Category Archives: Whisky Type

Dream Dram – Lochside 46 year from 1964

Posted on by
Reply

A highlight of London’s Whisky Show is access to 1000+ whiskies – including rare and old! For our first Dream Dram of 2025, we decided to splurge and go for something both! Lochside shut many years ago, making its liquid increasingly rare. And at 46 years of age, this dram indeed qualified as something mature.

I’m often asked… “Which is your favourite distillery?” Of course, that’s patently unfair as it depends on the mood, maturation, and so much more. However, whilst I’ve only had a few experiences with Lochside, it shot way up to the top and has remained there ever since.

This bottle was incredibly unique – a single blend – where both grain and malt were produced at Lochside. Even more unusual, the grain and malt were not put together later in life. Instead, from 1964 they co-mingled in the same cask, maturing for 46 years, leading to an outrun of only 139 bottles.

We found this bottle at The Whisky Exchange’s Old & Rare booth for three Dream Dram tokens, which puts it in the GBP 2,000 – 2,999 range per bottle.

Lochside Single Blend 46 year (1964) Cask 8790 42.1% (The Whisky Exchange) 

  • Nose – Sweet, green leaves, fresh, aloe, soft and nuanced, faintly floral, candy floss, growing fruitier as it opened, joined by caramel, and then behind came a creamy nutty nougat. As it further evolved, the aromas shifted into strawberries and cream, topping a fluffy angel food cake
  • Palate – Prickly initially, then the strawberries came out… the next sip was warm, gentle, and utterly lovely
  • Finish – Incredibly long, simply stunning

I fully admit to being biased; however, this will be another treasured Lochside moment!

This yet again reinforces my pre-disposition towards anything from this closed distillery – including when the malt is combined with the grain!

If you are curious about my other brushes with Lochside check out the following posts:

Want even more Whisky Lady posts? Follow this blog on:

Whisky Ladies September 2025 – Slyrs Amontillado 46%

Posted on by
Reply

For the last 5+ years, Bavaria has been my home! I can vouch for it being about much more than beer steins and lederhosen! There are a few interesting whisky distilleries and this one – Slyrs – is tucked away on the shores of Lake Schliersee. Founded in 1999 by Florian Stetter, this alpine distillery keeps experimenting — from classic American oak to wine, rum, and fortified-wine finishes. With 25 years of experience, there have been hits, misses, and some that lie in between!

One of its newer and more intriguing creations – SLYRS Amontillado Cask Finish – kicked off our Whisky Ladies September 2025 evening. Amontillado is a dry sherry, darker than Fino but lighter than Oloroso, and is known to be gentler, with a nutty style… we were intrigued how it would work with the often bold Slyrs approach!

What did we think?

Slyrs Amontillado Cask 46%

  • Nose – It greeted us with rum raisin, stewed boozy plums, cherries, a heavy mulled wine, with generous sweet spices of cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. From Amarula liqueur to overripe apples, there were loads of fruit! Over time, it also revealed a rich dark chocolate, slightly bitter coffee, and then as it opened, caramelised pecans or roasted almonds with a dusting of salt, converging into a fresh out of the oven pecan pie! Beneath all of this, however, was something faintly musty, a touch of mildew…
  • Palate – Lots of sweet and spice, like chewing Big Red cinnamon gum! Hearty, with the full range of black, white, and green peppercorns, joining green and red chillies. Yet it wasn’t too spicy either! Instead, there was a hint of orange zest, more dried fruits, bread, and a salty tang too – think of a vegetarian bacon jam.
  • Finish – It was dry, a bit bitter, with lots of red wine tannins, almost a balsamic vinegar quality

The aromas were complex, think Rumtopf — that wonderfully boozy German tradition of layering seasonal fruits with sugar and dark rum to create a lush, jammy preserve. This SLYRS captures that same spirit: rich, stewed fruit sweetness laced with warming spice and just enough alcohol kick to keep things lively.

