Sherry cask matured Archives - Page 2 of 2

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

March 11, 2016 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Zuidam 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 #351 – Glenfiddich Distillery Exclusive 1995 19 Year Old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt (Cask No. 30318)

December 25, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glenfiddich Distillery Exclusive 1995 19 Year Old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt (Cask No. 30318). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 60.03%.

Colour: Deep, dark copper with a few flecks of charcoal sediment from the inside of the cask I drew the bottle from.

Nose: Much like its Balvenie stablemate, it has soft oak and some sweet, rich dried fruits.

Palate: Wow, the intense flavour and warmth hit your palate then decide to have a party all around your mouth. Salted caramel and rich syrupy sherry notes.

Finish: A salty tingle on the tip of the tongue, foowed by a long fade with some residual sweetness.

Comments: It’s like eating a salted caramel macaron. Soft, chewy, creamy – the flavours just keep coming. A sublime malt.

Whisky #350 – Balvenie 13 Year Old Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt

December 24, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Balvenie 13 Year Old Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt (Cask No. 11270). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.6%. Tasted at home, £25 (200mL bottle, which I filled straight from the cask on the Balvenie distillery tour).

Colour: Stunning, almost a crimson-copper shade.

Nose: The alcohol feints rush to jump up your nose, before a more measured sniff reveals intense fruity aromas, sweet toffee and dusty oak.

Palate: Rich and chewy. Intense toffee and somewhat tart berry flavours, think cranberries and raspberries. A fantastic balance of sweetness and tartness.

Finish: Quite long, almost a bit salty right at the end after the flavours begin to fade. An electrifying tingle on the tip of the tongue as the sherry flavours subside.

Comments: An amazingly complex drop, lots of contrasting layers right the way through.

Whisky #269 – Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament Single Malt

October 28, 2014 by Whisky a Day 4 Comments

Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 48.00%. Tasted at home, $120 (bottle).

Colour: As Ron Burgundy might say, it’s the colour of rich mahogany.

Nose: 60% of the time it works every time…damn this is a fine whisky. A stunning nose; dried muscatels, molasses, dusty bookshelves.

Palate: Luscious syrupy mouthfeel. Dry sultanas, cocoa, rich sherry flavours; deliciously sweet and chewy without being overly saccharine.

Finish: Caramel flavours dominate; medium length.

Comments: An amazing whisky, beautifully balanced. I could drink this every day as my Whisky a Day challenge for 2015. I’m keen to sit down one night and try a vertical tasting of the Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old and the Glendronach Allardice 18 Year Old, two of my favourite whiskies this year…purely for research purposes of course.

Whisky #224 – Edradour 12 Year Old Caledonia Selection

September 10, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Edradour 12 Year Old Caledonia Selection. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.0%. Tasted at home, $55 (bottle).

Colour: Luscious deep copper. It’s a beautiful thing.

Nose: Sweet sherry goodness awaits. Mixed dried fruit aromas too.

Palate: Intense sherry and caramel flavours; a perfect balance of sweetness, spices and heat. Oily, syrupy mouthfeel. Amazing.

Finish: Long flavour fade, medium length for the heat. Soft pepper and toffee flavours.

Comments: This expression was apparently created when Edradour asked Scottish singer Dougie Maclean to select a single Oloroso cask and they named it after his most famous song, “Caledonia”. What a load of marketing hogwash.

All that bullshit aside, this is a stunning whisky – it makes me want to drink it all day. For many days on end. It has huge depth of flavour yet with that residual sweetness that makes you want to lick the inside of the glass to make sure you’ve gotten every last little drop. All of this from Scotland’s tiniest distillery, reportedly run by just three guys. Amazing stuff fellas.

Whisky #214 – Glencadam 14 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

August 30, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glencadam 14 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.0%. Tasted at home, $117 (bottle).

Colour: Pale amber. Surprisingly pale for a whisky that’s spent time maturing in ex sherry casks.

Nose: Sweet sawdust, lemon & vanilla.

Palate: Vanilla, syrupy treacle, with a little bit of pepper

Finish: Oily mouthfeel, sweet fruits, oaky vanilla goodness. Medium length.

Comments: The first dram I tried of this I enjoyed, however I didn’t think it was anything too out of the ordinary. After a second glass however I’m starting to really enjoy this one, it certainly grows on you.

Whisky #181 – The Lark Distillery Sherry Cask Finish (Bottled 2013)

July 25, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Lark Distillery Sherry Cask Finish (Bottled 2013). Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 58%. Tasted at Yallingup White Tail’s Rest holiday home, $47 (100mL bottle).

Colour: Deep golden syrup.

Nose: Creamy toffee; sticky date pudding. Smells like a honey badger.

Palate: Toasted sweet vanilla flavours. Big warmth, but not overpowering. Very smooth for a dram at 58%.

Finish: Creamy oily mouthfeel. Flavours, spice and heat balanced nicely. Warmth fills the mouth and builds as the flavours very gradually (and unfortunately) begin to subside.

