January | 2024 | Whisky Lady

There is something comforting about the familiar. Like sprawling on a comfortable old sofa, curling up under a faded, soft blanket… so too with revisiting a familiar dram or two. Made even better by being with a favourite tasting companion, getting ourselves into the whisky mood before spending a full day at the 2023 Whisky Show in London. Call it the appetizer before the main course!

Up first was a carefully selected starter – a familiar family-owned friend – Glenfarclas. It had been a while since my tasting companion had sipped a Glenfarclas… happy to oblige!

Glenfarclas 15 year 46%

Nose – Fresh apples and pears, fall leaves, loads of sweet, digestive biscuits, pastry with vanilla cream, some salt
Palate – Fabulous and lip-smacking. Yes, lip-smacking. Light spice, restrained fruit, a bit minerally and dry, a nice contrast to the nose
Finish – Carries on with the theme, ending is slightly bitter.

We really enjoyed the nose – really quite outstanding. With a mighty fine palate. It was just perfect for our mood and moment.

Up next was a 10-year-old Islay – one that I had previously only had a whiff, rather than true sampling. What did we think?

Aerolite Lindsay 10 year 46%

Nose – Happy peat, a hint of maritime salt spray, tinned peaches, leafy, a bit of iodine, curiously even chaat masala – the kind with black salt that you sprinkle on fresh cut tropical fruit, then shifted back to a more classic styled peat
Palate – Cinnamon and peat, a touch of leather, balanced with a nice spice
Finish – Very sweet cinnamon

Not complex yet still left us satisfied. We speculated which Islay distillery, was slightly in favour of Caol Ila as it was more approachable peat.

You may ask… Why these two? The 1st was to get into the whisky groove. The 2nd to shift into peat. And then? They were the build-up to Smokehead… I was promised it wasn’t as bad as my first experience or even my second… I was promised something a bit better than palatable… something enjoyable. I was promised… but did it deliver?

Smokehead High Voltage 48%

Nose – Burnt embers and ash, hint of lemon and iodine, acetone, funky and sour, plastique, mold like a monsoon cupboard
Palate – Very sharp, big, and bold, some sweet with the peat, heavy fruits with some cinnamon peaking in
Finish – Sweet, tempered and long

Do yourself a favour. If you are tempted to try – DO NOT take a big swig. I sputtered, Yes sputtered. And made a face. Not a pleasant face. Well… it isn’t just an ashtray. However, it is still clearly designed to be a bit overwhelming. Like a frat house dare. “Booom! Gotcha!”

Sorry… three strikes and you are OUT! It simply is not my style of whisky. For those who want to clobber themselves with peat, knock yourself out. But me? Will simply pass.

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London’s The Whisky Show has some fabulous masterclasses! As I relaxed on our farm just outside of Mumbai, I reflected on various tasting experiences from 2023. From master classes to private sessions, from partnering with others to solo, I flipped through my tasting notes book to spot a few experiences not yet shared.

One truly stood out – I feared I simply could not do it justice. It was a truly special session from 2022! So I checked my scribbles to see if there was enough to share a flavour of this incredibly amusing Masterclass: The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky!

For those not familiar, The Unbelievable Truth is a UK Radio 4 game show devoted to truth and lies. Each panelist must deliver a short speech that is simply chock full of lies with the occasional, well-hidden truth. The others must then try to discover the truths whilst not falling for the lies.

In the case of this Masterclass, The Whisky Exchange’s Billy Abbott led the panel with Gregg Glass from Whyte & Mackay and Whisky Works, James Saxon from Compass Box, Alex Bruce from Adelphi, Sam Simmons from Atom Brands (aka That Boutique-y Whisky Company), and the brothers Phil & Simon Thompson from Dornoch Distillery. Billy was the arbiter of truth, backed up by researchers Oliver Chilton (whisky maker and Head BLender for independent bottler Elixir) and Dr Nicholas Morgan (author, archivist, and authority on Scottish whisky). All of the whiskies were selected and donated by their makers with the proceeds of the tasting going to Dorothy House Hospice Care, supporting their work across the south-west of the UK.

It was like stepping into a private gathering of old friends, catching up and telling tall tales over a fine dram or two.

All of the whiskies were donated by their makers and all of the proceeds of the tasting went to Dorothy House Hospice Care, supporting their work across the south-west of the UK.

Invergordan 1998

We kicked off with a grain from Whisky Works – the latest venture with Greg Glass. We could immediately tell it wasn’t a typical Scotch malt. On the nose, we found a lovely floral element, peaches and vanilla cream, herbal, followed by strawberry, apricot, and spearmint. On the palate, it was simply gorgeous, juicy fruits with a delightful spice. Simply stellar! Such a stunning whisky.

Compass Box Flaming Heart 7th Edition (2022) 48.9%

We continued with blend from James. Fruity, with a hint of smoke on the nose. Surprisingly peaty on the palate. A long strong finish, spirited with a cinnamon close.

The blend brings together Glen Elgin, Balmenach with the smoke stemming from Laphroaig, Caol Ila, and Talisker. Add to this mix were further Compass Box blends such as their Highland Malt Blend with five years in toasted virgin French oak casks, joined by remnants of Flaming Heart 2018, Peat Monster Arcana, and Nectar 15th Anniversary edition… so in truth it is a blend of blends!

The Sandebud Fusion 6 year 58.9% Adelphi

The Compass Box blend was followed by an offering from Alex of Adelphi. Very interesting! We later learned that it is a combination of Ardnamurchan and Sweden’s High Coast single malt – peated and unpeated.

On the nose we found peat and sweet mash, slightly sour, cured meats, and tinned mandarin orange. On the palate, it was surprisingly mineral, creamy, and nutty, curiously compelling with a quaint character. It had quite a fab finish, dry wood, long and strong.

The XXX Blend 30 year, Batch 1 42.5%

From the folks behind ATOM Brands with That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Sam was up next. On the nose, we were greeted by caramel, chocolate and coffee, vanilla ice cream, and apple sauce with cinnamon. On the palate? Wow! A mix of so many elements from peat to sweet, silk to stone. Remarkably good. The finish returned to apples and sweet spices. It is made of seven casks and retails for Eur 233

Dornoch 4 year old (2018) 55.5%

We closed with a young dram from Thompson Independent bottlers. For the nose – fresh, sour yet draws you in, almost meadowy, ginger joined by apple orchard. On the palate, sweet spices, panettone, with a lovely finish. Yum.

So from young to old, malt to grain, blends to single cask, tale tales to truths, what a wonderful way to explore a few drams with industry experts.

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