Tastes

Another distillery that is new to me. Owned by Edrington, I think most of the output goes into Famous Grouse and is rarely bottled as a single malt. That’s a shame, because if this cask is typical it deserves to see the light of day more often. The nose is creamy with hints of coconut. The cream continues on the palate, where it is joined by shortbread and malty flavors. Another worthy bottling sampled at an evening with Adelphi.

Ardnamurchan is a new distillery from the owners of independent bottler Adelphi and has a couple of claims to uniqueness. Firstly, it’s located on the most westerly peninsula of the British mainland, so visiting it will require some commitment. Secondly, it claims to be the greenest distillery in Scotland, as all its power and heat come from local renewables and its byproducts are recycled. Fine, but how does it taste? Given its youth and anemic production volumes, the distillery hasn’t yet bottled anything old enough to count as whisky, but it is previewing its spirit with this blend of distillate aged from one to 3-1/2 years. (Under Scotch rules, that makes it a one-year-old, even though the oldest spirit in the blend would count as whisky if bottled alone.) The distillery is splitting its output between peated and unpeated, making each for six months of the year, and this release is a combination of both from a mix of PX and Oloroso sherry casks. Some of those casks come from the same place that supplies Glenfarclas, so it should be good quality wood. Indeed, the nose is distinctly sherry, with lots of orange notes. In the mouth it’s very rich and feels more like a liquor than a whisky, but it’s clear that most of the flavor is coming from the casks. The spirit was designed to be very light for extended aging, so it’s hard to get a sense of how it will taste in a few more years and in less active casks. Still, it’s tasty and worth a try, and didn’t feel out of place in an evening otherwise devoted to tasting Adelphi bottlings.

This was the fourth of 10 Adelphis I tried in one evening and the first Glen Garioch I’ve tasted. The nose is fruity and slightly funky, though not as much as some Springbanks. Surprisingly easy to drink at cask strength, it’s rich and creamy, with notes of apples and stone fruits. One of two bottles of the night that I might realistically buy and reasonably priced at $100-120.

The third of 10 whiskies I tasted at an Adelphi event was, I think, the oldest single malt to yet pass my lips. This marriage of two casks (first fill sherry, we were told) was at risk of falling below the legal whisky ABV after 41 years of maturation. It’s deep rosewood in color. The nose is a delicate honey, old books and dried porcini mushrooms. In the mouth, there’s cola, coffee beans and cocoa powder. The finish is long — delicately sweet to start with and then turning dry. Though beautifully balanced and with no negative impact from its decades of interaction with the cask, the low ABV leaves it feeling a little watery. Still, a marvelous old master that I would happily drink any day of the week. Last seen at auction in January, where the winning bid was 750 pounds. You could do a lot worse for the money.

This was the second of 10 whiskies tried at an Adelphi tasting. The classic Clynelish nose of melted wax and paraffin is well represented here. The palate is rich and fruity: melons and some kind of sour fruit, and then sweet pears on the finish. Neat, it’s a little hot for my liking, but water brings out Schezuan peppers that dominate the fruitiness. A little frustrating that it doesn’t swim well, but if you can tolerate this neat you’ll probably mark it higher than I did.

This was the first of 10 whiskies I sampled last night at an Adelphi event. I’ll try to post brief notes on them all. We started the night with this very old grain whisky, the likes of which I don’t think I’ve had before. The nose was like a top-class rye: grassy, with a hint of mint. The palate was sweet caramel with a long creamy finish. Delicious! Tasted blind I would have pegged this for a very good bourbon.

Here’s a fun nose: bananas, caramelized sugar, vanilla and a hint of extinguished flames - in short, Bananas Foster. Take a sip or scoop up a helping with your pudding spoon and you’ll be rewarded with a rich and creamy mouthfeel and a hint of bananas, before it turns more typically Ardbegian with a dusting of dark chocolate. The finish is long and sweet, like a slice of pineapple in melting vanilla ice cream. A splash of water brings out some peaty spice - let’s call it nutmeg to continue the dessert theme. This is another delicious twist on Ardbeg, but unlike previous releases I can’t imagine myself finishing a bottle any more than I can imagine eating all the Bananas Foster in New Orleans. Actually, I can imagine the latter, but it doesn’t end well. It would make a great substitute for a dessert wine and a sweet gift for a dinner party, but overall I’d say this is a must try rather than a must buy.

What are you, Bowmore? Whisky or the syrup in canned fruit? Another one marred by unnecessary sweetness that takes over the palate. At least this bottling owns up to its Islay heritage with a decent blast of peat when awoken with a splash of water.

If the Bowmore 12 somehow isn’t sweet enough for you, then a three-year finish in sherry casks should do the trick. I couldn’t finish this, but the bourbon drinkers at the tasting enjoyed it.

Who likes Bowmore? Not me, if the three I tried last week are typical. This one scores points for its fruitiness and the length of its finish, but is spoiled by a slightly astringent note mid-palate and a sweetness like fruit syrup. I’d never guess this was peated.