Before signing up to Game of Thrones as everyone’s favourite Ser, Rory McCann occupied the iconic role of Scott’s Porage Oats Man – a character originally inspired by Highland games champion Jay Scott who earnt world fame for his heavyweight feats in the 50s and 60s. Anyhow, enough of the history lesson – this is a 10 year old Tullibardine drawn from a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel.
Nose: Sure – well named this one. Cornflake cakes and oatmeal sit alongside banana milkshake powder whilst woolly jumpers and fabric coverings are offset by a strange but appealing sense of steeliness and peeling wallpaper. Water reveals waxed jackets and dusty Alpen powder alongside touches of sweetened Greek yoghurt.
Taste: Left-field stuff. Apple crumble and a combination of toasted and fresh cereals are served with ceramic jars, tile grout, clay and putty. Barley water followed – with iron filings and shaved coconut added. Dilution reveals a beer-like hoppiness alongside additional barley cues and a pang of zesty lemon.
Finish: Medium to long with chopped herbs and sunflower oil together with wrought iron and steel cabling.
Part Porage Oats Man – but at the same time also part potty-mouthed armoured knight. There’s plenty of the ingredients on show here – but there’s also inextricably a profusion of ill-tempered diversions into metallurgy and alluvialness. This makes for a thought-provoking whisky, but not one which is necessarily immediately approachable or totally convincing.