A measure of whisky is a story. It speaks of the distillery that produced it, the cask that matured it and the experience of the people who selected it. A whisky can have the youthful exuberance of a Jane Austin character, the absolute power of an Alfred Tennyson poem and the surprise finish of an Agatha Christy novel. We’re using whisky to write an anthology, and every edition is a new chapter. Chapter 7 is an Independent Bottler. We don’t make whisky, we discover it. We find exceptional casks that mature extraordinary whiskies.
No two casks are the same. They have their own stories to tell. In our Monologue Series, a single cask takes the stage. A Monologue whisky is a unique expression. It tells the story of the distillery that produced the whisky and the cask where it matured. There will never be a repeat performance; when all the bottles are sold there will never be any more.
Holmes & Watson; Frodo & Sam; Harry, Ron & Hermione. Some characters complement each other. Bringing casks together sometimes creates something grander than the sum of their parts. Our Anecdote Series is an ensemble performance, a personal experience. We make them by bringing unusual whiskies together or with rare small batches. We curate them with casks that have something worth saying and bottle the ones we know it will tell an intriguing story.
A cask of whisky is a living, breathing, thing. Like a whispered secret, the air's movement interacts with the wood and matures in flavour. Our Chronicle series shows how time changes the flavour of maturing whisky. It is a small batch we repeat over time; drawing the whisky from our ageing cask reserves. Each Chronicle is part of an evolving sequence that has nuances, eccentricities and charm from ageing and sensational wood fusions.
Prologue is like a foreword to the world of whisky. In our Anthology, it isn't as brief as what Hamlet thinks of a woman's love! It complements our range as Chapter 7's "big" gest batch bottled from an outturn of usually around 15 casks. It's a tribute to "Dramming, a semi-legal practice of doling out drams to distillery workers during their shifts before the mid 1970s. We curate Prologue from vibrant Speyside and Highland single malts aged in bourbon wood, and is enjoyed straight as a daily dram and a perfect mixer in cocktails.
"I really can not come up with anything else to add at this point other than saying: "If you see one in the wild, get it immediately..."
"When they are done right and priced attractively, you're onto a satisfying winner, much like this bottling."
"...they sure seem to know what they’re doing. Deeply complex and loaded with layers of flavour, this is a whisky to seek out - and savour"
"Just keep on chewing until your jaw aches. Exceptional harmony and even a superb spiced fruit flourish at the last. There's a touch of genius to this."