For all of us, the nose was the most interesting part. By contrast, the palate was fairly straightforward, with nothing really standing out. And the finish? It had mixed reviews.

Think of this like a Bavarian alpine hike ending at a Spanish tapas bar! Overall, it received a positive reaction from the Whisky Ladies. A far cry from our inaugural experience with Slyrs 51 nearly 10 years ago! In short – it was a great winter dram, with a slightly indulgent, old-world vibe, like something your grandmother would pull from the pantry at Christmas.

However, don’t leave it in your glass too long! That mildew element we found towards the end? Let’s just say it became more pronounced, going from inviting to frankly a bit funky!

Curious what the folks at Slyrs have to say?

  • Colour: Golden yellow sparkling
  • Aroma: Fruity with apple, green hazelnuts, and a hint of vanilla.
  • Taste: Strong, spicy, fiery.
  • Finish: Slightly salty finish with a long finish.

As of September 2025, it was still available – a 375 ml bottle goes for around Eur 45.50.

We then moved on to:

  • Baltech Wismaria 43%
  • Miyagikyo Grande 48%

For a few ladies, this was the “hit” of the evening! Personally, I quite enjoyed being happily surprised and look forward to my next Slyrs experience – with a Marsala expression waiting in my whisky cabinet!

Curious to know more? Why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Gordon and MacPhail’s Auchroisk 10 year 43%

Posted on by
Reply

I had a plan. It was a good plan. A deliberately selected quartet of Gordon & MacPhail Discovery series was bought for a future session. And then plans changed.

With the move from Germany back to India, I needed to radically reduce my carefully constructed whisky collection. It was a tough choice which to let go…. I knew this Auchriosk was great value for money, so more likely to find a friendly buyer… With a sigh, it joined the list of closed bottles available for new homes.

I was exceedingly fortunate that the new owner is a friend who generously opened it for us! I had a feeling this would be a classic quality dram. The reality? Read on!

Auchroisk 10 year Bourbon Cask 43% (Gordon & MacPhail Discovery) GBP 57

  • Colour – Pale straw
  • Nose – Happy times! Honey, vanilla, crisp Granny Smith green apples, faintly floral… As it opened up, it became creamier, even more floral – delightful!
  • Palate – Gentle, refined, balanced, malty with sweet mashed bananas, a hint of black pepper, and oak to give substance
  • Finish – Long, lovely, and elegant….
  • Water – Even fruitier and floral – like frollicking in a meadow!

This was a classic summer dram. A perfect example of quality ex-bourbon cask maturation. Whilst not complex, it had a lovely fruity floral quality, joined by creamy vanilla pudding. We absolutely loved it! And settled in to simply enjoy. It was just perfect for our Nürnberg August evening.

Here is what the folks over at Gordon & Macphail have to say;

  • Colour: Lightest Yellow
  • Aroma: Vanilla is followed by apple and poached pear, toasted almonds give way to pineapple and hints of lemon blossom.
  • Taste:  Sweet and creamy honey combines with ripe banana and zesty orange. Apricot comes to the fore, balanced by cracked black pepper.
  • Finish:  Medium-bodied finish with lingering tropical fruit and oak.

What a treat! I’m so lucky that I didn’t miss sampling this Auchriosk!

If you are curious about other Auchroisk tasting experiences… read on:

As for the quartet from Gordon & Macphail Discovery series? I had originally planned the following:

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

Glenglassaugh Octaves Classic 44%

Posted on by
Reply

Our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers’ April evening was a mix of offerings. We began our explorations with a curiosity – a Glenglassaugh Octaves Classic. We then moved on to a trio of cask strength single cask expressions from Taiwan – specifically the Kavalan Solist Trio of Sherry, Vinho Barrique, and Port. We closed our tasting with The Six Isles Scottish blend, comparing their standard expression with their special Port edition.

