Month: October 2016

Whisky #437: Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt

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img_8180.jpgAuchentoshan American Oak Single Malt. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted with my mate Ryan at his place, $60 (bottle).

Colour: Golden sands.

Nose: Very light; oaky, honey on fresh white toast. A typical bourbon cask nose.

Palate: Thin yet creamy mouthfeel. Honey and soft hay-like notes.

Finish: Soft tangy pineapple and citrus notes. Short to medium finish, hints of oak.

Comments: It’s a light, summery dram – a real daytime, beachside sipper that drinks easily at a low 40% ABV. It’s not overly complex; pleasant without being spectacular.  But when you’re on holidays sometimes you just want to relax and not think too deeply about anything, much less overanalyse the whisky in your glass. Just sit back, relax, take a sip and enjoy the view.

Whisky #436: The Arran Malt Single Cask No.547 Single Malt 2013 Autumn Release

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img_8098.jpgThe Arran Malt Single Cask No.547 Single Malt 2013 Autumn Release (Vintage 1996). Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 52.4%. Tasted at The Stables Bar, Randwick Racecourse, $30.

Colour: A deep, murky, lustrous amber.

Nose: Like sticking your nose nose into a fresh bunch of flowers. Light, floral and fruity. Typical Arran.

Palate: Smooth; the mouthfeel is like having an ice cube or a cool marble on your tongue. Sweet lemon biscuit & fresh ginger notes. It definitely seems lower and smoother than the 52.4% ABV suggests.

Finish: Fresh oaky fade with some sweet creaminess – think sucking on a Paddle Pop stick after you’ve polished off the ice cream.

Comments: I’d been at the races with friends and after polishing off a heap of champagne, beer, shiraz and an espresso for good measure, I decided it was time for a whisky as clearly by that point I’d not had enough booze. They’ve got quite a decent range at The Stables, so as one of my favourite distilleries I chose this single cask Arran.

This was a week ago; I’d forgotten about the tasting and I happened to stumble across my tasting notes and thought I’d better get around to posting. Given all this, I was mildly surprised at the state of my notes given the state of the day’s consumption!

I think I might have to try it again given the review above!

Whisky #435: Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey

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img_8044.jpgTeeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey. Dublin, Ireland. Tasted at The Wild Rover, $14.

Colour: Rich copper. Like the bar.

Nose: Like ripping open a fresh packet of Allen’s Strawberry & Creams. Hints of vanilla and oak.

Palate: Light drying mouthfeel; golden syrup and white pepper spice.

Finish: Dry, spicy and oak notes to fade. Light sweet notes, like letting some raw sugar dissolve on your tongue.

Comments: Teeling actually matured this whiskey in ex Californian Cabernet Sauvignon casks, which probably explains the drying tannic mouthfeel. My good mate Damo, who’s not a huge whiskyphile, thought that there was a reasonable amount of fire for the lightness and taste – but he’s not sure if that’s such a good thing. I’m not quite as cutting, but thought it was quite a pleasant dram to cut through the early evening post-work beers.

Whisky #434: Signatory Vintage Glen Elgin 1995 19 Year Old Single Malt

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img_8033.jpgSignatory Vintage Glen Elgin 1995 19 Year Old Single Malt (The Un-Chillfiltered Collection). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $116 (bottle).

Colour: A glimmer of the weekend, a bright beacon of light shining through the glass. Geez it’s been a long week.

Nose: Fresh nougat, freshly sawn timber. A slight nose prickle.

Palate: Crisp mouthfeel as you take the first sip; slightly peppery yet with some oaky vanilla notes. Drier rather than creamy, but smooth to start.

Finish: Strawberry jam on fresh white toast. The mouthfeel is quite dry to finish, yet has some lingering sweetness. Medium length.

Comments: A great balance – loads of flavour if you fancy unpicking the layers, yet smooth and easy drinking with enough of a flavour and ABV punch if you just want to kick the feet up after a brutal day/week at work and relax with some music in the background. Leave me alone world, I’ve got to unwind. Delightful.

Whisky #432: Bowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt

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img_7987.jpgBowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $185 (bottle).

As we near the end of Peat Week at Whisky a Day, we return to the centre of the peated universe – Islay – to savour the Bowmore 18.

Colour: Deep, sexy copper.

Nose: A delicate nose, yet lots of aromas. It has a rich, sweet smokiness – caramel, burnt toffee, and some faint smokey remnants of the campfire that was burning the night before.

Palate: Again a light smoke compared to many other Islay whiskies, which allows the other flavours to really dance on the tongue. Dried sultanas and raisins, freshly buttered fruit toast, rich treacle, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (the ones so high the chocolate is quite earthy).

Finish: A long finish, with caramel fudge and some oaky tannins in the fade. The salty tang in the fade is subtle yet bookends some of the soft sweeter flavours tasted earlier.

Comments: The peat is more apparent in the finish on this whisky, enabling the enjoyment of so many other delicious flavours. It really is a layered, nuanced dram – one you can easily sit back and contemplate on. So easy to drink, even on a sunny spring afternoon like I’m doing right now. Recommended.