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| Hello, that is one in all our (virtually) day by day tastings. Santé! |
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Could 10, 2024
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Ardnahoe, Strathearn and different New Scottish Cats
Right here we now have the primary official Strathearn, the primary Ardnahoe as nicely, and some different younger distilleries and variants. The world of Scottish whisky continues to evolve (now, that is a helpful remark, S.!)
Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay (Ardnahoe)
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Glenwyvis 2019 ‘2023 launch’ (46.5%, OB, 12,000 bottles) 
Straight from Dingwall, a majority of ex-bourbon, plus some refill and ‘17%’ (that is proper) wines. You possibly can’t make Scotch whisky with out desk wine nowadays, I suppose there should be a brand new rule about that on the honourable SWA. I had thought the 2022 version was actually good (WF 80). Color: pale white wine. Nostril: I discover it extraordinarily barley-y, filled with Weetabix, then mashed carrots, lower apples and plums. few tinned greengages too. Mouth: a tad tough, which is regular, with fruit peel, lemon zests, some muesli, extra cereals, and one thing globally fairly tangy. Strikes in direction of mirabelle plums and oranges, a really good transfer for positive. End: lengthy, tart, grassier as virtually at all times, with inexperienced pears. The aftertaste has a beautiful lemonness. Feedback: maybe not fairly on par with the superior 2018 by Berry Bros. from final 12 months however very stable younger drop. Subsequent step could be honeys and waxes, see you in a number of years.
SGP:451 – 82 factors. |
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Glenwyvis 2018/2024 (61.5%, OB, Kirsch unique, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, cask #243, 671 bottles) 
We’re in Germany. Color: full gold. Nostril: not that massive at this very excessive energy, however you do get pencil shavings and cocoa, in addition to some form of candied ginger dipped into orange syrup. Neat and tidy this far. With water: oranges are having the higher hand. Superior outdated triple-sec, Grand-Marnier, Cointreau, Mandarine Impériale and all that. Quite much less tannicity than feared, hurray. Mouth (neat): massive, oak-spice-driven, apparently. Filled with cinnamon mints and ginger. Superior triple-sec + mango syrup combo within the background, however no possibilities taken, with water: virtually no modifications this time, it’s a tad gritty, tea-ish and form of tannic. Then again, this pretty citrus retains it afloat and all stays nicely. End: lengthy, spicy, zesty, contemporary. The cedarwood is again within the aftertaste (a.okay.a. pencil shavings) along with some peach liqueur. Feedback: did I not miss the oloroso half? The ‘apparent’ oak by no means was an issue. Very, very good younger drop.
SGP:651 – 85 factors. |
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Since we’re speaking about Germany, just some ideas on this 12 months’s gorgeous Whisky Honest in Limburg. It is great to see so many aged associates once more, and there are more and more extra new whiskies, though they’re primarily from very younger distilleries from all over the world or names like Linkwood, Teaninich, Benrinnes, or Secret Orkneys which are 10 years outdated and bottled by younger, vibrant, enthusiastic and generally fairly new unbiased bottlers. Excellent certainly! Nonetheless, what barely fearful me was the abundance of gray hair throughout the viewers, together with mine; it virtually felt like being at a Stevie Nicks gig. Are the youthful generations rather less taken with whisky? Or is it merely a matter of costs now being far too excessive? This pattern can also be obvious within the wine business. Let’s transfer on…
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Strathearn ‘Inaugural Launch’ (50%, OB, 2024)
From a mixture of virgin, bourbon and sherry casks, round 7 years outdated on common. Perthshire’s quasi-pocket distillery Strathearn now belongs to Douglas Laing. We have already tried two or three indie children, they have been good. Color: gentle gold. Nostril: bread and pastry dough plus candied fruits. Merely excellent. Proper, that was a bit quick, so say panettone, sourdough bread, rhubarb juice and bamboo shoots. How does that sound? With water: contemporary brioche straight from the baker’s. Pretty breakfast. Additionally a closed pack of cigarettes (how about Gold Leaf?) Mouth (neat): mango, beeswax, extra rhubarb, golden syrup, pancake sauce, inexperienced tea (Gunpowder) and pink grapefruit. Nice thought to have waited fairly bit longer earlier than releasing a primary official, nicely, launch. With water: water pulls out candy roots. Gentian, carrots, all complicated flavours which are extremely fascinating in my e-book. End: lengthy, relatively extra on milk chocolate and a few barely gingered orange juice. Contact of contemporary turmeric within the aftertaste. Feedback: awesomely complicated at this age. TBH we visited the distillery whereas it had simply been constructed and the tiny gear had been a bit of, to illustrate, horrifying. Mea culpa, a lot impressed immediately.
