Whisky Discovery #1646

Loch Lomond Single Grain NAS 46% abv
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Circa £32.00 70cl

I first discovered this whisky at Whisky Live London earlier this year, I was intrigued at the time, to learn that it was a single grain made with 100% malted barley distilled through their Coffey Stills.

You see, the Loch Lomond Distillery is a very adaptable distillery, being somewhat unique (certainly for Scotland) having a range of different distillation apparatus.

We were fortunate to visit the Loch Lomond distillery earlier this year, the headline trip of Dramboree 2016, and saw for ourselves the unusual set up of stills. When we visited there were four pairs of copper pot stills, however, all but two of them are fitted with rectification columns instead of the traditional swan necks, alongside there was a Coffey Still that was installed in the early 1990's. There's also five continuous stills used for their grain whisky production. The distillery's capacity is noted at around 5 million litres of malt spirit and 18 million litres of grain.

A curious combination of stills

The legal definition of a single malt whisky says it "must be made exclusively from malted barley (although the addition of E150A caramel colouring is allowed), and must be distilled using copper pot stills at a single distillery." Therefore this Coffey Still distilled spirit cannot be called a single malt, hence the Single Grain tag.

So What Did We Think?

Nose: Plenty of sweet, fruity grain character here, I was picking up a strawberry note, which Kat said reminded her of strawberry shortbread. There are subtle hints of candied lemon peels, icing sugar, and fresh grasses, not your lawn grass, but summer hedgerow grass.

Palate: Pineapple juice is one of the official notes,and it's certainly something I picked up, albeit more of a canned pineapple flavour. It's sweet, but not overly so. I found stewed apples too, alongside pencil shavings and some woody spices adding a mild peppery hit. There's a pithy dryness towards the finish

Finish: Surprisingly long, which starts off dry with  grapefruit pith, and finishes with Wrigley's Juicy fruit chewing gum.

Verdict

This is a very easy drinking whisky, It's soft, and smooth, with a barley water sweetness. It's not overly complicated, but it is very enjoyable. Think of it if you will, as the Scottish equivalent of Nikka's Coffey Malt, but at a fraction of the price!

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery #1162

Invergordon 1988 'Caribbean Crème' Wemyss Malts (46%)

Single Cask Single Grain Whisky

Circa £85.00 70cl

Wemyss Malts release a batch of single cask whiskies around three or four times a year. Last July they released their first single grain, a 1988 Invergordon 'Lemon Cheesecake'. I remember being blown away and it was a resounding sucess and all 220 bottles seemed to disappear in an instance. Then in September they released a second 1988 Invergordon, 'Vintage Strawberry Punnet'. 242 bottles were released this time and once again they were snapped up.

I was too slow for this third release too! Another single cask 1988 Invergordon, but only 171 bottles available this time, so almost as rare as the proverbial hens teeth!

Named 'Caribbean Crème' it won't take you long to release what my tasting notes will comprise of.

So What Did I Think?

Good grain Whisky needs just two things; Good wood, and time, plenty of time ordinarily. Fortunately the wood in the case of Caribbean Crème has given those wonderful coconut flavours that always excite me, and by maturing for at least 25 years, sufficient time has been given for the whisky to take on these flavours.

Bright gold in colour, the initial notes of acetone or nail varnish the coconut creme notes come out to lure you into a tropical paradise. It's been a long time since I was a boat builder but know the smell of nail varnish too well with a teenage daughter at home! I digress, remember the Bounty Bar and Fry's Chocolate Delight adverts? Well that's where this was taking me. 

Woody notes follow, but still within the tropical theme and the coconut dominates the pencil box, pencil shavings notes. I've lived abroad in tropical climes for a number of years and know well the aromas of worked coconut timber and this reminded me of those times.

The first sip opens dry and spicy, but this quickly evolves into the creamy coconut and vanilla notes I was expecting, and secretly longing for! Coconut Ice and waves of vanilla, and although there is a sweetness to this, a sourness of unripe fruit balances the taste profile. The wood notes come through, again initially as pencil shavings, which evolve to pine cones later, and finishing dry and spicy while maintaining a tropical hardwood note. Those tropical hardwood notes are the dominant notes in the empty glass the following morning along with just a hint of mint.

Verdict: Another excellent Invergordon cask from the Wemyss Vaults and when you compare this to other more recent single grain releases, exceptional value for money.

Many thanks to Wemyss Malts for providing me with this delicious teaser of their latest single grain release. For more details I suggest to pay their website a visit and certainly sign up for news of their next release.

Sláinte! Dave

Girvan Grain Tweet Tasting

At the end of August Dave took part in the #GirvanGrain Tweet tasting hosted by Steve Rush of @TheWhiskyWire. A beautifully packaged sample set arrived in good time containing four vials of Single Grain Whisky from the Girvan Distillery. Two of the samples immediately looked to be new 'Whisky Discoveries' alongside two that Dave had tasted before, when the 25 Year Old was launched last October.

The Girvan distillery was the most advanced distillery in the world at the time, and the very first still called 'No.1 Apps' (a distillery term for apparatus) was built in 1963 under the stewardship of Charles Gordon, a whisky production pioneer and the great-grandson of William Grant.  The Stills are Continuous Patent or Coffey Stills, named after their inventor Aeneas Coffey.  

We have a small claim to fame here, as we met Charlie Gordon, many years ago when Dave was working in the Far East. We were invited aboard his yacht 'Cinderella II' and Dave was given a bottle of whisky to take away and Kat was given a crew shirt (she would have been just 12 at the time), The crew shirt lasted a lot longer than the whisky. Dave, not being a whisky Drinker back then, gave it away to a friend who he thought would appreciate it!

