Braeval 1994 22 Year Old (Samaroli)

Still working samples that have been accumulated. Since I only drink on weekends (workdays I do not imbibe), I have accumulated a large backlog. So I find myself on this Saturday contently alone finishing the last few episodes of Mandolorian. As I watch and take notes, the pour is sitting in a glass opening. Pale gold in color. The initial aromas are soft, floral and delicate. Slightly woody with hints of ginger root. As time is given, sweeter notes begin to surface. Vanilla cream soda, toasted marshmallow, banana custard. There is a fruity side as well. Apples, apricots and diced pear cocktail (think Dole pears in the syrup). There is a slight briny, yeasty quality that works its way into the mix. The nose is busy, but organized. There is order to it. The body is thin and is counter to what you would expect given the body nose. However, the palate is flavorful. Orchard fruits again of apples, pears and apricots. Honey and vanilla adds slightly to the sweetness. As the sweet and fruity flavors work their way back, a small amount of spice tingles the the front of the palate. Cinnamon, ginger root and white pepper. These spices are not distracting from the sweetness; they actually support them. The finish has tangerine throughout the medium finish. Mixed in the tangerine flavor is an oaky dryness with the themed orchard fruits. This is approachable and a pleasurable whisky. A solid nose and flavors that are inoffensive. This scotch will not disappoint. However, given the price of about $250, I would want more front the palate and finish. This all said, it is a quality product and will not disappoint. Thank you @LeeEvolved for sharing this with the me and the rest of the SDT members. [90/100][Tasted: 2/1/20]

Great nose from the get-go! Roses and medium level fruit are prominent. Subtle tropical notes are even there. Marshmallow and sawdust on the side, and a nice segue to the palate. White pepper, a little brine, caramel, vanilla, and a little mineral note on the tail end for the finish. It's not too off-putting though, and the finish is a medium one, and it has an overall nice medium mouth coat. With it being non-chill filtered, as well as not having any added color, I think @LeeEvolved got a nice deal on the price, even around 200ish. A nice 22 year old indeed. Solid 4.25 and the theme to this dram is "Disco 2000" by Pulp. Starts out happy enough, but sad when it's over.

This sample from @LeeEvolved was one of many Christmas treats that I am slowly transcribing from my note book. The initial nose on this one was a phenomenal cornucopia of tropical fruits: papaya, guava, pineapple, mango. It wasn’t quite as dramatic after some time in the glass, but that first blast was perhaps the fruitiest whisky I’ve encountered. The taste is quite different, however, creamy and malty upfront and then long and peppery on the finish, with lingering hints of freshly baked bread and black tea. Fruit, dairy, bread, tea - skip the granola and pour yourself a Braeval breakfast.

Finally getting back into these samples from SDT, after 2 weeks of vacation through the English lakes and countryside. This one here is provided courtesy of @LeeEvolved . Another distillery I’ve never heard of, but unlike the other unknowns, I actually really like this one. Maybe it’s the age, maybe the bottler (Samaroli always had a keen eye for good casks), or it’s just me finally being back home from two weeks abstinence (not counting the samples at Lakes and Cotswolds Distillery). Nuts and fruits galore, this one. Think taking a bunch of roasted hazelnuts, mixing it with strawberry with clotted cream ( which by the way is AMAZING in England’s Cotswold District!). Not sure what Lee paid for it, but if the price is reasonable (< $150), it’s a pretty good 22yr old Speysider. Thanks Lee for the pour!

Stop number 106 on the SDT is Braeval. This stop marks the final destination of the tour (at least of the active distilleries with bottles on the market [plenty of newcomers in the coming years]). What a journey it’s been...over a year and a half and it comes down to this 22 year old single malt from the independent bottlers at Samaroli. This Speysider is bottled at 45% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a yellow gold. The nose opens up with green grapes, crisp red apples, pears, apricots and oak. Vanilla custard with a little lemon zest in it and very faint banana. After a few minutes a malty character comes in with some floral notes and a touch of honey. A bit salty as well, like a pretzel. Powdered ginger, nutmeg, hazelnut and walnuts. Toffee, more vanilla and oak and a very distant coffee note. Water softens everything and brings out a very light grapefruit note and some semisweet chocolate. Fair warning though, this one is easily drown. The palate is quite delicious at first with dried apricots, oranges and baked apples. A sweetness like raspberry or strawberry candy. As the flavors start to really develop on the tongue it moves away from its sweet/fruity beginnings. More and more heat builds and it becomes slightly bitter. Black licorice, oak tannins and ginger. Some vanilla and toffee round it out. Water takes away much of the heat, but not so much the bitterness. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily and mouth coating. A medium long finish that is dry with tannins, grape skins, apricots and licorice. At over $200 this is a hard pass, but overall this is a good whisky. No real shortcomings on the nose, but the palate fall just a bit short. A typical Speyside profile, done rather well with the cask (first fill bourbon) doing much of the work. It’s not quite a 4 for me, but a solid 3.75. Thanks to @LeeEvolved for the sample. Cheers

So, our little distillery sample group has reached the end of our quest with the final 10 distilleries to claim: two per person in our 7th round of trades. After so many mediocre malts I decided I wanted to send out two higher quality pours to wind this thing down. We had an agreement to spend a maximum of around $100-110 per bottle for this quest, but I splurged for this independently bottled Braeval offering. Samaroli is an Italian bottling company that typically chooses some crazy good casks for their line of products. This one is a 22 year old, ex-bourbon cask that cost me $209. Let’s see how it plays... Firstly, a bit of history for the Braeval Distillery. They were founded in 1973 by Seagram Distillers and were originally called Braes of Glenlivet, because of their desire to use the infamous water source nearby. They actually held their first mash before the distillery even had a roof over it- their Canadian owner was flying in and wanted to sample some new make ASAP. They were sold to Chivas in 2001 and subsequently mothballed from 2002-2008, before being refurbished and reopened. They currently do not offer a single malt bottling, but a few IBs had access to some casks in the early 1990’s. They currently are still used for blends and produce 4.2 million liters per year for Chivas. This is a beautiful, shimmering gold and makes a lot of skinny, runny legs in the tasting glass. It’s NCF’d and has no color added, while being bottled at 45% ABV. The nose is initially floral and oaky, but given some serious time (30+ minutes) some really great flavors begin to seep out: vanilla, marshmallow, sweet breads and light orchard fruit. The palate is very delicate but packs a lot of flavor: pears, golden delicious apples, sweet vanilla that’s velvety smooth and constant. Keeping it on the tongue allows the oak to slightly burn before turning a bit dry. The finish is medium and full bodied. It’s very balanced between oaky and sweet. It lingers on the dry side, but it isn’t harsh at all. A very delicate and complex sip from start to finish. Overall, it’s a fantastic offering from Samaroli and I can see why it’s so expensive. This was bottle 101 of 222 total. It won’t wow you with super complexity, but what it offers is very, very nice. Easily a 4.25-4.5, regardless of price. Great stuff. Cheers, my friends.