Tastes
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Nose: Warming, hearty malt, beef bouillon, stewed prunes, fig jam, vanilla, clean fragrant wood, daydreams of oloroso and PX sherry. A very pleasant and fullsome nose indeed. Palate: Sweet for a fraction of a second on the arrival (coffee crystals? Demerara sugar?), then gaining a little heat and ginger spice as it moves into a dry development with the foundation malt surging to centre stage. A fruity change mid-development as dried apple, baked peach, preserved figs, sweet dark chocolate, dark cherries and slightly bitter orange appear followed by a quick return of the lighter sugary sweet notes from the arrival. The texture is mouth-coating and full but balanced by mild astringency from some supple and very adroitly handled tannin. There is a very subtle liquorice note in the background that is supurb. Finish: Long. Malt extract, dusky fruit and bittersweet citrus, fading into a satisfying aftertaste that keeps rolling along with lingering sherry influences. Lovely whisky with excellent progression. I last reviewed this here in mid-2019 but that was for the old bottling, which was quite different in my opinion. It had a drier character and the body was heftier and almost chewy. This expression is softer and shows more citrus tones, and it is also slightly sweeter and more “rounded”. The sherry cask influence is exemplary - at no time do you notice sherry as a component but its influence permeates every part of this very good whisky’s profile and is the basis for all the complexity and evolution that happens. Tasted from a 15ml sample. I was about to order a bottle but then saw the local price. It’s worth it and if I was a devotee of sherry maturation I'd buy one, but I can get Ledaig 18 and many other 18 year olds that are just as good for 2/3 the price so I don’t feel that compelled to have a bottle. Mind you, at $300 this stuff makes a laughingstock of contemporary Macallan 18. The real annoyance is that in the UK this sells for the equivalent of AUD$150. Grumble, grumble ... “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally reviewed July 13, 2019 Note: This is a review of a 2018 bottle of Arran 18, which was a tall bottle with a gold and blue label. That image used to appear as the thumbnail for this listing but a while back Distiller replaced it with a picture of the new bottle style. This is misleading because the new 18 year old whisky is different in style. A new listing should have been made. Nose: Malt, rye bread, sourdough bread, walnuts - it's almost like the nose of a full-bodied stout or porter. There are fruity aromas (green apple and lemon juice) but they are dry rather than sweet and absolutely not floral. There are also grassy herbal notes. It starts off a little reticent but it's a very pleasing nose that develops excellently over time. As it rests in the glass a faint notion of sherry cask comes to mind. Palate: Sweet, rich creamy malt arrival that is voluptuous and soothing with spices that are warming rather than hot or bright. The development has some sweet stewed fruits and a flinty mineral note. There is a dry foundation under the sweetness that gives everything grip, but the very prominent sweet fruitiness of the earlier 18 year old is not present. Like the nose, the palate brings to mind a full, dark beer made from chocolate-roast malt. The texture is oily, chewy and seductive. Finish: Medium/long. The crisp malty palate subsides into a sweet aftertaste with the slightest hint of fennel or anise and a drop of lemon juice. The lingering aftertaste is uncannily like a milk stout. This whisky is the successor to the 2015 Arran 18 Year Old "Pure by Nature" expression which was a limited release and the last of a trio of special releases (16, 17 and 18 years old). This whisky showcases the mature malty side of the Arran distillate. I don't know the precise cask combination but I'd guess there is a focus on refill bourbon with a smaller proportion of refill sherry casks. Unlike the 14 year old this is most decidedly not a sweet fruit basket and the focus here is squarely on the malty character, which is reminiscent of Belgian dark fruit beers. The addition of water slightly emphasizes grassy, herbal notes but on the whole I think it spoils the whisky. This is quite delicious neat, and best taken that way. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars) 200.0 AUD per Bottle299.0 AUD per Bottle
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Nose: Grass, hay, grapefruit, green apple peel. A little honey and vanilla with some planky, fresh-sawn wood as it opens in the glass. It’s a light, bright and breezy nose but it does gain a little heft with time. Palate: Brief sweet arrival mainly featuring barley-sugar and herbal lozenges. The development follows quickly and sees grassy notes predominating and an emerging bittersweet tang of tart citrus peel and unsweetened black tea. The texture is full but there is an overall astringent note to the palate. Finish: Medium/short. Grassy, spicy and bitter-sour on the aftertaste, reminiscent of bitter orange or even gentian. An average Flora & Fauna bottling of Mannochmore that shows all its typical grassy notes. It’s not the