Finn Thomson Whisky - Mannochmore 2010

FINN THOMSON WHISKY MANNOCHMORE 16 YEAR OLD, FIRST-FILL BOURBON BARREL Chosen by bothy firelight during Storm Dave · Speyside Single Malt About Finn Thomson Whisky Finn Thomson is the ninth generation of Scotland's oldest whisky family. The Thomson name traces back to the 1770s through Perthshire, where Peter Thomson Ltd built the beloved Beneagles blended whisky using casks from Longmorn, Clynelish, North British, and other lesser-known workhorses. Finn Thomson Whisky continues that tradition as an independent single cask bottler. Every release is hand-selected, bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, with natural colour. Eye on the past. Vision for the future. Region Speyside Distillery Mannochmore Age 16 Years ABV 53.2% Cask First-Fill Bourbon Barrel Outturn 256 Bottles A single cask Mannochmore, distilled on 23 March 2010 and left to do its work in a first-fill bourbon barrel for 16 years. Finn made the call to bottle it while snowed in at a Highland bothy during Storm Dave, and it was bottled on 19 May 2026 at 53.2% cask strength. One of 256 bottles drawn from cask 3038. Non-chill filtered, natural colour, 700ml. Imported exclusively by The Whiskey Lab. Sometimes you need a warehouse to decide a cask is ready. Sometimes you just need a storm, a bothy and a good dram. Finn Thomson Distillery profile, Mannochmore Built in 1971 alongside its older sister distillery Glenlossie, just south of Elgin in Speyside. Designed as a blending workhorse; its clean, fruity make has long been a key filling for the Haig blends. Now part of Diageo and best known to collectors for the jet-black Loch Dhu experiment of the 1990s; otherwise rarely seen as a single malt. Its fresh, orchard-fruited Speyside character is a natural match for long first-fill bourbon maturation. The story of this cask Mannochmore has always been one of those distilleries that quietly gets on with making great whisky. At 16 years old, this cask is a lovely example of what happens when you leave a good Speyside spirit in a first-fill bourbon barrel and simply let time do the work. The cask has given it plenty of vanilla and a rich, creamy, almost buttery texture, while the distillery character still shines through with fresh orchard fruits, crisp apples and ripe pears. I actually decided this cask was ready to bottle in one of the most remote places in Scotland. I was on a trip to Ben Alder Cottage in April with my Czech importer, Lukas Soucek, when Storm Dave rolled in. What was meant to be an early spring night in the hills turned into being snowed in, huddled around the bothy fire while the wind battered the walls outside. Fortunately, I'd brought a cask sample with me. At full cask strength, it was exactly what was needed after a day in the snow. Sitting by the fire, tasting it in that setting, everything just seemed to click. The balance was there, the bourbon cask had done its job without overpowering the spirit, and the whisky felt complete. Sometimes you need a warehouse to decide a cask is ready. Sometimes you just need a storm, a bothy and a good dram. Tasting notes Nose Fresh orchard fruits, crisp green apples and ripe pears, lifted by generous first-fill vanilla. Palate Rich, creamy, almost buttery in texture. Vanilla sweetness folds into fresh orchard fruit, the distillery character shining through clearly at 53.2%. Finish Warming and complete: exactly what's needed after a day in the snow. Lingering creamy vanilla with a final bite of crisp apple. Specification Details Brand Finn Thomson Whisky, Private Cask Collection Whisky style Single Malt Scotch Whisky, single cask Region Speyside Distillery Mannochmore Age 16 years ABV 53.2% (cask strength) Volume 700ml Cask First-fill bourbon barrel Distillation date 23 March 2010 Bottling date 19 May 2026 Cask number 3038 Outturn 256 bottles Cask strength Yes Non-chill filtered Yes Natural colour Yes Bottled by Young Spirits Co, Edinburgh Imported by The Whiskey Lab