Tastes

Another of the bonus samples from the SDT. Today we have a rarity. Adelphi is a company like High West, they are basically a blending house. The Winter Queen is a blended malt from 3 distilleries. 2 are single malt scotches, Longmorn and Glenrothes, and the other is Millstone from the Dutch distillery Zuidam. The youngest whisky is 9 years old, not sure what the ages of the older ones are. Per an article I read, this is made from a bourbon matured cask of Longmorn, a couple liters of sherry matured Glenrothes and two casks of sherry matured Millstone. 1 of 866 bottles. Bottled at 52.7% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a red mahogany. A fairly big hit of alcohol up front but it settles down fast. Initial thoughts are that this is more of a sherry finished rye or high rye bourbon. Oak, musty cardboard and mint. Lots of sherry, toffee, caramel, mocha and maple. Cherries, marzipan and almonds. The familiar bubblegum note I find in many bourbons is here along with pine resin, herbal notes and pencil erasers. Black pepper, clove and maybe some licorice with a hint of sulphur. After it sits a good long while (I let it sit over an hour because I got sidetracked) there is an aromatic, mineral quality that I assume is the Longmorn coming through. Water brings more of the mineral notes with some sourdough bread. Once it sits long enough that’s all you get and the sherry bomb that once was is all but gone. A surprising transformation. The palate is rich sherry, maple, oak, syrupy and toffee. Very bourbon/rye-like with an unusual taste in the development which I can only attribute to the Zuidam component as I’ve never tasted it in any scotch. Very grainy and malty. Some light fruits beneath the peppery heat in the form of apple skins and plums. Oak and more black pepper. Again, with lots of time and a little water, the Longmorn really comes through and dominates the experience. With water it becomes chalky, mineral and slightly metallic. A full bodied mouthfeel that is oily, mouthwatering and mouth coating. The finish is long with sherry oak, spices and more mineral notes. Very odd for a blended malt, but then again it’s from two different countries so who’s to say what it should taste like. Until water is added and it has time to breathe it really is more like a sherried bourbon. After that the scotch DNA really asserts itself. It’s very good regardless of what it’s made of. At $130 I would say that this is worth the price, and the rarity factor makes it that much more enjoyable. A solid 4.25 and thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers

Stop number 93 on the SDT is Glentauchers. Yet another unknown Speyside distillery, Glentauchers is nearly exclusively used for blends. Only once (at least in the modern era) did they release an official distillery bottling, a 15 year old back in 2000. To find any single malts of theirs you need to look to the independent bottlers. This brings us to Duncan Taylor and their Battlehill series. This 7 year old is a vatting of at least two, if not more casks. I have no official info on this, but based on the high ABV and the fact that there were 1200 bottles released I would say it is most likely the case. Bottled at 56% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color (both are assumptions) of yellow gold. The nose has lots of fresh berries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Vanilla, nougat, chocolate, powdered sugar, very confectionary. Honey, malty, oak with some candle wax and a cooling menthol feel. Green grapes, raisins, kiwi, baked apples and, strangely enough, watermelon gum. With water there is a strong note of Grape-Nuts cereal, olive oil and grainy bread. Lemony citrus and a touch of sulphur. Letting it sit a good long while after adding water there are some tropical fruits that appear in the form of pineapple and mango. I spent a number of nights tasting this one and each night seemed to produce a different experience on the palate. The first night was sweet, confectionary, blueberries, banana chips and light sherry notes. The second night brought odd and unpleasant notes I couldn’t quite identify, along with some light, green oak, allspice and almonds. The third night was more of the same. The fourth night brought the sweetness back I enjoyed it. Today was a little of both. Water brings pepper and it comes across like an unpeated Talisker. Barrel char and a hint of cantaloupe. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is oily and mouthwatering. The finish is long, semi dry with berries and cereal/malty notes lingering on. Quite the chameleon this one. One day it’s good, the next it’s, not quite bad but let’s just say less good. Maybe it was just me and the mood I was in or whatever I had eaten that day, but whatever the case may be, it was an overall pleasant experience. At $55 it’s not that bad of a price considering the high ABV. The good days could have pulled a 3.75 or a 4, but the bad days were more like a 3. Total experience is worth a 3.5 here. Cheers

