A Night with Glen – Glenlivet Master Distiller’s Reserve 40%

Posted on by
Reply

A few months back, our host and I had an opportunity to share a slice of insight into ‘our’ Bombay with a delightful film crew from Australia and Columbia. As thanks, the team thought a couple whisky women deserved a whisky and picked this bottle up from duty free.

Now both of us were touched by the gesture but admitted an NAS dram from Glenlivet’s travel retail line probably wouldn’t have been our 1st choice.

Don’t get me wrong… There are plenty of fabulous NAS whiskies out there and many available through travel retail too! Case in point – nearly all of our Bruichladdich Peat Progression bottles came straight from duty free!

And it is good to visit the mass market standards sometimes just to have a ‘baseline’ from where whiskies with nuance and character shine… a foil if you will.

So our “A Night with Glen” seemed the perfect opportunity to test this theory. And see what the Whisky Ladies thought…

Glenlivet Master Distiller’s Reserve 40%

Here’s what we found:

  • Nose – Fresh from the bottle varnish! Then a dampness, caramel, early maple, became increasingly more and more yeasty yoghurt, even the phrase ‘baby puke’ was used, honey, after some time a little orange zest, aside from the predominant yoghurt quality, overall easy on the nose
  • Palate – Mild, flat, shockingly astringent for only 40%, then settled into a simple, inoffensive, bland whisky with just a bit of almonds, hint of figs and plums or a generic fruit
  • Finish – Sweet and simple, slight hint of cinnamon

We decided to be kind… So we came up with phrases like “not offensive” and “much nicer than the 1st” (Glencadam 15 year)… to be countered by the opinion of a novice who admitted “while it is easier to drink, the Glencadam was a bit more interesting.”

So talk turned to the heat… and how for a climate like Mumbai, we should be considering what whiskies work best for our environment. Why having with a cube of ice considered ‘verboten’ in most whisky afficianados is the standard approach here in India.

And more importantly, concluded this might be the kind of ‘drinkable whisky’ to sip, with ice, and not be distracted or horrified at shocking the character and quality of the dram with a cube or two.

Much like the Glencadam, this wasn’t my first tryst with this particular Glenlivet. Our original Mumbai tasting group sampled it blind… and it didn’t meet muster with that malty lot either.

Also from our Night With Glen:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

A Night with Glen – Glencadam 15 year 46%

Posted on by
Reply

Our Whisky Ladies host found this whisky in New York… her quest was to find something we collectively hadn’t tried… from a lesser known or less accessible distillery.

And its true – you won’t find Glencadam in every local or duty free store… the distillery even halted production – closed in 2000 then re-opened in 2003 by its new owner – Angus Dundee, who just so happen to also own Tomintoul. 

So one must assume this official bottle comes from stock prior to closure. Else it is a puzzle… Hmm… let’s check my math? 2003 + 15 = 2018 yet here we are in 2017. So is it actually 2000 + 15 = 2015 but bottled…? What is clear is they are seem to be tapping into older stock as Glencadam has released not only this 15 year but also a 17 (Portwood), 18, 19 (Olorosso finish), 21 and 25 year… while new stock takes its time maturing.

But enough on age… What did the Whisky Ladies think?

Glencadam 15 year 46%

Here’s what we found:

  • Nose – Citrus, flowers, vanilla, burnt sugar, grassy meadow, honey, raw wood
  • Palate – An initial sharp ‘hit’ of alcohol, then it calms down, green capsicum, black pepper
  • Finish – Cinnamon spice, a bit bitter

It simply wasn’t hitting the spot for us… we added water and found it made it much sweeter, some malty hay, a bit of caramel but still… didn’t quite work.

We speculated perhaps this is a whisky best had chilled. After all we were sipping in a sweltering Mumbai summer – even if in an air conditioned living room – not exactly ideal conditions for whisky sampling.

So the bottle went to be chilled and we carried on with our other Glen whiskies…

At the end of the evening, the Glencadam came back out – this time sipped chilled from a Norlan glass. And our reaction?

  • Better… much better, no harshness
  • Some heather, even sweeter
  • Makes it more interesting
  • Now it is ‘quite nice’

But still nothing to grab our attention. Talk turned to chilled cocktails… yet of a more delicate variety that wouldn’t lose completely the light highland quality.

