Monthly Archives: January 2024

Chorlton’s Glen Ord 8 year 57.9%

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They say you should leave the best for last! Whisky-wise for a tasting order, that isn’t necessarily the case. One should always consider the whisky profile – bourbon before sherry, unpeated before peated, and so forth. In more than one tasting event, a subtle mature dram was sampled at the end, in deference to its age (and likely price-tag!), yet at a point when its nuanced character was lost in a mix of too many malts!

In our January 2024 tasting, there was zero doubt that this fully sherry-matured dram should come last and, based on past distillery experiences, that it just might be the winner of our 4 distillery comparison.

What was in common between all four was that they came from independent bottler Chorlton as single casks, bottled at cask strength. Each also came from distilleries that are not as well explored.

Glen Ord 8 year 1st Fill Oloroso Hogshead 57.9% 252 bottles 

  • Nose – Christmas cake and pudding, a delicious ginger spice, toffee and banoffee pie, vanilla custard, figs, jammy… in the 2nd tasting with the ladies we also found some salted caramel, butterscotch, a warm banana mash or a moist banana bread fresh from the oven, Fragelico hazelnut liqueur
  • Palate – Big, bold, and beautiful! It was very juicy, and rich with a wonderful mouth feel – described as quite “chewy”. Some found red grapes, others red berries, and some even baked red apples! It was buttery, rolling around the palate in the best way, smooth and delicious. Shifting between cinnamon rolls and stollen stuffed with dried fruits and marzipan paste – yum!
  • Finish – What a fabulous finish! Slightly bitter (think mocha or chocolate), then followed by bonbons
  • Revisit – This dram also stands the test of waiting in the glass. With the revisit, we found it even fruitier on the nose – all the Christmasy dried fruits and sweet spices joined by citrus marmalade, peaches, and apricots…

From the 1st whiff, we LOVED the nose, reveling in the aromas of a proper sherry dram. The palate did not disappoint either.

For the Glen Ord, both the Bombay Malt & Cigar folks and Whisky Ladies were unanimous in pronouncing this the clear favourite of the evening. This just goes to prove – for a tasting order, the whisky profile can be more important than vintage. In this case, the youngest proved to be the right one to close the evening!

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

First up we have an 8-year-old Glen Ord. I think I’ve only tried about three or four Ords in my life, despite it being a large distillery. I don’t know where most of it goes, but happily a little bit has found its way into a Chorlton bottle via a rather lovely oloroso cask.

So, on the nose we find dried figs, beeswax, old leather and soft cigar smoke. It’s a very old-school dry sherry vibe (no fruit cakey PXy nonsense here!), but you do get some pear tart and orange bitters as it starts to breathe, backed by some solid jammy dark fruits and black spices.

On the palate: really big and mouthfilling! Fat, lightly smoky and waxy, with glazed fruits, marmalade, baked apple and some ginger syrup. The finish is really long and “chewy”, with dry sherry, cigars, oranges and chocolate.

This whisky really does have an old-fashioned feeling to it. It’s like going into an ancient gentleman’s club off Pall Mall (I mean, what I imagine that to be like. I’m sure they keep riff-raff like me off the premises.) full of polished oak and leather armchairs suffused with old smoke. Ask your valet to serve this to you on a silver salver.

This whisky was released in the UK for £65. I purchased this from Whisky.base in October 2022 for EUR 74 + 18% tax + shipping.

So there we have it – another set from Chorlton! What was the final verdict from our two tasting groups in Mumbai?

From left (#4) to right (#1), we ranked our whiskies as:

#4 Teaninich 12 year 54.2%. No converts to this distillery post our experience. Whilst I never say never, if even a Chorlton bottle doesn’t nudge me towards this distillery, it is safe to say that its profile simply isn’t one for me!

#3 Benrinnes 14 year 55%. Remains a mixed experience. Some interesting elements but also disappointing on the palate after such an appealing nose. One described it as feeling a bit “cheated” by the taste after the teasing aromas!

#2 Deanston 14 year 52.6% was the surprising runner-up. In fact, after this photo was taken, there was even less liquid?! Whilst it was still considered average, sometimes average works.

