Tastes

Nose: Honeysuckle, beeswax, orange juice, jonquils, apricot juice, maritime brine and subtle vanillins from good ex-bourbon casks. Over time a pleasant sunflower oil aroma is apparent. Palate: The arrival is sweet but also briny and dry, and it’s all about pears, sultanas and crisp barley. The flavours sweeten more in the development with oranges (both sweet and Seville), grapefruit and vanilla emerging but later it turns more drying as the briny, coastal character become more obvious, and there is a hint of ale and white pepper. The texture is crisp rather than creamy or oily, but it's not watery. Finish: Medium. Pears, barley sugar and brine leading into a dry, salty aftertaste with just a pinch of chilli. Old Pulteney Flotilla has been available since 2012 as a (more-or-less) yearly release. This tasting was from a bottle with code L20/11/2020 R20/5458 so it was of the 2010/2020 batch. You can still find it but the most recent 2012/2022 batch was highly regarded by critics so if you are looking to buy then that’s the one I’d recommend. In any case, there is a commonality of profile in all the Flotilla releases. This is an enjoyable 100% bourbon-cask matured 10 year Old Pulteney. In my opinion it is better than the current 12 year core-range bottling, and in fact it reminds me in many ways of their old 12 year expression, back before they made changes to the recipe and packaging a few years ago, so I’m giving it the same rating. The profile is fresh, crisp and coastal with barley grist and sea breezes never far away. The gentle sweet honey and citrus tones balance the dryness excellently. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #6 Nose: Wood-smoke, coal embers, cinnamon, honey-soaked apricot, peach nectar and ginger, all smelled against the aroma of low-tide on a pebble seashore. Palate: Smoke and buttery caramel fudge are the first flavours on the arrival, followed immediately by sea-salt. The sweet wine comes forward in the development but in no way derails the palate, instead adding a blanketing honeyed, fruity aspect that is very agreeable. The texture is both maritime-dry and slightly oily. Finish: Medium. Spicy toffee, iodine, brine and a touch of mint licorice in the aftertaste. Caol Ila Distiller’s Edition used to be issued as a 12 year-old age-statement batch product, however since 2022 it has been a regularly produced NAS (I'd guess it is now vatted from whiskies with an average age of around 12 years, but that the minimum age dips below 12). I don't know why this was done but it could be that it was one of the more popular of the annual Diageo Distiller’s Editions (and the only explicitly peated one), so they decided to market it as a core-range bottling, which demanded some elasticity in the vatting. The nose has very much the classic Caol Ila distillate character but with added warm, sweet fruitiness, which feels entirely appropriate. The palate is similarly sweetened and fruity. I can’t imagine this expression being turned down by anyone who enjoys sweet-wine finished peated whisky, and it’s even relatively well priced and not hard to find. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #3 Nose: Fruity (apple, orange), beeswax, newly-cut hay, daffodils, a little cinnamon and a background brininess that becomes more apparent over time. Palate: The palate is reminiscent of the standard 14 year old but drier and more waxy. Weak coffee, a little dark chocolate, cinnamon, ginger and mild smoke but as it lies on the palate it gains a maritime, honeyed sweetness. The texture is chewy and full of beeswax. Finish: Medium. Lingering, tingling waxy sweetness on the finish with a dash of salty spice. I’ve always enjoyed these annual Clynelish expressions as the influence of dry, spicy oloroso seco casks is particularly well suited to the distillery character. Every year they stand out for me as one of the best of the Diageo-mandated Distillers Editions, along with the Caol Ila bottlings. The profile of this is similar to that of the core 14 year old, but it has an interesting complexity that combines both a more rounded, mellow and sweet character along with just enough dry white fruits and resinous waxiness. As a matter of fact, I've thought for a while now that the standard bourbon-matured Clynelish 14 year old has not been as good as it once was, while the Distillers Edition has improved. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #4 Nose: Pears poached in white port, stewed red apples, red berries, black tea, clotted cream, sauternes. Full of orchard fruits and white wine. Palate: The arrival is sweet with a mixture of fortified wine and malt. There is a subtle hint of smoke in the development, which is otherwise very similar to the arrival. The texture is rich but the palate lacks progression and is notably less fruity than the nose. Some black tea, dark chocolate and nuts appear towards the finish but they are shy and retiring. Finish: Medium/Short. Fruity, but dry with walnuts and over-brewed tea in the aftertaste. Somewhat maligned by critics, but I liked it - however it’s no more than an above average expression. The most interesting facet is how slight was the port wine influence. I assume the casks they use are ex-tawny pipes so the finishing time must be quite short. They may also use the pipes more than once, which would also account for the muted impact. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #5 Nose: Oloroso sherry, old waxed furniture, dried fruits, Christmas cake. When diluted there are softer sherry and stone-fruit aromas plus sandalwood, cedarwood and orange juice. Palate: Dry spicy-sweet arrival. Christmas pudding mashed together with barrel staves. Orange oil, an immense wood character with tingling tannins. When watered the palate relaxes dramatically becoming soft, velvety, creamy and full of orange and red grape flavours. Finish: Long. Oak, dried fruits and sherry. Slightly shorter when diluted, but the reduced finish purrs on the tongue like a contented cat. A massive whisky that was hand-drawn from a warehouse sherry butt as an exclusive for the tasting tour. It was 29 years old, the strength was unknown but probably in the mid-high 50% range, and when slightly watered it louched until it was almost opaque. Magnificent, and unquestionably the best Blair Athol expression I've ever tasted. “Exquisite” : 89/100 (4.75)

