Tastes

Oak spice, slightly floral, hint of sweetness on the aftertaste. Very different from the 15, and not nearly as good.

A burst of citrus fruit opens the bidding on this Glen Scotia. There’s ginger spice too and then a fruity sweetness that stops just short of being too sweet. Dark chocolate nibs mark the finish. For as little as $40, this is amazing value.

I’m way behind on my reviews, so it’s almost a month since I had the pleasure of tasting a flight of Glen Scotia whiskies in the virtual company of Master Distiller Iain McAlister. This was my first proper introduction to the distillery and I was very impressed by the consistent quality across the many variations we tried and the bang they offer for your buck. Among the core range, the 15 was my favorite. It’s a delicious balance of spice and citrus with a lovely oily texture. There’s ginger on the nose and a sweet, spicy orange melange on the palate. The finish is long and effervescent, with a dash of salt and bitter orange rind. You can get a bottle of this for little more than $50, and at that price it’s one of the best bargains in whisky. I went into this event knowing very little about Springbank’s neighbor and came away a big fan.

Fall far enough down the Springbank rabbit hole and you’ll find yourself chasing a seemingly endless selection of casks to try across its three distillates. This variety is one of the things everyone loves about Springbank, especially when the official bottlings are so reasonably priced. But with more than 3,500 combinations listed on Whiskybase, at some point you’ll realize that the chase is an impossible pursuit that will drain you of money and time to try other distilleries. Maybe, like me, you’ll reach this pointwhen you look at your groaning backlog of samples and realize that you have enough Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn matured in various exotic barrels to last you several pandemics. What’s more, you may whisper to yourself (nervously, lest anyone overhear), not all of it is great. It’s rarely bad, but the sheer number of official and independent releases means inconsistency is inevitable. Once you reach this point, the sensible thing to do would be to step back and try to focus on your favorite combinations, or at least rule out those you don’t like. Sherry-cask Springbank is generally a win for me, the wine-matured Longrows are worth a try but rarely a home run and I’ll gladly leave the rum casks for other people. Hazelburn is frequently boring, but I’ll make an exception for the sherry casks. And the Society bottlings are so affordable, that it would be silly not to try them all. So much for a shortlist. I mention this because a recent tasting event provided the opportunity to compare a variety of bottles across not just the Springbank distillates but also its sister distillery Kilkerran. The epic line-up comprised four Springbanks (9-year local barley, 18-year official bottling and two independents aged 24 and 31), a Hazelburn 10 bottled by Cadenhead, a Longrow 15 and two Kilkerrans, the awesome 12 and the latest heavily peated batch. The best was the 24-year-old, a private bottling of a fresh sherry cask at 49%, but this latest version of the Local 9 put in a strong showing and was a fraction better than the previous edition. Pineapple stands out on the aroma and there’s more of it in the mouth, along with cream, lemon and toasty malt. A bit of water brings out its full potential. So I guess I need to add local barely to my list of best Springbank varietals and give up hope of ever getting out of this rabbit hole. See you at the bottom, if there is one.

Less smoky and more sweet than I would have expected, this is a very impressive demonstration that young whisky can be extremely drinkable. It’s not as complex or as seductive as the 10 — one sip is pretty much the same as another — but it’s a unique twiddle of the Ardbeg flavor profile dials that should appeal to people who want the smoke turned down a notch and the sweetness amped up. It’s leagues better than the An Ao and will make a passable stand-in for the 10, which will in shorter supply until at least 2024 because of poorly timed production cuts following its acquisition by LVMH. Thank you @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample.

This single barrel release from 2016 was finished in ex-White Port barrels from the Carcavelos region of Portugal after 12 years in ex-bourbon casks. Teeling claims this finish was a first for any whiskey and it sets a great precedent. It’s sweet and spicy, with notes of hot peppers and an aftertaste of white grapes.

A dank, funky nose like an old writing desks steers this Teeling release off the typical fruity path of its limited editions. There’s a distinct flavor of chestnuts and mushrooms on the palate, balanced by a lovely sweetness. The finish is long and zesty. Curiously tasty.

Continuing the notes from my recent Teeling tasting, this lightly peated malt is another fruity and spicy treat from the family vaults. Lovely mouthfeel and flavors of peaches and cream, if not quite as great as the best Revival releases.