Atom Brands celebrates worm tub condensers

The Wormtub Single Cask series from Atom Brands features five whiskies sourced exclusively from Scottish distilleries that still use traditional worm tub condensers.

Only 20 such distilleries remain in Scotland, with much of the industry abandoning the method decades ago and replacing worm tub condensers with modern shell and tube condensers. With a worm tub condenser system, spirit vapour travels from the still down a long, coiled copper pipe – the worm – which is submerged in a cold water tub, condensing back into liquid as it goes. Atom Brands claims the reduced contact with copper creates a heavier, ‘meatier’ style of spirit. The inaugural series comprises five expressions: Knockdhu 10 Year Old, Glen Elgin 11 Year Old, Mortlach 12 Year Old, Craigellachie 13 Year Old, and Balmenach 24 Year Old. All five whiskies have been matured in Sherry casks – predominantly Pedro Ximénez (PX) hogsheads, with the Craigellachie in a PX Octave and the Balmenach in an oloroso butt – and bottled at cask strength. Availability is limited, ranging from 93 bottles of Craigellachie to 386 of the Glen Elgin. Atom Brands’ head of whisky Sam Simmons said: “In a world increasingly shaped by efficiency and automation, there is something quietly radical about a distillery still doing it the hard way – and something deeply satisfying about the liquid it produces.” “For this release, I have selected some damn tasty examples of the heavy, meatier and dried fruit style the worm tub condensed spirit is celebrated for. “Single casks are the primary pigment of whisky creation, each one unique, unadulterated and unrepeatable.” The whiskies Wormtub Single Cask Knockdhu 10 Year Old is finished in a PX hogshead and offers ‘malty, floral and fruity’ notes on the palate, with ‘honey-coated almonds and chocolate caramel’ as it opens. Bottled at 58.9% ABV the whisky retails for £79.95 (US$108), with 324 bottles bottles available. Meanwhile, Glen Elgin’s 11-year-old whisky is bottled at 59.4% ABV and retails for £79.95. Only 386 bottles are available, with the whisky offering aromas of ‘maple, cloves, fresh berries and cream’, followed by ‘rich layers of PX character with some fresh russet apple’. Mortlach’s 12-year-old cask resulted in 324 bottles, with the liquid sitting at 61.6% ABV. Atom Brands described the whisky as “classy, refined and immensely appetising”, offering ‘berries, plums and black pepper’, as well as nutty, oily notes on the finish. The whisky retails for £89.95 (US$122). The rarest in the series at just 93 bottles, the Craigellachie 13-year-old retails for £89.95 and is bottled at 49.8% ABV. The whisky is ‘savoury and richly meaty’ on the nose, drawing comparisons to char siu or lechon, while the palate offers ‘butterscotch, almond butter and maple syrup’. The final whisky in the series, the Balmenach 24 Year Old, is bottled at 61.4% ABV and retails for £199.95 (US$272). Described as the ‘crown jewel’ of the range, the whisky offers ‘cocoa, spices, dried tropical fruits, vanilla and pancakes’ on the nose, followed by ‘rich, fruity, classic old-fashioned Sherried Speyside warehouse maturity’ on the palate. Only 309 bottles are available. The Wormtub Single Cask is available for the off- and on-trade via Atom Brands' subsidiaries: Master of Malt, Maverick Drinks and Master of Malt Trade.