Speyside

Whisky #134 – Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva

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IMG_2950Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Bobeche, $35.

Colour: Dull brownish gold.

Nose: Brown sugar, toasted cereal kind of scents.

Palate: Vanilla & raspberry jam flavours, sweet yet some subtle bitterness as well. Plenty of toasted flavours too. Nice balance of heat and flavour. Almost a hint of some bourbon-like notes.

Finish: Warmth tingles at the front of the palate; flavours and heat gradually fade. The aftertaste reminds me of raspberry jam on a slice of toast.

Comments: Aged in ex-Cuban rum barrels, which certainly give the whisky its colour as well influencing flavours & the nose. I was expecting a slightly smoother entry given the age, but the flavour intensity is there which is good. Not sure that for $35 the Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva represents great value, but it’s certainly a decent drop.

Whisky #132 – 1973 Glenrothes Single Malt

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IMG_29461973 Glenrothes Single Malt (bottled 2000). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%. Tasted at Helvetica, $59.

Colour: Deep, lustrous coppery amber. It’s a beautiful thing.

Nose: Such an unusual, complex nose. Reminds me of when I was a kid and pulling out the winter blankets from the camphor wood chest where they’d been stored since the previous winter. Dusty, almost like the smell of dusty old books. A hint of gentle woody smoke.

Palate: Very, very smooth. Sweet toasted malt flavours gently roll over through the mouth and make you sit back, sigh contentedly and say “wow”.

Finish: Gentle sweet smoke & oak in the long, gradual fade.

Comments: So smooth, both upon entry and in the finish. Delightful, though like the 1969 Glenrothes I tried at Whisky Live the flavours were a little softer than expected, although given it spent 27 years maturing in the barrel I guess this is to be expected. It’s not that the flavours are disappointing in any way (they’re actually amazing), it’s just that after the intriguing nose I had hoped the flavours would be a little stronger. Maybe this is a trait of the older Glenrothes whiskies? Fantastic nose and flavours, but not quite as intense as I would like. I will have to continue the research to test this theory!

Whisky #125 – Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2933Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Lalla Rookh, $18.

Colour: Lustrous burnt amber.

Nose: A bit of oak, maybe some cherries.

Palate: Dried apricots, vanilla & oak. Smooth entry.

Finish: Medium length, not much heat.

Comments: Dangerously drinkable – this glass must have a leak. Smooth but not too complex, the Glenfiddich 15 is a solid whisky but not exceptional.

Whisky #124 – Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

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IMG_2932Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at Andaluz, $23.

Colour: Bright orangey gold.

Nose: Hay, grassy notes. Maybe a bit like sniffing a fresh lemon.

Palate: Smooth cool entry, with a few short sweet honey notes. Dry mouthfeel.

Finish: Shortish finish, lemony grassy flavours. Like chewing a piece of grass you’ve picked up as you’re walking through a paddock. Not that wandering through a grassy paddock is the type of setting where you’d normally be enjoying a wee dram, but chewing a piece of grass leaves a similar taste in the mouth. Dry finish.

Comments: Meh. A touch overrated for mine, I don’t see what the fuss is about with the Royal Salute (granted, I haven’t tasted the other Royal Salute age expressions). Not enough character for my liking. Better value elsewhere.

Whisky #121 – Glen Grant The Major’s Reserve Single Malt

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IMG_2914Glen Grant The Major’s Reserve Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at my place, $0 courtesy of my mate Gordy.

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Quite soft & fruity – dried muscatelles, Gordy got dried apricots.

Palate: Smooth, almost cool entry to the palate.

Finish: It had a touch of lingering tingle, a bit of spice. Hint of vanilla in the fade.

Comments: Pretty mild. Polar opposites to a glass of the Glenmorangie Companta which I introduced Gordy to right afterwards.

Whisky #119 – SMWS 35.89 Spell-Binding and Breath-Taking

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IMG_3408SMWS 35.89 Spell-Binding and Breath-Taking. 17 year old Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling from Glen Moray distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.7%. Tasted at home, 100mL tasting bottle as part of SMWS new members’ welcome pack.

Colour: Dull straw colour.

Nose: Sweet grassy notes, maybe a touch of banana.

Palate: Salted toffee, dried banana crisps. Oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Some sweet apple and toffee flavours in the fade, but not a sickly sweet toffee apple – it’s more subtle than that. Medium length finish.

Comments: A little underwhelming compared to the other SMWS releases I’ve tasted. I’m not getting the big fruit flavours the SMWS tasting committee listed on the label. It’s quite a focused, intense flavour profile, but not as complex as I like. Overall, ok but after tasting this 100mL sample bottle it’s certainly not a SMWS bottling that I would go out of my way to purchase.

Whiskies #106-115: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Autumn Tasting Extravaganza

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society Autumn Tasting Extravaganza. Parmelia Hilton, $70.

I joined the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) at the start of the year for a few main reasons. Firstly, as another way to expand my whisky horizons and give me exposure to a range of unusual whiskies that I hadn’t heard much about (much less seen available to buy anywhere). A good way to really start to rack up the number of different malts that I knew I’d need to successfully complete the Whisky a Day challenge.

Secondly, I was intrigued by this mysterious “society” – would they have a secret handshake? Would it be a stuffy old man’s club where everyone stands around twirling their moustache and wearing a tweed jacket? As it turns out, no – they’re just a bunch of friendly folks who are really into their whisky. A huge range of ages and mix of guys and girls, everyone is really down to earth and passionate about tasting and talking about whisky.

IMG_2825Anyway, a crash course in the SMWS. They do their own bottlings, whereby they go to a distillery and choose a single cask from which they produce a limited run (e.g. ~200 bottles) of a unique malt. The whisky is given a numerical code, denoting the distillery and the individual cask. For example, whisky “96.7” below identifies it as being from distillery number 96, and it is the 7th single cask bottling the SMWS has released from this distillery. They’ve also got some quirky tasting notes on the label to describe the flavours and aromas that the SMWS tasting panel has come up with.

So onto the tastings. The standout favourite of the day for me was “121.65 – A Well-Oiled Baseball Glove”. As with my experience at Whisky Live 2014, I didn’t want to spend the whole evening furiously making tasting notes. Tasting 10 whiskies in all, I kept the notes to a minimum and simply enjoyed the experience. If you are intrigued and want to know more about a particular whisky you’ll just have to join the SMWS and try it for yourself!

96.7 – For a Sweet Tooth. 7 year old SMWS bottling from Glendronach Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.3%.

Very pale colour.  Chewy toffee on the nose. Not as sweet as I was expecting given the description on the label. Warmth builds & slowly fills the mouth.

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3.218 – Opening the Bonnet of a Classic Car. 13 year old SMWS bottling from Bowmore Distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 55.8%.

Apple juice in colour. The nose is smokey, but subtler than other Islays. Palate is meaty with hint of sweetness, like a seared steak.

 

 

IMG_2828131.2 – Magic Carpet in a Sweetie Shop. 

13 year old SMWS bottling from Hanyu Distillery. Chichibu, Japan. ABV: 55.1%.

Looks more like a port, beautiful colour. Initial scents reminded me of firecrackers, turns out it has a few hints of an Islay dram. Lots of spice, hint of smoke, quite full bodied, sweet notes abound. Medium length.

 

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73.62 – Magical, Mellifluous Marvelosity.

24 year old SMWS bottling from Aultmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 57.8%.

Looks like a botrytis semillon in colour, the legs on the glass also give away the relatively high ABV. Heat & peat on the palate, warmth lingers.

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28.24 – Curiouser and Curiouser.

23 year old SMWS bottling from Tullibardine Distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 52.2%.

Pale gold. Musty. Like an old book. Bourbon like flavours, gentle. Smooth. Medium finish.