So… why was the Glenglassaugh a curiosity? I’ve shared below my mixed experience with this distillery. From a stellar example of the original spirit from 1965 with a remarkable 40 year to a lasting impression of the early expressions from the new distillery, that they were brought out just a little too, well, early! 

A fellow whisky explorer in Nurnberg also had similar mixed experiences. Which is exactly why he purchased this special edition Octaves Classic, to see what Rachel Barrie could do with smaller batches with higher spirit / wood contact possible with Octaves.

The result? Read on…

Glenglassaugh Octaves Classic Batch 2, 44%

  • Nose – A distinctive metallic edge, followed by some exotic fruits, then chocolate and vanilla. Some sulfur too.
  • Palate – Harsh at first, tingling and prickly, peppery, quite wood forward, then as it settled, it revealed fruits – mostly tropical – becoming a bit sweeter and smoother the more time it spent in the glass
  • Finish – A bit bitter initially like coffee, then warmed up

Let’s just say that we weren’t exactly won over!

What more do we know? Not much. Whilst this expression is no longer on the official Glenglassaugh Distillery site, it was a combination of Bourbon, Pedro Ximénez, and Amontillado Sherry Cask Octaves.

Whilst I’m happy to have a chance to revisit this revived distillery a decade after my initial experience, it still isn’t a priority for future explorations.

What about other Glenglassaugh experiences? Read on…

Interested in catching more? Why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Introducing 10th Street American Single Malts

Posted on by
Reply

These days, a Canadian enjoying an American whisky is considered highly unpatriotic! However, back in 2024 when this trio came to me, we were still cordial neighbours. Setting politics aside, it has been some time since I was intrigued by whisky from “south of the border,” like 10th Street….

10th Street is the brainchild of a IIT grads from India who built successful careers in San Jose, California. Over the years, they discovered a mutual love whisky and, like all good Silicon Valley stories, started tinkering with making their own spirits until the experiments evolved from curiosity into a business!

I brought the 10th Street Triple Cask to a January 2025 evening with the Whisky Ladies and Bombay Malt & Cigar gentlemen. I then took a sample to Nürnberg to try alongside two minis.

10th Street Triple Cask “Dragon” STR Single Malt (2024) Barrel No 476 55.6%

  • Colour – Deep ruby red, almost like coffee
  • Nose – Jackfruit, perhaps even a hint of citrus to start? Another thought dragon fruit. Bottom line, there was fruit but not your typical orchard or tropical fruits. Grainy, jeera powder, more like rye than whisky at first, then opens to sweet bananas, walnuts, rum cake, loads of ginger… over time the bananas became overripe. It then shifted into a caramel custard… and finally a lovely floral aroma emerged – apple blossoms on a warm sunny day…
  • Palate – I’m awake now! Powdered garam masala, cinnamon, and black pepper. Lots of body, syrupy chocolate-filled liqueur – Williams pear? Oily with a great mouthful. The spice was joined by something almost like chewing on coffee beans.
  • Finish – When first opened, we experienced a big flavourful finish with great staying power… however, in the sample tried months later the finish was much shorter
  • Revisit – We set this aside and returned to candy floss on the nose with fruits and nuts on the palate. Yum!

One person remarked that the aromas reminded him of a beef brisket! Another thought the finish was like breathing “thick air”. We particularly enjoyed how the nose evolved and the contrast of sweet aromas with a substantial body.

Here’s what the folks at 10th Street have to say:

We were not surprised that our Triple Cask was crowned the best whisky at Whiskies of the World, beating several renowned whiskies. You can learn more about the competition here. First released in the 2024, the year of the Dragon, our pot still distilled, non-chill filtered single malt has spent time in three different casks. After aging in STR casks, it was finished in Wine Casks followed by Port Casks. The result is a delicious whisky with complex layers and a lingering finish. Enjoy the Dragon.

Tasting Notes: The nose is rich and aromatic, with prominent notes of dried fruit, caramel, and toasted oak. Subtle hints of spice, dark chocolate, and a touch of citrus add depth to the aroma.

This whisky is full-bodied and intense on the palate, delivering bold flavors of toffee, dark chocolate, and roasted nuts. The influence of the triple cask aging adds layers of spice, charred wood, and a slight smokiness, balanced by sweeter notes of vanilla and honey.

What fun! This was certainly an interesting start. A few months later in Nürnberg, I sat down to revisit the Triple Cask “Dragon” together with the Port Peated and STR. Here is what my tasting companion and I found…

10th Street STR Single Malt 56.2% 

  • Nose – Cloves, semi-dried dates, baklava, raisins, red licorice, cranberries, aamchor, a hint of herbs like a mix of fresh mint and basil
  • Palate – Nice and spicy, a bit sour like sour cherry or plum – it reminded me of li hing mui, some oak, as it continued to open, it became sweeter and sweeter, revealing a Linden flower honey
  • Finish – Like on the palate, it sweetened the more as it lingered, then shifted into something a bit sour and herbal

I couldn’t help myself – though I was tasting in Germany, I kept having associations with distinctly Indian elements – from raw mango powder (aamchor) to a bit sour (khatta) and also Chinese with li hing mui. Fascinating!

10th Street Port Cask Peated Single Malt 58.2%

  • Nose – A sea salty maritime peat, balsamic, kalamata black olive brine – think of a delightfully dirty martini! Over time, the balsamic element disappeared to be replaced by smoked meats, and then finally, a hint of port emerged
  • Palate – Surprisingly soft, a lovely cinnamon peat, dry yet balanced, a gentle sweet peat
  • Finish – Here we have a finish where the peat lingers

There are so many different kinds of peat. This one clearly fell into the more ‘maritime’ category. And like all the 10th Street expressions, we found it sweetened over time.

Whilst the STR and Port Peated expressions were interesting, we returned to the “Dragon” Triple Cask – enjoying both the complexity of its aromas and leisurely sipping.

You can tell this is a passion project combined with engineering precision. No shortcuts. Deliberately narrow cuts. Experimentation? Sure! The technical geek side mingles with artistry. Focusing purely on the domestic US market – that too only a few states – it will be interesting to see how 10th Street continues to evolve in the coming years. In the interim – bravo for a solid start!!

Don’t want to miss a post? You can follow Whisky Lady in India on:

Scottish Regions – Whisky Broker’s Highland Park 57.9%

Posted on by
1

It took being back in Bombay on a break to catch up, sharing tasting notes about the “bonus” dram from our January Scottish Regions explorations. Whilst I had anchored the evening with the standard “four” aka Campbeltown, Highland, Islay and Speyside, we were joined by a gent who had a perfect addition from the unofficial 5th whisky region – Island!

Island – Highland Park 14 Year (23 Oct 2003 / 1 Nov 2017) Hogshead No 739 57.9% (Whisky Broker). Bottle 54 of 237. ~GBP 60

  • Nose – Wet leaves and sea spray, there was no doubt this was a maritime style dram with a hint of peat. We found it quite vegetal – reminiscent of a rural setting with cow dung patties baking in the sun. There was also wet stone, mineral… and yet as it continued to open, new elements came to play. We then found heather, lavender, a potpourri with oregano, rosemary… It then shifted further into chargrilled lemon rind. What remarkably interesting and evolving aromas!
  • Palate – After some time, we went in…. A LOT is happening here! It is delicious, sweet, balanced peat, tannins, tobacco, even a minty leafy herbal quality.
  • Finish – Carries on in the same vein, with the tobacco joined by herbal influences.

What a dram! It was so good to be reminded why Highland Park was once such a favourite. And if this is any indication of what Whisky Broker bottles, I should keep an eye out for more!

What else did we try?

