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

Aberlour Tweet Tasting

I was really pleased to be invited to the Aberlour Tweet Tasting at the beginning of December. Checking my liquid log revealed that just one Aberlour expression had been visited in over 650 different whiskies. It was high time I discovered more!

Aberlour (pronounced ‘Abba-LOW-errr’) single malt whisky is named after where it’s made. It means ‘the mouth of the chattering burn’ in Gaelic, and this wild mountain stream is part of the Aberlour story. Steeped in centuries of legend and surrounded by the dramatic Highland scenery of Ben Rinnes, the village of Aberlour lies at the very heart of Speyside, where the Lour burn joins the River Spey.

The distillery was founded by Peter Weir and James Gordon in 1826, though Peter was to pull out a year later. The distillery has been rebuilt twice due to devastating fire damage; the first rebuild took place in 1879 and was financed by James Fleming, a local banker who relocated it upstream. It was rebuilt again in 1898 and was redesigned by the architect Charles Doig. Now owned by Chivas Brothers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, Aberlour is the seventh best-selling Scotch single malt.

A Monday night Tweet Tasting was arranged  for the 2nd December and at a slightly later than usual start time of 7:30pm Five core expressions were tasted, each being a new Whisky Discovery.

Whisky Discovery #654

Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask Matured (43% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £36.00 70cl

This expression is a fine example of how the distinctively crisp, citrus character of Aberlour’s raw spirit is deftly softened by double cask maturation. Oak and seasoned Sherry butts are both used, as the mellowed spirits within are combined to deliver a subtly balanced flavour. Aberlour’s uniquely rewarding depth of character derives from how it’s made as much as the quality of the soft spring water and the other ingredients.

So What Did I Think?

Nice rich fruity nose, Over-ripe orchard fruits, dried orange peel and vanilla notes with a touch of mint too. After a little while in the glass a soft malty note develops along with some caramelised banana. Well that was the notes I tweeted during the tweet tasting, but with 5cl samples I held some back for returning to later. With a fresh glass poured I concur with my original notes but seem to be finding rich butterscotch notes now, the hard candy butterscotch as opposed to the sweet sickly Angel Delight type.

Palate: Not quite as rich as the nose was suggesting on first taste. Light and quite thin though enjoyable Vanilla icecream with raisins and a touch of cinnamon. Milk chocolate notes follow immediately after swallowing, this is very soft and very drinkable. Returning to nose after the first sip, those milk chocolate notes start to come through here to. The finish is  really quite short, but I must admit i wasn't expecting an 'all night finish' purely on the initial mouth-feel. There's a gentle spicy tang with a hint of cloves in caramel.

Returning to the empty glass in the morning lots of lovely dark chocolate powder notes are clearly identifiable.

What Did Everyone Else Think?

@Girl_Whisky: Nuts … caramel, lovely sweetness on the nose, flowers, banana , burned wood, pepperish
@whiskyrepublic: I'm getting hints of cherry and white pepper....an ever so slight menthol note...nice
@whiskycast: Figs and honey, touches of dried apricots, vanilla, and a hint of almond on the nose.
@malthound: Nose: sweet, citrus, hint of apple
@TheWhiskyLounge: Light breakfast marmalade, touch caramel, quite fresh floral, boiled sweets, plain flour, orange cordial.
@annCBScotch: Delicious intriguing aromas of autumnal fruits show the best of both bourbon and sherry casks. Red fruits in the new spirit have been transformed by 12 years in double casks to a deep velvety creamy experience
@TheWhiskyWire: Sherry trifle topped with sliced bananas on the nose. A tin of boiled condensed milk and even more bananas, banoffee pie anyone?
@TonyWTC: Taste: Incredibly smooth sherry and galaxy chocolate at first, then ginger spice and wood. Quite drying
@ScotMaltWhisky: Palate, creamy toffee, ginger, cinnamon, marmalade some oak spice
@galg: Dried fruit goodness here with a lot of sherry effect, yet it's quite gentle, it's not in your face kind of sherry

Whisky Discovery #655

Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured (43% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £45.00 70cl

Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry butts, and bottled a reasonable 43% abv

So What Did I Think?

Richer and darker than the 12 Year Old, showing more sherry influence perhaps? Similar over-ripe fruit notes, perhaps more stewed-like, apples/pears, with a slight sourness and a touch of waxy furniture polish. After a little while a definite cinnamon pastry note develops followed by some plasticine/pay-doh like notes before returning to a malty fruit compote with sultanas and sugary dates.

The richer colour and nose continues onto the palate with a more fuller mouth feel, remaining soft and fruity but feeling a little more like the nose than the 12 Year Old. Quite a rich woody flavour to the tinned pear notes which turns malty and then drying tannins at the fairly shortish finish.

Again the empty glass emirate rich dark chocolate notes the following morning, this on reminding me of a bar of Bournville rather than chocolate powder, and there are more well seasoned lumber notes.

What Did Everyone Else Think?

@themaltedmuse: Less sweetness here but still holds subtlety on the nose. more dry spice on the taste and finish plus some peppered cayenne

@summerfruitcup: Nose - rhubarb, more dry floral notes, backed up by warm caramel and custard.