Comments: Wow. Stunning. I could drink this all night, a shame I’ve only got such a small bottle.

Whisky #164 – Glendronach Allardice 18 Year Old 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt

July 20, 2014 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

Glendronach Allardice 18 Year Old 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at home, $125 (bottle).

Colour: Deep almost purplish copper.

Nose: Dark fruity sweetness, caramel aromas too.

Palate: Toffee, vanilla, sweet woody flavours.

Finish: The chewy sweet caramel flavours gradually fade to a reasonably dry finish with a gentle tingle on the front of the tongue.

Comments: Glendronach are one of the few distilleries to have their single malts 100% matured in ex Sherry casks, with many sherry drams from other distilleries using ex bourbon barrels for the majority of the maturation before spending some time ‘finishing’ in Sherry barrels.

The Allardice is quite a bit woodier than I recall the Glendronach Revival 15 year old was, but they’re both great whiskies. Do I like it? Absolutely, it’s fantastic. Would I rate it above the Revival 15 year old? I don’t think so. The Revival really is superb, and while the Allardice is a great whisky, I’m not sure that the extra 3 years maturation has made it a step-change improvement that warrants the extra $25/bottle investment compared to the Revival.

Whiskies #127-129 – Kavalan Solist vertical tasting

June 27, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Kavalan Solist vertical tasting. Tasted at home, $16 for a tasting pack of 3 x 50mL bottles.

Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask Strength Single Malt. Taiwan. ABV: 57.0%

Colour: Like a golden fried dumpling. C’mon, a Taiwanese whisky review had to have some kind of nationalist stereotype reference in there somewhere!

Nose: Somewhat sweet, straw-like aromas. Also a very faint hint of pineapple. Quite strong alcohol fumes.

Palate: Spice, bitterness and sweetness are well balanced; plenty of strong, complex flavours here. A bit of an oily mouthfeel upon entry. Sweetness quickly gives way to heat & woody, peppery notes.

Finish: Long finish, plenty of tingle at the front of the palate.

Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt. Taiwan. ABV: 57.0%.

Colour: Wow. Such a dark, deep crimson colour. Like a semi-translucent molasses. Don’t think I’ve seen a sherry dram (or any whisky for that matter) with such a dark hue. Not that colour really makes one lick of difference when it comes to the whisky’s taste, but geez it’s a beautiful thing to look at.

Nose: Prunes & raisins.

Palate: Smooth, creamy entry; sweet oaky flavours roll through the mouth. Divine.

Finish: Much smoother, subtler flavours and shorter than the ex-bourbon cask Soloist. Dark chocolate notes in the fade. Delicious.

Comments: I would love to taste this side by side with the Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old. I don’t think it’s quite got the same sweet chewiness of the Glendronach, but geez it’s a good drop. A real surprise packet, stunning!

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Cask Strength Single Malt. Taiwan. ABV: 57.0%.

Colour: Pale reddish copper colour, almost a bit rose-tinted.

Nose: Toasty oak notes, quite soft though. Reminds you a little of a sherry dram, but much less intense. Especially after having tasted such a strong (and damn fine!) sherry dram. Definitely not the intense waft of alcohol like the ex-bourbon dram.

Palate: Slight salty, dried sultanas.

Finish: Dry, again lingering heat at the front of the mouth. Could be a Kavalan trait perhaps? May have to try some of their other releases to verify, purely for research purposes of course…

Overall comments: When I first picked up this trio it was because they were a) dirt cheap and would be a cost-effective way of knocking over another three whiskies; b) I had never heard of whisky being produced from Taiwan and was curious to try it; and c) I thought they would be primary candidates for the “truly awful” whisky category (primarily due to point “b” above) and would make for an interesting contrast to other whiskies. Boy was I wrong…

All three of the Kavalan Solist expressions were a pleasant surprise. Rich, full-flavoured, good balance of sweetness and spices, complex flavour profile…if I’d had a blind tasting I might have picked them for Tasmanian or Japanese single malts. I am happy to eat my words and declare they are far from “truly awful”, they are actually truly delicious!

The ex-bourbon cask expression was a fantastic start, while the Vinho Barrique cask was also pretty good (in fact it was quite decent), but certainly a slight letdown after the amazing sherry dram. Luckily I left some of that to go back to…

The ex-sherry dram was by far the stand-out, not just for it’s colour which is a thing of beauty, but for being such an outstanding all-round whisky – nose, palate and finish. It is by far the whisky which has brought the greatest upside surprise upon tasting, and one that I would happily hunt down a bottle to add to the collection at home. Highly recommended!

Whisky #57: Michel Couvreur Overaged Single Malt Whisky

March 14, 2014 by Whisky a Day 3 Comments

Michel Couvreur Overaged Single Malt Whisky. Burgundy, France. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Bar Lafayette, $20.

Colour: Deep coppery sherry colour.

Nose: Sweet fruit chutney initially, maybe a hint of currants.

Palate: A smooth, almost cool sensation when you first sip it. Tastes like a candied raisin. I haven’t ever tasted a candied raisin, but it’s the best way to could describe it. Kind of like those dried fruit & nut bars bound together with sugary caramel, but without the nuts.

Finish: Very smooth, creamy; not much heat, a gentle fade of the flavours.

Comments: Distilled in one country, matured in another…the bastard child of Scotland & France. Smooth entry, smooth finish. Only after reading this did I realise how inappropriate those two sentences are together. Lots of flavour, much more complex and (frankly) tasty than the Benromach I tasted just prior to this.

Very interesting, I hadn’t ever come across a French whisky before, although the Scots can certainly lay claim to having a hand in it too. Keen to try the other Michel Couvreur expressions they have behind the bar at Lafayette.

Whisky #48: Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt

March 9, 2014 by Whisky a Day 3 Comments

Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at The Trustee, $15.

Colour: Deep brownish amber, clearly showing it’s sherry roots.

Nose: Currants definitely, cloves & cinnamon maybe?

Palate: Soft, warm chocolatey type flavours.

Finish: A gentle heat fills the mouth, but the best part is that the flavours last for ages in your mouth and don’t morph into something else.

Comments: Like biting into a really moist sticky date pudding drizzled in some salted caramel sauce *drool*. I had a bottle of this at home a few years ago and it was my first experience of a sherry matured whisky. Thought it was ok at the time, but maybe because of this early experience I’ve never considered myself much of a sherry head. Glad I’ve tried it again – definitely the best sherry dram of the project I’ve had so far.

Whisky #17: Inverarity Ancestral 14 Year Old Single Malt

February 24, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Inverarity Ancestral 14 yr old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $90/bottle.

Colour: She’s back on stage – bright lustrous Amber.

Nose: Sweet with a hint of maybe cinnamon. Thought it might have been some cloves, but went to the pantry & smelt some real cloves – nope that’s not it. When I stuck my snoz into a pack of cinnamon sticks…that was a bit more like it. A lot more subtle than snorting through a cinnamon quill though.

Palate: Very smooth, dry salty & sweet flavours.

Finish: Medium finish; smoked mussels, oak, mixed spice & some sweetness.

Comments: I’ve really enjoyed this drop for a couple of years now, always having a bottle around at home. I never actually thought to find out much about it – wasn’t aware it was sherry matured, just always thought it was pretty damn awesome. It’s actually a 14 year sherry cask matured Balmenach done by Inverarity Vaults. It’s not as dark or as strongly sherry-flavoured as other sherry matured drams, maybe that’s why I like it so much.

Whisky #10: Auchentoshan Triple Wood Single Malt

February 19, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Auchentoshan Triple Wood Single Malt. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Luxe Bar.

Colour: Quite a dark coppery colour, almost like sherry. Perhaps unsurprising given it’s spent a third of it’s triple wooded life in ex sherry casks. Insightful observations there Todd.

Nose: Hints of cloves? Smells like it’s going to be quite strong alcohol-wise.

Palate: Extremely smooth entry, much smoother than expected. Shoots to the back of the mouth with tobacco & peppery notes.

Finish: Despite the flavour kick at the back of the mouth, leaves a slightly sweet taste at the front. Woody aftertaste lingers.

Comments: Much more pleasant to drink than yesterday’s Glendronach 12 yr sherry matured. Possibly assisted because it was served by a cute barmaid rather than some balding overweight guy called Kevin at the other bar yesterday. That’s probably not even his real name, but who cares. In spite of this, regular consumption of such a whisky would no doubt be inhibited by the name of the distillery which would be problematic to pronounce after a couple of drams of this rather nice drop.

Whisky #9: Glendronach Original 12 Year Old Single Malt

February 19, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glendronach Original 12 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at My Place Bar, $12.

Appearance: Dark amber, much like other sherry matured drams e.g. Glenmorangie Lasanta.

Nose: A touch of Christmas pudding.

Palate: Smooth entry, tastes of raisin toast and maybe dried apricots.

Finish: Quite a dry finish, with a warming sensation on the tongue that lingers long beyond the flavours have disappeared.

Comments: Like an average curry you order after a night out on the beers and you’ve asked the waiter to make it “Indian hot” because you’re drunk and you want to see if your mate can handle as much chilli as you…at the end it leaves you wanting more flavour but the heat is the lasting memory. I’ve never been a massive sherry-head, and this has done little to change my mind. Not because it’s in any way unpleasant, more that there’s just nothing that really jumps out and gets you excited.

Whisky #4: Kilchoman Loch Gorm Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt

February 19, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Kilchoman Loch Gorm Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at Helvetica, $21.

Colour: Dark shade of Amber (i.e. she spent too much time in the spray tan booth).

Nose: Earthy, peaty notes.

Palate: Smooth smoky charcoal, a little sweet, maybe a hint of buttery walnuts?

Finish: Lingering sweet peaty tastes, long after you’ve finished the sip.

Comments: Doesn’t strike me as similar to other sherry matured whiskies. Peat sort of overwhelms the sherry flavours. But still very drinkable!