Peaty Mini – Big Peat 46%

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Next up in our peaty minis evening after the Wemyss Peat Chimney, we explored a blend from Douglas Laing.

Big Peat 46% (Douglas Laing)

  • Nose – Began with quite a sharp peat that then disappeared quickly. Baked banana or a banoffee cream pie then also settled into a surprisingly restrained fermented apple, quite sweet.
  • Palate – A delicious peat heat, black pepper, green peppercorns, liquorice root, quite fresh
  • Finish – Peat spice, sweet liquorice, changes to red chilli, cinnamon spice

What we enjoyed most about this whisky was how it kept changing. While consistently accessible – in a good way. There was overall a fresh lightness to its approach – unquestionably peat but one with a delightful ‘freshness’ and spirit.

Here’s what the folks over at Douglas Laing have to say:

Douglas Laing’s Big Peat is a feisty Islay character with a sweet side. This is a small batch bottling, without colouring or chill-filtration and only contains Islay Malt Whiskies, including Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and (even the now closed) Port Ellen to name but a few!

And their tasting notes?

Opens fresh, salty and clean on the nose, developing to sweet malt dried over peat. On the palate, detect ashes, sweet tar, beaches and smoking chimneys. The finish is long and lingering, replicating the palate with salty, tangy liquorice, smoke, bonfire ashes and a phenolic quality.

We sampled from a closed mini bottle in October 2017. While I can’t recall the exact price, think it was around £5 or so… a full bottle will set you back approximately $55. An exceedingly reasonable price for a most enjoyable dram.

And what else did we sample in our merry mini malts evening?

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Minis of a peaty persuasion

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It has been some time since the collection of minis were attacked! The collection came out with the intent to focus on whiskies of a peatier persuasion…

And what did we select?

What was remarkable was the range of peats we discovered…

After all this, we rewarded ourselves with a Machir Bay – no tasting notes, just pure unadulterated enjoyment!!

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Glenfarclas Minis – Glenfarclas 25 year 43%

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What a unique opportunity to contrast and compare different expressions from the same distillery side-by-side, taking our time to let 1st impressions settle in, more time to sip and consider, then revisit each to consider their commonalities and differences.

Last in our Glenfarclas minis session was the 25 year.

Glenfarclas 25 year 43%

  • Nose
    • Initial wood, varnish with an almost medicinal quality, organic sweet, green chillies that then sharpened – crisp & clean.
    • As it opened more, it took on a hint of vanilla and talcum powder, tart green granny smith applies, then a hint of calvados or apple brandy.
    • After our 1st sip, we found strawberry cheesecake and biscuits, so sweet, some herbal elements like basil or bay leaf, then an unmistakable tart rhubarb pie… only slightly jarring element was a hint of sulfur
    • After setting aside, with the revisit we found a light acrid smoke, like burning sweet grass, cereals, dry and a bit dusty, yet still retaining that green grass quality
  • Palate
    • The initial sip was light old leather with a chocolate chaser
    • Each sip mellowed more – mocha chocolate, so smooth, getting sweeter and sweeter
    • After setting aside, we found the palate had softened further… like being wrapped in a warm blanket
  • Finish
    • More of that chocolate – like chocolate covered espresso beans with sweet, dark chocolate with a bitter twist too…. all muted, with a light restrained spice

While our initial impressions was of a most interesting and enjoyable dram, it really did need time to open up to reveal its full character. We dubbed it the “2nd date whisky” as you needed to take time to get to know it more to really appreciate what you have.

Here’s what the folks over at Glenfarclas have to say:

  • Colour – Amber with dark gold highlights
  • Nose – Complex, yet refined, with tempting aromas of marmalade, honey, freshly ground coffee, sherry and nuts, some oaky tannins
  • Flavour – Full-bodied and robust, the sherry and the oak fight for your attention yet neither overpowering
  • Finish – Intense, long lasting, dry and malty. A beautiful dark chocolate taste at the back of your mouth to complete the 25 year old.

We sampled this whisky in Oct 2017 from a closed bottle purchased from The Whisky Exchange in London as part of a gift pack for approx $50.

What else did we sample in our Glenfarclas minis session?

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Glenfarclas Minis – Glenfarclas 21 year 43%

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Next in our Glenfarclas minis session was the 21 year old… We first sampled it as part of a Glenfarclas evening in 2011…. and clearly a revisit was overdue!

Glenfarclas 21 year 43%

  • Nose
    • The initial whiff was varnish… then sour mash, green grapes, vanilla, more subtle warm vapour, light tea.
    • After the 1st sip, strong green tea, organic sweet, some sawdust, wood at the back…. cork even
    • As it continued to open, it revealed light leather, sea breeze
  • Palate – Tea, leather, warm, bitter, very rounded, salty dry with a maritime twist
  • Finish – Nice long leather, slow burn feel, slightly bitter

With the aromas, over time it began to unfurl from a tight nose to reveal multiple dimensions.