Truth be told, I wasn’t surprised… in an earlier mini sample, the final assessment was ‘swipe left’… in other words… move on…

Alas this revisit didn’t change my opinion. Nothing distinctly wrong… but nothing exceptional right either. Or perhaps best put as – not my style of whisky. But that’s OK and all a part of exploring the world of whiskies!

Also from our Night With Glen:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Ladies “A Night with Glen”

Posted on by
Reply

For the Whisky Ladies June session, we decided to spend “A Night with Glen”… or more precisely:

Now, the Whisky Ladies tend to be a discerning bunch with adventuresome tastes, so this was a departure from our more off-beat explorations.

The evening was sparked by the acquisition of the lesser known Glencadam, followed by a gift of the Glenlivet, a reminder that we had earlier intended to do a Glenmorangie night so had the start of a collection… and voila! A theme was born.

Other tasting experiences with some “Glens” include:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Live Singapore – Gordon + MacPhail

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve admitted it before and will probably admit it again – I have a total school girl whisky crush on all things Gordon & MacPhail. They don’t just bottle the stuff, they find something with potential and nurture it along carefully in their own barrels, crafting a whisky that is somehow ‘even more’ than what the distillery alone produces.

2016-11-12-gordon-macphail-collection

The whiskies on offer at Whisky Live Singapore featured:

A most enjoyable collection of which I had a nip of the Blair Athol… and intended to come back to the Macallan and Ardmore, skipping only the Caol Ila and Highland Park as sampled these before. Alas I kept no tasting notes however was not disappointed.

Just a few of the Gordon & MacPhail whiskies sampled on Whisky Lady include:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Undisclosed Distilleries – Again!

Posted on by
2

A few months back I shared a trio of whiskies with our original tasting group – each did not disclose the distillery.

My original intention was to immediately share the same whiskies with our Bombay Malt & Cigar group… we had a wait a few extra months and by the time the evening arrived, I managed to add a 4th undisclosed distillery bottle to the mix – what fun!

And challenged the gentlemen to attempt to guess the possible distillery…

Wilson & Morgan “Highland Heart” Sherry (2006/2015) 43%

We began with the delicious sherry delight…

  • Nose – Sherry, berries, bannoffee cream pie, lots of cherries, delicious orange marmalade, prune, dark chocolate
  • Palate – Malty, biscuits, Ghanna bitter chocolate
  • Finish – Beautiful, long, round finish
  • Water – Opens up more but not required

We found it warm, fruity, luxurious and utterly delicious… there is a rich robustness to this whisky which belies its mere 43%.

And the guesses? From Glenrothes, to Glendronach to Aberlour… none suspected Macallan.

Sansibar Islay 8 year (2007/2015) 52.2%

We moved on to Islay…

  • Nose – Sea breeze Islay, sweeter honey notes, some iodine, peat and then peppermint
  • Palate – Cinnamon spice, chewy, velvet and smoke
  • Finish – A lovely finish, peat, bitter cinnamon that ends on sweet
  • Water – Had a bit of a debate – yes or no – with a complete divide on whether we preferred with or without water. Some found it made it sharp and sour whereas others thought it tamed it into sweet submission.

Interestingly, while the Wilson & Morgan seemed stronger and richer than 43% the Sansibar didn’t give a hint of being cask strength.

And the guesses? It was more a process of elimination… everything it was not and only a ‘maybe’ Ardbeg… firmly in the ‘Well it isn’t…’ category was Lagavulin. Oops!

Port Askaig 19 year 50.4%

  • Nose – Wow! Sweet stewed fruits, pears, with a restrained peat, wet rag, white sugar cane as it opened revealed hazelnuts and cream
  • Palate – Oily resin, smooth as silk with a subtle smoke
  • Finish – Sour bitter sweet
  • Water – With a few drops simply made is spicier. With a generous dollop brought out a perfume smoke. Again – opinions were divided between preferring with water and those who thought it best absolutely without a drop

It has a simple yet interesting nose, a complex palate, with a sweet finish.

And the guessing game? Perhaps Bunnahabain, Bruichladdich… certainly not Caol Ila!

Finlaggan Cask Strength 58% 

  • Nose – Pudding, overripe bannoffee pie, coconut, Jamaican sugar cane, lemon curd, nutmeg, spice, dry leaves and hay, vegetable
  • Palate – Peppery peat,
  • Finish – Smokey bitter ash chased by cinnamon sweet
  • Water – It softened the whisky considerably, bringing out juicy fruits – particularly peaches

Final guesses? After an initial speculation may perhaps be Caol Ila, Bowmore… settled on Laphroaig.

