October 2015 Outturn
Cask No. 95.19 $150
Enigmatic duality
Speyside, Spey
The nose appealed to us all – but in surprisingly different ways – some got tropical fruits – dried mango, kiwi, lingen berry sorbet and ‘waxed lemons in the Tuscan sun’ – others detected deeper elements of tar, seaweed and even a wisp of smoke. That enigmatic duality persisted with water – pink peppercorns, horseradish, honey, ‘lightening over herb gardens’ and toasted pistachios. The palate was immediate and powerful – mouth-coating waxed fruits, heather honey and crème brûlée wrestled with peppery heat, hints of bonfire ash and carbolic. In reduction, we found aloe vera, menthol, Fisherman’s Friends, clove, hickory and fried sage leaves – good sweet-savoury balance.
Drinking tip: A curiosity dram – have fun perplexing your friends.
Colour: Lemony gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 17 years
Date distilled: August 1997
Alcohol: 53.2%
USA allocation: 246 bottles
Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet
*USA Exclusive*
*President’s Choice*
Cask No. 4.203 $140
Romantic tales, songs and whispers
Highland, Island
The neat nose spoke to us of dried roses, expensive writing paper and fresh linen – a romantic tale, accompanied by a sweet song of honey, marshmallows and spun sugar and a confidential whisper of spice. The palate found warming ginger and evocative strains of pencil shavings, tobacco, menthol and linseed oil; balancing sweetness was confirmed by golden syrup, Tunnock’s Snowballs and chocolate limes. The reduced nose had tobacco tins and cricket bats; smouldering embers, walnut cake, coffee and mint-choc-chip. The palate now offered chocolate mints, various nuts, wood sap, liquorice and coconut – gentle but complex, with decent character and personality.
Drinking tip: Takes plenty of water and could be a suitable outdoors dram – romantic glamping perhaps?
Colour: Gold foil
Cask: First-fill barrel
Age: 15 years
Date distilled: October 1999
Alcohol: 55.8%
USA allocation: 84 bottles
Flavour profile: Young & spritely
Cask No. 63.31 $200
Green grow the rushes oh!
Speyside, Spey
All were delighted by the aromas and flavours of an exotic temple. Delicately baked stone fruits sprinkled with rosewater, pistachio, cardamom, then fresh pine and beeswax polish. In the darker corners there was cooling lychee and cucumber, then moss and breezy jasmin. Malted digestive biscuits with a slather of honey and baked pastry added depth. For some, water brought out lovely clean notes of grape, kiwi, gooseberry and melon. For others, wet slate, damp bog and rain smattered stone. The finish was crisp green apple and lime pastilles, warm brown paper, fresh laundry and mint cornetto ice cream.
Drinking tip: As refreshing as rain on a summers day
Colour: Peachy
Cask: Refill barrel
Age: 25 years
Date distilled: November 1989
Alcohol: 51.6%
USA allocation: 90 bottles
Flavour profile: Old & dignified
Cask No. 123.13 $100
A French picnic
Highland, Southern
Spread out the rug on the grass and unpack the picnic. Apple tart with buttery pastry and orange blossom scented madeleines. Waxy honey on the comb and toffee caramel. Calvados and linctus pastilles. To taste, thick butterscotch on biscuits, hazelnut syrup and toasted almonds. Water relaxed the picnic panel and they found everything softer and sweeter: coconut, marzipan and watermelon, then orange zest. They imagined plucking wild strawberries and dipping them in thick vanilla custard that curled around the tongue. Pear compote with armagnac concluded proceedings by sending all into a gentle slumber in the afternoon sun.
Drinking tip: When you’re feeling soporific.
Colour: Stubble fields
Cask: First-fill barrel
Age: 9 years
Date distilled: May 2005
Alcohol: 57.3%
USA allocation: 119 bottles
Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla
Cask No. 53.211 $180
And it is Goodbye to Care
Islay
Sweet and fresh aromas were very much apparent on the nose neat; lime cheese cake, heather honey and caramel-apple crisps. At the same time salty aromas of oyster shells and seaweed and a eucalyptus/ashy smell of menthol cigarettes all entwine. In the taste; sausages with a sweet chilli sauce, smoked peaches and vanilla ice cream with white pepper. With water much more maritime and salty; rock pools, kelp, fried white baits and calamari with a garlic and lemon mayonnaise – ‘you can almost hear the sea lions barking’. The taste is now gentle; singed heather, toasted marshmallows with a light fresh breeze of lavender.
Drinking tip: Looking for a carefree moment
Colour: Toucan’s beak
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 22 years
Date distilled: January 1992
Alcohol: 54.8%
USA allocation: 60 bottles
Flavour profile: Lightly peated
*Low Outturn*