Malthound

Whisky & Spirits Blog | Compare Buy Enjoy

You are here: Home / Archives for Sampling

Moonshine Tasting – The Americans Are Coming!

by Leave a Comment

I'm watching you!

I’m watching you!

Something a bit different for sampling this time – my first experience with Moonshine!

Once the premise of bootlegging gangsters in prohibition America it always makes me think of old black & white movies I’ve seen over the years.

Well, this famous American spirit is now back in British hands and though it may have grown up a little it’s still has a fine rebellious streak to it!

MoonshineUK has the exclusive rights to sell Moonshine produced at the Palmetto Moonshine Distillery in South Carolina.

Triple distilled for extra smoothness it’s available as a full strength shot (a hearty 52.5% ABV) and as a flavoured alcohol ideal for producing some great cocktails.

Quick Moonshine Facts:-

  • Originated back in the 1700’s by British settlers who distilled alcohol from corn to sell to the locals.
  • Banned and so began the illegal industry that is at the heart of every b/w gangster flick.
  • The inspiration of the NASCAR motor racings event because bootleggers would modify their cars to outrun the law.
  • In 2010 the US Government allowed Moonshine to be distilled legally.
  • 2014 – Now it’s here – courtesy of MoonshineUK!

The Moonshine Products Range

The Moonshine Products Range

Currently Moonshine is available in four styles:-

  • Original American Shine
  • Apple Pie Flavour
  • Blackberry Flavour
  • Peach Flavour

Tasting Notes
– American Shine
52.5% ABV

 Nose: Corn, sugary sweetness and a heady spirit hit!

Palate: Sweet, syrupy popcorn.

Finish: Toasted corn, sharp lemon citrus, lingering pepper – a short dry finish.

Overall: Quite a kick but not too fiery as it’s well tempered by the corn sweetness. A strong candidate for ‘shots’ but only for the brave!

Tasting Notes
– Apple Pie Flavour
22.5% ABV

 Nose: Cinnamon, apple, ginger cake with extra spices!

Palate: Apple strudel infused with generous cinnamon, sweet cake spices.

Finish: The cinnamon goes on and on and there’s warming Ginger beer in there as well.

Overall: WoW! Taste the pastry! Moonshine and Moms apple pie, roll out the Stars n’ Stripes!

Tasting Notes
– Blackberry Flavour
22.5% ABV

 Nose: Rich, fruity blackberry, reminds me of vimto!

Palate: Sweet, mild blackberry, slightly floral.

Finish: Floral comes through quite distinctly. Warming, spicy dry citrus.

Overall: Half the strength makes this considerably smoother and very drinkable – be careful!

Tasting Notes
– Peach Flavour
22.5% ABV

 Nose: Strong peach and vanilla.

Palate: Sweet, smooth peach, thick consistency which reminds me of a dessert wine.

Finish: Citrus punch appears, sweet finish, short n’ slightly spicy.

Overall: Mmmm … a perfect accompaniment to long, hot afternoons sat under a shady tree!

Moonshine will be available from July.

Many thanks to @MoonshineUK1 for the sample.

The Moonshine Products Range

The Moonshine Products Range

Whisky Discovery Tasting: Tickets On Sale Now For An Exclusive Canadian Night!

by Leave a Comment

Whisky Discovery Tasting - 4 June

Whisky Discovery Tasting – 4 June

Whisky Discovery Tasting


Wednesday 4th. June 2014 (6:30 – 10pm)

The Embankment Pub, The Embankment, Bedford, MK40 3PD

Tickets £35.00

Kat and Dave from the Whisky Discovery blog are holding another of their successful whisky tastings in Bedford.

Their previous event in March sold out so it’s best to book early to be sure of getting a place!

This is an exclusive Canadian whisky tasting, where you get the chance to taste 7 different whiskies that are not available to buy in the UK. Guest host for the evening will be Canadian Whisky Blogger and expert, Johanne McInnis (aka WhiskyLassie).

They are also experimenting with a beer and chocolate pairing. During the interval there will be deli boards to tuck into, giving you a chance to chat with fellow guests and ask the expert any questions.

It’s promised to be a fun and relaxed evening, open to any new whisky drinkers and seasoned connoisseurs looking to try something new.

To book a place contact Kat at kat@whiskydiscovery.com.

