Tomatin 14yo (port cask finish) – 46%In April Tomatin introduced this new 14yo whisky to market…
“Having spent around 13 years in the finest Bourbon oak barrels, this whisky has spent a year in specially selected Portuguese port pipes which had previously held Tawny port for between 30 and 40 years. The result is an excellent dram which is soft and smooth with a port-influenced sweetness.”
Colour: Golden with faint reddy pink hues.
There’s a new funky experiment in town. I say new, it’s been out for a wee while, but I’m catching up, and for those that missed the initial announcement then this is a good follow up! It’s from those crazy people at… what… I have no idea which brand to pick… Master Of Malt / Drinks by the Dram / Blended Whisky Company / Maverick Drinks / That Boutique-y Whisky Company / Reference Series. More brands than you can shake a fist at… however you know who I mean I’m sure, basically that Ben chap.
Here’s the PR text which explains probably better than I can… Once you’ve read it, please find my tasting notes of the initial three releases at the bottom! 🙂
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Ben Nevis 16yo – Abbey Whisky / The Rare Casks – 55%“Distilled in 1997 and aged for 16 years in a single sherry hogshead, the whisky has been bottled at natural cask strength and only 96 bottles have been filled and made available.
The whisky has been bottled in its natural form, at full cask strength, 55% vol, without chill filtering or colour additives.”
Read on for my tasting notes…
Glencadam 22yo – Abbey Whisky / The Rare Casks – 55.3%Distilled in 1991 and aged in a refill bourbon cask for 22 years.
Having previously been mothballed, the distillery was brought back to life in 2003 and is the only existing distillery in the region of Angus.
“The dram possesses a distinct haze which hints at the true rustic character you would expect from a cask strength malt bottled in its truest natural form, without chill filtering or colour additives.”
Read on for my tasting notes…
The Arran Malt 17 Year Old – 46% OBArran 17 Year Old is the last release in a trilogy counting down to the launch of the 18 year old in 2015.
The oldest official bottling from the distillery at the time of release. It’s made from un-peated malted barley and matured in the finest ex-sherry casks giving it a unique and distinctive flavour.
Colour: Full golden, fairly rich.
Lord Elcho – New NAS Blended Scotch from Wemyss Malts(see update below…)
“Wemyss Malts is taking its second step into the world of Blended Scotch by adding a non-aged version of Lord Elcho to its range.
Lord Elcho 15yo was launched in 2012 and we are delighted to be adding another member of the family.
The nose on the new whisky is fresh and lively, with notes of fruit salad and fragrant wood shavings. The palate is full and soft, with waves of chewy caramel and a warm spiciness. Its finish is dry and long, with hints of crushed nuts.”
On to my quick wee review…
Auchentoshan – ‘Lemon Zest’ 1998/2013 (15yo) – Wemyss Malts – 46%Wemyss released five new single casks in April ’14, for details head here. However, on to the review of another one of those releases…
Colour: Light straw, good and natural.
Nose: That Auchentoshan farminess (I have no better description!) I often find is here, but not too strongly. It’s malty, light and zesty, and a definite lemony hint.
Palate: A slight upfront spiciness, which then dies off to be more gentle at which point the lemony zesty thing comes through.
Glen Garioch’s new (as yet nameless) expressionUpdate: I’m really pleased to announce that my post has been chosen as a winning review of this dram, and as such I get to go and visit the distillery, excellent stuff, lucky me!
Let’s start by saying I’m a Glen Garioch Drambassador! What’s that? It was a facebook competition run by them to chose various fans / bloggers to receive their new mystery dram and a set of clues, and to be the first people to try it and write about it… and that’s what leads us here! I am one of those chosen few… and sure enough in the post I soon received the following lovely box of goodies…
I’m kind of supposed to be on a diet… one of those diets that never really quite get going, but you have every good intention of starting tomorrow. With that in mind friends and family eased off buying me anything much in the way of any Easter eggs this year, which made me really quite upset, damn them!
However, (yippee) Bowmore came to the rescue! Bless them and their chocolaty Easter eggy general good chappishness. (FYI mostly not actual chaps, I’m being gender neutral here).
So, it’s with excitement I opened the following just before Easter hit…
Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve – 43%From the Hakushu distillery in the foothills of Mount Kaikomagatake comes their Distiller’s Reserve single malt whisky, a no-age-statement expression, that captures the smoky, herbaceous characteristics of their whiskies. Both lightly-peated and heavily-peated malts were used for this complex and deeply enjoyable whisky. One of two Spring 2014 release from Suntory.
Colour: Light straw.
Nose: Fresh green apple skins intermingled with light smoke along with fresh hay and malt notes and a dash of cream. Herb notes with touches of melon and cucumber.
SWB | Somerset Whisky Blog 