Our 1st 2021 Whisky Ladies European Chapter comes thanks to a Diageo connection with careful selection from their Flora and Fauna range.
For some reason I’ve gravitated towards Mannochmore in the last year or so… likely influenced by the rather marvellous Gordon & MacPhail 25 year cask strength sampled at Berlin’s Union Jack and most recently a Chorlton cask strength 12 year.
So I was rather curious to see how it would hold up in an official bottling at a mere 43%…
Mannochmore 12 year 43%
- Nose – Bournvita and vegemite, then sweet sweet honey, shifting even into honeysuckle flowers, crisp green apples, pears, then fresh cut grass, then a hint of prunes… it kept shifting between more vegetal lightly salty elements and fruity flowery, fresh and green
- Palate – Interesting – not at all what we expected from the aromas. It was surprisingly well rounded, had a kind of mineral substance, a dash of salt, some wood and light spice, yet as we sipped, it started to become more and more in harmony with the aromas
- Finish – Initially herbal, anise
We paused… hmm… gave it some consideration. It comes across as ‘easy drinking’ and at the same time, there is a classical yet whimsical element too. Backed up by quiet strength. Is it massively complex? No. But it is interesting. And has a kind of classic Speyside nod with just enough maturity to not be completely dismissed as a ‘light weight’.
We set it aside to try the others and returned to be pleasantly surprised. It kept its character. If anything, it was even fruitier, remained rounded and tasty… not such a bad dram at all.
Bottom-line – we liked it!
What do the folks at Diageo have to say?
Surprisingly clean, dry, and refreshingly direct. Mannochmore makes a good aperitif with its light, grassy and herbal notes.
- Appearance – Pale gold or white wine.
- Body – Light to medium in body, like a fine wine.
- Nose – The first impression is sweet and lightly malty, then some aldehydic (green sticks) notes emerge and a slight whiff of brimstone. After a while, the green notes become green apples, and the sulphur notes more like carbon monoxide. With water, similar to the unreduced nose: fresh-fruity, with traces of ‘Spangles’ and acid drops, and still a hint of sulphur compounds in the background. Somewhat ‘monochromatic’ for a Speyside.
- Palate – Fresh and clean – appetising with good acidity and a well-balanced dryness overall.
- Finish – Surprisingly dry in the finish for a Speyside.
Would we agree? In truth, we didn’t get the sulphur but the balance rang more or less ‘true.’ 
In our first Flora & Fauna evening, we also sampled:
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