Whisky Advent Calendar Part 4 (Dec. 21st to 24th)

Okay, I have something to confess: I cheated! In last week's article I told you I'm going to reveal the last part of my Whisky Advent Calendar Summary on December 25th because of the whole "To drink or not to drink (because I have to drive)" story. The article was published on December 24th and I didn't have to "drink and drive". I tasted the last Whisky in the evening of December 23rd after I wrapped all my gifts for Christmas. Then I wrote these lines and prepared everything in the blog to launch this article on December 24th at noon. Here's my fourth and last part of the "Whisky Advent Calendar Summary 2015"!

The last four Whiskies of the Whisky Advent Calendar

December 21st - Scotch Lowland Single Grain Whisky Port Dundas Distillery

Nice, a Grain Whisky! A Single Malt has to be made from - as the name suggest - malted barley. A Whisky made from any other grain is referred to as a "Grain Whisky". Typically Grain Whisky is used for Blends as this kind of alcohol can be made quite fast an cheap. It's the "filling stuff" as a Blend made from just Single Malts would be quite expensive. Therefore Grain Whisky is used. As I wrote it is quite cheap and the influence on the taste of the finished product is very manageable. It has to be matured in cask just like the Malt Whisky but usually the duration is much shorter than the duration of the Malt Whiskies. Another reason for the many "n.a.s." (no age statement) Whiskies. As the youngest Whisky dictates the age - and this is mostly a Grain Whisky - the companies often decide to not tell the age on Blends. Well most of them don't. They are allowed to do so but it's much easier for widely sold products like the "Johnny Walter Red Label" or the "Ballentines" to keep the same taste without the need to look at the ages of the Whiskies used (on the other hand the Johnny Walker Platinum Label is a 18yo Blend). This particular Grain Whisky was matured for 24 years which is quite old for a Malt Whisky but for a Grain Whisky it's quite a "Methuselah". Just some words about the distillery. The distillery used three Coffey Stilly - as it is typically for Irish distilleries but also for Grain distilleries - to produce 39m(!) litres alcohol per annum. Yes that's 39 million litres a year! They produced Grain Whisky for the blending industry (owned by Diageo). The distillery never bottled a Whisky under their name just independent bottlings are available but will become less and less as this distillery was closed in 2010.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 24yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: Port Dundas

Colour: golden

Nose: Quite fresh and fruity but also some citric notes from freshly squeezed lemons and freshly cut oak wood.

Body: quite flat

Palate: Manly oak wood but there are some - faint - notes from toffee and some fresh fruits.

Finish: warming but not very long

My score: 64

This Grain Whisky reminds me of my experiment I did a year ago. I got a very tiny oak cask from a friend (appr. one litre) for Christmas last year. I first seasoned it with a Sherry for about three months. During these three months I decided to go the easy way and bought some alcohol at my local pharmacy. I diluted it to 62,5% abv and filled the cask with it after the three months. After five months I took out the "Whisky" and tasted it. Well, it was quite drinkable but far from what I would call a Whisk(e)y. The reason I got remembered of this is this heavy oak wood taste at the palate from this Whisky. Mine had this taste too. Technically mine was a Grain "Whisky" too because I was too lazy to distil my own Whisky from malted barley. Now that I'm thinking about, maybe I buy some beer (which is - aside from the added hops - the basis for distilling at the Whisky production) and distil it and fill up my cask again! If I do so, I'm sure writing another article about it!

December 22nd - Scotch Speyside Single Malt Whisky Auchroisk Distillery

From yesterday's Lowland Grain Whisky back to the Speyside, the Heart of Whisky as there are nearly half of all producing Whisky distilleries in Scotland. This time it's a 19 year old Whisky from the Auchroisk distillery. The distillery is located near Mulben, Banffshire. Jupp, that's the same county as last week's Macduff distillery is located. The last one is often referred to as a Highland distillery but have a look back on the article about the Whisky from December 17th if you are interested. There are only a few bottlings from this distillery owned by Diageo although this distillery is capable of producing 3.1m litres alcohol per annum. Let's have a look what this 19 years old Whisky has to offer.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 19yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: Auchroisk

Colour: gold-yellowish

Nose: Very intense, fruity with some oak wood, there are even some spices (pepper?) and dried fruits.