most elegant expression I’ve had from this distillery and it supports my opinion that Mannochmore is a distillate that is great for blending but can be safely ignored as a single malt. There's really not much to see here. Adding a dash of water diminishes the nose but improves the palate by bringing out some buttery sweetness but the spicy, bitter notes never retreat. Adding sweet soft drink makes it agreeable, but that reduces it to little more than a grassy mixing whisky at an inflated price. You would be a lot better off with three bottles of Jameson for the same money. For what it's worth I disagree with almost every word of the official Distiller review for this. It's not a deep nose, it's not a sweet palate and there is only the faintest wisp of something resembling smoke. Tasted from a 30ml sampler. “Average” : 76/100 (2.5 stars)125.0 AUD per Bottle
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1770 Glasgow Single Malt 2019 Release
Single Malt — Lowlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 8, 2022 (edited May 8, 2023)Nose: Tinned fruit salad, vanilla essence, baked banana (SO MUCH baked banana), aromatic wood (sandalwood, cedarwood). A rich, seductive and voluptuous nose but it's so intensely sweet and banana heavy that it hovers one step away from being a joke. Palate: Luscious arrival brimming with sweet preserved fruits in syrup, clotted cream , mascarpone, butterscotch sauce and honey – it’s like drinking a fruit sundae or a banana split! There is a little spicy heat in the later development and a flavour like a creamy lambic beer. The mouthfeel is creamy and rich. Again, it's so close to the edge of being a caricature it's not funny. Finish: Medium/short. Sweet cereal and fruity flavours that fade fairly quickly, but it’s not lacking in length. This has an exceptionally rich and fruit-dominant profile that suggests a very long fermentation driven into late lactobacillic interaction, and the use of very lively virgin white oak casks. The current releases of this whisky are called “The Original” and the label bears the words “fresh and fruity” so I assume it still has the same overall profile. It does show its youth and in comparison with mature single malts it could be called simplistic, but at the asking price it competes against several fine blended scotches and blended malts and represents good value. I think you would have to be very mean spirited to hate this. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)70.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Apple, pear, soft orange notes. There’s a delicate, sweet floral presence like honeysuckle and a background aroma of malted cereal. The balance between the malt and grain whiskies is very well done. Palate: Sweet mild arrival with orchard fruits, a touch of orange oil and a hint of ginger. The development is slight and does not present a great deal more, apart from some vanilla and oak from the barrels. There is a trace of ashy smoke on the palate that you don’t notice on the nose, but it is very reserved at first, and towards the finish a mild tannic bitterness shows up. The texture is a little creamy with a silky quality – that’s the grain whisky speaking. Finish: Medium. Tart green apple, kiwifruit, mint and marzipan. This is a “big” whisky for a blended scotch, and it’s significantly superior to standard J&B scotch. There is an unmistakable family resemblance so the recipe is similar, but the components used here are much more refined and show 15 years of maturation in reasonable barrels. The nose is fresh, crisp and has good body and a pleasant character with no intrusive ethanol. The palate is eminently quaffable and with subsequent sips you notice the smoky background notes more and more. The finish is moderate, but surprisingly longer than expected, and several tart flavours come forward in the aftertaste. These are not unpleasant, however, and provide agreeable balance. It’s not a particularly complex whisky and may be a disappointment to those who favour big, bold single-malt drams. However it more than holds its own against other premium price blends such as Dewars 18, Old Parr 18 and so on. I found myself reaching for this more than I expected and with a splash of soda water it’s a satisfying and relaxing late-night dram. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25)95.0 AUD per Bottle
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Amber Lane No. 1 Noble Lane
Single Malt — Yarramalong Valley, New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed August 25, 2022 (edited August 26, 2022)Nose (neat): Honey, cereal, grape juice. The nose is very tight and narrow when neat and there is a sharp, spirity hit. Nose (watered): The same aromas but deeper in tone and more homogeneous. Water takes the edge off the alcohol presence but also reveals how little is going on here. After some time in the glass a golden syrup note emerges and after a considerable time the nose becomes quite attractive. Palate (neat): Hot, tingly spices, almost burning in intensity. Lots of ginger, hot cinnamon and pepper. The development does not show much change but towards the finish a shiny, copper metallic note shows up. The texture is dry and flinty. Palate (watered): Dilution