Williamson 9 Years Old 2010 Monologue (53.9%, Chapter 7, Bourbon Barrel #907, 235 Bottles, 2020)

• ABV: 53.9%
• Age: 9 Years Old
• Bottling: Chapter 7, Monologue, Cask #907, 235 Bottles
• Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £104.95
• Origin:  Laphroaig distillery
• Vintage: 2010

What they say

Williamson is a tea-spooned malt. But what is tea-spooning? Sometimes distilleries don’t want their brand names an independent bottler’s label. So, they add a teaspoon of malt whisky from another distillery and make the whisky a ‘blend’. That way, the independent bottler can’t use their trademark. In the whisky trade, tea-spooned malts have distinct names like ‘Williamson’. People know where the whisky is from, they can’t put the name on the bottle.

In unrelated news, this article about how Laphroaig named a whisky after Bessie WILLIAMSON. She’s a Laphroaig icon!

We’d always wanted to bottle a Williamson cask, and we’re thrilled with this one. This is a powerful whisky that reflects the unedited character of Laphroaig distillery.

Official tasting notes:

Nose: Peaty pears. seawater. iodine. oysters. seaweed.

Palate: Smoked almonds. lemons. kippers. marzipan. sesame oil.

Finish: Lemony with a little candy sugar and a rounded smoky bitterness.

What I say

Exploring the latest releases from Independent bottler Chapter 7 whisky, a total of 5 expressions released late 2020. Starting with this Williamson expression a ‘teaspooned’ Laphroaig (often without the teaspooon!) under the guise of a blended malt this can’t be called Laphroaig although it effectively is.

This post was sponsored by Chapter 7 Whisky by provision of a sample of this product.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Light champagne gold (5/20), medium-fine tears and legs.
• Nose: Sweet, fruity and earthy peat smoke, buttery, milky/lactic, slight vanilla, apple, pear, a barnyard feel/twang, malty, candyfloss, peanut brittle, bacon frazzles, funky and fusty, with time well-toasted bread, manuka honey and wood polish.
• Taste: Rich and supple on the palate, medium-full bodied, oily with buttery vanilla cream and some black pepper spice, wood char, milk bottle sweeties, nut brittle and salted caramel.
• Finish: Long, warming, earthy smoke and sweet vanilla buttercream icing.

Overall

A delicious combination of sweet milk, vanilla buttercream icing and earthy and turfy peat smoke.

Score 87/100

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