Don’t want to miss a post? You can follow Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Lady – January to March 2025

Posted on by
Reply

Rewind the clock a few months to when we rang in the new year on our farm in India. It was an opportunity to escape Mumbai’s hustle and bustle, the pollution and population, to relax and reflect, thinking back on different experiences and explorations.

Whisky-wise however, all the adventures were urban! In Mumbai, we brought together the Whisky Ladies and Bombay Malt & Cigar gents in January, after a few years of hiatus. It was such fun to gather, consider, and enjoy. We selected a trio of easy-drinking Welsh Penderyn’s followed by a new American entrant – 10th Street STR Dragon. Whilst we didn’t specifically intend it to be an exploration of Port, it turned out to be a clear theme.

We decided then and there to revive our annual combined session, and I offered to supply the Whisky Ladies side in 2026 with a quartet of gorgeous Chorltons. I mean, who could resist? (PS I still need to confirm which will make the final cut!)

It was also my turn to host the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents’ whiskies, for which I decided to go for a Scottish whisky regions theme :

Also, before leaving India in January, I cleaned and re-organised my whisky cabinet, putting together tasting set options for future evenings.

Back in Germany, we revived the Nurnberg International Whisky Tasting group with a late January 2025 session. It was a nice distraction from the cold, grey weather, exploring 3 blends and a special Finnish single malt! Dewar’s Japanese, Woven Homemade, Green Spot Bordeaux, Teerenpeli 10 year. 

Later in March, we joined a special charitable event of delicious Ethiopian feed and African whiskies, organised by the good folks at Hawelti. It was such an interesting variety of spirits, grains, and single malts – what a treat!

  • Projekt 3 Ethiopian Beer spirit
  • Project 4 Acacia barrel, rum finish
  • Boplas 5 year Single Grain 43.6%
  • Heimer 2021 grain 43%
  • Three Ships 12 year Single Malt 46.3%
  • Ondjaba triple grain 54.8% from Namibia
  • Bains 18 year Oloroso 50.5%
  • Projekt 01 10 year Strathmill 65.7%

I also took time to continue to catch up on tasting experiences from the 2024 London Whisky Show – largely from Day 2 – September 8, 2024. Here are a few stalls we visited:

  • Glenfarclas 15 year – a perfect calibration dram!
  • Whisky Auction – for our Dream Drams of Brora 1981 and Glen Grant 12 year from the 1970s
  • Decadent Drinks – Whisky Sponge, Solstice & Equinox, Notable Age Statements and more!
  • Ichiro’s Malt blends – a nice wander through their collection
  • Ardnahoe – Welcome to Hunter Laing’s Islay Distillery
  • Hunter Laing – First Editions and Old Malt Casks from Auchroisk, Ardmore, Craigellachie to a Glen Grant 25!
  • Mainstage with festival picks
  • Introducing a new English distillery with Wire Works 
  • Woven Blends – What a fabulous experience with a special blend made just for my tasting companion and I!
  • Cardrona – A couple whiskies and the most wonderful Vodka – The Reid!

Plus a couple of stragglers from Day 1 that were published in 2025:

It was well worth the trip to London! And we have already bought our tickets for 2025!

As for what next? Let’s see what unfolds…

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

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

Whisky Show 2024 – Hunter Laing

Posted on by
Reply

After exploring Hunter Laing & Co‘s Ardnahoe distillery, we focused on exploring what put these folks on the map since 2013 – their independent bottles and blends! It was Day 2 of the 2024 Whisky Show in London and we were primed to explore something truly special.

Scarabus 10 year 46%

We were directed to first explore Scarabus – a series dedicated to Islay malts and a guessing game between Caol Ila and Lagavulin. It is a mix of re-fill, ex-bourbon, and virgin American oak casks. As I’d sampled it relatively recently, I passed, however, my tasting companion enjoyed it!

First off was an expression from their First Editions series….