Time for another bonus sample from the SDT. This time we are dealing with a growing category of whiskey, American single malts. Westland is based in Washington state and this particular bottle was hand selected and hand bottled by fellow tour member @PBMichiganWolverine during a tour of the distillery. Bottle #167 from cask #4856 is bottled at 53% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a dark red/brown mahogany. This 5 year old was finished for an unknown length of time in a moscatel sherry cask. From the distillery website: Cask #4856 is one of four Moscatel casks filled from a vatting of six 5-Malt New American Oak casks. The pre-finish vatting trended towards bitter, but maintained a spicy and floral quality. These characteristics left room for sweet and floral notes of the finishing Moscatel cask to balance and compliment within an overall rich profile. A full, rich and powerful nose. The sherry finish is strong, sweet and again, very rich. Spicy oak, brown sugar/molasses, maple, caramel and a not so far away mint. Strong notes of vanilla, toffee and buttered toast. A bit of a dill note. Fruity, raisins, dates, caramel apples and a bit of a bubblegum note. Mocha, chocolate, pecans, faint ginger and spiced fruitcake. Water enhances the sherry, mocha and maple notes. Some definite heat on the palate, but enjoyable. Very rich and full. Strong oak and a deep, dark sherry, like first fill Oloroso. Maple, candied bacon, caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. Spiced fruitcake, chocolate, cinnamon, clove and ginger. Medium to full bodied mouthfeel, oily and mouth coating. A long finish. Heat, sweet, rich. Sherry, oak, fruitcake. What a pleasant surprise to taste an American sherry bomb. It’s like a GlenDronach/Elijah Craig blend. A lot of flavor and power behind the 53%. Water helps a little but is not needed. I don’t know what this goes for as the bottle in question was free from the distillery, but if it’s under $60 I would say grab it no questions asked. $60-100, maybe, if you like sherry bombs and want something a little different. Over $100, hard to justify. Easily a 4.25. Cheers

Stop number 92 on the SDT is Glen Grant. Originally founded by the Grant brothers John and James in 1840, this Speyside distillery has gone through a few different owners including Chivas Brothers. In 2005 it was sold to the Italian company Campari Group and is now the best selling single malt scotch in Italy. Glen Grant has a respectable output of 5.9 million liters per year. This 10 year old single malt is their youngest of their core range that includes a 12 and 18. I don’t know if they have any NAS releases. Bottled at 40% ABV and is chill filtered and has colorant added making it a pale straw. The nose starts with hay and dry grasses and some fruitiness in the form of apples and green grapes. There is a balanced, bourbony oak and a nuttiness in the form of walnuts, pecans and cashews. Minty, salty, earthy and a bit gravely/dusty. Malty/barley sugar with some honey and ginger. Light coconut and honeydew. A bit of banana and a lemony-orange citrus. Light vanilla and floral notes like potpourri. There are plenty of notes to pick up on here, but they are all weak. It’s clear that refill casks were used. Very little going on with the palate. Malty, honey, tea and some vanilla. A little peppery spice and some cinnamon. Oak, ginger, citrus and almonds. A light bodied mouthfeel that is thin but mouthwatering. A short finish with tea, oak, ginger and almonds. Nothing much going on with this one. The nose has some decent complexity, but it, along with the palate, falls flat and is quite uninspired. Even at the $40 price point that I paid, there are far better options out there. I wish I had ponied up the extra $10 and gone with the 12 year old. Oh well, another one off the list. 2.5-2.75 rounded up to a 3 Cheers

Stop number 91 on the SDT is Royal Brackla, or as my wife calls it, Count Brackula. A Highland distillery that once upon a time was granted a royal warrant by King William IV, the first royal warrant for a distillery ever given, and they’ve been calling themselves “Royal” ever since. Let’s see if it’s a worthy title. This 12 year old single malt is bottled at 40% ABV and is chill filtered with colorant added creating an orange amber color. These do not appear to be stats worthy of royalty. Light fruitiness at first on the nose, but the more time you spend with it the more pronounced and defined the fruits become. Kiwi, pineapple tangerines and lemongrass. Very citrusy. Wet hay, mint toothpaste, oak and furniture polish. A sourdough bread note and there’s a phenolic or aromatic note that could be a light earthy peat and a whiff of smoke. Mineral/gravely notes, seashells, earthy/vegetal and new leather. Herbal notes like bay leaves. Creamy and a touch malty, vanilla and spicy oak, black tea and wood sap. After all that there are vague bourbon and sherry notes that just linger for a while with more of those mineral and citrus notes. Surprisingly complex, but not all that impressive. The palate has tropical fruits of pineapple and kiwi, tangerines and lots of citrus. Light peat, or what is passing as peat to me. Slightly bitter oak and some wood spices. Vanilla and cantaloupe oddly enough. Mineral notes like on the nose. Hints of sherry, but very light, this is definitely a majority of ex bourbon casks. Light to medium bodied mouthfeel, mouth coating and semi dry. A medium length finish, aromatic, oak, tea, citrus and a touch of bitterness. I really was expecting much less than what I got, but that’s not to say that what I did get was spectacular. It took me a while to get used to the profile, and with the better half of a 1L bottle that wasn’t hard to do. The mineral notes reminded me of a Mortlach or a Springbank or Craigellachie, but the fruitiness really helped to balance it all out. In Michigan this goes for $72 for a 750mL bottle, which makes me glad I paid $70 for a full liter at duty free. Neither purchase is worth the price, but the bargain made it a little easier to swallow. I would not buy this one again and after hearing similar reviews about the 16 I doubt I would buy any other Bracklas in the future. 3.25, and no, the “royal” moniker is misplaced here. Cheers

