In case you missed my previous post, for the next eight or so weeks, I will focus my posts on Independent Bottlers (IBs), alternating between introductory information for those who are maybe just approaching whisky, or new to IBs and reviews of independently bottled whiskies more in keeping with the “usual” content of the blog. Today’s I will review one of the first IB whiskies I bought, the Single Malts of Scotland, or SMoS, an Orkney Distillery 11 years old, parcel 11
TL:DR: Richly sherried, and, with time and patience, showing some warming character spirit
Score: 7, very good stuff.
A little sentimental indulgence
Why is this my opening IB review?
There are spates of IBs out there, and, to my last count, tens of IB bottles in my collection. So why pick this one from Elixir’s Single Malts of Scotland to kick off my reviews on Independently Bottled whiskies? For purely sentimental reasons.
I bought this bottle actively looking, for the first time, for an independently bottled whisky. Strictly speaking, I had bought other whiskies which fall under this category – to keep with Elixir’s products- the Elements of Islay Cask Edit or Compass Box’s Peat Monster, to name just a couple. But they had all been bottles I picked while looking for blends rather than IBs.
The almost clinical label, more reminiscent of an apothecary than a spirit shelf, caught my attention. But the main driver was being left disappointed by an original bottling. The SMoS an Orkney Distillery parcel 11 I am about to review, is a bottle I bought, looking for an independent expression of Highland Park after writing the lukewarm review of the original 12 year old (in its Viking branding edition). The memory of older versions of that 12-year-old whisky spurred me to look for something that would provide a more exciting sipping experience.
Only later did I learned about Elixir, the company behind the Single Malts of Scotland label.
A brief look at Elixir distillers
Elixir Distillers originally was an offshoot of The Whisky Exchange, one of the UK’s most prominent online whisky shops, founded by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh in 1999. Through Elixir Distillers, the company started a range of independently Bottled whiskies under the Single Malts of Scotland brand in 2002.
Elements of Islay, another IB brand, followed suit, focusing specifically on small batch Islay single malts and blended malts in 2008 and finally by Port Askaig, bottling Islay Single malts from undisclosed distilleries. In 2021 the Singhs sold the Whisky Exchange and decided to focus on Elixir, both as an Independent Bottler and as a distiller in its own right. In 2022 they acquired Tormore distillery in Speyside and they are working on opening the new Portintruan distillery on Islay.
Although loved by many, I find that Elixir probably deserves more recognition than it gets. Its complete absence from the 2025 OSWAs, even the Public Vote, is something I find puzzling. I have never been disappointed by my Elixir purchases. Maybe the lack of attention is down to the minimal of marketing. Or maybe due to the fact that some of the bottlings released are priced high, for many, but arguably fairly for the age of the spirit in the bottle. But as with all IBs, take my words with a pinch of salt: it always comes down to personal experience.
The Single Malts of Scotland (SMoS), an Orkney Distillery, Parcel 11, 11 years old
Specs
Price paid: €70.07
Lot: Parcel no.11, Distilled 2012
ABV: 48%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: a vatting of 3 Oloroso Sherry Butts
Tasting Notes
Colour: A rich dark amber, very close to the colour of Oloroso Sherry itself.
Nose: Initially, there is a slight vinegary hint. Then a bunch of “red” Sherry notes. Cherry drops first, orange peel, then cola jelly bottles and coffee. I even get a touch of savoury beef stock. There is almost no peat, just a distant hint of wood smoke. For a while, the nose is dominated by the Sherry. After a good 20-25 minutes, more spirit-driven notes emerge: honey and a light floral note.
Taste and Finish: The texture is quite oily. Now there is some noticeable peat, with an aroma of charred wood. The Sherry influence is less dominating. A lot of ripe pears, then malt, cinnamon and cardamom. The Sherry comes back towards the end with some toasty dark notes – coffee and cocoa beans.
The finish is medium long, initially with some bitter coffee and a little space but the lingering note is that of ripe pear.
Score*: 7/10
As I mentioned earlier, I bought the SMoS an Orkney Distillery Parcel 11 in today’s review, looking for a more engaging Highland Park than the standard 12-year-old bottling. What I got was quite something else, and something I didn’t fully appreciate close to two years ago. But with time (and maybe experience), my opinion has changed a lot.
I may even be sipping the wrong distillery. After all, back in 2012, when this was distilled, Orkney had two active distilleries: the OG Highland Park and Scapa. So this might be either. Friends who have more ties with the industry have kindly informed me that, considering the name and year of distillation, the chance of this being Scapa, while not zero, is low. So I will assume it is Highland Park.
But you have to look a bit deeper to find the heather and honey spirit character of the distillery. I suspect the 3 casks vatted for this one, although it is not stated, are first-fill casks. What some call a ‘red” sherry casks, not because the sherry is red but because the aromas remind of red fruit and darker notes. Not a bad thing in my book, I love this kind of less sweet Sherry profile. But it takes some time in the glass to see the spirit note appear, but appear they do.
Overall, this might not be the best choice if you are looking for a pure Highland Park character (some bottles are still around at the time of writing), but it is a captivating and characterful dram which is a lot of fun to explore.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Interested in my take on a specific whisky style? Check the full Journey here and jump to the relevant Chapter.
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of SMoS Orkney Distillery 11 years old I enjoyed:
If you have enjoyed this content, please share a comment below and consider supporting the cost of this blog via the button below