Ben Nevis	2015 8yo FF & 2F Oloroso
#6	Glenrothes	2015 9yo FF oloroso butt
#7	Bunnahabhain	2013 10yo FF Oloroso butt
#8	Glentauchers	2012 11yo FF Oloroso butt
#9	Blair Athol	2014 9yo FF Oloroso butts (German excl)
#10	Caol Ila	2015 8yo FF Oloroso butt & Bourbon HHD
#11	Caol Ila	2013 10yo 2F Rum barrel (German excl)
#12	Auchroisk	2010 13yo FF Oloroso butt
#13	Mannochmore	2012 11yo FF Oloroso butt
#14	Miltonduff	2011 12yo FF Oloroso butts
#15	Secret Orkney	2010 14yo FF Oloroso butt & Bourbon HHD
#16	Secret Speyside	2010 13yo FF Oloroso butt & Bourbon HHD
#17	Ben Nevis	2019 5yo RF Oloroso butt (Heavily Peated)
#18	Glentauchers	2012 12yo FF Oloroso butts
#19	Linkwood	2013 10yo RF Oloroso butt
#20	Glenrothes	2014 10yo Oloroso butts
#21	Ardmore	2012 12yo RF Bourbon barrels
#22	Glen Ord	2012 11yo FF Bourbon barrels
#23	Secret Orkney	2010 14yo FF & 2F Oloroso butts