Time to revisit a past session to get into the mood for this month’s upcoming tasting! This review comes from our 17 April 2014 tasting session with the Singleton Artisan.
Our merry tasting group are no stranger to Singleton however overall it wouldn’t be a first pick. The previous experience with this Speyside left the impression of fairly standard fare, nothing exceptional. It also can be a bit confusing as Singleton uses different names in different markets with different profiles, with the distillery actually called Dufftown (not Singleton).
However, we are always game to explore more. So one member picked up the Artisan expression on a whim – an airport duty-free purchase. As usual, we tasted blind to discover without bias what the whisky had to say to us…
Singleton Artisan 40% (bottle DF 00319 AA)
- Colour – Deep amber
- Nose – Flowery sweet hinting of a sherry cask, rubber quality, spice dabba like cardamom and clove, even dirty sock
- Taste – Fruity warm with a bitter chewiness, smoky and very dry
- Finish – Short yet the bitter quality remained
- With a few drops of water – Dry coconut bitterness emerged, sweetness reduced to highlight the spice more
And here is what the folks over at Dufftown have to say about their Artisan offering…
Made in small batches once a year, hand crafted once a year by our Master of Malts, in strictly limited quantities, this is the ultimate expression of our whisky making craft.
Luxurious and incomparably smooth A rich, defined and ultra smooth Single Malt with hints of sticky dates, raisin-like sweetness, delicate fresh fruit, mixed spice and ginger – perfect for life’s treasured moments or as a gift to someone special.
Finished in hand selected pedro ximenez casks this exquisite Single Malt is finished in hand selected Pedro Ximenez wood Casks. Using this rare, modern finishing technique our Master of Malts has hand crafted a rich, decadent and incomparably smooth Scotch whisky that is a tribute to the art of whisky making.
Marketing “speak” aside, the Singleton Artisan did get us to perk up and pay attention. In short, this whisky reminded us to not dismiss airport offerings!
Other whiskies sampled in our April 2014 session included:
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