Category Archives: Speyside

The Hearach Batch 9, 46%

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From a venerable family-run distillery operating since 1836 (Glenfarclas) to a new community-run player from 2015 with Harris Distillery, our evening was full of delightful contrasts!

Their origin story is simple – a desire to preserve the Island of Harris community facing declining population and limited career prospects. Hence the idea of distillery:

In 2015, the distillery started life with just 10 people and an ambition to double in number over the next five years. Today, we’re proud to say we employ over 50 permanent staff, a highly significant number in an island of fewer than 2000 inhabitants.

As a catalyst for positive change within our community, we continue to work with purpose, bringing new life to our island and supporting its aspirations to survive and thrive as we move forward together.

And now, less than 10 years from founding, a bottle found its way to Nurnberg for an evening of exploration…

The Hearach 4 years (January 2024) HE 00009 24 46% 12,385 Bottles ~Eur 80

  • Nose – Barnyard, farm-like in a good way – think farm fresh fragrances, winds over wheat fields, sweet grass, barley, and then awash with a maritime breeze, burnt cake, and wood smoke
  • Palate – Super sweet and a bit vegetal, think green veggies, it had a youthful fresh exuberance, peppers, perhaps even a bit herbaceous, a hint of mineral, tobacco leaf, a bit rustic, salty, shifting into campfire embers
  • Finish – Salty cinnamon candy
  • Water – Oh my goodness! Makes it even sweeter! Like candy sweet, transformed from peat to super duper sweet!

The bottle was quite beautiful, however, what matters more than the packaging is the liquid. We were overall optimistic, it may not be the style for everyone but worth seeing how the team at The Hearach take things from here!

After our session, I did a wee check to see what the folks at Hearach have to say about this particular batch 9. Conveniently with the label details, one can find tasting notes by Gemma McNally Tarbert, Isle of Harris:

“I get a light, fresh sort of woodsmoke on the nose straight away, it reminds me of campfires at Scarista beach on those long summer nights we get in Harris. I get cereal notes, and spiciness on the palate, a sort of pepperiness like rocket leaves. There’s not much smoke when I sip it, but there’s a nice clean greenness instead. A little water makes it very sweet, like the sticky toffee pudding I bake myself at home with dates. It’s smooth and there’s so many lovely flavours unfolding.”

Whilst I didn’t find sticky toffee pudding, the cereal, pepperiness like rocket leaves – now that she mentions it – rings true!

What more do we know? Well, it is ex-Bourbon, Olorosso and Fino with 12,9 PPM. Also for this specific batch, Mike Donald, Chief Story Teller had this to say:

“A new year is underway and the first bottles of our whisky in 2024 have begun to be filled. We are deep into a Harris winter and fat snowflakes have been falling thick and fast across our island, transforming the landscape into beautiful patchwork of dark gneiss and bright ice. Many of us live at the end of long and winding narrow roads so it’s a slow start to proceedings as staff struggle to reach the distillery in the bad weather. But, we bottle batch number 9 with all the hands we can muster and the new white neck seals applied to every stopper fittingly match the snow which continues to float from our Harris skies”

And there you have it – our introduction to yet another new player in the whisky market. With it becoming so crowded and the winds of tightening wallets around the world, one wonders how The Hearach will fare longer term. Already on to their 16th batch, with this core expression joined by a pricier 100% Oloroso expression, time will tell!

What else did I try that September evening in Nurnberg?

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Glenfarclas (2004-2017) 59.4%

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Glenfarclas remains one of the few long-standing family-run distilleries that have equally kept consistent with their house style – known to be quite generous in the use of sherry casks. You won’t find a light afternoon dram – instead, Glenfarclas delivers a more robust experience. The kind of dram you would enjoy to warm you up on a cool winter evening, mayhaps by a crackling fire.

We are no strangers to Glenfarclas and yet always delight in exploring “just one more”! Especially if it so happens to be a vintage cask-strength expression.

