Murray McDavid Madeira Cask Finished Single Malt Scotch Review & Tasting Notes

 

I'll make things simple if you’ve heard the term independent bottler but don’t know what that means. Unlike sourcing whiskeys and rebranding them, an independent bottler will disclose and prominently display who the distiller is on the label. The goal can be to acquire an off-profile barrel or to do something special with the barrel that the distillery would not normally do, such as an unusual finish. Or, the distillery may usually send its stocks off to be blended with others, whereas the independent bottler will sell that single barrel for whiskey enthusiasts to try.

Murray McDavid is one such independent bottler that specializes in Scotch. Founded in 1994 by London-based wine merchants Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin, along with Gordon Wright of Springbank Distillery, the trio went ahead and reopened the shuttered Islay’s Bruichladdich Distillery with Jim McEwan. The distillery was sold to Remy Cointreau in 2012, and then Murray McDavid was sold to Aceo, Ltd.

Murray McDavid has a philosophy of Inspired Scotch Whisky, which it defines as, “Questioning the standard conventions of maturing whisky in commonplace casks, our team developed visionary maturation techniques, seeking exceptionally well-sourced oak casks from the very best vineyards, bodegas across Europe and whiskey-makers of America.”

The group has several lines of expressions, one of which is Cask Craft. It highlights single malts from around Scotland while utilizing various kinds of wood. Today I’m sampling Madeira Cask Finished, which was distilled by Speyside’s Linkwood Distillery. As the name suggests, this single malt matured in Madeira wine barriques.

Madeira is a fortified wine, much like sherry, from grapes grown on the Portuguese Madeira Islands off the African coast. Madeira has been in production since the 15th century. In modern times, it is made by oxidizing the wine via a combination of age and heat. When aged in barrels (the process is called cantiero), the process takes anywhere from 20 to 100 years. But the wine is so stable that it will survive essentially forever, even after being uncorked!

Madeira Cask Finished carries no age statement, is naturally colored, and is packaged at 44.5% ABV (89°) in 700ml bottles. Murray McDavid is imported exclusively by Keeper’s Quest, Inc. While the US pricing is not yet disclosed, it should be affordable, as its native price is £34.00.

I’m almost ready to #DrinkCurious. Before I do, I must take a moment to thank Keeper’s Quest for providing me a sample of Madeira Finish in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review.

Appearance: I explored this single malt Scotch via a neat pour in my Glencairn glass. A deep, golden liquid formed a medium-thin rim that released a wavy curtain back to the pool of liquid sunshine.

Nose: A big, fruity aroma composed of green grape, apricot, apple, and honeycomb flowed from the glass to my face. A taste of thick, raw honey rolled across my tongue when I drew the air through my lips.

Palate: A creamy mouthfeel carried flavors of golden raisin, dried apricot, and lemon zest to the front of my palate. Next came cranberry, honey, and hazelnut. The back featured cocoa powder, dried oak, and ginger.

Finish: Long and lingering, I experienced ginger, oak, honey, and hazelnut on the finish.

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Murray McDavid Madeira Cask Finished was an adventure in fruits, nuts, and wood. It was well-balanced, correctly proofed, and had a rich texture. Unless you have an aversion to sweeter single malts, this is a lovely experience. Assuming it is priced similarly to the pound sterling, this whisky is a winner. I’m thrilled to have it in my whisky library and bestow my Bottle rating on it. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.