by 
2006 Berry Bros. & Rudd Girvan 11 Year Old Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky. ABV: 56.6%. Lowlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $152 (bottle).
Well. This coronavirus fuckery has really disrupted life as we know it. Jobs and lives have been lost; as has a sense of purpose and structure of what we each previously knew as “normal”.
Whisky a Day has taken a recent hiatus to deal with some momentous personal events. Apologies.
For many during this time, whisky has been a rock and go-to as we seek to unwind and drift off and forget about things for a moment. I hope you’re all holding up ok through the corona chaos.
But enough of this heavy stuff, let’s bring some positivity back. Bring on the whisky!
Colour: Pale straw.
Nose: Whoa, a puff of smoke surprises. Most grain whiskies are silky and rarely smokey; this is certainly a different beast. Some faint biscuity notes too.
Palate: Dark chocolate with a super high cocoa percentage. It’s dusty and slightly bitter – like biting into a square of Lindt 90% Dark Chocolate. After you’ve had a shot of strong espresso. A smokey warmth and tingle on the front of the tongue, with creamier notes at the back of the palate.
Finish: Earthy notes and salty overcooked vegetables in the fade – think cabbages, leeks and roasted onion.
Comments: This Berry Bros. & Rudd Girvan was finished in an ex Laphroaig ex bourbon cask. This is not a peated whisky, but the dominance of the cask has really imparted soft smokey notes right through the nose, palate and finish.
Lowland whiskies, and many grain whiskies, are rarely peated…so it’s a whisky that certainly aims to surprise. It’s different – perhaps it could be a gateway whisky for those who are taking their first tentative steps into the whisky realm of smoke and peat? Ultimately for me though it’s not overly fulfilling, but I can see why others may get more enthused.