Another of the bonus samples from this round of the SDT. This time it’s a Kentucky Straight Bourbon. I do so few bourbons as my true passion is with single malts, but I can appreciate a quality bourbon. Let’s see how this one from W.L. Weller fares. Antique 107 is a wheated bourbon, which of course means the secondary grain is wheat instead of rye. Bottled at a respectable 53.5% ABV and as all KSB’s are, this is natural color, a red mahogany, and most likely non chill filtered. Strong oak and varnish on the nose, with cinnamon and clove and sawdust. Very floral with a hint of mint. The wheat brings red fruits, berries and apple skins. Vanilla, cotton candy, pink bubblegum, brown sugar and toffee. Roasted and salted corn, a little pepper and a nice subtle tobacco note. A little water doesn’t seem to add much, but brings out more of the florals, especially honeysuckle and a honey note. Charred oak and a slightly metallic note on the palate, but it’s not a bad metallic. Corn, vanilla, apples and orange peel. Barrel char/charcoal, toffee, caramel, cinnamon and clove. Candy corn and licorice round it out. Water brings a more defined corn, but softens everything else. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel, oily, mouth coating and dry. The finish is medium long with corn, fruity and oak. This bourbon is further proof of why I prefer wheated bourbons. Softer, fruitier and not nearly as harsh as some high rye bourbons can be. This one is well made, and the $27 price tag makes it even more attractive. It won’t knock your socks off, but it is quite good and a great value. 3.75-4 and another big thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. Cheers

Stop number 90 on the SDT is Knockando. This Speyside distillery is neighbors with the Knockdhu distillery, which goes by anCnoc to avoid confusion. This 15 year old single malt is not available here in the US and had to be ordered from the U.K. Bottled at 43% ABV and is chill filtered and probably has colorant added making it an amber gold color. Nice sherry on the nose. Licorice, nuts, vanilla and maple. Some weak mint, syrupy sweet and more sherry. Oranges, melon and pecan pie. Some chocolate, apricots, a little floral and notes of black tea. Fruit punch, light sanded oak. Cinnamon, light clove and some ginger. Very nice, if not too complex. The palate is sweet and spicy. Not a hot spicy, but wood spices. Cinnamon and cayenne pepper, the flavor of cayenne but without the heat. Sherry, light oak and dark chocolate. Nutty, pecans and Brazil nuts. Oranges, apricots and plums. Perhaps a raisin or two. The mouthfeel is light bodied, mouthwatering and mouth coating. The finish is medium long with sherry, nuts and bitter chocolate. The bitterness persists and is a bad note on which to end. Today happens to be World Whisky Day and while I would have liked a better whisky to commemorate the day, this one was not bad. I was hoping for a bit more complexity in a 15 year old, but the flavors are good. The bitterness on the finish hurts it a little, but the nose is great. At $48 this is a great value for money, but not when you have to take international shipping rates into account. A solid 3.5 and thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. Cheers