#1 Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% By the end of both evenings, there was zero doubt! Once I removed a small sample for fellow whisky explorer Whisky Flu and another to bring back to Europe, there was barely even a single dram remaining! This hardly ever happens in our whisky-tasting evenings, where typically we have a good portion of the bottle remaining.

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Sharing is caring

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I truly believe sharing is caring – even more so in the world of whiskies – where a dram shared is a dram enjoyed. Alas, having whisky friends scattered around the world means we do not always have an opportunity to taste together. This is why sharing a mini or two is a way to share the journey, even if experienced independently.

A couple of years ago, I brought a wee pack of minis back from Europe to India to share with Whisky Flu. His wonderfully detailed and evocative tasting notes are such a treat – enabling me to experience the drams yet again through his nose and palate.

Knowing he was through the original set, I decided it was time for a wee booster shot of interesting drams, so packed up further whiskies from one of our favourite independent bottlers – Chorlton and Gordon & Macphail Discovery. Then in India, when cleaning and sorting through my whisky cabinet, added a trio from That Boutique-y Whisky Co to the mix and the latest Chorlton’s opened with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents.

Completely unexpectedly, I received a “return gift” with an interesting assortment from his open bottles:

  • Blend #4 51% – Must find out more about this one!
  • Grace O’Malley Irish Whisky 40% – So far I’ve only had a whiff of this one, so looking forward to trying
  • Camikara 12 year Rum 50% – A new Indian cane juice rum, matured for 12 years in American oak casks. 
  • Timorous Beastie 18 year Blended Malt 46.8% – We last tried a no-age statement expression of this Highland Blend from Douglas Laing in 2016. It will be interesting to contrast that with this limited edition.
  • Rock Oyster 18 year Blended Malt 46.8% – For this Island expression, we last tried their cask-strength version in 2018. As a blend of Islay, Arran, Orkney, and Jura whiskies, I have a feeling I will enjoy the 18 year!
  • Indri 46% – I need to check if this is the standard Trini or something different!

For a variety of reasons, this trip to India left little scope for independent tasting. So I decided to keep these well stored for my upcoming trip in April or May 2024.

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Chorlton’s Benrinnes 14 year 55%

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As a bit of background, some 8 years ago we did an evening devoted to Affordable Adults – all above 20 years, all cask strength, all from independent bottlers, all reasonably affordable (by whisky standards!). Imagine today getting a 27-year-old Blair Athol at cask strength for under Eur 150?

The Benrinnes we tried that evening retailed for approx Eur 120 at the time and was aged for 24 years in an ex-bourbon Hogshead, bottled by the Single Malts of Scotland (Elixir). It was frankly awful. As in, we described it as having anti-freeze on the nose and solvent on the palate. In fairness, it came to us after being baked in the trunk of a car in the heat of Mumbai. I revisited it later and was a bit more charitable, however it was a clear disappointment.

Fast forward and I have since come across a few Benrinnes that deserve the description of rusty and rustic! I also find that whisky profiles like Benrinnes need more time to open up to truly come into their own, interesting to try yet one can also see why they may add more in combination with other whiskies to craft whisky blends.

So what did we think of this expression from Chorlton in our “Chances” evenings? Would it be a thumbs up or a decisive thumbs down? Or somewhere in between? Weighing into the verdict were two groups: The Malt & Cigar men on the 1st day and the Whisky Ladies on the 2nd day. Both evenings this whisky was sampled 3rd out of 4 bottles.

Benrinnes 14 year 55%

  • Colour – You can certainly see the Sherry finish influence here! A lovely dark amber hue.
  • Nose
    • Now we are talking! A very inviting start – warm peaches, some strawberries, an odd yet not unpleasant perfumed soap water, some sweet wood, honey… the longer we sniffed, the more it changed nicely… subtle and nuanced, buttery hot muffins, some cream, a bit rum-like – leaning more towards a sweet spice rum, mashed bananas, rose hip tea.
    • On the 2nd day we also found it reminded us of a perfumed fruity waxy candle – one of those over-priced indulgences you give as a special gift! As it opened up, we found the sweet shifting into a slight saline, then revealing other elements. One lady called it capers in brine, another found it more herbal, and a 3rd described it as a fat buttery cinnamon bun.
  • Palate
    • One gentleman described it as “gulkand” which is a sweet preserve of rose petals, others thought more of jammy berries. There was a bit of this, yet I found it a bit more earthy – in a good way. I particularly found quite pronounced macadamia nut butter, creamy… as soon as this was identified, there was agreement – both the gents and ladies.
    • One lady described it perfectly as being quite “unctuous”. We found some spice, cloves, and bay leaves, a bit savory and slightly bitter too – coffee perhaps?
  • Finish – Long and strong, some of the salty nuts carrying through or a sweet salted butter
  • Water – Yes. Softens and rounds it out nicely without detracting from its character

There was certainly a contrast between the sweetly fruity and perfumed nose and the more substantive palate. Personally, I enjoyed this dichotomy, whereas others were disappointed as they would have preferred the sweet summery styled aromas carry through on the palate. Not to be sexist, the nose was described as quite feminine whereas the palate was much more masculine.

And yet as the whisky opened up further in the glass, the contrast between aroma and palate lessened, with the nose veering more towards the palate. Even after an hour, there was a complete range of reactions to the revisit. From some continuing to find it interesting, changing further to others finding it watery and no longer having much character! In other words – two ends of the spectrum!

My sense was one should just consider this whisky on its merits, not comparing side by side with others. Something to settle down with for an hour or so, just seeing how it continues to evolve in the glass. In some ways, it comes across as quite “active” with an intriguing nose that reveals different elements over time, shifting back and forth.

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

This spent its first decade in a bourbon barrel and then the last 4 years in a sherry butt. I don’t usually do “finishes” but this was a particularly good sherry cask that I just had to do something with. It’s a little bit darker in colour than the photo suggests.

The nose starts with a soft waxy fruitiness (strawberry laces, cherry chapstick, banana chips) then a little earth and dried honey, plus something a little floral. There’s some buttered toast here, and a little savoury note in the background – not meaty really, maybe more like herby dumplings?

The palate has a classically sherried start, with dark chocolate, orange and coffee, before the fruitiness from the nose starts coming through (red berries, strawberry fondant). The development is long and quite complex, balancing some light fruitcakeiness with zingy fruits and then a quite meaty and salty aftertaste.

Adding water brings up tarter fruits (lime and yuzu syrup, rhubarb and custard sweets), and adds salted butter and a sort of honeyed grassiness to the aftertaste. Étienne (who you should all follow on Instagram @themaltcask) tried this and suggested it was a value for money bottle as you could easily spend half an hour on each glass! I always think of Benrinnes as quite a boisterous spirit, and there is a lot going on here to have fun with.

The cask produced 226 bottles at a cask strength of 55.0% and they are available for £80 each.

I purchased this directly from Chorlton in May 2022 and collected it from London in Oct 2022, sending it back to India!

So what was the verdict in comparison with the other three bottles?

  1. Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% – the bottle on the far right. Spoiler alert – by the end of both evenings and after removing a small sample for Europe, there is barely a dram remaining!
  2. Deanston 14 year 52.6% was the surprising runner-up. In fact, after this photo was taken, there was even less liquid?! Whilst it was still considered average, sometimes average works.
  3. Benrinnes 14 year 55% – 2nd from the left. Remains a mixed experience. Some interesting elements but also disappointing on the palate after such an appealing nose. One described it as feeling a bit “cheated” by the taste after the teasing aromas!
  4. Teaninich 12 year 54.2% – the bottle on the far left. No converts to this distillery post our experience. Whilst I never say never, if even a Chorlton bottle doesn’t nudge me towards this distillery, it is safe to say that its profile simply isn’t one for me!

Curious about other Benrinnes tasting experiences?

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Chorlton’s Teaninich 12 year 54.2%

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We began our evening of “Second Chances” with an independent bottler Chorlton from the May 2022 releases of David’s La Nouvelle Vague series.

For those not familiar with Teaninich, it is part of the Diageo “workhorses” stable of whiskies that largely go into blends. For the technical trivia buffs, it also uses no mash tun:

In 2000 a hammer mill and mash filter – the only one operational in a Scottish malt distillery – was installed at Teaninich. The use of the technology, which removes the need for a mash tun, was to produce ultra-clear wort, giving a clue as to the Teaninich distillery character: a fragrant exotic grassiness that brings to mind Japanese green tea and coumarin-rich bison grass. Fat stills also add a distinct oiliness to the texture while not blunting any of its penetrating acidity.