We set it aside and revisited after trying all the Glenfarclas miniatures… what then?

  • Nose – Fruits like guava and white fruits like pear, jicama then a sweet perfume shifting into a salty brine
  • Palate – Soft and then sour then bitter, then sweet… overall just an enjoyable soft sweetness
  • Finish – Much more bitter than the original tasting and very dry

Overall we found it very approachable, quite enjoyable. Still had that quite straight forward dimension like the other Glenfarclas, yet with so many more elements.

So what do the folks at Glenfarclas have to say:

  • Colour – Dark amber-gold.
  • Nose – Intense, full of aromas – sherried fruit, tropical fruit, nutmeg and almonds with slight citrus notes at the end.
  • Flavour – Full bodied rich and rounded, develops slowly into fruity and spicy flavours.
  • Finish – Long-lasting and smooth with a chocolate feel at the back of your throat.

We sampled this whisky in Oct 2017 from a closed bottle purchased from The Whisky Exchange in London as part of a gift pack for approx $50.

What all did we sample in our Glenfarclas minis session?

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Glenfarclas Minis – Glenfarclas 105 60%

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Next in our Glenfarclas minis evening was the cask strength Glenfarclas 105. First sampled as part of a Glenfarclas evening in 2011, a bottle of Glenfarclas 105 hung out in my whisky cabinet for a few years to be trotted out when only a bold no-nonsense dram would do.

Glenfarclas 105 60%

  • Nose – Initial impression is of sweet varnish, sherry stamp, stewed figs, dates and all the dried fruits, like a thick fig jam with seeds, some nutmeg and cinnamon, fermented, sour cherries, walnuts. Then showed off aam papad,  dried apricot, black cherry
  • Palate – Robust, bursting with flavours, spice, red chillies, cinnamon, fresh ground pepper, easing into sweet
  • Finish – Black peppercorn, sweet and spice
  • Water – Brings out the Christmas Cake qualities, sherry notes

While wonderful on its own, with water it really comes into its own. Where one should wait to let the water and whisky combine to be rewarded with wonderful flavour.

After we set it aside and returned we found:

  • Nose – Sweet tobacco, prunes, cream, dry wood and stewed fruits with custard
  • Palate – Lovely sherry, quite dry, full of Christmasy flavours
  • Finish – Retained the lovely pepper sweetness

Overall we enjoyed its robust, straightforward sherry bomb qualities.

What do the folks over at Glenfarclas have to say?

  • Colour – Deep peaty-gold
  • Nose – Complex, oaky, apples & pears and a tempting dark toffee sweetness
  • Flavour – Dry and assertive, develops quickly to reveal a rich spiciness, combined with a hint of oak and sherried fruit.
  • Finish – Amazingly smooth for the strength, wonderful warming with a lingering spiciness, yet very rounded.

We sampled this whisky in Oct 2017 from a closed miniature purchased from The Whisky Exchange in London for approx $11.

What else did we sample in our Glenfarclas minis session?

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Glenfarclas Minis – Glenfarclas 15 year 46%

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What fun – a quartet of Glenfarclas minis to discover! For us… the logical place to begin was Glenfarclas 15 years…

Glenfarclas 15 year 46%

  • Nose – Fresh waff of polish, lemon, wood, astringent like antiseptic whips, a bit raw, citrus malty sweet, very clean
  • Palate – Soft then malty, wildfire at the back and bitter
  • Finish – Quite dry and stays

After we sampled the full set of Glenfarclas minis – the 105, 21 year and 25 year – we revisited the 15 year. What did we find?

  • Nose – Sour ‘baby puke’, herbal, some subtle lemon
  • Palate – SPICE! Top and back… then coated with sweetness
  • Finish – Remains dry

Nice and straightforward. No surprises and no pretence. What you see is what you get. And there is nothing wrong with that.

And what did the folks over at Glenfarclas have to say?

  • Colour – A rich golden amber.
  • Nose – Complex, sherried, light butterscotch aromas, with a hint of dried fruit.
  • Flavour – Full bodied with a superb balance of sherried sweetness and malty tones. 
  • Finish – Long lasting, gloriously sherried, sweet and distinguished.

We sampled this whisky in Oct 2017 from a closed bottle purchased from The Whisky Exchange in London as part of a gift pack for approx $50.

What all did we sample in our Glenfarclas minis session?

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Glenfarclas 15 year, 105, 21 and 25 year

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In 2011, a member of the Glenfarclas family – George S Grant – came to Mumbai to meet with whisky aficionados. Quite a few of us had the privilege of joining an evening at the Four Seasons where we sampled the 12 year, 105, 21 year and the remarkable 40 year!

Fast forward to 2017, fuelled by miniatures shopping at The Whisky Exchange in London, we decided to revisit the Glenfarclas range… this time with the:

Just click on the links above to read what we thought…

Other Glenfarclas tasting adventures:

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Whisky Lady – October 2017

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

October was the 1st month that I juggled a new full-time ‘regular’ job that immediately plunged me into a demanding yet incredibly interesting project. And yet, what is a Whisky Lady to do but keep up with tastings too!

