Tag Archives: Simply Whisky

What’s in a Name? Memories Blair Athol 11 year

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Our “What’s in a Name?“ evening featured two Simply Whisky bottles! The first was Benrinnes 10-year “Peace, Love & Whisky” which was followed by “Memories“:  a single malt from Blair Athol. The distillery is part of the Diageo stable and tends towards heavy, spicy, sherry-matured whiskies. So what about this expression?

Blair Athol 11-year “Memories” (Oct 2010 – Dec 2021) Cask 302317, 51.6% (Simply Whisky) 265 bottles. GBP 70 (sold out)

What did I think?

  • Colour – Copper
  • Nose – A forest filled with damp leaves, copper… only after time in the glass do some fruitier elements come forward. Cherries, then Sangria-like with punchy alcohol and mixed citrus, and cinnamon candies. There remain deeper darker notes – we haven’t completely left the copper and forest behind.
  • Palate – Give it some time and all the heavy intense sherry standards come to the fore with dark fruits, some bitter coffee, mocha, and black pepper spice,
  • Finish – A bit hard to pin down – a bit of spice, a bit of dark grape peel, a bit of manuka honey, more of that leafy forest flavor, a bit of umami even…
  • Water – Absolutely! This really helps open up the dense dram… now there is a bit more fruit on the nose, and chocolate on the palate with the finish carrying through.

Again, this one has a punch! Just in a very different way. Lots of old oak and powerful sherry. It definitely needs time. There is even a heavy almost red-wine-like quality – think of a brooding Cabernet or rustic Malbec. Whilst I didn’t find tannins per se, it evokes the feeling or impression.

I also need to be honest, I’m not always a Blair Athol fan. This one is dense and intense, best had with a generous dollop of water, no mere drop or two! The palate especially benefits – from being almost too much to smooth and slightly more balanced.

Call it mood or something else, but I didn’t finish my sample glass. The next morning I nosed it – well, well, well… rather inviting! So I resolved to try again another evening, giving it hours not minutes to open. Better. Much better. But still not my preferred style.

What do the folks at SimplyWhisky have to say?

We release our whiskies in pairs. Memories is the third ‘Simon one’. It’s name was inspired by the times we’ve spent with friends, reminiscing about life’s adventures, mishaps and delights. What a ride and the best is yet to come!  Born in Scotland, Memories is a Libra and is bottled at cask strength.  Like the best conversations Memories takes a while to ‘open up’.  We suggest as least 5 minutes in the glass before enjoying.  Great whisky gift!

  • Promises on the nose – Candied apples, vanilla sponge cake, glacé cherries and the zest of an orange peel. Chocolate, rhubarb, tea leaves and black liquorice. Deep and intriguing.
  • Delivers on the palate – Black Forest gâteau with a rich chocolate cherry filling. Red and orange wine gums. More liquorice. Mouth coating with gentle spice and a mid-palate mustiness. Elemental and vibrant.
  • Delights on the finish – Dark red fruits and toasted coconut coir. Toffee ice cream lavished with black treacle and dry dark tea. Gentle bonfire smoke to fade.

The tasting notes mostly made sense – especially the rhubarb and tea leaves. I went back and could definitely find these elements. There is also a kind of mustiness on the palate and more tea on the finish.

Here are the other whiskies we sampled in our “What’s in a Name?” themed evening:

  • Benrinnes 10-year “Peace, Love & Whisky” (Apr 2011 – Dec 2021) Cask 304354, 50.5% (Simply Whisky) 364 bottles.
  • Ardnamurchan 5-year “April Fool – Extremely Old, I wish I were Younger” (2022) 53.2% (The Whisky Exchange) 1575 bottles.

You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:

What’s in a Name? Peace, Love + Whisky Benrinnes 10 year

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Some Scottish distilleries owned by the big players like Diageo were once in the shadows, with most liquid going into blends. Big brands like Johnnie Walker and J&B rely on such “work horse” distilleries as Benrinnes (sometimes also bottled as Stronachie).

With the hunger for something “new” or “different”, there is now an abundance of options via independent bottlers. So far I haven’t had a chance to try the Benrinnes official “Flora & Fauna” bottling, however, over the last few years there have been a few brushes with several independent bottles, with mixed results.