Glenfarclas 13 year (2004 / 2017) 59.4%

  • Nose – Lovely! Christmas market in liquid form! A gorgeous sherry, warming with dark fruits of figs and dates, generous sweet spices of ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, which were joined by cocoa, like a chocolate, dried fruit, and raisins bar
  • Palate – At first it greeted us with a sparkling spice, deepening into dark fruits, balanced, rich with considerable substance. Beneath all the swirling sherry was both oak and a sprinkling of brown sugar. In short – yum!
  • Finish – More of that rich chocolate, though now more mocha with a faintly bitter coffee tweak

Overall we found it a terrific example of a quintessential classic sherry. Most enjoyable, a solid performer that performs really rather well. I was reminded of the Whic.de Clubflasche from 2009 – which is a compliment! However, the price difference is considerable! This 2004 is no longer available except on auction for ~150 vs the ~60 I paid for the 2009!

Talk turned to the overall whisky character. It was just as expected – a perfect winter dram to cosy up and enjoy! Many thanks to our contributor and the company!

What else did I try that September evening in Nurnberg?

And past brushes with Glenfarclas? There have certainly been a few!

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Knockando 18 year (1996) Sherry 43%

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Truth be told, we are much more familiar with Highland Knockdhu distillery offerings that go by the name AnCnoc, than Diageo’s Knockando distillery in Speyside. Both were set up in the late 1890s, both are considered on the smaller side with 1.3 – 1.5 milllion liters produced per year, however, in terms of character and positioning, they are in quite different spaces. To put it into perspective, an 18 year old Knockandu is still largely used for blends and will set you back around Eur 65. Whereas an anCnoc 18-year-old single malt is in the range of Eur 94 – 149!

Knockando 18 year (1996) Sherry 43%

  • Nose – Starts off very fruity with plums, then starts to shift into coffee cream, with more time it reveals a nuttier quality and even some minerals
  • Palate – A lovely spice, clear sherry influence with some mocha, malt, almonds and oak as well
  • Finish – Quite spicy for a mere 43%

The folks at Knockando describe the 18 year old as being “Woody & Fruity” – for which I would tend to agree.

What else did I try that September evening in Nurnberg?

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Gordon + MacPhail’s Glenburgie 26 year 56.8%

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group were super duper fortunate to have an extra special treat! One member was so enchanted by trying the Glenburgie 26 year at The Village that when he wanted to celebrate a new role this is how he chose to do it! And lucky us, to share it!

Glenburgie 26 year (1995 – 27/04/2022)  1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Puncheon Cask No 6349, Batch 22/090 56.8% (Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) 564 Bottles ~Eur 295

  • Colour –
  • Nose – It began with a nuanced and elegant aroma, light spice with kumquat sweet and sour citrus, joined by allspice and pink peppercorns, all in beautiful harmony. As it opened, we noted apricot, red apple peel, deepening over time. From light and fruity to old dark wood furniture with heavy furnishings, then back to fruity – this time marmalade!
  • Palate – Simply wonderful! Hazelnut coffee cream, wonderfully balanced with a gorgeous mouthfeel. By the 3rd sip, it began to settle into a heavy fruitcake with  delicious dates, nuts, and raisins, complex and satisfying.
  • Finish – Sigh…. one to just savour!

We were entranced. Talk turned to how the last sunbeam of the evening glances on the water. A bit fanciful yet sometimes a particularly good dram inspires flights of fancy!

I too had a teasing opportunity to try a wee sample in 2022 at Paris Whisky Live. Whilst well beyond my budget, it was one of those rare treats I dearly wanted to try again. So am VERY grateful it was possible to revisit at home in a leisurely setting. Even more, a generous sample was shared which enabled me to share it in London with a favourite tasting companion. I took no further tasting notes – simply enjoyed it.

So what else did we try in our special Glen themed evening?

I openly admit that I have a weakness for Glenburgie – particularly those from 2000 or earlier.

Live around Nurnberg, Germany, and are interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer private tasting group? Just comment here with the best way to reach you! 

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Signatory’s Glenlivet 17 year 62.3%

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Before the summer break, our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group held an evening devoted to special “Glens” – not your ordinary every day “Glens” but the “top shelf” variety!

I generally think I’m not very snobbish about my single malt. Yes I prefer quality but I’ve also been known to enjoy a value for money dram too! When it comes to Glenlivet, I’ve mostly experienced the standard fare with the occasional exception mixed in for good measure. So when this bottle was offered for our special Glens evening, I was curious but had no big expectations.

Glenlivet 17 year (15/08/2006 – 21/11/2023) 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt, Cask No 900806 62.3% (Signatory Vintage) Bottle 74 of 599 ~Eur 128.50

  • Colour – Dark gold
  • Nose – Mmmmm fruity! Followed by wet leaves after a heavy rain, quite mellow, sweet with a medium dark wildflower honey, a warm perfume shifting into dark plums combining fresh forest scents – marvelous! The longer we contemplated the nose, the more it evolved – dark fruits, chocolate, and behind the berries was a citrus twist! Then toast with marmite…
  • Palate – Wow! Sherry and how! Strong and full, with real substance… rolling around, it built on the aromas with a combination of dark fruits and mocha
  • Finish – Long and really incredibly satisfying

Overall we were impressed. The aroma without water had a beautiful evolution from light to dark, inviting and enticing us to give it more and more time to open up. Whereas on the palate, there was no mystery! It was clear that we were sipping a 1st fill Sherry – more intense, flavourful, and forceful than anticipated from the nose alone… however, this should be expected at a powerful 62.3% ABV! One person described the palate as crashing waves (brandung)!

This is not a lightweight and yet also has some serious highlights too! So we were curious, what about the impact of adding some water? It was like having two whiskies in one!

  • Nose – Malty and citrus, ground coffee and dates, resin and English marmalade
  • Palate – Much more approachable but in some ways not quite as interesting
  • Finish – Remains with a hint of red licorice joining

We set this whisky aside and revisited to find the one with water had clearly veered towards the sweet side – candied apple, bubblegum, marshmallow, pear – delicious!

Alas I could not find any official tasting notes from Signatory – this particular edition was from an earlier batch than currently available. Suffice to say, it was indeed a 1st fill Sherry Butt and truly an unexpected treat.

A clear reminder – do not underestimate the big boys! They are big for a reason and equally have a prodigious range of casks – so no surprise there are gems to be found.

What else did we try in our special Glens-themed evening?

  • A revisit of Chorlton’s Glentauchers 8 year and 14 year
  • Glenburgie 26 year (1995 – 27/04/2022)  1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Puncheon Cask No 6349, Batch 22/090 56.8% (Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) 564 Bottles

Curious about other Glenlivet tasting experiences? Read on…

Live around Nurnberg, Germany, and are interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer private tasting group? Just comment here with the best way to reach you! 

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Nurnberg Whisky Explorer’s Special Glens Evening

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group decided to skip summer sessions, however still managed to sneak in an early July session. Why? It was an opportunity to celebrate a member’s new job with an extra special Glenburgie as the fabulous excuse!

So what did we try in our special Glen themed evening?

We kicked off our evening with a wee calibration dram – in this case, we thought the open Arran would do the trick!

We then compared the Glentauchers 14 year followed by the more robust 8 year. Alas the Glentauchers 14 lost some of its charm through oxidation – more sour green apple and strawberry yoghurt than an elegant and nuanced rum topf.

However, the Glentauchers 8 year remained a delight with a fabulous mouthfeel, spice, black forest cake, and more!

As for the Glenburgie? It entranced us with its nuanced, complex character – fruity yet with substance. An absolute treat!

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just comment here with the best way to reach you.

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Islay’s Caol Ila & Lagavulin – Blend, Independent, Cask Strength

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group doesn’t have many “peat heads” in our mix. Most veer away from the smoky stuff. Hence when we had a specially “curated” evening that started to move in the peat direction, we were opening new doors!

