Tastes

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Charity Whisky Tasting, 11th June 2021). Charity tasting in aid of the Drumchapel Food Bank. This tasting, included 6 drams from GSC’s past Whisky Bottlings over the last 10 years. Nose: Raisins, fig, prunes, banana, chocolate/cocoa Palate: Sherry, nutmeg, golden syrup, caramel, cocoa, malty Finish: Medium short finish. Fig, golden syrup, leather. Very warm finish. 1 of 150 bottles This is an amazingly good whisky! Sweet, warm and syrupy. A beautifully layered and tasty dram. Came joint third out of the six drams, with 15% (3 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night. 100% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Charity Whisky Tasting, 11th June 2021). Charity tasting in aid of the Drumchapel Food Bank. This tasting, included 6 drams from GSC’s past Whisky Bottlings over the last 10 years. Nose: Sweet, barley sugar, grassy, orchard fruit Palate: Sweet, gristy, barley sugar, pineapple cube sweets, caramel, oak, ginger, pepper, nutty Finish: Long finish. Very spicy - pepper, clove and ginger Single bourbon cask 1 of 222 bottles Bottled 2020 Very light, elegant spirit. Very spicy and sweet throughout. This is a very spicy and tasty dram. Came joint third out of the six drams, with 15% (3 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night. 85% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Charity Whisky Tasting, 11th June 2021). Charity tasting in aid of the Drumchapel Food Bank. This tasting, included 6 drams from GSC’s past Whisky Bottlings over the last 10 years. Nose: Acetone, lemon, banana, crème brûlée Palate: Spirit driven, clean, sweet, citrus. Creamy mouthfeel. Floral and green Finish: Long finish. Sour, lemon/citrus. Sweet and clean on the aftertaste Quite an austere whisky. It has an old-fashioned feel, but there’s enough sweet/citrus to keep it interesting. More depth than you’d expect from such a young dram. 1 of 270 bottles Ex-bourbon casks Came last of the six drams, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 70% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Charity Whisky Tasting, 11th June 2021). Charity tasting in aid of the Drumchapel Food Bank. This tasting, included 6 drams from GSC’s past Whisky Bottlings over the last 10 years. Nose: Sweet, caramel, light furniture polish, pear & apple, maple syrup, honey Palate: Sweet, caramel, spice (clove), fruit (plum), oak, vanilla, saline, maple syrup, slightly smoky Finish: Medium long finish, orchard fruit, oak, leather. Sweet finish. Bottled: 2007 1 of 120 bottles Full bodied and unctuous for a grain whisky. There’s a lovely intensity and complexity to this dram. Came fifth out of the six drams, with 5% (1 vote) of the final vote for favourite of the night. 90% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

Nose: Butterscotch, caramel, baking spices, nutmeg Palate: Warm, sweet, very rich, charred oak, vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, clove Finish: Medium finish. Vanilla, crème brûlée, berry compote. Buttery/oily finish This is a great bourbon. Very warm and spicy. Buttery, oily and charred oak. Easy to drink and very moreish.

Nose: Oak, char, burnt caramel, oranges, berries Palate: Red berries, caramelised icing sugar, nutty, orange zest Finish: Medium finish. Vanilla, oak, leather, orange peel, spices/black pepper Rich, although a little thin on the mouthfeel. Vanilla, then citrus/orange peel/zest. Not complicated, but a warm and flavoursome dram.

Nose: Metallic, salt, mineral, zesty fruit, gooseberry Palate: Sweet (berries), floral, honey, citrus, orange, vanilla, oak, spices (ginger & black pepper) Finish: Medium long finish. Black pepper, chilli, citrus/orange peel This tastes like a bourbon. Lots of layers of flavour, mainly spices and citrus rind/peel. Quite an interesting dram, not what I was expecting! £69.95 for a 500ml bottle. 1 of 417 bottles

Nose: Honey, vanilla, sweet, summer fruit Palate: Smoky, toasted, floral, dark fruit, gristy. Apple/grape juice. Slight bitterness, dill pickle, black pepper Finish: Short finish. Apple juice on the short finish. This is a good rye whiskey. Not as bad tempered as many ryes. Sweet, but tasty and uncomplicated. Easy drinking, but the short finish serves to make it a little forgettable.

Nose: Sherry, dried fruit, cloves Palate: Dried fruit, sherry, a little woody. Has a little ‘heat’ to it Finish: Medium finish. Sherry, fruit, oak, nutty, tobacco and leather. £45 for a 1 litre bottle. Smooth mouthfeel, a little watery. Nice and easy to drink.

Nose: Menthol, salt & pepper. Strong alcohol Palate: Light peat, saline, nutty Finish: Medium short finish. Gentle and a little woody This tastes watered down and blunted. The only way I can think to describe this whisky is that someone has poured more water than you could ever want into a Laphroaig. Not characterful enough to dislike, too insipid to like. It’s like a homeopathic Laphroaig! When I was tasting this I struggled to take down any notes to say what flavours were in this dram, only what it was missing. Disappointing and borderline offensive as a whisky. The best I can say is that it has a lovely bottle.