@EdinburghWhisky: Nose: Milk chocolate, bit of honey. slightly nutty, Touch of pear. Think I prefer the 1st nose

@petedrinks: Has much more sherry presence; raisins, toffee, a darker sweetness than the 12 Year Old

@whiskycast: Nose; good spices, raisin bread, cinnamon, nutmeg, hint of pine needles, honey and figs.

@whiskyrepublic: Nose - A more sumptuous colour than the 12 Year Old, Lovely arc on the legs, pungent fruits, feels like it's holding something back

@steveprentice: Palate: Immediately you get oak on the palate, maybe more than the nose would lead you to imagine, it's a fairly fresh sawdust sweet oak followed on by barley malt and then the sweet green apple freshness you found when nosing.

@LRWhisky: Palate - quite buttery, honey, butter shortcrust pastry, pain au raisin, spicy, some pepper, sherry 

@ScotMaltWhisky: Palate is mildly sweet and floral. Sweet grape, gentle spice, nutty, stewed plum, vanilla 

@kristianehenney: Palate; Nuttier than I was expecting. But I did just eat a cashew. Also raisins, definitely sherry undertones, I think cumin

@JamesBrownisms: Ooh tingly tongue that leaves plum, oak and spice lingering. Delicious.

Whisky Discovery #656

Aberlour A'Bunadh - Batch 45 (60.2% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £40.00 70cl

A’Bunadh is made in homage to Aberlour’s founder, James Fleming, using only traditional methods without chill filtration or other modern processes. Gaelic for ‘of the origin’, A'Bunadhmis matured exclusively in Oloroso ex-sherry butts and bottled at natural cask-strength. With each batch carefully made by hand this is a unique cask strength whisky has achieved cult status among whisky connoisseurs.

So What Did I Think?

A'Bunadh is the only Aberlour on my liquid log to date. I've still got the last couple of drams of Batch 37 and you can find out what I thought of that here: A'bunadh Batch 37 This immediately brought back memories of that big meaty, punchy dram. 

The A'Bunadh has a fabulous nose, and being cask strength, quite punchy initially, but hold fast this has fabulous notes of a rich and heavily sherried fruit cake, then there's liquorice, cloves with ginger. A'Bunadh, it was a great discovery when I first opened my Batch 37 and pleased to say I'm very much impressed with Batch 45

Even at 60.2% abv I really don't feel this A'Bunadh needs water, it sits majestically on the palate, with rich old fashioned dark marmalade flavours, candied orange peel in sticky Demarara sugar and leaves a cigar smoke like taste in the mouth.

The empty glass still has some of the signature chocolate notes, but this is much more malty and remains quite spicy too

What Did Everyone Else Think?

@petedrinks: A'bunadh is surprisingly gentle on the nose, given the cask strength. Was expecting the alcohol to blow my nose off

@Girl_Whisky: Sweet, soft, peppery, cucumber, caramel, onion, pizza, salty

@kristianehenney: Nose; Gorgeous orange. Full on Christmas pud, dark fruits, thick and silken, dark chocolate

@galg: Nose: lots and lots of dried fruit. an avalanche of sultanas, plums, prunes, varnish, acetone. OH MY. I love it.

@MCRWhiskyClub: Nose - A nostril tingling display of sherried raisins, medjool dates, cranberry sauce, star anise cinnamon and cacao nibs

@TheWhiskyWire: In infusion of winter spice, sweet sherry and something rather dunnage-esque on the nose.

@annCBScotch: Multi-layered or multi faceted - it shows so many rich dried fruits, spices dark chocolate nutty notes - delicious

@whiskywardrobe: Lovely palate with even more sherry fingerprint. So much leather, wood, vanilla and tobacco... I love it! 

@LucyJRichardson: Definitely getting xmas pud with Abunadh, followed by a slither of Terry's chocolate orange - yum! 

@ScotMaltWhisky: Pate - loads going on, thick treacle toffee sugars, orange, stewed plum, a nuttiness, spicy, honeyed, dark chocolate 

@themaltedmuse: Spiced rum, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, molasses but still find white chocolate an underlying creaminess that survives the abv 

@whiskyrepublic: Palate - I'm in a tanning factory (leather not UV), smoking cigars whilst crushing chocolate coated raisins with a plum 

@malthound: Short tannin finish with exploding spiciness!

Whisky Discovery #657

Aberlour 18 Year Old (43% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £99.00 70cl

Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry butts. The current whisky maker and his team are the same men who originally laid down the casks over 18 Years ago.

So What Did I Think?

The 18 Year Old has a rich and fruity nose with lots of chocolate immediately. There's notes of orange zest and over-ripe soft stone fruit; plums and peaches. There's also some great wood shop flavours, well seasoned lumber as well as polished wood. Spices are subdued, softer and melding together. Later notes gave rich caramelised and dried fruits; apricots in particular.

The mouth feel comes across as refined and luxurious. Smooth and gentle the chocolate comes across on the palate balanced with glorious rich sherried oak flavours, spiced fruits; orange and apricot and wood comes through as sawdust. The chocolate remains on the long finish, turning slightly bitter at the very end.