Body: intense but smooth

Palate: Lots of vanilla and toffee in the beginning. Later on there is some oak wood with the faint hints of some spices.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 75

December 23rd - Scotch Highland Single Malt Whisky Glen Garioch Distillery

This distillery is quite old (founded in 1797) and had quite a lot of different owners. The current owner is Suntory - a Japanese company which also produces Japanese Whisky. The distillery was closed soon after Suntory bought it but just a few years later it was reopened. There is not much to say about Glen Garioch, it's a typical Highland distillery with roughly 1m litres alcohol output per annum. They use two Wash (or Wine) Sills but only one of the two Spirit Stills for producing. Due to water shortages around 1968 they had to stop the production but in 1972 they found a new water source nearby. They release from time to time some special "Vintage" releases. But aside from these quite special and quite rare releases there are some other easier available Whiskies from Glen Garioch not only from the distillery itself but also by independent bottlers. Just head over to the website of "Potstill" (www.potstill.org) if you're interested in picking one up!

My Tastingnotes

Age: 21yo

ABV: 43%

Distillery: Glen Garioch

Colour: light golden

Nose: There is lots of honey, apple and lemon. But there are also some distant hints of spices, maybe ginger and pepper.

Body: mild and smooth

Palate: Smooth, there are some spices, defiantly pepper maybe ginger, some oak wood and some - very little though - smoked meat.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 74

December 24th - Scotch Islay Single Malt Whisky Bunnahabhain Distillery

Last day of the Whisky Advent Calendar! What a finish! A 24yo Bunnahabhain as the last Whisky. Let's see, the distillery is located on Islay, to be specific near Port Askaig but it does not produces the typically Islay Whisky. But fist the history. Founded in 1881 they started making Whisky two years later. The town of "Bunnahabhain" was built for the people working in the distillery. Till 2003 the distillery belonged to the Highland Distillers but was closed for seven years between 1930 and 1937. In 2003 the distillery was bought by Burn Steward Distillers after the distillery produced between 1999 and 2003 only from time to time and was intended for closure. In 2014 the distillery was bought by Distell. The distillery produces around 2.5m litres alcohol per annum and uses the biggest Wash Stills in Scotland. There are some bottlings from the distillery itself (like the 12yo, the 18yo and the 15yo) but there are some independent bottlings available too. The typically Islay Whisky cannot be found here. If you are in search for a (heavily) peated Whisky you are in the wrong place. Well kind of. You may find a peated Whisky from them but their main profile is more oily, nutty and herbal. Because they use pipes to get their water it can't pick up some peat on the way to the distillery.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 24yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: Bunnahabhain

Colour: golden

Nose: Apple and lemon, some toffee and vanilla and even hints of oak wood.

Body: mild and round

Palate: Fresh, little bit nutty with some toffee but also herbal and maybe a hint of salt and meat.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 78

Well, that was a finish. There were quite some interesting Whiskies in the past 24 days. So what's my resume for this Whisky Advent Calendar? It's a little bit two folded. On one hand I liked the different Whiskies very much on the other hand I'm a little bit sad, that there were only two cask strength Whiskies. Most of the Whiskies had 40% to 43% abv but I can understand that this product was designed to please the "normal" customer. More than the two cask strength Whiskies would have been too much for the casual Whisky drinker I guess. Nevertheless they could have used Whiskies with 43% to 46% abv but I guess this is not the style of that franchise. Last time I visited the store, most of the Whiskies they had were bottled with less than 43% abv. Don't get me wrong it's perfectly fine to do so but I think just a few more percent of alcohol could have improved the Whiskies. On the other hand the less alcohol the more Whisky. I get that. I probably buy the Calendar next year again. It's quite convenient for me to get and not that expensive. Also it's a great gift for the occasionally Whisky drinker or even for someone who wants to get into Whisky but doesn't know where to start. 24 Whiskies to choose from for around 70€ is quite a good deal. You just have to wait for Christmas to come around next year.