The Girvan Patent Still Single Grain 25 Year Old Scotch was originally launched as a UK only exclusive on Friday October 4th 2013. It was the Friday before The Whisky Exchange Show, and Dave was invited down to the launch. It was significant landmark in William Grant & Sons’ history as it broke whisky convention with the first release of a Distillery bottling of a Single Grain Whisky. Yes there have been independent releases of single grain from Girvan, but the majority of this spirit is used in Grants blended Scotch Whisky. 

Whisky Discovery #979

Girvan New Make Spirit (42% abv)
Single Grain New Make Spirit
Not currently for Sale

A beautifully presented tasting pack - surely there is a market for this?

Although termed 'single grain' in actual fact the 'mash bill' contains about 10% malt to kick-start fermentation, rest is wheat. The spirit normally runs off the still at around 94% abv but for comparison purposes has been bottled at 42% abv. New make spirit is the core raw essence of what will be whisky, once it’s been aged in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years according to Scotch Whisky Laws. 

So What Did I Think?

It's always interesting to taste new make spirit, and something I always strive to do when visiting a distillery. I would have loved to have nosed/sampled this at full strength and at the level it's reduced to before casking, but the samples sent out were all reduced to 42% abv, in line with the finished whiskies we'd be tasting.

Nose: Very tame for 'new make' but to be expected when bottled at 42% abv. It comes across as sweet and grassy. Steamed corn on the cob with a lime squeezed over. Popcorn notes too

Palate: Slight bitter pith-like quality to this although there is a sweetness underlying, quite creamy too. Quite a dry finish too and that pith-like bitterness remains right through to the end, leaving grapefruit  Second sip and finding some weak toffee notes with a touch of sherbet too

Verdict: Not sure I would consider buying this if it was made available, however it was a useful addition to the tasting so that comparisons could be made throughout the evening. I'd consider it at casking strength though, as it would allow me to experiment.....mwahahaha!

What Did Everyone Else Think?
@AlpacaJo: Slightly sweet, sort of sweet shop aroma on the nose with the new make spirit.
@MashtunandMeow: Lovely light headiness, with a lemony sweetness on the nose. Pear drops in there too?
@MyWhiskyGuide: Nose; first thought is of saké actually, sweet, light and grassy, not as harsh as I was expecting, has a smoothness to it
@TheWhiskyWire: Loving the fresh fruity feist-ette of the palate. Would love to road test this at the full 94% ABV 
@kizzsmyth: Quite sweet initially, fades quickly and is not too dissimilar to vanilla vodka
@mynameisgone: Palate; sweet smooth but with a warmth, slightly herbal/medicinal taste, vanilla coming through towards the finish
@BeersIveKnown: Light, elegant and fruity apricot/ pineapple, residual sweetness, touch of warmth on lips
@TheWhiskyBoys: Tastes very sweet with a hint of sweetcorn, I'm sure there's custard in there too
@rodbodtoo: Sweet and estery. Bananas - I see where you get the rum comparison Steve You could sell this stuff as Banana Vodka!

Whisky Discovery #980

Girvan No. 4 Apps NAS (42% abv)
Single Grain Whisky
Circa £44.00 70cl

OK, not as pretty as Pot Stills, but as an engineer I find this rather exciting!

I'm fairly certain this is the same whisky that I tasted at the official launch of the 25 Year Old back in October. Back then however, it was named '#5974' and there were bottles labelled up accordingly. I registered it then as Whisky Discovery No.547 and have assigned a new discovery number for this release (It's my 'Liquid Log' and I make the rules)

No.4 Apps, takes its name from the distillery term for 'Apparatus' and has been in use at the distillery since 1992. This single grain whisky is maturated in vanilla rich American oak barrels. 

So What Did I Think?

Nose: Immediate impressions; Light and fruity and there's a 'Chewits' flavour to this. A short while in the glass and some grassy notes develop, not sweet fresh cut grass however, more like grass clippings that has been cut a few days previously, slightly yellowing. Later the vanilla comes through along with some freshly squeezed lime.

Palate; A candy sweetness, with 'pseudo' candy citrus flavours. Some pith-like bitterness starts to creep in, tempered with an icing sugar sweetness and I found a sugared almond note before it finishes with a dry woody flavour

Verdict: The price is affordable, and to be fair it's quite drinkable, perhaps a little too sweet and candy like for me, and wasn't my favourite of the evening. I didn't think it was great value whisky and would probably steer you somewhere else if asked directly

What Did Everyone Else Think?
@MashtunandMeow: This is like an orchard on the nose. Still with the bubblegum picked up from the new make, and very crisp yet gentle. Also getting a scent of sugared almonds and perfumed vanilla
@MikeJack1976: Very nice, vanilla notes through it, almonds? US sweets: sugar daddies. Clings nicely to the glass, syrupy texture. Which leads to a light maple syrup nose, 
would go quite nicely with a blackberry and apple crumble or into a whisky marmalade...!
@TheWhiskyWire: Green apples, vanilla fudge and Tootie Frooties all now providing some fab balanced interplay on the nose.
@rodbodtoo: Palate; light, sweet, honeyed. A very soft allspice note. This reminds me somewhat of Auchentoshan Classic 
@Whisky_Belfast: Palate - Gorgeous spices throughout this to the end, warm pepper and chilli and in no way harsh
@msykesjones: Palate - Sweetness coming through, still get some cereal, but yes, who said apples - toffee apples, but very subtle
@raithrover: Fudge, whipped cream with a Rich Tea biscuit vibe kinda like a deconstructed Orkney Fudge cheesecake
@NeilMacKinnon1: Tastes of sweet oak and the fruitiness is a delight, a perfect aperitif
@kizzsmyth: Sweet, overripe peaches and nectarines. Still quite spirity or ‘young’. Not the longest finish, but a pleasant dram

Whisky Discovery #546

Girvan 25 Year Old (42% abv)
Single Grain Whisky
Circa £270.00 70cl

A photo taken at the official launch of the 25 Year Old last October

The  25 Year Old was the first bottling from the Girvan Patent Still range of single grain whiskies released in October 2013 which Dave attended the launch of. We'd also both re-visited this at Whisky Live London in April 2014. The Girvan 25 Year Old has been matured in American oak barrels.

