Tastes

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)

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)

Re-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) ---------------------------------------------------------

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)

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)

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)

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 Bottle

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)

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)