Author Archives: Carissa Hickling

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About Carissa Hickling

Originally from Canada, then India for 20 years, now working in Germany... and quite a 'Whisky Lady' too!

Introducing Lowland’s Lochlea

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Once upon a time, the Scottish Lowlands were replete with many whisky distilleries which then dwindled to nearly none – including the loss of the remarkable Rosebank. Before 2000, there were only two active distilleries – Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie. However step by step, distillery by distillery, there has been an awakening – from the revival of older discontinued distilleries like Blandanoch and Little Mill, joined by Kingsbarns, Annandale, Alisa Bay (from Girvain), and more recently, the entry of Lindores Abbey.


The benefit of being at a whisky show is an opportunity to check out new players. This was certainly possible at London’s Whisky Show 2023, providing the perfect opportunity to explore a new entry from the Scottish Lowlands. Lochlea is a family-run, growing their own barley and experimenting with different casks and expressions. We began with their core expression, then explored their season’s quartet, and closed with their cask strength. 



Lochlea “Our Barley” Single Malt 46%


Their core range is from barley from their Lochlea Farm – hence the name “Our Barley”. It is a trip cask with STR hogsheads, 1st fill Bourbon, and Oloroso Sherry.


On the nose, we were greeted with a delicious sweetness, apples, and pears joined by red berries, something fresh like a meadow, and yoghurt. On the palate, it was equally sweet, yet with a few other elements thrown in, lightly nutty. Overall we found it young, bright and balanced, an easy-drinking and enjoyable dram. 



We then moved on to their limited edition seasonal range with:



  • Lochlea “Sowing Edition” 2nd Crop (2023) 46%

  • Lochlea “Harvest Edition” 2nd Crop (2023) 46%

  • Lochlea “Fallow Edition” 1st Crop (2023) 46%

  • Lochlea “Ploughing Edition” 1st Crop (2023) 46%


Starting with the “Sowing Edition” with 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrels, it was fresh and spring-like, with apples and pears on the nose, and equally light on the palate. Nothing complicated or challenging, just bright and fun. The green label was chosen to reflect the green of spring.


We then explored the “Harvest Edition”, which was a combination of Port, STR barriques, and ex-bourbon barrels. Toasted malt and raspberries, then strawberry jam, like an Eton mess with a hint of spice. The reddish label harkens to the late summer sunset after harvest.


After that, we shifted gears to the “Fallow Edition” with 1st Fill Olorosso butts. Now this was more our style – big, bold sherry aromas yet also nicely balanced – lots of dark red berries, dried fruits, malty, and baked goods. A rich purple label reflects the shift to fall with the colourful falling leaves. 


The seasonal series closed with winter and peat with the “Ploughing Edition” using ex-Islay (Laphroaig) Barrels combined with peated quarter casks. There was a freshness to even this dram. On the nose, it was just a puff of peat smoke layering on top of orchard fruits. On the palate, the peat was significantly more pronounced, joining stewed apples and nuts. As for the label this time? The colour is an icy blue label for the frosty cold of winter.



We finished with the Lochlea Single Malt Cask Strength Batch 1 (2023) 60.1%


This was one that caught our attention. At Cask Strength, you could really see the influence of the casks – 1st fill bourbon with Oloroso. It was big with dark fruits, coffee and nutty. Yum.


As we discussed the range and approach – at that young, experimental stage – testing the waters to see what works. After sampling them all, we tended to prefer the core expression, the “Harvest Edition” and Cask Strength. All were fleeting impressions however an interesting start…


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That Boutique-y Whisky Co – Oz range

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After exploring their new “core” range, next up in our That Boutique-y Whisky Co explorations at London’s 2023 Whisky Show, was a trip down under!

This was their 2nd collection, released at a time when there are a remarkable 318 Australian distilleries in operation – producing a range of spirits from whisky to gin, vodka, and rum. In their “Return to Oz” line-up, we managed to try:

  • The Gospel 3 year Rye Batch 1 58.6% 434 Bottles GBP 75
  • Launceston 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 62.5% 187 Bottles GBP 150
  • Limeburners 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 51.5% 434 Bottles GBP 145
  • Tria Prima 2 year Single Malt Spirit Batch 1 52.2% 232 Bottles GBP 140
  • Chief’s Son 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 52.1% 462 Bottles GBP 140
  • Fleurieu 3 year Batch 2 Single Malt 65% 428 Bottles GBP 145

Given this was a festival setting, we sniffed, swished, and spit our way through the collection, so my impressions are quite limited. Though it was good fun to have a wee saunter around these Australian drams… 

So… we began with one that Dave openly admitted is one of his festival drams (yes – that’s what’s in the glass in the pic)! 