So What Did I Think?

Nose: Immediately the wood influence is clear with this; with well seasoned timber, and toasted coconut flavours develop alongside stronger vanilla notes. Spices follow with cloves, but not quite as strong as I was hoping for!

Palate: Soft, sweet and mellow. Vanilla giving some fudge like toffee flavours and the toasted coconut just comes across too, but the wood dominating the palate with pencil shavings, turning to forest floor towards the end. I Would love to have tried this at a higher strength, personally I feel it would benefit from it. 

Verdict: This is a nice drop of single grain whisky, I enjoyed it and it was my favourite of the evening. However I don't find the pricing very attractive! Yes it is a 25 Year Old whisky, but at £270 feel it's overpriced, I'd also like see it bottled at a higher strength and feel it could have offered so much more at cask strength.

What Did Everyone Else Think?
@AlpacaJo: Smells dark and rich. Just the thing for a dreary evening.
@TheWhiskyBoys: There's a really woody aroma with a big waft of candy or toffee apple
@mynameisgone: Nose; wood, slightly burnt barbecued bananas, dried figs, some citrus, slightly mulchy and petrichor.
@MyWhiskyGuide: Nose; Spicy, oaky, raisins, slight vanilla, citrusy, orange me thinks, s
ome toffee coming through, but a dark toffee
@WhiskyWriter: This is where the sweetness of grain really comes in play. Really combines with the wood to give a more complex nose
@rodbodtoo: Nose: complex; sweet vanilla, light rum, brown sugar, bananas. Lovely
@DramblerJM: Nose: creamy, some vanilla, *lack* of "acetone" character typical of grain is notable.Cereal, vegetal, faint banana. Reminiscent of light rum. Pleasant.
@TheWhiskyWire: The palate well and truly welcomes you along for the ride with its sumptuously smooth and darkly decadently delish delight.
@kizzsmyth: Festive spices (cinnamon, cloves), subtle sweetness gives way to quite a dry woody finish with a brandy quality to it overall

Whisky Discovery #548

Girvan 30 Year Old (42% abv)
Single Grain Whisky
Circa £375.00 70cl

The 30 Year Old comes in a rather splendid wooden box

This was also previewed at the 25 Year Old Launch back in October 2013, and was officially launched at Whisky Live London 2014. This is the oldest bottling in the Girvan Patent Still range, matured for 30 years in American oak barrels and is unique, at it is from the last year, 1984, that maize was used in the mashbill. Again 10% malt to start fermentation and 90% maize. From 1985 onwards wheat has been the grain of choice.

So What Did I Think?

Nose: This opened up with tarred paper on first pouring, but as soon as it had settled in the glass it was much softer than I was expecting, perhaps I've been spoilt with too many single cask grains? My notes on the evening found; Soft caramelised fruits with vanilla ice cream topped with ginger and toasted coconut.

Palate: Again quite soft and mellow on the palate but spicier than the 25 Year Old with some nice tobacco notes too. Woody with cloves, a gentle chilli heat before turning creamy, creme brûlée-like, with a touch of charcoal too.  Again would have loved to taste this at a slightly higher abv, circa 50% ish to allow me to play with the profile

Verdict: Again a very nice whisky, but not quite sure where the marketing department were going with this one! £375 puts it out of reach to the majority of us and also puts it up against some very good single malt whiskies. Again, I'd also like see it bottled at a higher strength and feel it could have offered so much more at cask strength.

What Did Everyone Else Think?
@TheWhiskyWire: Tea dunked bread pudding, vanilla custard cream biscuits, blackberry's and wood spice. Fruity, fresh and finesselfull.
@mynameisgone: Nose; frusli apple and cinnamon cereal bars without the cinnamon, slightly medicinal (cough syrup?), lime, cream, peppery.
@NeilMacKinnon1: Nose; Crisp clean and earthy, has the fruitiness again but softer, getting a pipe tobacco scent
@TheWhiskyphiles: Nose: Tropical mango, pineapple, perfumed Turkish delight, syrup and honey sweet, creamy toasted coconut
@SWWIG: Some almond on the nose, citrus and that signature sweetness we've found throughout the range As the nose develops, I get more tropical notes coming through
@BeersIveKnown: This is actually fairly sweet, plenty of vanilla, warming, peppery some orange oil in finish
@MikeJack1976: Palate, Not initially sweet, but then explodes on your tongue, "so sweet it's furred up the back of my teeth" More vanilla, cleaner than the 25. Almonds again? Very smooth still, no rough edges at all. Getting a little pepper on the finish now too. Water releases some orange notes.
@DramblerJM: Finish: Long. Builds from cream to sweetness to spice. Very pleasant.

And finally....
A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire, to @KevinAbrook Global Whisky Specialist at William Grant & Sons and the team at the Girvan Distillery and of course the tweet tasters who were:

@TheWhiskyWire @WhiskyDiscovery @DramblerJM @raithrover @TheWhiskyBoys @SWWIG @simon_m_field @MyWhiskyGuide @Alpacajo @kizzsmyth @mynameisgone @WhiskyWriter @NeilMacKinnon1 @MashtunandMeow @Smokiechops @Whisky_Belfast @scotslarder @rodbodtoo @msykesjones @MikeJack1976 @BeersIveKnown @TheWhiskyphiles @annawizauk

For more information see: www.thewhiskywire.com and www.grantswhisky.com

Teeling Whiskey Tweet Tasting

To celebrate 231 years of whiskey distilling tradition within the Teeling Family, Independent Irish whiskey maker the Teeling Whiskey Company has launched its flagship premium Irish whiskey brand Teeling Whiskey.

