Tastes

Nose: A soft and retiring sort of smoke. Woody, a little resinous, creamy and buttery. There's an aromatic herbal touch about it almost like a very piney gin, and a grassy, earthy sweetness that reminds me of a quiet sunny day in a farmyard. The longer it sits, the more voluptuous it becomes. A very good nose with a micro-hint of the sea. [The dry-glass aroma is a soft floral fragrance - where did that come from?!?] Palate: A faintly sweet and slightly smoky entry. Grassy notes, like the nose, with a trace of oak and peat, but the peat never veers towards plastic. There's a malty character underneath everything and a touch of sweet citrus. A sooty, mineral-like smoke is blown about. Finish: Medium. Sweet smoky notes trail off into an aftertaste of lemon liqueur and tea. There's nothing bold, brash or hurried about this malt - in fact it may even seem unexciting. The younger sibling Caol Ila 12 year old is a vaery goos peated malt and much more forward, but this expression shows the distillery character in its elegant, calm maturity. The peat-reek is gentle and refined and never shows an inkling of plastic or rubbery notes (at least not when neat) and there is overall balance. I could happily sip a glass of this all afternoon. The texture is just slightly to the oily side of neutral, and is (I suspect) the thing that some people may find a foundation fault. This is not a highly textured malt and that may make it seem thin. If you approach this with the expectation that it will have a lean character then you'll probably enjoy it more than if you're expecting an oily peat monster. Don't add any water - it is delightfully balanced when neat and any amount of water upsets that. Water unleashes bitter oils and the only hint of plastic notes that I encountered. If you do add water let the glass sit for at least 30 minutes, with an occasional swirl. Some sugars will develop to balance the initial watered bitterness. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Re-tasted at Teeling Distillery post-tour tasting, May 11th 2024 My thoughts are the same as those from my tastings in 2018 and 2020 (see below). Of the three base-level expressions I tried at the distillery this seems to have been the most consistent over time, and is my favourite. The rating remains the same. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars) --------------------------------------------------------- Nose: Vanilla, raisins, grapes, pineapple, floral malt, chocolate, espresso, cola, saffron, caraway. Palate: An elegantly sweet arrival - rich and full but not cloying. Chocolate, raisins, sweet coffee, baking spices, vanilla, almonds, black cherries, dried mango, medjool dates, dried figs. Fruit cake in a glass. Finish: Medium/Short. Malty and winey fading into an oaky, sweet aftertaste. The nose is dense and interesting, but it doesn't change with time in the glass or water. It's a solid slab of complexity rather than a layering of aromas or a journey. The palate is likewise dense with a rounded, mature profile but it does not have progression. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Re-tasted at Teeling Distillery post-tour tasting, May 11th 2024 Much the same as I remembered it from my previous two tastings, but I again noticed a hard black pepper note that has never greatly appealed to me. It's OK, and well made, but not my favourite from the basic Teeling bottlings. The rating remains the same. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars) ------------------------------------------------------ Re-taste. Nose: Fresh sweet apples, honey and citrus notes, and a generally floral/grassy character. Vanilla and nutty aromas. I don't detect much rum cask influence. Palate: A soft, rounded and fruity arrival. Sweet to start with then veering towards tannin and little black pepper. Vanilla notes and a creamy texture texture. Finish: Medium/Short. Sweet and tannic, like weak tea, in the aftertaste with a dusting of pepper. I tasted this about 2 years ago and was not much impressed at the time, but today it made a more positive impression. Different batch? Different weather? Different me? Who knows. I only tried it again as it was part of a 3 bottle tasting set I picked up yesterday, and I'm glad to have had a second try. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Peat smoke, soot, slight hints of brine and the faintest iodine. A touch of green apple, vanilla and camphor wood. [The drying glass aroma is fragrantly floral peat smoke to start with, but turns to sooty wood smoke as it drys out]. Palate: Sweet woody smoke on the arrival. There's a spirity chilli burn as it develops together with a light fruity note and lots of crisp seed spices - aniseed, fenugreek, coriander, white pepper. A little chocolate. Good texture. Finish: Medium. Light bonfire smoke that trails into a clean, crisp and slightly spicy/salt/sweet aftertaste. This was produced using peated malt imported from Scotland and it smells (but does not taste) like an Islay. The nose is good and similar to Caol Ila but with less depth and complexity. However it is fresh, crisp and very satisfying with a slightly maritime note. The palate is much less like an Islay, the smokiness being more like campfire smoke than peat-reek. It's well balanced and assured however, and the hot, spicy distillate character of Hellyers Road is particularly well suited to pairing with peat-smoke. It's a very pleasant dram and for me it's by far the best Hellyers Road I've tasted from their "lower tier" core range. Their whisky usually seems too young and simple, with an over spicy palate, but young and hot works well with peat, as is proven here. A recommended dram, if there was a little more complexity throughout I'd give it 4 stars. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Yellow grapefruit zest, wet cardboard, sawdust, white pepper. Rather aggressively spirity. There are red wine notes in the background but it takes a while for them to emerge. [The dry glass aroma is of wine gums and faint sweaty smoke]. Palate: A sweet and fruity arrival that morphs into a dry, almost astringent, winey development. A fierce blast of pepper and chilli with a papery taste. Good texture. Finish: Medium. Spicy, fading into a bittersweet chocolate aftertaste. This is very young whisky, I'd wager. It does not have complexity and it benefits greatly from the addition of water and some time to recompose. Once it has recovered it loses the flat cardboard note, blossoms, and a sweeter floral wine aroma emerges. The alcohol presence is tamed and the red wine cask character shows through more clearly. The palate also develops some sweetness that neutralizes the otherwise forcefully dry character. Overall, water brings balance to this whisky, and is highly recommended. On the whole I thought this whisky was more interesting than engaging, and it is a bit overpriced. "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)

Nose: Malt, vanilla, oatmeal cookies, wholemeal toast, a very light touch of oak. As it rests in the glass the vanilla note becomes more prominent. Adding water opens the nose considerably. [The dry glass aroma is like toast soaked in ethanol]. Palate: A firm, almost sharp, malty entry with some ginger spice emerging in the development. There's a hint of charcoal, but it's not a "proper" smoky note. A slightly beery flavour. It's a pretty simple and shallow palate overall. A dash of water softens the otherwise almost intrusive spicy note and reveals a little cereal sweetness. The texture is slightly oily and agreeable. Finish: Medium. Cereal and malt, with a salty/sweet and sour aftertaste that lingers. Hellyers Road distillate is reminiscent of Irish pot-still with a focus on the cereal characteristics. It's a crisp and lightly fragrant whisky made to a high standard but it lacks complexity, particularly in the palate. It is greatly improved by the addition of water. Neat it seems very tight and closed-in, but a dash of water makes it blossom and become much more approachable. An OK single malt - not great, but OK - but a bit overpriced. The official rating here is absurdly over-generous. "Average" : 78/100 (2.5 stars)