#BTC27 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes

These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 27th #BlindDrams evening.

These drams were picked by Duncan @whiskytip

His theme was The Soul Of Wood, an important part of whisky making!

So as usual the other 27 of us worked our way through the 5 blind drams, sharing our thoughts and giving a score out of 5 before they were all revealed at the end.

Dram 1

Appearance: pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: loads of typical Speyside ex-bourbon orchard fruit, vanilla, honey and toffee. A try icing sugar type note and some oak.

Palate: Thick sweet arrival,  a kick of ABV, honey, toffee and some sweet tropical fruit notes: dried pineapple covered in icing sugar, some kiwi and peaches. There's a nice kick of peppery spice and a little citrus zest here too - yummy!

Finish: lingering syrupy fruit, honey and a little citrus - nice!

Dram 2

Appearance: pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: gentle peat smoke, dirty engine oil, damp cardboard. There's a little tropical fruit and maybe some hints of salinity. Mull, Campbeltown or maybe even Islay?

Palate: thin sweet arrival, mouthcoating honey and oak. There's some orchard fruit, loads of citrus zest and a little dirty funk. A strange off note as the liquid disappears, first sip suggested sweet peanuts - Kilchoman, but subsequent ones didn't.

Finish: short, sweet and smoky. A little citrus and some soap.

Dram 3

Appearance: dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as thin line in the glass, take an age to bead up and eventually fall as slow thin legs..

Nose: heathery, earthy, oaky. A little forest floor, There's some sweet orange notes, a little damp sawdust and a hint of smoke or cask char.

Palate: thick sweet arrival - orange, honey, toffee then comes a bite of peppery spice and a little odd sour citrus note. A few more sips offer cider vinegar and a dry oak.

Finish: lingering spice, oak and a little sour citrus. A little pine and mint. 

Dram 4

Appearance: Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thick legs.

Nose: orchard fruit, tropical fruit, honey and syrup - very sweet! There's a little salinity, some smoke and a hint of a high ABV. Almonds and walnuts offer some nutty notes before a wave of citrus takes over.

Palate: thin watery arrival, a little sweetness, some honey and toffee. The smoke is all but gone, the salinity dries the mouth as the liquid disappears. A little odd rye spice on this one too.

Dram 5

Appearance: dark gold, bronze even in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin oily legs.

Nose: dunnage funk, dried fruit, black cherries and a little sweet citrus. Firmly in sherry bomb territory here!

There's a little spice note too. It seems very gentle - old with a low ABV

Palate: thick dry sweet arrival, dried fruit, black cherries, dates, prunes etc. There's a little salinity, a little smoke and a huge dry note as the liquid disappears. Oloroso maturation maybe? Some chocolate, liquorice and more dry oak.

Finish: long dry and spicy - a little salinity and some smoke.

The drams were:

Dram 1 was a Glen Scotia 2014 8yo Single Cask #21/655-9

Dram 2 was a Bunnahabhain 1997 23yo Single Cask #CM265 [HMcD]

Dram 3 was a Caol Ila 2010 11yo Single Cask #311756 [BBR]

Dram 4 was a Caol Ila 2007 15yo Single Cask #361163 [JE] Amontillado

Dram 5 was a Mannochmore 2008 13yo Single Cask #362236 [JE] Oloroso

The overall scores from our 28 members were:

More information about the Blind Tasting Consortium and the scores for all of our tastings can be found here!