Tastes

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Ardnamurchan Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 November 2020). Nose: Sweet, fruit, smoke, burnt pastry, cut grass Palate: Sweet peat, floral, seaweed, gristy, coastal, meaty/BBQ Finish: Long finish, smoke, smooth subdued peat. Citrus/lemon at the very end. A very clean finish. Came joint fourth out of the six whiskies, with 2% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (73% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Ardnamurchan Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 November 2020). This was originally advertised as 67.4% ABV, however this was a typo and it should have been 61.4% - I'm sure that will make all the difference!!! Nose: Burnt caramel/maple syrup, medicinal (children't medicine), black tea. A tiny hint of banana. Palate: Syrup, liquorice, dark fruit, leather, yeast extract, 'Fisherman's Friend'! Finish: Smoky, leather, liquorice, spicy, cocoa, woody/charred. A long finish. This is a dark, warming and 'funky' dram. It is a little special. It has a really nostalgic feel to it and it reminded me of Chelsea Whopper sweets when I was a little boy! It also reminded me a little of Talisker Distiller's Edition (especially the 2002) which is an absolute favourite of mine. Lovely, although it's only available via a ballot, so it's unlikely it's one I'll be trying again any time soon. Came runaway first out of the six whiskies, with 66% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (93% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Ardnamurchan Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 November 2020). Two sherry butts, 332 which is a peated butt and 333 which is an unpeated butt. Both were filled on the same day as 'sister casks'. Nose: Sherry bomb! Sugar, liquorice, sweet, alcohol hit, allspice Palate: Dark fruit, chocolate, cocoa, allspice/cinnamon. Finish: Dry fruit, earthy, pepper, Frazzles crisps. A little burn on the very end. Not 'hot' despite the young age - lovely mouthfeel that really coats the mouth. Came second out of the six whiskies, with 17% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (85% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Ardnamurchan Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 November 2020). 18ppm by the time it is bottled. Old Forrester bourbon cask, Bottled in Fife. Nose: Sweet, peat, citrus. A little herbal and mineral. Palate: Smooth, honey/spice. Apple, brown sugar, pears (very heavily), vanilla. Finish: Sweet peat 'funk', ash, caramelised brown sugar. Still some mineral/herbal (tarragon). Not likely to be a retail release. This was drawn straight from the cask for the tasting, but is available at the distillery. There is a really nice 'chewy' mouthfeel. Exceptionally well integrated for such a young whisky. Came third out of the six whiskies, with 12% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (83% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Ardnamurchan Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 November 2020). Nose: Orange peel, sherry, fruit forward, a little brine. Palate: Christmas fruits and spices, barley sugar, pepper. You can really get the PX flavours - cherries, chocolate, cocoa. Finish: Funky dark peat, light smoke, salt & iodine. A nice little zingy/zest at the end. Blend of a single cask from each of Kilchoman and Ardnamurchan distilleries. Kilchoman's cask was a bourbon cask / Ardnamurchan's cask was a peated Pedro Ximénez sherry cask (Concerto barley). 1 of 686 bottles KilchArd - Pronounced Kill Hard. The bottle has loads of Die Hard references, including the names of both owners being 'Bruce' and 'Wills'. Came joint fourth out of the six whiskies, with 2% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (71% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky).

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Ardnamurchan Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 November 2020). Nose: Honey, vanilla, brine. Very light smoke. Palate: Summer fruits, subtle peat smoke, honey, brine/salt, marzipan. Slightly 'hot' but not distractingly so. Finish: Tannic, plum & dark fruit, leather. Lingering salty peat right at the end. There is a rich, waxy mouthfeel. A good amount of complexity for it's age. This comes across as a well made dram. I'll be interested to see what they are producing with a few more years on the spirit. Bottling date: 09/20 Batch: 01 (Only batch of 2020) 16,000 bottles worldwide (2,000 in the UK allocation) Made-up of 53 casks. 65% bourbon, 35% sherry. 50/50 split peated and unpeated This would be a 5y/o if it had an age statement, with the oldest spirit in the batch being 6y/o (which is the oldest spirit made by Ardnamurchan). Came last of the six whiskies, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (78% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky). Suffered from being the first of the evening and possibly the least remarkable, but that shouldn't diminish the fact that this is an excellent young whisky.

(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Fruit forward, roasted barley, honey, vanilla, lightly floral Palate: Creamy, peat smoke, honey, apples/pears, warm ginger Finish: Vanilla, sweet wood smoke, sweet cocoa, dark chocolate, oak, leather Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, virgin American oak and sherry casks. Peated to 45ppm prior to distillation. Overall, this is a very well integrated whisky. All of the layers meld with each other and the light sweet peat smoke lingers in the background throughout. Lovely mouthfeel and a great sipper. It was a toss-up between this an the Twelve for my favourite of the tasting. Both are very good, and very different whiskies. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.

(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Very light sweet peat smoke, chocolate, baked goods, vanilla, dried fruit, damp wood Palate: Cloves, light wood smoke, sweet, orange, baked orchard fruit Finish: Oranges, pepper, Christmas spices (cinnamon and ginger), light sweet smoke. Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, PX & Oloroso sherry, and Marsala wine casks. This is another great introduction to a peated whisky. It's sweet and fruity with a nicely integrated light smoke, rather than a campfire heavy peated whisky. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.

(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Orange, dark chocolate, sweet dark fruits, berries Palate: Cherries, chocolate, plum/raisins/sultanas, cooked apples. Sweet & fruity. Finish: Sweet coffee, chocolate/cocoa, raisins, Christmas spices Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, port and PX/Oloroso sherry casks. Weighted towards the PX casks as evidenced by the chocolate, cherry and dried fruit notes. It has a lovely, chewy and coating mouthfeel. A little numbing, but very pleasant to sip. It's not a session whisky as such, but I could definitely drink a good few of these of an evening! Possibly my favourite of the tasting (although I can't decide between this and the CS Batch 1). It is a very well integrated dram, but the depth of the PX gives it a great chocolate cherry flavour that is a bit of a winter warmer. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.

(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Tropical fruit, honey, light caramel, light sweet caramel smoke Palate: Oily/ waxy, sweet light peat, cinnamon and ginger spices, maple syrup Finish: Campfire smoke, butter, salted caramel, plantain/banana, gooseberries at the very end. Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, virgin American oak and Jamaican rum casks. Peated to 45ppm prior to distillation. There is a nice sweetness to the peat that is very different to an Islay. Quite a gentle introduction to peated whisky, and a nice hint of the tropical fruit of the rum. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.