Tastes

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 March 2021). Nose: Salt/brine, alcohol heavy, light peat, orchard fruit Palate: Dry brush smoke, pears. Slightly artificial. Liquorice, aniseed, green pepper. The smoke is quite gentle. Finish: Gentle dry smoke, green/herbal, slightly sour/bitter short finish. Behind the smoke there’s a greenness to this dram. It has a medicinal note that reminds me of Fisherman’s Friend lozenges. For me, this needs a little more time, but it does have the hallmark of something that that will be pretty good in a few years. First-fill bourbon barrel Peated to 55-60ppm with 16ppm residual phenols post-distillation Concerto barley Pinnacle MG+ yeast 1of 32,000 bottles (3,000 allocated to UK) Came second out of the six whiskies, with 25% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 89% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 March 2021). Nose: Bready, caramelised fruit, slightly acetone Palate: Toasted/charred oak, banana bread, smoke/char, stout and dark beer Finish: Lightly smoked, long finish, stone & tropical fruit, burnt orange. There’s a little BBQ note on the aftertaste. Lightly herbal. Quite weighty, with a light waxiness. Spirit forward. A little drying on the finish. Unusual to have such a refined and elegant whisky with so little cask influence. Shows the quality of the spirit against what seems to be a fairly inactive cask. Bourbon Hogshead Cask Cask No: 5 Distilled: 11-09-2002 Bottled: 14-09-2020 1 of 277 bottles Came joint fourth out of the six whiskies, with 11% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 57% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 March 2021). Nose: Fruity - berries, raisins and plums. Creamy and a little bready Palate: Dried fruit, strong sherry notes, liquorice, berries and cream Finish: Medium long, sherried finish. Loads of dried fruit on the aftertaste This is from an undisclosed Speyside distillery, although we do know that it is from a distillery in the Edrington group. To me, it tasted like it could be a sherried Glenrothes. Parcel No 4 3 sherry butts 3.58% angels share Distilled: 2010 Bottled: 2020 Selected by Oliver Chilton Came joint fourth out of the six whiskies, with 11% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 61% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 March 2021). Nose: Vanilla, toffee, light spice Palate: Tropical fruit, pineapple, dark berry crumble Finish: Medium long finish, light wood & spice, dark fruit A very gentle, unassuming but very drinkable dram. It has a nice weight to it, probably due to the 46%, and has a nicely sherried finish. Spirit driven rather than heavily cask influenced. It’s a very well balanced, almost old-fashioned, whisky. Nice & easy drinking. Came first out of the six whiskies, with 27% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 73% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual American Whiskey Tasting, 26 February 2021) UK edition bottled at 56.4% Aged 4+ years Mashbill: 74% rye, 11% corn, 15% barley Nose: Vinegar, acetone, salt/brine, marzipan Palate: Dark chocolate, rye bread, vanilla, dark cherries Finish: Dank and earthy. There’s a burned rye note, with salt, pepper and oak There is a very long, velvety mouthfeel, with warming dark chocolate on the aftertaste. The acetone hit has negatively impacted my score, it did improve in the glass after a while but it was definitely a little too chemical initially. The sweetness is a little artificial, although not enough to be off putting. It is definitely rye heavy! The dark chocolate is almost overpowering, but just about kept in check. Nice! Came first out of the six whiskeys, with 50% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 80% of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey. This received my vote for best of the night.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual American Whiskey Tasting, 26 February 2021) Aged 4+ years Casks are aired for 48 months Mashbill: 79% corn, 11% rye, 10% barley Nose: Acetone, berries, summer fruit, vanilla Palate: Fruit, raisin, bitter lemon, oak, vanilla, a little earthy Finish: Woody/earthy notes. Sweet and muddy tasting. Lightly spicy and sweet on the aftertaste There’s an earthy, woodiness throughout, and an odd berry sweetness that is slightly astringent/sour. Came third out of the six whiskeys, with 15% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 80% of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual American Whiskey Tasting, 26 February 2021) Mashbill: 70% corn, 20% rye, 10% barley, Nose: Light spices (clove & cinnamon). A little non-descript Palate: Toffee, mocha/coffee, slightly burned taste. Saccharine sweetness Finish: Butter, light espresso, toffee. This is a weird hybrid. It’s OK, but doesn’t take the best of either the coffee or the bourbon. I was a little worried that it would be too heavy on the coffee, but it’s not overpowering. It’s a little too bitter to have as a session whisky. A couple would be quite pleasant, but no more than that. Came fourth out of the six whiskeys, with 10% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 75% of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual American Whiskey Tasting, 26 February 2021) This review is for the UK edition which has a slightly lower ABV of 42%. 70% corn, and a high rye content. Aged 8y/o Undisclosed distillery Nose: Berries, chocolate, oak, cherry sweets. Slightly artificial note. Palate: Vanilla, fruit, nutty and woody. Hints of buttered popcorn Finish: Vanilla, oak, sweet, burned wood, nutty, spices (cloves and black pepper). More popcorn at the end. This dram had a nice mouthfeel. There is a slightly artificial sweetness throughout. Wood and roasted nuts at the end, leaving a burned/sweet aftertaste. It’s a very easy drinking, pleasant dram, although a little forgettable. Came second out of the six whiskeys, with 20% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 70% of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual American Whiskey Tasting, 26 February 2021) Nose: Floral, vanilla, oak, moss, acetone Palate: Oak, caramel, popcorn, citrus, spice, black pepper Finish: Musty and short. Spicy and floral finish with a slightly sour aftertaste. Quite a ‘hot’ bourbon. Spicy and citrusy sour in the aftertaste. The main thing that let it down for my palate was the watery mouthfeel. There’s not a lot to it. Average and ultimately a little forgettable. Came fifth out of the six whiskeys, with 5% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 50% of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual American Whiskey Tasting, 26 February 2021) Nose: Apple, honey, brown sugar, sweet Palate: ‘Hot’, vanilla, black pepper, wood, nutty Finish: Slightly metallic. Sugary, oak, dusty, light char. Slightly sour aftertaste. Despite being slightly hot, it’s an easy dram to drink. The overarching flavour is nutty, woody and vanilla, although there is a little fruit in the background. Came last out of the six whiskeys, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 55% of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey.