I was very privileged to be able to take part in the 3rd Glen Moray Tweet Tasting run by The Whisky Wire. As always with these things, there’s a huge amount of fun involved, as well as the serious business of actually tasting the product. We were joined by Graham Coull, Master Distiller, his wife, Faye, and Iain, the Brand Ambassador; lofty company indeed! If you know anything about Glen Moray, they are all about producing the best possible product,…
Last night saw my return to Tweet Tastings with The Whisky Wire. It’s been a little while due to other commitments, but it was good to be back. On the menu was a selection of malts from an unsung hero of a Highland Distillery – Aberfeldy. We had three drams to taste and review, so here is a summary of my thoughts. 12 Years Old Nose: Stewed plums, sweetness, the plums give way to pineapple, There’s a malty/gristy aroma there, a…
I’m very late to the party on this one! 22nd March saw Steve Rush of the Whisky Wire host a taste off with Glen Grant and Wild Turkey spirits in the ring. Due to a mix up on dates I was unable to make the night itself, but Steve very kindly sent me through the samples anyway, so here are my thoughts. Round 1 (ding ding) Glen Grant – 10 Years Old This is available for less than £30. Bottled…
This evening, being Election Eve in the USA was the perfect night for a big slice of liquid Americana. It came to us courtesy of The Whisky Wire and Rebel Yell Bourbon. Rebel Yell has distilled wheated whiskey since 1849. The Weller family were the first to produce Kentucky straight bourbon using wheat instead of rye in the mash bill. Over 150 years later and they are still doing it. In fact in 2017 they will be opening a new…
The 6th and final dram of The Dram Team’s Incredible Indies box. Just 292 bottles of this gem were produced. The most prestigious 6th dram yet. Nose: Vanilla, lots of malt, chocolate, a little cardamom maybe, sweet honey. Treacle as it opens out, salted liquorice. Palate: So smooth! Chocolate. Salted liquorice here too. Cinnamon spice warms the palate. Apples, so sweet. Black grapes. We were definitely spoilt this time around with the 6th dram, and it was a treat. But at £180 odd…
Dram 5 of The Dram Team’s Incredible Indies box is this 21 year old Tobermory. Bottled at 51.2% ABV. Nose: Really lively, particularly considering the age, sultanas, cinnamon, Nice biscuits, pineapple Palate: Raspberries, cooking apples baked with plenty of cinnamon slathered in thick double cream.
Dram 4 of The Dram Team’s Incredible Indies box is this Islay malt from Robert Graham. The original distillery of the spirit is undisclosed. Bottled at 40% ABV. Nose: Proper smoke! Fireplace embers, leather, heather. A little TCP. Palate: Very smooth, lingering smoke, slightly oily, some citrus, light caramel, oak tingle Huge surprise this one. The smoky nose gives way to a very gentle palate and it’s actually very delicious to drink. Star of the box for me.
Dram 3 of The Dram Team’s Incredible Indies box is this Craigellachie from A Rare Find. Bottled at a hefty 57.2% ABV. Nose: whew! Potent! Raisins, toffee, nutmeg, ground ginger, brown sugar Palate: Nice and oily, mango, shreddies, digestive biscuits, gooseberries
Dram 2 in The Dram Team’s Incredible Indies box is this Fettercairn from Douglas Laing. Bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration or added colours. Nose: Foam bananas, rosemary, lavender, a little oak. A little WD40 suggests itself. Palate: oily and mouth coating, citrus zings, ginger, watermelon Unfortunately this was rather underwhelming. It was as if the cask had been a little lazy over the 10 years and not imbued the spirit with much flavour or character.
Dram 1 from The Dram Team’s Incredible Indies box. This is a Grain, Girvan, I believe. Bottled at 50% ABV. This has been aged in a rum cask. Nose: Vanilla, Raisins, Stewed rhubarb. Pepper spice with some brown sugar sweetness. Palate: A lot smoother than the nose suggests. Still peppery though. Sweet with honey. Tart fruits on the edges of the tongue. Oaky lingerings with rum and raisin fudge.