Highlands Archives - Whisky a Day

Whisky #598: Glengoyne Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish Single Malt

January 21, 2023 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glengoyne Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $155 (bottle).

Colour: Shimmering topaz.

Nose: Very soft, quite delicate actually. Pineapple jubes, soft hay and freshly baked lemon tarts.

Palate: A sweet-spicy dichotomy. Raw sugar, cinnamon scrolls with a hint of cloves, washed down with creaming soda. A rich, creamy, oily mouthfeel.

Finish: The creamy sweet flavours fade, leaving the spices and oaky notes to poke through. Medium length.

Comments: Finished in ex Pedro Ximenez casks after initial maturation in European oak, this Glengoyne Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish has a robust juicy sweetness and fantastic balance with the spicy oaky notes. The 46% ABV is also a great balance, affording plenty of rich flavours to shine through whilst being an approachable ABV point for most drinkers.

Whisky #594: SMWS 66.120 Bacon Butty

February 8, 2022 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 66.120 Bacon Butty. 11 year old cask strength, single cask bottling from Ardmore distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 58.3%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $180 (bottle).

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Raspberries dusted with icing sugar. Sticky BBQ pork ribs, fresh sawdust and a hint of wood smoke.

Palate: Charred meat, caramel fudge and blueberries. Chargrilled lamb chops and rendered fat off a juicy sirloin steak.

Finish: A lingering wood smoke finish, as compared to the more medicinal and maritime peaty notes from Islay peated whiskies. A slight briney twist. Medium intensity but it lingers long in the front palate.

Comments: A bacon butty is a very British thing, not so common out here in Australia. But I can definitely see where the tasting committee was going with this and can almost imagine what one would taste like…as I’m not sure I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting one!

Whisky #591: SMWS 59.59 Spock’s Earwax

January 10, 2022 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

SMWS 59.59 Spock’s Earwax. 10 year old cask strength, single cask bottling from Teaninich distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 55.2%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $170 (bottle).

Colour: Electric gold.

Nose: A slight nose prickle; aromas of honey, freshly baked biscuits and pineapple chunks.

Palate: Pleasingly, it tastes nothing like wax (earwax, Spock’s earwax or any other kind). Spicy and somewhat dry mouthfeel, almost chalky. Dried orange slices, mandarins, cracked pepper and lemon zest.

Finish: Spicy; white pepper, Chinese five spice and a salty tang. Medium length.

Comments: It’s a deliciously different prickly citrus adventure.

Whisky #586: SMWS 82.32 Boozy Cherry Cake

October 29, 2021 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

SMWS 82.32 Boozy Cherry Cake. 8 year old cask strength, single cask bottling from Glencadam Distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 63.0%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $190 (bottle).

Colour: Deep golden honey.

Nose: A gentle nose prickle, then soft strawberry jam, stewed cherries and oak notes with a faint whiff of a cigar box (it’s been empty for a long time).

Palate: Juicy sultanas, blackcurrant pastilles and white pepper on the front palate. Glacé cherries and fruit cake flavours, but with a drying mouthfeel. It’s more panettone than moist Christmas cake.

Finish: Spicy and dry. A lingering warming buzz coats the mouth. Honey and chilli heat, nicely balanced though.

Comments: Christmas cake and spicy dry cigars…now that’s a combo I can get behind as we head into the festive season.

Whisky #584: Rest & Be Thankful Fettercairn 2007 12 Year Old Single Malt

October 9, 2021 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Rest & Be Thankful Fettercairn 2007 12 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 57.2%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $215 (bottle).

A perfect daytime dram!

Colour: Pale midday sun.

Nose: Crisp. A gentle nose drying effect. Straw and soft earthy notes.

Palate: Cooked mash, sea salt flakes and crunchy toasted barley grains that you hoover down at most distillery tours.

Finish: Light but long, with a salty warming kick. Slightly sour wheat beer notes.

Comments: Refreshing to have a whisky that’s so malt-driven, rather than one that’s had the effort of the mashing and distillation completely overpowered by the influence of a dominant cask. Matured in an ex bourbon cask (which had surely been refilled before I’d guess) and bottled at cask strength, this is a delightful daytime sipper.

Whisky #582: Tomatin Gordon & Macphail Discovery 2007 Single Malt

September 9, 2021 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Tomatin Gordon & Macphail Discovery 2007 Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $136 (bottle).

Colour: Golden straw.

Nose: Faint feints. Extremely soft floral (jasmin?) notes & wafts of freshly baked blueberry muffins.

Palate: It hits you with all the ferocity of a limp handshake. Thin mouthfeel, with watery honey and overripe blueberries that collapse rather than pop on the tongue.

Finish: Short finish with oak, dusty cocoa and vanilla notes.

Comments: It’s certainly not a bad whisky just any stretch, just a little underwhelming. Can’t help buy think that a higher ABV might have done wonders.