That's it for this week. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I will be offline for a few days so enjoy the holidays maybe with a nice dram of Whisky with some of your loved ones as I will surely do!

Slàinte,
Lukas

Whisky Advent Calendar Part 3 (Dec. 14th to 20th)

We almost reached Christmas and here is part three of my Whisky Advent Calendar summary.

The next 7 Whiskies of the Advent Calendar

December 14th - Irish Single Malt Whiskey "Brothers in Arms"

This Whiskey is made by Jack and his brother Stephen Teeling. After last week's „Jacks Choice“ which was created by Jack alone both brothers contributed to this Whiskey. Last week I suspected that this Whiskey is not from the Teeling Distillery but I may have been wrong. Just because the distillery is younger than a Whisk(e)y has to be it doesn’t mean anything. When BenRiach was bought they bought all the warehouses with the distillery. They were able to sell Whisky right from the beginning. Despite the fact that the Teeling Distiller Company just opened their doors this year they owned the Cooley Disillery which thy sold to Beam Global (Suntory). So the Whiskey may be from the old warehouses from the Cooley Distillery. Because Jack and Stephen choose two Whiskeys from 2000 and 1991(!). Technically they do here the same as I wrote in my first part of this summary („Compass Whisky“ and „SWA“), if you remember. Now their aid in helping the INSERT DISTILLERY NAME HERE makes perfect sense. Stephens Whiskey from 2000 is matured in a first fill Bourbon cask, for Jacks Whiskey a Sherry butt was used! Let’s see what they created here.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 14yo

ABV: 43%

Distillery: maybe Cooley (or Teeling?)

Colour: dark gold

Nose: Some Lemon and floral notes but also some "New Make" and some spices.

Body: little bit flat

Palate: There is toffee and oak wood. With time there are some spices, maybe pepper and ginger?

Finish: long and warming

My score: 63

December 15th - Scotch Speyside Single Malt Whisky Benrinnes Distillery Cask Strength

Cask Strength Whisky number two. This one is again from the Speyside but this time the distillery is more in the heart of the Speyside. The last one was quite close to the shore. The distillery was built frist ain 1826 but was destroyed by a flood only three years later. 1835 the distillery was built again but called „Lyne of Ruthrie“. The distillery changed it’s name to „Benrinnes“ 1838. Most probably because the distillery is located at the foot of Mount Ben Rinnes, a 840m „high“ mountain. It was sold a few times and today the distillery belongs to Diageo. The yearly alcohol output is around 3.5m litres. They use a slightly peated malt and use – like Auchentoshan – three distilling stills. In Scotland the typical number is two – a wash still and a spirit still – that’s the reason I bring it up. I myself just learned during my research that they use a triple distillation. I thought only Auchentoshan uses it. Interestingly they use a „standard“ double distillation too. There are just a few bottlings from the distillery itself but there are some independent bottles who sell Whisky from there too.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 14yo

ABV: 54.5%

Distillery: Benrinnes

Colour: golden

Nose: Fruity but also some rotten oak wood and a hint of "New Make".

+H2O: With water there is less "New Make" and oak wood but lots of sweetness from toffee emerges!

Body: full, has some edges

Palate: Pepper, very intense, some oak wood.

+H2O: With water it becomes a little bit less intensive but not flat. Oh, and there is lots of toffee there too.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 62 / 68 (without / with water)

December 16th - Scotch Speyside Peated Blended Malt Whisky

Not much there to tell about this Whisky. It's a blend, peated and from the Speyside. All used Whiskies are at least 10 years old and they may be from different distilleries. Interestingly this is a peated Blend which is quite untypically for the Speyside. Two Whisky regions are known for their unpeated Whiskies, the Lowlands and the Speyside. But of course there is a exception to every rule. Well, there is no rule that a Speyside Whisky has to be unpeated as for example BenRiach has some peated Whiskies. But for these two regions it's quite untypically. Just like a unpeated Whisky from Islay, they are usually (heavily) peated. And to fortify my argument with the exception from the "typical usus": "The Classic Laddie" from Bruichladdich (a distillery on Islay) is unpeated. On the other hand they have the "Octamore" - the most heavily peated Whisky worldwide! As I wrote in both preceding articles the SWA doesn't allow to tell from which distilleries the blend is made. Little strange but it is what it is. On the other hand I think a distillery should be allowed to tell if they want to. Let's see what this blended Whisky tastes like!

