Today, we’re diving into another auction win while also sharing a few details about the now sadly closed distillery.
North Port Distillery
Located in the historic town of Brechin in Angus, Scotland, the North Port Distillery, also known as Brechin Distillery, was founded in 1820 by brothers David and John Guthrie. Originally named Townhead Distillery, it was renamed Brechin Distillery in 1823, before being changed again to North Port Distillery in 1839. Over the years, it went through several ownership changes, most notably its acquisition in 1922 by the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), which would later become part of Diageo. North Port primarily produced whisky for blended Scotch, a common practice for many distilleries at the time.
Despite its contributions to the Scotch whisky industry, North Port ceased operations in 1983 during a period of declining demand and economic challenges, which led to the closure of many distilleries across Scotland. The site was sold for redevelopment in 1990, ultimately demolished in 1994, and shortly afterwards, a Safeway supermarket was built on the site. With that history out of the way, onto today’s bottle…
Cadenhead’s North Port (Brechin) 1976 21yo
Region: Highlands
ABV: 62.0%
Price: £260.00 (Auction)
Distilled December 1976 and matured in a bourbon cask, this whisky was bottled in March 1998.
Nose
The nose opens with notes of peaches, chopped apples, vanilla essence, lime juice, honey, and chalk. It’s surprisingly easy to nose considering the ABV. On revisiting, additional layers of apricot jam, acetone, black pepper, caramel, and putty emerge. This is one of those drams you could keeping going back to and pick out new notes.
Palate
The palate mirrors the nose, with tropical fruits leading into vanilla and caramel before transitioning into ginger spice on the long finish. However, the spice and alcohol bite feel a bit overwhelming. The mouthfeel is decent, but it doesn’t stand out. Overall, it tastes younger than its age suggests.
Nose (with water)
With water, the nose has lost some of its fruity notes, replaced by a dominant aroma of burnt brown sugar. There are also hints of cashew nuts and strawberries, but overall it feels more one-dimensional.
Palate (with water)
With water, the palate gains notes of orange peel, lightly roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and candied ginger. The water has also toned down the spice to a much more manageable level. The mouthfeel remains relatively unchanged, while the finish now has more sweetness lingering.
Conclusion
Pre-dilution, the nose is complex, though not all the notes were particularly enjoyable. The undiluted palate lacks the same level of complexity and feels too hot without water. Once diluted, the nose loses some of its complexity, but the palate gains more depth and balance. This is fairly similar to other North Port drams we’ve tried, which tend to be something of an acquired taste.
Score: 6.5/10
Value
We were personally quite pleased to pick this up for £260, though we can understand why others might pass. Closed distilleries rarely offer great value for money.
- 10 - Perfection. One in a million
- 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
- 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
- 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
- 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
- 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
- 4 - Below average. Passable.
- 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
- 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
- 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.
If you like what you’ve read then check out our social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to get notifications of when we post a new review or just to chat about whisky with us.
Leave a comment