Lindores Abbey “The Casks of Lindores” Ex-Bourbon Barrel Review

Lindores Abbey “The Casks of Lindores” Bourbon

Baruchim HaBa'im to Lindores Abbey Single malt Whisky to Israel

Bottled at 49.4% abv. Price 290 Shekels in Israel, £55 in the UK

A Brief introduction to Lindores Abbey Distillery

ScotchWhisky.com

The first known acknowledged written mention of Scotch Whisky was found in the King’s ledgers kept in the Fife archives. It is recorded that in 1494, King James IV of Scotland (1473 – 1513), ordered from the monks in Lindores Abbey, his regular supply of 8 "Bolls" of malted barley to make “Aqu-ivitae” (“The Water of Life”, that is -  Single Malt Whisky!!!).

Wikipedia.com (Is that a glass of whisky in his hand?)

Now, the ancient Scottish dry grain measurement “Boll” contains about 6 Imperial bushels.

1 bushel = .021772 metric tons or 21.772 kg.

So, 8 Scottish Bolls was approximately (21.772 X 6) X 8 = 1045 kg of malted barley.

As a very rough estimate, it takes about 100 kg of malted barley to make 80 litres of alcohol.

So, 1000 kg of malted barley would have yielded approximately 800 litres of young Single Malt whisky, or anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 (70ml) bottles of whisky for the King.  “LeChayim!”

In other words, we are talking about a substantial amount of whisky which I would imagine represented the King’s yearly supply.

Apparently, as the story goes, Drew and Helen McKenzie-Smith visited the ruins of Lindores Abbey in the early 2000s and were shocked at the dilapidated and neglected state of this important Scottish historical site. They thereupon came up with the idea to build a distillery next to the Abbey and donate some of the proceeds to the site’s upkeep. So, in December 2017 the first drops of Lindores spirit made on this site in over 500 years, came from the stills. The marketing shpiel draws on this story calling the distillery “The Spiritual Home of Whisky”.

 

[As a side point, I recently had an interesting conversation in the Whisky Chat forum about the word “Shpiel”, being a very commonly used Yiddish word for exaggerated claims or a marketing spin. To my surprise, the Scots in the forum told me that it’s a common word used in Scotland, meaning the exact same thing. They assumed the origin of the word came from Scots Gaelic. This is highly unlikely as the origin almost certainly comes from Lower-German meaning a musical performance or musical drama. This is also the origin of the Glockenspiel – a musical instrument made up of individual metal bells or plates of varying sizes, arranged to play the 8 notes of the octave.

I assume that the Jews of the Middle Ages adapted this word to mean a tall or dramatic story, as told by a traveling Maggid perhaps. However, how it got to Scotland is anyone’s guess!]

 

Map by Google

The distillery lies some 44 miles north from Edinburgh and 62 miles east from Glasgow.

The very first release from this new distillery (using a combination of Bourbon Barrels, STR Wine casks and Sherry casks) and barely legal at just over 3 years-old, was named “MCDXCIV” (Roman numerals for 1494). We are now seeing more individual cask type bottlings coming out, including the one I am reviewing here, which is exclusively matured in Bourbon Barrels.

Limited to 11,000 bottles and bottled between October and December 2021, by simple maths, this Single Malt cannot be older than about 4 years old as according to “Malt Whisky Year Book 2022” (page 187), they only started distilling at the end of 2017, beginning of 2018.

Packaging Design

Interestingly, the owners of Lindores have decided to go completely against the current trend in Scotch Whisky branding. I say “Kol HaKavod” (well Done !!!) to them. Instead of a generic looking label stuck on one of two types of standard bottle shape (either wine bottle style or wide “dumpy” style), housed in a cardboard or tin canister, they have gone for a totally unique bottle design with no container.

The fact that it has no protective container provides a challenge for the Travel retail market and overseas exports. No doubt they found solutions as a few cases of Lindores arrived in Israel not long ago, apparently all safe and sound.

The design of the bottle reminds me of a Victorian or Edwardian Crystal Wine Decanter. The vertical lines or stripes were used to grip the bottle better and prevent it from slipping out of your hands. It really is a most striking design and guaranteed to stand out on the shelf, something which most other brand designs are steering away from. For what reason, I have no idea. Some have remarked that the design is rather feminine in nature and not what they would have associated with Scotch Whisky. I see what they are saying but I still think “it works”. I really like it. It’s the type of bottle which you would think of steaming off the label and keeping.

I am also very impressed by the chosen Distillery emblem/Crest. Very grand looking without being kitsch.

The crown is an obvious reference to the King. Although the animal on the crest looks like a cross between a Lion and a dog, I believe that it's supposed to be a Bear!

The Cork stopper is made from real solid wood showing a lovely natural grain. One slight criticism though. I got the impression that the cork could have been tighter than it is. I’d recommend the distillery ask the cork manufacturer to increase the width of the cork by a mm. (Just a suggestion).

The Label(s)

As far as label design goes, I’m a big fan of the two separate label design. The top one with the Distillery logo and other general details and the bottom one with the specific details of this particular expression. Moreover (as I mentioned in my last review) I also like this data table design where the whisky facts are clearly laid out in table form. Lindores does this exact thing and it looks like a million Pounds. It’s in my opinion, exactly how a high-end Craft Distillery bottling should look like.

However, things are not all what they seem. When you start to look at the actual details of the table, you find out that with the exception of the Cask type, none of the other expected details are stated. The first box states “Cask Type: Bourbon”. The second box states “Barley Region: Fife”. OK, that’s interesting to know that the barley they use has been sourced locally.

