Tastes

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 08 October 2022). Nose: Fruit, toffee caramel, nutty, orange, slightly floral Palate: Fresh, citrus, nutty/walnut, very woody as it builds on the palate, malty Finish: Medium long finish. Dry, gristy, wood/oak. Slightly minty and herbal. Sweetens on the aftertaste and more of the woodiness Tasty and woody, with a load of high fruity notes on the palate, but developing into a sweet woodiness on the finish. They don't disclose the distillery, but my guess is that it could easily be a Blair Athol. This is what I'd consider a quaffing whisky. Really easy drinking and well priced. Cracker! 1 of 2,148 Bottles Bottled: 2021 Vatting of ten first fill hogsheads Came last out of the six drams, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 47% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 16 September 2022). Nose: Woody, gristy, wet peat, tropical fruit notes (mango/papaya) Palate: Orange, pepper, chilli, dried meat, hairspray, caramelised fruit Finish: Long finish. Mud & earth, sweet smoke, lightly burned caramel, vanilla, old oak, leather bound books This is a beautiful dark and musty dram, but with some amazing tropical fruit notes on the palate. Chewy, fruity, peaty, sweet and beautifully aged - delicious! Fab! Fab! Fab! 2022 release Matured in ex-sherry casks Peated for 48 hours Came first out of the six drams, with 63% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 94% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky. This got my vote for favourite of the tasting.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 16 September 2022). Nose: BBQ pork, tobacco, sweet dried fruit Palate: Very sweet, gentle peat, Demerara sugar, baking spices - clove/cinnamon, dates, dark chocolate, light smoke (warm, wood smoke) Finish: Long finish. Coffee, ginger, malt loaf, sweet, wet peat smoke, BBQ, leather. The aftertaste brings a wisp of grape - but possibly that is a mental note rather than actual) This is all about the young peatiness. Soft, gentle and sweet. You don't get much of the cognac other than the texture and sweetness. Cask numbers: 18/963 and 18/964 Virgin American white oak barrels Filled: 14th of March 2018 Moved into ex-cognac barriques:18th of November 2020 Bottled: 16th of June 2022. 1 of 882 bottles Came joint third out of the six drams, with 11% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 29% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 16 September 2022). Nose: Toffee, buttered popcorn, crème brûlée Palate: Toffee, vanilla, dark chocolate, banana chips, coconut, nutty and woody Finish: Long finish. Dark chocolate, malt loaf, IPA beer, oak and toast Cask Number: #646 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel 1 of 242 bottles This would be a great whisky for a beer chaser. Oak, coconut nutty and caramel. Very easy drinking, a tasty, wee young dram. Came joint third out of the six drams, with 11% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 76% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 16 September 2022). Nose: Dried fruit, chocolate cherries, strawberry laces Palate: Dark dried fruits - dates/prunes, chocolate Finish: Medium finish. Dried bananas, dates, dried fig, leather and a load of sherry! 7 months finishing in a PX hogshead 1 of 372 bottles Bottled: August 2022 This is a heavily sherried dram. Tasty as hell! Fruit, sherry and a swathe of chocolate covered dried fruit. Little to no spirit character left - it could easily be from any distillery - but it's a big, chewy, delicious dram. Came second out of the six drams, with 16% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 76% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 16 September 2022). Nose: Caramel, apricot, pear drop sweets, floral Palate: Green apple, peach, melon - very fruity. Caramel and some gristy notes Finish: Medium finish. Cinnamon, ginger, oak, more fruit (edging on the tropical). Toasted oak. 1 of 554 bottles Distilled: 02 June 2009 Bottled: 21 July 2022 Bottled by Hannah Whisky Merchants Ltd. for their Dalgety range Cask Nos: #800484 #800485 (ex-bourbon and virgin oak) Fruity, gristy, and spicy on the finish where there is a drier mouthfeel. You can taste the Whyte and Mackay heritage, although much fuller and with more layered complexity. A wee cracker! Came joint last out of the six drams, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 47% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 16 September 2022). Nose: Citrus, lime, apple, floral Palate: Vanilla, cereal, malty/gristy, orchard fruit (peach/apple) Finish: Medium long finish. Floral, gristy, ginger, nutty Produced using the 2011 harvest of 5-15 hectares or Bere barley supplied by the Agronomy Institute of Orkney College. Came joint last out of the six drams, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 47% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

Nose: Baking spices - cinnamon, dried fruit, toffee apple, floral Palate: Mellow and gentle. Toffee apple, orange, ginger, cinnamon Finish: Medium short finish. Oak, ginger, oak, vanilla, sultanas. Dry and nutty on the aftertaste. This is an easy drinking, sherried and layered dram, ultimately drying on the aftertaste.

Nose: Sherry, dried fruit, prunes and raisins, coffee Palate: Sweet, malty, light smoke, vanilla, dry light oak Finish: Short finish. Dry, lightly nutty, gristy, light smoke, crystalised ginger, oak and char. Lightly souring on the aftertaste, grapefruit. Very light, thin mouthfeel. Sherried, oaky and dry. Gristy, dried fruit grows on the aftertaste.

Nose: Citrus, fruity, kids' sweets, sweet, grassy, grainy Palate: 'Hot' and a little oak spice. Sweet and tropical fruit. Pastry, vanilla, dark chocolate. Wisps of char smoke. Finish: Short finish. Citrus and orange. Light spiciness on the aftertaste. Sweet, 'hot', unrefined, but not particularly unpleasant for it. Pub whisky - a bit 'meh', but OK. I tried this back-to-back with a dram of Spearhead. The Spearhead has a more mature (if still 'meh') flavour profile. Spearhead is made on the same stills, using the same ingredients, but a different cut and barrel management approach. Interesting to see the difference.