🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Was served in the Holyrood Master Class on the Whisky Ship Lucerne as "Flagship 2 - Details Top Secret" (alongside the Arrival and 6 barrel samples). Of course you notice the youth, but it is reminiscent of a long-aged Islay whisky.

peat and spirit are nicely balanced, pleasant to drink

empty, easy whisky

Light, straw color. Slightly oily.

Sponge cake Holyrood Distillery, active in Edinburgh since the summer of 2019, launched this Embra in 2024, a young, peated malt matured in new American oak, first-fill bourbon, and quarter casks from Islay (which suggests Laphroaig). Incidentally, Embra is the local pronunciation of Edinburgh. That suspicion is immediately confirmed on the nose, as it's somewhat reminiscent of Laffie. Laffie Light, to be precise. A good dose of vanilla and something that reminds me of bubble gum. A hint of lemon and milk chocolate. That's promising. In terms of taste, it doesn't quite live up to that promise, in my opinion. Citrus and a hint of heather are present, as well as some salt and pepper. Earthy. A touch of biscuit and green apples. Cardamom and dried grass. But the nose also promised something sweet, which it lacks in terms of taste. In the relatively long aftertaste I get lemon and slightly burnt brown toast (don't ask). This is already very pleasant for such a young age. It bodes well for the future.

Nose-84; Taste-84; Finish-83.

50+2+9+10+4

Light and very controlled peat, coated in fudge, speculoos, sponge cake, apple crumble. Mirabelle plums, greengages, herbal and vanilla touches. A hint of iodine, gravel. It's quite earthy. Velvety mouth, well-made, a little light however. White yogurt. The pepper rises. Vegetal finish with a touch of bitterness, suitably long but not explosive. Oak bark and leaves. Forest notes, acorns, pine cones. Limestone and gypsum. Mint leaf, cola nut. Coconut cream. It's very well done overall, but still young, and I find it lacks a bit of personality. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2024/08/hollyrood-distillery-embra.html

Uff, very experimental and too young.

According to their website, Holyrood is a new distillery founded in 2019 that aims to stand out mainly through experimentation with yeast and malt recipes, for example by using beer, wine, champagne, or sake yeast strains to modify esters, texture, and aromatic nuances through fermentation, or by using heritage barley and, above all, specialty malts more typical of brewing than of modern Scotch. Like the vast majority of new distilleries, Holyrood seems to understand that if it starts from a neutral new make and then tries to “fix” it with wood, it’s doomed to fail. This Embra is an example of exactly that, so let’s see what it has to offer: On the nose, it’s very citrusy and piercing, somewhat beery, ashy and spicy. Lime ice pop, lemon zest, grapefruit, ashtray, and raw ginger dominate everything. Tons of white pepper. Unripe banana, flowers, coffee, a touch of lager. There are also some yeasty and bready notes with a touch of butter, plus a slightly lactic side, in the direction of a vanilla milkshake. The smoke is soft and sweet, a mix of cigar smoke, honey, and wet earth. Oak-driven, young, rough and lacking integration, but not unpleasant. On the palate, it’s very spicy, astringent, and alcoholic. Ginger, white pepper, coconut, sour pineapple, transitioning into a soft and rather one-dimensional smoke, with some dirty, earthy ashtray notes, plus lemon peel, very little sweet vanilla candy, salted crackers, distant peanuts, very diluted coffee, and metallic young whisky notes. Maybe some of those beery, funky lactic and bready notes too, but they can’t compete with the oak. Very woody and rough, with none of the sweet smoke the nose had promised. The texture is creamy and dense, though. They did get that part quite right. The finish is more of the same: a bit of ash, loads of lemon, pepper, and ginger. Very sharp, like sucking on a lemon, but fortunately also very short. Meh. Some people will certainly find it interesting, and the distillate does seem to have personality, but personally, I’m not convinced, maybe because I’m not a regular bourbon drinker. It tastes even younger than it actually is, and the consensus seems to be that it’s just 3 years old, which makes it not only very rough but also very simple. This kind of maturation can work if the distillate has enough personality to carry the whole bottle, as is the case with Kilchoman Machir Bay, which this bottling somewhat reminds me of, but that’s not what we have here. Also, there’s a vague beery quality on the nose that doesn’t carry through to the palate. On top of that, I think the maturation is disastrous. On the one hand, ultra-aggressive casks such as virgin oak overpowers the distillate with the least interesting notes imaginable; on the other, ex-Islay casks distort the perception of what is supposed to be their lightly peated distillate. From what I’ve been reading online, I’m not the only one who praises the distillate itself while criticizing this new distillery’s cask maturation policy, which seems geared toward producing overly young bottlings saturated with oak. It’s not a bad whisky, but it isn’t particularly pleasurable either. It’s definitely disappointing and utterly forgettable. And, by the way, the price is absurdly high, I don’t think this whisky is worth even half of what it costs. With the Scotch crisis we’re currently in, and which is only going to get worse, as new generations don’t seem to care about it, it’s easy to assume that only the “best” new distilleries will survive. Holyrood, judging by what I read online, seems more likely than most to go down the Waterford route. Either they get their sh*t together and start releasing age-stated bottlings, matured with a bit more restraint and sold at more reasonable prices, and leave the improvisation and endless experimentation for special releases, or honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if they were out of the game within the next few years. Though maybe I’m being a bit hypocritical here, since other distilleries are doing something similar and producing amazing whisky, like Lagg, Raasay, or InchDairnie. So perhaps don’t take me too seriously. One final thought on new distilleries. The “historic” distilleries, meaning those that opened before, say, 2000, number roughly 140. Do you know how many new distilleries have opened in Scotland in just the last 10 years, since 2016? According to this list, which is probably not fully exhaustive, around 40 distilleries have opened. Forty. Just since 2016, not since 2000. The list is as follows: Deerness (2016), Aberargie (2017), Clydeside (2017), Dornoch (2017), Galloway (2017), Kimbland (2017), Lindores Abbey (2017), Nc’nean (2017), Torabhaig (2017), Borders (2018), Lochlea (2018), Orkney (2018), Reivers (2018, grain), Ardnahoe (2019), Ardross (2019), Holyrood (2019), Lagg (2019), Tiree (2019), Bonnington (2020), Falkirk (2020), Jackton (2020), Burn O’Bennie (2021), Cairn (2022), Lerwick (2022), Toulvaddie (2022), 8 Doors (2022), Dunphail (2023), Moffat (2023), North Point (2023), Port of Leith (2023), Uile-bheist (2023), Balmaud (2024), Benbecula (2024), Blackness (2024), Cabrach (2024), North Uist (2024), Ben Cumhaill (2025), Kythe (2025), Laggan Bay (2025), and Stannergill (2025). I can’t even imagine what it must be like trying to stand out in a market this saturated! Anyway, one has to wonder whether the world really needs another 40 Scotch distilleries.

A nice start for this newcomer. The whisky is still young, but that does not bother at all. Delicious vanilla, honey, milk chocolate, lemon and slightly smoky. Alcohol percentage may still go up a bit to 46%.

The first whiskys from the Uudehko distillery.

Holyrood Embra is a pleasant and uncomplicated whisky that scores particularly well with its sweet and creamy character. Even the aroma reveals a light smokiness that never becomes overpowering and harmonizes well with the fresh citrus notes. Honey and a touch of coconut are also present, while a slightly metallic note gives the whisky its own unique character. On the palate, it remains soft and sweet. Vanilla, yellow fruits, and creamy notes are clearly in the foreground. The smoke remains rather subtle, accompanying the flavor only gently in the background. The metallic note is present again, but it is not intrusive and simply contributes to the overall character of the whisky. The finish is medium-long and pleasantly sweet. Honey and vanilla linger for quite some time, accompanied by salted peanuts that add a touch of spice and a slightly nutty note to the finale. Overall, Holyrood Embra is a very approachable whisky with a beautiful balance of sweetness, creaminess, and light smoke. Not a particularly loud or complex dram, but rather a relaxed whisky for quiet evenings.