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #7 Nose: Peppermint, fleetingly, then a host of red berries, stewed plums, rose water, pineapple, malt extract, vanilla, orange liqueur and a hint of weak black tea. With water the fruit aromas enlarge. Palate: Big arrival. Huge. Sweet, rich, creamy and full-bodied but it’s plush, soft, relaxing and not at all dark or heavy. The cereal, malt and light red fruits are front-and-centre and it is very satisfying with excellent texture. Finish: Medium/Long. Cereal and lingering sweet red berries. Blair Athol distillery always has a cask in the visitor centre from which you can hand fill a bottle, and the expression changes periodically. This particular cask was broached in 2023 and it is an absolute belter. It’s rich, sweet, fruity and sumptuous and is like liquid Turkish delight. That might sound horrible (and unlike the sort of thing I normally enjoy) but trust me, this is one of the best red wine cask maturations I’ve tasted. It has a nose and palate akin to a dessert wine, but the texture and character are overall more like a light bourbon-matured whisky with a cereal profile. It's closer to a wine-finished Arran than a typical Blair Athol and I loved it. It’s an excellent balancing act and I have no idea how they got away with it. There is also no need to dilute this whisky as the 55.9% abv is so well contained you don’t even notice the strength. A sample was provided as part of the distillery tour and I bought another pour in their bar afterwards to dissect at leisure. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #2 Nose: The nose is quite shy, which is unusual for Blair Athol at this strength. The aromas mainly encompass red fruits, vanilla and citrus. Palate: Sweet arrival with cherry, plum and cranberry. There is some vanilla and quite a lot of porridge-like cereal and fresh oak in the development. Both types of barrels used for maturation (see below) must have been quite active. There is a little spice but it’s a demure palate, however there is a satisfying oilyness to the texture. Finish: Medium/Short. Caramel, milk chocolate and cereal. Released in 2023, this is the second NAS Distillery Exclusive available from Blair Athol (Batch 1 was released in 2017). It was matured in a combination of heavily charred American oak barrels and French wine barriques of unspecified provenance. I’d take a guess that this is a vatting of whiskies ranging from 8-12 years old. It’s is a very crisp malt centered squarely on cereal and wood characteristics. You could call it an “honest” malt even though it is highly cask driven. It’s unusual for a Blair Athol and I liked it, but I also felt that although not underpowered it was nevertheless oddly laid back and needed more presence. Tasted at the distillery. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Springbank Whisky Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 17 April 2024, Whisky #6 Nose: Big, full, earthy, leathery malt. Lots of sherry, lots of bonfire smoke. A very capable sherried Longrow. Palate: Spicy sweet and intense arrival. Like the nose, the palate is a banquet of smoke, leather, sherried raisins and earthy malt extract. The texture is plush and oily. It takes water very well, the palate expanding, softening and gaining a juicy creaminess. Finish: Long. Dark-fruity sweet but with a spicy hint. This is not going to be obtainable for most enthusiasts, but bear with me – a review is justified. At the Springbank visitor’s centre there is a cage that usually contains a few bottles. These are basically 700ml duty-paid samples drawn from selected casks and the exact expressions rotate. Some of these “cage bottles” are one-offs, but sometimes (as in this case) several are drawn at the same time (this bottle was labeled ‘Rotation 582’). As a rule you will only ever find these at the distillery, but sometimes they are traded and so may turn up on auction sites. What is certain is that if you visit Springbank there is a very good chance that you can score a well-matured and virtually unique expression for the same price (or less) as a core-range bottling from a retail outlet, so make sure and look in the cage when you visit! This bottle was graciously opened for the tasting by the convenor, Josh, who obtained it on a recent visit to the distillery. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)

Springbank Whisky Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 17 April 2024, Whisky #5 Tasted from a bottle with batch code 12/12/22 – 22/242 Nose: Fresh, fruity grist. Orange blossoms, peach nectar, brine. As it sits and opens in the glass, aromas of pears and green apples first arise culminating in a fragrance similar to cider vinegar (or even champagne?) melded with mezcal. This is all highly reminiscent of fresh, crisp barley wart. However as it rests further the aromas deepen (and water aids this) eventually developing tropical fruit notes. 91/100 Palate: Brisk, spritzy, ginger, grapefruit and pineapple in the arrival. The palate (like the nose) deepens with time and familiarity showing emerging sweetness in the mid development with tart red berries and a curl of coal smoke. The texture is both crisp and oily, a trick that only Springbank and a couple of other west-coast highland distilleries can pull off. 91/100 Finish: Long. Barley grist fading to sweet and salty lemons sprinkled with coal ash. 91/100 This batch was bottled at the end of 2022 but formed the 2023 release. The local barley in question was Belgravia variety grown at Glencraigs Farm, just outside Campbeltown. It is a light, airy and uplifting whisky that with a dash of water gains characteristics reminiscent of a crisp sparkling wine. These notes later resolve into a sweeter and creamier form more akin to an oaky chardonny. A cracker of a whisky, a true “grand cru”. It was available on the night by ballot but at the asking price I had to pass. “Aspirational” : 91/100 (5 stars)