The Gospel 3 year Rye Batch 1 58.6% 

The Gospel distillery from Melbourne produces a range of ryes – in this case, matured in an Australian red wine cask finish. We understand they use a mash bill of 51% Australian unmalted rye, and 49% malted barley, from the Murray Mallee region of South Australia.

What did we think? No question this was a rye and yet with a twist! Lots of juicy fruits, plum, red grape peel, with some spice and sweetness. As for the palate, more rye with dark fruits and some ground white pepper and sweet spices.

Launceston 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 62.5%

Based in Tasmanian, Launceston distillery is located in an airport Hangar which was built in 1932. Their focus is on local ingredients and production with local people. They produce a range from unpeated ex-bourbon to Tawny port finish, to Apera (Australian sherry), to rum, including some peat expressions too. As for this particular bottle? It was matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel.

Dave described it as the closest to a Scottish style. On the nose, it was a delicious dessert, generous and creamy with sweet spices. On the palate, it was beautiful – marvelously sweet, spicy, and robust – full and flavourful.

Limeburners 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 51.5%

Next up in our Oz journey was a shift to Western Australia with Limeburners Distillery. They share how their spirit is matured in second-fill American oak bourbon barrels, and then some expressions are further finished in Australian fortified wine barrels. They also have peated whiskies using locally sourced peat from the Valley of the Giants in nearby Walpole. In the same region, the parent company Great Southern Distilling has three distilleries – making gin, malt, grain, and rye whisky. We tried their single malt, matured in an ex-Pedro Ximenez Apera cask.

This one was very memorable. Call it the power of suggestion or something else, however, we began with key lime tart, then an exuberant red berry and raisins. The 1st sip was a powerhouse – rich, dark, spicy and bursting with flavours, including a bit of black forest cake! We kept the glass without rinsing for some time – what a delightful perfume sweetly floral with lime cordial! 

Tria Prima 2 year Single Malt Spirit Batch 1 52.2%

We then moved on to something completely different! Just like bourbon only requires only two years to be called whisky, so too does Australia consider two years sufficient to be known as whisky. Which is exactly how long this “spirit” from Tria Prima Distillery matured.

Turns out there is quite the TBWC connection. As the TBWC folks tell, this distillery was founded in 2017 by a fan – Paul Shand, and his wife Trang, with funds from Paul’s whisky collection – including TBWC bottles. So what did Paul do with his investment? In the case of this TBWC bottle, it was matured in an ex-Grant Burge (red wine) and 1st fill Tawny cask.

And what was the result? Something rather fun – fruiting, plummy, with a quite strong wine influence. Even on the palate, the Tawny port comes through loud and clear.

Chief’s Son 5 year Single Malt Batch 1 52.1%

What next? Chief’s Son was started near Melburn by spouses Stuart and Naomi McIntosh in 2016 after a trip to Scotland. Their approach is hand-made and small scale – as in an annual capacity of 5000 liters small! As for the expression bottled by TBWC, it was matured in an ex-Apera cask.

What did we find? Lots of big fruits and sherry influence, with some light peat. 

Fleurieu 3 year Batch 2 Single Malt 65%

Last in our tasting was Fleurieu Distillery from outside of Adelaide. Another family-owned distillery, Gareth & Angela Andrews were earlier brewers before turning their attention to whisky. Dave shared how their casks are named after family members rather than numbered.

It greeted us with a big bold peat on the nose – apparently, this was the distillery folks were inspired by a Caol Ila style peat. It was joined by a sea breeze and full flavours on the palate.

There was another expression on offer – Corowa 4 year Single Malt Batch 1 48.5% – however we found ourselves pausing and then passed.

What followed? After many explorations of other stalls, we simply had to return to TBWC for their “At The Movies” expressions!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Co – New Core Range

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No Whisky Show is truly complete without the dynamic duo of Dave Worthington & Sam Simmonds. That Boutique-y Whisky Co is just a “must go”! 