 

 

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93.58 – A Manly Adventure.

14 year old SMWS bottling from Glen Scotia Distillery. Campbeltown, Scotland. ABV: 60.4%.

Crisp clear straw colour. The nose gives pork spit roast on an open fire. Band aids. Meaty, very chewy. Kind of whisky to put hairs on your chest. Smoke builds, lips tingle long after.

 

 

IMG_283537.55 – Surprising Smoky and Savoury.

12 year old SMWS bottling from Cragganmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 56.6%.

Really pale straw. Surprisingly smokey for a Speyside – only then did I realise the SMWS name was “surprisingly smokey”.

 

 

 

IMG_2836121.65 – A Well-Oiled Baseball Glove.

14 year old SMWS bottling from Isle of Arran Distillery. Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 58.3%.

Deep copper. Wow – like it. Muscat notes, it is leathery – the title of this one really is on the money. Like a salted caramel dessert – salty but a sweet aftertaste. Delicious – definitely my favourite dram of the day.

 

 

53.198 – Wasabi on a California Roll. IMG_2837

18 year old SMWS bottling from Caol Ila Distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 59.1%.

Like opening a tin of smoked mussels or anchovies. Nice. Smokey, but almost a bit of a metallic aftertaste.

 

 

 

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29.145 – Innocent Embrace of Sweetness and Smoke.

22 year old SMWS bottling from Laphroaig Distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 45.3%.

Straw colour. One of the lightest Islays I’ve nosed in terms of smoke. Sweet almost cool smokey sensation on the tongue. Quite unusual, but nice.

 

 

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Whisky #98 – Balvenie Cuban Selection 14 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2799Balvenie Cuban Selection 14 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Colour: Deep golden honey.

Nose: A little more abrupt than I was expecting; a fair whiff of alcohol along with some orange peel notes.

Palate: Lots of vanilla and sweet oak. Much smoother than the nose suggests. Lots of flavour complexity, gentle spices and a bit of peppery heat at the front of the palate.

Finish: Sweet spices, not too much heat. Flavours stick around longer than the warmth, especially the sweet notes.

Comments: As a keen pirate sailor with a penchant for a nice rum, I was rattling my cutlass with excitement to crack open this bottle that has spent some final time maturing in barrels that previously held Cuban rum. I really liked it, especially the palate (not so much the nose).  It’s not a world-beater but certainly a great whisky to have in the collection at home which offers something a little different to others.

I was perhaps expecting something a little more unusual, I would have expected the extra maturation in rum barrels to have a more significant impact on the whisky’s flavour profile, making it sweeter especially. In hindsight, maybe I was expecting some more spiced rum flavours coming through, but perhaps given that Cuban rum tends to be lighter than other Caribbean rums it’s perhaps not so surprising.

Whisky #94 – Glenfiddich Malt Scotch Whisky Liqueur

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IMG_3389Glenfiddich Malt Scotch Whisky Liqueur. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%.

Tasted at home, $0, courtesy of my cousins Trudi & Marcus.

Colour: Golden viscous honey.

Nose: Surprisingly strong alcohol feints. Some oak and grain aromas.

Palate: Not as sickly sweet as I was expecting, though still some soft syrupy sensations. Amazing alliteration also. Cloves and cinnamon are probably the main flavours, though neither is really jumping out at you.

Finish: There’s definitely some sweetness I was expecting in the finish, along with a hint of cinnamon. Oily, creamy mouthfeel.

Comments: On a spectrum of whisky at one end and liqueur at the other, it definitely (and somewhat surprisingly) leans more towards the whisky side. Overall it’s ok, but it’s not as unique a drop as I was hoping for.

Whisky #93 – Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2778Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at a Mad Men themed party, $0 courtesy of my friend Katy.

Colour: A deep rich gold.