My Tastingnotes

Age: 10yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: no information

Colour: bright gold

Nose: There's peat and some iodine. If you wait a little bit you can nose some toffee.

Body: unfortunately quite flat

Palate: Quite spicy with some meat, peat and salt.

Finish: warming but not for long

My score: 63

December 17th - Scotch Highland Single Malt Whisky Macduff Distillery

The Highlands! Well kind of, the distillery is located in Banff, Banffshire. And Banff belongs to the Speyside. Nevertheless the distillery is often put into the Highlands. Whatever. The distillery belongs to Bacardi and is capable of producing 2.8m litres alcohol per annum. Single Malts from this distillery are available but if you are searching for Macduff you will find only independent bottlers. Whiskies from the distillery itself are labelled as "Glen Deveron". "Glen" is Gaelic for valley and the Deveron is the river the distillery is built next to. If you find a "Glen Deveron" it's from the distillery itself, if it's called "Macduff" it's from a independent bottler. But the Whisky is also used for various Blends in the Bacardi company. Let's see if this Whisky is indeed a "typical" Highland Whisky or more a Speyside Whisky.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 16yo

ABV: 43%

Distillery: Macduff

Colour: light gold-yellowish

Nose: Very floral and fruity. Some oak wood, spices and peach. Very typical for a Speyside Whisky.

Body: round and smooth

Palate: Very fresh, some spicy and nutty flavours but also some oak wood. More Speyside than Highlands!

Finish: warming but not that long

My score: 71

December 18th - Scotch Highland Single Malt Whisky Blair Athol Distillery

Till today I knew every distillery used in this advent calendar - at least by name. The distillery from today's Whisky was a new name to me. The distillery is located in Pitlochry in the Highlands. This time it's a Highland distillery for real. It belongs to the Diageo company and produces around 2m litres alcohol per annum. Very large amounts of this Whisky is used for the Blend sold under the name "Bell's". This Whisky is sold mainly in the UK but also South Africa, Spain and Brazil. But there are only very few Single Malts from this distillery. That may be the reason for me not knowing this distillery. I had to look it up but the SMWS has this distillery on their list. Maybe I'll taste one from this distillery in the future at a tasting from the SMWS. But now let's see how this quite old (19yo!) Whisky tastes.

  

My Tastingnotes

Age: 19yo

 

ABV: 43%

Distillery: Blair Athol

Colour: amber

Nose: There are lemons and pears, very fruity and fresh. Also there is some sweetness from honey.

Body: smooth and soft

Palate: A little tingling followed by some spices (pepper?) but also sweetness from toffee.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 73

December 19th - Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Well this Whiskey is a mystery. I couldn't find hardly any information on this one. Not even on the homepage of the company I bought the advent calendar. But I found a paragraph about a "Special Edition" Whiskey from Cooley for the 20 year anniversary of "vom Fass (Germany?)". Maybe this Whiskey is from the Cooley distillery. It is 20 years old that is for sure. As there are not many Whiskey distilleries left in Ireland (the reason for this is still "The noble Experiment" from the 1920s in the USA) the possibility that this Whiskey is from Cooley is quite high. So let's see how this Whiskey tastes.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 20yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: no information, but Irish probably Cooley

Colour: golden

Nose: Sweet, quite simple, some oak wood, some floral notes and a hint of dried fruits.