If you are curious, check out what I found originally:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Bruichladdich Octomore 07.1_208 5 years 59.5%

Posted on by
Reply

For the Whisky Ladies, our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evening closed with a second mighty Octomore expression! In this case, the Octomore 7.1… released in 2015 before the 7.2 travel edition and one of the last Jim McEwan expressions.

What did the Whisky Ladies think?

Bruichladdich Octomore 07.1_208 5 years PPM 208 Scottish Barley 59.5%

  • Nose – Leather, eucalyptus, pine cleaner, sweet cinnamon and a dash of pepper
  • Palate – Chewy tobacco, bitter chocolate, still has that trademark power peat with no harshness and surprising balance unique to Octomore given the whopping 208 PPM, however more like bitter kerela than fruity sweet, a bit of baked goods, toffee
  • Finish – It does indeed last, with a chaser that is almost like bitter tea and basil

As it followed the 7.2, it was hard not to compare… we found it did not have quite as many elements, and curiously more academic than the artistic flourish of the 7.2, certainly not as complex and yet though it had a little less polish it was still a compellingly good dram.

I suspect if sampled solo, we would have thought it quite fabulous however the combination of polished peat and silky sweet in the 7.2 was a hard act to follow.

I would consider the 7.1 like autumn following the sunshine summer of the 7.2. Both unique in their way.

What do the folks over at Bruichladdich have to say?

  • Character – Sweet and gentle belying an awesome power and hidden depths
  • Colour – Summer sun on Hebridean sand
  • Nose – Initially the nose is sea spray and caramel, lemon balm and pipe tobacco. Slowly, the peat smoke rises from the glass, gentle but strong lifting vanilla, mint, toffee, golden syrup and almond. Peach follows with pear syrup and buttercup. A symphony, a delight to experience.
  • Palate – Wow! Smoothness, sweetness and then smoke. A texture like no other, satin soft and devilishly warming. The American oak influence is in perfect tune with the smoke and soft fruits delicately, skilfully coaxed from the still during exceptionally slow distillation. Vanilla, honey, citrus rise up to be met with sea spray and leather, smoked mussels mix with autumn bracken and crème brûlée.
  • Finish – As the sweetness from the oak fades the salt comes to the fore one last time while the gentle peat smoke steady and true grows and outlasts all else.
  • Mood – The feeling is that of long summer nights turning cooler and shorter as autumn approaches. Watch the sun set over the sea and breathe the peat smoke hanging in the air.

Our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evenings also featured:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Lady – May 2017

Posted on by
Reply

Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

May brought adventures around India with trips to Kolkata, Kochi with a nice juicy project in Mumbai. It also brought the heat before the monsoon… shifting from mere heat to drenching humidity.

All three tasting groups also got into the action!

The Whisky Ladies and our original group enjoyed Bruichladdich Peat Progressions with:

View original post 278 more words

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.2_208 5 years PPM 208 58.5%

Posted on by
Reply

Our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evening shifted from Port Charlotte to the mighty Octomore expression!

In this case from their travel retail line, matured in American oak casks and casks which previous held Syrah wine. I believe it was released late 2015 and picked it up in Singapore in 2016.

The whisky was sampled in three sessions:

  • Initially with the Whisky Ladies with a freshly opened bottle
  • Then a mini Whisky Ladies session with two who missed our main night
  • Followed by our original Mumbai tasting group who had all whiskies completely blind before the reveal

Bruichladdich Octomore 07.2_208 5 years PPM 208 58.5%

What did the Whisky Ladies think?

  • Nose
    • Waves of sweat peat, nutty chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg
    • Mild menthol, deceptive as the peat becomes quite restrained – almost minimalist, creamy, a bit antiseptic, sinus clearing like horseradish, dark chocolate, molasses
  • Palate
    • Incredibly smooth, remarkable how there can be so much peat swirling about and yet not a single harsh note, there is passion but… no rough jagged edges
    • Simply delicious! Chocolate, cinnamon, so smooth….
  • Finish – Lingers, long yet restrained – more like the echo of sweet peat

For the Whisky Ladies, I introduced Bruichladdich’s brand ambassador Murray’s “trick” to enjoying whisky in Asian heat… out came a few glasses filled to the brim with ice then topped up with water.

