Tastes

Nose: Berries, green, light wood shavings, kids sweets Palate: Berries, light oak, vanilla, orchard fruit - peaches, spices - white pepper Finish: Medium short finish. Sweet, vanilla, baking spices. Lots of oak on the aftertaste. Sweet berries, oak and vanilla. Fruit and oak, but not much more to it - not unpleasant and generally OK.

Nose: Light peat, rich, apple juice, rye bread, spicy (chilli, black pepper) Palate: Damp peat, meaty, sweet, maple syrup, dark spices Finish: Long finish. Smoky, black pepper, chilli, sweet vanilla, burnt wood A nice, easy drinking, sweet, peaty and woody whiskey. The marriage of the US blends of rye with the ex-sherry cask, re-filled with peated scotch before being used to mature this whiskey gives a lovely layered complexity. Nice!

Nose: Orchard fruit, vanilla, char/ash, woody Palate: Oak/wood, coffee, chocolate, orange, pineapple, creamy & buttery Finish: Medium long finish. Wood/oak, cloves, malt, vanilla. Buttery mouthfeel. Cocoa on the aftertaste. Pleasantly surprised by this fruity, malty and oaky/woody dram. This is not a layered and nuanced whisky, but a pretty enjoyable session dram.

Nose: Light smoke, citrus, ripe orchard fruit, vanilla, toffee, nutmeg Palate: Sweet, lightly smoky, cereal, butterscotch, light pepper Finish: Medium finish. Citrus, lemon peel, light spice Gentle, fruity, zesty and citrus. Very easy to drink - quaffable! Not complex, but very tasty.

Nose: Sweet, dried fruit, malt loaf, honey, aromatic, woody Palate: Rich, malt loaf, aromatic spices, dried fruit, vanilla, lightly smoky. Creamy mouthfeel Finish: Medium short finish. Malt, cigar smoke, malt loaf, honey. Sweet and souring aftertaste. Malt loaf, sweet, light smoke and aromatic. Quite enjoyable for 1-2 drams, but not much more than that. Generally OK.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 14 January 2023). Nose: Smoked meat, very savoury, damp peat, rubber, oaky and woody Palate: Smooth and meaty, honeyed, stewed orchard fruit, salty/saline, fruit salad, tobacco, soft fruity peat Finish: Medium long finish. Green pepper, onion gravy, salty, meaty, smoked paprika Filled: 06/07/2004 Bottled: 08/12/2022 1 of 270 bottles from a refill bourbon hogshead In it's 18 years maturing in a refill bourbon hogshead this has turned into a savoury, fruity and salty dram. This would definitely be a dram to ponder over. Absolutely delicious! Came third out of the six drams, with 20% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 76% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 14 January 2023). Nose: BBQ meat, Frazzles crisps, furniture polish, citrus, coastal salt/saline Palate: Sweet, peppery, peat smoke, bonfire, oak char, dried fruit, salt/saline. Savoury salted caramel Finish: Long finish. Peppery, tannic dry smoke, salty. More dry peat. First fill ex-bourbon casks. This is a sweeter and saltier version than the standard 10 year old. Very tasty and very easy to drink - a quaffable dram! The peat is not as 'in your face' as the standard range, so this is somehow softer and milder than normal. Came last out of the six drams, with 4% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 64% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 14 January 2023). Nose: Fruitcake, cinnamon, cloves, dried fruit Palate: Very sweet, apple, raisins, Demerara sugar, burned toffee, treacle, maple syrup. Quite a savoury note. Finish: Long finish. Heavily sherried, intense, malty, tobacco, char, wood/oak, maltloaf. Wisps of BBQ smoke, leather and liquorice. 1of 248 bottles Cask No: 3241 A sherry delivery vehicle, but with some complexity in the sugar and savoury malt loaf in addition to all the sherried dried fruits. Chewy and unctuous mouthfeel. Harks back to what gave Macallan it's good name and reputation back in the day. A very tasty and chewy sherry bomb. Came first out of the six drams, with 32% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 76% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 14 January 2023). Nose: Herbal, green, tree sap, struck match/sulphur, dates, prunes, toffee Palate: Sweet and fruity, malt, cereal, toffee apple, dried fruit (pressed dates & figs), wisps of peat smoke, savoury notes, light saline Finish: Medium long finish. Dark, spicy, green/herbal/grassy. Dark dried fruits. The smokiness builds on the finish and becomes dry on the aftertaste. Distilled: 25 November 1998 Bottled: 11 November 2019 Smooth, sweet and fruity. Loads of layers alternating between the malty cereal, through apple and pressed dates all the way to a herbal, grassy and smoky finish. This is a wee cracker of a dram! Came fifth out of the six drams, with 8% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 60% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky. This got my vote for favourite of the tasting.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 14 January 2023). Nose: Light nose, kids sweets, herbal, oily, woody Palate: Oily, waxy, acidic, fruit (unripe pears), icing sugar, damp/dank, liquorice, cinnamon Finish: Medium long finish. Black tea, oak, caraway seeds, damp/dank, bitter walnut. 1of 285 bottles from a single refill hogshead Oily, damp, dank and a little filthy. Too oily for my palate. Intense, fruity and complex, with a chewy and unctuous mouthfeel. Interesting more than 'nice'. Came fourth out of the six drams, with 12% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 60% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.