Body: soft and well rounded

Palate: Sweet and fruity (cherry?, peach) but there are some spicy flavours and even some oak wood.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 72

December 20th - Scotch Blended Malt Whisky Two Casks Caol Ila & Tullibardine

In "the good ol' times" this would have been called "Vatted Malt" (just like the Whisky in December 16th) but nowadays it's just a Blend. The Caol Ila distillery is located on Islay and known for their quite heavily peated Whiskies. The Tullibardine distillery is located more or less in the heart of the Highlands. Interesting mixture. The first distillery is owned by Diageo and produces around 6.5m litres alcohol per annum the second one is owned by Picard Vins & Spiritueux (a French company if you didn't guessed it from the name) and produces 2.7m litres alcohol per annum. The first one is known widely the second one isn't. From both distilleries some Single Malts are available but for the latter one you may have to visit the Potstill in Vienna to get a bottle. Caol Ila 12 for example is available nearly everywhere. Let's see what this Blend from Islay and the Highlands is capable of.

My Tastingnotes

Age: n.a.s.

ABV: 41%

Distillery: Coal Ila & Tullibardine

Colour: light amber

Nose: Smoked meat and iodine are very present. But there are some faint notes from toffee.

Body: soft but otherwise flat

Palate: Smoked meat again but less than before. There is some sweetness from toffee which is much more present that while nosing the Whisky.

Finish: long and warming

My score: 68

Wow, just four more days (and therefore Whiskies) left till Christmas! I can't belief how fast the time flows. I'll post the next four Whiskies on December 25th because I'll be celebrating - as we do here in Austria - Christmas in the evening of December 24th! As it is not possible for me to taste the last Whisky an December 24th as I have to drive after the Christmas dinner and I'm a strict "If I have to drive I don't drink" person I decided to taste and post the last part of my summary on December 25th. Well I could taste the Whisky in the morning of the 24th and after the dinner in the evening I surely can drive but we will see. In case I post the last summary on Christmas Day I wish you and all your loved ones a very merry Christmas. Enjoy the holiday season with a good dram of Whisky!

Slàinte,
Lukas

Whisky Advent Calendar Part 2 (Dec. 7th to 13th)

We're halfway through the advent and here is part two of my Whisky Advent Calendar summary.

The next 7 Whiskies of the Advent Calendar

December 7th - Austrian Single Malt Whisky Wieser Distillery

We start week two with a Whisky from Austria. Not many people know that there is such a thing as an Austrian Whisky. We in Austria have around 50 - compared to Scottish standards very small - distilleries. Some of them produce even that little that you will not get a hold on some Whisky. Around 35 produce enough Whisky that you may get some on the market. But mainly you will have to get it directly from the distillery. 2012 the "Austrian Whisky Association - AWA" was founded. They try to make Austrian Whisky known in Austria and Europe. There are currently 13 members in the AWA. Just check them out. Austrian Whisky can be interestingly different to Scottish and even Irish Whisky! Some are very good some aren't. But don't try and compare them to their "great" brothers. Austrian Whisky is a typical Austrian product just as Scottish Whisky is to Scotland. I've already tasted this Whisky before, so I decided to look back after I did the tasting. Well, it was very similar, but the score was a little bit lower than before. I decided to merge the two tastings and create a mean with the two scores.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 5yo

 

ABV: 43%

Distillery: Wieser, Austria

Colour: light golden

Nose: very light, apple, some toffee and chocolate, marzipan and hints of fresh wood, some lemon and a little bit rye(?), with time there's still the keen notes from freshly distilled alcohol.

Body: smooth

Palate: Fresh wood, sweet, some lemon(?) and hints of pepper

Finish: warming, not very long but oily

My score: 68

December 8th - Scotch Speyside Single Malt Whisky Inchgower Distillery

Back to the main land of Whisky. This distillery is located north to Keith not far away from Elgin. So we're talking Speyside! Despite the fact that the distillery is capable of producing roughly 2m litres alcohol per annum it is widely unknown. Only a small fraction from the Diago distillery is designated to become a Single Malt. Every other drop is for the blending industry, mainly Johnny Walker. There is something special about this Whisky. It is bottled as a so called "Cask Strength". Nothing new for me, but great to have it in a Advent Calendar. Instead of diluting the finished Whisky with water to 40 to 46% abv (drinking strength) this Whisky is bottled with the alcoholic content as it comes out of the cask therefore "Cask Strength". Caution is advised for the inexperienced Whisky drinker. These "Cask Strength" Whiskies can be quite strong and sometimes some drops of water may be a good idea. And with this particular Whisky it was a good idea!