Trivia aside, I’ve had limited experience with whisky from this Highland distillery – only their official “Flora and Fauna” bottling and a cask strength mini from That Boutique-y Whisky Co. Neither made me a huge fan, however, as I am a big Chorlton buff, thought if there might be a cask to turn the opinion tide, this might be it!

We sampled it on two occasions – literally back-to-back in Bombay – first with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents, then the next evening with the Whisky Ladies. In retrospect, it was a real pity we couldn’t combine the way we once did on an annual basis. Perhaps something to revisit in future!

However on to the serious business of whisky tasting, with a split by day as the experience differed… For the lads, we tried this bottle 1st whereas for the ladies, this was our 2nd whisky of the evening.

Teaninich 12 year 54.2%

  • Colour – Bright straw, almost golden
  • Nose
    • Day 1: A promising start with citrus, pear drops, sweet hay, and floral nectar then it began to settle down in a less promising way with something a bit like limestone, granite, or chalk. Another got polish. Behind this was still some fruitiness but it was less and less appealing as it opened further…
    • Day 2: We could tell it was bourbon matured, yet also had a bit of rum raisin thing going on initially. followed by milk chocolate, some pineapple, and peppermint candy cane… as the nose developed, it shifted from cocoa butter to vanilla
  • Palate
    • Day 1: We could feel the hit of zero alcohol to full cask strength with this one. A lot of paprika spice, quite dry, some bitter hazelnut, perhaps a hint of ginger
    • Day 2: Actually quite similar in impressions, just that we found it a bit more oily than dry with the balance tracking – especially the bitter hazelnut
  • Finish
    • Day 1: Carries on with the bitterness
    • Day 2: The peppermint we found on the palate lingered like slightly chalky peppermint toothpaste, yet at the same time there was a hint of over-roasted hazelnut and bitter cinnamon that closed on the remnants of Big Red chewing gum
  • Water
    • Day 1: To be honest, I don’t recall our trying with water, which in retrospect seems curious indeed
    • Day 2: Better with water, yet still more bitter than sweet

Overall we concluded this was unimposing, nothing outstanding, though interesting to try what likely DOES do well in blends. To put it mildly, this was not the star of the evening.

As I was the only one to experience both evenings, what struck me was that the floral and lightly fruity elements that made the nose promising when freshly opened were largely absent just a day later.

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

Next up we have a 12-year-old Teaninich. This is one of those under-the-radar distilleries that I suspect (along with Mannochmore) is due its moment in the sun.

I usually think of Teaninich as being a green, foresty whisky and there’s a bit of that on the nose (pine needles, watermelon skin, greenhouse tomato vines) but actually this one feels more “yellow” with peachy fruits and some nice sweetness from the cask. I also get malted milk biscuits, Sweet Ciceley, orange cordial and some little touches of soot and chalk (this is a Highland malt after all).

The palate has lovely citrussy syrups, a light waxiness, hazelnut and pear tart, tons of malty sweetness (cornflake cakes) and some sweet ginger. The moderately-active ex-bourbon wood has rounded this all off nicely. The finish is super-clean, malty, citrussy/peachy, with a fresh liquoricey herbal aftertaste. A drop of water adds orange liqueur, and some extra butterscotch/brown sugar sweetness.

Delicious stuff, this, with some proper personality, and just right for the time of year. Get in now before the Teaninich hype train gets underway!*

This hogshead produced 320 bottles at a cask strength of 54.2% and they are available for £75 each.

(* – Incipient Teaninich mania not guaranteed.)

I purchased this directly from Chorlton in May 2022, before it found its way from London to Mumbai, India to be opened in January 2024.

From this experience, there is no chance Teaninich will rival Mannochmore in my books. And apparently, I have company as it clearly LOST the glass vote. No one was tempted to return and sample more. In fact, after this picture was taken, the others were further depleted with the Teaninich remaining stubbornly at the same level. Sorry buddy, you may be offered as the sacrificial “offer to people who don’t know any better” category…

What about the other Teaninich experiences I mentioned? Here you go!

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Chorlton’s Deanston 14 year 52.6%

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Out there in the world, one can find a die-hard Deanston fan here and there. One of our original whisky-tasting groups in Mumbai was one. As for me? I will fully admit to not being one of them. I tend to find Deanston a bit uninspiring, even a tad industrial in profile, and overall quite average.  However, I am a fan of the independent bottler Chorlton, so when this bottle from his April 2023 release became available, I thought why not try?

When I settled on a chancy theme in January 2024 to focus on distilleries that have NOT tended to capture my fancy, it seemed the perfect opportunity to give this Deanston its due consideration. Even better, I had two sets of tasting groups try it back to back: our Bombay Malt & Cigar lads and the Mumbai Whisky Ladies! Between the two groups, and different settings, I had high hopes for a fair evaluation.

Deanston 14 year (2023) Bourbon Barrel 52.6% 610 Bottles

  • Colour: Bright gold
  • Nose:
    • Day 1: Lemony, soap water, cashew nuts, Marie Claire digestive biscuits, some sweetness, joined by sawdust, and was that a bit of apricot fruit leather? Or mango papad? Vascilates between being slightly tangy and slightly sweet.
    • Day 2: Completely missed some of the initial elements – no citrus at all. Instead, there were bananas and peach pie, and we still found the digestive biscuits. Overall, it was quite mild, with some vanilla
  • Palate:
    • Day 1: It began with grapefuit, water sweetened with honey, some pudding, soft and balanced, good mouthfeel
    • Day 2: Much more buttery or oily than expected, and yet curiously there was a crackling chocolate, slightly metallic or fuel-like element, aniseed
  • Finish: Descriptions veered from having a “thick air finish” to butter to bitter to candy
  • Water: Simply muddles the combination
  • Revisit after sampling other whiskies
    • Day 1: None of the fruits remained though the digestive biscuits element continued
    • Day 2: Furniture wax and burnt popcorn on the nose, mineral on the palate

For the lads, this was the 3rd whisky of four sampled. There was a clear division between one pronouncing it exceedingly average, begrudgingly admitting it was “not unpleasant” but overall thin on the nose with very little complexity. The others were a wee bit kinder, finding it better than some Deanston’s as it was less industrial and overall decent.

For the ladies, I opted to begin with the Deanston. It didn’t get huge converts to this distillery but was a better way to kick off our evening. What was surprising is that just a day later, all of the citrus disappeared – both the lemon on the nose and grapefruit on the palate.
What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

The nose is fruity on first pouring (tangerine, pear juice, peach gummies) then settles down with hoppy ales, fresh baguette, sweet ciceley, woodruff and ferns. There are little touches of flinty minerality, lemon, rose petals, furniture wax and barley sugar. It’s very subtle and beautiful.

The palate has tinned pears, grapefruit syrup, aniseed (almost cough candy) and hops. It’s an appealing combination of barley and breadiness with clean and zesty fruitiness. It almost feels refreshing and palate-cleansing, with a lovely sweeter touch of honey and fruit syrup in the aftertaste.

This is one of those whiskies that feels very honest and close to the barley, with a sort of easy freshness and delicacy. The barrel produced 234 bottles at 52.6% and they are available for £79.50 each.

I purchased this directly from Chorlton in April 2023, which rested initially in London before being kindly brought to India in July 2023, to lie even longer for the right opportunity in Mumbai!

What else from Chorlton did we try together with the Deanston?

Despite it not being #1 in any of our books, folks voted with their glasses, where clearly there was a 2nd pour by some of the Deanston. Overall, it was the 2nd choice of the Chorlton’s tried that evening in terms of liquid consumed! Interesting.

What about other Deanston explorations?

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Bombay Malt Men and Whisky Ladies Chorlton explorations

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My last session with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents was in January 2023. I dubbed it “Swan Song” as it celebrated a trio of whiskies all from distilleries that are either no more or so changed to be entirely different than the liquid we sampled.

I was back in April for their Irish evening with a Jameson quartet, but then have been out of India ever since. Naturally, the gents carried on with many interesting sessions – some of which had miniatures set aside for me to catch up with their tasting journey (lucky me!).

