Kirkland Signature “Tour of Scotland” Single Malt Scotch Collection
The Tour of Scotland Collection contains four single malts from four different regions in Scotland. The whiskies were all bottled at 46%, and as a single malt, each was the product of a single distillery— though which distillery is left unsaid. Two of the whiskies have age statements, and two of them do not; based on the clarity of the spirit and coloration, it stands to reason that these have all been chill-filtered so as not to be cloudy and likely have at least a little bit of caramel coloring added for consistency.
The eagle-eyed will notice two regions missing from the tour, one official and one unofficial. Campbeltown is not surprisingly absent, with only three active distilleries and only one that occasionally sells malt to independent bottling companies, like Alexander Murray, who created the set for Costco; it would have been a shock if Campbeltown were included! Also not colored in on the map that Alexander Murray included on the back of the package is the Scottish Isles, except for Islay, which constitutes its own region. I had no idea Alexander Murray was among the “Island” region truthers out there— and I am glad they are. Technically, all of the Scottish Islands are part of the Highland Region. Still, many bottlers and publications find that they have enough in common to consider them their own sub-region (even the Scotch Whisky Association, which does not officially recognize them as one has language permitting only island distilleries to identify themselves as such).
The origin of these four malts is up for debate as they are all left purposefully anonymous. Alexander Murray included no hints, likely at Costco's request, so we are free to throw a few darts at the board and guess from which distilleries they acquired the casks.
Whisky Details: Lowland Single Malt, 46% Finished in Bourbon Oak Casks
Nose: Mellow fruits with hints of dried flowers, honeysuckle, dried grass with hints of red dirt; more pears, almonds, and marzipan with time; gentle oak spices and a kiss of white pepper in the background.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, well-balanced, crisp orchard fruits and pastries arrived first, more pear than apple, honeysuckle and peppery dandelion greens in the background, herbal tea toward the end with a kiss of maple and buttery pastry.
Finish: Medium-length with pastries, fruit jellies, and a touch of dried flowers.
Score: 6+
Mental Image: Fruit Blossom Tea with a View
Narrative & Notes: Wow… I did not expect to like this as much as I did. It reminded me a lot of Glenkinchie, a Lowland single malt without much brand presence but which is home to Diageo’s Johnnie Walker experience as it forms one of the backbones of that brand. There are relatively few single malt distilleries in the Lowlands, though some nine new ones have opened in the last five to six years. As this whisky has no age statement, it could be any of the ones opened for over three years— the minimum age for a single malt. While this reminded me of Glenkinchie, it is perhaps more likely Auchentoshan, a Beam-Suntory-owned distillery, is more known for selling casks to independent bottlers than Glenkinchie.
While the nose was not terribly fragrant or distinct, I am sure plenty will find it smells like whisky, and that is about it; on the palate, it was quite lovely, especially for something so light. I would even call it smooth due to its balance across the palate and structure. At the very least, it was quaffable and easy to drink with intriguing hints of slightly floral orange or apple blossom and an exceptional finish that was only a touch drying for my taste.
Whisky Details: Speyside 10 Year Single Malt, 46% Bourbon Casks
Nose: Orchard fruits and oak with some spirited prickle and pepper, hints of citrus, and dry pastries in the background with linseed oil and sawdust.
Palate: Medium-bodied, a touch juicy with bright orchard fruits and more subtle vanilla, citrus, and pepper; oak with a touch of cream toward the end.
Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with apple skins, pepper, and oak.
Score: 5
Mental Image: Orchard Field Trip
Narrative & Notes: Fairly straightforward and unassuming—this reminded me of a young Glentauchers. That distillery is one of the backbones of the Ballantine’s blend and frequently sells casks to independent bottlers. Alexander Murray reminds us on the back of the box, there are over fifty Speyside Distilleries, and quite a few of them have flavors similar to this at a young age, with differences only becoming more apparent later on, so while it reminded me of Glentauchers, there are a lot of other possibilities.