At London’s 2023 Whisky Show, you could spend the entire day at their wee stall! This year, they introduced their new core range along with three different features:

  • Land of Oz
  • American
  • Cinema expressions

We somehow managed to stick with just a partial sampling of the Core Range, Oz, and Cinema… however that took rather a large amount of restraint!

Starting with the World Whisky Blend (fabulous and affordable!), the good folks at Atom Brands aka That Boutique-y Whisky Co, decided it was time to have something a bit more regular and dependable for fans. Shifting from 500ml bottles of unique expressions with sometimes only 100+ bottles in existence where you could “blink” and they are gone, their new core range can be found in “industry standard” 700ml bottles, all at a traditional strength of 45.8% in batches of approx 1,000 liters, with the intention of being much more accessible.

Naturally, there had to be something a bit cheeky about the approach with Emily Chappell’s labels! With a nod to traditional scotch whisky which often featured deer… in this case, the age of the deer was linked to the age of the dram… except of course for the Canadian whisky, it simply had to be a moose! Dave also shared the bottle colours are meant to reflect the northern lights too. 

Which was exactly where we began, the good Canuck that I am! 

Canadian Corn 8 year 45.8% (GBP 38)

Big bold and sweet aromas, caramel toffee sweetness, nutty, and more! And on the palate? Even more of that dramatic desert with some cracking ginger spice. Yet even with all the big bold aromas and flavours, it was in harmony and not overwhelming. A fun, fabulous sweet treat with a punch.

What more do we know? It was matured in 100% Oloroso casks. As for official tasting notes?

  • Nose – Fruity muffins, buttery oak, opening up into sherried goodness: raisins, prunes, dates, drizzles of runny toffee and toasted nuts.
  • Taste – Big, bold, and fruity! Toffee ripple ice cream, wafer, and popcorn join toasted almonds and cooked peach, white cracks of black pepper nestle in the depths.

Where did we go next? We then shifted to the oldest offering in this new core range – the 30-year-old blended grain!

Blended Grain 30 year 45.8% GBP 75

As bold and youthful as the Canadian corn was, we shifted to a genteel dame with the blended grain. On the nose, it was a friendly ‘breakfast dram’ with delicious buttery pastries, honey, and a hint of marmalade, some cream with vanilla. Then on the palate? Soft, even creamier, and far too easy to drink. This one was dangerous in its deceptively easy style. Yum!

What more do we know? It is a blend of refill casks of ex-Bourbon hogsheads and ex-Sherry octaves. As for tasting notes?

  • Nose – Honeycomb, red grapes, immensely buttery biscuits or shortbread, waxy orange peel, polished oak and a touch of floral spring breeze.
  • Palate –  Thick, textured with rich butterscotch, freshly baked cookies with still-soft chocolate chunks, hints of cedar and white pepper in the finish.

Next up was the Speyside….

Speyside 12 year 45.8% GBP 45

If the Canadian was big and bold, the Grain genteel and intoxicating, the Speyside was a sherry delight with substance!

On the nose, we found crunchy chocolate caramel with roasted nuts, some fruity sweetness too, and a puff of smoke. It had real substance on the palate – this was no lightweight! Warm and full of classic sherry dark fruits combined with a hint of salt. Far too drinkable too!

What more do we know? It is a combination of all-new Oloroso casks.. with the official tasting notes:

  • Nose – Caramelised nuts and chocolate mousse, flamed orange peel, cinnamon, earthy density, punchy cassia, and smoky oak.
  • Taste – Fruity, chewy and spicy. Tangy cranberry, salty jerky, oily walnuts, an absolute belter of a Speyside whisky. Complex and quaffable.

We held off on checking out the Highland 18 year and Islay 8 year. I’m sure they are equally worth checking out. Our overall conclusion for the trio we tried is that each is, in its distinctive way, simply too easy to drink. Which I supposed is exactly what they were aiming for with this more accessible range – bravo!

What next? Well… join me as we dive into a selection from Australia!

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Whisky Show 2023 – Show Bottles Loch Lomond, Clynelish, Orkney

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This year, I decided in advance to purchase a “festival pick” at London’s Whisky Show 2023. I set myself a maximum budget and even put together a shortlist. This is exactly why I made a “beeline” to the Whisky Show “Festival” Bottles early Sunday morning and zeroed into the Clynelish immediately. 

However, as always, I enjoy being guided through explorations. So when they recommended we start with the Loch Lomond, we were happy to oblige!

