The Exceptional by Sutcliffe & Son
Our first club bottle of 2020, and it really is Exceptional…
The Exceptional range of Scotch Whiskies by Sutcliffe & Son is the result of a friendship between Don Sutcliffe (managing director of Craft Distillers) and Willie Phillips (ex-managing director of The Macallan), who wanted to create a set of spectacular small batch whiskies, not beholden to the need to create long-term consistency.
There was also a desire to remind people that quality is not based on trends, such as the current popularity in Single Malts, which is why their inaugural release in Autumn 2013 was The Exceptional Grain, an elegant and nuanced blended grain, containing a 32 year old Carsebridge wheat whisky that they had to search for in the forgotten corners of warehouses.
The range has been added to with The Exceptional Blend and The Exceptional Malt, which included a 30 year old Macallan, something not many blends can replicate.
This all means that every batch is authentically individual; selected from several different distilleries, each barrel chosen for its distinctive and memorable characteristics, finished in first-fill Oloroso casks.
We knew that blended whisky was an important part of our whisky journey with you and with The Exceptional we believe that we have found two people that share the best of what is possible with blends and grains, therefore we are honoured to have the opportunity to share their work with you.
Due to the small batches created by Sutcliffe & Son we were unable to share only one of their three with everyone, so have chosen Don’s two favourites, and it’s purely down to chance as to which bottle each member receives!
There are only around twenty bottles of each left in the UK, so you have something truly rare and unique to enjoy, as their next batch will never be the same.
The Exceptional Grain by Sutcliffe & Son
Includes 21 year old Strathclyde / 32 year old Cameron Bridge / 33 year old Carsebridge amongst other fantastic casks
The Exceptional Blend by Sutcliffe & Son
Includes 30 year old Macallan / 33 year old Cameron Bridge amongst others…
A review of The Exceptional Grain by the Scotch Test Dummies
A review of The Exceptional Blend by Craft Distillers’ Ansley Coale
#WHISKYSHOTS MEMBERS’ COMPETITION WIN A BOTTLE OF THE EXCEPTIONAL MALT
If there’s one thing we love as much as whisky, it’s a great PHOTO of whisky, and we’ve had the pleasure to work with some top photographers to capture our bottles over the past year.
Now it’s your turn – we want to see your very best photos of the February Club Bottle. Simply post your photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, including the hashtag #whiskyshots and tagging us with @summertonclub. If you don’t use social media, simply email us with your pics, hello@summertonclub.com
Our five favourite photos chosen 1st April will win a prize, with the first prize winner receiving a bottle of The Exceptional Malt.