My Tastingnotes

Age: 15yo

 

ABV: 57.7%

Distillery: Inchgower

Colour: deep amber

Nose: Fresh notes from apple and lemon, some nutty aromas with hints of iodine, a little bit fresh spirit and some dried fruits are there too.

+H₂O: With water the spirit develops even more dried fruits but also some sweetness from toffee and vanilla.

Body: full and intense

Palate: Boooooom, very intense at the beginning. Didn't expect this! After the initial surprise there is lots of toffee and spices combined with some lemon and oak wood.

+H₂O: With water this nice dram becomes much soother but nevertheless intense. Jupp there's defiantly toffee and pepper!

Finish: very long, as expected

My score: 87

December 9th - Irish Single Malt Whiskey "Jacks Choice" Sauternes Cask Finish

Again on the green Island. This Whiskey was chosen by Jack Teeling (yes the one from Teeling Whiskey) and after 11 years in an American oak cask it was finished for 3 more months in a Sauternes cask. It is unlikely that this Whiskey is from the Teeling Whiskey Distillery itself since they "just" opened their distillery. The first distillery in 125 years in Ireland! I'm looking forward to their own products as they try to "bring the craft of distilling back into the very heart of Dublin city centre." But I digress back to the Whiskey at hand!

My Tastingnotes

Age: 11yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: no information, but Irish

Colour: light amber

Nose: At first there is some fresh and fruity apple, maybe some nuts. With time it develops some acidy notes but it stays very fresh and light. Can't disguise it's heritage typical Irish! I like it.

Body: round, mild and very delicate

Palate: Typical Irish Whiskey! Very fine toffee and apple notes combined with some very light spices, some oak wood and lemons.

Finish: not so long but okay and warming.

My score: 69

December 10th - Scotch Isle of Mull Single Malt Whisky Ledaig Distillery

This distillery on the Isle of Mull - the only distillery on Mull - was founded in 1798 and was known in the beginning as Ladaig. The distillery was closed a few times during the course of time and has undergone different owners. The main product the Tobermory Singe Malt is used for different blends including the famous "Black Bottle". But there is still some Single Malt known as "Ladaig". It is the peated version distilled in this nice distillery with an output of around 1m litres alcohol per annum.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 7yo

ABV: 43%

Distillery: Ledaig/Tobermory

Colour: light golden

Nose: There's lots of peat, phenol and even some iodine and smoked meat. But with time you can taste some very delicate and fine notes of honey too.

Body: lot's of edges

Palate: Smoked meat with a salty crust on it, little bit of iodine and some sweetness.

Finish: not very long but nice

My score: 63

December 11th - Scotch Speyside Single Malt Whisky Glen Moray Distillery

Located near Elgin this is a typical Speyside distillery. They are capable of producing around 3.3m litres alcohol per annum thanks to some newly installed stills. Before 2004 the distillery belonged to Glenmorangie and here at Glen Moray Macdonald and Muir stared experimenting with wood finishes which made Glenmorangie so famous. Glen Moray was then sold to Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy and later to their actual owner La Martiniquaise. Parts of the production are used for the companies blends but they also have some interesting Single Malts.

My Tastingnotes

 

Age: 12yo

ABV: 46%

Distillery: Glen Moray

Colour: golden

Nose: Very fruity and sweet (toffee and honey), but also some acidy notes from a freshly cut lemon.

Body: round and smooth

Palate: Very, very sweet! It's like chewing on some fudge but also a little bit prickling! And last but not least some oak wood is present too.