The empty glass is full of the chocolate notes the following morning too!

What Did Everyone Else Think?

@saraandthebear: Creme Caramel, rich and viscous and that's just the nose.

@themaltedmuse: Nose has nutmeg and wood but there is some pear drop and cut grass in there

@summerfruitcup: Nose - orange, a little sherbet, sherry and creamy vanilla.

@kristianehenney: Nose - oaky, apple, strawberry laces confectionery, and a green freshness, much more of a summer dram

@ScotMaltWhisky: Nose is fruity - orange, red apple, plum all coated in vanilla.

@Girl_Whisky: Nose: Citrus, smooth, cake, green, summer fruit, exotic fruit, coconut, yoghurt

@TheWhiskyWire: Typical sheer sherried and bourbon bounty of an Aberlour, just richer with a fleeting flounce of floral sweetness.

@jasonbstanding: Tastes of slightly burnt candied orange& makes me think of what I think madeira should taste like had I ever had it. 

@whiskyrepublic: Palate, smooth, well integrated, ripe fruits (apples and lychee?), sweet caramel and subtle cinnamon notes. Lovely dram 

@steveprentice: Palate: Richly smooth after the high ABV of the a'bunadh, the older age also helps, but don't be fooled, it builds to have some fairly good spices quite quickly, although they're tempered so as to not be too much. A slight ashy nature (from the cask?) which brings more gravitas to what becomes a gentle giant the longer you hold it on your tongue.

@whiskycast: Finish is full of toffee, lingering cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, and is very, very smooth.

Whisky Discovery #658

Aberlour 12 Year Old NCF (48% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £39.00 70cl

An interesting variant on Aberlour's usual 12 year old whisky, not only changing the proportions of different whiskies that are used to make the expression, but also leaving it un-chillfiltered. This means that it retains the full body and flavour of the whisky from the cask, although it may go cloudy if water is added or it gets cold.

So What Did I Think?

This is a little punchier than the first 12 year old then I noticed the higher abv, however the initial flavours follow the distillery profile too,  but in addition this seems to have a little white pepper dusted over the citrus zest. The underlying sweetness keeps pushing through and there's a fresh woody note with wood shavings and almonds

The non-chill filtratiuon gives this dram a really lovely mouth coating experience, it feels so much much thicker than the standard 12 Year Old giving a rich mouth-feel which I found to be best of the evening in that respect. There's a zesty peppery start while remaining rich and creamy; orange marmalade notes develop along sweet honey.

What Did Everyone Else Think?

@summerfruitcup: Softer cereal notes, almost milky, but then there's a hint of peat that's caught me off-guard

@whiskycast: Nose is almonds, figs, Christmas cake, honey, and a touch of orange peel.

@themaltedmuse: Again with the rich colour nose wood polish honey roasted walnuts hint of nutmeg and just a smudge go black pepper

@whiskyrepublic: Nose: All the Aberlour traits emerging....the 48% abv adding pungency, sherry, figs, maybe a hint of smoke perhaps

@jasonbstanding: Definitely no shrinking violet. Almost as prickly as the A'bunadh is (now).

@whiskywardrobe: Nose is quite nice and refreshing after so many sherried whiskies. It looks older than 12 years old

@petedrinks: Nose is smooth, with red fruit - raspberry yoghurt but with something spicier at the finish

@whiskydr: Welcome back you essential oils where have you been all this time, fantastic dram here, left in glass for 10 mins 

@JamesBrownisms: Nose: dark fruit jam, like the kind a grandma makes up north 

@ScotMaltWhisky: Palate. A touch of barley sweetness mingling with the mild sherry fruitiness. Creamy toffee, spicier with each mouthful 

@WhiskyIsrael: I love the mouthfeel on this one oily and spicy, quite some pepper and spice. It's intense! 

@kristianehenney: Much more peppery and spicy than I expected on the palate. But also fresher fruit. Honeydew melon and apple

And finally....

My first real visit to the single malts of Aberlour registering a full five out of five new Whisky Discoveries for the liquid log. A'Bunadh, I hear is a bit hit and miss for some people. I've only tried just the two batches, and the following evening I put them head to head, both good for me, but Batch 45 won for me. I loved the mouth-feel of the 12 Year Old NCF and prefer that to the standard 12 Year Old and would happily have either/both the 16 and 18 Year Old expressions on my shelf! A visit to the Aberlour Distillery is definitely on my list of 'things to do'.

A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire, to @annCBScotch and the team at the Aberlour Distillery and of course the tweet tasters who were:

@TheWhiskyWire @WhiskyWardrobe @EdinburghWhisky @LaCaveDeCobalt @LRWhisky @malthound @steveprentice @summerfruitcup @themaltedmuse @whiskybarrel @TheWhiskyBoys @TonyWTC @ifotou @whiskycast @whiskydr @Girl_Whisky @jasonbstanding @WhiskyDiscovery @galg @TheWhiskyLounge @petedrinks @MCRWhiskyClub @WhiskyRepublic @KristianeHenney @andrew1bardsley @ScotMaltWhisky

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