On one end of the spectrum was something fruity, floral, and fun. I was particularly enchanted with the older La Maison du Whisky (LMdW) Artist bottling (20+ year 1995 49.4%), also quite enjoyed The Warehouse Collection from Germany (19 year 1997 52.9%) and more recently the Signatory Vintage for LMdW (18 years 1997 46%).

Yet on the opposite side, were whiskies that were quite “hot” and imbalanced, with descriptions like solvent from the Single Malts of Scotland (24 year 1991 52.6%), rusty by a later LMdW Artist offering #12 (10+ year 2011 58.1%), and more recently one which was somewhere in between – both interesting and a bit odd from Chorlton (14 year 55%).

With no clear discernable pattern, I had no idea whether this bottle would be on the “yes please!” side or the “why did they bottle this” end…

Benrinnes 10 year “Peace, Love & Whisky” (Apr 2011 – Dec 2021) Refill Hogshead 50.5% (SimplyWhisky) 364 bottles, GBP 56

What did I think?

  • Colour – Straw
  • Nose – Honey on a warm baguette, fresh sea air, metallic, then something like sweet fortified red wine or red raspberry jam, herbal or resinous, increasingly metallic
  • Palate – Sharp at first, rusty nail, then fruity with sweet spices, ginger, malty, apple seeds, something almost a bit waxy or soapy, umami
  • Finish – A mix of straw, spice and bitter
  • Water – Helps. Opens up to reveal a sweet-sour candy

OOh! That has a kick! Perhaps as it was the first dram of the evening… yet I found it certainly needed some time for it to settle down. Even then, it was quite active. The metallic element on the nose was quite prominent. Not sure this is one for me… I set it aside for some time….. still not convinced.

What do the folks at SimplyWhisky have to say?

We release our whiskies in pairs. Peace, Love & Whisky is the second ‘Franchi one’. It’s name was inspired by the warmth and friendliness of the lovely whisky people who work in the whisky industry worldwide.  Here’s to you!  Great to enjoy alongside a fresh lager or a pale ale.

  • Promises on the nose – Sweet red plums, honey, lemons and green apple skin. With time leather, walnuts and milk chocolate. A warm copper still. Peaceful and herbal.
  • Delivers on the palate – Gummy bear sweeties, pepper spice, lemons and juicy blood oranges. Lovely rounded mouthfeel.
  • Delights on the finish – Long, savoury, chocolatey and slightly minty. Dolly mixtures. Honey, a slight waxiness and finally a wisp of dry hay.

Hmmm… Some parts of the official notes rang true – the red plums, the copper…. however lovely rounded mouthfeel? Hmmm… ?

Here are the other whiskies sampled in our “What’s in a Name?” evening:

  • Blair Athol 11-year “Memories” (Oct 2010 – Dec 2021) Cask 302317, 51.6% (Simply Whisky)
  • Ardnamurchan 5-year “April Fool – Extremely Old, I wish I were Younger” (2022) 53.2% (The Whisky Exchange)

Waiting in the wings, so to speak, are more Benrinnes… I’m no longer sure if this is a good thing or… ?

  • 9 year (30 June 2011 / 4 June 2021) Refill Butt 307210, 46% (Signature)
  • 12? year (2009/2022) Vin Santo Barrel Finish 54.3% (Berry Bro’s) DE mini
  • 15 year (2007/Jun 2022) 46.4% (North Star, Series 019)
  • 23 year (1997) 1st Fill Barrique Chateau Lafite 55.9% (WW8)

You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:

BMC July 2023 edition – What’s in a Name?

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Last summer, I missed an interesting session with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents with the theme “What’s in a Name?“.  The inspiration for this theme obviously came from how the whiskies were dubbed: “Peace, Love & Whisky”, “Memories” and “April Fool’s”! All three were from independent bottlers – two from Simply Whisky and one from The Whisky Exchange. The gents kindly kept samples aside for me – yeah!

So what did we try from the evening of “What’s in a Name?“:

What an interesting concept! Curious to see the results? Click on the links above and live vicariously through my notes! Or share your experiences too!

You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on: