For those new to Orphan Barrel, this independent bottler in Tullahoma, Tennessee, has a long history of seeking out and bottling rare and unique “orphaned” whiskies. Barrels of forgotten whiskeys are left to languish in rick houses from past releases, just waiting for Orphan Barrel’s tender ministrations to bring these unusual whiskeys to light and to life!

Today, we’re going to discuss two different Orphan Barrel releases: Castle’s Curse, a 14-year-old single malt Scotch, and Indigo’s Hour, an 18-year-old straight bourbon. In a slight change from my usual process, I’ll only taste one of these whiskeys from a Glencairn nosing glass. I’ll taste The Indigo’s Hour from the VESL Professional tasting glass provided to me by Orphan Barrel.

Indigo’s Hour:

Orphan Barrel’s newest release, Indigo’s Hour, is an 18-year-old Straight Bourbon whiskey made using a mash bill of 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malt. Diageo says that Indigo’s Hour drew “inspiration from nature’s most enchanting transitions” and symbolizes” the delicate balance between transformation and tradition.” Born in Indiana, raised in Kentucky, and bottled in Tennessee. Unusual? Yes. Unheard of? Also yes!

They likened this bourbon to a butterfly’s life (who did it first, Blue Run or Indigo Hour?), describing the whiskey as having undergone a metamorphosis during its maturation period. To date, this is the only product I have ever heard of that has triple provenance, which begs the question of why. Distilling in Indiana and aging in Kentucky, I have seen before, but to then transfer it a third time to TN for bottling? At the very least, it makes for an interesting story. So, with the background out of the way for the IH, let’s taste this, shall we?

In the glass, this bourbon presents a beautiful Amber honey with some twinges of gold and red around the edges. The nose is really interesting as it seems to blend what you’d expect from Indiana with what you’d expect from a Kentucky bourbon. This may seem like an obvious statement, but it’s not easy to blend two very different regions. I get cracked black pepper, malty and buttery shortbread cookies, brown sugar, maple, and honey. The palate was not what I expected! I was expecting a sweet and thin bourbon, but instead, this is more on the savory and bitter side with a decent body! There are notes of mushrooms and green and red peppers. Some vanilla sweetness runs as a sort of back note alongside a large wood influence. I wasn’t a huge fan of Indigo’s Hour, but it was certainly an interesting taste!

Castle’s Curse:

Castle’s Curse is a 14-year-old single malt Scotch whisky from a distillery most folks probably haven’t heard of – Teaninch! Pronounced Teen-In-ich or Teen-in-ick, this Northern Highlands distillery overlooks the Cromarty Firth. Orphan Barrel’s fact sheet for this release says, “Castle’s Curse is named after the legend of the Scottish Kelpie, a supernatural, shape-shifting aquatic spirit or “water-horse” that is said to haunt the local waters.” That’s why you see a Kelpie on the label. This release clocks in at 47.4% ABV and is probably still available on shelves!

In glass, this whisky presents as a delicate gold with honey accents. The nose is an apple fudge bomb (is apple fudge a thing? Doesn’t matter—imagine it!). It has lots of baked golden delicious apples with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top and rich chocolatey fudge notes combined with toffee and vanilla to give this one of the most unique aromas of any Scotch I’ve ever tried! The palate is like a 90-degree turn from the nose. It has some of the sweetness but with more stone fruits and deep, rich flavors like caramel. Some savory notes, such as beef stock, linger throughout the palate. I’ve been a fan of Teaninich’s whisky for years, ever since I tried the Mossburn Teaninch, and I’m very happy to see more from this distillery.