This trio was anchored by two distilleries – Caol Ila and Lagavulin. Both are from Islay. Both put out Original Distillery Bottlings, are found in both blends and independent expressions. Our evening explored all three approaches!

  • Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin 12 year 42% ~Eur 65
  • Scarabus Islay 10 year 46% (Hunter Laing) ~Eur 48
  • Caol Ila Cask Strength 60.1% (OB) ~Eur 100 for 200ml (auction only)

Knowing this was a “first foray” for many in our group, our curator kindly prepared a document that included a description of both distilleries – key features, their house style, and a recommendation on what standard dram best depicts its character. Additionally, QR codes were provided, linking to more details about the three specific whiskies we were about to sample. Talk about organised!

We kicked off our peat trio with a limited edition “Islay Origin” expression from Johnnie Walker. In India, Black Label was once upon a time synonymous with “good” whisky. Priced relatively high yet prevalently available, it was featured in many homes, Bollywood movies, and more! It defined scotch whisky – a consistent blend with sweet and peat – which held up well with chunks of ice and mixed with water.

A typical Black Label will blend together Diageo’s different distilleries: Clynelish in the Highlands, Cardhu from Speyside, malt from Glenkinchie, grain from Cameronbridge… whilst some will say the smoky character comes from Lagavulin, others credit it to Caol Ila.

So when the folks at Johnnie Walker decided to launch in 2021 their “Origin” series without the grain, intended to heighten the focus on the featured regional elements – it was widely speculated that the Islay expression was probably both Caol Ila & Lagavulin.

Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin 12 year 2021 42%

  • Colour – It was nearly orange!
  • Nose – Hello peat! Clear, clean peat stamp with a strong seaside salty air too. We also found mango BBQ chutney, some iodine
  • Palate – Way fruitier than expected – lots of dark fruits, smokey, salty, oily peat and sweet, some pepper joining the honeyed fruits
  • Finish – Very sweet with just a puff of smoke

Now, I must admit I was pleasantly impressed by how much I enjoyed the Johnnie Walker. It was surprisingly good, with a well-balanced palate, fruitier than anticipated to the point that I wondered if and how much sherry influence could be at play? We also speculated the extent to which Johnnie Walker’s relatively new master blender – Emma Walker – steered the approach.

From a variation on a well-known theme, we moved on to indie bottler Hunter Laing’s celebration of Islay.

Scarabus Islay 10 year 46% (Hunter Laing)

  • Colour – Light hay
  • Nose – Oaky and salty, cereals, malt and honey, a bit nutty
  • Palate – Fermented fruit, black pepper, oily
  • Finish – Cinnamon smoke then minty and herbal

The most debated element about this expression is whether it is Caol Ila or Lagavulin. I will admit that I also vacillated between the two – in one whiff thinking surely this must be Caol Ila then another sip, veered towards Lagavulin.

What we do know is that it is a single malt, aged for 10 years in a refill, ex-bourbon and virgin American oak cask. And that’s about it!

After the mystery malt, we closed with a clear Caol Ila – yet with a twist! It was a rare Original Distillery Bottling at cask strength. Part of a 200 ml tasting set together with a 12 year and 18 year expression, you won’t find this easily to add to your whisky cabinet!

Caol Ila (2005) Cask Strength 60.1% (OB)

  • Colour – So pale it almost appeared clear
  • Nose – Earthy gentle peat, dry smoke, a hint of citrus
  • Palate – Bright, very pleasant, no punch, just roll around in a well-balanced peat with sweet, some herbaceous almost medicinal elements too
  • Finish – Lingers, softly fading away

This was a classic Caol Ila, more restrained than anticipated for a cask-strength dram – certainly more so than most independent cask-strength expressions I’ve tried.

Wow – what an evening! There was so much care that went into curating two sessions into one! What a terrific way to discover two quite different sets of whiskies!

