Wee toon adventures, part 1: Watt Whisky Wednesday Tasting

Sampling whisky in the comfort of your home is all fine and dandy, but nothing beats going to the source. For the next week or so, I will take a short break from my reviews to share some highlights from a recent short visit to Campbeltown, or, as it is locally known, the Wee Toon. And, at the cost of disappointing many, there won’t be anything related to Springbank Distillery. The available slots for my preferred tour and my timing did not mesh this time. Even without what is the North Star for many whisky fans, there is still plenty of whisky fun to be had in Campbeltown, starting with an Indie Bottler tasting, Watt Whisky.

If you think about whisky experiences in Campbeltown, Independent Bottlers are probably not the first things that come to your mind. (You are envisaging that gothic S logo now aren’t you?) And if IBs come to mind, it is inevitably Cadenhead’s, the oldest of them all. That’s more than fair but if you stop there you risk missing a unique opportunity. The opportunity is Watt Whisky’s Wednesdays. This is a semi-regular tastings held by Watt Whisky at the Commercial Inn in Campbeltown.

Watt Whisky

Watt Whisky is a young Independent Bottler based in Campbeltown. It was founded in December 2019 (not the best timing maybe considering all that happened in 2020) by Mark and Kate Watt, who jointly have 40 years of experience in the industry. Their philosophy is simple and one that any whisky lover subscribes to. Bottle whisky that tastes good, at a fair price with no chill filtration or added colouring. WHo could criticise that? The other aspect that was clear after tasting some of their bottlings and talking to Mark, is that the whisky they select doesn’t only taste good but has personality. Not every bottle might be to everyone’s taste (and I had a direct demonstration of this myself). Yet even the ones you personally might not like will be characterful and flavourful whiskies.

All the labels carry a beautifully stylised tastebud, in a variety of colours. The colours represent Mark’s way of experiencing whisky smells as colours. This is a form of  Synaesthesia, which is defined as a state where someone unusually experiences sensory stimulation. Examples are perceiving colour as a sound or smell as a colour. The colours chosen for the bottles are not connected to the colour of the aroma (lemon and yellow for example). Rather they serve as a guide: if you like green tastebud whisky, you might like others in the same colour group. 

International distribution for Watt Whisky is intentionally limited. Beside the UK their whiskies are available for sale in France, Benelux, Japan Taiwan and now (or very soon) Germany. Since the quantities produced are small, Mark and Kate have decided to limit the markets to avoid spreading the availability too thin. Commendable for sure, but tough for those of us who are not in those chosen countries. Luckily there are always possibilities with international shipping.

Due to the limited markets served, I must admit I had never heard of Watt Whisky until Mark appeared on Aqvavitae’s vPub. After hearing the discussion with Roy, I was intrigued and decided I would try and sample some of Watt Whisky’s selection.

An unfiltered tasting experience

So when planning my trip to Campbeltown I looked up where I could grab some Watt Whisky. I hadn’t even though a tasting might be available (silly me). The one shop offering their range in town indicated on their website, had recently shut down, unfortunately. (For anyone passing through Campbeltown but unable to make the tasting, Watt Whiskies are now available at the Cadenhead’s shop in town.) So a few days before my trip, I had a last look at the Watt Whiskiy web pages, browsing their releases and feeling sorry I wouldn’t have a chance to buy a bottle in town (what’s better than self-inflicted FOMO?). And then I noticed the tastings link on the website, found one was available on the night of my arrival and booked it immediately. After all, I might as well maximise my whisky time when in Campbeltown, don’t you think?

So should you make time for a Wednesday night Watt Whisky tasting if you visit the Wee Toon? Absolutely. I already know I will book another tasting next time I travel to the Wee Toon. The whiskies make for a great tasting experience, and change based on releases. It is an opportunity to support a new IB that has the whisky lovers/geeks in mind based on their philosophy. Yet, the reason I thoroughly enjoyed the experience is down to the human connection. Tastings are hosted by either Mark or Kate Watt. Mark was the host for my tasting, but I believe the experience would have been special with either of them.  Talking with Mark through the tasting, experiencing genuine passion, honest opinions (definitely no corporate BS here), deep knowledge and, not least, a sense of humour is something that made this experience rare and deeply genuine. There are very few other whisky (or in general food and drink) experiences that have matched this one. If you are in Campbeltown, I would strongly recommend setting an evening aside for Watt Whisky.

And now…

My (hastily) scribbled notes

Below you will find my quick impressions of the five whiskies I tasted. No formal review or vote, though I am listing these in order of preference, or rather in order of preference for four of the five bottles. The fifth one was something else and still has me thinking.

Distilled at A Speyside distillery

Definitely not a Mortlach, wink wink. While this was not the most immediately impressive dram of the flight but the one that continued to evolve and keep me interested throughout the tasting. A long distance runner of a whisky. My initial notes mention notes of chestnut honey, floral perfume, and spice – ginger first then more complex notes with even a touch of saffron. The mouthfeel is oily, herbal and aromatic with some ripe apricots on the finish.

I kept going back to this one all through the evening so I had to take a bottle home. A more detailed review is due at some point.

Distilled at Loch Lomond distillery (Croftengea)

Distilled using Loch Lomond’s notorious Lomond still. Peaty and refreshing. On the nose woodsy peat and that citrus/resin note you get from cypress cones, vanilla grapefruit, salted pretzel. On the palate the peat is even more evident and yet there is a creamy comforting texture, closing with a lightly bitter note. I somewhat regret not taking a bottle of this one too (blame the limited luggage space), but I will keep my eyes open for anther Watt Croftengea release in the future.

Peatsmoke on Gorgie – Blended Scotch Whisk

With a name inspired by the Proclaimer’s Sunshine on Leith you sort of expect this blend to be fun and it does indeed deliver. (For those unfamiliar with Scotland both Leith and Gorgie are areas of Edinburgh). The blended component used here is the sister cask of the next whisky on the list, a Single Grian aged in ex-Macallan sherry casks.

Have you ever had smoked custard? Me neither, but that is what my brain kept telling me this dram smelled like. Once I convinced my nose to look for other notes, I noticed seaweed, dried fruits and nuts from the Sherry cask and vanilla powder sugar. On the palate the peat gets more earthy/woody, then raisins, nuts, vanilla.

Distilled at North British Distillery – Single Grain

 As noted above this Single Grian is aged in ex-Macallan sherry casks.

Pleasant nose with fruit and nuts from the Sherry cask, milk chocolate and Pritt stick glue. The palate is quite similar with intense Sherry notes (loads of raisin and currant) and a bit spicy, with ginger and white pepper. Not bad, but a bit monotone for me.

And finally, the whisky that is still giving me split personality tasting notes disorder. Mark introduced it mentioning people either love it or hate it. I think that like Schrodinger’s Cat, still in the box, I am in a superimposed state of liking and disliking this at the same time.

Peated Highland

Imagine sampling a whisky that smells like a dunnage warehouse and you would be very close to nosing this whisky. Once you get past the heavy dunnage aroma there is some residual peat, that has turned into a wisp of smoke and freshly struck flint stone, then some fruitiness, but more like fermented cherry and grape juice than fresh fruit. The initial impression I had was one of shock… has the dunnage aroma taken over the whisky? On the other hand, the part of me that loves those dunnage and fermentation smells was very much intrigued. A unique dram for sure.

Stay tuned for the next Wee Toon Adventure…

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