Tastes

Cask Strength Batch 2 is the latest limited-edition single malt whisky from the Ayrshire field-to-cask farm distillery of Lochlea. This second batch is both older and features different casks to the inaugural 2023 release. This batch features a cask make up not seen before in previous bottlings from the distillery - ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry (60% of the marriage) and ex-Oloroso sherry (28%) butts, plus STR ex- red wine barriques (12%). Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 2 is bottled at 60% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. Tasting Notes: Nose/Colour - it is a deep copper, amber almost like a black teabut not quite. On the nose it is rich and chocolate like. Aromas of milk chocolate and mocha rise first, to be quickly followed by raisin, treacle and baked apple. Hints of cocoa powder, cinnamon and I get a really citrus lime like something in the background. It is enticing and makes you want to take a sip. Palette - This whisky is big and powerful. It has a viscous and slightly oily mouth feel. Early notes of caramel and toffee give way to treacle tart and brandy-soaked raisins with a twist of bitter orange peel. Then comes baked notes that are reminiscent of tarte tatin and apple patisserie with a hint of fresh gingerbread biscuit. It has a second half palate, led by savoury notes. Made me think of dusty and earthy spices such as cinnamon and clove. These sit alongside lovely notes of dried fig, imagine good vanilla ice cream with freshly brewed espresso coffee poured over the top. At cask strength some might find the addition of water knocks back the alcohol and softens the whisky, but for me it really works at cask . I will concede that the addition of a little water allows more orange and chocolate notes to shine, while also dampening the dusty spices. Finish - It’s long and warming. The early sweet and fruity notes fade slowly and this gives the spotlight to those dusty, earthy spices. Some wood tannins also show themselves to add a pleasant dryness. This in combination with the other savoury characteristics means that the whisky takes a very pleasing turn. I have been meaning to write this review for a while now, so much so that I have finished the first bottle and needed to replace it with another. That should give some indication that I like it well enough to buy another, particularly as I think it is well priced. Early disclosure, I am particularly interested in Lochlea as I have a share in a cask at the distillery (And the annual samples are looking incredible). As a new Lowland distillery Lochlea I think are doing something really interesting and different than the other lowland distilleries and are using some really interesting casks with plenty of influence in them, this batch 2 really demonstrates this. In my book even as a NAS, if you want a cask strength bottling that really does give complexity and value for money look no further.

So this is a small batch bottled by Signatory Vintage, without chill filtration or artificial colouing. It’s a rich herbal sherry whisky, it’s complex, interesting and very pleasant, cannot belivie it's only 10 years old. Matured in first-fill pedro ximenez sherry hogsheads, this 10-year-old Royal Brackla delivers deep, sherried character. Aromas of dried figs, dark toffee, and nutmeg lead into a palate of rich fruitcake, caramelised nuts, and a touch of spice. The finish is long, with lingering sweetness and warming oak spice Nose - Honeysuckle tea, salted dried yellow fruits, honey, sticky rice, some metal, a slight grassy peat feeling, a flash of incense Taste - Salted liquorice candy, purple grape flavour hard candy, floral honey, tea feeling, silky smooth, light-medium body, very easy to drink, later there's a light herbal spicy smoke rising. Although it's young there are still a lot of details. Finish - Medium long, sweet herbal, dried fruits, mint chocolate, a vague floating saltiness weaving with the sweetness, metal feeling appears again slightly, a bit bitterness at the end. Again, this is a great value whisky, Signatory are releasing some absolutely stunning whisky’s at the moment at higher proofs and without chill filtration or artificial colouring. I think they really understand the market at the moment, as a passionate whisky enthusiast I begrudge paying top dollar for 40% chill filtered, colour added bog standard product……now infact I won’t buy it. It is so nice to be able to get to try some of these absolutely fabulous distilleries produce how It should be (Again in my humble opinion), without the money people (corporations) ringing every last penny out of it, generally to the detriment of the whisky. This is the best Royal Brackla I have tried, it’s also so much cheaper than others I have tried. Great Whisky well worth it.

