Speyside Archives - Page 5 of 8

Whisky #327: Craigellachie 17 Year Old Single Malt

December 15, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Craigellachie 17 Year Old Single Malt. Tasted at the Craigellachie Hotel’s Quaich bar, £8.50.

Colour: Vibrant gold.

Nose: Quite malty, hints of honey too.

Palate: Tangy nectarine; lemon sherbet, grassy.

Finish: Crisp and dry, yet some sweet citrus flavours. Medium length.

Comments: Given I was staying at the Craigellachie Hotel in the village of Craigellachie, I really had no choice but to try a Craigellachie malt. They primarily produce for Dewar’s Blended Whisky, so I thought it appropriate to take the opportunity to try one of their comparatively hard to find single malts. Not too bad, but nothing particularly amazing to write home about.

Whisky #322 – The Macallan Fine Oak 18 Year Old Single Malt

December 14, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

The Macallan Fine Oak 18 Year Old Single Malt. ABV: 43%. Tasted as part of the distillery tour at The Macallan, £15.

Colour: Pinkish copper.

Nose: Toasted floury aromas, chocolate too. Sherry notes too, but not too rich.

Palate: Creamy, sweet buttery toffee. Strawberries & cream on fresh scones.

Finish: Quite a quick drying sensation, creamy salty caramel gradually dissipate.

Comments: A very decent drop, but for the price point (£121 a bottle) I think there’s much better value and flavour to be had with the Macallan 12 year old sherry cask single malt.

Whiskies #319-321: The Balvenie Distillery Tour

December 13, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Tour of The Balvenie Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. £35.

After an enthralling morning touring Glenfiddich Distillery, it was time to duck right next door to their sister distillery Balvenie. Little did I know that I was about to taste one of the standout whiskies of the year for Whisky a Day.

Whisky #319: Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 47.80%.

Colour: Dull peachy gold.

Nose: Bit of an alcohol kick initially that quickly fades. Malty sweetness and cereal notes come through.

Palate: Oily mouthfeel, butterscotch flavours.

Finish: Spices and warmth, syrupy honey flavours in the fade.

Balvenie’s stills and spirit safe.

Whisky #320: Balvenie Doublewood 17 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%.

Colour: Brassy copper colour.

Nose: Soft peat hits you immediately – even at only 3ppm. Very soft burnt toffee notes too. Almost a bit earthy too.

Palate: Dry, golden syrup notes, very faint straw notes. Delicious!

Finish: Sweet syrup and very soft smoke in the fade.

Balvenie are one of the few distilleries to still malt some (though not all) of their own barley

40 year old Balvenie hand-poured straight from the cask in Warehouse 24.

Whisky #321: Balvenie Bourbon Refill Barrel 40 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Barrel 17703). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 53.7%.

Now this was the special one…

Colour: Deep, honied gold with particles of charcoal from the barrel.

Nose: Honeycomb, dusty bookshelves.

Palate: Stunning. Mouth coating, syrupy, rich vanilla. Velvety, creamy; like honey and butter on hot toast.

Finish: Intense, golden syrup and earthy notes – words fail me, I’m drifting away…

Comments: Now this was the special one. As a member of Balvenie’s Warehouse 24 club, on the tour I was granted a special surprise. Along with my new tour friends from the Boat City Whisky Club in Poland, we were given a “dog”, a small empty bottle, and tasked with locating barrel number 17703 upstairs in Warehouse 24. Once we located it, we could then use the dog to fill up the bottle with this precious liquid gold. Of course, there is absolutely NO truth to the rumour that the dog was then refilled and passed around when our tour guide wasn’t looking so we could sample some more of Barrel 17703’s contents straight from the cask…

Only when we got back to the tasting room did we learn that it was a 40 year old whisky that we had been tasting sraight from the cask in the warehouse where it has been maturing for the past four decades. It was simply divine, one of the stand-out whiskies of the year for me.

Balvenie Distillery

Whiskies #316-318: Glenfiddich Distillery Tour

December 9, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Tour of Glenfiddich Distillery, “The Pioneers Tour”. Speyside, Scotland. £75.

I went to Glenfiddich expecting due to their size for the tour to be a rather commercial, sheep-dip kind of experience. I chose to do their three-hour Pioneers Tour where I was pleasantly surprised to have one of the most personable, informative and enjoyable tours I’ve ever been on. Plus there was some fantastic whisky of course, including being able to taste & hand bottle some Sherry cask Glenfiddich straight from the cask. Reviews in that drop a little later, but for now let’s get stuck into some of the expressions I tasted on the day.

Whisky #316: Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Rich Oak Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%.

Colour: Rose gold.

Nose: Banana & toffee.

Palate: Rich oily oak, mouth coating. Vanilla and creamy fruit flavours.

Finish: Banana bread; quite a gentle fade.

Be “still” my beating heart…

Whisky #317: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%.

Colour: Rich, dark honey.

Nose: Wicker chairs and dusty bookshelves.

Palate: So smooth and subtle. Rich and velvety. Caramelised pineapple. Brown sugar.

