Turntable x Dingle whisky review: Irish-Scottish blend a dark melody of spice, toffee and Xmas fruits

Glasgow whisky blender Turntable has introduced a second limited edition collaboration, this time with Irish whiskey distiller Dingle.

Collaboration Drop 02: Dingle was unveiled at London’s prestigious Bang & Olufsen showroom, a fitting venue for the music inspired blending duo of Ally and Gordon Stevenson.

Speaking on the evolution and perception of blended and single malt whiskies at the launch event, Turntable’s co-founders said they have always intended Turntable to embrace the best of both worlds.

Collaboration Drop 02: Dingle was unveiled at an exclusive launch event, at London’s prestigious Bang & Olufsen showroom…

“The single malt category has seen this amazing growth over the last 20 years, and there’s no doubt that a lot of that is driven by quality, but we think it’s also driven by a sense of connection,” said Ally Stevenson. 

“People today really want to understand more about the products. They want to know where the whisky is coming from, who’s making it, the history of the distillery, how the cast type affects the whisky, the flavours in your glass. When blending started, it wasn’t about volume, it was about quality, flavour combinations, and consistency. 

“With Turntable we set out to combine the two categories. Could we go to the original idea of a blending house, where it’s about quality, flavour combination, innovation, and then combine that with the care to detail and connection transparency usually found in the world of single malts today?” 

18 months later, the result is a range of small batch blended whiskies, all with natural colour, non-chill filtered and at least 46% ABV. “The point that really sets us apart from other blenders is the transparency. We give the full breakdowns as to what exactly is going into the blend. What percentage, from which distillery, which cast type…”

One area where it’s difficult to be transparent though is age statements, admit the duo. 

“With the Scottish Whisky Association today, there’s a regulation that you’re only allowed to state the age of the youngest whisky, which is quite frustrating from our side, because we really do use a wide range in each of the blends. But to give you an idea, in general across the range, malt whiskies are between 10- and 15-years old, and the grain whiskies are usually 18- to 30-years old. For many blenders, grain whisky would be a way to stretch out the volume, but we’re never adding grain whisky for volume. We’re only adding it when we think we can add to the overall flavour profile of the dram.”

Turntable is now available in 14 countries with a range of three core whiskies, including a peated expression, and six limited editions. It also collaborates with other distilleries, like this limited edition with Dingle.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a real renaissance in Irish whiskey,” says Gordon Stevenson, “and Dingle has been right at the forefront.” 

Turntable Collaboration Drop 02: Dingle whisky tasting notes

Turntable’s Irish-Scottish blend is crafted from 41 per cent single Irish pot still whiskey matured in Oloroso hogsheads, which gives some really interesting spice notes, combined with 21 per cent sourced from first fill PX puncheons, from the Balmenach Speyside distillery; 12 per cent comes from Blair Athol distillery first fill Rye barrels, and 18 per cent older grain whisky from Loch Lomond, sourced from first fill bourbon barrels.

When it comes to flavour, the result is a complex, intriguing dram. Bottled at 52% ABV, Turntable Collaboration Drop 02: Dingle is a little musty on the nose, a sweetness tempered by savoury notes; Mick Jagger‘s leather strides probably smell similar.

On the palate, it’s lively with peppery spice, balanced by Christmas fruits, raisins and rich butterscotch toffee. The finish is long and lingering while the liquid itself is dark and golden. 

Turntable Collaboration Drop 02: Dingle sells for £85 and is limited to 1,800 bottles.