Tastes

Nose: Boiled sweets, crystalised ginger, malt Palate: Dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), ginger, pepper and pine nuts Finish: Quite a short finish, more of the ginger and pepper. Still some sweet fruit which is quite bright and lively right at the end (Granny Smith and citrus) A drop of water really opens this up and you start to get a much more layered experience. The fruit really pops out at you, but you retain that lovely spiciness. Overall, I've been rather impressed with a lot of the Wolfburn releases. They have a consistent quality across the range and this is no exception. It's a little tight at the full 58% from the bottle, so I'd really recommend a couple of drops of water in this one - it really livens it up. Another nice dram from Wolfburn.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Came first out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 59% of the vote for favourite. I still agree with my previous notes: This is a nice peaty, sweet whisky. Honey, berries and vanilla are the main notes behind the peat. The aftertaste brings out a mild spiciness that I hadn’t really noticed before - cloves and chilli - but the main flavour is still that lovely warm, sweet peat. This is a lovely dram. I liked it enough to order a bottle after my first taste during the Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival 2020.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Distilled: September 2007 Bottled from a single sherry butt in August 2019 Limited release of 618 bottles Nose: Chocolate toffees, honey, butterscotch, Crunchie chocolate bar Palate: Alcohol heavy up-front. Very rich, chocolate, toffee, sweet. Finish: Dark chocolate, quite bitter. Hay, fennel and herbs on the finish. Slightly sour at the very end. Creamy mouthfeel. A few drops of water opens it up. Overall, this is quite a weighty and heavy dram. Came fourth out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 9% of the vote for favourite.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Distilled: November 2004 Bottled: November 2019 Limited edition: 1 of 355 bottles Nose: Sweet, fruity (summer berries), apricots Palate: Honey upfront, light malt, pears, barley sugar sweets, light woodiness. Tastes like a hot toddy! Finish: Honey, orange peel, caramelised ginger at the very end. A very slight sourness in the aftertaste. Very light overall. Not heavy on the wood. This is quite an elegant, light whisky. Extremely easy to drink, not challenging in the slightest! Came fifth out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 5% of the vote for favourite. This was the lightest of all the whiskies and I think might have fared better if there were fewer heavy hitters and peated whiskies.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Limited edition: 1 of 3,000 bottles Nose: Smoke, vanilla, wood, sweet peat (not Islay style) Palate: Oaky, nutty, a little spicy, burned wood Finish: Very short finish, mostly light smoke char and wood, crème brûlée, some salt at the very end. Better with a few drops of water, but still mainly light smoke. Being kind, it is a relatively inoffensive dram. Came dead last out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 0% of the vote for favourite.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Spring 2020 Edition: Eighteen ex bourbon hogsheads from 2006 and 2007 were vatted together for this limited edition Islay single malt. Nose: Light smoke, citrus / lemon, sea air Palate: Gentle bonfire smoke, toffee, seaweed, citrus, light gentle dry peat smoke Finish: Long warm finish, pepper, gentle smoke, herbal / vegetal at the very end. Probably distilled at Caol Ila. This is an entry level peated malt. Nice and easy to drink. Came joint second out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 14% of the vote for favourite.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Nose: Floral, spice, vanilla, honey, golden syrup Palate: Chocolate, rose petals, spiced tea / chai. Oddly, it reminded me a little of a spiced vanilla rum. Finish: Chocolate, honey, sweet fruit cake / Christmas pudding Well layered and complex. Has a light, sweet vanilla taste all through that is very pleasant. Very nice mouthfeel. Came joint second out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 14% of the vote for favourite.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Pappy Van Winkle Tasting, 4th July 2020). Bottle No: K3876 Nose: Acetone, oak, pear drops Palate: Hardly any sweetness, concentrated, cinnamon, treacle toffee, dry tannins. Finish: Salty, dry, leather, dates.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Pappy Van Winkle Tasting, 4th July 2020) . Nose: Savoury, herbal / vegetal, nutty, acetone. Palate: Smooth, sweet, almost fizzy on the tongue, complex layered flavours, cherries, dark fruit. Had a slightly ‘funky’ note to it (like a Campbeltown funk). Finish: Maraschino cherries, pine, oak sap, slightly sour, drying/dusty at the very end. Tasted concentrated with lots of new oak. This was my vote for best of the tasting.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Pappy Van Winkle Tasting, 4th July 2020) . Nose: Acetone, oil based paint Palate: Alcohol heavy, slightly sour, prunes, dates, raisin, wood resin Finish: Banana, chilli, spices, apple, oak, rum on the aftertaste. Rich and warming. This had the highest number of votes as best of the tasting. I preferred the 20 and 23, but this was still a very nice bourbon.