We have a thing for independently bottled Glenrothes. It’s just very hard to find one that isn’t tasty. We have a huge indie ‘rothes line-up waiting to get reviewed, but this is the one we’d like to start with. It perfectly suits the drizzly weather that we’re facing at the moment, buckle up!

Bottled for whiskyshop The Old Pipe in The Netherlands, this 11 years old cask strength (56.6%) Glenrothes which has finished on a PX octave, does what it’s meant to do: providing a heavily sherried experience. The kingfisher on the label is shot by a local in Brabant and was used to give this bottle a truly unique design. It stands out among other Claxton’s bottlings, but as far as the taste is concerned, this one is also a little bit different. While most of the other indies we’ve tried are quite juicy and vibrant, this one tends to be a whole lot drier, more peppery and heavier:

At this young age and the accelerated maturation, it’s not for the faint of heart. Octaves tend do give a lot of extra flavours, but sometimes it makes the whisky harsh and dry. Luckily it works out for this dram, but we like to add a teaspoon (or two) of water, which ‘ordinary’ matured cask strength Glenrothes often won’t need.