Whisky #578: Cadenhead Small Batch Knockdhu 11 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt

July 24, 2021 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Cadenhead Small Batch Knockdhu 11 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 54.7%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $172 (bottle).

Colour: Very pale straw.

Nose: Delicate. Cinnamon tea cake and petrichor…raindrops on fresh concrete.

Palate: Toasted malt and oaky notes, along with pepper and tart raspberries.

Finish: Dried raspberries; tobacco leaves from the end of a freshly chopped cigar. Medium length finish with a briny aftertaste and tingle on the front of the tongue.

Comments: The Cadenhead Small Batch Knockdhu definitely doesn’t drink like a cask strength whisky. It’s very subtle, where it keeps you sipping as you catch a whisper of a flavour here, a whiff of an aroma there. Before you know it, it’s gone…both the glass and eventually too the bottle.

Whisky #572: Glengoyne 21 Year Old Single Malt

June 13, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glengoyne 21 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $235 (bottle).

Feet up on a Saturday, time to kick back with another stunning drop from Glengoyne Distillery.

Colour: Deep brilliant copper.

Nose: The nose is a little faint. Allen’s Strawberries and Cream lollies. Very faint leather notes.

Palate: Stewed strawberries, dried cranberries. Then melted brown sugar atop your morning porridge that you’ve splashed with a dash of milk. Creamy, sweet and caramel flavours…very moorish.

Finish: A dry earthiness to finish. Creamy dustiness, like cocoa powder atop a cappuccino froth.

Comments: The nose was probably the only thing that I was a little disappointed in here. With a lot of older Scottish malts, sometimes for me the nose has layers of complexity and so many interesting things going on that it can be even more enjoyable than the palate. With this Glengoyne 21 the palate is fantastic, but the nose is just a little…flat.

Perhaps it’s just been sitting in the opened bottle a little too long…I’ll just have to drink a little more rapidly in future!

Whisky #571: SMWS 123.26 Blossom Falling Onto Sponge Cake

June 12, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by SMWS 123.26 Blossom Falling Onto Sponge Cake. 9 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS bottling of Glengoyne Distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 61.2%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $167 (bottle).

Following my last review of Whisky #570 Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One Single Malt, I realised there were a few more Glengoyne bottles kicking around at Whisky a Day HQ. This one is an independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), enjoy.

Colour: Sparkling gold.

Nose: Creaming soda & candy canes.

Palate: There’s lots of sugary treats here. Soft Turkish delight jelly (the rosewater kind), whipped cream frosting atop a freshly baked vanilla sponge cake. Creamed honey that feels like it’s oozing it’s way across your taste buds.

Finish: Creamy oak & vanilla ice cream flavours, with a long gentle warmth that slowly fades…but unexpectedly fading first from the middle of the palate to eventually the tip of your tongue.

Comments: The SMWS tasting committee really nailed the name on this one! Stunningly easy to drink. A masterful expression of Glengoyne from the SMWS.

Whisky #570: Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One Single Malt

June 9, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 48%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $95 (bottle).

Colour: Dusty brass.

Nose: Well worn leather and soft oak

Palate: The front half of the tongue is standing closer to the flavour heater on this one – it gets all the love. Dried muscatels, raisins and red wine tannins. Dusty dark chocolate bitterness.

Finish: A drying, slightly salty and metallic finish, like you’ve just tasted blood on your lips. Like you’ve accidentally copped an elbow in the mouth from some noble pursuit like fighting your way to the front of a packed whisky bar in those glorious pre-social distancing days.

Comments: Matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, at 48% ABV it’s got a little more oomph than other Glengoyne releases. I’m a fan of higher ABV whiskies and love Glengoyne, but in this case for me the balance isn’t quite right.

For me Glengoyne The Legacy Chapter One is lacking a little bit of oily mouthfeel, creaminess and juicy dried fruit notes, whilst also losing some of the fresher fruity and vanilla flavours that other Glengoynes are known for. It’s like what I imagine a higher ABV version of the GlenDronach 12 year old might taste like – dry sherry notes and some heat, but not quite the lush juiciness of your nan’s Christmas cake.

Whisky #568: SMWS 123.25 Joyful Impressions of Spring

May 13, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 123.25 Joyful Impressions of Spring. 9 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS bottling of Glengoyne Distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 62.1%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $175 (bottle).

Life is all about balance…

Colour: Hazy gold.

Nose: It’s all freshly baked confected sweetness – popcorn, light creamy sponge cake fresh out of the oven, zesty lemon and banana Paddle Pop ice-cream. All whilst you’re walking through the Aussie bush and you get a whiff of some snapped lantana branches.

Palate: Salty, sweet, creamy butter, the lemony zest of gremolata…this bounces around the mouth and ticks all the boxes. Full mouthfeel and absolutely nails the savoury/sweet balance.

Finish: A lingering prickle and warmth around the mouth, with a lemon sherbet kick at the end.

