We’re digging into a set of samples from the Thompson Brothers. Prolific as ever, they have a very wide variety of styles on offer, spanning the different series they’re running. We come accross old ‘Enviable’ (an anagram for Balvenie) and Glen Ord, but also middle-aged Glenburgie, Ben Nevis and Bowmore.
Enviable Blended Malt 36 yo 1989 (46,5%, Thompson Bros 2026, refill hogshead, 219 btl.)
Nose: vibrant lime, sourish apples, gooseberries and round papaya. Mint, very light medicinal herbs (eucalyptus oil) and a subtle leafy note. Then subtle elderflower and a drop of honey. Citronella wax too. A lot of freshness here.
Mouth: a lot of green notes. Green tea, green grapes, lime and mint. Bright and vibrant. I forgot to mention green peppercorns. Hints of whitecurrants and white plums. Easy to see similarities with white wine here. Subtle hints of white flowers but far less floral than other casks from this batch. A light chalky touch in the background.
Finish: medium to long, staying on sweet orchard fruits, a pleasant candied side and meadowy green notes.
Some of these Balvenie derivatives are brilliant, others have a soapy touch. This is in the former group, among the best ones in fact. Sold out, I’m afraid.
Glentauchers 20 yo 2006 (51,9%, Thompson Bros 2026, refill barrel + first-fill bourbon, 219 btl.)
Nose: bright and fruity, starting with orchard fruit, hints of cut grass and creamy vanilla. Pears on syrup, pineapple and peach. Tinned fruit cocktail, right. Hints of chalk, along with white flowers and spring honey. Biscuits with coconut sugar as well.
Mouth: similar sweet fruits, almost candied. Peach and apple. Mid-palate it becomes more mineral, with green notes and hints of grapefruit, adding plenty of vibrance. Then more grassy notes and a mild hint of clove, but the sweet vanilla notes return.
Finish: good length, always going back and forth between easier fruits and sharper green notes. Gooseberries and grass.
This started in a refill cask but also got a 20-month finish in active bourbon wood. It works to bring out sweetness and fruits along with a grassy counterweight. Available from the Thompsons and retailers like Royal Mile Whiskies. Score: 88/100
Glenburgie 17 yo 2009 (53,7%, Thompson Bros 2026, first-fill bourbon barrels, 1134 btl.)
Nose: orchard fruits like in the Glentauchers, but with more coconut and banana sweetness to it. Vanilla cake with a good dose of butter. Then apples and peaches, maybe dried mango slices. Hints of candyfloss and marshmallow, along with a sweet and rounded oaky note.
Mouth: more punchy than expected, with a fresh hint of bourbon wood spice. Citrus freshness, but also peach ice tea, ginger and white pepper. Then hints of shortbread, a waxy side and honey, which keeps the active oak at bay. Hints of green tea in the end.
Finish: quite long, but a little tangy. Lots of oak spice, with floral hints and vanilla.
This is a bit of a price beater. The profile feels a tad pressure-cooked but overall you’re getting a lot of flavour at a very friendly price. Available from the Thompson Bros. Score: 87/100
Glen Ord 25 yo 2001 (41,2%, Thompson Bros 2026, refill barrel, 98 btl.)
Nose: immediately fruity. Lots of red apples and apple compote, as well as quince jam, nectarines and hints of pineapple. Hints of white grapes as well, even a few drops of late harvest muscat. Then also a hint of sea spray and old oak. Warming beeswax hints in the background.
Mouth: yes, waxy notes with sweet grapes again, along with orange peels and a drop of peach syrup. Mid-palate it becomes more zesty with lemons, subtle pepper and dried ginger. Even a shy mineral hint. Hardly any wood.
Finish: good length. Zesty notes, greenish stone fruits. Now also a light woody hint.
Highly drinkable, with some rather unique fruity notes and balanced dryness. Love the grapey touch. You rarely get Ord of this age, but it’s rather excellent. Score: 90/100
Ben Nevis 12 yo 2013 (54,9%, Thompson Bros for the UK 2026, de-char/re-char hogshead, 247 btl.)
Nose: pretty smoky, almost peated – hard to tell whether this comes from the cask char. Hints of eucalyptus and burnt rosemary. Then lemons and typical wet chalk. Growing apple sweetness or peach candy as well, along with some sweet ale.
Mouth: still these charred / smoky notes, with a tangy note underneath. Subtle medicinal hints, with metal tools and spent industrial oil. Later lemons and apples return, with a subtle Sauvignon Blanc brightness.
Finish: quite long, increasingly coastal and briney, with apples and white pepper.
Good. Enough typical Ben Nevis character with the added smoky touch which is less common. Complexity is low, as is the price. Score: 86/100
Highland Park 22 yo 2003 (55,9%, Thompson Bros 2026, refill sherry butt, 336 btl.)
Nose: also charred, with earthy notes and initially also a whiff of matchstick heads from the sherry cask. Some caramelized nuts, hints of Stout beer and acacia honey. Then dark cocoa, heather, orange blossom and mint. Light mint and camphor in the background.
Mouth: even nicer. Hints of dried apricot and charred pineapple, along with caramel and hints of butter pastry. Then it moves towards medicinal herbs, minty smoke and plenty of leafy notes. Crushed black peppercorns and aniseed.
Finish: long, slightly salty, with deep earthy notes, roasted coffee beans and herbal elements.
Quite a rugged Highland Park with their typical style of sherry, in line with official single cask bottlings. Score: 87/100
Bowmore 9 yo 2017 (57,1%, Thompson Bros for Whisky Fair Limburg 2026, refill bourbon barrel, 209 btl.)
Nose: a very coastal expression with lots of ashes and smoked lemons. Aniseed and grassy notes, with generous brine. Warming smoke underneath. Clearly young, slightly weighty, and so far I’m not detecting the fruity notes I was expecting. Light hints of nougat.
Mouth: a compact mix of smoke, salt and lemons. Again it has more meaty weight than I expected. Smoked fish, a few creamy notes and roasted walnuts. Hints of seaweed too. Just a little pineapple and vanilla in the background.
Finish: quite long, rather dry, on seaweed, white pepper and wood smoke.
Above average peat smoke and coastal character here, at the expense of the fruitiness that you often get in modern Bowmore. Well priced but it was quickly sold out, even before I arrived in Limburg. Score: 86/100