So what to do for the gents one year later? After the remarkable Chorlton Ardmore opened in Winnipeg, Canada, I decided to see if we could discover another gem. Rarely do I have a problem of plenty. However, in this case, I did!

It was a really tough call to select just the right ones… The latest Chorltons to make it to India included:

  • Benrinnes 14 year 55% From May 2022, 10 years in a bourbon barrel then finished for 4 years in a sherry butt. Described as having a soft waxy fruitiness, then a classic sherry palate, shifting with water into tart fruits.
  • Deanston 14 year 52.6% From the Apr 2023 releases, matured in a bourbon barrel, it was reputed to be young, zesty fruits, minerals, bready.
  • Faemussach 21 year 56% From May 2022, Speculated to be from BenRiach. Described as very smoky, with quite mixed reviews. Clearly one for the peatheads!
  • Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% From the July 2022 releases, matured in 1st fill Oloroso Hogshead, described as an old school sherry, jammy fruits, chewy.
  • Glentauchers 14 year 61.6% (DE tasting) From the Apr 2023 releases, matured in a refilled sherry butt, it is described as having aromas of panettone and peaches, with the palate leaning towards chocolate brownies, elegant and cakey.
  • Miltonduff 16 year 55.9% From July 2022, complex from boozy pineapple cake with a contrasting palate, talkative and changeable.
  • Orkney 22 year 53.4% From February 2022, this Highland Park was more than decent but simply didn’t hold a candle to the Orkey 15 year released much earlier.
  • Speyside 13 year 64.6% From the November 2021 releases, this whisky is well traveled. Brought from London to Paris to Germany, then on to India. It is reputed to be a peated single malt from an undisclosed distillery and casks (possibly Glenrothes). Described as having a smoldering nose, and an earthy oily peat.
  • Teaninich 12 year 54.2% Also from May 2022, matured in a Hogshead, it is described as starting with forest elements, then becomes quite “yellow” and citrusy.
  • Tuillabardine 29 year 47.5% From Summer 2022, opened in January 2022, it was an interesting dram with a contrasting interplay between aromas and palate. Not your typical first pick from the whisky cabinet though….

First, I removed from the mix the two open bottles – the Orkney and Tuillabardine.

Second, from the closed bottles, I eliminated the peatier drams – this simply wasn’t my mood or the right audience for peat. So that took the Speyside, Faemussach out of the equation.

Next, I considered future tasting sessions where I have another Glentauchers waiting to to compare with the 14-year. With this pair, I thought the Miltonduff would be a good companion. (Spoiler alert! The Glentauchers 8 year never made it to India – was opened instead in Germany and is spectacular!)

Ch

I rarely get to try anything from Teaninich or Benrinnes, so that alone put them into the top contenders spot. Particularly Teaninich has a not-so-stellar track record in my books. Would this be the bottle that tips the scales in a more positive direction? Similarly, I have had mixed experiences with Benrinnes – some quite appealing and others that simply didn’t work for me.

Deanston has its fans, yet has tended to strike me as quite ordinary or average, leaning towards the industrial in style – nothing hugely wrong but nothing very right either. However, my recent brush with the Deanston Chronicles edition prompted a desire to give further consideration. More promising, there was something about the Glen Ord that caught my fancy. Whilst not a massive Singleton fan, David’s description made this seem like it was quite a compelling dram and possibly the right way to finish the evening.

From this line of thinking a theme emerged! “Second Chances” – deliberately selecting whiskies from distilleries that are not familiar favorites. Re-approaching with an open mind, giving due consideration to the liquid in front of us.

Even better, as the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents evening was followed right away by the Whisky Ladies, I could check out how the drams compared from freshly being opened to just a day later, in a different setting, context, and participants.

Clearly, folks voted with their glasses – as this photo dramatically shows! Curious to know which is which? Read on over the next few days!

From right (#1) to left (#4), we ranked our whiskies by consumption as:

  1. Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% By the end of both evenings and removing a small sample for Europe, there is barely a dram remaining! A full-bodied satisfying sherry dram!
  2. Deanston 14 year 52.6% was the surprising runner-up. In fact, after this photo was taken, there was even less liquid?! Whilst it was still considered average, sometimes average works.
  3. Benrinnes 14 year 55%. Remains a mixed experience. Some interesting elements but also disappointing on the palate after such an appealing nose. One described it as feeling a bit “cheated” by the taste after the teasing aromas!
  4. Teaninich 12 year 54.2%. No converts to this distillery post our experience. Whilst I never say never, if even a Chorlton bottle doesn’t nudge me towards this distillery, it is safe to say that its profile simply isn’t one for me!

