Lindores 1494 Inaugural Members Release

Lindores 1494 Inaugural Members Release, 3 YO, 49.4 %

Here is a real treat, and a rare one. The very first release from new Lindores Abbey Distillery in the Lowland region of Scotland. The only way to get your hands on a bottle of this whisky is to become a member of the Lindores Abbey fan club. Maximum number of members is 1494, and it is not yet fully booked (see more).

The Lindores 1494 Inaugural Members Release was distilled 2018, and bottled 2021. This release is limited, naturally, to 1494 bottles. A nice touch also that it is bottled at 49.4 % ABV.

So, why this fixation with the number 1494? Well, it’s all about history, and the fact that Lindores Abbey is considered to be the spiritual home of Scotch whisky.

“Distilling was taking place on this site at least as early as 1494, although it was most probably happening long before that.

We know this because of the earliest written reference to Scotch Whisky (or Aqua Vitae, as it was then known), which appears in the Exchequer Roll of the same year, naming Brother John Cor, a Lindores monk, who was commissioned by King James IV to turn 8 bolls of malt into Aqua Vitae.” - source

Nose: Lots of vanilla sweetness right off the bat. Earthy vanilla, marshmallows, and vanilla ice cream. Strawberries and mild fudge. Candy store whisky. With time ripe, red apples and hints of white pepper. Young sure, but not unfinished or unbalanced, it is rather juicy, fresh and vibrant.

Taste: Full bodied and rather spicy in character. White pepper again, as well as dry and earthy cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of salt as well.

Finish: Medium long finish. The fruitiness and spices remain present till the very end. Milk chocolate. Dry-ish and green-ish in the end.

Comment: What a wonderful debut.

Score 86/100

Thanks to Frode for the sample!

Sláinte!
-Thomas