tames the intense spicy heat but also strips most of the character away whilst revealing a sour, grassy and bitter presence. Finish: Medium/short. White grape juice and dry white wine in the aftertaste. With water the aftertaste turns sour. Disappointing. I attended one of the initial tastings of Amber Lane whisky a few months ago and was impressed by some of their expressions. I did note a youthful lack of depth in general, but I was still sufficiently taken by two of their range to buy one bottle of each. Mrs Cascode subsequently bought me this limited release expression and I was keenly anticipating it, but when I opened it last weekend I was dismayed by how singularly simplistic and awkward it is. The nose is average-to-good in quality but unbelievably tight when first poured. I could sense hardly anything from a glencairn pour and I had to pull out an old-school blender's glass for nosing before I could get anything out of it. The palate is nothing special and the aggressive heat masks sour grassy notes which show up under dilution, which is essential for enjoying this dram. I can only assume that the botrytis Semillon cask that was used for finishing acted in a particularly negative way, adding nothing good to the distillate and sucking away what character it did have like an oaken vampire. I would still encourage anyone who gets the chance to taste Amber Lane whiskies to do so because they make some very good expressions, but do yourself a favour and skip this one. "Average" : 77/100 (2.5 stars)219.0 AUD per Bottle -
Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed August 17, 2022 (edited June 6, 2023)Nose: Ginger, honey, orange marmalade, dried fruit, vanilla essence, a little clove. Palate: Sweet, mild arrival with honey, vanilla nougat, raspberry coulis and apricot Danish. Leathery malt emerges in the development along with tropical fruits, toffee and cacao. The texture is neutral, but the palate is moreish. Finish: Medium: There is a sustained bittersweet orange and milk chocolate note. This is nothing like I expected. It’s a light, elegant, sweet and easy to drink malt that shows very restrained sherry cask influence (which is not a bad thing). The profile is not particularly complex, but everything works extremely well in combination. The palate follows the nose closely and there are no surprises here, just a well-constructed, soft and highly approachable whisky. Don’t add water, it is superfluous. I don’t understand the name. Yes, I do enjoy the occasional cigar and yes I did partake while enjoying my second pour of this whisky (for … science). However it is no better matched to cigars than any other single malt, and for me anyway a good cognac beats any whisky hands-down when it comes to pairing with tobacco, but meh, that's just my taste and no criticism of this dram. The only issue I have with this whisky is the price, which is outrageous. “Very Good” “ 86/100 (4 stars)210.0 AUD per Bottle -
Glen Garioch 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited September 15, 2022)Nose: Leather, lemon, honey, a light waft of wildflowers. Some furtive sherry cask aromas in the background. After resting in the glass I noticed hay, earth, machine oil and a briny maritime quality. Nosing this is like walking through a newly harvested field beside the sea on a sunny day. Palate: Sweet, malty arrival with morello cherries and papaya. A touch of ginger together with grassy herbal notes in the development. A scritch of black pepper and smoked capsicum, and towards the finish the sweet character returns. Whisky with progression – yay! There is a zesty citrus and spice quality and the texture is lightly oily. Finish: Medium. Black tea with a mild spicy sweet citric aftertaste. This one flew right under my radar when it first came out and I've ignored it for a decade, but I’m very happy I finally got around to tasting it, and even happier that it is still available as a core-range product. The nose gains a dusty floral aroma with water but it loses more than it gains. The neat nose on this is lovely so don’t bruise it. Water develops a creaminess on the palate but it also elevates the spice notes above the base malty character, which is a pity. All in all, take this one neat. A word to the wise … are Hazelburn, Kilkerran or Ben Nevis scarce in your neck of the woods? Give this a try. Tasted from a 30ml sample. My glass is empty now and I want another pour – bottle ordered without hesitation. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)120.0 AUD per Bottle -