The last two boxes are the signature of the founder and the Distillery Manager.

Wait a minute! Where is the Age Statement? Where is the Distillation and Bottling Date/Year?

Considering everything about this product broadcasts Exclusive, Integrity bottling Craft distillery, this is really disappointing, especially when you know (as mentioned above) that the distillery only started distilling in late 2017 and didn't really start producing in reasonable quantities until 2018/9, so this Single Malt can't be older than 4 years old.

So why hide it???? It's just silly. It’s a marketing own goal. Alright, if they were worried that some people would be put off by the “Four Year Old” age statement then by all means, print somewhere at the back, the distillation and Bottling Year.

Looking at the back label, I’m glad to see that they clearly state “As with all our bottlings, this Limited Edition is bottled at the distillery, without Chill Filtration or Added Colour! It further informs you that part of the proceeds goes towards the preservation of Lindores Abbey.

Donating to Avodah Zara?

For those of you who are thinking, hold on a “mo”, is it halachically permitted to donate money to the upkeep of an Abbey, considered by many to be a building of Avodah Zara?

So, according to Wikipedia, the Abbey itself was abandoned in 1584 whereupon it began to be dismantled. There are records stating that the Abbey was subsequently looted of its architectural features by the locals and parts of it can still be seen incorporated into various buildings in the nearby town. The fact that the local inhabitants themselves dismantled the building, would constitute a self-desecration of the site and according to halacha, would mevatel any possible Avodah Zara.

[See Avodah Zara 47b, one must assume that once the people who previously worshipped the Avodah Zara desecrated or partially destroyed the building, this is a sure sign that they no longer consider it “holy” or sacred and of any religious significance and therefore it is Batel].

I once heard from a Rav in England that he used to tell his congregation that it is permitted to visit an historical building which used to have religious significance if the people themselves no longer hold it in religious reverence. For instance, if they insist that one removed his hat before entering then this shows that they still hold this edifice in reverence and therefore, one should not enter the site.

However, once abandoned, not only is it possible to visit, but there are actual examples where the Anglo Jewish community has bought a building previously used as a church and turned it into a Shul! An example of this is the old Boundary Road Shul in Leyton, London.

See an article I wrote back in 2010 about my visit to Boundary Road Shul before it was abandoned by the Jewish community and turned into a mosque!

You can tell it was originally a church, can't you.

https://rebmordechaiwrites.blogspot.com/2010/08/boundary-road-shul-sign-of-things-to.html

Kashrus Status: matured exclusively in Ex-Bourbon Barrels, there does not seem to be any Kashrus issues.

 

The Tasting Sessions

Lindores Abbey “The Casks of Lindores” Bourbon.

Bottled at 49.4% abv, Non-Chill Filtered and Natural Colour

It’s a NAS bottling but (as mentioned above), anyone who checks the age of the distillery will realise that this whisky cannot be more than 4 years old!

Appearance:

This Lindores takes on a slightly greenish straw yellow colour in my Glencairn Copita glass.

Swirling the whisky around in the glass, it appears creamy and viscous, and so it should, being bottled at near Cask Strength of 49.4% abv.

Nosing:

Adding water to this Single Malt is a must. I’d recommend starting off with a teaspoon and go from there. (But go slowly, a few drops at a time. You don't want to drown it).

It is quite spirit driven and frisky but that is to be expected. That doesn't mean that it’s harsh in anyway though. The Lindores is actually rather civilized despite its young age.

Furthermore, completely defying its youth, the Lindores is incredibly complex, revealing some really interesting and unusual aromas and flavours.

The first thing you notice is that the whisky simply explodes with signatures of white fruits. Apples, luscious Pairs, green Grapes, Kiwi and a hint of Grapefruit in the background.

This is balanced with a nose akin to an elegant, sweet Pecan and malty Vanilla Custard Pie in the background.

However, what really sets this apart from the rest is an absolutely charming, sweet copper aroma which follows through to the taste as well. Now I'll admit that usually, a metallic nose and flavour note would put me off but not here. It reminds me of the wonderful sweet minerally copper smell of the steam coming off the spirit still as it's boiling away, as it heats up and interacts with the copper.

I once experienced a similar aroma note in the official bottling of the Ardmore 20-Year-Old, but that had slightly “old bathroom water pipes” about it as well.

This Lindores has none of those strange old water pipe notes though. Instead, it's just fresh, clean, mineral-ry like pebbles from a freshwater stream combined with an aroma of sweet copper.

Tasting:

A lovely oily mouth feel that coats the tongue. Light vanilla cream and honey, lemon grass and icing sugar, white pears, kiwi with a slight dry nuttiness.

Finish

More white fruits, grassiness, icing sugar, honey and mild nuttiness on the medium finish.

Conclusion

This Lindores Bourbon cask is extraordinarily complex, absolutely delicious and a real surprise, considering its very young age. It shows sweet fruity, nutty, oaky and slight copper notes which gives it a most unique character.  I just wonder how this will develop as the spirit ages into say, a 10 Year old?

I'd definitely buy this again as it's so remarkably complex, unlike your standard young Ex-Bourbon cask Lowland or Southern Highland. It's a whisky you can spend a lot of time with, discovering new aromas and flavours.

If you like your Single Malts light, sugary and floral then give this a miss. It’s definitely for the more advanced whisky drinker who is looking for unusual tasting notes beyond the typical honey, toffee and fruit.

Highly Recommended, despite the owners making a foolish decision not to put an age statement on it.