Tastes

North Star Spirits tasting night, Sydney, 18 July 2019. Whisky #2 Nose Neat: Rich, well rounded sweet cereal (a classic grain whisky profile). Gently fruity (sultanas, cranberries), golden syrup, vanilla, coconut, milk chocolate, milk coffee and a touch of mint. Nose Watered: Uncannily like rum (see notes below). Palate Neat: A little hot and drying on the arrival from the high alcohol content, but the flavour profile is soft and elegant with barley sugar, butterscotch, treacle, vanilla, dried fruit, and a mild spicy oakiness. The texture is silky and satiny and there is a rum-like note. Palate watered: The texture is magnified enormously, and the palate develops strongly towards the profile of rum. Finish Neat: Medium. Sweet vanilla and sugary fruit tones. Finish watered: Medium/long. A relaxed sweet cereal and spicy fruit finale with a spiced rum aftertaste. A fine and immensely enjoyable old single grain whisky. It has excellent balance and is very harmoniously composed. There are two entirely different experiences with this whisky. Taken neat it presents a sweet, fruity and cereal character such as you would expect from Scottish grain spirit that has received long and gentle maturation. Imagine Compass Box Hedonism that has been placed in a good-quality ex-bourbon cask for 30 years. However, add a healthy dash of water and allow it to rest for 20 minutes or so and this initially competent spirit morphs into magisterial excellence. Water is not only recommended it is absolutely mandatory for this whisky. Initially, watering seems to merely dilute and sweeten the palate, and add some breadth. However as it recomposes in the glass a transformation occurs in which all facets of the whisky recombine into a new profile that is uncannily akin to a very fine Trinidad rum. This profile shifts and re-sets constantly. One moment you would swear it is rum and the next it is clearly barley spirit. We've all had whiskies that are finished in rum casks and wondered "hmm, so where's the rum influence?" well, this dram is how you had always wished those whiskies would smell and taste. The cask that aged this spirit yielded just 190 bottles. If you can find one I would urge you to buy it. It's not cheap, but the experience is unique and unforgettable. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

North Star Spirits tasting night, Sydney, 18 July 2019. Whisky #1 Nose: Mildly malty with a hint of maple syrup, lots of barley sugar and some oak but it's a rather hard and subdued nose to start with and needs water to open. This develops some attractive floral aromas (but see the notes below) but also some weird metallic notes. Palate: A clean cereal arrival that is a little hot from the high alcohol content. Some restrained white berry fruit (grape, gooseberry), icing sugar, but more than anything else - heaps of barley sugar. Water tames the alcohol heat, brings out the berry aspect more clearly over time and makes the palate creamier. Finish: Medium/short. Grainy, dry aftertaste which is sweetened and much lengthened by the addition of some water. Not a very complex whisky, but given a dash of water and some time (quite a lot of time) it improves ... up to a point. Tasted neat the nose is sweet but very tight and barley sugar is the over-riding aroma. Adding water uncovers more of a fresh grain note and the nose becomes much more flowery with time, with aromas of fresia, jonquil and honeysuckle emerging. This is when it is at its best. However there is a juncture at which things start to go horribly wrong and the nose takes on a distinct soapy smell - specifically the smell of Lux laundry soap flakes (OK you have to be my age to remember that, I guess. If the reference is obscure then substitute the aroma of lightly floral scented bathroom soap, or even dishwashing liquid, and you're close). It's neither a pleasant nor desirable aroma in a whisky. In tandem there is a smell like an aluminium baking pan scrubbed hard with steel wool. On the palate a similar transformation happens with water initially uncovering even more barley sugar, but eventually a soapy note appears there as well. Water is the key to getting the most from this whisky, but the window of enjoyment is narrow and it never really becomes a notable dram, and considering the substantial cost it's not one I'd recommend. Fettercairn has been available for a long time as a single malt, but it's not frequently encountered. The bulk of their production goes into the Whyte & Mackay blended scotches, which is probably the best place for it. This is probably the worst North Star whisky I've tasted, and in my opinion it is not worth even half the asking price. "Adequate" : 71/100 (2 stars)