Loch Lomond 14 year Cask no. 22/709-1 55.6% (2023 Whisky Show Bottle)

What an intriguing bottle! It was initially quite shy and a bit funky on the nose, gradually easing into yogurt, it then burst open with dried fruits and cream, and generous dollops of dark honey. On the palate, it was dangerously drinkable and delicious. All those lovely fruity flavours coming together, well balanced and most enjoyable.

Whilst Loch Lomond (under many labels) has a huge range of styles, I personally prefer ones like this – un-peated, uncomplicated, and friendly (once you get to know each other a bit!). This one needs a wee bit of time in the glass, then absolutely rewards you with a treat!

What more do they say?

One of Scotland’s most versatile distilleries, Loch Lomond produces an astonishing range of different styles and flavour profiles. This cask of un-peated single malt showed such a perfect balance of fruity spirit character and oak influence that we knew we had to have it for Whisky Show.

  • Nose: Runny honey, golden syrup, wine gums, buttercream, orange flower water, sultanas, vanilla.
  • Palate: Thick-cut marmalade, apple juice, chewy flapjacks, digestive biscuits, fresh baguettes, rice pudding, more wine gums, and yellow fruit pastilles. There’s a leafy peppermint note that keeps the sweeter elements from getting out of balance.
  • Finish: Fruity and creamy with oak spices and a touch of pencil shavings.

From curious to most enjoyable, I then turned my attention to my potential festival pick…

Clynelish 12 year (2011/2023) 1st Fill Barrel #880297 56.4% (2023 Whisky Show Bottle) GBP 120 / EUR 142

I will admit it, just reading about this bottle put it in the front-runner position. I was not at all disappointed! It was full of gorgeous fruity aromas, chased by warm lemon, sponge cake, a hint of floral honey, and enough beeswax elements to make it interesting. On the palate it rewarded with more fruit – I definitely found the pineapple, elegant and well-rounded. There really is something distinctive about Clynelish – the more I explore, the more I want to explore further.  

What do the Whisky Show folks have to say?

A real whisky drinker’s whisky distillery, Clynelish has made single malt on Sutherland’s east coast for more than 200 years. Its characteristic waxy, fruity, mineral profile is quite unlike anything else being produced today. We’ve found these 2011 casks to be of excellent quality overall, but we thought this one was particularly good and a fitting addition to our Whisky Show lineup this year.

  • Nose: Gummy bears, nectarine, yellow plum, and lemon oil. There’s also a floral side with irises, blossoms and wildflower honey.
  • Palate: All the Clynelish hallmarks are present and correct: candlewax, beeswax, olive oil. Then more stone fruit and candied pineapple with seashells, chalky white wines and Yellow Chartreuse. The influence of that first-fill bourbon barrel grows over time with toffee, crème anglaise and honey granola.
  • Finish: Sweet anise, gentian, vanilla.

An excellent example of 2010s’ Clynelish from a particularly good first-fill barrel. I happily snapped it up for Eur 139 / GBP 120 and sent it home to India with my hubby for a future-future-future tasting session!

We were then steered towards the Orkney…

Orkney 22 year (2000/2023) Refill Hogshead #41 52.7% (2023 Whisky Show Bottle)

Obviously, this was Highland Park… and for 22 years, it greeted us with a fresh (though slightly shy) nose, light sea breeze, fresh leaves, and just the slightest hint of peat. On the palate, the peat was unmistakable – that lovely non-Islay peat that warms gently without overpowering the fruits and cinnamon sweet. The finish continued in the lightly sweet peat vein, lingering. Really rather nice!

Again, it is worth checking the further details about this Show Bottle here:

The first of our three bottlings for Whisky Show 2023 comes from a venerable distillery in the Orkney islands. We can’t say which one, but the keen-nosed will be able to make an educated guess. Full maturation in a refill hogshead means that the oak influence is nicely restrained, allowing the quality of the underlying lightly smoky spirit to really shine.

  • Nose: Heathery peat, beeswax furniture polish, linseed oil, white pepper and sackcloth. Brilliantly old-fashioned and probably a great example of whatever Orkney distillery this happens to be.
  • Palate: Nicely mineral at first, with oil lamps, polished brass, copper coins, peat kilns and brick dust. Then green apples, pears, lime juice, wood sorrel, brown butter, dandelion leaves and roasted green peppers.
  • Finish: That grassy, floral smokiness lingers along with a sense of earth and stones.