Jack Teeling, founder of the Teeling Whiskey Co., comes from a family long associated with Irish whiskey. The Teeling family are more recently synonymous with Cooley Distillery, which when established in 1987 was the first Irish whiskey distillery set up in Ireland in over 100 years. However the family’s whiskey heritage dates back to distilling in Dublin in 1782 and Walter Teeling who set up a distillery in Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties. Jack continues on the Teeling’s entrepreneurial spirit and while initially starting out as an Independent bottler aims to get back into the distilling game to ensure a constant supply of Irish whiskey.

The Tweet Tasters were sent four different expressions for the event along with a miniature of their small batch rum cask Irish Whiskey and a rather splendid nosing glass (which I used for water in this event).

In addition each of the whiskies were being paired with music and a play list had been selected and links to each on the playlist were sent out during the Tweet Tasting, I was already with my Irish music collection, and actually have all but the last one saved on my ipod, but would have put all these alongside some Flogging Molly!

• Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey: U2 - Desire
• Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey: Thin Lizzy - Whiskey in Jar
• Teeling 21 Year Old Single Malt : Dubliners - Dirty Old Town
• Teeling 26 Year Old Single Malt: Luke Kelly - Auld Triangle

Whisky Discovery #659

Teeling Single Grain NAS (46% abv)
Irish Single Grain Whiskey
circa £45.00 70cl

Single Grain bottlings are very rare as it is typically blended with heavier styles of Irish whiskey to create many of the well-known brands on the market today. Grain whiskey is made through the combination of unique ingredients, predominately maize/corn which is distilled through a modern technique of column distillation. This produces an exceptionally clean, smooth and sweet Irish whiskey. The smooth, sweet nature of Grain whiskey provides a natural canvas which allows the Teeling Whiskey Company to create a very unique style of Irish whiskey.

To add a depth of character, Teeling Single Grain is exclusively fully matured in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels. This creates a very distinctive rich amber colour while imparting strong spicy notes, lush red berry and grape flavours. This proprietary maturation technique produces a very unique Irish whiskey of distinctive character while still being remarkably easy to drink. Like all the Teeling whiskeys it is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration allowing for all the natural flavours of the whiskey to be retained.

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: The nose is lovely! Victoria sponge cake, light vanilla, with some lemon notes, almost like a fresh lemon cheesecake. I was picking up some sawdust too. Onto the palate and there's some dry straw grassy notes. It's spicy too but settles to give some sweet citrus notes like sweet satsumas and sour apple Chewits

Dave said: The nose opens with sweet cereal notes, hints of wild strawberry, some lemon zest and vanilla sneaking in too. Whilst it starts quite strong it seems to soften quickly to a creamy vanilla flavour. The sharp wild strawberry note also softens to that of strawberry yogurt . This is smooth and creamy and the soft strawberry flavour continues onto the palate, albeit more like a Strawberry Chewit now. A very nice sipping whiskey, gentle fruit flavours, very creamy too, starting to dry the mouth at the end.

So what did the others think?
@SteveRascal: Light cereal... Hints toward spice? Touch of citrus, lemon zest maybe. 

@EdinburghWhisky: The sort of spirit note you'd expect from a grain but there is also almonds and vanilla.

@kizzsmyth: A touch of varnish, but a lot of sweetness on the nose

@TheSmokyDram: More of the citrus fruit notes for me on the nose as it spends more time in the glass

@chanddenwhite: Sweet Strawberry coming though on the middle palate.

@thomas_speller: Creamy white chocolate on the palate, with some almonds and grass. Hint of ginger on the finish

@TheWhiskyWire: A red fruit frenzy on the palate, with a velvety vinous vivaciousness. 

@PWulf: Taste That was really smooth ! A very round and full flavour of vanilla ice cream.

@Girl_Whisky: Taste: Lovely, sweet, spicy, smooth, cinnamon, chocolate, warm, berries, strawberries, mellow, lemon and citrus

Whisky Discovery #534

Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask NAS (46% abv)

Irish Whiskey

circa £32.00 70cl

Teeling Irish Whiskey is a small batch bottling from hand selected casks of Grain and Malt whiskey which are further matured in ex-Flor de Cana Rum barrels. Teeling Irish Whiskey is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration which provides an extra sweet and smooth flavour making it truly a unique Irish Whiskey.

I first tasted this at The Midlands Whisky Festival back in September, it was one of the highlights of the day and I brought a bottle home with me. I took this bottle out to friends over Christmas, along with an armful of other malts, and it was everyone's favourite that night.

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: On first pouring I was finding some dried pebbles on the beach, a hint of salt and some sherbet notes. It opens up later bringing orange marmalade on toast and Portuguese custard tarts. I tweeted 'Woah!' on the first sip as I could taste so much fruit: mango, dried pineapple, pears, and dried apricots. Exotic spices followed;  fennel or caraway seeds. Later the rum notes come through; Demerara sugar, and a touch of palm sugar too

Dave said: Another soft nose; grains and tropical fruit, like one of those breakfast chewy bars. Lots of dried tropical fruits, peach/apricot flavours. Sweet with runny honey and sultanas. Returning to this at the end of the tweet tasting I was finding Banana and Ginger cake. The palate is sweet and creamy initially, a little zesty spice follows and then lots of dried tropical fruits, finishing quite dry. I loved it when I first 'discovered' it and it's been a crowd pleaser with my friends too.