For more information: Whisky Discovery Tasting

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman 4th Limited Edition 100% Islay Single Malt Whisky!

by Leave a Comment

Kilchoman 4th Limited Edition 100% Islay Single Malt Whisky

Kilchoman 4th Limited Edition 100% Islay Single Malt Whisky

Kilchoman has released its 4th limited edition 100% Islay whisky!

Forty first-fill bourbon barrels were selected, 32 five year old and eight four-year-old for the limited edition bottling.

The 4th Edition of 100% Islay is non chill-filtered, natural colour and bottled at 50% ABV.

The 100% Islay whisky range is unique. It is produced from barley grown at the distillery, and every step of the production is completed onsite so it is literally 100% Islay from barley to bottling. Previous editions have been awarded 2013 IWSC bronze, Spirits Business Gold and IWC Silver.

The 100% Islay is only lightly peated compared to the more heavily peated Kilchoman Machir Bay and Loch Gorm expressions.

Anthony Wills, managing director of Kilchoman, said: “The 100% Islay range is something we are very proud of and we hope that people will enjoy the latest offering. It is very exciting to be able to offer a product which is created 100% on Islay.”

“The 4th edition represents a significant development in the maturity of our 100% Islay range,” commented John MacLellan, distillery manager. “Its balance and complexity far surpassed our expectations.”

Kilchoman has also recently celebrated the appointment of George Wills at Kilchoman Distillery which means that there is now a full complement of the Wills’ family working at Scotland’s only farm distillery on Islay.

George joins his two brothers James and Peter, plus parents Anthony and Kathy Wills.

George’s particular remit will primarily be developing sales in the UK, although with a small family business he is often called on to turn his hand to many aspects of the business.

After working in the agricultural and property arenas, George was attracted to the drinks and hospitality sector, initially working as assistant manager at the renowned Oystercatcher Restaurant on Loch Fyne.

Three years on he moved to a gastro pub in north Wales, before taking on the management of a gastro pub in North Wales and latterly managing three pubs for Brightspire, where he has been working for the last five years.

George said: “I am very excited to join the rest of my family at Kilchoman and help promote our brands, throughout the UK particularly.”

From September this year the three brothers will embark on a five week journey around Europe in a specially adapted Land Rover, visiting European distributors and holding tastings at 20 or more events.

In November they will visit UK distributors and whisky events.

In the 1940s the boys’ great grandfather and his brother, Spencer and Maurice Wilks, designed and manufactured the first Land Rover in Britain.

It is fitting that 80 years on the entrepreneurial young brothers are setting off on their own journey of discovery to promote whisky that they have been helping produce at their family distillery on Islay – in a specially designed Land Rover.

Tasting Notes – Kilchoman 100% Islay 4th Edition Malt Whisky ( 50% ABV )


Kilchoman Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky
 Nose: A pale straw colour malt with a smoky and peaty nose. Hints of citrus fruits.

Palate: Very light on the tongue. Surprising sweetness and smoky mellow peat. Dried fruit and spicy fruit cake mixture.

Finish: Dry black pepper, smooth smokiness which lingers long. The 50% gives it some bite!

Overall: I find this very similar to The Loch Gorm but with a milder peat hit. But that’s not a negative, just another way to enjoy the gorgeous peat flavours! Once again, a fantastic, morish dram that I’m sure will be well received by peat and Kilchoman lovers!
70cl, 50%
Average: £64.99

Many thanks to Kilchoman for the sample.


Kilchoman was founded in 2005 and is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 125 years.

A working farm distillery, it is one of only a handful of distilleries still practising floor malting.

Kilchoman also grows a portion of its barley at the distillery, and completes all parts of the production process, from barley to bottling on the island.

Since the first bottling was released in 2008, Kilchoman has established itself as a high quality Islay Single Malt Whisky, winning the following awards:-

  • Kilchoman’s exceptional quality was recognised at the prestigious International Whisky Competition (IWC) when Anthony Wills was named Master Distiller of the Year 2013.
  • Machir Bay was named Whisky of the Year at IWC 2013. Loch Gorm was also awarded Gold, Machir Bay received Silver and 100% Islay 2nd Ed was given bronze.
  • Kilchoman 2007 Vintage received Whisky Advocate’s Award for Islay Single Malt of the Year 2013.
  • In 2012 Machir Bay was awarded two prestigious IWSC Gold medals and a Silver medal, and was named in GQ’s Best 100 Things of 2012.
  • Kilchoman won Malt Advocates Artisan Whisky of the Year 2011, only three years after the first bottling was released.

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Tasting Notes: Maverick Drinks Latest Beasts – Darkness! (Part 2)

by Leave a Comment

Just some of the Darkness range!

Just some of the Darkness range!


Maverick Drinks has gone over to the dark side with the launch of their latest range – Darkness! – a range of exceedingly dark single malt and single grain whiskies with an enormously punchy, unashamedly brazen character!

Commonly known as “sherry monsters”, these beasts are sourced from Scotland’s top distilleries.

With their amazing dark, brooding colour, attained through the use of small, specially crafted sherry casks for finishing, the range is the first of its kind.

The dark colour is achieved by storing the drams for 3 months in specially coopered 50-litre first-fill sherry casks.

The small size of the casks allows more wood contact with the whisky, increasing both dark colour and rich flavour dramatically.

These casks have previously been used to produce some of Spain’s top sherries, including Pedro Ximénez – the sticky, sweet dessert sherry, and Oloroso – the semi-dry, nutty delicacy.

These casks bring a deep colour as well as wonderful sherry flavours such as Christmas Cake, rich spice, prunes, raisins and dates.

The Darkness! range includes spirit from Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries. Notable bottlings include the delectable 21-year-old Ardbeg, finished in Oloroso sherry casks, a 16-year-old Clynelish, and a sublime Macallan finished in a Pedro Ximénez cask.

To finish off the look of these monsters, stunning labels have been designed, hand-illustrated by Tom Lane – designer of the very popular Bicycle Playing Cards, as well as the artwork for the accompanying book for Heston Blumenthal’s Fantastical Feasts.

Darkness! is available from Master Of Malt.

Take note of the bottles total – these ‘monsters’ will be gone in a moment! (The Ardbeg already has!)

Tasting Notes – Darkness! Benrinnes 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish

94 bottles


Darkness! Benrinnes 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish
 Nose: Rich caramel, oak wood, luscious fruits.

Palate: Sweet cake mixture, plump raisins, fruits.

Finish: Nutty, peppery spice which, mixed with the sherry sweetness, is joyously long.

Overall: A classic mixture of flavours combined to give a morish sherry hit
50cl, 53.3%
£59.95

Tasting Notes – Darkness! Clynelish 16 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish

94 bottles


Darkness! Clynelish 16 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish
 Nose: Dried fruit including a citrus tang, fudge.

Palate: Sweet and chocolatey with caramel.

Finish: Spicy, rich sherry flavours, slight tanin at the end with added pepper.

Overall: Another warm, sherry infused delight, the fieriness of the dram is well tempered by the Oloroso Cask sherriness!
50cl, 54.9%
£74.95

Tasting Notes – Darkness! Ardbeg 21 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish

sold out


Darkness! Ardbeg 21 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish
 Nose: Peat, smoke and soot, scents of apples.

Palate: Smoke peat and woody embers with fruit sweetness.

Finish: Lingering sweetness wins over but doesn’t defeat an ebbing peat.

Overall: A marvelous dram! The mixture of sherry and smoky peat is a revelation – I can see why this sold out so quickly!
50cl, 40.1%
£119.95

Many thanks to Master Of Malt for the samples.

Sampling Notes From The Whisky Weekender Blind Tweet Tasting!

by Leave a Comment

The Four Blind Samples

The Four Blind Samples

On Thursday night last I had the pleasure of taking part in my very first Blind Tweet Tasting.

The general idea being to sample Four ‘liquids’ and describe the nose, taste etc. and then try and guess where it came from and possibly the brand.

Putting aside one sneaky entry to the ‘gang of four’ I was terrible at guessing. I had no clue at all really. Obviously more ‘study’ is required!

The event was all part of celebrations for the upcoming (and first ever) London Whisky Weekender.

Hosted by The Whisky Lounge at the cutting edge East London venue Oval Space the mission is to bring the craft, innovation and heritage of whisky to the people.

The three day festival which kicks off on May 16th will boast some of the best known names in whisky industry, along with a whole host of small, craft distillers.

Over the weekend there will be a whole host of whisky based events, including exclusive tastings of rare pre World War II whiskies on the rooftop overlooking one of the last remaining Blitz sites in London.

There will also be an East End whisky cocktail bar curated by Molecular cocktail specialist Lounge Bohemia on Oval.

London Whisky Weekender

Friday May 16th to Sunday May 18th

Oval Space, 29-32 The Oval, London, E2

Tickets £35.00

If you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say, you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #WhiskyWeekender on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!

Tasting Notes – Sample 1

Nose: Fruity, light with pineapple coming through.

Palate: Very light with sweet slight tanin.

Finish: Lively and spicy with a dry finish.

Overall: Great dram from Berrys and certainly worth a second look – just wish the sampling bottles held a little more!

Turned out to be:-
Berrys 1992 Longmorn (46% ABV) Speyside Single Malt
70cl, 46% £67.45

Tasting Notes – Sample 2

Nose: Xmas cake, liquorice and apples. I even got a hint of rhubarb!

Palate: Light fruit and sultanas.

Finish: Sweetness basically disappears leaving liquorice, treacle and slightly spicy. Quite dry at the end.

Overall: WoW! An amazing dram – that turned out to be not a dram at all! In fact it was a Tiffon Chateau de Triac Cognac which just goes to show there are other fantastic spirits out there as well!

Turned out to be:-
Tiffon Chateau de Triac (40% ABV) Cognac
70cl, 40% £100.00

Tasting Notes – Sample 3

Nose: Very peaty! Reminds me of smokey bacon crisps and not in a bad way!

Palate: Sweet with plenty of smoke n’ peat.

Finish: Light, smooth and sweet with a bit of pepper at the end.

Overall: This is a peat dram to be sure. Peat sometimes puts tasters off but the great thing I love about peat drams is the way they grow on you – persevere!

Turned out to be:-
anCnoc Whisky Rutter (46% ABV)
70cl, 46% £51.45

Tasting Notes – Sample 4

Nose: Muted peat, plenty of wood smoke with added fruit and floral highlights.

Palate: Now that’s a surprise! Intensly sweet, hot spicy and peaty – all at once!

Finish: Very smooth, lots of sweetness and peat blending together nicely with a long spice hit.

Overall: Incredible dram – the combination of sweet and peat is not to be missed!

Turned out to be:-
SMWSUK 53.197 ‘A stoker in drag’ (57.4% ABV) Islay Single Malt (Caol Ila)
70cl, 57.4% £63.70

My Favourite On The Night

I loved Bottle No 3: The anCnoc Whisky Rutter Highland Single Malt –
that peat is simply to die for!

Many thanks to The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening and the team at The Whisky Lounge (@TheWhiskyLounge) for sending the samples!

My fellow Tweeters were:-

@TheWhiskyWire @TheWhiskyLounge @TWLJoe @WhiskyDiscovery @WorldWhiskyDay @GreatDrams @steveprentice @whiskyrepublic @WhiskyCorner @BeersIveKnown @RumDiariesBlog @EdinburghWhisky @MaltNerd @markofrespect @MCRWhiskyClub @KiltedMoose @petedrinks @SWWIG @dvdbloke @mynameisgone @TheWhiskyKiwi @WhiskyAndWines @BarryMBradford @thicker_thanH2O @msykesjones @annawizauk

Tasting Notes: Maverick Drinks Latest Beasts – Darkness! (Part 1)

by Leave a Comment

Just some of the Darkness range!

Just some of the Darkness range!

Maverick Drinks has gone over to the dark side with the launch of their latest range – Darkness! – a range of exceedingly dark single malt and single grain whiskies with an enormously punchy, unashamedly brazen character!

Commonly known as “sherry monsters”, these beasts are sourced from Scotland’s top distilleries.

With their amazing dark, brooding colour, attained through the use of small, specially crafted sherry casks for finishing, the range is the first of its kind.

The dark colour is achieved by storing the drams for 3 months in specially coopered 50-litre first-fill sherry casks.

The small size of the casks allows more wood contact with the whisky, increasing both dark colour and rich flavour dramatically.

These casks have previously been used to produce some of Spain’s top sherries, including Pedro Ximénez – the sticky, sweet dessert sherry, and Oloroso – the semi-dry, nutty delicacy.

These casks bring a deep colour as well as wonderful sherry flavours such as Christmas Cake, rich spice, prunes, raisins and dates.

The Darkness! range includes spirit from Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries. Notable bottlings include the delectable 21-year-old Ardbeg, finished in Oloroso sherry casks, a 16-year-old Clynelish, and a sublime Macallan finished in a Pedro Ximénez cask.

To finish off the look of these monsters, stunning labels have been designed, hand-illustrated by Tom Lane – designer of the very popular Bicycle Playing Cards, as well as the artwork for the accompanying book for Heston Blumenthal’s Fantastical Feasts.

Darkness! is available from Master Of Malt.

Take note of the bottles total – these ‘monsters’ will be gone in a moment!

Tasting Notes – Darkness! Benrinnes 15 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish

87 bottles


Darkness! Benrinnes 15 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish
 Nose: Vanilla and caramel toffee. Lovely dried fruits.

Palate: Slight oil, rich xmas cake with rich sherry flavours.

Finish: Spicy and sweet comes together in a powerful but smooth hit. Hint of dryness and lemon.

Overall: A beast of a dram but for all the right reasons. Full bodied, smooth, sweet spicy. It’s got it all and more!
50cl, 52.9%
£59.95

Tasting Notes – Darkness! Macallan 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish

88 bottles


Darkness! Macallan 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish
 Nose: Cherry, raisins and honey fudge

Palate: Very smooth with sweet sultanas, cake mixture and a slight woodiness.

Finish: Modicum of spice blended with glorious sweetness. Short finish.

Overall: A warming, classy dram made large with luscious sherry sweetness. Smooth and mature – a posh beast!
50cl, 52.3%
£109.95

Many thanks to Master Of Malt for the samples.

Tasting Notes: The Rare Casks – Glencadam 22YO & Ben Nevis 16YO From Abbey Whisky!!

by Leave a Comment

The Latest Rare Casks From Abbey Whisky

The Latest Rare Casks From Abbey Whisky

Tasting Notes – Glencadam 22 Year Old / The Rare Casks / Release 4

Release 4 in the Rare Casks series is a stunning Highland malt from the Glencadam distillery.

Distilled in 1991 and aged in a refill bourbon cask for 22 years, this once mothballed distillery was brought back to life in 2003 and is the only existing distillery in the region of Angus.

96 bottles filled.


Glencadam 22 Year Old / The Rare Casks / Release 4
 Nose: Pale straw colour. Woody, toffee fudge, hints of mint.

Palate: Smooth and creamy. Sweet icing sugar tingle on the tongue. Slightly sherried which is a surprise!

Finish: Heady shades of powerful long spice n’ pepper.

Overall: Not as fiery as I thought it would be. Instead it displays a really nice balance of sweet n’ pepper with a mildly dry finish. The 55% packs a powerful punch! A full-bodied but gentle giant of a dram!
70cl, 55.3%
£76.95

Tasting Notes – Ben Nevis 16 Year Old / The Rare Casks / Release 3

The Release 3 in the Rare Casks Series is Ben Nevis from the Highlands of Scotland.

Distilled in 1997 and aged for 16 years in a single sherry hogshead, the whisky has been bottled at natural cask strength without chill filtering or colour additives.

96 bottles filled.


Ben Nevis 16 Year Old / The Rare Casks / Release 3
 Nose: Intense dark sherry colour. Vanilla, caramel and butterscotch.

Palate: Smooth, sweet and creamy. Fruit cake mixture, stewed fruits and chocolate.

Finish: Peppery spice, thick stewed fruit. The spice is long but tapers out nicely. Barely a touch of dryness.

Overall: A substantial, robust, muscled dram. As with all these cask strength whiskies, it packs a punch! An amazing mixture of flavours that you would expect from a much older malt.
70cl, 55%
£64.95

Abbey Whisky also has 9 New additions to it’s range this week with some Campbeltown, English, Highland and Lowland whiskies.

The brands include St Magdalene, St George’s Distillery, Rosebank, Glenmorangie, Blair Athol, Littlemill & Springbank.

Supplier Brand Bottle
Size		 Price
Abbey Whisky
Blair Athol / Distillery Only 2010 / Limited Edition

 Blair Athol / Distillery Only 2010 / Limited Edition
Country: Scotland   Region: Highland
Age:    Strength: 55.8%		 70cl £ 89.95  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
English Whisky Co Chapter 13 / St. Georges Day Edition

 English Whisky Co Chapter 13 / St. Georges Day Edition
Country: England   Region: English
Age:    Strength: 45%		 70cl £ 48.25  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
Glenmorangie Companta / Private Edition

 Glenmorangie Companta / Private Edition
Country: Scotland   Region: Highland
Age:    Strength: 46%		 70cl £ 89.95  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
Littlemill 1985 / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail

 Littlemill 1985 / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail
Country: Scotland   Region: Lowland
Age:    Strength: 46%
Vintage: 1985   Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail		 70cl £ 252.95  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
Rosebank 1989 / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail

 Rosebank 1989 / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail
Country: Scotland   Region: Lowland
Age:    Strength: 46%
Vintage: 1989   Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail		 70cl £ 240.00  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
Rosebank 21 Year Old / 1990 / 2011 Release

 Rosebank 21 Year Old / 1990 / 2011 Release
Country: Scotland   Region: Lowland
Age: 21 Years Old   Strength: 53.8%
Vintage: 1990   Bottler: Distillery Bottling		 70cl £ 425.00  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
Springbank 21 Year Old / Single Cask 248

 Springbank 21 Year Old / Single Cask 248
Country: Scotland   Region: Campbeltown
Age: 21 Years Old   Strength: 51.9%
Vintage: 1992   Bottler: 		 70cl £ 498.00  BUY NOW
Abbey Whisky
St Magdalene 1982 / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail

 St Magdalene 1982 / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail
Country: Scotland   Region: Lowland
Age:    Strength: 46%
Vintage: 1982   Bottler: Gordon& MacPhail		 70cl £ 348.00  BUY NOW

Tasting Notes: The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso!

by Leave a Comment

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso!

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso!

Tasting Notes – The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso ( 48% )

Nose: Gorgeous gold colour. Nose of fruit, hints of cinnamon and toffee caramel.

Palate: Smooth, fruity and sweet. Lovely creamy toffee caramel and slightly peppery.

Finish: Short, sweet finish that makes way to a long warming spice hit that goes on and on!

Overall: A sweet sherried dram nicely mixing spices and fruit sweetness. A great addition to the Glenlivet range!

The Glenlivet is expanding its celebrated Nàdurra brand into a range featuring different cask experiences as it aims to build on its strong development in the growing single malt whisky market.

Nikki Burgess, Global Brand Director for The Glenlivet at Chivas Brothers, said: “The Glenlivet Nàdurra is the purest expression of The Glenlivet that captures the original passion and production methods of George Smith’s distillery.”

Each expression in The Glenlivet Nàdurra range will be crafted in small batches using traditional production methods and matured exclusively in a different cask-type. They will then be bottled without chill-filtration.

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso is the first new permanent expression in the range, and is the first major The Glenlivet bottling in living memory to be matured solely in ex-sherry casks.

“The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso presents a rare opportunity to taste The Glenlivet aged exclusively in ex-Oloroso casks, which we anticipate to be extremely popular with whisky fans and an enticing purchase for travellers in Travel Retail when it launches”, added Nikki.

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso is available now from travel retail.

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso

Tasting Notes: Reference Series – The First Educational Whisky!

by Leave a Comment

I, II, III, GO!

I, II, III, GO!

Reference Series: The First Educational Whisky –
Learning has never been so much fun!

Established just this year, new whisky bottler ‘Reference Series’ has launched the very first range of educational blended malt Scotch whiskies.

A ground-breaking idea, truly unique in the marketplace, these blended malt Scotch whiskies not only enable drinkers to learn the ins and outs of whisky production techniques, but also taste superb in their own right, making the learning process thoroughly enjoyable.

The initial 3 releases of the Reference Series comprises blended whiskies which progress from I to III with increasing levels of old, rare and more characterful spirit in the mix.

This will show whisky lovers the progression of flavour profile that comes with the ageing process – a hotly disputed topic which can be clearly understood and appreciated in a controlled manner.

Reference Series will launch with whiskies made with the following ingredients:-

  • A – A youthful vibrant blended malt
  • B – An older, more complex, spicy blended malt
  • C – An old single malt
  • D – A very, very old single malt

The proportions of these are as follows:

Reference Series I – A (83%), B (9%), C (4%), D (4%)
Reference Series II – A (67%), B (13%), C (10%), D (10%)
Reference Series III – A (36%), B (10%), C (19%), D (35%)

The range will expand further to showcase particular ingredients or production techniques on top of this initial trio, which will be indicated in the name.

‘Reference Series’ is named for the fact one can taste the later editions then “refer” back to the original I, II & III for comparison.

Over time, the series will continue to expand to offer more and more combinations of ingredients and techniques, eventually growing to become the ultimate learning resource to truly understand the production and creation of whisky.

The entire range will be available in 3cl bottles from Drinks by the Dram (available for purchase at Master of Malt), so each whisky can be sampled without purchase of a full-sized bottle.

Reference Series is available exclusively from Master Of Malt.

Education has never been so much fun!

Education has never been so much fun!

Tasting Notes – Reference Series I

Proportions of malts: A (83%), B (9%), C (4%), D (4%)


Reference Series I
 Nose: Pale, straw like whisky. Citrus scents, sultana, even a hint of melon!

Palate: Apple, dry sherry, stewed fruit.

Finish: Muted spice, sweet sherry fading to dry.

Overall: A little fiery at the finish but this is a very drinkable blended whisky.
50cl, 47.5%
£36.95

Tasting Notes – Reference Series II

Proportions of malts: A (67%), B (13%), C (10%), D (10%)


Reference Series II
 Nose: Light golden colour. Orange fragrances mixed with oak.

Palate: Spicy, zesty orange, sweet sherry, slight hint of dryness but well tempered.

Finish: Peppery finish, satisfyingly long, oaky.

Overall: Much fuller dram, more rounded, less fiery. Very nice!
50cl, 47.5%
£53.95

Tasting Notes – Reference Series III

Proportions of malts: A (35.9%), B (9.7%), C (16.5%), D (35%)


Reference Series III
 Nose: Honey coloured delight! Toffee, vanilla and hints of coffee.

Palate: Luscious, warm, sweet luxury! Slight pepper. Smooth, smooth, smooth!

Finish: Long warm spice, sweet ‘hot’ chocolate, slightly herbal.

Overall: Amazing! It had to be my favourite didn’t it? Smooth, warming and full-bodied. Delightful!
50cl, 47.5%
£105.95

Many thanks to @MaverickDrinks for the samples.

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky

by Leave a Comment

Kilchoman Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky

Kilchoman Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky

Kilchoman has released a second, limited edition batch of it’s Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky.

Named after the famously peaty loch in front of their distillery on Islay, Kilchoman draws the water for Loch Gorm from the burn that runs into the loch.

Only 2850 cases (17,100 bottles) of this five year-old bottling will be available worldwide.

The first edition, released in April last year, was awarded the prestigious 2013 IWSC Gold (2013 edition) so the benchmark for the second release had been set high.

No problem, this Kilchoman has delivered this with ease to produce a lovely malt full of warmth and flavour!

Fully matured from filling to bottling in fresh Oloroso sherry butts, The Loch Gorm range is the only all sherry cask-matured expression from Kilchoman.

Anthony Wills, Managing Director of Kilchoman, said: “Our sherry cask matured releases have proved very popular and this is the third and most mature to date so we anticipate this latest offering to be very well received.
Loch Gorm shows wonderful balance between the peat smoke and spicy rich flavours, typical of sherry cask maturation, producing a unique flavour which characterises Kilchoman whiskies.”

Kilchoman was founded in 2005 and is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 125 years.

A working farm distillery, it is one of only a handful of distilleries still practising floor malting.

Kilchoman also grows a portion of its barley at the distillery, and completes all parts of the production process, from barley to bottling on the island.

Tasting Notes – Kilchoman Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky ( 46% ABV )


Kilchoman Loch Gorm Single Malt Whisky
 Nose: A pale golden colour malt with a smoky and peaty nose. Hints of citrus fruits.

Palate: Strong peat tempered with sweet beginnings of fruit cake mixture. Slight tanin dryness.

Finish: Short spicy finish. The smokiness and peat lasts all the way thru to the glorious end!

Overall: A rich, smoky dram full of deep peat flavours. The sherry sweetness keeps this all in balance to produce a malt that is certain to be as popular as previous edition and the Kilchoman range in general. As ever with peaty malts, it takes a little perseverance to get the taste but once you do this malt is incredibly morish and rewarding of the effort!
70cl, 46%
Average: £55.00

Many thanks to Kilchoman for the sample.

Loch Gorm 2014

Loch Gorm 2014

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Tags

10 Year Old 12 year old 15 Year Old 40% 43% 46% 1980 Ardbeg bottle bottled bottling bourbon Bowmore Caol cask casks distillery douglas Glen Glenfarclas Glenlivet Glenmorangie gordon Highland Island Islay laing Laphroaig Lowland Macallan macphail malt range rare refill scotch sherry signatory single Speyside Springbank strength whisky year years

Archives

QR Code

QR Code for malthound.co.uk - scan the image with your smartphone & access malt whisky on the move!