A vibrant blend of contrasts, like the neighbourhood that inspires it.
We looked at our notes from the myriad of old Leith blends we'd tried, and looked for whiskies that we felt could perhaps offer up similar sensations. But we also talked about our feelings on modern Leith. A diverse, vibrant, creative melting pot of great people, ideas, and things.
We were not interested in making a historical recreation of anything, nor were we hell bent on making something completely modern. The beauty of Leith is this lovely tension between the old and the new, the history and the contemporary - and this lovely sense of a strong cultural identity to the area that feels somehow timeless.
You can walk around Leith in an afternoon and you'll see a lot. It really is a melting pot, a blend of people and industries, the old and the new. the raw and the gentil. We pondered these juxtapositions, seeking different elements that could represent certain ideas, experiences or quirks of this wonderful neighbourhood - all the while trying to ensure that the resulting profile felt, somehow 'Leith' enough. There's a boldness - an intensity, but at the same time a sense of humour and charm. We wanted this to be an everyday dram that could do everything. Highballs, cocktails, half n half's, neat.
It had to be complex and robust - lively and yet friendly. Have hidden passages, a few contradictions hiding in plain site. It had to work hard when put to the test.
Experience N.9 is comprised of our 5 Year Old Campbeltown Superblend, lending a rich mouth coating oiliness to things. To this, we added some eye wateringly old grain whisky from the Loch Lomond Distillery, which just happened to be organic but had an incredible bounty of awesome flavours from leather to beeswax, honey and fruit. And wow it was silky. Then, we sourced a smooth, creamy sherry finished cask of Single Malt from the Glentauchers Distillery in Speyside, and rounded things out with some younger, fresher grain whisky, again from Loch Lomond via our friends at Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh. This keeps things lively and fresh - actually setting up the action later on in the experience beautifully.
Experience N.9 is one to enjoy however you damn like. In good company, of course.