In case you missed the earlier post, here are the Glen Elgin‘s we tried in our April session:

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just find us on Meetup! https://www.meetup.com/nurnberg-whisky-explorers/events/

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Glen Elgin – Original Bottling, Independent, Smoke

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Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group has a combination of what we call “curated” evenings and “contribution” based themes. For April, we had effectively two sessions in one! Each was carefully put together to introduce those newer to exploring whiskies with a strong foundation.

Let’s start with the Glen Elgin vertical. For those not familiar, a whisky vertical is when you explore different expressions or vintages from a single distillery. In our case, Glen Elgin distillery is from the Speyside region and is owned by Diageo.

Sukhinder Singh (founder of The Whisky Exchange) shared that he sees Glen Elgin as often producing a nice “session” dram. Something easy to enjoy over a leisurely period. So what did we think?

So what did we try in our theme exploring Glen Elgin?

  • Glen Elgin 12 year 43% (OB) ~Eur 43
  • Glen Elgin 12 year (16 Sep 2009 – 15 Apr 2022) Hogshead 806374, 806380, 806381 46% (Signatory Vintage) 468 bottles ~Eur 50
  • Glen Elgin Islay Peated Finish Hogshead 44.5% (Murray McDavid) ~Eur 37

Glen Elgin Distillery was founded in 1898 and uses six stills and six wooden worm tubs. Known for a fruity spirit, it has tended to go into blends and has only one “Original Distillery Bottling” aka “OB”. What did we think?

Glen Elgin 12 year 43% (OB)

  • Colour – Dark gold (possibly enhanced)
  • Nose – Marshmellow, apple blossoms, oats, a hint of bitter orange, some fresh grated ginger, overall mild and fruity
  • Palate – Spicy oak, malty, light coffee cream, crisp
  • Finish – Lingering cereals – think a warming porridge with apple sauce, brown sugar and a dusting of cinnamon

Overall we found it a most enjoyable way to begin. Nothing complex or challenging, just an easy fruity and fun dram to whet our appetite.

We then moved from OB to independent – first with another 12 year old – this time a combination of three Hogsheads from Singatory’s vintage series.

Glen Elgin 12 year (16 Sep 2009 – 15 Apr 2022) Hogshead 806374, 806380, 806381 46% (Signatory Vintage)

  • Colour – Bright light straw
  • Nose – Citrus and hay, honeycomb, red apple, so fruity and sweet, light lovely and inviting…
  • Palate – More cereals and spice, rich honey, incredibly smooth, yet much richer, dark and juicy, very plummy, almost rummy with raisins
  • Finish – Subtle and long

A few times one could hear exclamations like “Gosh this is good!” and “Truly lovely!” It had the most marvelous light freshness on the nose, so much heavier and more luxurious on the palate then back to a lighter more nuanced touch with the finish. One mighty fine dram!

Our fun didn’t finish with just one independent! Nope! We pushed the theme further by tasting a contrasting Glen Elgin with peat – yup peat! However this Glen Elgin didn’t use peated barley, instead it was matured in an ex-Islay cask.

Glen Elgin Islay Peated Finish Hogshead 44.5% (Murray McDavid)

  • Colour – A lighter golden hue
  • Nose – Interesting! It started off a bit metallic, seaside salty spray, light spice, some lemon peel… unmistakable peat yet it was a clear fresh peat joined by crisp and crunchy Granny Smith apples, some pepper
  • Palate – Spicy, thin, coco, toasted coal
  • Finish – Medium finish
  • Water – Stewed orchard fruits, salty taffy, some almost wine-like elements… grows on you more over time

You’ll note a certain enthusiasm for the aromas and then terseness with the palate and finish until we added water. It was underwhelming initially. Yet improved with water – some cereal elements we found in both the OB and Signatory were more discernable. Overall though it was a bit, well, odd.

As we stepped back and considered each whisky, there was a clear preference for the Signatory Vintage expression though also quite happy with the OB. With just a few more Euros a bottle, it was obvious to go for the independent! It was just the peated McDavid that caused some of us to pause – in part as peat has a mixed reception from this group!

Overall, it was an excellent introduction to Glen Elgin and a very well-curated theme!

