I’m guessing that whisky is not a drink that appeals to all wine lovers, but I think almost all of my wine-obsessed friends do appreciate it. Living in Scotland now, whisky takes on a role it never really did down in England, as much a part of life as gin and tonic might have been when the sun crosses the yard arm. The more you enter the malt whisky wormhole, the more interested and entangled you become. And the more of a challenge to the wine budget it becomes as well. Prices usually start at around £55 a bottle, and £85 can be a sweet spot for something good. Spending £100 is tempting for something a tiny bit special. Finding genuine interest and equally good value in the same bottle can be difficult, but I think I’ve found that here.

Blind Summit, it’s something you see many times on a string of roads sign if you take the roller-coaster A68 through Northumberland, towards Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. Driving that scenic route can be a thrill or a nightmare, depending on weather conditions. Blind Summit Whisky is all thrills and, sobriety willing, no spills.

Independent whisky bottlers tend to be much appreciated by aficionados but not always very much known or understood by the occasional purchaser of a bottle of Malt. However, they have been around since the 1800s in some cases, and although independent bottling has, like Malt Whisky in general, been affected by the vicissitudes of the market, the 1980s saw a bit of a revival. Names like William Cadenhead of Aberdeen, Gordon & Macphail of Elgin, and Douglas Laing & Co of Glasgow are names that will resound with industry insiders. Blind Summit is something of a newcomer.

Blind Summit is based in Leith. There is no centre for whisky bottling quite like Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith, the mini-Chartrons of Scotland if you like, and even today, once more home to one of the city’s new distilleries. This is where Scotland imported its Bordeaux wine, the staple fare, in magnificent quantity, of Edinburgh’s legal fraternity in their pretty debauched (alcoholically, at least) clubs in centuries past. “Claret”, Port and Sherry were bottled here before whisky, Cockburns of Leith being almost synonymous with the practice. For a long time, the famous Leith Vaults were owned by JG Thompson & Co.

The Vaults, in Giles Street, date back to the 12^th century, but the current building was completed in 1787. Once a bonded warehouse, it is better known today as the home of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and acts as a tasting venue, a member’s room, a restaurant and accommodation.

The wine and spirit trade in Scotland was never peopled by “mere tradesmen”, but was the domain of the younger sons of the Scottish aristocracy, who after all had to build sales relationships with fellow aristocrats keen to be dealt with honestly, by one of their own, when it came to the most important part of their expenditure. Anyway, enough history.

Blind Summit is what I would call a boutique single cask and small batch whisky bottler. Their bottlings are one-off products. They source their whisky from quite special distilleries and rack it into a new and different cask, or casks, to create a product which is nuanced and unique. Most releases are restricted to a few hundred bottles, or less.

Two guys sit behind Blind Summit. Jamie Dawson and James Zorab. I met Jamie originally through Cork & Cask, my intro into the world of indie wine merchants in Edinburgh, for whom he is buyer. James previously worked for Edinburgh Whisky Ltd as a site operations manager, but the pair met in 2007 and became friends whilst working for good old Oddbins in Edinburgh, and (it says here) bonding over Drum & Bass. I can’t say “who’d’ve thought?” because people are usually surprised at my own past if I tell them.

Jamie sources casks and looks after post-production, whilst James sources and matures the whisky that goes into them, overseeing the Glenrothes cask maturation warehouse (when not snowboarding and watching rugby).

What of the whiskies? It’s probably worth mostly telling you about the newly bottled batch of whiskies (labelled just last week), as most of the previous batch may already be sold through. That said, if you find any, jump on them, as I know that my own local whisky retailer might still have some on the shelf.

My first introduction to Blind Summit was via the entry level Lochend Blend. This bottle, from the previous edition (Vol I), was a blend of six different single malts married in an Australian Tawny cask. It includes the smoky/peaty Ledaig (pron “Led-chig”, from Mull’s Tobermory distillery), Caol Ila, Ben Nevis, Brackla (a forgotten gem produced by Dewars, usually only available overseas or at Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, where you should try an older bottle), Macduff and the brilliant Highland Park (Orkney). The latest releases include a Highland Park 7-year-old.

Lochend Blend Vol I

This Lochend Blend, like all the Blind Summit editions, is in a 50cl bottle. This has two advantages. First, there’s more to go around, but even more importantly, it is cheaper per unit. Just under £35 for the latest edition (Vol II), this time matured in a Saint-Emilion barrique. For me it is stupendous value for a nice drinking malt.

My second taste of Blind Summit came through a sample (a very generous one, if I might say so) of the Secret Islay. This is an 8yo Single Malt originally distilled in the south of Islay. That narrows things down a bit. Out of Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardberg I would plump for the latter, stylistically. But I can’t be certain. It’s a secret. Initially seeing a bourbon refill cask (bourbon is always matured in new wood), it was first transferred to an ex-rum, ex-cider cask and was then finished in virgin oak supplied by Futtle Brewery in Fife.

It is Islay with elegance. The nose has complex notes of bruised apple, bonfire smoke and sea air, the palate is complex and long. It is bottled at 56.7% abv, but for me, it doesn’t require a splash of water unless that’s the way you take your medicine. Only 160 50cl bottles were produced. Definitely highly recommended. Cork & Cask has this for £85, but only three bottles left.

The photo below shows the recently released editions (all 50cl):

• Glencadam 14 yo in bourbon cask (178 btls) £75
• Linkwood 10 yo finished in Aussie PX cask (168 btls) £55
• Highland Park 7 yo, Oloroso hogshead (190 btls) £60
• Lochend Blend (Vol II), St Emilion barrique (320 btls) £35

Just a brief note on the labels. I think they’re excellect. Whisky isn’t known for colourful labels, most sticking to describing what’s in the bottle. I’m sure a lot of older whisky drinkers much prefer it that way, but as a wine buyer and retailer, Jamie will be aware of how important it is to get a younger demographic interested. He’s doubtless seen the revolution of colour in modern wine labels and very possibly taken note. These labels, and the smaller bottle size, definitely make these Blind Summit releases attractive for those keen to explore something more than the brands.

Cork & Cask (Marchmont, Edinburgh and online) still has Lochend Vol 1 and Dailuaine 8 yo bourbon cask (£55) alongside those three bottles of Secret Islay, plus all four new releases. You will also find a wealth of other independently bottled whiskies on the shelves, including Woodrows of Edinburgh, Pintail, James Eadie, Thompson Bros, and the intriguing Fragrant Drops.