Stop number 89 on the SDT is Tamnavulin. Another relatively unknown Speyside distillery, Tamnavulin is used mostly in blends, but they do have a range of their own single malts. This NAS was matured in American oak (most likely ex bourbon) and finished in sherry casks. Bottled at 40% ABV and is surely chill filtered with colorant added giving it a dark amber color. Strong sherry up front on the nose with oak, cherries and brown sugar. A definite chalky/talc note with a small hit of sulphur. Milk chocolate, hazelnut, caramelized peaches, grilled plums and more oak. The oak is well done, warm and inviting. Raisins, dates, some honey, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Maple syrup, vanilla, oranges, apricots, walnuts and a hint of coffee. That sulphur note comes back strong and takes over at times. It really detracts from an otherwise solid nose. The palate is lighter than expected as far as the sherry goes, I guess that’s to be expected at 40%. Oak, pears, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. It turn sulphuric and has some bitter nuts. A little pepper, coffee, maple, anise and a light mint. Again the sulphur detracts from the experience. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is mouth coating and dry. The finish is medium long with sherry, sulphur, nuts and light oak. On first impressions I thought I was in for a toned down Tamdhu, but upon further inspection I found lots of faults. The nose had a ton of complexity especially considering the legal minimum ABV, but it just didn’t have that quality feel to it. The palate was a bigger let down with the sulphur ruining much of it. I can see plenty of scotch lovers getting on good terms with this one, but it’s just not one that I would seek out. I have to say, at $36 it’s tough to beat its value. I was going to give a 3.25, but the price point bumps it to a 3.5. Thanks to @LeeEvolved for the sample. Cheers

Taking a short break from scotch to sample an Irish whiskey that was a bonus sample for this round of the SDT, courtesy of @Scott_E. Tullamore DEW is a blended Irish whiskey, this one is finished in Caribbean rum casks. Bottled at 43% ABV and is certainly chill filtered and it appears to have a good amount of colorant added making it an amber honey color. The nose starts off with a big whiff of grain alcohol and an alcohol nip. Once it settles a bit there is some creamy vanilla and coconut with fresh zippy oak. Light brown sugar and faint rum notes. Some sweetness from what I get as berries, but also some banana and orange rind. There is an off note that comes and goes and I can’t put my finger on it. With a little water definite notes of butterscotch and toffee come through and the harshness from the grains is tempered a bit. The palate is not good unfortunately. Sharp grainy alcohol. Bitter, metallic and quite unpleasant. With way more water than should be needed for a 43%er, things got a little better. Rum, butterscotch, banana, brown sugar and bitter oak. That metallic note persists though and a little pine shows up. Better, but still not good. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is mouth coating and dry. The finish is medium long, metallic with notes of rum, butterscotch and is very dry. The nose isn’t half bad here, but the palate is more than half bad. The amount of water needed to make it palatable kills the nose to the point where you might as well be nosing tap water with a butterscotch candy slowly dissolving at the bottom of the glass. At $30 it’s not a huge blow to the wallet, but for the same price I’d rather grab a bottle of JW Red and mix it with some tonic. I’ll give a 2 and move on. Cheers

Stop number 88 on the SDT is Balmenach. Another Speyside distillery that is not in the mainstream world of whisky. This distillery changed ownership several times in its nearly 200 years of operation. It was mothballed in 1993 and reopened in 1997 when it was bought by its current owners at Inver House. This 8 year old (roughly) was distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2016 by Gordon and MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice lineup. Matured in a combination of refill sherry and refill bourbon casks, bottled at 46% and I believe it is non chill filtered and natural color of pale gold. The nose is rich and super sweet, very sugary. Concord grapes, raisins and blackberry jam on toast. A bit malty, honey and a candy-like sweetness. Dates, plums, faint mint, sweet vanilla and some sherry notes. Almonds/marzipan, blueberry donut filling, glazed donuts and buttercream frosting. Very confectionary. A quick hit of chocolate licorice, which if you’ve never had it, it’s a love it or hate it type of thing. Personally I love it and it reminds me of Saturday mornings with my Grandma. A little water tames the sherry and lets more of the bourbon notes come through. The palate is toasted oak, buttered toast with blackberry jam, very sweet. Almonds/marzipan and sticky sweet sherry. A bit of a waxy note and a not-quite-maple syrup. A hint of blueberry and glazed doughnuts, maybe even a little pecan pie. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is dry and a little sharp at times. The finish is medium length with soft oak, berries, sugary sweetness and a little waxiness. If you’re sweet tooth is calling, this will do the trick nicely. If you don’t like a sweet whisky, stay away. At 7-8 years old, this is not a bad scotch by any stretch of the imagination. It’s not very complex on the palate, but what it does have is very well defined. The nose is like being in a Polish bakery on Fat Tuesday and smelling all of those wonderful paczkis waiting to be claimed. Yes, a dessert dram at no mistake and would probably be good over vanilla ice cream. At $55 it’s very reasonable for the quality, but not so much for the age. If I saw this on a shelf I would buy it to indulge my sweet tooth. The lack of complexity does hurt the score a bit, but I can easily give this one a 3.75 or a 4 depending on the mood I’m in. Another thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Just what I needed tonight. Cheers