Tastes
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Nose: Very light. Earthy and herbal. Slight sweetness. Palate: Alcohol upfront that dissipates quickly. Biscuits and malt. Some honey sweetness and tart apples/pears. Finish: Slightly sour and malty. A little saltiness. Quite a long finish that tails into a slightly bitter aftertaste. Overall, this is quite a pleasant dram. It leaves a pleasantly honeyed coating to the mouth that lingers for ages after the bitterness recedes. Not a bad dram.33.9 GBP per Bottle
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Benriach Pedro Ximenez Cask 13 Year 2005
Single Malt — Morayshire, Scotland
Reviewed August 14, 2020 (edited August 20, 2020)(Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Whisky Tasting, Friday 14th August 2020) Cask No: 5278 UK Exclusive Bottles at 56.4% Nose: Alcohol heavy upfront. Dark fruits and apple. Palate: Oranges, dark fruit (plums), dates, figs and malt. Finish: Medium finish. Ginger, toffee, spices and raisins. Water doesn’t change this dramatically. Some more ginger and more distinct fruit, but very much the same. This came second of the six whiskies tasted with 30% of the vote for favourite.97.5 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co. -
(Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Whisky Tasting, Friday 14th August 2020). An eighteen year old malt from an un-named Orkney distillery - almost certainly Highland Park. Bottled by A D Rattray in spring 2018. Nose: Fragrant, butter, oats, light vanilla Palate: Buttery, salty, light sweet peat smoke Finish: Nutty, long finish, dusty oak/ wood. Drying peaty finish. Citrus aftertaste. Well balanced between smokey, salty and oily. Nicely weighted. Water brings out more of the oak and fruit and softens the oak. The finish becomes drier and more wooded. This came joint third of the six whiskies tasted with 10% of the vote for favourite. This was my favourite of the tasting.69.0 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co.
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Macduff 2008 11 Year Old (Adelphi Selection Cask)
Single Malt — Highland, Scotland
Reviewed August 14, 2020(The Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Whisky Tasting, Friday 14th August 2020) Cask No: 800815 1 of 264 bottles Macduff is always an independent bottling, the distillery puts out their releases under the Deveron brand (named for the river that passes the distillery). Nose: fresh oak, spices, chocolate Palate: Malty, nutty and spicy. Peaches and fudge/toffee sweet (not sugary) Finish: Short finish. More sherry and oak. A smooth, strong flavour. Well balanced. Water lengthens the finish. A little more citrus on the finish. This came first of the six whiskies tasted with 50% of the vote for favourite. For me it was a very close second place.75.0 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co. -
Dalmunach 2016 3 Year The Octave Duncan Taylor
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed August 14, 2020(The Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Whisky Tasting, Friday 14th August 2020). Nose: Herbal, vanilla, creamy, apple, and strongly honeyed. Pine nut & walnut. Palate: Hot at the first taste. Oily, pepper, smoky and woody. Quite fruity (apple & lemon). Alcohol heavy with the wood. Finish: Sour, silky, biscuity, buttery. Water gives a citrus note and increases the buttery notes. Overall, this is not a complex dram but it is quite pleasant. It stands up well for such a young dram. I’ll be interested to see what they bring out in a few years time. This came joint last of the six whiskies tasted with 0% of the vote for favourite.51.0 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co. -
(The Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Whisky Tasting, Friday 14th August 2020) I like the transparency of Compass Box. Although current regulations don’t permit them to put the breakdown of the blend on the bottle, a quick internet search allows you to see what you are drinking. I’d have liked to see the ages, but that’s a minor reservation. Strathmill, refill hogshead: 34% Balmenach, refill hogshead: 34% Clynelish, re-charred hogsheads: 20% Clynelish, refill sherry butt: 10% Glendullan, first fill sherry butt: 2% Nose: Strong bourbon influence. Fruity and vanilla. Palate: A little ‘hot’ on the first taste but quickly calms into the main flavours. Clean and fruity (pears), some light oak. Finish: Short finish. Creamy, malty (Horlicks). Salty and herbal at the very end. This has a lovely mouth feel. It’s a smooth, easy to drink blended malt. This came joint third of the six whiskies tasted with 10% of the vote for favourite.95.5 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co.
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Oban Distillers Edition
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed August 9, 2020 (edited April 22, 2023)Distilled: 2005 Bottled: 2019 Release: OD 168.FE Nose: Fruit scone, cinnamon, baked goods Palate: Fruit heavy, spicy and salty. There’s an almost Christmassy back note with the fruit and spices, it even has a slightly citrus peel note right at the end. Finish: A medium long finish. A little peat, and more of the salt and spices. Still more of the lovely, juicy fruit. Overall, this is a juicy and layered dram. There’s a sweet, bright fruitiness from the Montilla Fino casks. It’s doesn’t pick up the dryness the wine is known for, but pulls out some of the light vibrancy of the fruit. There are some lovely layers to this whisky, you can still pick out the character of the standard 14y/o, but with the fruit and spice from the finishing casks it gives it its own distinct feel. This is a very lovely dram. Not a ‘session’ dram necessarily, but very moreish.44.99 GBP per Bottle -
Nose: Light, seaside, fruit (apple and pear), a little acetone and oil Palate: More fruit and Demerara sugar. Sweet and fruity, with some body to it. There’s some dried apricot and sultanas, with a strange artificial tang to the fruit notes. Waxy and coats the mouth. Finish: Much of the same on the finish. Medium long, which sours into the aftertaste. There are some sour fruit notes and a spicy, peppery finish. Again strangely artificial. My main takeaway from this whisky is it’s artificialness. There’s something about it that just doesn’t taste quite right. It’s difficult to put your finger on what the flavour is, but it does linger and coats the palate. Despite this, it’s actually not unpleasant to drink. It’s an OK dram, but a little plasticy. Odd.45.95 GBP per Bottle
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The UK version of this is a very ordinary 40% rather than the slightly more interesting US version at 45%. Nose: Penny caramel, vanilla and an odd artificial sugary sweetness. Palate: Sweet sugary coffee, bitter spices, more of the oak and coffee and a large hit of vanilla and fruit (raisins and apples) Finish: There is a medium long finish, but not necessarily in a good way. More toffee, artificial sweetness and spices that quickly sour in the aftertaste. Overall, this is a fairly average bourbon. It’s a decent price point for what you get. There is nothing wrong with this at all, it’s just a bit ‘meh’. It works pretty well in a cocktail, but as a dram on its own, there are better bourbons out there27.5 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co.
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Tomatin Cask Strength
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 25, 2020 (edited December 21, 2020)(Good Spirits Company, Glasgow. Virtual Whisky Tasting Saturday 25th July 2020). Nose: Nutty, penny caramel, vanilla Palate: Ginger, malty, Caramac chocolate, sweet fudge. Quite alcohol heavy. Finish: Quite a short finish. There is some fudge, vanilla and pepper which all dissipate quite quickly leaving the pepperiness. Water really opens this one out to give more of the fruit (apple and banana), and a load of fudge and vanilla. With or without the water, it has a lovely waxy full bodied mouthfeel which feels almost decadent. Another nice dram. Out of the 6 drams on the tasting, this achieved 17% of the vote for favourite which made it joint second place, but the common consensus was that all 6 were really too close to call.52.0 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co.
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