Please take into account that these are my personal tasting notes and personal experience, as such you may interpret these whiskies differently from me.
On the 26th July 2017 I took part in the third of a series of blind tastings run by Brian who runs the Malt Musings blog. The idea was simple, five of us select 3 whiskies each and send samples to each other – each of our samples are given a letter to represent us and a number to represent where in the tasting they will be used. We then taste through the samples live on Twitter and try to guess what they are. It’s a great test of your tasting abilities but also really enjoyable to try something without any pre-conceptions based on origin, abv etc.
To read a review of the first blind tasting you can go to Brian’s post here. Our next live tasting will be taking place later this year – stay tuned for more information.
Colour:
Amber.
Nose:
Sweet – fudge/brown sugar mix, made me think of rum. Fruit, pear and tart green apples.
Palate:
Spice and oak to start giving way to that fudge/brown sugar mix again and fruit. Also a touch of honey and malt as well as something nutty.
Finish:
Oak and spice – cinnamon and nutmeg. A touch of sherry coming through on the finish as well.
Overall:
A really enjoyable dram, particularly for something readily available at a decent price (around £35 – £40). A lot of the time these “younger” drams get overlooked or dismissed as they are so readily available, however 12 years is not young for a whisky and I think people need to remember that and give them a try without preconceptions as to their quality. This is the beauty of blind tasting – no preconceptions!
Notes:
Notes taken from Classic Malts website:
Region
A solid Speyside.
Appearance
Rich amber, polished mahogany highlights.
Nose
First polished wood and toasted nuts, then baked apples and soft brown sugar take over, giving way to a mossy note, too.
Body
Medium to full bodied.
Palate
Sweetness and crunchy nuts, then smooth fruity richness: hints of brown sugar and espresso coffee.
Finish
Medium to long, elegantly drying and crisp, completed by a pleasant, sweetly nutty chew-ability.