Tomintoul 14yo 2009 PX A limited edition single malt from Speyside's Tomintoul distillery was distilled in 2009 and spent 14 years maturing. After an initial stint in American oak bourbon casks, the whisky was treated to a finish in a host of Pedro Ximénez sherry quarter casks sourced by master distiller Robert Fleming before it was bottled at 46% ABV, without added colour or chill filtration. Tasting Notes: Nose - Rich, sweet layers of nutty maple, prunes, and dates, with chocolate fudge and fragrant oak. The colour is age burnished copper dark and promising the things to come, it is natural colour no colour added. Palate - All the richness from the nose carries through, with dark chocolate truffles, maple and pecans and spiced sultanas, and earthy notes of roasted nuts and coffee in the depths. The spirit itself is dense almost thick in its presentation and dumps flavour which leaves you wanting more. Finish - Warming, sweet layers of baking spice, chocolate-coated coffee beans and nuts. I have a particular soft spot for Tomintoul, inspite that the normal offerings are usually proofed to death at 40% ABV and chill filtered (A sin in my book) but I forgive them thier folly's because the spirit is so dammed good inspite of that. This 14 YO PX just shows off what this great distillery can deliver given a little more freedom from the accountants and marketing people.

The GlenDronach distillery sits in amongst a bountiful twist of bramble vines, on the edge of the Scottish Highlands where the land gives plentiful riches - The Ode to The Valley, apparently (Think the PR people may have been let loose, with that statement ). Combining sherry casks and ruby port casks from the renowned Douro valley in Portugal. Available in 70cl bottles at 46.2% Vol. TASTING NOTES: COLOUR - Burnished Copper, It does say Natural Colour, Not sure if its been chill filtered, I suspect so as Glendronach appear to have taken to this (In my opinion!!!) pointless cosmetic, flavour and integrity reducing process to appease uninformed markets. (Just Saying.......lol) NOSE - Late summer berries (Blackberries, Plums, Rose hips) and chocolate dulce de leche imbued with sweet demerara and apricot glaze, the apricot really does standout. There is the sulphurous note from a young sherried whisky. TASTE - Sweet, with blackberry and roasted apple crumble with freshly baked gingerbread and sweet damson plum. Gentle development with great build to the finish. FINISH - Black cherry cake, liquorice and acacia honey, a medium length of finish which definitely leaves you wanting more. Conclusion - For the money I don't think you can go far wrong in the current market. Again a solid whisky from Glendronach. Typically these days it's NAS, given the noise I don't think it has that much age about it, but the colour suggests some really active casks. I opened this last night and had a couple of drams and am looking to see how it settles to the air over the next couple of week's and I suspect it will be quite wonderful. So much so I have ordered a replacement for my stash.

Nose: Powerful, serious punch of rich and thick fruity nose with lots of pear, grapes, sweet white wine, oily, lots of nuts and pastry dough. there’s a hidden sea of spices down below all that, waiting for a trigger to burst forward. Palate: cake spice, sweet grapes, nuts, smooth and creamy, oak and wood spices a mildly bitterness is balanced which keeps the sweetness in line Finish: Long finish with sweet grapes, nuts and creamy honey I really liked this to the point I'm looking for another bottle for my stash, it is a little pricey for its age but not so that it's putting me off buying another. This was my first delelve into Edradour and I'm not disappointed.

A small batch Glentauchers 2012 12-year-old Speyside single malt whisky bottled in 2024 by Signatory Vintage for their amazing 100-Proof Editions series, all of which are released at 57.1% without colouring or chill filtration. This 100-Proof Signatory Glentauchers 2012 came from a small batch first fill Oloroso sherry butts and it’s picked up a beautiful dark chestnut colour. Glentauchers is a relatively obscure Speyside distillery that it’s fair to say not a great deal of whisky fans get super excited about - in other words, the perfect candidate for a range of bargain cask strength whiskies like this. Thrifty sherried whisky fans should fill their boots here. Nose - Straigth hit with raisin, sweet red fruit and fig. With water there is more of the original malt to be found. A bit of sweet fruity notes show up. Overall it is the hardy Oloroso notes which you get. Taste -Initially the sherry is dominant. After some time and air there is some more sweetness of fruit and a hint of sour oranges. The balance is best after half an hour and with a little water added. Finish - Medium length. The hardy notes are very well presented but are complimented by sweet red fruits, figs and a hint of almond. My thoughts are for this money you will struggle to (Infact you won’t) find a better off trend non run of the mill whiskey. It delivers in spades and is definitely not a whiskey you will find in the supermarket ……… so my advice is, if you are at the stage of being ‘Whiskey Curious’ and are tired of the mass peddled 40-43 % coloured, chill filtered garb the big brands are pumping out, give this a go. Great Value and Great Whisky, not just within this price point this can stand toe to toe easily with whiskey priced in the mid hundreds.