So what did the others think?

@SteveRascal: Rum and raisin ice cream fleetingly disappears with the first sniff.
@whiskybars: On the nose autumnal berries, orange peel and a hint of spice at first
@LRWhisky: Lots of brown sugar, almost like a decadent chocolate cake mix
@ansgarspeller: On this nose some nice rum soaked raisin and vanilla notes
@eimearocarroll: Sharper notes on the nose. Haribo sour sweets
@Girl_Whisky: Warm, chocolate, tropical, raisins, banana, lemon, tea leaves
@champdenwhite White rum flavours hit at first with the deeper darker notes following a little later after it opens up. Touches of Pineapple within the tropical overall fruit.
@kizzsmyth: Not as smooth on the palate as the grain. Tropical tho, pineapple and mango... held together with a dollop of dark treacle
@MCRWhiskyClub: Cajun Squirrel pie, hot from the oven. Just-Roll puff sweet puff pastry top
b7ryn: Palate - pear and pepper ice cream. Goes quickly, and leaves cola ice-poles lingering for ages. It delivers!!
PWulf: Taste: Sweet and banana skids (Toffee with banana taste). Some harshness at the end that elevates the taste."
@MasterOfMalt: Yep. Palate lives up to the nose. Very good. Not just clever branding (although it is *also* clever branding).

Whisky Discovery #660

Teeling 21 Year Old Silver Reserve (46% abv)
Irish Single Malt Whiskey
circa £137.00 70cl

Containing some of the oldest Single Malt Irish whiskey ever bottled. This Silver Reserve bottling consists of 21 Year Old Irish whiskey distilled in 1991 and matured firstly in Bourbon casks then allowed to marry in Sauternes wine casks to provide a truly unique Irish whiskey taste experience. 

Consisting of only hand selected casks chosen for their distinctive taste qualities this small batch bottling is limited to just 5,000 bottles.

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: This is much richer and I was finding notes of cold wet leaf mulch, it's much more earthy. Amongst the earthiness there are dried fruit notes; apricots, sweet tamarind, and dates. At the time I tweeted "It smells like I'm in the old wardrobe amongst the fur coats, waiting to walk through to Narnia" After a little while in the glass (we often spend a long time nosing before we're allowed to taste at Steve's Tweet Tastings!) I was finding cedar wood (hence the wardrobe statement) rolling tobacco, linseed oil, baked bananas, and dark chocolate. This is so complex.

The initial taste is of toasted Pecan nuts and treacle tarts. There's a slight oily mouth feel to this silky smooth very pleasant dram. I loved the richer, maltier notes.The cedar wood found on the nose is there on the palate, spice with fresh chillies, and banana fritters following up.

Dave said: I found fragrant smoke in this immediately, but there's a ton of tropical fruits too. A very complex and constantly evolving nose with plenty to keep you occupied. Liquorice toffees, Thai style pineapple jam, a touch of green coconut and a certain earthiness and damp wood along with a faint linseed oil note struggling to get past the more dominant flavours. What a great nose this has! Returning to this after tasting all four the smokiness becomes much more apparent after leaving in the glass for a while.

This has a sweet entry, but much richer and creamier with hints of antique wood and baked pear. After the spices a fragrant tobacco note and dried papaya bringing back the tropical fruits. Unfortunately it's a little above my budget but so delicious, I need to find a better paying job!

So what did the others think?
@PWulf: Nose: children's feet and peat. Läkerol special lozenges. Wood and some boat tar."
@LRWhisky: A big dose of acetate initially, like Airfix glue. Quite herby after that.

@Girl_Whisky: Pineapple, salty, pepper, antique wax, red fruit, cherries, coconut, complex

@CHampdenWhite1: Very fruity nose, sweet and tropical, hints of pineapple with a salty kicker

@MasterOfMalt: Epic nose. Tropical Fruit, and a bit more tropical fruit? Pineapple.

@EdinburghWhisky: Ginger sponge, custard creams and vanilla top hats. It's all the party treats.

@b7ryn: Nose - top drawer (literally). getting a bit of 50's g-plan furniture I just bought. Maturity, class and distinction.

@eimearocarroll: "Wet dog (but a nice 1), leather, smoky like an old Irish man's tweed jacket, tinned mackerel

@thomas_speller: The palate is quite complex too; sweet rubber apricot clover honey and a struck match… wow.

@SteveRascal: Flavours shifting from soft and sweet to earthen spice. Nut in there too, like a bag of nuts and raisins.

@AlpacaJo: The palate is more pipe smoke than camp-fire. Smooth and lingering, almost as if you can taste the age in the smoke.

@ansgarspeller: That dark Indonesian cake with spices in it, oranges, and dried fruit, mint, chocolate

@MCRWhiskyClub: Palate - Cherry tobacco notes, home made mincemeat and peach tin syrup

Whisky Discovery #661

Teeling 26 Year Old Gold Reserve (46% abv)

Irish Single Malt Whiskey

circa £00.00 70cl

Our finale dram was a very special exclusive preview of: the not yet released Teeling 26 Year Old Single Malt (Gold Reserve). Again some of the oldest Single Malt Irish whiskey ever bottled consisting of 26 Year Old Irish whiskey distilled in 1987 and matured firstly in Bourbon casks then finished in White Burgundy Casks.

We weren't told when this will be released, how much it will be or how many bottles would be available but you can bet it'll be way above my station!

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: The initial tasting note I jotted down was  milk gum sweets! I was specifically picking up the dusty sugar coating and some wax, I think its Carnauba wax. After a little while a slightly tart rhubarb crumble note develops and there's also a umami quality too it. Again this slowly evolves as it wakes up; Almonds and bruised lemon grass, a  hint of woodiness, but fragrant and light, multi seeded toast aromas. Another complex dram.