Nose: Well…it’s here where things go a little awry. Shortly after my friend Katy poured me a dram of the Glenfiddich 18, I met a gorgeous young lady whose stunning looks and conversation completely distracted me from the important business of whisky tasting. Being a Mad Men themed party, we consumed many more whiskies through the evening and into the wee hours, but alas (well, at least for you dear reader) I was totally distracted and neglected to make many observations at all.  Of the whisky.

I am looking forward to re-tasting the Glenfiddich 18, at which point I will endeavour to update these tasting notes with something a little more insightful than tales of other nocturnal endeavours…

Whisky #92 – Linkwood 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2765Linkwood 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Helvetica, $29.

Colour: Pale amber.

Nose: Wow, like sweet smoke from a campfire. Not a peaty kind of smoke, more like when you burn some green  leaves & branches on a fire.

Palate: More peat on the palate than the nose suggests, but it’s not the mouthful of ash like some Islay malts, a little more subtle. A little nutty, a bit like having a bite of Swiss cheese. No holes in this though.

Finish: Medium length, not as much heat as the Cadenhead’s Dalmore I had a few minutes ago.

Comments: I hadn’t heard of Linkwood previously, perhaps unsurprising as the majority of their production goes into blends. So having happened upon a more unusual dram I took the chance to try it, as I’m sure it will get progressively more difficult to find unique whiskies I’ve not tasted as the year progresses. I’d say it’s priced more for its rarity, but I’m very glad I tried this one – would definitely give it another run.

Whisky #83 – Benromach Cask Strength Single Malt, Distilled 2002

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IMG_2734Benromach Cask Strength Single Malt, Distilled 2002. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 60.3%. The Royal, $16.

Colour: Like a glass of pale, watered down apple juice.

Nose: Hint of peat, bit of smoke.

Palate: Salty; heat quickly fills the mouth.  Complex flavours, but a bit too much heat to really enjoy them.

Finish: Heat overpowers the flavours that try to linger. Like wearing some nice aftershave to a date and the bloke at the table next to yours has bad BO, totally overwhelming your efforts.

Comments: Surprising to find so much complexity in a whisky that is so clear. Further evidence that you shouldn’t solely judge a whisky by its colour.

Whiskies #80-81 – Wemyss Malts: The Hive 12 Year Old Blended Malt & The Spice King 12 Year Old Blended Malt

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IMG_2719Wemyss Malts: The Hive 12 Year Old Blended Malt (ABV: 40.00%), Speyside, Scotland; & The Spice King 12 Year Old Blended Malt (ABV: 40.00%), Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky Live 2014.

Well I’ve made my way to the Wemyss blended whiskies now from Highlands and Speyside. I have to say after having the peaty whiskies from Isle of Jura, my palate is absolutely shot.

The Heemes, – sorry I mean the Wemyss (I can’t even speak properly now!) – The Wemyss ‘The Hive’ which is their Speyside blend – it’s called The Hive because it’s got honey-like tastes to it. Nup – I couldn’t tell it. Either I’ve had too many whiskies today, or my palate is goooooone after all the peat.

Similarly for ‘The Spice King’ which is the Highlands blend – it’s just not happening for me. The nose, the palate, everything is just gone – the palate…yeah nup. Nothing left in the tank folks, over and out.

I guess it just goes to show that if you’re heading to a whisky tasting event, you really need to plan out your whisky tasting strategy for the day. I think I did reasonably well on that front, with the Wemyss blends the only whiskies I would have preferred to have had at an earlier stage.

Whisky #78 – The Ultimate Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Mystery Speyside 1966

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IMG_2713The Ultimate Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Mystery Speyside 1966. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.30%. Tasted at Whisky Live 2014, $32 (half nip) from the ‘Old & Rare’ bar.

Undisclosed “mystery Speyside”. It’s a Glenfarclas, but an independent bottling from The Ultimate Whisky Company. Distilled in 1966, bottled 04/10/2012.  Bottle no. 102 of 182.

