Tastes

Nose: Very pretty floral aromas with fresh, lifted notes. Fruity and sprightly. A little trace of something herbal - elderflower? Chamomile? There's a little honeyed note too. Caramel sweets and Nuttall's Curiously Strong Mints (hah! I bet I'm the only one here to remember those!). What a nice nose. Adding a dash of water settles the sweetness and allows the cereal aromas to come forward. Palate: Sweet, spicy and robust on the arrival with a little heat. The development slows down and focuses on cereal flavours and honey. Cloves, cinnamon and something briny I can't quite identify. Interesting. Good texture. With water it all becomes very integrated and gentle - just a long flow of herbal and ultra mild spice. Finish: Long. Longer than expected, and in a good way. The palate slowly fades away leaving a pleasantly re-emerging aftertaste of minty rye. Water adds a drying note to the finish. Lovely fragrant nose. So sweet and delicate. What a nice dram. Good neat, good with water, I'd imagine it's good with any sort of mixer as well. Great artisan stuff - I could drink this all day. Thanks to @Soba45 and @PBMichiganWolverine for the tasting sample "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Old Pulteney tasting event, Sydney, February 26, 2020, Whisky #4 Nose: Rich, dusky floral (hibiscus and old rose), dark fruits (dried dates), chocolate muffins, orange syrup, fresh oily cigar, cinnamon and oak. There is a faint suggestion of ash or charcoal in the distance. Palate: Rich, sweet chocolate and blood orange marmalade arrival with a briny foundation. Herbal, spicy development with apricots, nectarines and hazelnut. The texture is creamy and full. Finish: Long. Praline, nougat and orange chocolate with a dash of salty caramel sauce. Beautiful finish. There is a similarity to some facets of the 15 year old expression here but this is far less dry and has a creamy rich quality. Not that the signature Old Pulteney briny dryness is lacking, but this expression has found a supurb balance. Adding water enlarges the dram but it is not necessary. It spends 16 years in ex-bourbon and receives 2 years of ex-sherry finishing, which seems to be an excellent combination, but I can’t help wonder what a few casks of PX-matured spirit in the vatting would do. This was also the first dram that I felt approached anything like the stature of the old 17 and 21 year expressions, although they are still much the superior drams. At the moment there is no allocation of this whisky to Australia but when it does come (and it will) the price will be around $250-300, which was that of the old 21 year at the time it was withdrawn. Unfortunately as much as I enjoyed this whisky I will not be paying that sort of money for a bottle. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Old Pulteney tasting event, Sydney, February 26, 2020, Whisky #3 Nose: A very maritime nose – brine, minerality, flinty rocks, yeasty bread. Toffee and cocoa, light fruitcake and mild spice. Some spirity notes. Palate: Full spicy/sweet entry with a foundation of dry brine and tannin. Sourdough bread, dark-chocolate dipped candied orange peel, green apple peel and salt-water taffy as it unfolds. Water greatly improved the palate for me, adding considerable balancing sweetness and an impressive density to the texture, but still retaining the fundamentally dry character. Finish: Medium. Very dry, briny and earthy finish with a touch of orange marmalade. The nose is reminiscent of the 12 year old expression but with greater heft – richer, rounder, sweeter, etc. – but it has formidable dry quality. Very much the 12 year old's big brother. For a 15 year old this is very spirit driven and on the palate the dryness really becomes apparent with the brine notes turning astringent and acerbic in the finish. This is being marketed (and priced) as more-or-less the replacement for the old 17 year expression, but in my view it’s nothing at all like it, and nowhere near as good (the 18 year is much more the replacement, but it also falls short). Still, it should be judged on its own merits and not in comparison. This has received restrained sherry treatment, spending 13 1/2 years in ex-bourbon and then 1 1/2 years in ex-sherry (both first fill). The brand rep at the tasting let drop that they source the sherry casks from the same bodega as Glenfarclas, which means they are ex-oloroso from Bodegas José y Miguel Martin. The bourbon casks are a variety, but Buffalo Trace feature. A good expression, but at the price not fantastic value. Some folks at the tasting event liked this a lot but while I enjoyed it, it left me just little cold and I’d not buy a bottle. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Old Pulteney tasting event, Sydney, February 26, 2020, Whisky #2 Nose: Very faintly peaty initially but the smoke grows as the dram opens. A little lemony fruit, vanilla and a fleeting hint of menthol. Palate: The arrival is led by smoke, and it is a heavier in quality here than it is on the nose. Citrus, brine, hot spices and a brown sugar on the development with some oak towards the finish. Over time, and particularly with the addition of water, the peat-reek gains a cardboard note. Finish: Medium. Ashy smoke and brine. The smoke lends weight to this whisky and it is very similar to the current 12 year old but with a layer of smoke added. It’s actually younger (8-10 years) but the smoke gives it presence and heft that makes it seem older than it is. The story from the brand rep was that this was the result of a happy mistake when a run of spirit was accidentally filled into ex-bourbon casks that had previously held Laphroaig. Hmm. It’s more likely they intentionally did an experimental casking using ex-peated barrels rather than run peated wash through the stills. Regardless, the results were impressive enough to convince the distillery to make Huddart a core range product, but it’s not aged in ex-Laphroaig. The casks come from stablemate distillery Knockdhu, which produces a range of peaty whiskies. It’s a good, gently peated dram and it has been well received by the critics. There are several distilleries making these “aged-in-ex-peated-cask” expressions right now (Scapa, Wolfburn etc.) and personally I think Wolfburn Northland is a more subtle realization of this maturation concept. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Old Pulteney tasting event, Sydney, February 26 2020, Whisky #1 [This was my first taste of the new Old Pulteney 12 in its redesigned label.] Nose: Floral, fruity and fragrant cereal, vanilla, a small notion of briny breeze. Somewhat spirity. Adding water brings out a little more cereal initially, mutes the spirity quality and over time some light honeyed tones develop. Palate: Mildly honeyed and waxy with a touch of brine on the arrival. The development brings out citrus fruit, mainly lemon and grapefruit, and some grassy, biscuit notes. There is some sweetness to balance but also a definite briny astringency. Adding water develops hot spicy notes. The texture is dry but not thin. Finish: Medium. Waxy fruit and a little brine. It’s three years since I last tasted Old Pulteney 12, and this is the first time I’ve tasted it since the distillery did their range overhaul and introduced new packaging. This is similar to the old 12 year, but there have been changes. Whether this is down to natural profile drift or a specific factor I couldn’t say. It’s still 100% bourbon matured in a racked warehouse (generally using re-coopered ex-Buffalo Trace casks as has been the case for a long time). The palate now reminds me slightly of Clynelish 14, but it’s nowhere as waxy or demonstrative. Kind of diluted Clynelish-lite, let’s say. It has much the same profile as the old expressions, but it’s like the brine and crispness has been turned down several notches. Some might argue that the new version is a little more elegant – the finish is certainly longer and the palate is a little richer, but it's just not as alive. When I reviewed this previously I gave it 3.5 stars, now it's down to 3. Hmm. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars) ------------------------------------------------------- [Original Distiller review, 14 August 2017. This is a tasting of Old Pulteney 12 in the old packaging]: Nose: A breezy maritime start like a crisp light wind blowing in from the sea. Fruity notes like a citrus and apple juice smoothie, with just a little pineapple and half a banana blended in. Light malty cereal aromas. [The dry glass aromas are honey, cereal and subtle smoke]. Palate: Even more maritime than the nose, it's akin to eating a bowl of muesli and stewed fruit with a drizzle of Manuka honey while standing on a pier with a briny onshore breeze blowing occasional wafts of soot from someone's coal fire (but it's not really a "smokey" whisky). There's also some citrus and nutty, oily, mineral flavours. It's a complex profile but initially seems to be simple, I think because it is well balanced but dry rather than sweet, with an unmistakable briny note. Finish: Short and dry with a briny and slightly cereal taste that lingers and makes you crave another dram. This is one of my favourite whiskies, and probably my very favourite daily dram. It's friendly and approachable but also has some complexity, and I often pour it for novices when they want to move on from "starter" whiskies. A little water brings out more sweet honeyish notes on the palate that perfectly balance the signature saltiness. Recommended, but don't add more than a few drops as it's very easy to drown. It's compelling and easy to drink, and once you acquire the taste you will always keep a bottle in the house. Amazingly it is also quite affordable. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars) [AUD$80 in 2017] -------------------------------------------------------