Interested in joining our Nurnberg Whisky Explorer events? Just find us on Meetup! https://www.meetup.com/nurnberg-whisky-explorers/events/

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Friendly February Dram Exchange

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It was a surprisingly warm and sunny weekend for February. It was also a perfect opportunity for a few friends to get together and exchange a few drams. Some were already open. Others had been waiting for just this kind of evening.

We had 13 whiskies on offer and the hardest decision was where to start and where to stop? What did we have displayed to explore?

We chose to begin with the youngest and most recently opened distillery from the Hebridean Island distillery Raasay… Their aim is to produce a lightly peated whisky with rich flavourts. This was my first sample of the “real” Raasay as my earlier brush was a “pre” offering in their intended style “While we wait.”

We thought this would be a light dram to whet our appetite for more… what we discovered was a bit different!

Raasay Single Malt 46.4%

  • Nose – Fresh, young and vibrant, malty and maritime, slight smoke, more herbal than floral or fruity, after time a whiff of smoked meats
  • Palate – Surprisingly peaty – much more pronounced than anticipated, and yet not a “heavy” peat, the herbal quality follows through, with some bitter tannins, nuts, and quite autumnal
  • Finish – Cinnamon fading into a faintly bitter finish
  • Water – Initially didn’t think would be needed, but worth trying. For me, it became sweeter with a mineral or granite element
  • Revisit – Much later, I revisited the empty glass, the aromas were ashy, a bit like the remaining long-forgotten antique kitchen fireplace, from generations before

The thing about whiskies, slowing down to discern different aromas are the memories a smell triggers. For me, the hint of smoked meats took me back to Montreal. The palate overall was smooth and pleasant.

What more do we know? Their aim?

Our flagship Isle of Raasay Single Malt Whisky, 46.4% ABV, natural colour, non-chill filtered.

Lightly peated with rich dark fruit flavours.

We set out to emulate some older styles of Hebridean single malt whiskies, with subtle, fragrant smokiness balanced with dark fruit flavours.

It was matured in six different casks – this is what they have to say:

Two Isle of Raasay spirits – peated and unpeated – are matured separately in first fill Rye whiskey, fresh Chinkapin oak and first fill Bordeaux red wine casks. These six recipe casks marry together to create the perfect dram with real elegance, complexity and depth of character.

With this knowledge, we could see where the tannins came from, however elegant? Complex? And dark fruits? Not in what we found, however, it was an interesting start!

Next up? A revisit of a former friend – Aureum – which is unfortunately no more. What did we think?

Ziegler’s Aureum 7-year Single Malt (2008 – 2015) Chateau Lafite Rothschild 47%

  • Colour – Gold
  • Nose – Welcome! These are the kinds of aromas that explain why we were so captivated by Aureum. Sweet chestnuts, green and fresh, fruity… then deepens into chocolate, sweet vanilla custard then green apple, then a dessert feast of apple pie with vanilla ice cream!
  • Palate – First sip was a bit odd, then once calibrated to the unique style of Aureum with its use of chestnut wood, we found it to be smooth, sweet… getting sweeter with each sip!
  • Finish – Lingers with more sweet wood

Overall it was a clear reminder that this was once a distinctive distillery producing unique drams – aiming for craft and quality. I can only repeat that it is such a pity that Ziegler abandoned their decade-long foray into such single malts to go down the Freud route.

We then moved on to Ireland, to discover Ireland’s West Cork was nothing like the sociable dram we anticipated….

West Cork Calvados Cask Finish 43%

  • Colour – Light straw
  • Nose – No mistaking there is Calvados involved here! It reminded me of the kind of juice we used to make from our garden apples – pulp and seeds and all would go in. Then it shifted to something that could best be described as fresh-pressed coffee
  • Palate – We found it a bit “pushy” at first. Young, a bit brash, and curiously unfinished, dry and bitter with a hint of nuts of some kind
  • Finish – Limited, what there was we found bitter, like chewing an espresso bean
  • Water – We hoped it might bring out some other element – instead just kicked up the spice

Overall this didn’t attract new fans. Now I’ve had a few mighty fine whiskies with Calvados finish. Mackmyra Äppelblom 46.1% and Rampur’s Jugalbandi come to mind…  The folks over at West Cork don’t try to over-sell this as a complex dram, instead, point imbibers in the direction of cocktails – a ginger mule to be more precise.

