Tastes

Mix of five grains; corn, wheat, barley, spelt & rye. Matured in a range of barrels for 4-15 years; Virgin American White Oak, American White Oak, French Barrels & Sherry Barrel. Nose: Sweet, candle wax, children’s breakfast cereal. Slightly artificial and rubbery. Palate: Barley, malt, and dried herbs. Smooth mouthfeel. Dusty, woody notes. Finish: Medium short finish. Slightly souring on the aftertaste - think citrus peel. Quite oaky as it lingers on the palate. This is the first Austrian whisky I’ve ever tried. It does have the hallmarks of a decent grain whisky. For my taste, I’d probably not drink this as a neat dram, it has a ‘with mixer’ feel to it, but it’s not bad at all.

First dram of 2021! Happy New Year! Nose: Sweet, chocolate orange, with a biscuitiness and a slightly sour note underneath Palate: Sherry upfront. Velvet smooth mouthfeel, a combination of fresh fruit (oranges and plums) and dried fruit (raisins, sultanas and apricots). There’s then a good hit of spices (pepper and dried chillies), and a little vanilla and caramel. Finish: the finish is medium short. Still a lovely gentle mouthfeel, with more orange and pepper and moving into a little clove and chocolate right at the end. It’s not an oily dram, so it doesn’t coat the mouth at all. I’m not a cigar smoker so I might not be getting the full effect, but this is still a delicious, soft and well integrated dram. It’s layers sit well with each other. The layers keep changing and blending with each other moving from the sweet, fruity upfront flavours, through the spices and into the chocolatiness at the finish. This is a very moreish whisky, I found myself wanting to go back more and more to this. I suspect my bottle might not last very long!

(WoodWinters Glenmorangie/Ardbeg Online Zoom tasting, 9th December 2020. Hosted by Brendan McCarron, Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks at Glenmorangie). Nose: Charcoal. Salt/brine. Sweet black tea. Palate: More of the salt, but with a good hit of medicinal iodine/TCP and some aniseed. There is some BBQ smoke, but less meaty than a 10y/o. There's some lime and more of the black tea that was hinted at on the nose. Finish: Tobacco, smokey. Tannic and woody. More of the campfire and saltiness. There is an odd, welcome sweetness at the finish, it's not the most obvious note, but it is definitely there at the finish. This is a fantastic dram. There is a drying mouthfeel with a long (almost dusty) finish, so it could never be a session whisky, but well worth the occasional dram.

(WoodWinters Glenmorangie/Ardbeg Online Zoom tasting, 9th December 2020. Hosted by Brendan McCarron, Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks at Glenmorangie). Nose: Boggy, sweet and meaty. Salt/brine with a rotting seaweed hint. Underneath, you can pick out some vanilla, pear and apple. Palate: Salt/brine - seaside notes. Sweet orchard fruit. Damp earth, wood and peat. There's a meatiness and a hint of engine oil throughout. Finish: Stays sweet all through with more salt and bog all the way to the end. On the aftertaste there is a souring which does show its youth. This is a tasty dram. It's like a more fiery 10y/o. I really rather liked this for its unabashed rawness. 55ppm or above at malting. Wooden washbacks at distillation. Aged in a combination of Oloroso sherry and ex-bourbon casks.

(WoodWinters Glenmorangie/Ardbeg Online Zoom tasting, 9th December 2020. Hosted by Brendan McCarron, Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks at Glenmorangie). Nose: Orchard fruit/berries, sugar, coffee Palate: Dark chocolate, honey, black & red berries, raisins Finish: Bitter dark chocolate, star anise, cherries. Coats the mouth. Slightly floral, with some pepper/spice at the very end. Has a strange light pink/purple hue! There is a lovely, unctuous & slightly numbing mouthfeel. The standard spirit spends 10 years in ex-bourbon casks before finishing for 4 years in ruby port casks (a mix of 225L barriques - for more port influence - and 700L pipes). Apparently, this makes an amazing old fashioned!

(WoodWinters Glenmorangie/Ardbeg Online Zoom tasting, 9th December 2020. Hosted by Brendan McCarron, Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks at Glenmorangie). Nose: Sweet, chocolate raisins / dark fruit Palate: Sweet & oily, sherried fruit, orange, chocolate cherries, demerara sugar. Some mild, Christmassy spices. Finish: Long, orange peel, sweet & nutty. Some light citrus, dark chocolate bitterness. A hit of spice at the very end. Deep, dark colour with lots of oily legs in the glass! 10 years in ex-bourbon, finished for 2 years in Oloroso and PX casks - all first fill casks

(WoodWinters Glenmorangie/Ardbeg Online Zoom tasting, 9th December 2020. Hosted by Brendan McCarron, Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks at Glenmorangie). Nose: Vanilla, citrus, syrup. There is a hint of Victoria sponge about the nose! Palate: Citrus, quite tart. Vanilla, white chocolate, nutty/marzipan, salt & butter, dark dried fruit. Finish: Long, pleasantly bitter finish. Citrus, light fruit, pastry. A little woody. Overall, a clean, salty and biscuity dram. Sours on the aftertaste, but with the residual sweetness it's very pleasant for it! Water adds more bright fruit notes. It does make it less complex and adds some wood at the very end, The spirit is their standard 10y/o which is then finished 'for a number of years' on Tokaji casks. I was a bit wary of this whisky. I didn't like the 'Cake' branding as I expected it to be much sweeter than it actually is. This is a lovely dram. The casks are from Royal Tokajo barriques from a range of different vintages (mostly 225L, with some 300L).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 27 November 2020). 1 of 3600 bottles Nose: Rich, toffee, sweet smoke, meaty/BBQ (?), coastal/brine Palate: Dried dark fruit (prunes), herbal (coriander), nutty, light/sweet peat, musty/sulphur. There is a recognisable ‘Campbeltown funk’ that is common for anything produced by Springbank distillery. Finish: Very smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Slightly citrus/ sour, light sweet smoke. This whisky seems to come in waves. I moved from ‘I really like this!’ to ‘Ewww – sulphur, mushroom, dank’ and back again from sip to sip. It’s weird. I don’t love it, but it is wonderfully interesting! It has so many layers – some great, some less so, but it is a beautifully complex and well balanced dram. Came joint second of the six whiskies, with 17% (4) of the final vote for favourite of the night. (78% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 27 November 2020). Nose: Sweet berries, bright, sherried. There is an obviously grape note to the nose. Palate: Dark chocolate cherries, rich and fruity. There is a huge heavy mouthfeel that is full and coats the mouth. Finish: Port/red wine, waxy, sweet (pudding) wine. There is a slightly salty/dusty/dry aftertaste. Cask: French oak. Ex-Sassicaia Tuscan wine cask Distilled: 27/03/2008 Bottled: 15/09/2020 1 of 274 bottles Cask number: 08/110 There is a slightly chemical backnote that detracts from the experience a little - but that is really nitpicking! This is a lovely dram. Came third of the six whiskies, with 13% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (70% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky). I have to say, this was a great dram. It didn't get my vote for favourite, but it was one of the most interesting of the tasting and for that it deserves high praise.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 27 November 2020). Nose: Children's sweets, light tropical fruit, banana. Hints of oil and furniture polish Palate: Wood. Pepper, vanilla. Very fresh, bright and 'zingy'. Orchard fruit - pears, quince and apples. A little 'hot' Finish: Medium long finish. Sour apples, wood, chilies There is a distinct 'woodiness' throughout that concentrates in the mouth through to the aftertaste. There is a tannic dryness to the whisky, but it is not overwhelming due to the zingy fruit notes. This is a lovely dram. Came first of the six whiskies, with 35% (8) of the final vote for favourite of the night. (91% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).