The Whisky Exchange completes its Zodiac Series
Scorpio gets sherry-soaked Speyside, Sagittarius a four-year-old Bunnahabhain and Aquarius a funky Campbeltown malt as The Whisky Exchange brings its 12-bottle Zodiac Series to a close
The Whisky Exchange has unveiled the final four bottles in its Zodiac Series, completing a 12-whisky collection pairing different styles of whisky in the personalities of each star sign. The last release covers Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius, joining eight bottles released earlier this year.
Scorpio – dark and intense
A Speyside Distillery 2009, 15 Year Old
53.9% ABV | £89.95
Scorpio gets the darkest and richest whisky of the final four, a 15-year-old single malt from an unnamed Speyside distillery that The Whisky Exchange describes only as a prestigious producer just outside Craigellachie with a long association with sherry-matured whisky. Drawn from refill butt number two, the release is limited to 665 bottles and has been bottled at a substantial 53.9%, without chill filtration or added colouring. The sherry influence runs all the way through it: fruitcake, stewed raisins, dark chocolate and baking spice on the nose give way to cherries, dates, molasses and black treacle, with burnt orange and an earthier edge appearing around all that sweetness. For a star sign usually saddled with words such as passionate, intense and mysterious, The Whisky Exchange has certainly resisted the temptation to give Scorpio anything too polite.
Sagittarius – young and unruly
Bunnahabhain 2020, 4 Year Old
60.4% ABV | £54.95
At just four years old and a muscular 60.4% ABV, Sagittarius is easily the youngster of the group, but there is rather more going on here than its age might suggest. This is unpeated Bunnahabhain, matured entirely in a single first-fill oloroso sherry butt and released as one of 684 bottles, again without chill filtration or added colour. Bunnahabhain has been making whisky on Islay’s north-eastern coast since 1881 and, unlike most of its island neighbours, built its reputation around an unpeated spirit particularly well suited to sherry maturation. Here that big first-fill cask has worked quickly, bringing dried strawberries, flaked almonds, chocolate and salted caramel before darker brown sugar, chocolate orange, cinnamon and black pepper arrive on the palate. There is still a little salty coastal character underneath it all. Young, powerful and exuberantly sherried feels like a pretty decent interpretation of Sagittarius.
Capricorn – the sensible one
MacDuff 2014, 11 Year Old
50.1% ABV | £62.95
Capricorn gets one of the less frequently encountered distillery names in the collection. Macduff was established on Scotland’s north-east coast in 1960 and much of its whisky has traditionally disappeared into blends, while its official single malts are normally sold under The Deveron name. Independent bottlings such as this one therefore provide a rather better opportunity to see Macduff written prominently on a label. The distillery is known for a fruity, slightly weightier spirit, particularly apples, nuts and an oily texture, and those traits come through nicely here. The 11-year-old comes from re-charred barrel number 52 and is limited to just 230 bottles. Crisp green apple leads into brown sugar, cinnamon and creaminess, with butterscotch, nut brittle, fig leaf, vanilla and milk chocolate building across the palate. It is substantial without becoming overblown, which makes the Capricorn pairing feel surprisingly well judged.
Aquarius – Campbeltown gets weird
Campbeltown Blended Malt 2015, 10 Year Old
57.4% ABV | £72.95
Aquarius arguably lands the most intriguing bottle of the four. This 10-year-old blended malt combines undisclosed whiskies from Campbeltown, Scotland’s smallest whisky region and one that currently has only three operating distilleries: Springbank, Glen Scotia and Glengyle, whose whisky appears as Kilkerran. The Whisky Exchange is not saying exactly what has gone into this particular vatting, although its own tasting notes suggest fans of Springbank and Glen Scotia should find plenty to enjoy. Matured in refill hogshead number 58, just 331 bottles have been produced at 57.4% ABV, with no chill filtration or added colouring. Salted caramel, sea air and gentle minerality lead into apple, citrus peel and spice, before the slightly oily, funky character associated with old-school Campbeltown starts to show itself. Creaminess and coastal notes hang around on the finish, making this a suitably eccentric ending to the Zodiac collection.
Twelve signs, twelve bottles
The complete Zodiac Series was selected by The Whisky Exchange buying director Dawn Davies and own-label product manager Chris Bolton, with artwork created by Jenna Morse from its in-house design team.
The final four bottles go on general sale on 7 September, with Friends of The Whisky Exchange have the opportunity to shop the new releases from 24th August, completing a collection that can be bought as individual bottles, elemental sets or the full 12-whisky line-up.
