One of the best things about Devon Dram Club is that each month reminds us how much labels can influence our opinions, often more than we realise.
At every tasting, we try five whiskies without knowing anything about them. There are no bottles, prices, age statements, or distillery names. Just five glasses and one simple question:
What do you think?
This setup sparks conversation, gets everyone thinking, and often leads to some surprising results.
This month’s tasting was no exception.
By the end of the evening, we had tasted a single grain whisky, then moved through Speyside, the Highlands, the Lowlands, and finally Islay. There were plenty of confident guesses, a few wildly wrong ones, and several whiskies that changed people’s expectations.
Here are the five drams we tasted.
Whisky One – Cameronbridge 12 Year Old (Cut Your Wolf Lose)
We began with something that almost nobody expected.
Cameronbridge is Scotland’s oldest grain distillery and makes whisky on a large scale, with most of its spirit going into well-known blends. Because of this, not many people have tried Cameronbridge as a whisky on its own.
Blind, however, nobody knew that.
The whisky was easy to enjoy, sweet and creamy, with hints of vanilla, caramel, and gentle oak. Its smoothness made everyone want to take another sip.
Then came the reveal.
Not a single person identified it as a grain whisky.
Even better, it ended up being one of the favourites of the evening.
That’s exactly why we taste blind. If everyone had seen “Single Grain” on the bottle first, many would have brought their own assumptions. Instead, they judged it only by its flavour and found out they really liked it. Sometimes the biggest surprise isn’t a rare cask finish or a smoky whisky. Sometimes it’s realising you’ve been missing out on a whole style of Scotch.
Whisky Two – The Loch Fyne Linkwood 8 Year Old
Next, we moved into Speyside with an independently bottled Linkwood.
Linkwood is one of those distilleries that many whisky fans have tasted without realising it. While official bottlings are relatively uncommon, independent bottlers regularly showcase just how elegant and complex its spirit can be.
Despite being only eight years old, this whisky showed plenty of character.
Fresh orchard fruit, citrus, vanilla, and gentle spice made this a bright, easy-to-enjoy dram that showed age isn’t everything. Good casks and quality spirit can make great whisky even before the label shows big numbers.
It was another reminder that blind tasting helps us set aside our assumptions. No one spends the evening worrying about age statements; we just enjoy what’s in the glass.
Whisky Three – Ben Nevis 11 Year Old (Signatory Vintage)
By the third dram, the conversation around the tables was in full flow.
Ben Nevis has become something of a cult favourite in recent years, and it’s easy to understand why.
Rich, full-bodied, and packed with character, this independent bottling offered layers of orchard fruit, malt, gentle spice, and a smooth, oily texture that kept changing as you sipped.
For many people, this was the point in the evening when the whiskies started becoming much harder to identify.
People guessed several different regions of Scotland, showing again how tricky blind tasting is when you don’t have labels to guide you.
Whisky Four – Bladnoch 8 Year Old
One of the biggest talking points of the evening came from our fourth whisky.
Bladnoch’s 8 Year Old is aged in both bourbon and red wine casks, which gives it juicy fruit flavours and classic vanilla sweetness.
The response around the room was overwhelmingly positive.
Many people mentioned the whisky’s fruity taste and how easy it was to enjoy.
But here’s what made it interesting.
Very few people realised that red wine casks had played a role in creating those flavours.
It’s another good example of how you don’t need to analyse whisky to enjoy it. Everyone noticed something unique about this one, even if they couldn’t say exactly what it was.
You don’t have to know every cask type to recognise when something tastes good.
Whisky Five – Ardbeg 10 Year Old
We finished the evening with a classic. Ardbeg 10 is one of Islay’s classic peated whiskies and made for the perfect ending.nale.
As soon as the glasses were poured, the room filled with scents of medicinal smoke, bonfire ash, citrus, pepper, and sea air.
Some people immediately recognised that this had to be an Islay whisky.
Others were simply happy to sit back and enjoy one of Scotland’s most iconic peated drams.
Finishing with Ardbeg also showed just how varied Scotch whisky can be.
In just one evening, we went from a delicate grain whisky to one of the smokiest styles made anywhere.
What we learned
Every Devon Dram Club meeting teaches us something new.
This month, two lessons really stood out.
First, grain whisky deserves much more attention than it usually gets. Without seeing the label, many people picked Cameronbridge as their favourite whisky of the night.
Second, our taste buds often notice flavours before we can figure out where they come from. Bladnoch’s red wine cask added lots of fruitiness, but few people guessed the cask type.
Neither of those observations would have happened if we’d shown everyone the bottles first.
That’s why we think blind tasting is a great way to explore whisky. It takes away expectations and lets curiosity lead the way.
Join us next time
Each month, we gather a new selection of whiskies, a welcoming group of people, and follow one simple rule: taste first, reveal later.
Whether you’re new to whisky or have been collecting for years, you’ll enjoy a relaxed evening with good conversation, surprising discoveries, and maybe even a new favourite dram.
If this month’s tasting showed anything, it’s that your next favourite whisky might be a surprise.
We hope to see you at the next Devon Dram Club.
