Allt-a-Bhainne NAS Batch 2 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

Bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company as an undisclosed age NAS expression at 49.9% ABV from ex Bourbon maturation. The release is one of just 40 bottles, an exceptionally small run from TBWC's Allt-a-Bhainne programme. The Boutique-y label famously avoids age and vintage statements in favour of batch numbers, with the illustrated comic strip label carrying the distillery's story instead.

Allt-a-Bhainne ferments malted barley for 48 to 50 hours on Mauri liquid yeast in closed stainless steel washbacks, then double distills through two copper wash stills and two copper spirit stills with steam heating and shell and tube condensers. The short Speyside ferment produces a clean malt forward spirit built as a blend filler for Chivas Regal, Passport and 100 Pipers. New make is reduced with Rowantree Burn water and tankered to Keith for cask filling and maturation, since the distillery holds no warehousing on site.

Ex Bourbon American oak frames cask contribution on vanillin and oak lactones from the toasted and charred staves, with Maillard chemistry from hemicellulose oak sugars driving honey and vanilla. The clean American oak palette suits Allt-a-Bhainne's lighter blend filler spirit. Without disclosed age information the cask development stage is left to the buyer to infer from the bottling profile, with the natural strength and ex Bourbon source pointing to a typical TBWC mid age selection.