Month: March 2016

Whisky #404: Glengoyne Cask Strength Single Malt

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img_6524.jpgGlengoyne Cask Strength Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 58.20%. Tasted at home, $100 (bottle).

In honour of my crazy Glaswegian friend Shelly who has her birthday today, I thought it appropriate to review a whisky from one of the closest distilleries to Glasgow.  Happy birthday Shell!

Colour: Bright molten toffee.

Nose: Creamy caramel and cocoa; honey on hot buttered toast.

Palate: Malty straw notes duke it out with some creamy tangy lemon cheesecake flavours. It’s a big mouthfeel, oily and luscious.

Finish: Long and full, as you’d expect from a cask strength whisky. Creaming soda and sugary lemon sherbet flavours linger long on the front half of the palate.

Comments: Much like my friend Shelly, this whisky is full throttle and hits you at cask strength.  After a few drinks it will no doubt cause you to morph into the loudest and most outrageous member of the party, but that’s ok because it’s your birthday!

This was another one of the whiskies I selected as part of my “Rebuilding a Whisky Collection – The $1000 Challenge” a little while back, which ticked off the “cask strength” category. It’s been a very enjoyable whisky, with great balance between creamy toffee flavours and some tart citrus notes. This bottle is nearing the end (not in one sitting!), I will definitely be placing an order for another. Recommended.

Whisky #403: Tullibardine 225 Sauternes Finish Single Malt

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img_6515.jpgTullibardine 225 Sauternes Finish Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at home, $100 (bottle).

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose: Cooked mash, a hint of honey.

Palate: Rich tangy honey; not as sweet as you might expect, almost a bit of salty citrus, reserved lemon.

Finish: A medium length finish with salty cereal notes in the fade. A touch of cracked black pepper spice too.

Comments: I was intrigued to try a whisky from Tullibardine, a small distillery that produced its first spirit back in 1949 but was closed from 1995 to 2003. After changing hands a few times, it’s now producing a small range of whiskies, most of which aren’t available in Australia.

With this expression having a Sauternes finish I had envisaged there to be more sweet notes on the palate, similar to say a Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or. It’s more savoury and citrusy than expected, a solid and very easy-drinking whisky but not a world beater.

Whisky #402: Zuidam Distillers Millstone 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Malt

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img_6483.jpgZuidam Distillers Millstone 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Malt. The Netherlands. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $165 (bottle).

The Friday night pre-date dram…

Colour: Deep caramel.

Nose: Rich toffee, dried muscatels, cabernet paste, a musty old bookcase filled with leather-bound books…you just want to inhale it for days. Or watch Anchorman again so you can recite more Ron Burgundy quotes and drink whisky.

Palate: Sherry and juicy stone fruit flavours explode on the palate, like you’ve just taken a bite of the juiciest plum. A cool oily mouthfeel; the oak is delicately balanced with some creamy sweetness and a hint of tartness. It reminds me of a pink sherbet-coated soft serve ice-cream cone. Amazing.

Finish: The fruit and sherry flavours drop off initially, leaving behind the soft oak and caramelised toffee notes that ever so slowly fade. It’s a long and gentle finish, lingering much longer than expected. Which is absolutely fine by me.

Comments: I thought seeing as it’s a first date tonight, I might need some Dutch courage. As it happens, the Zuidam was the only Dutch whisky in my collection! My date this evening is cheeky, confident and more than a little outspoken, so I thought the Zuidam might be appropriate as it shares some of those qualities. If she is as sweet, tasty and lingers long at the end of the palate like the Zuidam then it could be a good match!

This was another one of the whiskies I selected as part of my “Rebuilding a Whisky Collection – The $1000 Challenge” a little while back.  I selected it as it was unusual (I’d only tried one other Dutch whisky previously), and it also ticked the sherry matured box. It was awarded “World Whisky of the year” by Whisky Advocate Magazine in the USA 2013, as well as 95 points from Jim Murray in his 2015 Whisky Bible.  I respect but don’t always agree with a lot that the man in the hat writes about, but on this one I think we’re in agreement – it’s a fantastic drop.

Whisky #401: The Arran Malt 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch 5)

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img_6480.jpgThe Arran Malt 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch 5). Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 52.9%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Colour: Rich gold.

Nose: Vanilla, light oak, milk arrowroot biscuits. A touch of lemon rind, hints of honey and a few hay like notes.

Palate: A cool entry, then a salty-sweet cacophony as the malt dances over the palate. Dried candied pineapple chunks; it reminds me of picking out the chunks of dried fruit from a bowl of muesli.

Finish: A strident Arran finish; this is a great example of the house style. Long finish with some hay notes, a satisfying lemon sherbet tingle on the lips and front of the tongue. A few soft hazelnut notes in the fade too.

Comments: Matured in a mix of first-fill sherry butts, second-fill sherry hogsheads and first-fill bourbon casks. This is the whisky that reminds me of why I love Arran distillery – they’re light, they’re fresh, lots of light fruity flavour and they’re not trying to be like any other whisky – they’re just doing their own thing. And it’s fantastic.

Whisky #400: The Big Black Cock Single Barrel Single Malt Whiskey

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img_6471.jpgThe Big Black Cock Single Barrel Single Malt Whiskey. ABV: 43%. Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia. Tasted at The Wild Rover, $15.50.

Happy Mardi Gras weekend everyone! In keeping with the theme, please strap yourself on, I mean in – strap yourself IN – for a pun-tastic review of the Big Black Cock…

Colour: Spray tan orange. The eyes widen, it certainly looks like a mouthful.

Nose: It’s light; an almost bourboni-ish sweetness. Honey and butter on toasted white bread.

Palate: Contrary to conventional wisdom, it’s quite short on the palate. Malty sweetness, some cereal notes, a touch of hay. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s not a very big mouthfeel. Goes down easily though.

Finish: Short. Not something I thought I’d be saying about a big black cock.

Comments: You think it’d be bigger, maybe hurt a little as it slides down your throat. But it’s surprisingly easy to take.

Made in Far North Queensland in the Atherton Tablelands, from Queensland sourced malted barley and aged for 5 years. It’s a daring choice of name for a whisky, perhaps not one you’d tell your mum about. But you’d certainly brag to your friends about that one time you tasted it…

Whisky #399: The Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old Single Malt

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img_6470.jpgThe Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old Single Malt (2015 bottling). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 47.8%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Colour: Crisp apple juice.

Nose: Reminds me of lemon frosted cake icing; sweet and creamy with a citrus tang.

Palate: Fruit juice concentrate – lots of sweetness but intense citrus (mainly orange and lemon) and tangy passionfruit. Medium bodied in flavour, lush creamy mouthfeel.

Finish: The warmth slowly builds, but doesn’t completely take over. Plenty of oak and honied pepper notes in the fade. Medium length.

Comments: It’s the kind of whisky you can pour when you’ve had a hectic day/week/month and you just want to relax. It’s strong enough that it packs some punch and demands your attention, yet the flavours are deliriously tasty that you can slide back into a comfy lounge, put on your relaxation music of choice and let the day’s worries slip away.