At an undisclosed location located in Los Angeles a clandestine group of whisk(e)y enthusiasts recently gathered to explore nine ultra premium expressions from an independent bottler we’ve all been curious about; That Boutique-y Whisky Company. If the name isn’t familiar the brightly colored and whimsically illustrated labels should be. Since bounding on the IB
If that particularly long name isn’t familiar the brightly colored and whimsically illustrated labels should be. Since bounding on to the IB whisky scene they’ve been something of a photogenic darling in the whisky community. Though to be honest, in my limited exposer up until this point I haven’t been a fan.
I’d tried a few expressions at people’s houses when we gathered for tastings and a bottle or two have shown up at Malt Nuts events and thought “meh” nearly every time. Though to be fair none of them had been on this level. Staring down the line we’re looking at a Macallan 29, a Longmorn 25 and a Port Ellen 33! How could this not be amazing? The guys at Master of Malt have to a have access to amazing casks right?
Since this was a LAWS tasting and we have a full site with ratings and all that good stuff I’m not going to post all of the notes here. Instead I’m just going to list the score and a quick snippet about the whisky. The heading of each links directly to the full notes on the LAWS site if you want all the sensory details.
LAWS: Exploring That Boutique-y Whisky Company
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Macallan 29 = B: Tasty but not amazing.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Blended Whisky Batch 1 = B+: Lots of cocoa going through this whisky; rather pleasant, aromatic and flavorful overall.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Longmorn 25 Year Old = B-: Overall quite light. Nothing wrong with it; just light, unobtrusive and in no way challenging. Pleasant… it’s pleasant.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Tullibardine 26 Year Old = B-: A Tullibardine I don’t completely dislike, how about that.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Glenturret 35 Year Old = B+: I like this one… I liked it a lot. A slick sip of buttery grainy nuttiness paired with a bit of sweetness.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Secret Distillery #2 21 Year Old = B: There’s a weird bit of pine that comes and goes but all in all it’s a decent sippable malt.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Port Ellen 33 Year Old = B+ It was pretty good, but not a stellar malt by any means. I’ve had so many better PEs.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Lagavulin 10 Year Old = B+: This was tied for my favorite of the even with the Port Ellen 33. Odd to say they were that close but I liked them both equally though for differnet reasons.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company Girvan 52 Year Old = C: Not fully balanced and the varnish note was a bit strong. Not a fan.
So yeah… still not a fan of what they’ve been bottling… but why? Some theories I’ve heard circle around them getting casks no one else really wants and then re-casking them in fresher barrels to get some additional color and a touch more flavor on them. Who know, all I know is I’m not too crazy about what they’re bottling.
Till next time, Cheers!