What can I say that hasn't already been said. It is the classic Macallan play to the mass markets, overpriced but still a lovely whiskey, you can do better for your money but it's always nice to pull out a Macallan for your friends as the majority will recognise it as a decent dram. Mind you the whisky Nerds of friends may hold a different opinion. Beautiful nose, with Christmas cake fruits, soft sherry and some cinnamon spice, truly lovely, perhaps a little simple. Then to taste, again absolutely lovely but as with all Macallans of this proof doesn't quit deliver on the nose, yes I get everything I got from the nose fruits, sherry sweetness, a hit of spice, honey, a little tobacco sting, but nothing much from the source spirit. Its feels dialled back to 5 not turned up to 11 ....... sadly. Finish is really nice not long but leaves you wanting to go back for more So for me nothing wrong with this infact I really enjoyed it and would be more than happy to have it again. But would I buy another bottle ....... probably not ...... It needs Proofing Up if they want to knock it out at that price, you are paying for the privilege of the name..... there much better out there for the money.

Lots of sherry, dark soaked fruits, furniture polish, figs, cherries, honey, charred oak, hint of sulphur Taste of soaked fruits. The sherry influence is strong. Christmas pudding, grape skins, baking spices, chocolate, ginger, pepper, ethanol, orange oil, leather

Glencadam Reserva PX Single Malt Scotch Whisky is crafted in small batches, how small I'm not sure but Glencadam's historic dunnage warehouses, have selected single malt matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks. The single malt in these casks has then finished in hand selected Pedro Ximénez Sherry butts sourced from Andalucia, Spain. This is a NAS 70cl bottle at 46% Abv but is Unchilled Filtered and Natural Colour TASTING NOTES Nose Rich aromas of Christmas pudding, dried figs and dark chocolate bound with clove spices. There is a slight burnt match note which sits with the sherry funk. Palate Sweet layers of maple syrup, treacle toffees and prunes mingled with cherries, brandy butter and Black Forest Gateaux. Finish Warming impressions of cinder toffee, fruit cake and crystallised ginger tailing off into a cherry jam and espresso coffee linger. For the money you can't go wrong with this and it delivered everything it said it would. Not overly complex with a very sweet (but really pleasant) forward note which quickly steps back from that initial taste to give sherried baking spices with a hint of pepper. This could easily pass off as a more exspensive and aged whisky (8 - 10 year mark). It would be interesting to know the age of the spirit and just how much finishing took place, but thats just me being a nurd. I can't help it and I do understand some of the reasons for it, but NAS always make me feel like they are trying trick me in some way, wish they would just stick an age on it as its a really nice whisky and truly great value.

Rising Reserve series consists of 21-Year-Old Single Malt that was initially aged in ex-Bourbon casks for over 18 years, before being finished in high quality Marsala casks, a fortified wine from Sicily, for 3 years. This dual maturation and in particular long finishing time in the Marsala casks imparts distinctive dark fruit notes and orchard fruit married with a brown sugar cinnamon like spice. The newest addition to these rare and unique bottlings was recently honoured with the top prize of Masters in the hugely competitive Single Malt category at the Irish Whiskey Masters Awards 2023 and is a true showcase of the influence different cask types have in crafting unique expressions of aged Irish Single Malt. Limited to just 6,000 bottles, the resulting Single Malt is then bottled at 46% with no chill filtration. Nose: A mellow vanilla sweetness intermingles with toasted apricots, tobacco, and rich spiced fruits, along with a hint of sweet Seville oranges and toasted almonds Palate: Creamy, warming mouthfeel with bursts of brown sugar and stewed fruits, followed by oak tannins and cinnamon spice. Finish: Long warming finish with notes of honeysuckle, rich demerara sugar, citrus & spice. Beautiful shortbread feel to this probably one of the nicest Irish whiskeys I have ever had. It is expensive hence I only bought the half bottle…… is it worth it? ………. Yeah probably!!!!!