Our journey then continued with an amusing and educational exploration with Dave Worthington and fellow Canadian Sam Simmonds at That Boutique-y Whisky Co!

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Dream Dram – Adelphi’s Miltonduff 40 year old 50.4%

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We were on the quest for a “Dream Dram” at London’s Whisky Show 2023… which meant we simply had to prioritize getting to the folks from Adelphi. 

Folks who know me well, know that I have a soft spot for several independent bottlers. I appreciate the hard work that goes into creating a whisky, yet equally appreciate those who aspire to pre-select unique, sometimes quite rare special bottles. Before they opened their Ardnamurchan distillery, these folks were known for bringing out some exceptionally rare remarkable drams.

This is why I knew I was in good hands with my top choice for Dream Dram – the Miltonduff 40 year old!  Our guide shared how it was matured in refill Bourbon hogshead, enabling the flavours to slowly ease into the liquid gold.

Miltonduff 40 year (1982) 50.4% (Adelphi) GBP 700

Incredibly elegant with a beautiful, delicate nose, lightly floral with orchard fruits. And on the palate? It was effervescent, almost sparkling like a bubbly champagne! Bright, oaky spice, with more apples & pears, creamy and even a hint grassy….. The finish was equally elegant, though from our simple light sips, not so long.

We didn’t even notice the relatively high cask strength for a 40 year old! Only later did I observe this must have meant very little escaping into the angel’s share. Perhaps that contributed to the sparkling quality we found!

I had planned to return to explore whiskies from their distillery – Ardnamurchan – however, alas we didn’t manage to make it back! One simply can’t do everything at a show!

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London’s Whisky Show 2023 – Decadent Drinks

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We arrived at London’s Whisky Show 2023 approximately 45 minutes early so that we could efficiently make our way to a few “target” stalls. First on our list was Decadent Drinks / Whisky Sponge.

For those not familiar, these folks (approx seven) are an independent bottler of spirits worth checking out. Rather than my speaking for them, you can get a sense just from how they describe their aim:

We try to source and create products that are fun, a bit different and are designed to provide pleasure and joy. And hopefully to lift your spirits and give you a bit of a laugh as well. We care deeply about quality and we go to great lengths to ensure that what is inside our bottles is brilliant, delicious and beautiful. But we also think it is important to not take life, or drinks, too seriously. Which is why you’ll find the outside of our bottles plastered with original artworks and designs which are surreal, silly, often satirical, sometimes dark or arty, but hopefully always fun. Above all else, we believe in having fun. 

As this was our 1st stall and it was only 11:30am, we knew we needed to begin with something lighter and fruitier – better known as a “Breakfast Dram”. We were 100% steered in the right direction by the lovely ladies who knowledgeably poured this beauty to get us into the mood for the malts to come!

Balblair 15 year Equinox & Solstice Summer Edition 2023 48.5% (Decadent Drinks) GBP100

It was a delightful dram – a nose bursting with sunshine, an orchard of apples and pears, fresh and intoxicating. On the palate, it was incredibly creamy and tasty – dancing along the tongue in a summery romp. Delicious! 

As we only do a sniff & a few drops, my notes are limited. However, it left a very positive vibe. Curious to know more? Then check out what the Decadent Drinks folks have to say about this dram:

This year’s Summer Edition of Equinox & Solstice is a small batch mix of two 2008 1st fill barrels of Balblair. They’ve been bottled at 15 years of age and this series’ trademark strength of 48.5%. 

The result is an extremely easy and luscious summer dram that showcases an abundance of Balblair’s natural green fruitiness and lusciousness, along with a nicely rich and creamy vibe from the 1st fill barrels. A gorgeous dram that balances simplicity, directness, freshness and maturity – perfect for summer as an easy sipper or in a highball with ice and soda! 

This year’s series features a set of wonderful original artworks by Skye-based artist Ellis O’Connor. For the Summer edition her inspiration was taken from some of the colours associated with long and luminous Scottish summer nights.  

With our palates perfectly calibrated for explorations to come, we then enquired about our 1st Dream Dam. I had my eye on the Glen Grant 5-year-old, bottled for the Italian market. Only to be informed, this very special, very old bottle was only available for purchased tokens. Sigh…

Whilst my tasting companion was inclined to “give in”, I kept us to our strict regimen – enjoy fully what is on offer at the Whisky Show, wait for a different environment to splurge on indulgent drams where can focus on a full tasting!