The palate is full of soft fruits, and at last I found the strawberries everyone (particularly Dad) had been picking up. There's also red currents and raspberries. It's creamy like porridge oats with soft fruits drizzled with clear honey but very light and delicate. Once mentioned I found my Mum's fresh home-made coconut milk, but more kept coming; wax crayons, anise and a hint of lavender.  A fascinating sneak preview to a very complex Irish Single Malt Whiskey 

Dave said: A fabulously complex and constantly changing nose. It starts off soft and sweet dram with the characteristic flavours of an 'age matured malt'; Marzipan, almonds, waxed lemons, a soft gingery spice and floral notes, rose petal like hidden behind. The strawberry notes I have found in each of these four Teeling Whiskies is there too along with tinned lychee.  A cornucopia of dried tropical fruits follows; papaya, pineapple, mango and coconut. This nose is divine and could happily nose it for hours and I could immediately tell this 26 Year Old is sadly going to be way beyond my budget. 

The palate too is divine and the tropical fruit theme continues, but more of a fruit salad sweetie taste. It also packs a little more of a punch than the 21 Year Old coming across quite spicy for a little while before settling down and the fruit returns, continuing the strawberry theme too.

So what did the others think?

@champdenwhite: Wasn't expecting this: Toasty notes of the wood working with the chardonnay, almost as if it were a big fat Meursault
@MCRWhiskyClub: Nose - Apple sponge cake, a freshly sanded and waxed oak table. Beeswax candles and lots of clementine, cream and spice
@Dr4key: Nose; Explosion in a fruit warehouse, felt pens and marzipan.
@TheSmokyDram: Rocky and pebbly beach with a fine sea spray over it. Granny smith apples, marzipan, waxiness and some creamy spiciness
@HMcnee: Sweet, honey, fruit arrival delicate, mouth coating experience very different from the 21 Year Old Tastes superb!
@eimearocarroll: Palate as elegant as the nose. Sweet, floral, delicate (but with a bite). Fab example of how awesome Irish whiskey can be.
@EdinburghWhisky: Palate: Feisty for being 26 but that is no bad thing. Strawberries, fresh hay from the fields. Lovely.
@msykesjones: Palate - Wow stunning! smooth rich mouth feel, creamy on on to dried fruits, sweet honey and spice
@whiskybars: Hint of liquorice, Turkish delight, fruit crumble and rose petals. Really beautiful on the nose! So delicate, pineapple, desiccated coconut, baked raspberry tart. What a treat

And finally....

A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire, Stephen Teeling and the team at @TeelingWhiskeyC and of course the tweet tasters who were:

@TheWhiskyWire @TeelingWhiskeyC @StephenTeeling @LRWhisky @EdinburghWhisky @MasterOfMalt @WhiskyDiscovery @champdenwhite @WorldWhiskyDay @HMcnee @eimearocarroll @Alpacajo @kizzsmyth @SohoWhiskyClub @WhiskyDiscovKat @msykesjones @MCRWhiskyClub @b7ryn @SteveRascal @Dr4key @irishbeersnob @thomas_speller @PWulf  @Girl_Whisky @TheSmokyDram @DH17slijterij @whiskybars

For more information see: www.thewhiskywire.com and www.teelingwhiskey.com

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery Tasting #1

A full house for our first 'Whisky Discovery' tasting at The Embankment, Bedford

We finally did it, jumped in with both feet, closed our eyes, and hoped for the best. When we finally caught our breaths, the chaos that was left behind was a bunch of strangers brought together by seven beautiful drams, and all having a whale of a night. 

From the reaction of everyone who came to our first tasting, it was a big fat tick in the fun box, and we are delighted that there are enough people interested to start a whisky club in Bedford! Hooray! What this space in 2014 for more news. 

For the evening, we teamed up with the Embankment Pub in Bedford The line-up on the night was seven drams, each paired with a different canapé that were jointly selected by the head chef and me, to complement each dram. 

These are the pairings in order of their appearance on the night:

1. Smoked Salmon on Sourdough Toast paired with SMWS G10.5 
2. Sweet Potato and Baby spinach Frittata paired with Paul John’s Brilliance. 
3. Morn Dew Cheese paired with Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage. 
4. Smoked Haddock Rarebit paired with The Whisky Lounge’s Salted Sea Dog. 
5. Pear Crumble paired with Glen Moray Chardonnay cask.
6. Vanilla Ice Cream paired with Balcones Baby Blue. 
7. Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart paired with Douglas Laing’s Scally Wag.

It was a big gamble starting the evening with the SMWS G10.5 as it was the highest abv at 61%. Due to food pairing, it was difficult to place it anywhere else in the line-up. It would have been too weird having a smoked salmon in between sweet canapés. It did become a good bench mark dram though, with many really appreciating the freshness and floral qualities of this dram after they had tasted the others. 

So what did we think of each dram?

Whisky Discovery #614

SMWS G10.5 A ‘Schweppervescene’ Moment 23 Year Old (61% abv)

Single Grain Whisky from Strathclyde Distillery 

Circa £68.50 70 cl

This is a single cask, single grain whisky from the Strathclyde grain distillery, located in the Gorbals district of Glasgow. There are no official distillery bottlings of this single cask however it is a popular grain whisky that’s used in many blends. 

Nose:  Punches with freshness, very lively and vibrant. A while later creamier note comes through of young ripe avocado, there’s some acetone notes that tickles the nose, with some sharp lemon/lime sherbets but without the oversweet sugar smell. 

Taste:  It starts with the lemon sherbets, followed by corn flakes and cereal notes, then a hint of bitterness which is nice to give it some depth, and at the end it becomes a minty menthol mouthwash. 

