Tastes

Enjoying both a Bushmills 10 and Laphroaig 10 this evening. A world apart yet only 33 miles between the distilleries.

I was looking forward to this as I enjoyed my previous drams from Arran: the Machrie Moor and the 12yo CS. The nose yields some strong fruit aromas like lemon, orange, raisins and a Barratts fruit salad sweet (pineapple and raspberry flavour). Ralfy says fresh fruit basket and he’s not wrong. There’s light salt and a bit of a seaweed or coastal smell too. There’s a nice balance to it and it is very drinkable. Lightly sweet, sherried and creamy with blackcurrant to the fore and some spice and mint on the finish. For the 46% it is not at all hot or harsh throughout. The empty glass reminds me of chocolate rice krispie buns. I’m not the first to compare it to a sherried, Irish potstill but it reminds me of a salted Redbreast. That is good company in my book.

This is an own brand scotch from the discount supermarket Aldi. Once opened and sitting a while it has a muted nose, lightly floral and chocolaty with whiteboard marker undertones. It’s very thin but it has a pleasant taste of biscuit, honey, toast, matchstick, and toffee. The finish is dry with a bit of sour sharpness. Altogether it’s an agreeable sweetness without being at all complex. This is as good as any other blend. It costs €19. That makes it cheaper than JW Red, JW Black, Famous Grouse, Grant’s Family Reserve, Teachers Highland Cream, and Black & White. In my opinion it is slightly better than all those listed, but I'm not going to replace the bottle.

Campfire smoke and iodine Grilled fish, ash and heavy brine These are favourite things of mine And I find them in this dram And verily I must confess This surely is among the best To put some hairs upon your chest Even if you are a ma’am

A tame dragon. Nose: crème brûlée, grass, clover, windolene and (please forgive me) urinal cake. Taste: Raspberry and clotted cream, woody and malty. It feels thin, light, mild and watery with no burn at all. Where is this dragon’s fire? Finish: sugar-dusted toast, light pepper. I couldn’t put my finger on it for ages but something seemed artificial yet familiar. It finally registered that it was a cheap nightclub shot from fadó fadó. A resurrected memory of slamming B52s, which for those that don’t know is made up of layered coffee liqueur, irish cream, and orange liqueur. Bizarre!

Sure I might have moaned noisily for the Ardbeg 10, and screeched "Yes! Yes! Yes!" when tasting the Corryvreckan, but if I’m being truthful it was all show and pretence. This whisky genuinely rocks my boat. I discovered erogenous zones I didn’t even know I had. You should have seen me drinking it. I was like Meg Ryan in the cafe. Tell the waitress you’ll have what I’m having.

Tasted as part of an online Ardbeg tasting night with the standard 10yo, An Oa, and the Uigeadail. I had previously tasted them all but it had been a good while ago and at bars and whiskey festivals. The tasting gave me the chance to delve into them in a bit more leisurely way and also to compare them directly with each other. Nose: waxy dark chocolate, butter, malt, blackcurrant, smoked bacon, less pine than Ardbeg 10 and An Oa but still there Taste: salt and chilli pepper, there’s a sharpness there and very chewy. Takes water well. Much spicier than the others and a hellova dram! For me it was second best of the four.