Review: Glenfiddich Project XX

Posted on 15th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Glenfiddich Project XX – 47% abv

Info: Don’t let the Glenfiddich Project XX tempt you into thinking this is a 20yo… read on just a wee bit further and you’ll quickly realise this is a blend of Glenfiddich whiskies selected by 20 ambassadors and put together to form this NAS release. “It’s a mix of sherry casks, bourbon casks and more, with a rich and spicy character”. Interesting stuff, those ambassadors should know what they’re on about! It’s bottled at 47% abv, with no chill filtration, good stuff.
Colour: A nice full gold, slight autumnal hints to it.
Nose: Rather a nice nose here, full of flavour. Plenty of malt, and some wine type notes which meander between fruits tones, over to more flinty stone type notes, to fizzy hints and more regular vanilla and cream notes.
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Review: Three Year Old Deluxe by Compass Box

Posted on 10th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Three Year Old Deluxe by Compass Box – 49.2% abv

Info: Is the Three Year Old Deluxe by Compass Box slightly tongue in cheek? Oh yes I think so! Good for them. 0.4% total liquid volume in this blend is 3 years old, the entire rest of the bottle is lots older, but because of EU regulations they can’t say how old. Unless you ask them directly, which you should (drop them an email and they’ll tell you the recipe!).
Colour: Bright, clear and golden.
Nose: Quite a lot of this whisky is from Clynelish distillery, and you can tell, it’s quite a familiar nose (if you know your Clynelish), it’s definitely got that north highland coastal, heathery tang to it. Behind it is malt, oak, and small, gentle peaty hints with spices.
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Review: Spice Tree Extravaganza

Posted on 9th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Spice Tree Extravaganza – 45% abv

Info: Spice Tree Extravaganza, sees former banned bottling The Spice Tree reinterpreted with the use of “older components” and a “significant portion” of Sherry-cask matured aged malt whisky. 12,240 bottles, no colouring, no chill filtration.
Colour: Fully golden with autumnal hints.
Nose: The nose is, as you’d expect, spicy! Wood spices galore. With some air you start to get lots of other wonderful aromas, malt and citrus and summer fruits with cream.
Palate: The palate is upfront with spice and oils, it covers your tongue with a tingly spirit that stops getting too spicy that it overpowers you and remains really enjoyable. Wood oaks and sweet fruity malt is there along with a creaminess and hints of char smoke.
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Review: WaggingFinger Gin

Posted on 8th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

WaggingFinger Gin Batch #1 – 44% abv

Info: From over in the Netherlands comes Wagging Finger gin. Check out their site at waggingfinger.com – They’re just getting started, and it looks like it’ll be a fun project!
Nose: Massively full of flavour… I’m not overly versed in gin, but from memory this is the most flavour filled gin I think I’ve yet to find! It smells fizzy (not that you can smell fizzy?!), packed with sweet citrus, and plenty of herbs. The alcohol has enough bite to it to keep you from inhaling too deeply.
Palate: The nose really draws you in to drink some, and when you do you are rewarded by a sweet, yet spiced, powerful spirit that is beautifully smooth and just as flavourful as the nose was. There’s something about the spices in use that reminds me of Coke, but maybe that’s just me. There’s just a hint of something soapy and fragrant at the end as you swallow.
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Review: Three new Wemyss Batch Strength Editions

Posted on 7th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Three new Wemyss Batch Strength Editions

Wemyss’ core range of blended whiskies covering various regional styles include ‘The Hive’, ‘Spice King’ and ‘Peat Chimney’. They’ve been around for a while, but Wemyss have now released some limited special edition Batch Strength versions

Let’s take a look at them…

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Review: Mount Gay Rum Goodies

Posted on 6th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Mount Gay Rum Twitter Tasting

I’ve been lucky enough to be on a Mount Gay twitter tasting tonight… I’m still quite new to rum, I know I like it, but I haven’t tried many varieties, so it’s great to try a few new ones from this range that I’ve not tried before!

Mount Gay is a fairly small producer, making around 500k cases a year. They mature everything in ex-American whiskey oak barrels.

Traditionally, Bajan rum are blends of pot and column distillates made from molasses.

Without further ado let’s dig in to the goodies…

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Review: The Macallan Edition No. 2

Posted on 2nd Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

The Macallan Edition No. 2 – 48.2% abv

Info: The Macallan Edition No. 2 is a collaboration between master blender Bob Delgarno and Spanish chefs Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca. It’s comprised of a combination of sherry puncheons, butts and refill hogsheads.
Colour: Rich rusty autumnal gold.
Nose: Rich, fruity, plump, damp mustiness, earthy raisins. Chocolate and pepper.
Palate: Fairly thick and chewy, there are spices, but they build nicely rather than slapping you in the face. There’s darker sherry fruit notes there, but it remains quite a bright dram.
Finish: Oak lead finish that warms your stomach nicely, leaving a balanced mix of fruits and spices on your palate. There’s a certain grippyness to the finish.
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Review: The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask

Posted on 30th Nov 2016 by Steve Prentice

The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask – 40% abv

Info: Aged in a combination of American oak and European oak ex-sherry casks.
Colour: Lightly golden.
Nose: Nutty, mashed autumn fruits with an oaky backdrop. Slightly dusty, musty.
Palate: Medium thick, and more spicy than expected, it may need a tiny drop of water, or at least holding on your tongue for a bit to dilute. Oily sherry fruit notes.
Finish: The spices help to give this a fairly long and warming finish on your chest.
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Review: Highland Park Fire Edition

Posted on 29th Nov 2016 by Steve Prentice

Highland Park Fire Edition – 15 Year Old – 45.2% abv

Info: Highland Park Fire Edition is the second of a two part series, which started with Ice Edition. It was matured in 100% refill Port seasoned casks (I’m not totally sure what that means, how long were they seasoned for?). 28,000 bottles, natural colour.

Colour: Gold, with just the smallest hint of pink.

Nose: Musty, dusty, heathery floral malt with hints of sweet smoke, cinnamon and dark chocolate. With enough time hints of barley start to come out. There’s notes of black and red wine gums.
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XMas Ideas: Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendar

Posted on 28th Nov 2016 by Steve Prentice

Drinks by the Dram Christmas 2016 Whisky (and other!) Advent Calendar

It’s that time of the year where the nights have drawn in, and the crazy neighbours may have started adoring their houses with flashing Christmas decorations. With only a few days left before December hits, there’s still time to consider what you might want to do to treat yourself, or a good friend to for Advent… and what better a treat than this year’s Whisky Advent Calendar (other spirits are available). It’s a box full of 25 x 3cl drams, a different whisky (or other spirit) every day, what a good idea! Let’s take a look at some of the official PR blurb: Continue reading →

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Reviews and opinions with a focus on Single Malt Scotch Whiskies since 2011

Author Archives: Steve Prentice