Finish: Very gentle, gradual fade – medium to long finish though. Cinnamon and banana, syrupy.

Comments: Sublime, absolutely amazing.

Whisky a Day sampling some of the wash

Whisky #318: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Red Wine Cask Finish 19 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%.

Nose: Oaky, dry, fruity not tropical.

Palate: Quite thin, buttery caramel – reminds me of a Scottish tablet.

Finish: Creamy, medium length.

Comments: I wouldn’t have picked it for a red wine finish, sweeter and not as dry as I would have expected.

Glenfiddich Distillery

Whisky #302 – Gordon & Macphail Mortlach 21 Year Old Single Malt

December 2, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Gordon & Macphail Mortlach 21 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at The Pot Still (Glasgow), £7.15.

Colour: Bright yellow gold.

Nose: It doesn’t just smell sweet, it really does smell like honey.

Palate: Cool, oily entry; mouth-coating. Exceptionally smooth. Rich buttery honey flavours. A tingle builds at the front of the palate.

Finish: A semi-sweet yet drying finish. Medium length for flavour, long for the tingle.

Comments: Such a rich full flavoured dram, yet very easy to drink – the kind of whisky that you could safely have as your go-to drop no matter what the occasion.

Whisky #281 – The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak Cask Single Malt

November 7, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak Cask Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at home, $30 (350mL bottle).

Colour: Deep mahogany.

Nose: Sultanas, vanilla and golden syrup.

Palate: Rich velvety dried fruits. Super smooth. Buttery sweetness.

Finish: Builds, with gentle warmth.

Comments: A fantastic whisky, 100% matured in ex sherry casks. A shame I could only get my hands on a small bottle.

Whisky #280: The McGibbon’s Provenance – Macallan 1997 Autumn Distillation 15 Year Old Single Malt

November 6, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

The McGibbon’s Provenance: Macallan 1997 Autumn Distillation 15 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $70 (bottle).

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Alcohol feints, yet smooth. Hay-like, honey and lemon notes.

Palate: Straw on the mid-palate. Smooth, sweet somewhat citrusy flavours.

Finish: Medium length yet somewhat soft; quite dry.

Comments: Not as intense as I was expecting, yet eminently drinkable.

Whisky #270 – BenRiach 15 Year Old Madeira Single Malt

October 30, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

BenRiach 15 Year Old Madeira Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at The Laneway Lounge, $18.

Colour: Hungover stale beer colour.

Nose: Straw, yet some some rich vanilla and sherry notes.

Palate: Creamy smooth berry flavours.

Finish: Velvety sherbet finish. Tingly smooth – the finish tastes a little like Allen’s strawberries and cream lollies.

Comments: Matured in American oak casks initially, then finished in Madeira barrels. There are a few interesting yet contrasting things going on with this one, but it’s a bit too much of a medley of flavours and aromas to make it a really good whisky.

Whisky #263 – Glenfarclas 1980 Family Casks Single Malt

October 15, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glenfarclas 1980 Family Casks Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 50.1%. Tasted at Must Winebar, $37.

Colour: Light amber. Not nearly as dark as I thought it might be given it has spent 27 years in an ex sherry barrel.

Nose: A very, very subtle toasted oak. Surprisingly soft given the ABV.

Palate: Quite dry, yet warming. Delicious caramel and hay-like woody notes.

Finish: Intense warming in a good way – like putting your hands close to an open fire. Putting your mouth towards an open fire??? That doesn’t really make much sense, maybe sans the singed eyebrows. You get my drift.

Comments: A single cask release, it’s one of only 681 bottles from a refill sherry butt. Distilled in 1980, bottled in 2007. Yes it’s old and yes it’s quite uncommon, but I’m not convinced it’s worth $37 a nip. A great drop however.

Whisky #262 – Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

October 14, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at home, $9 (50mL sample bottle).

Colour: Light caramel.

Nose: Citrus, straw and faint honey notes.

Palate: Smooth yet more flavour depth than I was expecting from a blend. A little like sweet biscuits – think of buttery Nice biscuits, the ones with sugar sprinkled on top.

Finish: Medium length, minimal heat. Quite dry. You can taste the Nice biscuits gradually fading as the grains of sugar dissolve in your mouth.

Comments: Again much like the Chivas 12 year old, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s no world-beater and is a little too mild and unassuming for my tastes, but it’s certainly easy drinking.

Whiskies #256 & 257: Chivas Brothers Tasting with Laura Hay

October 5, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Chivas Brothers Tasting with Laura Hay. Helvetica, $50.

I was fortunate to attend another tasting event hosted by Chivas Brothers ambassador Laura Hay. We had five whiskies to taste, however I’ve already covered three of them so far this year – The Glenlivet 18, Longmorn 16 and Aberlour A’bunadh. I suspect as the year draws to a close there will be a few more times like this where I’ve sampled some of them already.

Whisky #256, Scapa 16 Year Old Single Malt. Orkney Islands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%.

Colour: Pale toffee.

