Earlier in the year, we had a bit of an impromptu gathering over an odder assortment of drams. One was a complete mystery! It came from a Scottish Inn known for great bars with extensive whisky collection and hosting of whisky tasting sessions. We had no clue what we were drinking beyond it being from the Highlands and bottled at 43%.

Claichag Glencoe 10 year Highland 43%

• Nose – Apples, raspberries with vanilla
• Palate – Chocolate with a peaty palate – what a surprise!
• Finish – Very ashy finish

At first, we thought it had more of a “Speyside” than “Highland” character… what I found the most interesting is how it was sweetness and light initially on the nose, then more powerful on the palate with a clear peaty stamp veering even further in the peat spectrum with an ashy finish. Going back for the next whiff and sip, we discovered that the more time it spent in the glass, the sweeter and lighter it became with the peat fading further and further into the background.

There was quite a bit of speculation and guessing about this one with no specific conclusion. Pity we didn’t know more, but that’s half the fun – responding to our immediate experience with limited further context!

We tried this together with a new Swedish distillery’s spirits at a very early “pre-whisky“ stage that still showed great promise. Such promise that we were delighted to try an Agitator trio of their “proper” whiskies in Dec 2022, courtesy of a Swedish Whisky Lady – what fun!

We didn’t stop here… we continued on to explore

• Hedges & Butler Royal Scotch Whisky 21 year (1950/60s – 1970/80s) 43% – A delicious glimpse into blends of ‘yore’
• India’s Neidhal 46% – – Essence of coastal peat bottled in India
• Chorlton Orkney 22 year (2022) 53.4% – Another Chorlton marvel – a most un-Highland Park like dram – superb!

What fun having an amiable evening wandering through a few interesting blends, single malts, and this mystery dram.

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

• WordPress https://whiskylady.co/
• FaceBook Whisky Lady India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN 
• Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN