Tastes

Isle of Arran Distillery Virtual Tasting Event – Age of Distinction (The Whisky Company). First 15 ml sample of the night (1/7) N- buttery biscuit, malt, apple freshness, something vegetal maybe herby or grassy. P- Malty, warm, buttery digestives, crisp apple fruit sweetness, vanilla notes are gentle. Something akin to a gooseberry note from a white wine. F-long. lingering sticky ginger and brown sugar. Distiller whisky taste #37 A week later and a full pour reveals a little acidity on the nose that I had missed before. It’s a pleasant find along with some light honey and melon. I’d go a little further to say that the palate is juicy and refreshing as the fruit notes plump up and are underscored by a hint of cinnamon and ginger warmth in the finish. The distiller “official” rating needs a medical examination. Someone wasn’t right in the head when they posted that…

N: sherry presence clear, orange oils, raisins, brown sugar. Sadly a strong rubbery synthetic sulphurous smell, that frankly, I find a little rancid. P: dark fruits, more brown sugar, dry Assam tea, some wood notes, but again, there’s something I find unpleasant about the edges of this palate. F: medium-short. Fruit, treacle, sharp orange peel. Distiller whisky taste #36

Non-released 200 ml bottling of an experimental batch of whisky from Starward Distillery in Melbourne, Australia. Given away as a referral bonus to members of Australias “The Whisky Club” and bottled sometime in April of 2022. A non age statement whisky that there is little information for, presumably the standard Starward distillate matured in their red wine casks but finished in maple syrup barrels. N: dried fruits expected of a red wine cask are present but a slightly astringent character gets in the way of what may be some rather pleasant leathery and tobacco notes. A little water allows some of the pleasant stuff to come forward. P: an initial sharpness battles with round juicy fruit flavours of raisins and mulled oranges with cloves and spice but this is in equal or lesser measure to a cloying sticky sweetness. Virtually no complexity or layers. Water leaves nothing but sickly sweetness in the mouth. Do not add water. F: the finish is sharp at first but then long and very warm at the back of the throat leaving a lingering stickiness on the palate. Towards the end some of the christmassy mince pie/mulled wine tries to creep back to the spotlight, but it lacks presence. After receiving no less than eight double golds at the San Francisco Spirits Competition Starward are poised as a world whisky heavyweight. They do experimental things, sometimes they work apparently. But, sometimes what looks good on paper turns into a lack lustre disappointment as is the case here. Points for the concept, sure. It is of no surprise though they were not willing to damage their growing reputation by putting a price sticker on this stuff. At least it didn’t go down the drain, I’m sure someone will enjoy it if not for the exclusivity of this little freebie. Distiller whisky taste #34

N: musty leather, popcorn and malt, coastal spray. P: smoke smacks up front with more power behind it than the L16. Herbaceous with plenty of fresh peppermint. Marzipan notes and thick tarry smoke with some tobacco and woody vanilla. A big big mouthful of flavours. F: long and lingering smoke with more peppermint freshness. Cleary meant as a price point competitor to ardbeg 10, and laphroig 10. And probably talisker 10 and highland park 10 also. Gets the job done of delivering Lagavullin at a cheaper RRP but it’s obviously younger, drinks younger (unsurprisingly) and lacks the balanced nuance of its older big brother. A perfectly acceptable drink and probably much better drinking if you don’t know about the other island/Islay tens and Lagavullin 16 already… Distiller whisky taste #33

Distilled and aged in our distillery on the edge of Princess Royal Harbour in Albany, this complex and elegant Single Malt Whisky is made from premium local barley and pristine local water, then distilled with care in our traditional small batch copper pot stills. This Directors Cut Whisky was matured in a second fill American oak bourbon barrel then finished in an aged Australian Swan Valley Topaque barrel. N: raisins, sticky date pudding, burnt sugar P: thick and sticky dark fruits, maple syrup and brown sugar, muted velvety soft vanilla. F: long, excellent warmth and sweetness with some charry embers Distiller whisky taste #31

N: Vanilla, honey, berries, pear juice P: Vanilla, salted caramel, ice cream like fullness, spice, peach F: Full bodied and juicy, prickly spiced peach. Distiller whisky taste #30

N: orchard fruits, maybe a honeyed pear? Barley, stone fruit, a little tannin note and the slightest ethanol burn. P: Crisp, honey, pear cider, and a granular brown sugary ness. F: medium long. A little bite and prickle but not aggressive. Refreshing, palate cleansing with pepper that lasts. Simple, clean, crisp. A little flat for my tastes, but is an easy drinker with little disagreement to it. Summery and easily drink mouthfulls at a time. Distiller whisky taste #29

N: Malt, cereal, wood and honey P: Light and creamy, orange oil citrus, wood, slight bitterness. F: Short, sharp and spicy, bursts into the mouth with a buttery richness. Not too much to say, my first (and largely final thoughts) were that this drinks like a slightly more funky monkey shoulder. Enjoyable, and probably easy to sink a bottle with good company. Distiller whisky taste #28

N: Oak, malt, cereal, vanilla P: Creamy and woody thickness, bright and with a soft coconut flavour. F: soft, a little short and sticky, banana chips and a little vanilla. The effect of the Japanese oak has been to create a thick, creamy and vibrant palate that could be drunk by the pint. But, it is left a little lacklustre and flat. The spirits influence is a little pedestrian and overshadowed by, rather than complimented by, the rich oak. Distiller whisky taste #27

N: creme brûlée, syrupy, a little oak? The longer I sit with this the more tropical it becomes, verging on bananas. A little water opens up everything and let’s the individual aromas through more clearly. P: apricots, caramel, biscuity (malty) toffee, soft smoky note. Velvety texture also. Water mutes a little maybe(?) by bringing the toffees to the front. F: moderate-long with a little prickle. Juicy with creamy richness and tropical brightness. Water dulls the prickle nicely and the creamy mouthfeel turns to milk chocolate. Purchased as a monthly exclusive release from the whisky club Australia following a lot of build up and hype. Tasty, yes. Good on a cold evening, absolutely. “As close as you can get to drinking a campfire marshmallow”, errrr not so much. Certainly tasty, and lots of colourful vibrancy. I can’t help but feel that I’d rather drink a Port Charlotte 10 for warmth and vibrancy of flavour or a Woodford Double Wood for decadent richness. Maybe this is the in between I didn’t know I needed? Distiller whisky taste #26