With that, we moved on to our next stall… Adelphi! 

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Whisky Lady – July to September 2023

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Summertime in Deutschland – how glorious! A highlight this year was kicking off a new Whisky Tasting Group – based in Nurnberg! We started in July and then met again in August and September – wow! I also managed to FINALLY catch up on writing up tasting notes from previous travels and whisky events – fun! What can I say? While others go for holidays on the beach, I settle down with my laptop and scribbles to craft chronicles of tasting adventures!

We kicked off with a Gordon & Macphail’s Discovery series.

With a bonus calibration dram of Glen Grant – The Major’s Reserve! What a brilliant idea to consistently begin each session with an amiable dram to prime the senses for whiskies to come.

We followed this with a Glenmorangie Vertical – exploring the impact of different cask finishes on a delightful “base” whisky.

We had another bonus this time too – contrasting the Quinta Ruban with Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition (2005/2018) Double Matured (Port Finish) 40%. 

This was followed by a focus on sherry bombs! We went big and bold with:

During my June trip to Canada, I had fun with a tasting set from Germany’s St Kilian with a friend.  

  1. St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Thirteen‘ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9% – Not tried so that it could be experienced together with its deconstructed set!
  2. St Kilian Grave Digger Berry Metal 40% (Liqueur) – Saved to bring to Canada… described as an incredibly potent berry wow! (with a “kick”) 

Summertime also provided an opportunity to crack open a few miniatures like:

This was joined by recollecting an unexpected yet very special tasting evening  – where I could share my enthusiasm for exploring whiskies with dear colleagues who have become friends over the years of close collaboration. 

This experience inspired me to get back into “minis”. And whilst I haven’t yet cracked it open yet, I have ready and waiting for the next “round” of mini explorations not one but TWO new Whisky Calendars – the 2022 (on sale!) and the 2023!

It took a while, but I finally finished notes from Paris Whisky Live with the Lagg Masterclass and Arlett Whiskies from France. 

Phew! This quarter was SUCH a full round-up!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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Speyside Sherry Bombs! Glenfarclas, Aberlour x 2, Glendronach

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Our Nurnberg International Whisky group is on a roll! After kicking off with the delightful Gordon & MacPhail’s Discovery series, and then exploring the impact of cask finishes with Glenmorangie and Cragganmore, we decided to go big and bold with a focus on sherry bombs!

We didn’t have a calibration dram, so the remainder of the Gordon & Macphail’s Aultmore 10 year 43% made the rounds of the table… I may need to pick up something simple and affordable to keep on hand for future sessions!

And then we got down to sherry business! We decided to start with a special Germany-exclusive Glenfarclas 12 year before moving on to the Aberlour 16 year, then taking a small peat and sweet detour with the cask strength Benromach, before closing with another cask strength whisky – the Aberlour A’Bunadh. It was a good choice to anchor with a pair of Aberlour’s and contrast with two additional distilleries.

Curious to read what we discovered? Read on here….

And what is next for our Nurnberg tasting group? In October, we plan to focus closer to home with a few drams from Germany – I can’t wait! Then in November, we’re tentatively thinking of checking out a few Indian whiskies, nicely timed around Diwali. Fun fun fun to come!

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Speyside Sherry Bombs! Benromach 2010 58.5%

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Our Nurnberg International Whisky spent an evening devoted to Sherry whiskies – including this Benromach Peated expression! Over the years, I’ve quite enjoyed a few Benromach expressions – with the Gordon & MacPhail team’s commitment to quality with their distillery, consistent with their independent bottles.

Benromach (2010) Cask Strength, 1st Fill Sherry Batch 1, 58.5% 

  • Nose – Campfire, burnt wood, stone cottage next to the sea, heavy wet clothing, star anise then you could catch hints of sherry notes
  • Palate – Has a punch to start – a bit brash and sharp, then shifts into dark chocolate, smooth, sweet, spicy, and a bit savory too
  • Finish – Cinnamon spice
  • Water – Yes! Brings out the dark berries and chocolate even more, much nicer and in better harmony
  • Revisit – We returned after some time to find loads of meat, smoked ham, and crispy bacon, quite umami… where were you hiding earlier??

