CAPTAIN’S MALT IS A DRAM IN DEMAND

IT was a tough job but someone had to do it.

When it came to selecting a dram for the traditional Captain’s Malt at Royal Dornoch, Gary Bethune admits his spirits rose, along with a glass or two along the way.

Having secured a 13-year-old cask of Clynelish – one of the four pillars of Johnnie Walker – the 250 signed and numbered bottles are in demand.

Gary revealed he tapped into the knowledge of local whisky experts the Thompson brothers, whose renowned bar at Dornoch Castle casts an irresistible lure to lovers of Scotch.

“We have always had a Captain’s Malt at the golf club, but it has been a bit of a mystery, from Speyside, Islay or the Highlands. No one really knew the story behind it,” said Gary.

“I always thought that we should be taking advantage of the many wonderful distilleries on our doorstep and selecting a significant dram for our members to enjoy in the clubhouse bar or at home.

“So a year or so ago, along with Council of Management member Barry Cooke, I approached the Thomson brothers, Phil and Simon, to see if I could call on their expertise. What they don’t know about whisky isn’t worth knowing.

“I must admit it wasn’t the most onerous of my duties as captain to sample a malt or two. But I must stress that the tasting session was a team effort. I wasn’t alone!

“The upshot was that we secured a lovely cask of 13-year-old Clynelish from up the road in Brora.

“I was there for the bottling here in Dornoch and signed each and every label.

“When word began to get out, I had a few American members emailing me with requests to set aside bottles for their next visit. At £95, I suspected they would be very popular, and not just with members.

“Going forward, it would be nice to build on this marriage between the golf club and Dornoch Distillery.”

Phil, who is counting down to breaking ground on the town’s new distillery, welcomed the hook-up with Royal Dornoch.

“We were delighted to give Gary’s Captain’s Malt a genuine flavour of Sutherland and I’m sure members and visiting golfers will enjoy this light, waxy dram,” he said.

“Clynelish, which dates to 1819, made perfect sense given its ties to the area and this cask has also been bottled locally.

“Hopefully going forward, we can further strengthen the links between the Dornoch Distillery and the golf club, with talks already under way about what we can do to produce a regular Captain’s Malt here in the town.”