Introduction
I was curious about this release from Thompson Bros the moment I heard about it. Their Mystery Malt Series has always offered something a bit outside the norm, and I’ve appreciated the honesty in their labelling. For Series 3, they kept the identity mostly under wraps, though it was eventually revealed to be a 7-year-old single malt from Annandale. The peated version, to be exact. Young and smoky isn’t always an easy combination, so I approached this one with interest but cautiously.
Nose
Straight out of the bottle and into the glass, the first scent is clean but sharp. There's definitely youth here, with a mix of dry smoke and fresh barley. The peat isn’t overwhelming—it’s more of a dry, ashy character rather than medicinal or coastal. I picked up some green apple skin and a touch of lemon peel underneath that smokiness. A little time in the glass helped mellow it out, and there’s a hay-like note that emerged along with faint vanilla from the American oak. Overall, the nose is lean and fairly direct without a big depth of aroma.
Palate
On the palate, this whisky came across as thin in texture but nicely punchy in flavour. The alcohol isn't overbearing, though at 48.5% it still delivers some warmth. The peat is immediately noticeable—again dry and ashy, reminding me of cooled fireplace soot. There's a citrus sharpness, mostly lemon and underripe pear, along with a bitter herbal edge that brings to mind green tea. It has a raw, unpolished feel to it, but not in a bad way. It’s simple and straight, without being boring.
Finish
The finish is quick, clean, and mostly smoky. There’s a small wave of peppery spice that disappears fast, followed by a faint chalkiness. I didn’t find many layers unfolding here—it says its piece and moves on. There's a lingering memory of scorched wood and maybe a trace of aniseed right at the end, but subtle.
Price and Value
This bottle retailed at a sensible price for a limited, small-batch release—especially given it’s a single malt released at decent strength. Considering the transparency and quality of bottling from Thompson Bros, I think it's fair value, particularly for those who tend to enjoy younger, peat-forward whiskies. That said, it’s not something I'd call complex or refined, so if that’s what you're after, you might not find it here.
Background
This whisky comes from Annandale Distillery, located in the Lowlands of Scotland. They restarted production just a few years back and have been releasing both peated and unpeated malts under their own label. This release, though, was selected and bottled by Thompson Bros as part of their Mystery Malt Series, which focuses on interesting casks from unnamed distilleries. Even though the original bottle had no stated distillery, it was later identified as a peated Annandale—aged for 7 years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, and bottled non-chill filtered and without added colour.
Final Notes
Would I get this bottle again? Possibly, though not immediately—it felt like a solid dram for specific moods, but not a must-have. Is it good for someone new to peated whisky? I’d say not really. The youth and ashiness might be too much for someone just getting into smoky malts. It doesn’t have the sophistication of an Islay peat, nor the smoother edges of an older dram. What kind of occasion suits it? I think it works best as a casual pour—something you don’t need to overthink while appreciating its straightforward character. How does it compare to other Lowland releases? It’s definitely in its own lane: more rugged, more peated, and less about elegance than most typical Lowland bottlings.