A few shots of ice cold water to cool the mouth and then a sip of Octomore – sublime! Silky smooth, gentles and smooths the peat without subduing the seductive quality – I do believe the expression “Sex on toast” was mentioned. It brought out ice cream, floral, prunes with the peat becoming quite shy – there but holding back.

And our original underground Mumbai whisky club?

  • Nose – Peaty, heather, honey sweetness, marigold flowers or nasturtiums, incense, pipe tobacco, after opening more green apples and pears, shifting between subtle peat, floral and fruity elements
  • Palate – Very sweet, so incredibly smooth, thick body, incredibly balanced with the smoke, sweet flower and fruit with a light salt coming together in harmony
  • Finish – Initially bitter, then sweet vanilla on the back of the tongue, shifting between leather and honey
  • After a shot of ice water – Red velvet, salty caramel, sweet spice

With the reveal, it was impossible to believe a peat level of PPM 208. If anything the Port Charlotte 12 seemed to have more of a peat swagger or ‘punch’ at a paultry PPM 40. There was no doubt this was a stellar whisky of exceptional craft. Just as it was no surprise we polished off the last drop!

For the original group, this whisky closed our evening. We reflected back on the range and could see a thread of bitter sweet common to all with each having depth and character. There was no doubt of the tremendous care and craft that went into each creation… and we found it overall very impressive.

And for the ladies? Our night was yet to close! We moved on to contrast the Octomore 07.2 with the 07.1…

What do the folks over at Bruichladdich have to say?

  • Character – Enigmatic. Defiant. Forget what you thought you knew.
  • Colour – Liquid gold.
  • Nose – Golden syrup, smoke and red berry fruits to begin. The gentle smoke weaves through poached pear and apple pie from the distillation with the ripe fruits from the cask, red berries peach and apricot. As you inhale deeper, delicate floral notes unclouded by the smoke are released heather, lilies and orange blossom.
  • Palate – The combination of sweet fruits and smoke is classic Octomore. Huge levels of peat sit in perfect balance with the flavours released from the cask. Add a drop or two of water and we get cherry, bramble, strawberry from the Syrah casks; cinder toffee, brown sugar, honey and crème brulee from the American oak burst through. You can feel and taste the rewards of our patience – slow trickle distillation provides the soft silky texture that coats your mouth and releases wave after wave of the soft fruit and floral fragrance.
  • Finish – As lemon zest, red fruit and vanilla oak fades away the deep smoke lingers, a potent reminder of the strength and character of Islay.
  • Mood – To be enjoyed in good company. Pour another dram. Everything else can wait….

Our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evenings also featured:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Bruichladdich PC 12 Oileanach Furachail 58.7%

Posted on by
Reply

Next in our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evening was another bolder peatier Port Charlotte offering with the PC 12 Oileanach Furachail…. peated to 40 PPM and bottled 21 July 2015.

It was sampled in three sessions – initially with the Whisky Ladies then a mini session with two ladies who missed the main evening, followed by our original Mumbai tasting group who had all whiskies completely blind before the reveal.

PC 12 Oileanach Furachail 58.7%

What did the Whisky Ladies think?

  • Nose
    • Much more complex than the CC:01, bursting with character, musty, old leather shoes, yet beyond the tobacco factory was lily
    • Sour, leather, betel nut leaf, old leather polish, black sour cherry, a mechanics garage, quite industrial, then becomes sweet with vanilla, then black peppercorn
  • Palate
    • Super amazingly smooth, well rounded, much more subtle on the palate than one would have anticipated from the nose, absolutely delicious – think spicy smoked chickpeas, dark berries, clove encrusted oranges
    • Musty, sweet, round without a single harsh edge – a contrast from the industrial nose, black pepper, clearly ‘peat’ yet a ‘collaborative peat’ that marries well with the other elements
  • Finish
    • The aftertaste has subtle bitter chocolate with absolutely no burn
    • Long drawn out finish – like having a chunk of spicy red chilli, invites you to introspect
  • Water
    • Bringing out a vegetal quality – think celery root. Not unpleasant but a tinge harsh initially before opening up. Some thought under no circumstances should water be added. Others thought it brought out more…
    • Became initially quite floral on the nose, with fruit, tobacco, a dried potpourri, almost too much spice on the palate til it settles down…

Absolutely beautiful to drink. The palate is truly superb. It is not your standard whisky on the nose – one called it “Stinky feet on the nose but when sipping… I absolutely love it!”

