Review: Rock Oyster 18 Years Old

rock oyster 18 years oldRock Oyster 18 Years Old

Info: Made exclusively with 18yo whiskies distilled on Arran, Jura, Islay and Orkney.
Colour: Light golden straw.
Nose: Sweet floral ozone notes which soon deepen into something older. There’s well aged malty tones, gentle caramel toffee notes and hints of gentle heathery smoke puffs.
Palate: It’s oily and gently spiced on your tongue, which starts to give way to heathery floral peat notes with oaky hints which remind you of dark dunnage warehouses. There’s some slight buttery toffeeiness which helps the dram become very easy going and relaxed.
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Review: Big Peat Christmas 2017 & Feis Ile 2017

Big Peat Christmas 2017 & Big Peat Feis Ile 2017

big peat christmas 2017 bottleBig Peat Christmas 2017

Info: The now traditional full cask strength Christmas release of Big Peat for 2017, coming in at 54.1% abv.
Colour: Very light indeed, just a hint of gold. Snowey!
Nose: Sweetness comes out quickly followed by a good dollop of coastal ozone breeze and coal tar peat smoke. Very alluring.
Palate: Lovely and oily, the high abv quickly builds on your tongue to make this a spicy number as the peat and sweetness mingle nicely together. The coal smoke is there all along.
Finish: Slightly buttery, and nicely peaty, this gradually reduces to earthy embers which keep going for ages on your chest.
Thoughts: Big Peat Christmas is always a treat, and this is too!
Available: The Green Welly Stop – £49

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Review: The Gauldrons

The GauldronsThe Gauldrons – 46.2% abv

Info: The latest edition to join the Remarkable Regional Malts family, The Gauldrons is a “vatted” Malt exclusively from Cambeltown produced in very small batches and bottled without colouring or chill filtration.
Colour: Gentle golden straw.
Nose: Fairly strong and full, quite salty with hints of peat and green berry fruits.
Palate: Quite sweet with nice full oils on your tongue, followed by an interplay of salt, and then back to sweet notes, with some toffee creaminess and gentle fruits.
Finish: The finish is probably the most flavoursome part, and it lasts for a nice long time. The hints of peat means it’s good and warming. It’s slightly spiced, fairly sweet, and has a touch of oak tannins.
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