Comments: They say coronavirus isolation has led to people reassessing things and wanting more balance in life. At Whisky a Day we’d say this SMWS 123.25 Joyful Impressions of Spring from Glengoyne is perfectly…balanced!

Fresh and invigorating, it’s a fantastic drop. Highly recommended if you can get your hands on one of only 222 bottles that were produced.

Whisky #567: Tullibardine The Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape Single Malt

April 28, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Tullibardine The Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape Single Malt. ABV: 46%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $115 (bottle).

Colour: Rich marmalade.

Nose: Freshly varnished timber and a slight astringency, presumably the red wine tannins from the finishing maturation in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape barriques. Not overly appealing to be honest.

Palate: Much better here. It’s soft and short with thin mouthfeel; strawberry marshmallows and biscuits with chewy strawberry jam.

Finish: Slightly cheesy with tart stewed strawberries. A short finish, it’s in a hurry.

Comments: This one lingers in your mouth about as long as an aging boomer in the supermarket in the age of coronavirus – just long enough to get the essentials then it’s out of there. An underwhelming nose but redeemed somewhat by the palate. Not bad, but there’s better Tullibardine expressions to be had.

Whisky #562: Edradour Straight From The Cask 10 Year Old Single Malt

January 22, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Edradour Straight From The Cask 10 Year Old Single Malt (Cask #160). ABV: 57.7%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $143 (500mL bottle).

The carnage continues during Whisky a Day bottle kill week, tonight it’s a cask strength Edradour that bites the dust!

Colour: Deep amber.

Nose: A slight prickle, sweetness and zing initially, like opening a packet of ground cinnamon. Slightly overripe strawberries and raspberries too.

Palate: Like biting into your grandma’s Christmas cake – glacé cherries, dried sultanas and raisins, rich and moist spongecake…delicious.

Finish: Sweet then a fade to a drying saltiness. The sherry tannins come through as the finish dries.

Comments: It’s a rich, robust and full mouthfeel, but without being too overpowering. It drinks a lot softer than you might expect for a 57.7%ABV cask strength whisky.

Drinking this is like having Christmas all year round. Fantastic balance for a cask strength whisky and a wall of flavour that sits perfectly on the palate. Outstanding.

Whisky #561: 2009 Inchmurrin Manzanilla Finish Single Cask Single Malt

January 21, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

2009 Inchmurrin Manzanilla Finish Single Cask Single Malt. ABV: 46%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $110 (bottle).

Bottle kill week continues here at Whisky a Day, all bottles must go!

Colour: Dull brass.

Nose: Worn leather. Creme brûlée and freshly baked muffins that are just slightly overcooked and are a few too many shades of brown, but you rip off that warm muffin top and…clearly I’m hungry and have a sudden hankering for muffins!

Palate: Blackcurrant Soothers lollies initially, but minus the menthol. Then the dominant flavours come forward: brown sugar, salted caramel and dried muscatels.

Finish: Slightly sour initially then it gives way to a salty sweetness.

Comments: A real “food” whisky, in that it evokes lots of food flavour memories. A cracking dram, shame it’s all finished now!

Whisky #559: SMWS 68.18 Triple berry Lamington cake

December 2, 2019 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 68.18 Triple berry Lamington cake. 7 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS exclusive bottling of Blair Athol Distillery for Whisky & Alement, Melbourne. ABV: 58.3%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $169 (bottle).

After an extended break, Whisky a Day is back! Life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes…new job, new apartment, trying to buy a new house, new girlfriend, competing in powerlifting and sailing events…it’s been a busy time recently! But whisky got me through 😉

Let’s get back into the swing of things with a stunning whisky from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), one that was an exclusive bottling for one of Australia’s top whisky bars, Whisky & Alement in Melbourne.

Colour: Pinkish bronze.

Nose: Sweet and savoury all at once…fresh muffins and cakes baking in the oven, followed by a balsamic glaze drizzled over roasted beef. And then the heat and smell of walking into a woodwork shop – sawdust and wood shavings.

Palate: It really is jammy; tart raspberry at first, then it softens and sweetens into more of a strawberry jam on buttered white toast.

Finish: Long satisfying goosebumps on the tip of your tongue, like you’ve just kissed someone for the first time that you’ve fancied for a long time.

Comments: Maybe I’m just hungry, but this one is very food-like. I deliberately did not look at the SMWS tasting notes for this one, but the name made it hard not to let your mind be drawn to food. Lamingtons and jam are most definitely in liquid form here, a stunning drop.

Whisky #558: Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt

September 26, 2019 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt. ABV: 46%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $99 (bottle).

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose: Like Ron Burgundy’s office – full of leather-bound books and rich mahogany.

Palate: Soft smokiness, with some juicy blueberry, salty notes and a hint of caramel.

Finish: Smoky umami meatiness, with a caramelised onion glaze.

Comments: In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, 60% of the time it works every time. Exceedingly easy to sip as a pre and/or post dinner dram. A fantastic all-rounder that would appeal to most palates.