Nose: Very soft. Orange peel, vanilla, straw. Reminds me of walking into a room with freshly varnished timber floorboards.

Palate: Soft oak, some hay-like flavours.

Finish: Short to medium length, a little briny but not like other island malts, it’s very light and subtle.

Comments: Fresh and light. Quite pleasant, but it’s not the kind of whisky that’s going to really wow you. A great whisky to kick off the evening’s whisky tasting though.

Whisky #257, Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask Matured Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%.

Colour: Light amber.

Nose: Earthy, but quite light. Musty bookshelves. Pistachio shells.

Palate: Stoney is how I’d describe it. Much more subtle sherry notes than the Aberlour 10 year old.

Finish: Medium length, not much heat.

Comments: I actually didn’t enjoy this one as the Aberlour 10 Year Old Single Malt, which apparently is being phased out of the Aberlour lineup in favour of the 12 year old. Not as sweet and sherry-like as I was expecting. My good mate Tim remarks that it’s his ideal whisky when you’re having a shit day, it’s the one you turn to when you get home and pour yourself a dram. It’s smooth yet uncomplicated; you can drink it with the assurance that everything is going to be alright. Couldn’t have said it better myself Timbo!

Whisky #251: Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Single Malt

September 28, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 47.80%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $115 (bottle).

Colour: Brilliant translucent yellow.

Nose: Vanilla and bush honey.

Palate: Sweet biscuity notes. Creamy and buttery. Oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium length, lots of sweet oak and vanilla flavours. Almost a bit jammy.

Comments: A very smooth dram, the fact that half the bottle has mysteriously disappeared over a few days would suggest that it’s dangerously drinkable!

Whisky #248 – Chivas Regal Extra

September 24, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Chivas Regal Extra. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at Lafayette.

Colour: Dark varnished timber.

Nose: A bit of oak, a bit of sherry. That’s about as complex as it gets.

Palate: surprisingly thin on the palate. Soft enough, but not much depth. It’s got some sherry flavours but they’re sadly quite watered down.

Finish: Reasonably short finish, quite dry.

Comments: The “Extra” is a blend with a higher proportion from ex sherry casks than other Chivas offerings, so I was intrigued to see if it had that typical sherry richness and fruity sweetness. To be honest I found the flavours to be ok, but I cannot help but think it would’ve been interesting to try before they’d diluted it down to 40%. My good friend Giles is quite underwhelmed – “all I can taste is marketing”. Hard to disagree with that assessment old boy.

Whiskies #243-244: The Glenrothes 1995 & 1998 Single Malts

September 21, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

1995 The Glenrothes Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%.

Colour: Like varnished pine timber floorboards.

Nose: Straw and malt notes, nothing too spectacular here though.

Palate: Soft nondescript entry. Very soft honey notes. Like most Scots, a little nutty.

Finish: Gentle tingle builds on the lips, but quickly fades. Honied cereal notes in the fade. Quite short in length.

1998 The Glenrothes Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%.

Colour: Orange gold.

Nose: Oak and vanilla.

Palate: Fuller flavour than the 1995, much richer. Oak, syrupy dried fruit, oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium length, some sweet buttery toffee notes linger.

Overall comments: For me the 1998 was much better than the 1995, which for some may be a little surprising given the 1998 is three years younger (both were bottled in 2012). It just goes to show that older doesn’t necessarily equal better, even from the same distillery! The 1998 has a lot more depth of character; the 1995 is just a bit too insipid and characterless for my liking.

Whisky #229 – Gordon & Macphail’s Connoiseurs Choice Dailuaine 1995 Single Malt

September 13, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Gordon & Macphail’s Connoiseurs Choice Dailuaine 1995 Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%. Tasted at home, $50 (bottle).

Colour: Dark gold. But then holding the glass another way it’s more of a pale gold. Interesting.

Nose: Vanilla mainly, followed by oak. A hint of toffee.

Palate: Thin mouthfeel, but still packs a punch – plenty of rich, spicy flavours and alcohol heat. Oak, a touch of buttery toffee and dried fruit flavours too.

Finish: Medium to long finish, peppery notes dominate as the flavours fade.

Comments: Dailuaine Distillery is relatively unknown for most single malt drinkers (myself included prior to buying this bottle), with the vast majority of it’s production going into blends such as Johnnie Walker (cringe!). I’m happy to report this is a very decent whisky, though not perhaps as enjoyable as the other Gordon & Macphail’s Connoisseur Choice I recently tried, the Arran 1999.

Whisky #226 – Glenfarclas 12 Year Old Single Malt

September 11, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glenfarclas 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Sushia, $17.

Colour: Bronze.

Nose: Slightly nutty with a hint of sweetness. Much like my Scottish friend Shelly!

Palate: Salted caramel, much more salt than sweetness though. Plenty of oak.

Finish: Spice and cocoa; warm mouthfeel that builds slightly as the flavours fade.

Comments: Not as smooth as the Glenfarclas 15 nor does it have quite the depth of flavour, as you would expect. Not bad, but if this was a horse race and you had to back one, I’d be looking to its stablemate.