Finish:  The cooling minty menthol mouthwash has stayed, then it becomes warming with the bitterness returning right to the end. A long finish with leaving a dry mouth feel. 

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: First dram is the SMWS schweppervescence. grass & vanilla on the nose. Pepper on the palette, after taste of leather car seat. This one better with water, softens it.

@JohnnieStumbler: Wonderfully fresh on the nose. Grassy with fresh fruits. Great mouthfeel, sweet and grassy with a citric edge. With a touch of water, it really delivers. Paired with smoked salmon on sourdough toast. It really highlights the contrast between sweet and salt. Good shout! Very capable and worth further exploration. Needs time, water and a brave heart.

Whisky Discovery #429

Paul John’s Brilliance NAS (46% abv)

Indian Single Malt Whisky 

Circa £46 70 cl

The distillery is based in Goa, India, and it is one of only two distilleries in India currently exporting to the UK. It is made with using Indian six-row barley from the Himalayan foothills and has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s non-chill-filtered with no artificial colouring. 

Nose:  Rich and intense aromas. Aromatic and spicy of teak wood and nutmeg, with the smell of warm leather. 

Taste:  Again rich full bodied flavours. Teak wood comes through with some sweetness, for me it’s similar to the taste of flat Coca-Cola, and there’s also a floral notes present. 

Finish:  Begins with sweet cassia bark followed by some spiciness, leaving a mild wood note at the end. Not a very long finish, would have loved for this to go on for longer. 

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: Bloody lovely Indian Whisky. Not as grim as the Amrut. I really like it. Matched well with the sweet potatoe & spinach fritter. Would be excited to try the edited peated from them.
@JohnnieStumbler: Bourbon-a-plenty on the nose. Lots going on for a young whisky. Some rich fruits on the nose. Rich palate balanced out by a spicy finish. Intriguing. With sweet potato and baby spinach frittata, there isn't a stark contrast. Think harmony.
@cecilnorris1988: Plums, dates, a hint of the dreaded vanilla on the nose for me.

Whisky Discovery #454

Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage 17 Year Old (53.3% abv)

Highland Single Malt

Circa £50.45 70 cl

They don’t make it like this anymore! This vintage bottling was distilled in the last year that the distillery used peat in its kiln to dry it’s barley before malting, due to this, there is some peat present but at a very low ppm. Not really noticeable as peat. It’s been matured in first fill ex-bourbon barrels. 

Dave has tasted this whisky before as part of a tweet tasting, click here to see what he thought then.

Nose:  Very spicy with a sweet bread aroma that’s like Panettone bread, there’s an Ovaltine note, and the smell of lemon butterfly cakes. 

Taste:  Begins with a spicy chili heat, followed by barley sugar sweets, sugared covered roasted hazel nuts, slight hint of smokiness and floral notes that’s like a mild black cardamom taste. 

Finish:  Warming spices with a touch of sweetness and smokiness, then spiciness returning right at the end, leaving a dry mouth feel.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: Smells divine, light hint of peat, sweet, candy & grass on the nose, sting like chilli aftermath. Good warmth. This is a sexy Whisky.
@cecilnorris1988: I've had this before with @JohnnieStumbler. As good now as it was in the Summer '13 A huge shout out to Morn Dew Cheese too. Your marriage with the Glen Garioch 95 17 Year Old is a beautiful one.
@JohnnieStumbler: I'm hugely biased as this is one of my go-to drams. Wonderful. With Morn Dew cheese. Works splendidly. The creaminess of the cheese just marries with the mild peatiness perfectly.

Whisky Discovery #616

The Whisky Lounge ‘Salted Sea Dog’ Batch No. 2 NAS (46% abv)

Islay Single Malt

Circa £21.00 20 cl

This is an independent bottling from the lovely folks at The Whisky Lounge. All we know is that it’s from one of the well-known distilleries on the North-East of Islay, and who are not normally known for their peated whiskies. This is non-chill-filtered and free from artificial colouring. 

Nose:  Peat is noticeable but not overpowering. Warm banana bread aromas followed by powdered ginger, and the smell of very dry crumbly fruit cake that’s gone stale. 

Taste:  Nice balance of peat smoke and sweetness. Texture and flavour of watered down cinnamon infused sugar syrup, with some bitterness at the end from lemon pips. 

Finish:  Initially warming with hints of sweetness that lingers, and then warms again, this time of white pepper giving a good length finish.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: I AM IN HEAVEN! I am not sharing that with anyone. *sits in the corner and has a moment* Salty sea dog, is heavy peat that melts away making you want more. Coal dust, seaweed & a slight twang of 2p pieces #wdt1 #buymeabottle
@JohnnieStumbler: Beautiful peaty, coastal nose. Less of a peat assault on the palate. Gentle and moreish. With smoked haddock rarebit, a symphony of smoke and sea spray.
@cecilnorris1988: Back at St Peter Port in Guernsey. Salt (surprise surprise), seaweed, PEAT!
@Johnnyboythrash: Not a fan of the smoky whisky that we experienced, but this is my & @rosetintvintage first whisky tasting, so still finding palette.

Whisky Discovery #132

Glen Moray 10 Year Old Chardonnay Cask (40% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £25.00 70 cl

Glen Moray still doesn’t seem to be that well known, it is only a smallish distillery and one of the seven distilleries listed on the Speyside Single Malt Trail, and are located in Elgin, Morayshire. This whisky has been fully matured in for its entire life in Chardonnay cask which gives this dram a light delicate floral feel. 

We first tasted this dram last year. Dave wrote about a posted in thoughts back in May 2012, you can read about it here 

Nose:  Noticeably creamy and smooth, with vanilla, hints of dryness, sweetness from clear honey, and a floral bouquet throughout. 

Taste:  Instantly of the clear honey, leading to a fresh citrus zest which prevents the dram being overly sweet. The sweetness is however present throughout. Texture is a smooth silky feel. 

Finish:  The honey note stays for a split second, a lot shorter than I had expected. A fresh fruity chili heat, like a Scotch bonnet chili, appears and stays, while cereal notes arrives at the same time as leaving the mouth with a dry mouth feel with some bitterness right to the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Not blown away, a bit too nicey nicey & soft after taste. I like whisky with balls! this is light, sweet, pear drops apples on the nose. It's nice but too nicey nicey.
@JohnnieStumbler: This is a little sweetie on the nose. Fruit and gentle oak. Sweet and lightly fruity; a dessert whisky. Overpowered by the butteriness of the pear crumble.
@Johnnyboythrash: Just found a whisky I really like, and @rosetintvintage agrees.

Whisky Discovery #321

Balcones Baby Blue NAS (46% abv)

Texas Blue Corn Whisky

Circa £55 75 cl 

We have tasted this whisky many times, and it’s one of my personal favourites. You can find out what Dave thought about it when he first 'discovered' it here. 

This is Texas whisky and the only distillery in the world using blue atole corn to make whisky.  Atole corn has a nutter flavour than yellow corn. It gives the whisky extra depth to other corn whiskies but still keeps the freshness and verve of a traditional corn whisky with a smooth finish.

Nose: There’s some sweetness from Demerara sugar, some dry oak notes but more like oak shavings and saw dust, and there’s some creaminess there also. 

Taste:  This reflects the now, starting with caramel notes with some dry oak. Then the nutty flavour of roasted hazel nuts and hints of burnt toasts comes through, balancing out the sweetness. It has a very smooth Crème Brule like texture but without the heavy feel.

Finish:  Again the same flavour profile that you get throughout this dram but begin with warming black pepper. The caramel, toasted bread, and oak notes comes through afterwards, these lingers right through to the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Honey, macadamia nuts, vanilla on the nose. Let down on the palette, hard corn spirit. It's so unusual it draws you back. Strangely I'm not a huge fan but I can't stop retrying it. Popcorn Whisky.
@Johnnyboythrash: Ooh, the Balcones is even better. Was trying to describe & @rosetintvintage  says nuts & toffee...I'd agree
@JohnnieStumbler: This has corn chips and nuts all over the nose.The palate doesn't live up to the nose but not bad at all. With vanilla ice cream, it's Doritos time!
@cecilnorris1988: Damn you vanilla! The penultimate whisky. I know @JohnnieStumbler and @Mooley are fans of the nose.

Whisky Discovery #610

Douglas Laing Scallywag NAS (46% abv)

Speyside Blended Malt Whisky

Circa £38.00 70 cl

Douglas Laing has been in business for the last 65 years as the leading independent Scotch whisky master blenders and bottlers. They specialise in selecting single casks and small batch whiskies. I find it incredible that the business was started by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and today, it is still owned and run by the Laing family; Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing. 

Scallywag has been blended from Speyside malts, all we know is that it includes whiskies from Mortlach, Macallan, and Glenrothes. It’s non chill-filtered and uses predominately whiskies that’s been matured in various Spanish sherry butts, but there is some first filled bourbon casks in there as well. 

Nose:  Initially of some new make spirit then as it opens up to give some vanilla and creamy notes, reminds me of raw Victoria sponge cake mix, and soft butter. There’s also some fruitiness there as well, mainly raisins. 

Taste:  On the initial sip, I found it to be full of almond essence that turns into Amaretto liqueur after several sips. This is followed by the taste of Plumb Schnapps, and then the fruity richness arrives, full of dates and raisins but doesn’t make the whisky feel heavy. Towards the end there’s some lovely creamy shortbread. 

Finish:  Lemon zest and hint of lemon pith, then honey and vanilla notes with raisins right at the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Not out on retail yet! Scallywag Douglas Laing.Toffee, dates, WITH A MASSIVE HIT ON THE PALETE. Amazing So @amjohnno has preordered me a bottle of Scallywag for Christmas. I am a very lucky girl! 
@JohnnieStumbler: A little young on the nose, a tad feinty perhaps.A privilege indeed; trying before general release. With hazelnut tart, it just works really well. Good call. Christmas on the palate. Worth a punt but this whisky hound likes the peat.
@Johnnyboythrash: I like this Douglas Laing Scallywag, and the badge...awesome!

Going by the ‘mmmm’ factor from the room, the top 3 most popular pairings were Douglas Laing’s Scallywag with chocolate and hazelnut tart, The Whisky Lounge’s Salty Sea Dog with smoked haddock rarebit, and the Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask 10 Year Old with pair crumble. These pairings just worked so well together.

My favourite moments from the evening was someone wanting the Smoked Haddock rarebit and Salty Sea Dog on tap, and a lady who was pretty sure she wouldn’t like the Glen Moray because she hated Chardonnay, turned out to absolutely love the Glen Moray! 

Check out our album on Facebook page for some more pictures from the night. 

Lastly thank you…..

We were very lucky to be given a bottle of Douglas Laing’s new little scamp, Scallywag, before it was available in the shops. A big thank you goes out to them, it was the cherry on top of the cake. You can check out their whiskies on their website here. Douglas Laing

I would also like to say thank you to the other independent bottlers and distilleries for their support, and for creating some beautiful drams. For more information on all of the other drams listed in the tasting, and where you can purchase them, visit these websites below:

• Single Malt Whisky Society
• Paul John’s Whisky
• Glen Garioch
• The Whisky Lounge
• Glen Moray
• Balcones 

Until the next time, Slàinte! Kat