Finish: quite long and warming

My score: 70

December 12th - Scotch T-spooned Malt Whisky Ed.No.1 Balvenie & Glenfiddich 17yo

So this Whisky gave me some headache. Even before I tried it. "T-spooned Malt Whisky"? After some research my darkest fears had become true. "It [the Single Malt Whisky from Balvenie?] has been refined[??] with a tablespoon Single Malt Scotch Whisky [from a Glenfiddich Single Malt?]" (or vice versa)! I mean, really?? First of this is a blend not a Single Malt (as I explained before; a Single Malt must be from one distillery). So this is not a Single Malt anymore. Second: one (or even two or ten) tablespoon(s) into another cask (with 200 litres or more)? What for? Come on this is a joke, right? 20 to 200ml into a cask of 200 litres? What should this 0.1% (or even less) extra Whisky do? Refine it? I doubt it. This sounds just like the idea of homeopathy to me and please don't get me started on this. This is a Whisky blog and not some esoteric blog. I understand that some distilleries don't want their name on anything except their own product. That's absolutely fine and I fully agree with them. Look how the SMWS does this. They use a number code so that their members do know the distillery it was made in (after all the distillery and the climate influences the taste of the spirit) but without writing the name on it. So back to the Whisky, let's see how this Whisky tastes.

My Tastingnotes

Age: 17yo

ABV: 41%

Distillery: Balvenie and/or Glenfiddich

Colour: light amber

Nose: This Whisky reminds me of the 12yo Glenfiddich, flowery fruity notes combined with some apples and toffee. Later on there are some very faint oak wood notes.

Body: very smooth and round

Palate: Yep, if I had to guess that's definitely a Whisky from the Glenfiddich Distillery. Apple, some toffee, maybe even some peppery notes. All combined with a very fine and delicate citric note.

Finish: quite long and warming

My score: 70

December 13th - Scotch Speyside Single Malt Whisky Tamdhu Disillery

Back to a real Single Malt from the Tamdhu distillery. This Speyside distillery is located in the very heart of the Speyside. The name is gaelic and translates to "little dark hill". The distillery - capable of producing around 4m litres alcohol per annum - was used for long years by the Highland Distillers making the stuff for blended Whisky - mainly for the "The Famous Grouse". After closing and selling the distillery to Ian MacLeod Distillers in 2011 they started to produce again around 2012/13. There are three Whiskies from the distillery itself - the "Tamdhu, the 10yo and the 18yo" (mainly from the warehouses and not from the actual production as this "New Make" is still too young to be called Whisky!). There are some other bottlings from independent bottlers available, dating back to the time the distillery belonged to the Highland Distillers. Something quite special around Scottish distilleries: they (still) have their own malting floors and are capable of producing enough malted barley to deliver it even to other distilleries in the area.

My Tastingnotes

 

Age: 15yo

ABV: 43%

Distillery: Tamdhu

Colour: light amber

Nose: Sweetness from honey, some oak wood and plums, as well as some dried fruits. Very delicate and full.

Body: full and very mild

Palate: Also very sweet but more toffee than honey. There's still some oak wood (freshly cut!) but also some apple and vanilla notes. As a topping there are some faint hints of spices combined with some freshness.

Finish: quite long and warming

My score: 72

This week's Whiskies were quite controversial. At least one or two. On day 8 the first cask strength Whisky. Well, I had hoped for more not just the usually 40 - 46% abv Whiskies but they were quite fine. Nothing exceptional but quite good. I should talk to Jutta and Thomas from the SMWS-AT. Maybe we can come up with an advent calendar made of SMWS Whiskies. The "T-spooned" Whisky was not a big surprise as the small amount of "extra" Whisky couldn't do much, just as I suspected. Without any information I couldn't have told the distillery but they mentioned Balvenie and Glenfiddich. So I went with Glenfiddich as the "main" Whisky in this blend. The Sauternes cask finish Whiskey was fine but like the 2015 Kilchoman PX finish Whisky I've encountered at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show in London I couldn't make out a distinctive influence from the finishing cask. It wasn't bad (as the Kilchoman wasn't) but I would have liked it maybe even more if I had nosed/tasted the finishing cask. So that's it for this week. The third Part of my summary will go online on December 20th!

Slàinte,
Lukas