blended malt

Whisky #533: Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Japanese Whisky

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Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Japanese Whisky. Kuyshu Island, Japan. Tasted at Chin Chin (Melbourne), $26.

Colour: Red neon glow.

Nose: Burnt caramel, floral, melting butter & honey. My trusty whisky tasting sidekick AB also got some butterscotch, albeit not as sweet.

Palate: Zesty lemon, black pepper, caramel, woody ice-cream sticks.

Finish: A drying, sharp finish at the front of the palate. Spicy pepper and oak notes in the fade.

Comments: A bit of a split personality this one; the nose is all sweet and buttery, but then the palate and finish are quite sharp and citrusy. A pleasant drop to get the palate warmed up for the long night ahead!

Whisky #528: SMWS Exotic Cargo 10 Year Old Blended Malt

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SMWS Exotic Cargo 10 Year Old Blended Malt. Scotland. ABV: 50.0%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $155 (bottle).

When you’ve been busier than a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest, it’s time for a kick-ass whisky.

Colour: A hearty toffee, mesmerising as the glass rolls around and the whisky catches glimmers of light.

Nose: Jersey caramels and treacle dripping off a spoon onto hot buttered toast. A slight nose prickle tugs your nostrils further into the glass to soak up the blueberries, soft oak and creme brûlée notes.

Palate: A mysterious cocktail; blueberries and tart fruit salad with a hint of oakiness and caramel. A Turkish belly dancer who performs the dance of the seven veils across your tastebuds.

Finish: Rich oak, burnt brown sugar, and the subtle heat of sweet smoked paprika to finish. My trusted whisky tasting lieutenant Kiwi got a touch of liquorice at the end.

Comments: A first for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), who traditionally focus on single cask, cask strength whiskies. This blended malt comprises a number of single malts all distilled in 2006, which were then matured in first fill ex-sherry Spanish oak hogsheads. Cut back slightly to a strength of 50% ABV, it still has an intensity of flavour, complexity and nuances befitting a SMWS whisky.

An exceptional drop and the perfect end of week dram when you just want to slink down into the lounge and let the worries of the week drift away.

Whisky #515: Compass Box Oak Cross Blended Malt

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Compass Box Oak Cross Blended Malt. Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $71 (bottle).

When the day is hotter than a shearer’s armpit, most sensible people reach for an ice cold beer. Or water. Or a cold shower.

But here at Whisky a Day HQ we like to push the boundaries a bit…what kind of whisky is best for when it’s so hot you feel like you’re about to melt into the lounge?

Personally, it’s not a rich warming whisky; definitely nothing peaty or smokey either. The antithesis to a ‘winter warmer’…something light on the palate and easy to drink.  Yet with enough flavour to keep the tastebuds interested as every other part of your body sure as hell isn’t interested in doing more than the bare minimum in this heat! The Compass Box Oak Cross Blended Malt seemed to tick most of those boxes…

Colour: Bright sunlight.

Nose: It may be hot but thankfully this is a more pleasant aroma than the aforementioned shearer’s armpit.

Palate: Like a whisky spritz – it’s light, zesty and a bit of a sing on the tip of your tongue. Sweet lemon sherbet and lemon tart; honey and black pepper too.

Finish: A fizzy, salty-sweet lemon and peppery tang. Medium length.

Comments: It’s a blended malt, comprising malt whisky sourced from Clynelish (60%), Dailuaine (20%) and Teaninich (20%) distilleries. All were originally matured in first-fill American oak barrels, then blended and filled into a combination of French and American oak for further maturation. A light and summery dram, it’s a whisky that you can pleasantly sip in hot weather and would go great with a few ice cubes to further take the edge off (and temperature down).

Whisky #469: Compass Box The Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

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Compass Box The Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $80 (bottle).

A Sunday afternoon study session with a dram in hand…so I can legitimately say that I’m “studying” whisky! Following on from Friday’s Adelphi Glenborrodale 8 Year Old Blended Malt, I thought I’d continue the theme with another blended malt – the Compass Box The Spice Tree Blended Malt.

Colour: Golden honey.

Nose: It’s fresh and zesty, light and a little bit sweet. Makes me think of a lemon tart with icing sugar dusted on top.

Palate: Soft pepper and honey. Freshly toasted white bread. A touch of cinnamon.

Finish: A salty orange tang and fresh oaky notes. Medium length.

Comments: I should study more often. This was a great drop! Cracking value too.

A vatting of Highland single malts (principally Clynelish), the focus of The Spice Tree is on the maturation.  The original Spice Tree release ran into some dramas with the Scotch Whisky Association, who didn’t approve of Compass Box’s unconventional approach to the oak they had used in the casks it was matured in. In this remake, Compass Box has taken a bit of a mixed bag of casks, but geez it works.  From the rear label: “Primary maturation in a mix of first-fill and refill American oak. Secondary maturation in new-headed casks made of heavy-toasted new French oak from 195 year-old Vosges forests.”

It’s hard to describe, but for me this one just drinks more like a single malt. The Adelphi Glenborrodale seemed to have a few different dimensions, almost a split personality – though each of those personalities were a pleasure to get to know as they revealed themselves. Whereas the Compass Box The Spice Tree seems to have all the malts pulling in the same direction, in harmony with one another.

Whisky #468: Adelphi Glenborrodale 8 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

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Adelphi Glenborrodale 8 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (Batch 1). Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $152 (bottle).

A blended malt with an age statement…something a little different here.

Colour: It’s like licking a toffee with your eyeballs.

Nose: Rich blackcurrant jellies, freshly baked Anzac biscuits, liquorice, and an unexpected hint of earthy peat.

Palate: Blackcurrants again, but this time it’s blackcurrant jam on freshly toasted bread. Chocolate tart, the kind with the crumbly chocolate biscuit on the outside and then chocolate ganache on the inside. Maybe topped with some honeycomb and raspberries.

Finish: Caramel, chewy toffees, and a cool smokey finish…like some smoked biltong. Medium length.

Comments: For this batch of 1,226 bottles, Adelphi have put together a vatting in an ex sherry butt containing plenty of 8-year-old first-fill sherry from Glenrothes.  The remaining single malts that make up this vatting are reportedly 14 years old, with their distilleries of origin being from all around Scotland.

The Adelphi Glenborrodale has a lot more character than your typical blend, which is not surprising given it’s a blended malt (a blend of single malts) rather than your typical blended whisky containing a blend of both single malt and single grain whisky (which tend to be slightly more mild in both flavour and mouthfeel). Sweeping generalisations, but worth mentioning for those readers who haven’t come across a blended malt before.

It’s an interesting drop, one that makes you really sit up and try to work out what the hell those familiar flavours are that you’re tasting and smelling. Enjoyable and a little different to many typical run of the mill whiskies. Certainly an interesting addition to the bar at Whisky a Day HQ.