The ladies thought it to be an after dinner whisky, a sociable dram to enjoy with old friends. Without a doubt – this was clearly a “hit!” for many ladies.

Our original underground Mumbai whisky club found the following:

  • Nose – Burnt rubber, sweaty socks, lemon citrus, rotting fruit, car manufacturing unit, fresh leather, burnt dry wood, then apricot… after airing for much longer it was remarkable how the peat settled down and the fruitiness became much more apparent with a chaser of nuts
  • Palate – Starts sweet, then flat, clearly high on spirit, some speculated if there might be a hint of sherry as it had chewy dark berries and slight prune
  • Finish – Bitter cinnamon spice, dum biryani
  • Water – For some, they found it helped bring out a more sophisticated side to this whisky – revealing more complex elements. For others they found it made it more ‘singular’ in an interesting way but with less complexity. One shared that with water it goes from “lust to love”

For the original group, this one was much more industrial. While quite interesting, we had become ‘tuned’ to the sophisticated nuance of the CC:01 that curled around the Port Charlotte character. By contrast the Oileanach Furachail swaggered about with much more ‘in your face’ qualities. With the reveal, we were surprised at how little peat there is compared to its bold peaty character!

What do the folks over at Bruichladdich have to say?

Adam Hannett has been working alongside Jim McEwan since 2006, watching and learning from the legendary distiller. Adam has a special talent, a perceptive nose and a rare ability to analyse and objectify sensory experience. One day the ultimate responsibility for this precious spirit will rest on his shoulders. Here we acknowledge Adam and his ongoing journey with Jim. “Oileanach furachail”.

  • Character – A heavyweight Islay – rich, smokey and smooth.
  • Colour – Polished walnut in an autumn sunset.
  • Nose – Opens with bursts of smoke, salt and dark fruit then develops raisins, toffee, sweet oak and ripe plum. Hints of cinnamon spice, polish, candied orange and lemon peels. hazelnut and dates.
  • Palate – Rich and succulent in texture bringing harmony to a spirit of 58.7%. Sherry flavours of date and fig combine with peat smoke to balance honey, lemon and hot toasted oak. Apricot pear and green apple are subtle but the character of our pure spirit cannot be hidden. There have been no shortcuts to get here. Long years in our warehouses on the shores of Loch Indaal have brought out the exceptional qualities of casks sourced from far and wide. Combine this with the influence of fresh salty Islay air and you have a dram of unmistakable character.
  • Finish -You may think it will never end as the smoke lingers releasing touches of liquorice, date and sweet malt. Close your eyes and you are on Islay. As this dram fades you can reflect on another step of your journey and look forward with confidence as there are many more to come.
  • Mood – To be enjoyed when there is time to relax. Throw a few more peats on the fire and settle back in contemplation.

Our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evenings also featured:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Bruichladdich PC 2007 CC:01 8 years 57.8%

Posted on by
2

Next in our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evening was introduction to the peatier Port Charlotte line with the 2007 Cognac Cask 8 year…. their first experiment with aging completely in French Oak that previously held cognac.

For the Whisky Ladies, this wasn’t our first tryst with a whisky matured in a cognac cask – just a few months earlier we enjoyed the delightful Brenne. For the original tasting club, this was the 1st that I could recall of sampling together a whisky matured in a cognac cask.

The whisky was sampled in three sessions – initially with the Whisky Ladies then a mini session with two ladies who missed followed by our original Mumbai tasting group who had all whiskies completely blind before the reveal.

Bruichladdich PC 2007 CC:01 8 years 57.8%

What did the Whisky Ladies think?

  • Nose
    • Peat, black forest ham, pine, an organic natural quality
    • Bacon, hickory, with a woodsy quality, then smooth apricot, subtle liquorice
  • Palate
    • OMG peat! Woodsy, cigar chomping but not in an overwhelming way at all
    • Smooth, oily with prunes, complex
  • Finish
    • A bit strange or off at first, after the initial ashtray, settled in
    • Bitter, sweet underneath the peat, long drawn out
  • Water
    • With water, cherries were added to the mix. Dampening the forest fire, making it much more approachable, brought out the iron minerals, like entering a wet cave
    • Almond nougat, spice, prunes, raisins, dusty musty fur coat from a teak closet on the nose, whereas became a fruitcake on the palate, and an incredibly long drawn out cinnamon sweet finish – much more subtle than before yet lingers in a lovely way

There was initially a sense of this being like a wilder Caol Ila. Yet oddly not quite balanced. One commented that it was “Really good to look at but…” 

Whereas the 2nd tasting with just two whisky ladies found this to be more of a “nostalgic ‘character’ whisky” – it was not in the least unbalanced and one that grows on you more and more.

