Tastes

This is a real nostalgia trip for me. My grandfather used to drink this as a ‘special’ treat back in the late ‘70s / early ‘80s. He passed away before I was of drinking age, but it has stuck with me as his ‘special’ dram. I’ve had it often since then in its various rebrands and updated formulas, and I’ve enjoyed it often. First off, this is an extremely easy whisky to drink. The first taste is spicy and quite oaky, but it builds in sweetness (apple and golden syrup) as you take a few more sips. The finish is spicy and a little ashy, although still sweet. There isn’t the same alcohol hit you get from a lot of blended whiskies. It’s not a complex dram, it doesn’t have a lot of layers to it, but it’s a pleasant and easy to drink whisky that I’m very happy to revisit - and not just for the nostalgia! I’d have this before a lot of malts that are lauded by many!

As an entry level NAS to the Jura range, I think the best I can say is that it’s decidedly OK. There’s an upfront light alcohol hit, reminiscent of an average blend more than a decent Highland malt. It is light overall, with some hinted flavours of vanilla, caramel, fruit and a little spicy smoke. The finish is short with some residual spice and a hint of smoke. None of these flavours are very much at the forefront of the flavour, but rather they all hover around in the background. This is a perfectly drinkable dram. It’s reasonable at the typical discounted supermarket price point of c£22-25ish, but at the RRP at around £10 more there are other, more characterful whiskies that I’d choose over this expression.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. First off, this is an extremely easy whisky to drink. There’s a little peat in there (10ppm) and some coastal saltiness. It doesn’t have the wilder tastes of some of the Islay heavy hitters, but they have used some ex-Laphroaig Quarter Casks and you can certainly taste it throughout. The finish on this one brings out more smoke, some spiciness and an aftertaste of ginger and chilli that stays for ages. Another delicious dram from Wolfburn.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. Smoky, oily and a little spicy upfront. There are some nice peaty flavours that hide the fact that this is only a 3-year old whisky. They have used some ex-Laphroaig Quarter Casks and it certainly comes through on the flavour profile. It’s well balanced and easy to drink. It’s quite a light smoke and earthiness that comes through to the finish, but alongside the honey sweetness. I could spend a good evening on this. Nice!

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. This is a more interesting dram than many of the Mackmyra range. First off, there’s notes of cherry Bakewell tart and a strange pear sweetness. It reminds me more of a cherry brandy than a whisky. It has a finish of spice and dried fruit that lingers for ages. All in, a very nice dram, I’m just not sure it’s a whisky.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. This is unlike most Scotch and has its own character. Upfront, it’s quite vegetal, with some damp, green notes. It develops into sweet oak, vanilla and some dried fruit. It has a long, slightly spicy finish that sours as it fades. It tastes quite young (although they say it contains 8-30y/o spirits) and has some funky, mushroomy, salty back notes. It’s unusual in character. I’m not sure it’s one for me, but I’ll need to try a few more times before I decide.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. This is a bit of a mongrel due to the time in the cognac. A very light, fruity dram. Apparently, the spirit spends around 6-months in the cognac casks and the whisky itself is around the 5.5 year mark. There is some saline as it develops, but overall I get the plummy sweetness from the cognac more than anything. The aftertaste is quite long and warm. I’d certainly come back to this one. (Like the small batch, I had a bit of an allergic reaction to this one and couldn’t stop sneezing)!

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. This is a surprisingly good blend. Surprising because it’s very young - and it tastes young - but still has a creamy, peppery vanilla flavour. The cognac helps the blend of the grain with the malt. It’s fairly floral as it develops, with the faintest fruitiness. The floral nature made me sneeze with this one! A pretty decent blend and what I would consider a session whisky - assuming it doesn’t keep making me allergic-y!

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. There’s not much on the nose, but the initial taste is much creamier than I would have expected from a 5-year old. There are some nice vanilla and apricot flavours against a spicy, oaky background. There’s also a slightly odd gin hint in this one. Not strongly, but it has some in there. Overall, not bad. I’d certainly try others in their range and it’ll be interesting to see how it ages.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. There’s a lot of upfront citrus in this whisky, which initially gives quite a sour flavour, however it quickly develops into quite a nice sweet spicy dram. The finish stays spicy but fades back to the initial sour citrus notes. Overall, it’s a pleasant enough as a dram, but not very memorable.