Speyburn Companion Cask

Bought this on Closeout (half price) becsuse I really like Speyburn 10. I am glad I didn’t pay full price. This has the smoothness of the 10 year, but with a bit more alcohol heat (46% vs. 40%). A pleasant enough dram, but not a replacement for the 10 year.

Overall, the spicy notes are probably from the bourbon casks. It's a nice marriage between the mellow taste of a speyside scotch & the harsh notes of a young bourbon.

I purchased this a while back, around the time local stores were running out of Speyburn 10 and not restocking it. It's been a while since I've had Speyburn 10, but at $30 a bottle, you get an age statement scotch that doesn't break the bank, and while my memory of it is that it's not terribly complex, it was also quite drinkable. Again, these are memories, but it's one of those scotches where you get honey, pear and vanilla, and given the price, that's all you really need. It's a great comedown scotch. Aside from being low proof, it's inexpensive, so after you've had your best drinks of the evening and your palate is maybe a bit worn but you still want another dram Speyburn is what you break out. The Companion Cask carries no age statement but was $5 more than the 10 year, which I'm assuming is because this is a single barrel pick (at least, it had a little sticker on the side and a barrel number stating that it was a FW&GS exclusive). The nose is crisp, clear, like a ripe pear with a bit of bite still in it. And if memory serves, it's not terribly different than the Speyburn 10. Where the difference comes in is the palate. Oh, it's not terribly different (if memory serves), it's still got pear and honey and vanilla, but where it differs (to my mind's eye) is there's an astringency here I don't recall being present in the 10 year. Perhaps the age statement weans it out, perhaps this is over-oaked. Whatever the case, my first two pours a few weeks ago were so brutal that I put the bottle back in the cabinet for another three weeks with about a quarter bottle's worth of air in there, and the astringency tonight isn't quite as bad as it was then, but is still present. It's perhaps mellowing out and here now it taste of oak astringency, so perhaps there was something off in the barrel it was matured in since others here seem to have enjoyed this more than me. In any case, not terrible at $40 but definitely not a rebuy. I can only hope the local stores restock the Speyburn 10 at some point, as I'd like to taste that again. It's been maybe 4 years since I've had it and I believe my palate has changed in that time, so it'd been an interesting experience. Of course, it could also be like when you saw a movie or read a book as a child and you remember it as enchanting and then you re-experience it as an adult and hate yourself for letting the re-experience ruin the memories for you. Oh, well. We'll see.

This is a single barrel – Appalachian Barrel Select, #403. It’s soft, smooth, light and easy to drink. Sweet with notes of vanilla.

Floral, citrus, light sweetness and some tobacco notes. Has a good nose. Has a little dryness to it, a little more honey sweetness would round it off well. Worth keeping a second bottle.

Beautiful balance between bourbon nuttiness, and scotchy herbaceousness. Sweet yet full of complex flavors. Great bottle for the price!