This dram tasted like Japanese cucumbers. We nosed and sipped and we nosed again, as if we couldn’t quite believe our senses. There’s never a typical Dornoch single malt, and this one is so unusual we absolutely loved it.

It’s funny to consider how two twenty-something-year-old brothers working out of a 13^th Century castle in the remote Scottish Highlands could create a world-leading whisky bar, then start an international cult following for their indie bottles.

Phil Thompson (1/2 of the brothers) is in the flesh with us in Singapore thanks to our friends in booze Mitch (M&E Drinks) and Andrew (@whiskyhobo). We went through a round of whiskies (and rum), 4 of which were bottled by the Thompson Bros as indie bottlers, and 1 of which was distilled at their craft micro-distillery, out of a small 19^th century stone-wall fire station.

The man behind the coolest whisky labels - Andrew or WhiskyHobo.

Guests were given a nice whisky highball while they mingled before the start of the session. This was a mix of soda with the Thompson Bros SRV5 8 Year Old blend. This is lightly citrusy with a touch of lemon oil, lemongrass, thyme and a finish of earthy smoke.

[Thompson Bros Blended Malt Scotch Whisky SRV5 over 8 Years, 48.5% ABV] Refreshing, but oily with slight drying sensation on the back. Lightly citrusy with a touch of lemon oil, lemongrass, thyme and a finish of earthy smoke.

The net dram we got to taste was a TB/BSW (Thompson Bros Blended Scotch Whisky) 6 years old. This was matured in a mix of refill and first-fill sherry hogsheads.

[Thompson Bros Blended Scotch Whisky over 6 Years, 46% ABV] This is a nose of red fruits and raisins. Great smooth oaky depths of more raisins, cinnamon, maple syrup and English Jaffa cakes.

The second dram was a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky from several distilleries in the Highlands (specifically the Sutherland).

[Thompson Bros Error 502 Blended Malt Scotch, Sutherland Distilleries, 58.15% ABV] Another blended Scotch with a nose of sweet and tart plums, and even more raisins than before. The palate is of soft apples, peaches and sweet candlewax.

Both starter drams were very tasty and easy daily sippers, with excellent sherry quality.

The third dram was something we couldn’t stop talking about. The Dornoch Distillery Cask #167 3-year-old single malt distilled by the brothers themselves.

[Dornoch Distillery Cask 167, 3 Year Old, 62.2% ABV] This has a bright, sweet and refreshing nose of very mild briny mineral melon aroma and… Japanese cucumbers 🥒! The palate is well rounded with a green tea sweetness, while a perfumed and aromatic peatiness grows and grows. The combination of refreshing sweetness, melon notes and smoke reminds me of artisanal mezcal.

There should be no typical Dornoch single malt as Phil explained. While big commercial brands prize consistency, the taste difference here compared to other Dornoch expressions was so evident. I distinctly recall tasting the first ever release from Dornoch Distillery (Cask 001) at The Swan Song in 2021. The Cask 001 is thick, rich, a ton of red fruits and preserved sour plum. This Cask 167 on the other hand is bright, refreshing and mineral.

Experimentation after experimentation, no two bottles from Dornoch Distillery are alike. Interestingly, the wort fermentation of the Cask 167 was done with open washbacks, exposing the mixture to wild yeast in the environment. Perhaps this is why we taste such interesting notes we haven’t quite seen elsewhere. Oh, and there are only 2 bottles of this ever released.

The next dram was a familiar label, the 30YO We-Didn’t-Say-It’s-a-Laphroaig Auld Alliance  collaboration Islay Single Malt. This edition was distilled in 1990, then aged in a refill hogshead.  

[Thompson Bros – Auld Alliance Islay 30 Years Old Single Malt, 1990, 49.4% ABV] Aromatic nose of soft, gentle peatiness with notes of light Eagle Brand medicated oil, and a bright citrusy yuzu note. The palate is once again, impeccably balanced grapefruit and yuzu notes with growing black tea and light incense smoke.

We’ve tasted its sister cask previously (the one with Whiskyhobo’s pretty label), this one appears just slightly more oaky and peated.

We ended the tasting with an expensive malternative. A cuttlefish labelled 20-year-old Caroni rum from Trinidad & Tobago.

[Thompson Bros Caroni 20 Years Old, 1997, 61.9% ABV] Mild earthy nose of mushrooms, jet fuel, with a surprisingly rich notes of sweet port wine and raspberry jam. The palate continues with sweet notes of port, minor earthiness, liquorice, walnuts, minor chords of burnt rubber, motor oil and herbal peppermint.

This one’s a complex but incredibly smooth Caroni. Interestingly, the typical “oily” Caroni style with tons of diesel and motor oil, but that DNA is very understated here, with fruity jammy sweetness taking centre stage. Possibly the result of a half-and-half tropical and continental aging!

 

So, there’s a 30-year-old Laphroaig and a 20-year-old Caroni. And yet we couldn’t stop returning to the 3-year-old Dornoch Cask #167 because of it’s incredibly memorable and unique taste. A testament to what experimentation in a craft distillery could yield.

The biggest players in whiskies and rum tend to be distinguished, multi-generational projects with over a hundred years of goodwill. Yet along the way, Scotch has lost a big part of its character and charm to a bygone era due to the modern obsession with efficiency, machinery and high-alcohol-yield barley or yeasts. Just have a taste of a Johnnie Walker produced during the 1960s, and you would immediately notice the much more satisfying depth of flavour, balance and complexity compared to modern expressions. 

The brothers set up Dornoch Distillery, working tirelessly with a hope to revive the original spirit of Scotch by using organic barley, better yeast strains and age-old whisky making processes like floor-malting. Sometimes, the old ways are the best.  

Meeting the passionate Phil in person reminds us what the modern Scotch industry lacks, and everything that the Thompson Bros stand for. How did two brothers from the town of Dornoch change the whisky world? By being crazy enough to think they can.

Read: All about the Thompson Bros and their incredible work.

@CharsiuCharlie