Thankfully it was a ‘slow’ month with only the Whisky Ladies and Original club’s having full tasting sessions. To keep things interesting, there were also were a few minis sessions too!

Our Whisky Ladies celebrated Diwali in all our finery and accompanied the festivities with Asia focused whiskies:

Rye (Photo: Nikkhil Shirodkar)

Whereas our original club had a remarkable rye focused evening:

  • Cody Road Rye (Iowa)
  • Cascadia Rye (Português Port Barrels) 43.5% (Washington)
  • High West Whiskey Double Rye…

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“Super Nikka Whisky”

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After spending time exploring the Nikka “From the Barrel” at our Whisky Ladies “Diwali Drams” evening, we compared it with a revival of an earlier incarnation of their standard “Super Nikka Whisky”.

What did our Whisky Ladies think?

Super Nikka Revival Whisky 43% (Limited Edition for Europe, 2015)

  • Nose – Candy floss, that Hallowe’en candy corn of brightly coloured kernels of yellow, orange and white tips, caramel nuttiness, a sweet almond paste, cola that has gone flat, then from somewhere an unlit charcoal, slightly musty, a hint of chocolate? A dash of pine?
  • Palate – Deceptively sweet, well rounded, light smoke to counter balance the sweet, was there a hint of sea salt too? Regardless of the different elements, they all merged together harmoniously
  • Finish – Lovely finish, cinnamon sweet though a bit abrupt – here then gone.
  • Water – Interestingly, this is the one we tried with water… it nicely reduces the sweetness, adds a dash of spice like a spice guava, making it overall even more enjoyable

And what do the folks over at Nikka have to say about Super Nikka?

One of Nikka’s classic brands, the Super Nikka was introduced to the market in 1962. Its luxuriant aroma, gentle hints of peat and scent of vanilla and chocolate are all in harmony, and its flavor is smooth, rounded and well-balanced.

Believe it or not, a fellow whisky aficionado in Mumbai has one of the original’s from the 1960s… I’m sensing we just may need to track down one of the ‘new’ avatars and do a comparison one of these days…

And the results of our “head to head”?

The Nikka Super Whisky was the most popular – for its sociable character in keeping with the mood of the evening. And yet there is no doubt the “From the Barrel” is a fine dram that demands attention.

And yes… I was caught blathering on about context being everything in choice… whisky preferences for me, at least, are highly mood, setting and company dependent. What I love in one context I may not care for in another and vis-a-versa. But that is another tale for another day…

The “Super Nikka” we sampled had recently been opened and tasted at our October 2017 Mumbai session, last seen on Master of Malt for $55 (sold out).

Whiskies sampled in our Diwali Drams evening included:

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Nikka “From the Barrel” 51.4%

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Last in the Whisky Ladies “Diwali Drams” evening was a “head to head” comparison between two Nikka blends – their cask strength “From the Barrel” and a revival of an earlier incarnation of their standard “Super Nikka Whisky”.

Most would know that Nikka, the company, uses “Nikka” as the brand name for their range of whisky blends which are either:

Both our whiskies fall into the “blend” category… What did our Whisky Ladies think?

Nikka From the Barrel 51.4%

  • Nose – Coconut, like sweet honey nectar, fruits like pears, a bit of acetone, then coriander (or cilantro or… there was a debate on the different varieties!). After a sip, the nose gained some oil and nuts, then shifted into marshmallow and candied nuts.
  • Palate – We found it was like melted caramel, dense and buttery like a maple butter tart, some sweet raisins too… quite thick on the palate
  • Finish – Last and last and lasts.

Some absolutely loved it! Appreciating how it is bursting with character, a complex drink, one where a little goes a long way.

Words like “Fabulous!” and “Mmmm” could be heard. The finish in particular was described as a “Fabulous, fantastic finish!” And exclaims of how well it could pair with certain food too.

And yet for some, this was almost too much… in its sweet aromas, its dense concentration of flavours and long finish.

What do the folks at Nikka have to say about “From the Barrel”?

This is a blend of multiple types of malt and grain that Nikka reserves. Nikka From the Barrel was created to deliver full flavors and richness of whisky “from barrels” which only blenders can sniff and taste. As the whisky contains so many characteristic components at a higher alcohol of 51.4%, it is essential to let the liquid “marriage” in used casks for 3-6 months for it to stabilize and harmonize. The concept of the unique short squared bottle is “a small lump of whisky”, which perfectly visualizes the rich and strong taste of the whisky inside.

PS – There may be added colour i.e. caramel.

So then how did it stack up against the “Super Nikka“? Click the link and you can find out!

The Nikka “From the Barrel” is a 50 cl bottle, sometimes found in duty free for around $50-75 and was opened during our session in Oct 2017.

Whiskies sampled in our Diwali Drams evening included:

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