Well the Glenfarclas 1966, I’ll first throw it open to the floor (i.e. my whisky fiend mates)…what do we think boys?  “Pretty damn good.”  “Fucking sensational” added another.  It’s almost as old as my mate Canning…to which he added “almost as old as my older brother”.  Younger brother don’t you mean mate?  😉

For me, it had some delicious soft flavours of muscatels and sultanas, but not too strong.  It was very subtle, very smooth, kinda sweet and syrupy.  Bit of a fruity sort of nose and a lovely, smooth well balanced finish – not too strong in spice or heat, a very drinkable whisky (to put it mildly!). Much like the Glenrothes 1969 The MacPhail’s Collection, I guess it comes as no surprise that these amazing flavours are going to be extremely complex yet very smooth and subtle having spent 46 years in a barrel. Another amazing dram!

 

Whisky #77 – Glenrothes 1969 – The MacPhail’s Collection

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IMG_2710Glenrothes 1969 – The MacPhail’s Collection. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Whisky Live 2014, $32 (half nip) from the ‘Old & Rare’ bar.

“Like liquified Christmas pudding”. My favourite whisky so far of the Whisky a Day project.

Distilled in 1969 and only bottled in 2008 by Gordon & MacPhail. This had a beautiful dark colour, that’s what most attracted me to this bottle at the ‘Old & Rare’ bar at Whisky Live. Darker than my ex-girlfriend’s heart.

I was expecting a really strong, Christmas cake sort of flavours based on the amazingly complex and sweet nose. Stunning aromas. However I was expecting the flavours to be a little more intense based on the nose.  Beautiful, beautiful flavours though, just not as full or intense as the aromas had gently teased.  Very smooth to sip, almost syrupy.  An excellent finish too, with a fair bit of spice (flavours) but definitely no alcohol heat – perhaps unsurprising it was so velvety having spent so much time maturing in the barrel. A beautiful, smooth, and frankly stunning whisky.

Definitely the best whisky I’ve had so far – not just at Whisky Live but the best I’ve had so far across the Whisky a Day project.  And that’s not something I say lightly, as I believe it’s difficult to really get to know a whisky (especially a malt as complex as this one) from only one dram. But this is such a standout in my book, amazing. If I could get my hands on a bottle of this I would, although I shudder to think of the price. It was a privilege to have tried it.

Whisky #74 – Glen Moray 25 Year Old Portwood Finish

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IMG_2706Glen Moray Portwood Finish 25 Year Old. Speyside, Scotland.  ABV: 43.0%. Tasted at Whisky Live 2014.

Righto – so we’re here at Whisky Live 2014. Over 100 whiskies on offer. No, I’m not going to attempt to taste them all (although that does sound like a mighty challenge).  Instead I’m going to take a slightly different approach to the day’s tasting – instead of writing up tasting notes for every single whisky I sampled on the day, I’m going to make a few notes about a particular distillery (in this case Glen Moray) and then decide which of their selection I preferred.

The reason for this approach is that I actually sampled 28 different whiskies on the day, but most were only 5-10mL tastings. In my opinion (and particularly for my somewhat immature palate), it is incredibly different to get to know a whisky off such a small sample. I also didn’t want to spend the entire day furiously typing notes onto my phone for all 28 whiskies, I wanted to actually take it all in and enjoy the day. So I made a few brief voice memos afar trying each table and have reflected that here.

So onto the Glen Moray tastings…

Sampled: Glen Moray 10 year old, Glen Moray 16 year old & Glen Moray 25 year old Portwood Finish. I think the Portwood Finish was definitely the pick of the three.  It has a deep ambery colour, a sweeter sort of taste.  A very different nose to the other two – the 10 year had a funny sort of nose…fuck this is going to get difficult to describe as the day wears on. All three were quite thin tasting, quite thin on the palate and all had quite a light, short finish – but the 25 year old was definitely the pick.