This is the first whisky I've had from this Distillery's portfolio. The nose is relatively flat, just slightly smoky, citrusy, malty with something that reminds me of unripe gooseberries. The taste has a distinct herbal peatiness in the foreground, completely dry, malty, slightly woody, gingery spicy with a subtle bitterness in the finish.

Nase: Süß, Vanille, Orange, Rauch, Eiche, Zitrone, leichte Gewürze, etwas Malz | Geschmack: Süß, würzig, Vanille, Rauch, Zitrone, Eiche, leicht mineralisch, etwas Malz | Abgang: Mittellang; süße Noten, leicht mineralischer Rauch, etwas Zitrone, Vanille und etwas Eiche bleiben. | Fazit: Die Nase beginnt süß mit Vanille. Orange die später ehr zu Zitrone wird kommt dann zusammen mit Rauch. Eiche und leichte Gewürze folgen. Etwas Malz ist ebenfalls wahrnehmbar. Der Geschmack startet süß und würzig. Vanille und rauchig kommen dazu. Zitrone und Eiche folgen. Eine leichte mineralische Note und etwas Malz sind dann noch wahrnehmbar. Ein einfacher aber guter Whisky. Viel Vanille bringt er mit. Fehlnoten habe ich keine. | 83 Punkte

Tasting note on 4 April 2025 on www.longpouramour.com with this being my conclusion: "At first nosing you think you are closer to a blend of Laphroaig and Holyrood, but the overall feeling is that this is very much Edinburgh artisan power on display. I am even more enthusiastic now than when I first tasted it at the distillery. For people who like their whisky young and peaty, but with a twist."

Sample from the xbein collection. Tasted August 2024.

Interesting dram. Yeasty, chocolate, briney and citrus all in one dram. Good mouthfeel too. N: Honey. Vanilla. Bonfire Smoke. Salt. Lemon Zest. Orange Peel. Candid Nuts. Bournvita Malt Drink. P: Citrus. Briney. Milk Chocolate. Pepper. Heathery Smoke. Hint of Stout...? F: Woodsmoke. Citrus. Salt. Pepper. Yeasty / Beery. Toasted Malt. Pear. Esters.

Feels like an attempt to mimic young islay malts at first, but it's less intense, more muted. Uniquely thick, heavy, creamy and silky mouthfeel which is very enjoyable and also a bit of a contrast to the 'raw' peaty youth.

Nose: Smoke, orange, citrus Taste: Sugar water / Watery, too simple, boring Finish: Smoke, sugar water

A light, pleasant whisky with many good notes, which are unfortunately a little too subtle.

Very easygoing sipping whisky. Lightly peated and light overall, it makes a subtle but pleasant enough impression.

Young but with personality, you can feel and appreciate all the work they did despite still being a little basic, a good alternative to the 'usual' Islay peats that might appeal to those who shy away from them.

Nose- peat- not overly strong- but distinct- smoky peat, earthy peat, wet leaves on a campfire, lemon, wee dried flowers Palate- peat- aye it’s a wee bit smoky, smoky peat & earthy peat- campfire on the beach, salty, really lemony- lemon juice and lemon peel, nice biscuity note, dried flowers, hay/straw, pears, green apple, honey, nutmeg, cardamon Finish- black pepper, smoky peat lingering, honey, American oak and char, last lingering taste is- lemon and burnt toast lightly peated lowland- very lemony- a good introduction to peated whisky

Light and sweet, cotton candy or bubblegum. The slightest smoke and peat for me. I would definitely NOT compare it to Laphroaig from what others have said. Much lighter like Caol Ila, but you can tell the peat is from the cask and not the distillate.