Arran tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 12 July 2019. Whisky #5 Nose: The nose features tropical fruits (mango, papaya, orange, banana) but they have a uniform over-aged and sickly, fusty aroma. It reminded me of a fruit bowl where the contents are just one day shy of rotting. There were also aromas of boiled cauliflower, boiled cabbage, old socks and some very broadly painted sherry aromas with a strongly walnut and red grape character. Palate: A semi-sweet arrival that is very grapey and rather drying. Yeasty, doughy white bread, strongly flavoured butter, bitter orange oil, cider vinegar and again a massive dry wine presence. The texture was full. Finish: Medium. A prominent semi-sweet sherry aftertaste. A very expressive, but for my palate not very attractive, single malt. The sherry note is big but aged and dusty, full of flavor but also dry and with an odd furry note. It's not like any sherry-matured or finished whisky I've tasted before. The casks used to mature this whisky were hand picked by James McTaggart (the Arran head distiller) from decommissioned solera casks at a Spanish sherry bodega (I was told the name but I can't recall it). This bodega produces palo cortado, which was historically an amontillado or fino that went wrong and was re-purposed to create a semi-sweet sherry. However nowadays palo cortado is an intentionally crafted product that is midway between amontillado and oloroso. Almost all sherry matured or sherry finished whisky is aged in seasoned casks and it is rare to use solera casks. They are difficult to obtain and can be unpredictable, either having a deep and robust quality but just as likely as much character as a steel tank. I'm sure there are some enthusiasts who would have a very different opinion to mine and would consider this a rare and uniquely profiled dram. However I was not at all partial to it, and I'm scoring it according to my immediate subjective impression. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

Arran tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 12 July 2019. Whisky #6 Nose: Fruity and light with tropical juice notes (pineapple, mango), grassy cereal aromas and a little vanilla toffee. The smoke note is mild and fragrant. Palate: The arrival is crisply sweet and smoky with citrus fruit, pineapple and malted barley. More smoke appears in the development, but it remains delicate and restrained, and as the palate opens some light gingery spice is apparent. There is a touch of vanilla and a savory/sweet note like salted caramel milk chocolate. The smoke character is omnipresent, but understated. Finish: Medium. Smoky and very slightly briny but not dry. The lingering aftertaste is sweet smoke. This is a charming and demure smoky single malt that is notable for its sweet, crisp fruity profile. The smoke character is peaty (rather than woody or ashen) but it is mild and restrained - this is not a stereotypical peat monster and those looking for a south-east coastal Islay style of smoke will be very disappointed. The peating level is around 20ppm and the distillery uses peated malt from the mainland. The most similar profiles I can think of are Glenglassaugh Torfa and Benromach Peated, but they are much more forceful drams and do not have the fruitiness of the Arran spirit. It takes water very well, developing a sweet creaminess but no plasticine notes, however it is also very good neat. I like this gently peated whisky and I’ve enjoyed several Machrie Moor expressions over the years, both the 46% and cask strength editions. I’m the first to admit that it is not a particularly complex or challenging malt - but not every whisky has to be like that and sometimes a gentle dram is just right for the moment. NOTE: From 2010-2017 this single malt was issued as an annual “Edition”, with the edition number and year of issue printed on the front label. This practice ceased with Edition 8 in 2017/18 and as of late 2018 Machrie Moor has been part of the core range and the label no longer shows an edition or year of issue. The same is the case for the Cask Strength version of Machrie Moor, which is also now part of the core range. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Arran tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 12 July 2019. Whisky #4 Nose: Fruity aromas (peach, apricot and orange), honey, rich vanilla, madeira cake and shortbread. There is a floral/incense aspect to the nose with lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, musk, sandalwood and frankincense all noticeable. There is also a very faint smoke-like note, which is probably barrel-char as this is an unpeated whisky. Palate: The arrival is big, sweet, creamy/oily and led by vanilla, honey and malty cereal. Very quickly it develops a rich tropical fruit character with sweet pineapple, soft persimmon, mangosteen and orange all making an appearance. The cereal notes from the arrival resurface after a while as a sweet brioche or light fruitcake presence. All this sweetness could be cloying but there is a very well crafted counterpoint of restrained white pepper, ginger and aniseed together with a mild dryness from both