What was clear is that this was no sweet civilized Brenne gently matured in a Cognac cask, instead the underlying sea spray and peat of the Port Charlotte came to the fore for an interesting interplay with Cognac!

And our original underground Mumbai whisky club?

  • Nose – A happy hello to peat! Hamond soap, pork bacon, rum sweet, dampened smoke like you doused water on a campfire, wet mud, a dispensary, then a peak of perfume beneath the peat, become sweeter and sweeter, taking on a jasmine or lily quality… as it kept evolving different elements emerged from blue cheese to apricots to an incredibly sweet sticky toffee
  • Palate – Unexpectedly robust, yet equally silky smooth, clearly peat with a rounded tar quality, lots of body, character, chewy, almost buttery, many layers with spice, chilli chocolate, meaty, leather
  • Finish – Very long big oily finish that just doesn’t disappear
  • Water – Some debate on this – for some it brought out more sweet, rancio qualities yet when contrasting those with water and those without – we found without water the whisky continued to evolve its character in a beautiful way whereas the one with water arrested it at that stage

The most remarkable element of this whisky was how it simply kept evolving… we gave time to the experience and the more we spent with it the more we appreciated its unique qualities. This was clearly a ‘non-veg’ kind of whisky… one to enjoy as an after dinner drink with a cigar. One gent asked if he could get away with calling it quite a ‘masculine’ whisky yet it had a sophisticated quality too.

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with how this particular whisky transformed… it is certainly  one I would recommend not rushing and possibly deliberately letting it oxidate just a bit. The layers and complexity that revealed itself in the 3rd tasting was far superior to the experience freshly opened.

What do the folks over at Bruichladdich have to say?

As with every Port Charlotte the starting point is rich, elegant and thought-provoking spirit. High-provenance, smoky, heavily peated barley married to our slow, Victorian, trickle distillation delivers power with finesse. Here, this fascinating spirit has been matured full term in casks of finest French oak [Quercus robur]. They previously held one of the greatest Eau de Vie, from the western Cognac region. The salt spray of Islay combines with peat smoke to vie with the toasted oak and lemon barley sugar flavours of the wood to give a complex and unbelievably rewarding dram.

  • Character – It’s Port Charlotte, but not as we know it. the spirit of adventure is alive with a wonderful marriage of Port Charlotte spirit with its classic Islay DNA and truly exceptional casks from the heart of France.
  • Colour – Rose gold.
  • Nose – The DNA is Islay. Peat smoke and salt spray collide with the fruit and complexity of our classic spirit. poached pears, vanilla fudge and sweet apricots. Toasted oak and lemon barley sugar notes rise from the glass as it warms in your hand. As it breathes the whisky will release festive, warming aromas of cinnamon, ginger and more rich vanilla.
  • Palate – Irresistibly complex. This dram has layer upon layer of subtle fruit flavours so characteristic of our spirit wrapped comfortingly in the blanket of peat smoke. Yet there is a new dimension to this next release of Port Charlotte. A depth of character that comes from the years of maturation in ex cognac barrels. We have watched the spirit mature slowly over the last eight years to become a beguiling spirit that shows our spirit of curiosity and adventure is alive and well. This spirit has taken us down many paths and this particular journey has come to fruition with a spirit that is a joy to taste. The wonderful french oak gives vanilla and spice and has brought this heavily peated Islay spirit to maturity with a class and finesse beyond its years. The fruit is rich and sweet – apples apricots and plums – as is the barley sugar and lemon honey notes that reassure you this is an Islay spirit matured in our warehouses under our watchful eye.
  • Finish – This whisky stays on your mind for longer than your palate and it stays on your palate for an age. Floral heather honey, zesty lemon and a nutty smoothness settle with the peat smoke that is always last to leave you. A truly astonishing whisky.

Our Peat Progression evenings also featured:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on: