Tastes
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Nose: Fragrant floral herbs, vanilla, peach, green apple. Nose deeply and there’s hints of lemon zest and oak, and if you add a small dash of water the citrus and wood notes amplify. Palate: Pillowy, creamy arrival entirely focused on soft cereal and sweet malt. The mouth-feel is arguably the best part of this whisky. The development does not bring a great deal more forward apart from some toffee and mocha. However, none of that is a fault - the palate is reserved and narrow, but good. There is an elusive note of tobacco in the background. Adding water brings out more sweetness, makes the texture buttery, and the whisky becomes highly quaffable. Finish: Short. Gristy cereal and a little honey with a touch of ginger and nutmeg (soft tannins), but it remains very easy and friendly right through to the aftertaste. There is a very slight bitter note when neat, but that disappears when it's watered. This has a lighter, more delicate nose than I was expecting but it never seemed to really open up. The palate follows suit and although pleasant I kept wondering if more would emerge. It didn’t. It’s an obviously young and not particularly complex whisky and I had the definite feeling that the grain components hold it back. I’d love to taste a blended malt made from just the malt whiskies in this, and I’d also love to taste this as the base of a highball – I have a feeling that’s its real arena. Many thanks to @DrRHCMadden for the generous tasting sample. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)215.0 AUD per Bottle
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Speyburn 16 Travel Exclusive
Single Malt — Scotland
Reviewed October 24, 2022 (edited October 27, 2022)Nose: Initially grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, green hay, cereal grist and oatmeal porridge. Fleeting notes of pine resin, menthol and eucalyptus oil. After resting for a while the nose gains considerable softness and depth with herbal honey, vanilla, musk and warm citrus aromas developing. Palate: A bright, almost sharp sweetness of pears with a warm core of malt on the arrival. As it develops there is vanilla, orchard and citrus fruit, pineapple, grist and … yes! the palate does the same trick as the nose. After resting in the glass for a while, and after a couple of sips, the profile gains more depth and character with honey, lemon pudding, banana custard and unusual fragrant wood notes noticeable. The texture is creamy. Finish: Medium. Herbal lozenges fading to barley sugar then turning just a fraction metallic but finally reawakening as milk chocolate coated honeycomb in the aftertaste. A strange whisky, but certainly not a bad one – just unusual. It starts off on first nosing very like a Mannochmore or a grassy Teaninich, but after resting for 15 minutes, and with a small sip or two to dial the palate in, it morphs into something more like Scapa and eventually transforms into a Linkwood personality! What a shape-shifter – it’s quite singular and delightfully complex. Speyburn is usually encounted through their 10, 15 and 18 year old expressions but this 16 was a special TRE bottling released in 2018. To start with I thought it was going to be fairly ho-hum but it definitely surpassed my expectations. The source where I obtained this taster has remainder stock bottles available for less than AUD$100, which I consider a bargain. It’s just a whisker short of being a 4-star whisky. Tasted from a 30ml sampler. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)99.0 AUD per Bottle -
anCnoc 18 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 22, 2022 (edited November 11, 2022)Nose: Sweet honeyed malt, butterscotch toffee, roasted hazelnuts, autumn leaves, red berries, dark cherries, boiled Christmas pudding and marmalade. There’s a very mild hint of eucalyptus and oak cask in the background. Palate: Sweet arrival (but not overly sweet – just enough) mainly showing chewy rich malt and mocha coffee with a dusting of dry cocoa powder. In the development a more spicy side shows through with mild ginger, sweet cinnamon and nutmeg in evidence, but it always remains genteel, elegant and refined. The texture is very good, full-bodied and creamy. Towards the finish an excellent orange note becomes prominent. Finish: Long. Malt and preserved fruits leading into an extended aftertaste with echoes of the spices from the palate and a finale of sweet leathery tobacco and orange liqueur. A most enjoyable dram. The nose is delightfully fragrant and improves with every second of rest in the glass – do not hurry this dram. The palate is longer than you might initially think. It’s one of those profiles that is immediately good and then just keeps rolling along, gradually revealing more and more subtle flavours. There is a twinge of sulphur in the background but it acts as a spice and adds complexity and depth to everything else. You may not even notice it, but you won’t miss the subtle and lingering positive effect it has on the spice notes and its contribution to the length. Highly recommended. While scanning the online sellers today I saw a bottle of this and after checking my database I discovered I had a tasting sample from another company already on my shelves! I had not planned any tasting today but decided to give it a try. Result? I just ordered two bottles. Tasted from a 30 ml sample. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)199.0 AUD per Bottle -
Bladnoch Embers Cask
Single Malt — Lowlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 21, 2022 (edited October 22, 2022)Nose: Pears, orange water, soft grassy hay, mild sweet peat smoke, a little vanilla, evolving sweet malt extract. Trace hints of farmyards and a mineralic tinge. A very good nose. Palate: Sweet arrival with tropical and dried stone fruits (apricots, pears), lemon and a little hint of mixed spice. Digestive biscuits and hard toffee emerge in the development and a sweet, soft, creamy peat foundation builds with every sip. The texture is rich and slightly oily. Finish: Medium/long. The sweet fruits dwindle into a smoked malt-and-mocha aftertaste. This is the best Bladnoch I’ve tasted to date, not the least because it bears a similarity to Hazelburn 10 (which I have been unable to find for literally years). The nose treads that fine line between elegance and roughness and is, quite simply, delightful. The palate is equally impressive with its combination of ever increasing peat smoke, malt and fruits. This was an exclusive bottling from The Whisky Club in Australia. I have not investigated these guys before but now I’m intrigued. If it is at all possible to obtain a bottle I’ll do so. Tasted from a 30ml sample kindly sent to me by @DrRHCMadden “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)120.0 AUD per Bottle -
Arran Rare Batch 15 Year Bourdeaux cask
Single Malt — Island, Scotland
Reviewed October 21, 2022 (edited March 26, 2023)Nose: Red wine cask, oily malt, cherry cola, cranberry juice, linseed oil. A rich and very red-fruit and grape oriented nose, which is not surprising. Palate: Drying arrival, oaky and tannic as of grape and walnut skins and stewed black tea. Olive oil, lemon oil and bitter dusty cocoa in the development. Dried figs, tobacco, and black pepper towards the finish. The texture is oily and full. Finish: Medium. The dry palate slowly gains a little sweetness as it moves into the finish but there is lingering oaky astringency. The nose on this was excellent and promised rich malty and grape flavours, but the palate was too tannic for my taste. This was over-oaked IMHO and should have been bottled at about 10 years of age. Water does little for the nose, apart from diminishing it, but greatly improves the palate by softening the tannins and developing a little sweetness. However the bitter tannic tang is never quite restrained. Other reviews have been more complimentary about this expression but for me it was just barely high average. Maybe I had a bad sample? My best advice would be to try a taste of this before buying a bottle. Tasted from a 15ml sample. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars) -
Limeburners Single Malt American Oak
Single Malt — Western Australia, Australia
Reviewed October 19, 2022Re-taste. Nose: Sweet fresh-cut grass, hay, citrus rind, honeydew melon, stone-fruit (nectarine, peach, apricot), barley grist and a little vanilla. There is a subtle oak aroma but the casks do not dominate. Crisp, reviving and with time in the glass the nose gains body and integration. Palate: Sweet, bright, clean cereal arrival with melon and honeysuckle notes balanced by citric grassiness and a touch of spicy ginger. The texture is light but creamy and has a near effervescent quality with a slightly sour hint and a little drying tannin, but that just adds balance. Finish: Medium/short. White grape, melon and hazelnut. The aftertaste gains a little sweetness. I enjoyed this whisky a little more than the last time I tasted it two years ago. The nose on this batch is more melodious and integrated and it has a delicately sweet and crisp character. The palate is less earthy and grainy than last time but it still has a note that is reminiscent of a grassy, dry white wine. The palate shows good progression, transitioning to more sweet notes in the finish. It’s also a whisky that improves with rest in the glass, which allows it to develop a more honeyed, fruity character. As it develops it becomes more like a light Scottish highland malt (maybe Teaninich?) but there are also aspects that remind me of both Bladnoch and Auchentoshan. It does not need dilution but water will bring out some floral tones on the nose and highlight the ginger on the palate. On the whole I preferred it neat. Tasted from a sample provided by @DrRHCMadden. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars) --------------------------------------------------------- Originally reviewed October 25, 2020 Nose: Bright, intense cereal aromas. Green, freshly cut grass and hay. Bitter yellow grapefruit and a prominent yeasty aroma. Malted and unmalted barley, quince jelly, ginger and wooden planks. The nose gains a more rich and sweet character over time as honey and sweet citrus notes emerge. Adding water tends to dilute the character too far, leaving little more than the cereal and wood aromas. Palate: Semi-sweet, oaky and cereal on the arrival. Earthy and grainy, almost like a sour-mash whiskey wash. Oatmeal porridge, tannin, mild grapefruit and quite a bit of bright, hot ginger. There is a crisp white-wine quality that borders on sourness. The texture is good. Adding water does virtually nothing to change the palate. Finish: Medium/Long: Soft oak tannin, vanilla, grapefruit juice, hazelnuts. This is an unusual whisky profile. It has something in common with Deanston Virgin Oak and also with Auchentoshan, but it is brighter and more citric than either. The initial waft from the neckpour was a bit off-putting, having weird notes of flyspray. It settled down as the whisky oxidised in the glass but never entirely went away. It was actually not that aroma specifically, but my memory was struggling to find anything it matched more closely. I've only tasted Limeburners once before and it was a much more expensive version, a cask-strength "Director's Cut" expression, which was exquisite. It was not at all like this whisky. Tasted from a distillery-produced 100ml sample. "Average" : 78/100 (2.75 stars) ---------------------------------------------------------140.0 AUD per Bottle -
Archie Rose Red Gum Smoked Single Malt
Single Malt — Sydney, Australia, Australia
Reviewed October 19, 2022 (edited October 22, 2022)Nose: Scorched eucalyptus fire wood, a little vanilla, red apples (stewed?), red wine, musty dried peaches or apricots, a dot of menthol. A generous splash of water and a rest in the glass produces more restrained fruity notes but also an unusual and not entirely pleasant herbal quality. Palate: Firey, spicy arrival (chili and black pepper) that resolves into a burnt-wood flavour, but it’s not really smoke and certainly not peat. Over-brewed black tea, bitter chocolate. The texture is good but not quite hefty enough to satisfy. Adding water soothes it a little and produces some sweetness, but the core profile remains. Finish: Medium/short. A lingering taste as of licking a bushfire-charred stump. This whisky, as was noted in the review by @DrRHCMadden, reeks of the smells and tastes of an Australian campfire breakfast. Eucalypt aroma, smoke in your face, wood ash in the eggs and overbrewed sweet billy tea. You can almost hear the magpies caroling. It’s charming and evocative, and about as subtle as being kicked in the nuts. Like almost every Archie Rose whisky I have tasted to date there is no nuance or complexity, despite their almost torturous mashbill, fermentation and distillation regimes. This distillery delights in producing unusual expressions that contain everything including the kitchen sink, presumably in pursuit of complexity and to create a whisky that is as big as humanly possible. Ironically, they usually miss the target and the resulting whisky is brash rather than big and complicated rather than complex. Sometimes (as for example with their Hybrid Rye whisky and the limited edition Six Malt New Make) they hit one over the fence. However those whiskies are the exception rather than the rule, and this Red Gum Smoked expression is definitely not such an exception. I wish they would relax, simplify their process, concentrate on creating nuance and then just let the distillate sit quietly in refill bourbon casks for a few years. You make great whisky by getting good at the basics, not by setting out with the main objective of proving that you are a master of innovation. There is a very small distillery in rural New South Wales called Black Gate. They have a fraction of the staff, budget and hype of Archie Rose, but they produce a smoky single malt that is orders of magnitude superior. Check them out if you get the chance. Tasted from a sample generously shared by @DrRHCMadden, I was very pleased to have the chance to taste this, as it was a limited release and no longer available, but I would not consider buying a bottle, nor recommend it other than as a curiosity. “Average” : 77/100 (2.5 stars)199.0 AUD per Bottle -
1770 Glasgow The Original Fresh & Fruity
Single Malt — Lowland, Scotland
Reviewed October 18, 2022 (edited October 20, 2022)Nose: Bubblegum and malt extract. Grassy and woody, like the sweet aroma of decaying wood in a forest without any mould or unpleasant aromas. Light planky oak, crème brûlée, beeswax candles. This is maltier, way less fruity and sweet, and more restrained than the 2019 release. Palate: Gummy bears, sweet creamy malt arrival brimming with preserved fruits (pear, apricot), lots of vanilla, clotted cream and dark, almost sour, cherry. Spicy notes of cinnamon and white pepper in the development, and there are flavours of white bread and creamy ale. The mouthfeel is full and satisfying. Finish: Medium/short. Sweet malt and fruity flavours that fade fairly quickly leaving a trace flavour of ale and black tea. I very recently tasted the 2019 release of this whisky which was essentially a work in progress expression. With this “The Original” bottling the distillery has arrived at their core product going forward and, in my opinion at least, they have done a good job. The earlier releases from Glasgow distillery were ponderously banana-heavy, but they have dialled that back and brought forward the malty, ale-like notes, which was a great decision. The whisky is still very confectionery-fruity in character and a little too sweet to be called elegant but it is good honest fun and if the distillery continues to refine their products I predict they could be the next Arran in a decade or two. You read it here first. Great value as an everyday quaffing or session whisky. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)70.0 AUD per Bottle -
Glasgow 1770 Peated Rich & Smoky
Single Malt — Lowland, Scotland
Reviewed October 18, 2022 (edited March 26, 2023)Nose: Woody, bonfire peat but with a soft, sweet character. Some dried fruit, cured bacon, vanilla nougat and sherry notes but primarily it's the peat you notice. Over time a pine aroma evolves. The dry glass is like a burnt-out campfire. Palate: The palate is sweet, soft and smoky on the arrival with dark fruit and raisins in abundance. There’s quite a bit of sweet orange juice as well and some tropical notes. However there is no development at all. The arrival just tails into the finish. The texture is very light but enjoyable. Finish: Short. The ashy, smoky, fruity notes from the arrival drift towards the distance but stop dead in their tracks just before reaching the horizon. There is a mild peppery flavour sitting in the background throughout. You could be harsh and say the nose on this has a one-note quality, but it’s a very nice one-note. Yes it lacks complexity but there are distant memories of Bowmore (good Bowmore, I hasten to add) and even Lagavulin. It has that rich, dark floral profile … but that’s about all. However it is a good nose and there are no off-notes at all. The peat smoke very adroitly adds a touch of dryness to the profile which balances the innate sweetness of the Glasgow distillate. The palate is simpler and a little bit of a letdown for me. It lacks complexity even more than the nose, but that’s not a fault as such. The problem is that it also lacks weight. The palate and finish are watery and shallow in texture and it seems like the whisky is somehow hollow. There is certainly nothing bad going on here, and for a young whisky from a young distillery it is a great effort. I’m enjoying this dram (which needs no water, by the way), but at the moment it is not a whisky that I would buy for neat sipping. Then again, it would be a very friendly introductory smoky whisky for beginners. It’s good, competitively priced, but just not interesting enough yet. At the moment I see this as mainly a competitor against Monkey Shoulder and the like … the more famous smoky single malts have nothing to fear from this newcomer for now, but give the distillery time. There is a spark of greatness here. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)70.0 AUD per Bottle -
Manly Spirits Lilly Pilly Pink Gin
Modern Gin — Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed October 13, 2022 (edited March 9, 2023)Nose: Lime, lemon, juniper, soft spice, floral and red berry notes. Palate: Oily arrival with juniper closely followed by the main ingredient. Native strawberries, finger lime, dried blood orange and lilly pilly berries are discernable in the front line. Finish: Medium. Fruity fading to juniper notes. A welcome addition to the Manly Spirits lineup. Over the last few years the gin craze has seen a number of “pink” gins released. These have been flavoured with an assortment of botanicals and products ranging from sloe berries to red wine but many were overly sweet, syrupy and seemed to lose track of the idea that a classic pink gin should be based around bitters. In comparison, this Manly Spirits gin is quite dry in profile. It contains no added sugar and relies on its sweet ingredients (including lilly pilly, riberry, raspberry and rosella) for the character profile. The colour is natural and derived from nasturtium flowers and raspberries. Lilly Pilly is an Australian native shrub or small tree, related to the myrtle family. It produces a pink-to-maroon coloured fruit with a white interior that ranges from being almost as sweet as a raspberry to quite tart and citric. No-one knows where the name came from but it was in common use in the early days of European settlement and is most likely an English corruption of the name used by the Gadigal language first nations people. This gin is soft in character and sippable neat, but it really shines with the addition of tonic water and a slice of lime, where the bitter and sour notes perfectly offset its mild sweetness. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)88.0 AUD per Bottle
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