Tastes

Had a bit of a session with some mates..15 whiskies to sample and this was one of the first. Really enjoyed this one, like the regular turned up a notch, spicy vanilla with a bit of a kick.

Donkey's ago I had a flight of this distilleries whiskies and the sauterne was my favorite just pipping the 14 year old. This Madeira is another good drop, you get the sweetness but as PBM noted the salt which makes an interesting and enjoyable combination. This is a dram that goes down very easily and has a satisfying bite and flavour to the aftertaste which has a slight bitterness (or maybe that's the salt). 4 I'm pegging this one at.

I believe this is my first French whiskey and I'm impressed. Drank it straight and found it well balanced, smooth and without a hint of roughness or burn and then looked and saw it was 55.5%. That means nothing without flavor and complexity however and in this respect the Warenghem distillery have done a good job on this one. I think it's soley ex-olorosso cask. Loads of orange, vanilla, and something sweet I couldn't put my finger on until I looked other notes up - strawberry. Leaving it sit further really brings it together. It is very much on the upper limits of my tolerance for sweetness however and has a slight candied aftertaste so I don't know if I could drink a large amount. 4 for overall enjoy-ability and 4.25 for craftsmanship.

Salty, nutty flavours from the manzanilla come through. Citrus - lemon and orange peel with accompanying mild bitterness. Initially I thought not a bad dram but not one I'd drink a lot of but adding a few drops of water and letting it open up improved things further. 3.75

Nose is slightly ethanolly raisan characteristics. Sweet candy floss, caramel and mild px and olorosso sherry. Aftertaste is a bit bitter and stringent. Definitely comes across as younger. 3.25.

I was looking forward to trying these guys stuff given all the great work they have done with externally sourced spirit. This is a review for the 53.7% bottling. Interesting, if you like the Dr Pepper cherry flavour this will be right up your alley. Me not so much. As another reviewer noted dill and/or aniseed / fennel as well. Definitely well crafted dram just not my cup of tea. I'd struggle to drink more than the dram I have. 3.25

Reminds me of another dram.. Glenglassaugh Torfa I think with a bit of Ledaig 10 thrown in for good measure and some meaty backbone. Very smooth for 48%, lovely light salty peat. Hint of barbecue on the nose which translates onto the palate along with ginger, hint of acidic bitterness. I do like it but it's priced higher than the 16 year here and it's not as good. If you like the lemony acidic peat type profile it should be up your alley (although it's not the exact same profile). Me I miss the richness and body of the 16 yr (although not the low abv). 3.75 I'll give it.

Another day another closed distillery. A grain one this time Garnheath. I couldn't even find a single entry for the distillery on this site so must be rare. It's also rare that its older than me. Rarity aside I wouldn't say it's a great drop. Well balanced but sweet cherry heavy, vanilla etc. solid 3 for a slice of history.

Ladyburn, Inverleven, Dumbarton...three hard to get closed distilleries in one. So how do they come together? Nice light and sweet sums it up with slight glueness as a backbone. Nothing special for me. 3.5 with .5 for uniqueness.