Appearance: (Neat) Bright, clear chartreuse. (Diluted) The louche starts to form at about 1:1 with the oil swirls suddenly turning milky. It is solid by 1:3 with white, yellow and green opalescent highlights finally merging into a slightly greenish cream. Opacity is lost past 1:6. Aroma: A clean, fresh nose with green anise and wormwood being the main aromas set against a pleasant grassy, herbal background. A light trace of citrus from lemon balm is noticeable. Flavour and Texture: An agreeable balance between wormwood and anise, with a little fennel and a cooling touch of mint and lime leaf. The finish is fresh, woody, gently tannic and has a satisfying bitterness. The texture is good. When it was first introduced in 2002 Pernod absinthe was (like all the first generation of modern post-ban absinthes) a poor quality, artificially coloured product created by compounding oils in neutral spirit. However, this version, introduced in 2013, is considerably better and definitely the “real stuff”. It is now produced on a base of grape marc that is distilled with botanicals according to the Pernod Fils recipe from the late 1800s and is naturally coloured with macerated nettles and petit wormwood. This is a good absinthe, well balanced but veering towards a dry profile and I definitely prefer to louche it with a sugar cube. It’s reasonably priced and widely available. Although it does not approach the complexity of any of the Jade range it is still very pleasant in its own right, and it is worth keeping on hand for cocktail use. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)100.0 AUD per Bottle
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Highland Park Valknut
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed August 4, 2022 (edited August 7, 2022)Nose: Warm sherry-tinged sweet smoke, musky raisins, herbal notes, a touch of honey, leather and dark ale or stout. After a while a lemon aroma comes forward and there is a fresh, coastal quality throughout. With the addition of water I get mashed “nips and neeps” (turnip and rutabaga to you foreigners) which might sound awful but it’s a delicious vegetal note. The dry glass aroma is classic Highland Park smoky honeypot. Palate: Oily smoke with spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and pepper), developing into fruity flavours (stewed apple with cloves, dates and figs) with a hint of vanilla, salted caramel and liquorice. The texture is oily and mouth-coating. The addition of water softens the spice notes just a little and brings out sweetness. It also changes the character of the smoke, making it softer and giving it more texture and an agreeable “mouth-filling” quality. Finish: Medium/long. Fruity smoke. A little leafy walnut-skin bitterness in the aftertaste but the final impression is of ale. Water brings a hint of sherry to the aftertaste. Highland Park goes slightly Islay, and does it pretty well. This one is a little more smoky than most Highland Park expressions and the quality of the smoke is more akin to Islay maritime than Orcadian maritime, but the smoke does not overpower either the distillate or the sherry cask influences. Water is not essential but highly recommended as it reveals facets of both nose and palate that you will otherwise miss. This obviously has a foundation of younger whisky, I’d guess 5-8 years maybe, however there is clearly some older spirit in the blend as well which is contributing depth and fullness to the profile. There is certainly nothing about it that screams lack of maturity and it’s definitely better than the earlier Valkyrie release in this series. The only issue I have is with the price, which is just a little steep. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)140.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Apricot, tropical fruit salad, leather, coffee, malt extract, chocolate. Over time the nose develops dried fruit, baked banana and a note of tobacco. When watered, the leather and tobacco aromas are intensified and both orange and charred oak become apparent. Water harmonizes the nose but a drop too much will render it homogeneous and flat, so take care. Palate: A particularly spicy arrival with fresh ginger, hot cinnamon, anise and black pepper. Honey, oak, dark chocolate, caramel and mocha appear in the development but any more delicate flavours that may be present are masked by the strong tannins. Water improves the palate by modulating the spiky spices while bringing out red fruits and uncovering the spirit’s complexity. Finish: Medium/long. The big spice presence from the palate lingers into the aftertaste where it gives way finally to bittersweet malt. The finish is shorter if the whisky is watered but it makes the entire palate much friendlier. Water also evolves very pleasant milk and dark chocolate notes in the aftertaste. An interesting whisky but overly spicy for my palate. There is a lot of oak influence (too much in my opinion) and it makes the palate almost buzz with intensity. This is a boorish whisky that shouts at you for attention. The nose is very good either neat or diluted but for me the palate is flawed without dilution. Although this causes the nose to lose definition it allows more subtle flavours to surface, and this improves the overall experience. I was not very impressed when I initially tried it neat, but with a good dash of water I began to warm to it. This is the first time I’ve tasted Balblair since they ceased releasing vintage expressions and moved to a fixed core range of age-statement single malts. At the asking price there is no way I’d be buying this one. The official tasting notes and rating here on Distiller are pretty much on the mark if the whisky is only tasted neat, but I think it's worth a couple of percentage points extra once properly diluted. Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)165.0 AUD per Bottle
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