During my last trip to Canada, I caught up with one of our Mumbai Whisky Ladies who moved to Canada. Naturally our evening turned to a sip or two. Of late, her preferences have leaned towards lighter Speyside drams.
One was from a familiar distillery – Auchentoshan – though an expression not yet reviewed – American Oak…
The other was new to me – McClelland’s Speyside, started originally as a blender, now part of the Morrison Bowmore distillers.
The thinking behind the McClelland’s range is to explore the ‘character’ of key whisky distilling regions – launched in 1986 with an Islay, Highland and Lowland expressions and joined in 1999 by this Speyside expression.
They describe a Speyside whisky character as being:
Speyside malts are sweet and fruity;
sometimes delicate, sometimes rich and robust.
Always complex.
And while I did not take detailed notes, my recollections were of:
- Nose – Honey, light fruit and florals, fresh, sweet
- Palate – Light spice, slightly nutty, floral with a oaky slightly bitter quality too
- Finish – Short
Overall quite pleasant and an easy drinking dram.
Here is what the folks over at McClelland’s have to say:
- Colour – Honeyed with golden highlights.
- Body – Light to medium, elegant and balanced.
- Nose – A fresh invigorating Speyside malt of mint, menthol and freshly cut pine. Traces of fine dark chocolate and a lingering sweet malt aroma.
- Palate – An initial fibrous sweet nougat essence is complemented by the savoury flavours of brazil and hazelnut. A subtle floral freshness adds a faint perfumed bouquet to the palate.
- Finish – Short, yet powerful, complex unforgettable.
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