the moderately high abv and some soft oak tannin. The combination of all these elements is a palate of precise balance and texture. Finish: Medium. Tropical fruity sweetness and honey linger on the palate, intertwined with delicate, spicy fresh oak notes. The aftertaste is mildly spiced sweet fruit. A cracking good whisky that may not impress on the initial nosing as it is quite shy when first poured and takes some time to wake up. It’s worth tasting neat to start with but I’d strongly recommend adding a dash of water and waiting at least 20 minutes for it to recompose. This does not upset the whisky’s balance but it does expand it and with time its inherent breadth, depth and intensity are revealed. It also develops a luscious creamy quality that continues to build throughout the tasting. Water also develops a strikingly dense louche, with the mist arising almost instantly and the whisky eventually becoming quite cloudy. I’ve noticed this before in Arran whiskies, particularly the cask-strength expressions. I presume they receive only the most cursory barrier filtration and are seething with oils. Yummy. In profile this has similarities to the creamy sweet character of the 14 year old expression, but The Bothy is more malty, less buttery and has a very fresh, open quality. It’s also more assertive all round (once it opens up) and in comparison the 14 can seem a little syrupy. It’s also similar to the 10 year old expression in some ways, with the same fresh malty cereal notes, but it’s like the 10 year old on steroids. The Bothy was first released in 2015 as a batch of 12,000 bottles. This 2nd release came out in 2016, also as a batch of 12,000, and there were two subsequent annual batches in 2017 and 2018. All of these expressions have been produced using the same maturation cycle: 8 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, followed by 18 months in small re-coopered ex-bourbon wood quarter casks (of about 100 litres capacity – 20% smaller than most quarter casks). I’ve tasted the first three batches now and all have been very similar, but I think this second one is the best. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Arran tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 12 July 2019. Whisky #2 Nose: Fruity (green and red apples) with rich butter and vanilla tones. The addition of water develops these into sweet butterscotch, but the nose remains light and firm overall. It's not at all cloying or sugary and there are faint minty and fresh woody notes. Palate: Sweet, oily cereal arrival that develops into a malty palate with barley-sugar tones. There are delightful crisp ginger and white pepper spices and the texture is agreeably rich and oily. This rich texture expands as it rests, and a dash of water brings it out even more. Finish: Medium. Spicy/sweet, oily fruit notes and a sweet cereal aftertaste. This is an impressive 10 year old whisky. It's the youngest of the core age statement releases from Arran and an excellent representation of the distillery character. The nose in particular has a firmly-fresh but buttery cereal character that is very reminiscent of Irish pot-still whisky. The palate continues this and in many ways it brings Redbreast 12 to mind. In comparison to the distillery's Lochranza Reserve NAS it's a considerable step-up for just a few dollars, and in comparison to their old 14 year expression it has similar quality but an overall brighter and more cereal profile. Highly recommended and good value for money. Note: The Distiller listing for this whisky is a bit of a mess. Arran 10 has gone through three distinct profile changes that coincided with changes of label and bottle shape. The Distiller scope note that dismisses this as rebranding is misleading. The photo for this listing is of the current bottle shape that was introduced in 2019 but the official tasting notes and score relate to the whisky as it was 10 years earlier. These notes no longer describe this whisky correctly and a score of 79 (which was once appropriate) now misrepresents the quality. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Arran tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 12 July 2019. Whisky #1 Nose: Light fragrant cereal with a biscuit quality and vanilla notes (reminiscent of vanilla macaroons or langue de chat). Mild citrus, apple and a tiny hint of maritime brine. Palate: A sparkling, sweet cereal arrival and a dry malty development, but the overall impression is of a lean, bright sweetness. The dry notes resolve to elegant spicy tones. The texture is fine, but not particularly noteworthy. Finish: Medium/short. Cereal notes fading into a slightly briny/spiced aftertaste. The whisky has a clean and crisply dry foundation with sweet top-notes. It comprises 7-8 year old spirit that is mostly matured in refill bourbon casks. It's a light and refreshing malt, good for summer and probably very nice in a long Japanese-style highball. The only thing particularly going against it is the price point, at which it is completely outmatched by several iconic single malts of great character. I last reviewed this a couple of years ago - there have been no changes at all in the profile, and my rating is the same. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Nose: Pears, green apples, light vanilla, lily-of-the-valley and honey. Yeasty malt and a whiff of oak cask. With water the fragrant floral character becomes rounder and more noticeable and some soft orange notes emerge. [The dry glass has a faintly flowery, malted cereal aroma]. Palate: A light, sweet and gently fruity arrival that quickly develops a little peppery oak tannin. Mild black breakfast tea, a nutty presence (hazelnut?) and an overall light dry character. The texture is somewhat thin. Adding water brings out sweet notes and tones down the dryness, but also mutes the entire palate - it's very easy to drown. Finish: Medium/short. Brisk and dry, with just a tinge of metallic bitterness and sour cask in the aftertaste. With water the finish is sweeter. I was at the cut-price liquor store today, saw this and realized that not only have I never reviewed Glenlivet 12, it must be literally a decade since I last tasted it. Then I noticed it was on special for half price, so ... For me the nose is the best feature, being sparkling fresh and fruity-floral in character. The palate is less interesting , and the texture is a bit watery. The finish picks up a little, but is marred by some intrusive tannin. Overall it gave me the impression of having a hole in the middle. There is an inexplicably blend-like quality to this whisky, particularly on the finish. It has the same lean texture and brittle, bitter/sour note of young grain whisky. A little water improves it, but this is actually an ideal malt for a classic scotch and soda on the rocks. Pour 1oz over an ice cube in an old fashioned glass and add a quick squirt (no more than 1 oz!) of club soda. Perfect. Often cited as a good "beginner's single malt", personally I'd rather give a newcomer something with a little more character. I've rated this the same as Glenfiddich 12 and Glenmorangie 10, but of the three it's probably my least favourite. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Glenfarclas tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 4 July 2019. Whisky #6 Nose: Delicious fruity and cereal aromas melded with subtle sherry. Toasted muesli, honeysuckle, Jersey caramels, fresh brioche, a bouquet of spring flowers (!), toasted almonds, vanilla cupcakes, orange water, raisins, dates, glace cherries, sultanas, dried figs, a soft sweet sherry note, gold rum and some dusky exotic spices. There is a reserved oaky presence, more like a beeswax-polished oak dresser than a whisky cask, or maybe like a whiff of sandalwood incense, and absolutely no trace of obvious alcohol. Nosing this was like smelling my grandmother’s kitchen when she was making the Christmas puddings. Palate: Sweet, rich, honeyed and nutty arrival. The development shows orchard and tropical fruits, crème fraiche drizzled with leatherwood honey, cinnamon and mild ginger powder, mint, cooked oatmeal, toasted sesame seeds and butter. Adding water expands this dram in the most astonishing way by unleashing a reservoir of unusual spicy notes. It gains fragrant flowers and Keemun tea, allspice, tumeric, orange marmalade, fennel and caraway seed along with fig jam and quince paste. The texture is initially creamy but with water becomes viscous and oily. Finish: Long. The enormous complexity of the palate subsides into a multi-faceted savory-sweet aftertaste. An excellent whisky that has the bold presentation of the regular 105, but is not focused on intense dark aromas and flavours, and instead showcases light cereal and fruit characteristics. In fact, it's better to think of this as just "Glenfarclas 22" and forget all about the 105 reference, because this and the 105 are not at all alike in profile. This is an elegant, mature whisky that just happens to be presented at 60% abv. The palate is very complex and large, with an almost indefinable “strong subtlety” of profile. The cask presence is excellent, and it has that touch of sandalwood about it that is found in the 17 year old, and to a lesser degree in the 25, but not so much in the 105. Most surprisingly, the high alcohol content is almost undetectable in this dram, on either the nose or palate. This truly is a cask-strength whisky that can be enjoyed neat without any burn at all, but that said I would strongly encourage taking it with a good dash of water, as this transforms the palate into something quite sublime. It’s an excellent whisky, and good value at the price. Highly recommended if you can find it. I would have bought a bottle on the night but sadly stocks were very limited and I wasn’t fast enough. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)