Author Archives: Steve Prentice

Review: Glen Moray Port Cask Finish

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GlenMoray_PortCask_01Glen Moray Port Cask Finish – 40% ABV NAS

Info: This new addition to Glen Moray’s range has taken their Classic and added a bit of Portuguese finesse.

Colour: Golden and slightly pink tinted.

Nose: A fairly sprightly nose, a little touch of spirit and out comes lots of sweet bubblegum fruit flavours. They settle down to give a rich, slightly chocolaty dram.

Palate: It’s quite thick for a 40% ABV dram… Nicely sweet and easily palatable with a good touch of spices and a fist full of caramel and butter.

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Review: GlenDronach 18yo Tawny Port Finish

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glendronach-18-year-old-tawny-port-cask-finish-whiskyGlenDronach 18yo Tawny Port Finish – 46%

Info: Initially matured in European oak and thereafter in a very small batch of Tawny Port casks.

Colour: Warm gold with a reddy pinkish hue.

Nose: Fairly powerful and full of flavour. A hearty, full malt laden with medium sweet fruits, red berries with a honeyed and nutty background.

Palate: Rich and thick, mouth coating with spiced berries and plenty of malt, oak, nuts and honey.

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News & Review: Ardbeg Supernova 2014

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Supernova2014BottleArdbeg Supernova 2014 (third edition) – 55% ABV

Info: Today Ardbeg launches it’s third edition of their peatiest Single Malt. The story is that Ardbeg sent a vial of whisky into orbit on ISS for 3 years to see what would happen to it… it’s now come back down to earth and this release coincides with that.

Colour: Straw to light gold.

Nose: Sweet peaty Ardbeggian smoke interlaced with light autumnal fruits. A little coastal nature with a slight spirity nip from the highish abv. However a generally relaxed and inviting nose, especially for something classed as their peatiest malt.

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Review: 3 x Wemyss Malts recent releases (’82 Bowmore, ’91 Bunnahabhain, ’88 Invergordon)

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(For my reviews, please read on…)

For those of you that follow Wemyss Malts you’ll know that they release various bottlings a few times a year, and the most recent summer releases include some real beauties including a single grain single cask whisky for the first time and the most valuable whisky Wemyss has ever released – a 31 year old single cask from Bowmore distillery.

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Review: Four Jim Beam Whiskeys

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Four Jim Beam Whiskeys
Bourbon, Devil’s Cut, Honey & Red Stag

Jim Beam is brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky by Beam Suntory. It was one of the best selling brands of bourbon in the world in 2008. Originally started by a group of German immigrants who moved to America during the eighteenth century who changed their name from Böhm to the more Anglo-American ‘Beam’.

I check out four of the whiskeys from their range…
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Review: Makers Mark

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MakersMarkBottleMaker’s Mark – 70cl / 45% ABV
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Info: Maker’s Mark is a ‘small-batch’ bourbon whisky that is distilled in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It’s aged for around six years and is unusual in that no rye is used as part of the recipe. Instead red winter wheat is used, along with corn and malted barley.

Colour: Golden orange. Unknown if colouring is used.
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Review: The Duppy Share Caribbean Rum

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the-duppy-share-caribbean-rumThe Duppy Share – Caribbean Rum – 40% ABV

In the whisky world, the angels take their share of whisky from the casks maturing it. In the Caribbean, it’s the mischievous Duppy spirits that travel from island to island, taking their share of rum from the casks. This legend is where the stylish Duppy Share Caribbean Rum takes its name. It’s made from a blend of bourbon-barrel-matured 5 year old rum from Barbados and 3 year old rum from Jamaica. A bright, bold and altogether very handsome rum. (Thanks to Master of Malt for that precis).

I enjoy a good rum from time to time, but I’m very new to them in general, so here’s my thoughts as a newbie..

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News & Quick Reviews: Tomatin’s new Cuatro Series

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Tomatin’s sherried Cuatro Series

(Quick reviews below…)

The Tomatin Cuatro Series presents four unique limited edition expressions of Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

All distilled on the same day, the whisky was matured for nine years in traditional American Oak casks and was then transferred to four different types of Sherry butts for a period of over three years. As a result each of the four expressions have developed their own unique characteristics. The range includes: Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez.

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Quick Review: Cardhu Amber Rock

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CardhuAmberRockBottleCardhu Amber Rock – OB – 40% – NAS

Info: Cardhu’s newest expression has been double matured in toasted oak to develop flavours of vanilla and spice.

Colour: Full golden. Caramel? Fairly minimal if so.

Nose: Very fruity and sweet, vanilla caramel and slight new make notes. Buttery after a small time.

Palate: Smooth and easy, the low abv ensures that, it’s sweet, but not as much as the nose would lead you to think, in fact the sweetness turns nearly to sourness towards the end, due to the wood tannins. Definitely a little young, masked well enough but allowing some distillery character to come through. Very wee pinch of spices.

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Review: The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve

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SherryCask-bottle_270x480pxThe Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve – 40%

Info: Berry Bros & Rudd, the owners of The Glenrothes have used sherry casks to mature The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve which are made to specification in Jerez, southern Spain. There is no age statement on this whisky.
Colour: Burnt gold.
Nose: Light, sweet, malty and nutty with a gentle sherry fruit background.
Palate: Gentle and sweet arrival, a little thin on the oils with a tiny pinch of spice muddling along with the late summer stewed fruit flavours. It’s a nice light sherry influence, like sweets (candies).
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