Review: BenRiach 17yo Pedro Ximénez

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benriach 17 year old pedro ximenezBenRiach 17yo Pedro Ximénez – 46% abv

Info: Matured in American bourbon barrels, and finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks sourced from the bodegas of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia, Southern Spain. This replaces the renowned 15YO expression. Bottled at 46%.
Colour: Rich, dark golden autumnal gold.
Nose: More than anything you can smell the punchy PX sherry notes, autumn fruits, rich christmas cake, ripe raisins. It’s kind of meaty, has leathery tones, creamy spice.
Palate: The punchy nose is tamed a little on your palate to become fairly gentle and relaxed. Chocolaty, rich fruit notes are there, but held in check and not overpowering.
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Review: GlenDronach 14yo Virgin Oak

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the glendronach 14 year old virgin oakGlenDronach 14yo Virgin Oak – 46% abv

Info: This is a re-release of the critically-acclaimed 14YO Virgin Oak first issued in July 2010. It’s bottled at 46% abv, non chill filtered and with natural colour. Matured initially in European Oak casks and then finished in Virgin Oak casks.
Colour: Fully golden, with hints of orange rust.
Nose: There’s a good grippy nose to this, which very quickly shows off those virgin notes, with hints of what you might expect from a bourbon whiskey. There’s a light bouncy, sweet toffee note, with hints of melon and ripe banana.
Palate: Thick and oily, with spices which build fairly quickly. Packed full of flavours, the virgin oak not dominating instead being well integrated along with malt, oak and fruits.
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Review: BenRiach 18yo Latada

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BenRiach 18yo LatadaBenRiach 18yo Latada – 46% abv

Info: This BenRiach limited edition 18yo peated single malt is bottled at 46% abv, at natural colour and non chill filtered. Latada is distilled from peated malted barley matured in American oak casks before being finished in Madeira casks.
Colour: Bright and sunny golden.
Nose: Good earthy, peaty nose with some sweeter citrus notes.
Palate: Creamy oils lead into a spiced earthy sweet and citrus malt. Held for a while syrupy banana fruits come out.
Finish: The finish shows more fruit than the rest of the dram, with the campfire smoke lingering around for a long time.
Thoughts: I’m a big fan of BenRiach, especially of peated BenRiach, and this one doesn’t let me down, very enjoyable.
Available: The Whisky Exchange – £71.45.

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Review: Diageo Special Releases 2016

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Diageo Special Releases 2016Diageo Special Releases 2016

Lucky old me, I got invited to join the press launch of the Diageo Special Releases 2016 this year, up in that there London.

It’s a great event that has been happening over the last 15 years, showcasing some of the less well known distilleries in Diageo’s portfolio.

So.. here’s my hastily typed notes whilst mingling with fellow bloggers  on the night…

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Article: Deconstructing Wood’s Rum

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woods 100 old navy rumDeconstructing Wood’s Rum – #WoodsTT

I’m lucky enough to have been involved with a Twitter Tasting, looking at Wood’s Rum… and deconstructing it’s three component parts, tasting them separately before then trying the finished article… not something you get to do every day! Firstly, let’s quickly review what and who Woods are:

“Woods has been around since 1887 and was first created in the docks at Liverpool. Back then it was a company called The Woods Trading Co. who had ships coming in from all over the world. They had barrels of rum coming in on their ships and they seized an opportunity and a trade agreement was set up to import 3 different marques of rum and Woods was born. Woods is unchanged and sticking to our traditions is a key part of what we do. We are a traditional Navy style rum, a Demerara rum, a Navy strength rum, and a Dark rum.”

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Review: Cù Bòcan 2005

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cu bocan 2005 bottleCù Bòcan 2005 Vintage Limited Edition – 50% abv

Info: Bottled at 50% abv, this whisky is stronger than its core range counterpart, and is matured in ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks. 11,400 bottles, limited edition. Over 11 years old.
Colour: Sprightly and golden.
Nose: Very light smoke here, the dominant nose being a heady mix american and european oaks, of bourbon and sherry. There’s a slight farm nose, followed by cream & mushed autumn fruits, and dying fire embers.
Palate: At 50% this is still surprisingly easy on your palate, although the higher abv and the use of european oak help to give a nice drop of spices along with the other mushed fruit notes.
Finish: The finish is creamy, and long, with just a mere hint of the peaty puffs left hanging around. Lots of flavours to explore.
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Review: Loch Lomond Single Grain Scotch Whisky

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Loch Lomond Single Grain BottleLoch Lomond Single Grain Scotch Whisky – 46% abv

Info: Loch Lomond Single Grain Scotch Whisky. Distilled with malted barley (like a single malt), but distilled in a coffey still rather than the usual pot still, hence why it has to be called Single Grain. Non Chill Filtered, 46% abv.

Colour: Light summer straw with golden sunlight.

Nose: Light but oily, packed full of sweet citrus tones and a little grist. Candy floss. Backed up by a little american oak, and the nutty notes that can bring with it. Slightly buttery.

Palate: Oily and buttery, with plenty of sweetness and hints of spice. There’s a slight metallic note to it which soon fades. Hints of wispy smoke, probably from cask char along with spices.

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Review: Glenglassaugh Octaves Peated

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Glenglassaugh Octaves PeatedGlenglassaugh Octaves Peated – 44% abv

Info: Bottled at 44% abv. It’s non chill filtered and has natural colour. Matured in small Octave casks.
Colour: Sun golden straw.
Nose: Similar to the Octaves Classic, the nose is packed full of flavours to explore, lead by beautiful heathery dry peat notes backed up by fruits (apricots).
Palate: Similar to Octave Classic, this is much smoother on your palate than the nose might lead you to expect, in a good way. It has thick, creamy oils, and is lead by the sweet heathery peat, cracked pepper and boiled sweets.
Finish: The finish is fairly long because of the peat; at the back it’s a fight between the peat and newer oaky tones.
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