Tastes

(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).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 27 November 2020). Nose: Honey, golden syrup, floral Palate: Full and with a beautifully rich mouthfeel. Dark caramelised oranges, sweet and spicy. Finish: Sweet & Spicy, barley sugar sweets, oak, pepper and ginger. There is more of a feeling than a taste - it has a well crafted feel to it. This is an excellent whisky, but I don't think the price point is really justified. My score does not include any price reference, but I personally couldn't justify the price against other 'premium' whiskies. Came last of the six whiskies, with 0% (0) of the final vote for favourite of the night. (61% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky). This was a very close second for me. Unfortunately, someone in the tasting told everyone the price before the end - the idea being you vote before knowing the price so that it doesn't affect your vote. I suspect the price put a lot of people off from voting based on the discussion and the chat.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 27 November 2020). Nose: Toasted barley, sweet (sugar syrup), ginger Palate: Nutty, oak, bread/crackers, lemon, cinnamon, clove, very herbal. A little 'hot' from the obvious alcohol note. Finish: Citrus, golden syrup, dark chocolate. Crisp and 'zingy' with a grapefruit kick at the end. This is a spirit forward dram. It has a really lovely old fashioned feel due to it's spirit forward nature. It's equally spicy, warming and honeyed - with a citrus kick. Came joint second of the six whiskies, with 17% (4) of the final vote for favourite of the night. (74% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Premium Whisky Tasting, 27 November 2020). Nose: Sherry, dark fruit, sultanas, orange, brown sugar, aromatic spices Palate: Stewed fruit, orange, ginger, chocolate, black pepper, light wisps of smoke Finish: Sherry, light oak, red chilies, Christmas cake. Nicely sours at the very end. Medium long finish. This is a lovely dram. It suffers from a slightly thin mouthfeel, but it's a minor niggle. Came joint second of the six whiskies, with 17% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (65% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky). This was my vote for favourite, but it was a really close call between most of them.

Nose: Aromatic, herbal, castor sugar. Fruity and sweet. There’s a definite candied fruit note on the nose. Palate: Chocolate raisin, orange peel, espresso, roasted coffee bean, spices, wood. Finish: More coffee, citrus/ orange, spice. Sweetens in the aftertaste. This is a beautifully layered dram. There is a wonderful complexity with glimpses of tropical, honeyed fruit and spices. There is a definite elegance to this whisky. It tastes like an occasion dram for some reason that’s hard to put your finger on. Delicious!