North Star Spirits tasting event, Sydney, February 21, 2020, Whisky #6 Nose: To begin with the nose is dominated by sweet peat-reek. It’s fruity with slight berry notes, stone fruits, and distinct lemon zest. Earthy and dusty oak notes and some spicy hints follow. As it sits and rests the smoke gains a thick, oily industrial quality. Palate: Sweet fruity smoke on the arrival with ginger, licorice and tamarind spices. The development sees citrus notes (lemon and grapefruit) flood the initial sweetness before the cask influence resurfaces with perfect timing to provide a sweet creamy balance. Adding water intensifies the citrus but is not required, as the whisky is not at all hot. The texture is slightly oily, but dry. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet citrus/sherry notes and some brine fading into smoke. A good whisky that is vibrant but balanced and provides a perfect showcase for both Caol Ila distillate and the art of adroit PX cask maturation. The cask is very subtle here and never intrudes as a simple sherry sweetness, but instead provides a balancing quality to modulate the dry, briny and bright lemony smoke. The main bourbon maturation worked to perfection and the whisky was finished for the optimal time. There’s not much more to say, this is simply very good young Caol Ila, but bear in mind that it is by no means the only one. Diageo sells this distillery's spirit to many IBs and there is a lot of good 10 or younger Caol Ila out there. “Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

North Star Spirits tasting event, Sydney, February 21, 2020, Whisky #5 Nose: Mild but well-defined smoke aromas. Honey, tinned fruit salad, porridge and a yeasty ale-like note. It’s a little sweaty and earthy (some folks like to call that “funk”). An interesting nose. Palate: There’s a big, earthy, sweet pepper arrival but a solid smoky quality quickly arises to take centre stage. Leathery malt, semi-sweet fruit, lemon juice, bouquet garni and mild smoked fish on the development. Adding water intensified the smoke notes in a very agreeable way (see below). Good chewy, oily texture. Finish: Medium/long. Soft, dry peaty notes that linger together with a little herbal honey. A whisky that was produced as an experimental run by Edrington, the previous owners of Glenturret. At first, I didn’t know what to make of it as the peated note was unexpected and the nose has some odd qualities. However I soon settled into its groove and came to enjoy it a lot. It has a simultaneously clean and dirty character and just the right sort of smokiness. The smoke is of the highland variety but it’s not a dense and pungent bonfire. It’s more subtle than that, but still pervasive, and is like burning grass in the distance - a soft and cosy autumnal smoke. It reminded me slightly of Glenglassaugh Torfa (in fact it might be better) and also a little of Benromach Peat Smoke (but it’s not a bonfire). The distillate must have been immense when new, and probably undrinkable. A refill bourbon hogshead was the perfect vehicle for this whisky, providing just the right combination of additive and extractive maturation and the right fruity tones. It would not have worked as well with sherry cask ageing, I’m sure. Although it was cask strength the alcohol was not intrusive, however it was a little tight and adding water revealed more smoke, but no plastic notes. The rest of the profile stayed much the same. It’s a pity that this was tasted towards the end of the evening following four highly sherried whiskies. I would have liked to get to know it with a fresh palate and I have a feeling that if I could I’d rate it more highly. I’m almost tempted to buy a whole bottle just so I can get to grips with it better. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

North Star Spirits tasting event, Sydney, February 21, 2020, Whisky #4 Nose: A bold oloroso sherry, leather and orange marmalade mélange with a little dash of ginger and cocoa. There’s a sweaty quality about it (in a good way) and some oily nuttiness. A typical Glenrothes nose marred only by a faint soapy note. It’s also a little spirity to start with but nothing that spoils the performance. With water some lighter cereal aromas show up. Palate: The arrival is bright and an intriguing mix of silken and sparkling textures. Very unexpected. Dark fruits and firm malty notes emerge from this as it develops and changes to a richer palate. There is sweetness but it’s a dark, earthy sweetness showcasing the sort of hefty malt that is almost like treacle and reminiscent of peanut brittle. There is also a flinty note. Finish: Medium. Semi-sweet sherry and dark malt fading into a slightly spicy aftertaste that borders on semi-sour. This whisky was released in collaboration with North Star Spirits to celebrate 10 years of whisky vlogs by Ralfy Mitchell, and a proportion of the profit goes to charity. This isn't a light floral, fruity, sweet or peaty dram. It's all about the aromas and flavours of malt in its many forms and what that creates in combination with a good ex-oloroso cask. It’s an old-school style of whisky (slightly reminiscent of Glenfarclas 15) that is untouched by special finishing and I can see why Ralfy gave the go-ahead for his name to be put on the label. It’s a solid down-to-earth dram. However, as good as it is, it’s not faultless or fantastic – well, not to my palate anyway. It thought it lacked nuance when neat and adding water improved it considerably. On the nose, water brought out more interesting and varied characteristics including a little spicy pepper and some fresh biscuit notes. The palate became softer as the initial flinty note changed to a more earthy/mineral quality and there was a little more dark fruit sweetness. Ralfy is known for liking his dram watered and I can see him praising such treatment in this case. Only 618 bottles world-wide, and the allocations were sparse in some locations. You might still find a bottle but unfortunately I suspect many will end up being permanent denizens of auction sites. What a pity. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

North Star Spirits tasting event, Sydney, February 21, 2020, Whisky #3 Nose: Dense, cohesive, integrated sherry and leather with a waxy, citrus zest note - orange, mandarin, and red grapefruit. Old libraries and sports-car leather upholstery. Beeswax candles and a hint of sandalwood shavings. Coconut oil, vanilla and a pinch of cloves spice also shows through. Monumental. Palate: A complete bazaar of mellow baking spices simmered in sherry and citrus syrup. Dark fruits but not overly sweet - the fruity flavours are mellowed and suave. The texture is rich and creamy. An excellent palate. Finish: Long. Extended sherry/sweet malt/citrus and leather flavours fade slowly into the aftertaste. Sumptuous and magnificent with the type of integration that only comes to whisky with age. The profile is an impenetrable wall to start with and this expression demands extensive time before you can begin to explore it properly. We tasted it about 45 minutes into the evening when it had been resting for an hour and it was still tight. Towards the end of the event when it had been opened for almost two hours it had evolved astonishingly, and was still opening. You could nurse a dram of this all night. North Star have released several expressions of blended malt under the name "Vega" but these have all originated from the Speyside area. This new "Sirius" line is exclusively a blending of old highland whiskies. There was general agreement at the tasting that this almost certainly contains Clynelish, and a liberal dose at that. The event co-ordinator suggested that it might be a teaspooned Clynelish but I'm not so sure. I think there is a percentage of something else at work, but I couldn't guess what. Really excellent whisky, and if it is in fact virtually a 31 year old Clynelish exclusively matured in first fill bourbon then even at the asking price of AUS$250 it represents phenomenal value. Highly recommended, if you can find it - 3,582 bottles world wide. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

North Star Spirits tasting event, Sydney, February 21, 2020, Whisky #2 Nose: Fragrant leather. Apricots, peaches and golden syrup. Honeysuckle flowers and rosewater in the distance and a waft of minerality. The tiniest hint of tarry smoke. Palate: Sweet spices on the arrival. Brisk and juicy with very sweet malt and sugar-encrusted dried fruits coming to the front in the development. Lots of syrupy fruit jam. The texture is thick and unctious and as it opens the palate gains toffee and caramel notes. Finish: Medium/long. Sweetly sherried malt with a leathery aftertaste. Warming. North Star obtained a quantity of spirit from some Campbeltown distilleries a few years back which was married and has been released as two single-cask blended malt bottlings, of which this is the second. The distilleries are not identified, but as there are effectively only two companies in operation in Campbeltown you can make a pretty accurate guess. The first bottling was released in 2018 as part of North Star's series 005 and it gained some notoriety at the time for proudly bearing a 4 year old age statement. It was a 57% expression matured exclusively in refill bourbon and frankly it was very spirity, grassy and young. It was a whisky-nerd's dram and pretty tough work, and It was a brave move to release it at 4 years old. Following focus-group response, Iain Croucher (the owner of North Star) did the most sensible thing possible and re-casked the remaining stock in what I'm sure was a very wet first-fill PX sherry cask. After a year of this finishing the resulting whisky is totally different to the 4 year old. The series 009 release is very pleasant, sweet, easy to approach and highly fragrant with an enormously over-the-top PX influence. It's so sherried it's almost a caricature, but at the same time it's not really a sherry-bomb, being saved by the fact that the underlying spirit is so feisty and bright that it balances the fortified wine finish. It may not sound that great from my description, but it is in fact delicious - in a sort of mad scientist way. The only real fault I could find is that over time the nose becomes very toffee-like and the palate becomes almost monotonously sweet. As for what this is, obviously it must be Glen Scotia and Springbank/Glengyle, but there is a catch. Springbank sells spirit to no-one anymore (except Cadenhead, which they own), and neither do they sell Kilkerran to IBs. The whisky also simply does not smell or taste like anything Springbank. The obvious explanation is that this is a teaspooned Glen Scotia, which seems to be the prevailing wisdom. Whatever it is I loved it and sprinted to the shop counter to buy a bottle after the tasting. The AUS$125 price was a tasting event special and I thought it was fair. The regular price is AUS$165, and at that point the value for money is debatable for what is, after all, a sort of drooling sweet-jam monster of a whisky (but it's great fun). "Good (just)" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)