I then steered us towards a pair of Chorlton‘s – a contrast and comparison of two Glentauchers. Both sherry casks, both lovely just in different ways – both deserving their own posts – just check out Glentauchers 8 year and Glentauchers 14 year! We then cracked open some exceptional chocolates – what a fabulous pairing!

That is where our journeys diverged. For me, I thought to continue the chocolate pairing and thought to revisit the Super Sonic Sherry Blend and the Amrut Port Pipe Peated. Whereas others explored the Amrut, Indri, Kamet, and Staoisha. Overall it was simply a lovely evening and a nice way to keep at bay the dull dreary February blues!

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Chorlton – Glentauchers 8 year 61.2%

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Double trouble or twice charmed? In the case of Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague April 2023 releases, spoiler alert! Both this Glentauchers 8 year and the Glentauchers 14 year were marvelous – in different ways.

Glentauchers 8 year (2023) 61.2% 291 Bottles

  • Nose – Oh yum! Sticky toffee pudding, jammy, a voluminous dessert, small tight berries packed with tart and sweet, joined by pineapple, then buttery chocolate eclairs, apple sauce with cinnamon
  • Palate – Very full and robust! Dark plum skins, so intoxicating and delicious, rich chocolate cream, then black forrest cake, then juicy ripe berries – especially the delightful red currents we get in Germany, incredibly satisfying… is that a wee bit of nut butter or hazelnut cream? Mixed in with loads of sweet spices
  • Finish – Long, strong, and rewarding… even a bit savoury rather then back to sweet towards the end
  • Water – If it is even possible, fruitier?1 Like a candy shop from red licorice to gumdrops to candied orange peel

Overall we found this lively and colourful… practically addictive in its exuberance. There is no subtle shyness here…. this 8 year is proud to flaunt its sherry influences! There is a quixotic charm, and though it is on the edge of being overwhelming, it is simply too good to resist.

I tasted it over two evenings – the first which was a friendly evening February – there was little doubt this was the “hit” of the evening. However the next time around, my companions preferred the gentler and more genteel qualities of the Glentauchers 14 year. Both are frankly fabulous – just in different ways.

From Chorlton, we have the following description and tasting notes:

Next up we have an 8-year-old Glentauchers matured in a first-fill sherry hogshead*. Another sherried Glentauchers, you say? Well, yes, as this one’s such a fun contrast.

The nose starts with chocolate cream, hazelnut nougat, butterscotch and overripe banana, then heads in a distinctly savoury direction with veg stock cubes, dried mushrooms, parsley stalks and OK Sauce. Little hints of old tool shed, liquorice, and coal tar. It’s big and boisterous, and very changeable as it breathes or when water is added (prunes, kejap manis and cocoa powder in that case, since you ask).

The palate has a thick texture, starting on chocolate cornflake cakes, fudge and café crème then developing on a mix of jammy red fruits (redcurrant jelly? cherry jam?) and umami-ness (walnuts, bouquet garnis, BBQ meat, sesame paste). With water it’s softer, with banana wine, Cadbury’s Mini Rolls, chocolate orange and ginger.

Where the 14yo is elegant and collected, the 8yo is lairy and talkative. You do still get that sense of fruity Glentauchers spirit at the heart though. This cask produced 291 bottles at 61.2% and they are available for £59.50 each.

* – just for full transparency: this cask sprung a leak and had to be housed for a short time before bottling in a refill hogshead.

I purchased this from WhiskyBase for a mark-up to open in Nurnberg one fine evening in February 2024.

Here are a few more from La Nouvelle Vague series:

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