If I had to draw up a stereotypical Speyside, this is about what I would come up with as it featured plenty of orchard fruits with hints of pastries and citrus, even a touch of grass. Some oddball Speysides out there mix things up a bit more, but this was right in line with what one might expect and an excellent introduction to any number of possible Speyside distilleries. It was a touch hot on the aroma, but the flavors were clear and defined, with a lovely presence on the finish.
Whisky Details: Highland 12 Year Single Malt, 46% Bourbon Casks
Nose: Dried fruit slices and trail mix with a touch of camphor and menthol, dried grass, a touch spirited and peppery at times, with oak moss and grapefruit.
Palate: Medium-bodied and slightly oily, dried fruits and nuts with heather, camphor, and hints of wild mint; more dried grass and earth toward the end with a touch of charred oak and peppery spirit.
Finish: Medium-length with dried fruit, grass, and a touch of charred wood.
Score: 5-6
Mental Image: Weekend Hiking Trip
Narrative & Notes: Nothing fancy, but surprisingly vibrant and lively on the palate with some good weight and oiliness to the mouthfeel. The fruits were richer than the Speyside malt, though much like that one, it had a more peppery-spirited quality than I expected. The herbal undertones and spice, which reminded me of camphor and menthol, provided some good depth to the fruits and mild nuttiness. While all of the other whiskies immediately reminded me of a particular distillery, this one did not. It would not surprise me to find out this was Tullibardine, which Alexander Murray has bottled before. Still, I could just as easily see this being Glen Ord or Blair Athol— none of which are exceedingly rare from independent bottlers.
Whisky Details: Islay Single Malt, 46% Finished in Bourbon Oak Casks
Nose: Maritime brine and burning medicinal herbs, a touch of old tire rubber and rust on a pier; hints of citrus and mint, heather, and wispy grill smoke.
Palate: Medium-bodied with driftwood, maritime brine, beachy minerals, bamboo and tatami mats, heather and dried grass, wispy smoke from a distant grassfire, old tires, a touch medicinal with menthol and camphor; plenty of salt and orange citrus toward the end.
Finish: Medium-length and maritime with orange rind and a kiss of smoke.
Score: 6
Mental Image: Apprenticeship to the Sushi Master
Narrative & Notes: About what I expected, this was similar to the bespoke Islay Single Malt that Alexander Murray has reliably put together for Costco/Kirkland in the last few years. As with those bottles, I would bet good money this single malt came from the Caol Ila distillery, which is Islay’s largest and has for the last decade sold plenty of casks to independent bottlers— though that may have changed (or already changed back again, depending on who you believe).
The wife said it was average and probably a good introduction for the Islay curious, but nothing she found earth shattering. I liked it a bit more than she did, but I agree that it likely makes for a good introduction to peated whiskies with some brine and acrid smoke up front but softer, sweeter citrus coming on the back end.
Final Thoughts?
This was a lovely set with an excellent introduction to some of the different profiles you can find in scotch. Granted, three of them have some clear overlap, but I think anyone who puts them side by side should be able to notice that they have their eccentricities— even if it can be hard to articulate.
They were all enjoyable, with the Lowland the most impressive of the lot. The only real disappointment was the Speyside, which felt a bit hot and boring compared to the others. All the same, the overall quality of the set was impressive, especially for $60.
The main weakness of the set was the mystery malts themselves— if you liked one but were unfamiliar with scotch, how would you know where to go next or how to find something with similar flavors? The set is a good introduction to the regions insofar as they are a useful concept (so many distilleries within each region “break” the rules, so to speak, that it is not always clear how useful they are). Still, since the distilleries are all mysteries, there is no obvious next step, which is a limiting factor.
So here are my suggestions for a few potential places where you might find more of something along roughly similar lines— note that some of these are relatively easy to find on the shelf of just about any spirits shop, and others are less common.
Lowland: Auchentoshan, Bladnoch, Lochlea, Daftmill
Speyside: Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glentauchers, Glen Grant, Aberlour.
Highland: Glenturret, Clynelish, Glen Garioch, Glenmorangie, Blair Athol
Islay: Caol Ila, Port Charlotte, Ardbeg, Lagavulin