Auchriosk 25 years (1996 / 2022) PX Sherry Butt HL19727 48%  (Hunter Laing – First Editions) 

  • Nose – Fruity, strawberries, a cornucopia of different berries, making a luscious fruit compote, sweet spice, and cream, it continued to evolve the more time it spent in the glass to have the fruits and berries joined by chocolate and nuts
  • Palate – Spicy, black pepper and strawberries, soft and understated, incredibly balanced and smooth, complex, nuanced
  • Finish – Mmmmm…. raisins, spice, caramel, and all things nice

This was a lovely dram – well worth the wait for 25 years.

We then moved on to their Old Malt Cask series… Typically bottled at 50%, a new cask is bottled each month.

Craigellachie 16 year Sherry Butt HL21170 50% (Hunter Laing – Old Malt Cask) 

  • Nose – Vanilla, sweet like milky mathai, a hint of dried fruits 
  • Palate – Starts soft then builds up, chocolate-covered ginger spice, sherry
  • Finish – Surprisingly hot finish, even a bit salty at the close

Not bad but also not outstanding. However, I will admit I’m not always a big Craigellachie fan, so it wasn’t surprising that I was a bit middling about this one.

Ardmore 12 year (July 2010) Refill Barrel HL21172 50% (Hunter Laing – Old Malt Cask) 

  • Nose – Now we are talking! Very sweet on the nose, honey, hibiscus, very bright, shifting into glazed ham with a citrus twist
  • Palate – Wonderfully well-rounded, fruit and peat in terrific balance
  • Finish – Subtle and lingers

This Ardmore was much more to my taste – quite enjoyable!

Glen Grant 25 year (1998 / 2023) 50% (Hunter Laing – Old Malt Cask) 

  • Nose – A classic nose – honey, subtle floral, followed by a citrus tang… we immediately dubbed this a “sniffing” whisky – the kind you just want to come back to again and again to take a whiff
  • Palate – Lovely! We found it best to just leave on your tongue for a bit – it was sweet yet with just enough spice to not be a push-over.
  • Finish – Long and lingering – just right! With a nice oily lemon close

They say it is good to leave the best to last so it can be fully appreciated. I think the folks at Hunter Laing delivered here! Elegant and beautiful – this was a clear class act.

Confession time – I did indeed leave this in the glass for as long as I could to enjoy the aromas. It kept shifting between honey, floral, and citrus most delightfully.

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

Whisky Show 2024 – Dream Drams Brora + Glen Grant

Posted on by
Reply

At London’s Whisky Show, one receives a “dream dram” token each day. This is an opportunity to try something well outside the normal “affordability” range!

I was very clear about my choice – as the crowd around Whisky Auction can be thick – the plan was to go there 1st thing. Or more precisely, immediately after our calibration dram of the day – the reliable and most enjoyable Glenfarclas 15 year!

I had my eye on a Glen Grant from the 1970s whereas my tasting companion was after something extra special and fancied the Brora 1981. As his choice was 2 tokens and we had only 2 tokens, we decided to go with his choice. The gent had overheard our debate and made an offer we couldn’t refuse – both!

Brora 23 year (1981 / 2005) First Cask 1556 43% Bottle 756 ~GBP 625

  • Nose – Shy at first then hay
  • Palate – A bit more substance, a hint of spice, sweet, subtle digestive biscuits
  • Finish – Pleasant

Overall I found it pleasant but nothing particularly special. My tasting companion was completely disappointed – felt the hype and the price tag were simply not worth it!

We need to remind ourselves that we are sampling a slice of history – a distillery that had its moment in time before being mothballed. Once known as Clynelish, the style we reputed to be quite different – for some time quite heavily peated then a lighter peat. In this case, to be honest we didn’t catch any peat!

So what about my choice? If the Brora was a bit of a bust, the Glen Grant was a complete hit! 