SGP:651 – 87 factors. |
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Strathearn 10 yo 2014/2024 ‘Dramton Abbey’ (57.1%, Thompson Bros., non-public bottling, 100l sherry cask) 
So, with a dozen associates together with The Sponge, a Fiddler and the Thompsons, we obtained the keys of the distillery ten years in the past and will make our personal malt whisky underneath our personal specs, with no distillery house owners, supervisor or employees in the best way! It is virtually been as if we solely needed to go away the keys underneath the doormat when leaving. Thank God we have been having M.D. (that is Grasp Distiller) Simon Thompson with us. That is the top outcome, ten years later. Color: deep gold. Nostril: proper between some middle-aged rhum agricole, straight bourbon and contemporary property cognac. The sum of all of it generates this… dazzlingly cakey malt whisky. As somebody as soon as sang, perhaps I am amazed. Love the parsley in it! With water: basic malt, with some ale, muffins, chocolate, tobacco, menthol, camphor and just a bit rainwater and damp chalk within the background. Mouth (neat): tiny citrus and even tinier herbs, plus many variations on ginger and the same old turmeric and cinnamon. With water: excellent. Fifty % fir honey, fifty % correct marmalade and fifty % assorted oriental spices and rosewater. That is a couple of hundred % however certainly, it is massive whisky. End: lengthy, beautifully jammy, candied and spicy. Peppered fig jam or one thing like that. Feedback: clearly oriental ultimately. We cannot rating this child however relaxation assured that any numbers would have been fairly excessive. Concerning my very own function on this work, I consider I butchered two or three outdated Alsatian Lieder and instructed a number of pointless jokes through the heating. You see, that labored.
SGP:651 – (-) factors. |
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Ardnamurchan 7 yo 2016/2023 (58.1%, OB, for Switzerland, 1st fill PX sherry hogshead, cask #838, 324 bottles)
Ardnamurchan has now really turn into part of the panorama of nice Scottish malts, with its splendid west coast facet. Effectively, I do not at all times perceive every part on the labels (AD/09:16, is {that a} reference to battleships?) however that is most likely simply me. Hoppla… Color: full gold. Nostril: somebody has kilned a banana cake after which drizzled it with chestnut honey and mint-liquorice sauce. There is a very refined, relatively nice composted fruit facet to it. With water: a lot the identical, however with just some hints of pea cream. Or take Ninon cream, fairly an unbelievable factor. I will see if I can discover you the recipe… Mouth (neat): creamy, cheerfully medicinal, minty and lemony, with loads of thyme (it’s a must to prefer it, I personally adore it) and a few sultanas. The PX has remained refined. With water: we add some orange marmalade and a little bit of ginger. Very basic. End: lengthy, centered, at all times on this marmalade. Feedback: excellent, even when the PX appears to have barely diminished a number of the peatiness. It is true that PX will be overpowering, however right here, we’re nicely inside limits.
SGP:654 – 88 factors. |
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Ardnahoe 5 yo ‘Inaugural Launch’ (50%, OB, 2024)
The primary one! Ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks. To maintain us ready for the reason that first distillation at Ardnahoe (they’re located between Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila) in 2018, Hunter Laing have been deliciously bombarding us maltheads with outdated Caol Ila, Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain, Bowmore, and even some very high-quality Port Ellen underneath their ‘The Kinship’ label. So frankly, we may have waited a number of extra years. Hey, simply kidding. Color: gold. Nostril: it is very a lot pure Islay, maybe leaning extra in direction of the south shore than the east shore in fashion. But when I bear in mind appropriately, there’s additionally an impressive Celtic cross up there not too removed from the east coast. Right here the smoke is pronounced, barely acrid (like a back-drafting hearth), however there is a relatively particular fruity mixture proper behind it. I am unsure if it is going to be present in future bottlings, however I detect blood orange combined with apricots and some tomato notes. I adore it when a little bit of tomato comes by means of in a malt whisky. Even tomato bush. Good. With water: not a lot growth, perhaps a bit extra brininess, olives, pickles… Mouth (neat): very pure, crystalline, much less oily and broad than the nostril would possibly recommend, therefore a bit nearer to its southern neighbour. Langoustines, oysters, granny smith apples, sea bream ceviche with lime and mint (why not?) plus inexperienced pepper and a contact of mint tea. A slight Jamaican rum facet too, which is amusing. It is a ‘good temper’ whisky. With water: actually, actually good. The truth is we’re nonetheless a bit within the territory of an Islay distillery that begins with the identical first three letters. End: similar, though this time there is a extra medicinal facet coming by means of. Feedback: it appears they actually sought the DNA of Islay, relatively than a extra distinctive however maybe extra ‘pretentious’ and ‘deviant’ fashion. I discover that intelligent. It’s totally, very, excellent. And I prefer it that it is not NAS. I believe we’ll have extra Ardnahoe quickly.
SGP:467 – 89 factors. |
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It is fairly unbelievable how a lot Islay has modified. We’ll quickly be republishing an outdated interview with a distillery supervisor that we performed in 2004. You will see simply how superb it’s!
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Many extra younger cats very quickly…
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