The Gauldrons Brings Warmth and Spices All Over (Review)

In Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts series you’ll find six whisky brands in total one for every Scotch whisky region, Islands included. With The Gauldrons, the independent bottler tips its hat to Campbeltown, inspired by the brooding bays along its coastline. How that translates into a blended malt whisky is what you’ll discover in this The Gauldrons Review.

As with many whiskies in Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts collection, The Gauldrons is built on a Scottish legend. Where we tell a tale of a mouse with Timorous Beastie whisky, the story behind The Gauldrons puts a spider center stage.

The tale takes us back to the 14th century, when King Robert the Bruce was at odds with the English. In the fight for Scotland’s independence, Bruce’s army was defeated time and again until a tiny creature sparked the inspiration that ultimately led to victory. According to legend, this happened in a cave where Bruce was hiding, near the dark bays west of Campbeltown.

There, Bruce watched a spider struggling to spin its web. Time after time it fell, only to clamber back and set to work again with renewed determination. Eventually, the spider succeeded. Bruce took heart from the creature’s persistence and went on to defeat the mighty English army, securing Scotland’s independence.

And that spider? It’s immortalized on the bottle of Douglas Laing’s The Gauldrons, web and all.

With The Gauldrons, Douglas Laing presents a lightly colored blended malt. The distilleries that make up the blend are a closely guarded secret. That said, in this case it isn’t too hard to guess which malts might be involved. Only a handful of distilleries operate in the region, including Springbank and Glen Scotia.

Pour a dram of this Douglas Laing whisky and you’ll immediately notice its creamy character. It’s slightly oily, leaving a fine coat on the glass. On the nose it tingles fairly quickly and leans toward grainy, almost reminiscent of freshly baked biscuits. Give it time and brighter aromas emerge—crisp fruit like apple and pear.

Take a sip and that creaminess returns, yet the palate veers away from what the nose suggested. The Gauldrons has a waxy feel and deftly juggles sweet notes of fresh fruit and vanilla with spicy, maritime touches of pepper, sea salt, and oak. As it moves into the finish, a gentle smokiness steps in alongside toffee.

While the nose might come across a touch too punchy, Douglas Laing’s The Gauldrons offers something genuinely engaging on the palate. Creamy in texture, it surprises by marrying sweet and saline into a well-balanced tableau. It’s a blend of Campbeltown whiskies, but expect the unexpected, much like the English did when Robert the Bruce suddenly claimed victory.

+ A sweet-and-salty combination that works remarkably well

+ Not just for Campbeltown devotees

+ Approachable enough for any occasion

- Perhaps a touch tame for fans of heavy smoke or peat