Signatory Vintage 100 Proof Edition #25 - Speyside (M) & Woodrow’s “Race to the Bottom Edition” (M)otherlover 101 Proof

Signatory Vintage 100 Proof Edition #25 - Speyside (M)

Region: Speyside

ABV: 57.1%

Price: £48.00

Edition #25 comes from an undisclosed Speyside distillery, often referred to as “Speyside (M),” which, for those in the know, means Macallan. Distilled in 2011, it was matured in a combination of first-fill and refill Oloroso sherry butts, and bottled in 2024 at 13 years old. 

Nose

The nose opens with a bit of a sour-port note, blackcurrants, grape must, some old leather, that then moves to lighter fruit-forward aromas of crushed raspberries, strawberry jam, a little pomegranate and a handful of rhubarb and custard sweets. There's a fair whack of alcohol on the nose, it mellows as you keep going back but it's more prominent than expected. Going back, there's a note of charred cask, rancio and a little Turkish delight too. There's also something a little damp here, hessian cloth and pickled walnuts.

Palate

The palate opens with a fairly astringent, bitter, burnt wood note, alongside a good whack of black pepper spice. Behind this sits pickled cherries, malt loaf, chocolate coated raisins, leather and a touch of burnt caramel. The mouthfeel is ok, it begins reasonably silky but seems to fall off quite quickly, but the finish does linger on with mostly bitter cocoa, balsamic vinegar and spent coffee grounds. Fairly strong and powerful, but feels a bit off balance for us.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose really picks up on the pickled walnut aromas, balsamic vinegar and maybe some bacon wrapped dates too. Behind this sits dark chocolate and damp cardboard. There's also more aromas reminiscent of baking spices starting to appear. It's definitely lost the fruit from pre-dilution, replaced with richer and darker aromas.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate loses a bit of initial mouthfeel and follows in the footsteps of the reduced nose with dark chocolate, espresso, charred oak staves and plums. The finish does keep its length and some of that spice does mellow. Again, it feels richer, with more baking spices and coffee coming through.

Conclusion

It's a bit of a sherry bomb, and for us it feels a bit unbalanced. There's lots of strong flavours, but they veer towards the bitter and sour without the sweet to counterbalance. It's not a bad dram, just feels a bit underwhelming for us.

Score: 6/10

Value

A 13-year-old cask strength Macallan for under £50 is nearly impossible to beat...

Woodrow’s “Race to the Bottom Edition” (M)otherlover 101 Proof

Region: Speyside

ABV: 57.7%

Price: £49.90 

This release is a 9-year-old single malt Scotch whisky, distilled in 2015 at the same undisclosed Speyside (or Highland, as the distillery often refers to themselves as) distillery as today’s other review. It is a vatting of two casks: a first-fill French Oak Oloroso Sherry hogshead and a first-fill American Oak Pedro Ximénez hogshead. It’s also fair to say this is a subtle critique of the Signatory bottlings and the pricing levels that smaller independent bottlers simply cannot compete with.

Nose

The nose opens with a fresh fruit aroma, red berries, raspberries, something slightly green and vegetal too, eucalyptus maybe? We're also getting a little sherbet, boiled sweets, strawberry laces and a handful of red grapes. It's definitely sherried, but on the lighter side, it's got some buttercream, light honey and some lemon zest appearing as we go back to it. It's not a nose that jumps out of the glass at you, but it does change as you go back to it after it gets some air.

Palate

The palate has more of a punch, with quite a lot of upfront black pepper spice. Behind this we're getting some lemon water, cherry juice, strawberry cheesecake, a bit of menthol and blackcurrant cordial. There's a nice sweetness that balances the acidic flavours, but there's a bit of astringency on the finish. The mouthfeel is reasonable, not overly textured but it's not too thin, and the finish lasts for a medium length with raisins, cherry liqueur and dark chocolate.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a bit more maltiness coming through, it's got more aromas of freshly baked sponge cake layered with strawberry jam, but we're still getting light raisin and sultana notes too. The spice has mellowed somewhat, but it feels a little simpler in profile.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate feels slightly richer, more syrupy, with chocolate coated raisins, dates, plum jam and a bit of caramel too. The spice, like the reduced nose, has mellowed but it's definitely still there. The finish maintains the length but has some bitter oak appearing now. We'd avoid the water here, it mellows the peppery spice but doesn't really help the other parts of the palate.

Conclusion

It's a fairly quaffable whisky, well balanced in flavour although it does have a bit too much alcohol punching through in places. Not as sherried as you would expect, but we appreciate the lighter touch reminding us that we're still drinking a whisky and not a 57.7% sherry.

Score: 7/10

Value

An absolute bargain, especially given that Woodrow’s doesn’t have the extensive historic stock that Signatory possesses. While we’re not here to tell you how to spend your money, much like supporting a small independent shop, we’d recommend finding an independent bottler you like and supporting them.

• 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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