A few days before the tasting a parcel arrived through the post....
...containing 5 drams and a small tasting mat!
The drams enclosed were a selection of their Winter 2018 Release - a mini tour of (most of) the Scottish Whisky regions.
- Highlands : Teaninich 19yo (1999), Matured in a Bourbon Hogshead, 53%
- Campbeltown : Springbank 22yo (1996), Matured in a Bourbon Hogshead, 55%
- Islay : Bruichladdich 16yo (2002), Matured in a Sherry Puncheon, 61.2%
- Lowlands : Dumbarton 32yo (1986), Matured in a Bourbon Barrel, 57.1%
- Islands : Ledaig 10yo (2008), Matured in a Refill Hogshead, 54.3%
- Speyside : Benrinnes 10yo (2008), Matured in a Bourbon & Sherry Cask, 51.7%
The tour coach must have broken down as the Speyside stop wasn't included in the tweet tasting!
First up was the 19yo Teaninich
Claxton's notes: Nose: Striking cereal notes of sweet warm pastry, rice pudding and bran supported by key lime pie and apple sauce. Palate: Balanced. Vanilla powder, crème brûlée and macadamia nuts add creamy sweetness to the cereal notes. Finish: A medium, steady finish. Dark toffee sauce, pecan pie and brazil nuts with a flurry of subtle aromatic spices.My thoughts: Pale gold in the glass, swirls leave slow fat legs. Initial nose wet grass!
Nose: wet grass, hints of heather, citrus and honey. No nostril hair burning from the 53% !!! Some red apples hints.
Palate: Orchard fruits, cinnamon, runny honey with an edge of toffee. Loads of spice towards the end of each sip! Yummy! Getting a tart note too - grapefruit or maybe gooseberry?
Finish: Long and warming, very spicy and more of the orchard fruits and honey.
Other people's thoughts:
Next up was the 22yo Springbank
Claxton's notes: Nose: Crisp green apples, green apple skin with rocky minerality at first. Ripe pear, sweet white grapes and much more. Palate: Clean and tangy. Natural fruit like sweetness with lychees and melon. Dark chocolate, quinine tonic and bell peppers. Finish: Long and complex. Smokier minerality typical of the distillery. Grapefruit, cocoa beans, and more apples.My thoughts: Another pale gold dram, gravity defying swirls which evaporate without legs. Initial nose distant bonfire!
Nose: Fresh bubbling porridge with a drop of honey. Covered in a gentle blanket of smoke! The longer it stays in the glass the more complexity it reveals - there's some lime, pineapple and mango - a totally tropical dram!
Palate: WOW - lovely oily mouthfeel with the pineapple and lime from the nose, a small hint of ginger spice and that gentle blanket of smoke. This is beautiful!
Finish: lots of hints here - smoke, ginger, brown sugar. long and warming. Again hides it's 55% well
Fantastic dram!
Other people's thoughts:
Third was the 16yo Bruichladdich
Claxton's notes: Nose: Old leather, hazelnuts, cedar and sultanas from the wood. The spirit shines with orange blossom and rosey apples. Palate: Full bodied and buttery. Toffee apples, pear drops, candied orange peel, dried pineapple, cloves, fresh coffee and a touch of rosewater. Finish: Endlessly long. Bitter toffee, pipe tobacco, cherries, cocoa powder and coconut shavings.My thoughts: A lovely browny red gold colour, swirls leave slow thin legs. Initial nose alcoholic strawberry jam!
Nose: Strawberry jam, strawberry cheesecake, strawberries! Some Fruit & Nut milk chocolate.
Palate: This is the first one where the ABV hits you - it is 61.2% though! Immediately drying, cough sweets, liquorice, a hint of smoke and more of them strawberries! Bruichladdich as the sips go down more complexity is showing itself - sour black cherries in dark chocolate - maybe a hint of chilli - we've been somewhere near here before.......
Finish: More of them strawberries, but sprinkled with cinnamon spice - long, warming and drying. I can just imagine what this would have been like with a Port Charlotte spirit........
Other people's thoughts:
Fourth was the 32yo Dumbarton
Claxton's notes: Nose: Extremely intricate. Banana flapjack, bread pudding, corn on the cob, cola, custard tart, sugar-coated almonds and more. Palate: 32 years of maturation! Butterscotch cookies, liquorice laces, glacé cherries, earthy dunnage, peppermint, walnut cake. Finish: Long and complex with amaretto, crushed walnuts, cedar, old wood, toffee apples and classic grain sweetness.My thoughts: Unusually dark for a grain, that bourbon barrel has definitely played it's part. Initial nose brown sugar and spice
Nose: Musty dunnage warehouse, toffee popcorn, brown sugar - hint of coconut. Very un-grain like!
Palate: This one hits you with the ABV like the last one - loads of coconut, coffee and some dark chocolate. little hints of honey and lime - this is a bit of a strange grain then not grain - interesting!
Finish: Loads of oak and dark chocolate. Lovely dram!
Other people's thoughts:
Final dram of the evening was the 10yo Ledaig
Claxton's notes: Nose: Driftwood campfire smoke, roasted cashews, boat timbers, fresh mussels, dried coconut and satsuma pith. Palate: Muirburn (heather) smoke, coconut milk chocolate, soft leather, nutmeg and orange marmalade bitter sweetness. Finish: Long and soft with a return to the nautical. Sand, seashells and fishing rope alongside toffee and a trace of parsley.My thoughts: A very pale gold, slow thin legs when swirled and a room full of smoke from when the bottle was opened.
Nose: Loads of salty bonfire smoke, some vanilla and pepper trying to poke through.
Palate: Loads of fruit and spice, ABV hits you immediately. There's sweet honey, milk chocolate and some brown sugar. not much in the way of smoke on the palate - interesting....
Finish: Sweet fruity notes with a lovely smoke blanket!
Other people's thoughts:
Overall:
Many thanks to @TheWhiskyWire for organising, @ClaxtonsSpirits for the drams, Tom @TClaxtons & @Claxtons_Hugo for joining in and my fellow tweeters for a great evening of whisky!
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