Rare Find Campbeltown 10yo 2015 Cask 1266 & Rare Find Westport 18yo 2008 Cask 11149

Rare Find Campbeltown 10yo 2015 Cask 1266

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 56.7%

Price: £64.95

Distilled in 2015 and bottled in 2026 by Gleann Mór Spirits for its Rare Find range, this 10-year-old teaspooned blended malt was matured in a refill hogshead which produced 303 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with lots of almond marzipan, salty sea air, green apple, a little industrial cleaner, and light fudge sweetness. There's a little bit of lemon zest appearing as we go back to it, mixed with a little kiwi too. It's fairly vibrant, quite expressive, more vanilla and brown sugar notes begin to appear as air gets into the dram. There's also an underlying damp earth and mouldy brick wall note.

Palate

The palate opens with a little bit of caramel and dark chocolate, moving into more of a citrus led, lime zest and lemonade flavour, before finishing with sea salt and toffee apples. The dram has a nice mouthfeel, akin to sugar syrup, and air brings earthier notes, dried yet sweet oak, a little cassia bark and stale sponge cake. We're also finding some salty liquorice and vegetable oils, it's a real mix of sweet, dry, spiced and sour. The alcohol can be a tad warm on the initial palate, but softens on the finish.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose is slightly more sour, and slightly breadier, but in a pleasing way. There's a sourdough and cold butter aroma emerging, mixed with some fruit preserves and a sprinkling of caster sugar. It feels like there's more depth here now, and actually the drop of water has really benefited it for us. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate is much saltier, much mustier too, and a lot more citric up front. The latter palate doesn't actually change too much, it's lost some of that journey that we went through on the initial palate. Unlike the nose, the palate feels weaker with water.

Conclusion

A solid Campbeltown malt, it's got a nice mixture of sweetness, orchard fruits mixed with spicier oak notes and a coastal character that all work together. It's definitely on the drier side compared to some other Campbeltown drams, but a great whisky nonetheless.

Score: 7/10

Value

Cask strength 10yo Campbeltown for £65 is hard to complain about.

Rare Find Westport 18yo 2008 Cask 11149

Region: Highlands

ABV: 55.0%

Price: £110.00

Distilled in 2008 and bottled by Gleann Mór Spirits for its Rare Find range in 2026 after 18 years, this teaspooned blended malt was finished for 14 months in first-fill Oloroso sherry hogshead from Bodegas Barbadillo, made from toasted Spanish oak and seasoned with Oloroso for 24 months. The release produced 204 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with soft red fruits, mushy cherries, strawberries and a drizzle of double cream, alongside a little bit of fabric softener and chlorine. There's a general lightness to the spirit, not in a negative way, but it feels soft and gentle - then a layer of fruity and nutty sherried sweetness on top - perhaps a little disjointed to us. Time and air brings some mild orange rind and grated nutmeg.

Palate

The palate opens with some sour orange segments, mild aniseed, cherry jam, toffee pennies and a drier, chocolate orange-led finish. It's quite a juicy palate, lots of flavour appears instantly, but the texture feels lighter and thinner than we'd expect - although the finish does linger on for quite a long time, mostly on the nuttier, chocolatier side. The sherry feels more integrated on the palate than it did on the nose, the lighter fruitier Glenmorangie spirit mixing with the fruit and nut notes from the oloroso cask. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more of a metallic, iron sort of aroma, mixing with an old fashioned cocktail, cherry cola and maybe a little singed orange peel. It feels slightly more integrated now, there's still a brightness mixed with the richer sherried notes - an improvement with a few drops of water.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate continues with the sour orange opening, but gets a lot drier, quite a bit more oak, digestive biscuits, oatcakes, and a small drizzle of sugar syrup. Unfortunately the texture has taken more of a hit, and it just feels too thin now.

Conclusion

The nose wasn't for us on this one - it felt like the sherry was layered on top of the spirit, but the palate brought us back around. It's got one of the longest finishes we've experienced in a while, but there's a few other issues that stop us going higher than 6.5/10.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

Given Westport is teaspooned Glenmorangie this a pretty good deal.

• 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.

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