Tastes

Yeah, that’s a BenRiach right of the bat. The typical Speysider with an extra portion of herbs and malty brittle. Very nice and deep nose - rich and sweet. Sweet and herbal on the palate as well with a fruity vibrance. Malty and oaky. The finish is medium long and leaves a spicey cola taste with some woody bitterness on the tongue. While this is a good whisky for sure, I think on its own it feels a bid to straight and one sided. But this would be a great base to finish in some exotic casks which BenRiach has some great expertise in.

This a independently bottled Bunnahabhain consisting of 10 year old whisky casks that belong to Jack Wieber and that were bottled by Laing Co. Nice clean and sweet nose introduces this pale umber whisky. It is a small batch and I assume there were only ex-bourbon casks used. There is also a nice vanilla and soft white wine on the nose that has some sweet vinegar qualities. Also apple crumble and dry straw. Very nice. Not overly intense but definitely with a lot of character. The palate arrives malty sweet with the right amount of soft ginger burn and a mild but distinct fruity sourness. A nice spicey and flavorful finish rounds this up to a enjoyable whisky. It is simple. It is straight forward. It is fresh. It is a nice whisky.

I got this independently bottled Ardmore expression at my local whisky shop who is one of seven shops who get these Speakeasy bottlings. As I understand they are casks owned by a certain Jack Wieber who lets Laing Co. of Scotland store and bottle these whiskies. This one here comes highly recommended by the whisky store owner who secured a couple of them for himself - so let’s see what it is about. Nose: Salt & Peat. Also a lingering sweetness. Simple but likable. The peat is very present, briny, not chemical, medium strong and definitely the strong suit. Palate: Very nice as well. With 46% ABV stronger than expected but it plays along nicely to nutty flavors. Also sugary crust of a crispy pie and light berries (strawberry). Well balanced and quite intense. The young age is definitely contributing to this intensity and makes it exiting, fresh and quite an experience.

Very intense and rich nose with a lot of green fruits, raisins, green banana - quite intense for a Speysider. The palate is equally intense. Again lots of raisins and dried fruits along fresh and sour fruits. After some sips the oak from the casks really start to introduce bitter tannins and a bid of vanilla along a good bunch of herbs. It is deep and rich and definitely a well crafted whisky but doesn’t really fit in a spot where I can get to like it.

Now that the nice staff of @Distiller added this bottle I will use that occasion to put out my review. I have this bottle for a while now and had a few drams already. I got this bottle after I had a sample of the 18y which I really liked. I also have other Arran whiskies because I am starting to become a little fanboy for them. Really nice distillery and whisky. Nose: wine gummies, red sour grapes, marzipan with honey, mixed citrus fruits, white chocolate, grains, close to become turned yellow autumn apples, white nougat / Turkish honey. Even if this is what a lot of whiskies offer on their nose Arran has something special in between it all which I can’t really define but is what I really like about it. The alcohol isn’t very present but that is probably result of the Norlan glass I use at the moment. A really well put together collection of aromas. James Mac Taggart knows his stuff. It a nose that you simply like. Palate: starts of really mild and mellow / smooth. Then it puts an interesting coat on your tongue that is made of dates, chili, dried green herbs, dark chocolate and a bid of earthyness (mushrooms) which in combination is very pleasant. It becomes more woody / oaky later and goes down with a warming sweet and cotton-like chili burn. The finish is great. Caramel, dried fruits, herbs and some fruity orange-like sourness while being all smooth and oily. Water release more sweetness and also more alcohol on the nose. Recommended but I have to say the 18y from what I remember it was nearly equally good. The 21y is smoother though, goes deeper in its aromas and has a longer finish.

And here we are. The last dram of a now empty bottle. A fine bottle it was. When I try new whisky I always try to find something unique that stands out from the general variants. And Springbank for sure is unique - you can easily blind-identify its - that’s how defined it flavors are. Nose: dry grains, summer hay, apple peel, nutty, lots of vanilla, lemon, sour peaches, crispy cereals and surrounding everything a soft and delicious peat - just minor but it really adds to the character of this intriguing nose. Palate: sweet peat at first, wood chips, vanilla, sweet cookies with a bid of cream, hay and then there is a very unusual hard to grasp taste that is bid like seaweed or wet moss. It is just really great.

Nose: sherry galore, ripe red berries, sourish honey, pineapple, red grapes, light chocolate. All in all rich and more fresh instead of an expected sweetness. Palate: very interesting. Next to a sour fruitiness I got a nice pine tree resin taste. That’s new - never had that before. Also a heavy sweet cranberry jam taste, spicey cloves and some intense dry wood. Finish: long, a little numbing white pepper burn, a fruity bitterness like when you bite into the peel of an orange. A very deep and rich Irish whisk(e)y. Really something different. Even if it came across a little rough the experience is very unique and interesting.

Nose: the same spice and dry summer hay you know from the classic 10y, some minerals (beach sand), walnuts, tomato and some fresh cuts stone fruit with vanilla. To be honest - not much different than the 10y really. Palate: oh ok well the palate and finish are much more intense than the 10y. Wow, really an improvement in the Springbank palette. Super sweet and malty, ginger, lots of mixed dry spices (garam masala, cumin, megnut, juniper, all spice and stuff like that). What a rollercoaster of tastes. I really like it. It’s a nicely put together whisky and interesting in contrast with the younger expression. But to be very honest the 10y isn’t worse really and I must say I like them equally. The 18 is more mellow and not as aggressive. It is different - yes - but both are equally good for what they are. I’m not sure if it is necessary to try the popular 15y as well but I will see what other Springbanks there are - the character is really unique and likeable.

The nose opens up very flavorful. Creamy and buttery, very smooth, not the slightest alcohol noticeable, the peat really doesn’t come across as heavy but more as a nice fatty foundation to this whisky. Very nice. The palate then let’s the peat take a more dominant place and without water it really explodes in your mouth. It offers a very nice Nutella-hazelnut taste with brown melted butter. Add water to bring it down form it’s whopping 60% ABV to around 45 makes it less interesting but at least drinkable and let’s you enjoyed the subtle notes like fruit jam, vanilla ice cream, ginger and roasted caramelized cereal. The finish expectedly long and full. Not bad at all but inferior to the 12y regular bottling. They are hard to compare though because they are really different. I don’t really see the point of this whisky being over 60% ABV. doesn’t do it a lot of good. The nose though is really nice. Worth a dram but would chose the 12y regular over this one any time.

Nose: very liqueur-like, unusual for whisky really, next to the ethanoly fumes there is a bid of chocolate and cinnamon - all in all sadly not very enjoyable. The peat also isn’t really taking any place and is barely noticeable if at all. Strange. It is more a smoky kind of experience. Palate: intense and characterful, sadly the alcohol doesn’t leave much space for fine nuances to be discoverable but it for sure is different and very unique. Very spicy and not at all sweet. A bid of water really does it good. Improves the nose, palate and finish significantly. Definitely makes it much more approachable by bringing out a nice malty sweetness. Interesting. The late and long finish is very nice - the best part of this whisky in my opinion. Wow, what a curious dram that was. Interesting for sure but highly subjective and challenging. Really hard to get behind the likeable aspects of it. It definitely worth a try.