We found the peat sweet stronger on the nose than the palate. Our bottle contributor confessed that when it was 1st opened, the peat was a bit overwhelming and unbalanced – described as “chaotic.” Interestingly, what we found long after setting the dram aside was more in keeping with the freshly opened bottle – with the meaty elements.

Which just goes to show how important it is when tasting more complex or challenging whiskies to give it time to open in the glass and perhaps also revisit it in different settings.

Curious about more Benromach experiences?

Our evening exploring sherry whiskies also explored:

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Speyside Sherry Bombs! Aberlour 16 year + A’bunadh Batch 77

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In our newly formed Nurnberg International Whisky tasting group, one member is a total Aberlour fan! So much so that he enthusiastically and very generously offered to “anchor” an evening dedicated to Sherry with two Aberlour expressions!

  • Aberlour 16 year (AB16 2-22) 40%
  • Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 77 (22 March 2023) 60.8%

For those not familiar, Aberlour is known for its consistent use of ex-Olorosso sherry casks.

The last time I had a 16-year-old Aberlour, it was a very special evening featuring whiskies hand-filled at the distillery by our host, who was a brilliant whisky brand ambassador in India for some select Scottish distilleries. So it was a treat to finally try the standard 16-year, which is a blend of American oak casks and Sherry oak casks.

Aberlour 16 year Double Cask Matured (AB16 2-22) 40% 

  • Colour – Deep dark amber, almost ruby!
  • Nose – Gentle at first, very juicy with generous dark ripe fruits – think warm dates
  • Palate – A sparkle of sweet spices! Some cinnamon, cloves and a hint of ginger.. this was soon joined by rich chocolate with a hint of salted caramel, delicious!
  • Finish – Slight bitter cacao

It was simply delicious! Rich yet not overwhelming, utterly enjoyable just “as is!”. This led us to remark how astounding it is to have such robust flavours at a “mere” 40%. For those who are accustomed to cask strength or at the lower end a “connoisseur” strength of 46%, whiskies at 40% can come across as a bit insipid. Not this one! Even though the label did not specify 1st Fill, it was clear this must be the case – at least for the Sherry part of the ex-Bourbon / ex-Sherry cask combination.

Depending on where you buy and which batch, you can still find an Aberlour 16-year in Germany for between Eur 61 – 78.

As for the next? For years, Aberlour’s A’Bunadh was a favoured cask-strength sherry bomb, readily available at Changi International Airport in Singapore. It was also quite affordable – great value for a superb dram – typically quite an intense sherry “bomb!”

Fast forward a decade, and Aberlour is still producing different batches of their cask strength A’bunadh – known to be sherried and intense! However, it has been joined by a spin-off expression A’bunadh Alba for those who are after an intense ex-Bourbon cask experience instead.

What did we think of the “Original” sherry expression?

Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 077 (22 March 2023) 60.8% 

  • Colour – Dark burgundy with bright amber and ruby gem tones
  • Nose – There is no question this whisky was matured in sherry casks, however, it was surprisingly mild! In addition to the standard sherry elements, there was creamy milk chocolate, joined by a dusting of bitter cacao, some nougat and chocolate ganache, topped with caramel vanilla ice cream… beneath all of this sweetness was a rum-like coffee liqueur
  • Palate – Mmmm…. simply marvellous! Soft and divinely dessert-like, rich and robust, yet not too intense – a perfect balance. Some marinated jammy dark fruits, raisins, nuts, mocha, creamy buttery biscuits, dessert in a glass!
  • Finish – Sooo good! A delightful spice, chocolate, joined by cinnamon, berries and closes with a nutty element
  • Water – For many, it made the whisky even more accessible

What a treat! I was so happy to revisit this Aberlour expression. In many ways, I think this is even better than some of the ones I tried a few years ago!

One described it as an Opera torte – once mentioned, the description stuck! Why? As every element in the cake fit! From the layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup to the ganache and coffee French buttercream slathered between the layers, and then covered in a chocolate glaze.

What about the official tasting notes? Here you go!

  • Nose – Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso Sherry
  • Palate – Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with Sherry and Oak. Full-bodied and creamy
  • Finish – Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak

And what would this expression set you back? Currently, it can be purchased in Germany for Eur 75.

Curious about other tasting experiences with Aberlour? Read on:

Our sherry evening also featured:

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