#MiniTasting - SSMCD

So this time the #MiniTasting gang received an interesting surprise in the post from @WhiskynStuff: a pair of unnamed drams and a blue Glencairn tasting glass! @ScotchB78 & @jwbassman_ and myself were in for a true blind tasting!

Paul's thoughts behind the tasting:

So what did we think of the Super Secret Mystery Comparison Drams?

Dram		SSMCD 1	SSMCD 2
Appearance
Nose	Brian	Blue in the glass, can't see any legs! Initial nose: orchard fruit. Agree with the earthy note, there's loads of apples, pears and a hint of honey. I'm wondering if that earthy note has a little bit of smoke or cask char in it?	Another lovely shade of blue with no visible legs when swirled! Initial nose: heather! A bit of an ABV bite, heather, tropical fruit and icing sugar. This one seems stronger than the first?
	John	Initial orchard fruits on the nose, also a touch of that icing sugar dry sweetness I seem to be finding a lot just recently and there's a floral, earthy note too... Getting a coffee note now 🤔	Initially very fruity, tinned fruit syrup on the nose, also getting weetabix and dry straw…
	Paul	Malty biscuits, fruity, quite fresh and minty? The apples and pears are there but its not spirity. Can I borrow John's note of earthy too?	Seems quite perfumed to me. Woody? Nuts! sugared almonds.
	Scott	A Sweet shop, pear drops, Kola Kubes, Granny Smith apples , agree with @jwbassman_ that there is something earth like in the background. Also a bit of melon, maybe even watermelon Jolly Ranchers?	Woody, heather honey, something mossy or grass like.
Palate	Brian	Quite thick and syrupy, loads of orchard fruit from the nose, a little sweetness and a hint of spice - nice. Not getting any of the smoke/char notes I got on the nose. This is a fruity little number with a chocolatey note.	This is even thicker than 1, lots of spice on the tongue offset with a little sweetness.
	John	The arrival is quite dry, almost bitter, that over-roasted coffee note from the nose continues into the palate. Malty and quite cereal too, not much sweetness here at all.	A little more about this one, spicier and drying, coats the palate well.
	Paul	Malty, honey, abit of porridge in there to. Tiny bit of red fruits? Digestives. And if we are ready to move to the Finish, whats it like?	Wood spice, fruity and sweet. A bit malty as well.
	Scott	Gentle arrival, no real alcohol burn, pears, apples, honey, Slightly spicy, decent mouthfeel. Not thick but not thin either.	Spirit forward, dry, spicy, moving to a lot of oak. Lovely mouthfeel
Finish	Brian	Medium length, fruity, a little spice and a hint of sweetness - Nice!	Drying, with a lovely balance of sweetness and spice - more of the heather from the nose and a little fruit.
	John	Quite a decent finish but slightly drying and that bitterness lingers... there is a very slight sweetness hiding in there somewhere but it's struggling to fight its way out. It’s a very decent dram, feels pretty grown-up, sophisticated?	Quite drying into the finish and a nice little spicy kick too. Again this is a very decent dram, it feels a little more approachable than the first dram, maybe a little less complex but seems to have more texture.
	Paul	Mediumish length. Wood spice, oh a slight sweetness as it goes away, quite earthy though.	Quite long. Woody, getting the nuts again. and a nice sweetness. I like it.
	Scott	Stewed apples, grapefruit sourness but with some drying icing sugar too.	Dry, bitter vermouth like, I'm getting a lot of heather on the finish. Nice dram

So what did we think?

Thoughts	Brian	My preference would be for dram 2, it nosed and tasted like a higher ABV dram and much more complex than dram 1. Saying that there was nothing wrong with dram 1 more of a daily drinker rather than an 'occasion' dram. I'm not sure if I've tried #1 before but I'm sure I haven't had #2 before, I think SSMCD1 : 10yo 40%, SSMCD2 : 18yo 48% I think at this stage, not having 'seen' the liquid made an interesting experience, having one of your key senses blocked off makes you rely more on your others. I think #1 is an @aerstonewhisky Sea Cask, I don't know about #2 it sort of points me to the Highlands with the heather notes.
	John	They are both good but they are different, #1 is more complex #2 is more approachable. Not sure... probably 😆 Yes, enjoyed them both for different reasons. They are pretty decent, would certainly have a second dram, but not sure I'd be buying a full bottle. Is dram #1 a blend? No idea on dram #2 I think SSMCD1 : 46% NAS and SSMCD2 : 46% 6yo? Guessing... I'm going Glen Keith for the first one and maybe Balblair for the second?
	Scott	Both are good drams.. #2 is more complex and challenging possibly due to a Higher ABV, whereas #2 is a bit of a straightforward and entry like for me. Think i may have had #1 but not #2. Guessing Dram #1 is 12-15 yr old 43% with Dram #2 8-10 years old 46 -48%. Wild guess #1 Something from Speyside. Glenfarclas 10? #2 Tomintoul?

So what did they turn out to be?

Photo: Paul

Dram		Glengoyne 10yo	Clen Denny 2007 (Douglas McGibbon) An independent bottling of Glengoyne 10yo
Characteristics		40% Matured in Sherry Casks from European and American Oak	48% Single Cask, matured in a Refill Hogshead
Distillery info		Smooth, fruity and incredibly moreish. Fresh green apples, toffee and a hint of nuttiness. This is the taste of distilling slower than anyone else in Scotland, of barley we dry by air – never peat – and of hand-selected sherry casks crafted from European and American oak.	Opens with a fresh fruit character on the nose and the sweetness is balanced with a citric zesty quality. The palate remains sweet and develops to a crisp Malty and gently spiced character. The finish is medium-long, still softly spiced with more of that fruity sweetness .
Appearance
		Light gold in the glass, swirls fall as slow thin legs.	Very pale gold in the glass, swirls fall as slow thin legs.
Final thoughts	Brian	The fruit is much more noticeable in dram 2, maybe a different size cask? But it's interesting that it was just ex-bourbon whereas dram 1 had some sherry influence!
	John	Ok, cool to have both from same distillery, matured in different places and different recipes/casks - highlights the difference between OB and Indie bottlings too. I've had tried the @Glengoyne 10yo but it was a long time ago, so may well be different these days. I think the most important factor here is the ABV, in dram #2 the spirit hasn't been impacted by the wood so much and the higher AVB carries the fruity flavours better.
	Paul	The big question - Can you taste the distillery character/How strongly can you the taste distillery character, after 10 years in a “low influence” cask?
	Scott	IMHO distillery character can only be defined or detected if the cask does not have too much of an influence.

Photo: Scott