Glen Grant 12 year (1970s) 43%

  • Nose – Ahhhh….. An absolute delight! Bright and cheerful character, joined by some dark dried fruits topped with honey sweetness… after some time I found a lovely lemon custard pie. Delicious!!
  • Palate – Smooth and soft, then woke-up with pronounced sherry, yet still balanced
  • Finish – Long, strong and lovely

It was the perfect breakfast dram – sweet, classic style. The kind of whisky that will be companionable, joining you on a nice rambling journey. I was entranced and in love!

What followed? We neatly stepped next door to Whisky Sponge. Much like Whisky Auction, every time I passed by the previous day, the throngs were so thick I feared it would be impossible to have the kind of leisurely chatty experience we enjoy. How fabulous to be proved wrong!

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

Mossburn’s Mannochmore 10 year (2008) 56.1%

Posted on by
Reply

This was my first single malt from independent bottler Mossburn – from their 16th batch from 2018. When debating which Speyside to include in our Scottish Regions theme, curiosity about this dram won! 

For those not familiar, Mannochmore isn’t one of those distilleries that claims 100+ year history! Instead, it was founded in my lifetime – originally opening in 1971 before closing for a few years in the late 1980s. Even after re-opening, for many years it was in production only every alternate year as it shared employees with its neighbour – Glenlossie. It expanded operations in 2013, and is now regularly producing spirit for its current owner Diageo.

Like many Diageo distilleries, much of the liquid goes into blends, then makes its way to independent bottlers like Mossburn with select official bottlings – like their Flora & Fauna series. We’ve had some absolutely marvelous Mannochmore’s from Chorlton – a 12 year and 13 year – so I had rather high expectations.

We opened the bottle in Mumbai early January and tasted it over two sessions – something I very much recommend. Going straight to the punch line – the initial date was underwhelming whereas the second date rewarded us over time with many of the reasons why I’ve been more and more a Mannochmore fan!

Mannochmore 10 year (10/12/2018 – 2008) Batch 16.0708.16 Cask Bill HHD 56.1% (Mossburn Vintage Casks)

  • Colour – Bright gold
  • Nose
    • 1st opening one tasting companion found wet dish rag and simply could not get past the impression of something a bit “off”, there were also overripe fruits, some caramel yet the impression was largely having a subdued nose 
    • 2nd day if we really focused, we could find a hint of wet dish rag, yet for me it had very much evolved moving more into a wet leaf, earthy element, some sour mash then loads of fruits. The more time it spent in the glass, the more fruity and appealing it became
  • Palate
    • 1st we found it really rather yummy, spice, lemon sweets, fuzzy apricot skin, a bit astringent, plum skin then I found tea
    • 2nd we really enjoyed its fizzy almost effervescent quality, joining plum and apricots was peach, with the palate having a marvelous lightly oily element coating our mouths in the most wonderful way
  • Finish
    • 1st Churan – which is a digestive mix of herbs and spices – often containing powdered pomegranate seeds, cardamon, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, dried ginger and lemon plus things you typically won’t find outside of India like pippali, khand, and black salt
    • 2nd Again, we could understand how churan was found and personally, I found it moving more in the tea direction, another lady agreed and added for her specifically it was more like an Earl Grey with bergamot

Overall, the palate is the winner here with the nose catching up if given enough time in the glass. In our first try, we did leave it in the glass for some time and found with the revisit it was much fruitier with loads of character not initially present.

Whereas the 2nd time around we added water – wow! What a missed opportunity for our 1st tasting experience! The fruity elements on the nose were amped up and joined by a lovely floral quality. It became so much more appealing and inviting on the nose than before. And the palate? It rounded out the flavours – delicious. Just a bit of water transforms!

For one tasting companion on our 2nd tasting had the Mannochmore contending for his favourit of the evening!

I couldn’t find official tasting notes… However, particularly on the 2nd evening, we found a fair bit in common with some earlier Mannochmore tasting experiences. 

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