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The Warehouse Dram Braon Peat Batch 8, 56.5%

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Germany has many independent bottlers and one that caught our fancy during the COVID period was Whisky Warehouse No 8 for their well put together sample boxes. In one of these, we were introduced to Braon Peat – which is their Scottish peat expression from an undisclosed distillery.

Their Braon Peat Batch 7 was a complete hit! So I was requested to “pretty please” bring a bottle from Germany to London for a special evening in October 2023. I was naturally happy to oblige, picking up their Batch 8 expression.

So what did we think?

Braon Peat (27 Sept 2021) Refill Sherry Cask, Batch 8, 56.5%  

  • Nose – Warm campfire, smoked ham, toasted scones, a sweet and sour apple sauce, sweetmeats, herbal
  • Palate – A luscious sweet peat, well rounded, great balance and mouthfeel, with just a hint of spice, some fatty oily nuts
  • Finish – Lingering smoke and spice, truly lasts and lasts
  • Water – Not needed but opens it up, accentuating the nutty element

It was instantly identified as Caol Ila. And overall is quite a satisfying peat dram – delicious. Even better, for a solid performer, it doesn’t break the bank account.

Official Tasting notes from an earlier batch:

  • Nose : Warm smoke with some dry dust, oily-fleshy with sweet molasses notes, machine hall, slightly herbal like dried oregano.
  • Flavor : The peat notes are in the foreground, the whiskey comes across as a bit meaty, yet surprisingly herbal at the same time, as if the meat had been preserved in mallow leaves beforehand. Although you look in vain for fruity notes, the whiskey has a slightly sweet taste.
    With dilution, some malty crispness is revealed and the peat notes are less meaty.
  • Finish : Oily, intensely peaty with some black pepper and long lasting.

Would we agree? Most certainly!

I purchased this bottle in April 2022 for Eur 60 – actually two bottles for Eur 120! One bottle made it to London in October 2023 and the other to India.

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Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique 57.1%

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Behind the remarkable rise of Kavalan was Ian Chang – known for his kindness, exacting attention, and incredible nose. After 15 years of bringing awards and recognition to Kavalan, Ian moved on in 2020. Rumour had it that there were pressures to more aggressively capitalize on their success, speeding things up in a way that may compromise quality. Be that as it may, Ian Chang has moved on to Japan to Komoro Distillery, part of Karuizawa Distillers.

Bottom line, this particular expression from Kavalan is part of their heydey period, shortly after the Vinho Barrique expression won awards for its intense aromas and flavours. This particular expression was a well-traveled whisky – from Taiwan to Germany to UK… opened in October 2023 in London. Then a small sample made its way back to Germany, then further on to India where I settled down to consider it one fine evening at the close of 2023.

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique (2016) W160331032A 57.1% Bottle 048 of 201

  • Colour – What a stunning deep ruby
  • Nose – Oh my! What a luscious aroma, mahogany wood, dusty black pepper, overripe melon, tart cherries and chocolate, stewed plums
  • Palate – Equally powerful on the palate! Like chewing on cherry wood, dates, nutty caramel, sweet spices, intense
  • Finish – Dry, with plenty of red wine tannins, something a tinge soapy
  • Water – Opens up with the nose shifting from intense dry fruits to juicy plums, ripe figs, caramelized walnuts and then on the palate, shifts to ripe kiwis, berries and red grapes

Talk about intense! Big and bold. No mistaking this is one full-bodied voluptuous whisky with a lot going on. Heavy, commanding attention. Even after the glass was empty, the aromas swirled around. Berries and vanilla and wood. Quite something!

What do the folks at Kavalan have to say about this expression?

Vinho is fully matured in used American oak wine barrels that have been toasted and recharred in a way that brings out fruity vanilla notes from the wood into the whisky overlaid on a delicate background of complex fruitiness.
It has a complex and multi-dimensional background of pepper, spice, dates and other fruits, such as ripe melon and mango together with kiwi and a delicate blend of bursting citrus fruits.

As for the official tasting notes, here you go:

  • Nose – A rich fusion of vanilla and caramelized sugars with dark chocolate on top. Ripe melon and mango together with kiwi and a delicate blend of citrus fruits burst. Pepper is also present in the background waiting to be noticed.
  • Palate – The taste ends with clean and complex flavours embodying all that is best in the finest malt whiskies enjoying a long aftertaste.
  • Tasting – We suggest drinking Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask neat.

Would I agree? Yes…though personally, I preferred it with a bit of water.

Curious about other Kavalan experiences? There have been more than a few over the years – mostly from the period of 2008 – 2016 when I tended to come across Kavalan more readily via whisky shows or complements of Malt Maniac Krishna Nakula:

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Balvenie 19 year “A Revelation of Cask and Character” 47.5%

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Sometimes tracking down a dram is more of an adventure than the dram itself! In this case, rumors reached our London host of something “special” being released by Balvenie, Something memorable that sold out immediately. Where there is a will, there is always a way. And in this case, it came via a Hong Kong (or was it Singapore?) connection to a London store known to many but not yet experienced by myself.

We found ourselves interacting with a very knowledgeable salesperson, who converted a quick pick stop to merely pick up the coveted bottle to an animated discussion about various malts and then other spirits. Needless to say, we did not walk out with just one bottle.

What drew us there in the first place? The Balvenie 19-year “A Revelation of Cask and Character” was released in October 2023. It is the first of their new stories series, matured in sherry casks and created as a tribute to the coopers who work at the Speyside distillery’s on-site cooperage. It was also touted as the first whisky creation of their new malt master Kelsey McKechnie, with the formal passing of the whisky baton from David C. Stewart, who shifted from malt master to ambassador.

As I didn’t take tasting notes from our experience in London, I brought home a wee sample. Which then in turn made it from London to Nurnberg to Mumbai to Kalote, Maharashtra.  Opened at the end of 2023, with some desultory jazz in the background, our cats curled purring on my feet, our dogs outside exhausted after an hour of vigorous play chasing a frisbee, it seemed just the right moment to pour a glass, relax and experience.

The Balvenie 19 year “A Revelation of Cask and Character” 47.5% GBP 309

  • Colour – A deep amber, almost having a hint of ruby
  • Nose – Fruity and vanilla, stollen, dried fruits, orange rind, toasted scones with clotted cream, apple sauce, more of that vanilla
  • Palate – Starts a bit prickly, clear wood influence, cherry pits, cherry biscotti with roasted pistachios, light chili chocolate spice, nicely balanced
  • Finish – Slightly bitter – more almond than pistachio

The nose is most enjoyable, inviting, and sweet vanilla cream with pastries. Is it the most remarkable dram of the year? Not by a long shot. And in my humble opinion, it is rather overpriced. However in a supply and demand market, clearly this one managed to catch the fancy of many folks.

Yet for a chilled-out evening in the Maharashtran countryside, it perfectly fits the mood. And for that, I was quite grateful to have an opportunity to not only experience it once, but twice.

Here are the official tasting notes:

  • Nose: Intense ripe fruits and caramelised orange peel reveal beautifully toasted oak and milled barley
  • Taste: Bold and balanced, flavours of currants, cherries and raisins give way to chewy fig, rich cacao and a creamy nutty finish.
  • Finish: Long and lingering

Hype or not, it is an enjoyable dram, just a pity it is for such a steep price tag.

If you are curious about other Balvenie experiences, read on….

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One Fine London Evening over Balvenie, Braon Peat and Kavalan

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As 2023 drew to a close, I had some time off and made the most of it by catching up with tasting notes. In the case of this trio, they were opened one special evening in London. At the time, I didn’t take any notes, just enjoyed the experience. However, as our host knows me well, we packed up three minis for later perusal. Somehow I wasn’t inclined to revisit the samples in Germany, so brought them with me to India.

Here is the trio we decided to open the evening following The Whisky Show in London.

Sukhinder chided us for going only one day to The Whisky Show, so for 2024, we resolved to go for both days. And yes, we already bought our tickets – this time it is earlier in September so the 9-month countdown has begun!

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