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The Speyside Distillery Tweet Tasting – Sampling Four Whiskies With Two At Cask Strength!

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The Four Speys!

Steve from The Whisky Wire recently held a Spey @TweetTastings which gave us lucky people the opportunity to sample the following drams:-

  • Spey Trutina Melody
  • Spey Beinn Dubh
  • Spey Tenne Cask Strength Batch 4
  • Spey Fumare Cask Strength Batch 4

Production at The Speyside Distillery started in 1990. The distillery took its name from the original distillery of the same name, located in Kingussie, which was operational from around 1895 – 1911.

The distillery is small in comparison with it’s closest neighbours (Dalwhinnie & Tomatin), with a 4.2 ton Semi-Lauter mash tun, 4 stainless steel washbacks and one pair of stills (11,000 wash & 8000 spirit).

Speyside Distillery uses a wide range of casks. The majority of these are American ex-bourbon barrels, but they also use casks sourced from Spain, Portugal and France.

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hashtag #SpeysideDistillery on X (Twitter)

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and my favourites on the night!

Tasting Notes – Spey Trutina Melody (46%)

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Casks: Bourbon
Bottles: 1,500

SPEY Trutina, which takes its name from the latin for ‘honest & pure’, is said to signify the natural, simple characteristics of the Speyside Distillery.


Nose: Sherbet sweetness with green apples and some citrus. Some toffee notes and after a while the citrus increases with the addition of some herbs.

Palate: Strong lemon citrus balanced by sugary sweetness and chocolate.

Finish: Dry and powerful spicy pepper which is rather scrummy! The finish gets quite bitter at the end.

Tasting Notes – Beinn Dubh (43%)


Beinn Dubh
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
AGE: NAS
Casks: Bourbon barrels before being finished in heavily toasted Ruby Port casks

Beinn Dubh, which means Black Mountain, has been produced using water from the Cairngorm Black Mountain, and finished in heavily toasted Ruby Port casks from The Douro Valley.

Nose: What an inviting looking dram this is! On the nose there’s rich dark fruits with red wine and vanilla. It gets more porty as time goes on with some added coffee.

Palate: Lashings of Port and dark chocolate! Then there’s Dark fruits including prunes, wood, creamy vanilla and a little liquorice.

Finish: The spiciness grows but there’s sweet coffee and chocolate aplenty to keep it in check!

Tasting Notes – Spey Tenne Cask Strength Batch 4 (57.5%)


Initially aged in bourbon casks, this bottling has been finished in the Tawny Port casks from the family run winery, Quinto de Filoco, for 6 months. A limited release of 1500 individually numbered bottles. Bottled at cask strength, non chill filtered and with no added colouring.

Nose: Rich and earthy with some port and red wine. There’s also hints of toffee and sugary plump fruits. Oh, not forgetting some waxiness …

Palate: Cracking port and red wine flavours with sugary plums and chocolate – Yummy!

Finish: Dark and spicy with dry wood, treacle and blackcurrant.

Tasting Notes – Spey Fumare Cask Strength Batch 4 (58%)

Casks: Bourbon
Bottles: 1,500

Fumare was the first ever peated distillery bottling from Speyside Distillers, produced from peated barley which the distillery only used for a small amount of time each year. 100% matured in bourbon barrels, non chill-filtered and with no added colouring.

Nose: Woop! Woop! Back to the smokehouse! Smokey peat with sweet treacle and a few hints of antiseptic plus some lemon zest.

Palate: Smokey with deep, sweet peat plus sweet, creamy chocolate, some herbal flavours and powerful peppery antiseptic plus a few shades of mint!

My Favourite On The Night


1. Fumare Cask Strength Batch 4
2. Tenne Cask Strength Batch 4

I Love these new cask strengths and the Fumare Cask at this ABV is off the scale – a great balance of flavours!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great evening and Spey (@SpeySingleMalt) for sending the samples and without whom!

Spey Whiskies are available to buy from these Merchants:-

Innis & Gunn Unveils ‘The Original: XX EDITION’ – A Single Malt Whisky Cask-Matured Beer – 20 Years In The Making!

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The Original: XX EDITION

Innis & Gunn has launched The Original: XX EDITION – to celebrate the Scottish brewer’s 20th anniversary. This special Single Malt Whisky Cask-matured Original has been 20 years in the making, like Innis & Gunn!

Innis & Gunn The Original: XX EDITION has been brewed to celebrate two decades of Innis & Gunn creating truly original, revolutionary beer.

A 7.7% Single Malt Whisky Cask-matured beer, the casks for The Original: XX EDITION were laid down the very year that Innis & Gunn launched, back in 2003. Before being filled with The Original XX brew, these casks had recently brimmed with a deliciously rare and flavourful 20YO Speyside Single Malt!

Before being filled with The Original XX brew, these casks had recently brimmed with a deliciously rare and flavourful 20YO Speyside Single Malt.

Launching The Original way back in 2003 by maturing our beer in single-malt whisky casks seemed like an act of revolution. The interaction of beers with oak had all manner of historic forebears, but it seemed that none of those brewers had wanted the flavour of the oak cask to influence the flavour of the final beer.

I wanted the opposite. After all, if oak of many different provenances and fillings can add such complexity and intrigue to whiskies and wines, then why should the same not be true for beer?

Twenty years after Innis & Gunn’s launch, we are maturing this celebration beer in casks of a twenty-year-old Speyside whisky of real elegance. And we have produced an exceptional union of beer and oak with this limited edition of Innis & Gunn Original.
– Dougal Gunn Sharp: Founder and Master Brewer, Innis & Gunn

This exclusive 20th anniversary celebration brew has a signature smooth body, with moreishness and notes of vanilla, toffee, and spicy oak.

The third beer in Innis & Gunn’s Limited Edition range for 2023, The Original: XX EDITION comes in a gift carton and is available via the Innis & Gunn online shop priced at £6 per 330ml bottle.

Innis & Gunn’s beers push the boundaries of brewing, using innovative techniques, ingredients and oak cask maturing methods. Innis & Gunn’s award-winning portfolio includes the premium Innis & Gunn Lager Beer and the brewer’s flagship ‘The Original’, a single malt whisky cask matured beer, which is unlike any other in today’s beer market.


About Innis & Gunn:

Since its foundation in 2003, Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn has grown to become one of the UK’s most successful craft beer businesses. Using innovative techniques including oak cask maturation, Innis & Gunn brew multi-award-winning beers including the flagship ‘The Original’ and Innis & Gunn Lager Beer, recently awarded at The Great Taste Awards. The brewer’s portfolio also includes a range of IPAs and a line of bespoke limited-edition brews which demonstrate quality, innovation and craft.

Sampling “Dram o’ clock” (Cask No: 9.222) – An SMWS Whisky That’s A Tasty, Gentle Giant Of A Dram!

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“Dram o’ clock” Cask No: 9.222!


The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Black Friday Offer Ends This Sunday!


Save £15 when you buy an SMWS Membership and get a Mystery Malt for £45!

Valid until Sunday 27th. November

Don’t forget an SMWS Membership gives you 12 months of whisky fun and entertainment and included in the Membership fee is access to their Members’ Rooms where there are limited-edition bottles that are just perfect for gifting, sharing and sparking conversation around the dinner table or comfy armchair!

With Twenty whiskies released every month and a selection available online from over 120 distilleries – what is there not to like?

So, with the above fantastic offer in mind I’ve kindly been sent a bottle of one their cask bottlings to try, namely “Dram o’ clock” (Cask No: 9.222) which is a whisky profiled as ‘Juicy Oak & Vanilla’ – and the stock of which has nearly run out!

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

The 9.222

Tasting Notes – “Dram o’ clock” Cask No: 9.222 (62.9%)


“Dram o’ clock”
Cask No: 9.222
13 Years old

Juicy Oak & Vanilla flavour profile

Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
Distillery: Glen Grant
Origin: Scotland
Region: Speyside
ABV: 62.9%

£62.00 – Only 5 left in stock!

Nose: Quite a slow starter on the nose for me. After a little time I get sweet toffee, vanilla and fresh apple. There’s delicate shades of oak and some floral notes for good measure as well.

Palate: Creamy vanilla biscuit coupled with sweet apple and a little citrus.

Finish: A very smooth finish with some muted spice. A woody, dry finish on the palate but it remains sweet and fruity throughout.

Overall: Considering the high ABV of this whisky it is rather a gentle giant of a dram – and that’s quite a tasty achievement!

Adding water turned the ‘alcohol volume’ down somewhat bringing forward many its flavours.

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for sending me a botle to try!

Explore Christmas at the SMWS with these Useful links:-

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Sampling Two Whisky Exchange Exclusives: Glenfarclas 15 & 21 Year Olds – Speyside Whisky Perfection!

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The Glenfarclas 15 & 21 Year Old Whisky Exchange Exclusives!

I’ve been lucky enough to be sent a pair of samples from The Whisky Exchange’s “Exclusives” Range. Namely drams from the great Glenfarclas distillery: a 15 year old bottled at 100º proof (57.1%) and a 21 year old bottled at 95º proof (54.2%)!

The Whisky Exchange has worked with Glenfarclas since the early days of the online retailer, not only selling their great whiskies, but also selecting and bottling single casks and small batches.

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

The Glenfarclas 15 Year Old

Tasting Notes – Glenfarclas 15 Year Old – Whisky Exchange Exclusive (57.1%)

A fruity Glenfarclas single malt bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange after 15 years in sherry-seasoned oak.


Nose: Sweet sherry with plump sultanas and raisins. Then it gets all vanillary with baked apple coated in brown sugar.

Palate: Richly toffee sweet with more plump raisins and that baked, sugared apple detected in the nose makes a welcome appearance!

Finish: Intensely spicy with more fruit leading to a dry finish.

Overall: That ABV is a beast – almost knocked my mouth out! I didn’t try it with water though – I preferred it’s full strength, no-nonsense approach!
£74.95

The Glenfarclas 21 Year Old

Tasting Notes – Glenfarclas 21 Year Old – Whisky Exchange Exclusive (54.2%)

A rich and fruity 21-year-old Glenfarclas single malt bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange after 21 years in oloroso sherry seasoned oak.

Nose: Banofee pie, fresh apples, wisps of tropical fruits. After a spell the nose leads to sugary, plump raisins, creamy toffee, vanilla and sherry – rather nice!

Palate: Gorgeous thick mouthfeel. Sweet cake spices including cinnamon. There’s fruit cake plus, minty, dark chocolate.

Finish: Sweet finish with a lighter spiciness than the 15 year old – but it still makes itself noticed! Pronounced, dry bitterness at the end with some salt.

Overall: Another great Glenfarclas dram!

£125

Many thanks to The Whisky Exchange (@WhiskyExchange) for the tasters!

The Whisky Exchange’s April Fool’s Day Mystery Is Revealed – A 30 Year Old Speyside Whisky!

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The whisky is revelaed as really being 30 years old!

The Whisky Exchange has released an exclusive, extra special whisky for April Fool’s Day. And like the best jokes, it may look simple upon first glance, but there’s a lot going on underneath!

As part of the mystery, the label of the bottle has been printed with an ink sensitive to UV light, hiding details until a torch, included with every purchase, reveals the hidden text.

Just 869 bottles are available to buy!

A visible statement declares ‘Extremely young, I wish I were older’ but on shining the UV light on the label the whisky is revelaed as really being 30 years old!

It is available now until 12pm – or while stocks last!

o 51.7% ABV
o Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
o 30 years old
o Priced at £150
o Just 869 bottles are available to buy!
o Matured in first-fill Bourbon casks

Tasting notes from Billy Abbott, Brand Ambassador at The Whisky Exchange:

Nose: A complex cake to start: layered lemon drizzle and victoria sponge, filled with butter cream. Notes of gummi bear and mint imperial float in around the sides, accompanied by growing pineapple and pear. Spicy notes of black pepper and nutmeg build through the middle, leading to sweet, butterscotch-and-orange-studded sugar cookies.

Palate: The lemons are back and lead the way – lemon drizzle cake topped with candied lemon slices. The gummi bears sit alongside the citrus, joined by spiced spongecake and white chocolate. Sweet cream and milk bottle sweets follow, with slowly developing mint fondant. The leafy and spicy notes round things out, with hint of aniseed and a handful of herbal lozenges.

Finish: Sweet and buttery to start, with aniseed and nutmeg building before fading to leave vanilla butter cookies and a hint of mint cream.

Comment: Don’t let the date fool you – this whisky is not only real, but it shows its true colours in the glass.

Sampling ‘Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms 2nd. Edition – A Dram Of Two Halves – But A Perfect Match!

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The Angels are supporting the Cairngorms Trust!

Grantown-on-Spey based Highfern Ltd have made a donation to the Cairngorms Trust of £1230, raised from sales of the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition, their Speyside Single Cask Scotch Whisky.
This donation will be used by the Cairngorms Trust for environmental and community projects in the Cairngorms National Park.

Cairngorms 2nd Edition

The Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition, a Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, was released by Highfern Ltd in the summer in partnership with the Cairngorms Trust. Whilst the cask is now more or less sold out, a few bottles of this limited edition are still available from the Balliefurth Farm Shop and The Whisky Castle.

Following the success of the project, Angels’ Nectar have announced the release of their Cairngorms 2nd Edition. Whilst every single cask is different, like the previous release this is an 11 years old single cask which has been bottled at 46% and at natural colour, and as before distilled at a speyside distillery in the Cairngorms National Park.

This exclusive dram has an inviting sweet nose with hints of vanilla fudge and floral notes, which opens on the taste to reveal more sweetness, brandy butter and dried tropical fruit. Thanks to the Angels’ share, the cask has given just 146 bottles.

As before a donation from each bottle sold of the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms 2nd Edition will go towards the Cairngorms Trust, whose vision is to encourage sustainable and community led development, which enhances wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation and cultural heritage in the Cairngorms National Park.

Nancy Chambers and Robert Ransom

We are absolutely delighted that Angels’ Nectar are continuing their support to environmental and community projects around the Cairngorms National Park with the release of a second cask of the Cairngorms Edition.
– Nancy Chambers: Cairngorms Trust Manager

Firstly I would like to thank all those who have supported the important work of the Cairngorms Trust via their whisky glass! Looking ahead may we suggest the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms 2nd Edition is the perfect Christmas gift for those who love whisky and the Cairngorms.
– Robert Ransom: Angels’ Nectar Founder

Amongst others the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms 2nd Edition is now available from The Speyside Centre and from Highfern’s own on-line store highfern.com at £79.98 per bottle.

Free upgrade to 1st Class!

Orders placed on highfern.com until the 22nd. December:-
Pay for Royal Mail 2nd Class Signed For & they’ll send Royal Mail 1st Class Signed For!
Hopefully this will help ensure all drams arrive in time!

Robert from Highfern has very kindly sent me a sample (Cheers Robert!)

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes: Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms 2nd. Edition – Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46%)


Nose: Quite buttery with soft toffee, vanilla and white wood. Fresh apple grow and grow and there’s even a little citrusy lime! – It’s a lovely gentle nose that gets more and more tropical the longer it sits in the glass!

Palate: Creamy vanilla toffee with accompanying sweetness coupled with fresh apples and citrus – very fresh and light.

Finish: Gentle spice that blends with the sweeter flavours. This eventually takes over to release a powerful, long, peppery, chilli finish with tanin dryness at the end.

Overall: This dram grows on me as I sip!

It’s a balance of two halves with a refreshing first-half followed by a more fiery, punchy second-half.

A perfect match!

Many thanks to highfern.com (@angelsnectar) for sending me the sample!


· Highfern Ltd are the proprietors of Angels’ Nectar Whisky and importers of Langatun Whisky, Seven Seals Whisky, Smögen Whisky, Strane Gin & Kinghaven Rum. Alongside the Cairngorms Edition, Angels’ Nectar also offer Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Original 40%, Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Rich Peat Edition 46% and Angels’ Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Islay Edition 47%.

· For more on the Cairngorms Trust please see cairngormstrust.org.uk

· Cairngorms National Park: With an area larger than Luxembourg, the Cairngorms National Park, is the UK’s largest National Park, but home to just 18000 people. Endangered wildlife resident in the park include capercaillie, wildcats, golden eagles, and black grouse. Four of the UK’s five highest mountains are in the park. The headwaters of the River Spey are within the park. For more see cairngorms.co.uk and visitcairngorms.com

· For more information about Angels’ Nectar, please see: angelsnectar.co.uk

Sampling Angels’ Nectar ‘Cairngorms’ Edition – The “Angels” Are Helping Protect The UK’s Largest National Park!

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Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition

Grantown-on-Spey based Highfern Ltd have launched their new Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition, a Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Distilled within the Cairngorms National Park, the Cairngorms Edition has been released in partnership with the Cairngorms Trust, to support environmental and community projects in the Cairngorms National Park.

The 11 year old single cask has been bottled at 46% and at natural colour and is a limited edition of just 263 bottles.

Nancy Chambers and Robert Ransom

A donation from each bottle sold will go towards the Cairngorms Trust, whose vision is to encourage sustainable and community led development, which enhances wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation and cultural heritage in the Cairngorms National Park.

Recent projects the Cairngorms Trust have assisted include improving habitat to encourage breeding ospreys and mountain footpath restoration.

We are delighted that Angels’ Nectar have chosen to donate to projects within the Cairngorms through the sales of the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition.
– Nancy Chambers: Cairngorms Trust Manager

For those who are missing the opportunity to get out and about in the Cairngorms this summer, what could be better than enjoying this taste of the Cairngorms at home.
– Robert Ransom: Angels’ Nectar Founder

Amongst others the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition is now available from the Balliefurth Farmshop, the Speyside Centre, and online at whiskycastle.com and Highfern’s own on-line store highfern.com at £68.00 per bottle.

So, what did I think? Robert from Highfern has very kindly sent me a sample (Cheers Robert!)

Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes: Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition – Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46%)


Nose: Honey sweetness, popcorn, red and ginger wine. After a while there’s tropical fruits.

Palate: Syrupy, light, tropical fruits with a vanilla sweetness. Very nice!

Finish: Highly spiced with white wood and the tropical fruit continues. The fiery spice is long with a dry grapefruit finish.

Overall: Quite a peppery punch to this dram – a real surprise!
This is quite a contrast to the sweet tropical flavours that dominate at the beginning.

I really enjoyed this dram and I think it’ll soon sell-out – which is good news for the Cairngorms and an excellent way to help the environment!

The “Angels” Are Helping Protect The Cairngorms!

Many thanks to highfern.com (@angelsnectar) for sending me the sample!


· Highfern Ltd are the proprietors of Angels’ Nectar Whisky and importers of Langatun Whisky, Seven Seals Whisky, Smögen Whisky, Strane Gin & Kinghaven Rum. Alongside the Cairngorms Edition, Angels’ Nectar also offer Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Original 40%, Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Rich Peat Edition 46% and Angels’ Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Islay Edition 47%.

· For more on the Cairngorms Trust please see cairngormstrust.org.uk

· Cairngorms National Park: With an area larger than Luxembourg, the Cairngorms National Park, is the UK’s largest National Park, but home to just 18000 people. Endangered wildlife resident in the park include capercaillie, wildcats, golden eagles, and black grouse. Four of the UK’s five highest mountains are in the park. The headwaters of the River Spey are within the park. For more see cairngorms.co.uk and visitcairngorms.com

· For more information about Angels’ Nectar, please see: angelsnectar.co.uk

Sampling The Glen Moray 21 Year Old Portwood Finish – A Dram Of Two Halves – And Twice The Flavour!

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The Glen Moray 21 Year Old Portwood Finish

I was lucky enough recently to be sent a sample of The Glen Moray 21 Year Old Portwood Finish – A Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky which is a new addition to Glen Moray’s Elgin Heritage Collection.

It is described as a finely tuned balance of American Oak and Port flavours. It’s smoothness being a great example of how the whisky and the Portugese port casks interact leading to a world of flavours after initial maturation in ex-bourbon casks.

The Glen Moray 21 Year Old Portwood Finish retails for approximately £125.00.

Once again, Many thanks to Glen Moray (@GlenMorayDist) for sending the sample!

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Glen Moray 21 Year Old Portwood Finish (46.3%)

Nose: Port, vanilla caramel and some fine plump raisins are present straight away. There’s some green apples with sweet orange and chocolate about midway. Much later on there’s furniture polish and some nice tropical nasalities!

Palate: Quite light in the mouth – there’s sweet port with vanilla, raisins and a little wood.

Finish: BIG spicy pepper hit – much bigger than I expected! Dry at the finish.

Overall: This is very much a dram of two definite halves – sweet fruits tempered by strong spice – I like!!

Add a little water and it’s beautifully thick and creamy. The Chocolate comes through big time and tastes great on the palate!

I would LOVE to try this at Cask strength – then maybe with a little water added – I think it would be dreamy!

Glen Moray is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Sampling The SMWS 36.155: “Marmalade In A Nutshell” – But DON’T Waste It On Toast!

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SMWS 36.155 “Marmalade In A Nutshell”

I’m currently sampling one of The Scotch Malt Whisky Societies’ drams each month which is great fun. It also spreads the dram love out for a little longer instead of binging on them all at once – which is so easy to do!

My second dram-a-month, this month, is their members only SMWS 36.155 “Marmalade In A Nutshell”.

The 36.155 is a Speyside dram, quite sweet but with some nice, spiciness at the end. As usual though, stocks are limited (currently 36) so this dram will soon be taste-bud history!

A sad thing in a way, some may say. But then, in a world where everything is always available 24/7, it’s a real pleasure to savour and enjoy something which is unique and ‘of the moment’ and is not part of the standard uniformity of our consumer orientated lives.

Anyway, enough of the speeches! The SMWS (@SMWSUK) has very kindly sent me a sample to try – thanks guys!

So, what did I think?

Tasting Notes – SMWS 36.155 “Marmalade In A Nutshell” (56.9%)

A Speyside (Benrinnes Distillery) 20 year old, distilled on 15th. August 1997. Matured in a Refill Ex-Bourbon barrel.

185 bottles released.

Nose: Vanilla fudge, mint, orange and apple hit me straight away – right between the nose! Very luscious and creamy.

Palate: Much like the nose really. Luscious, sweet, creamy, fudge and vanilla with some apple and hints of chocolate with a little mint.

Finish: Some dry wood. There’s plenty of power at the end with some nice spice and pepper but it’s the lovely, smooth, creamy vanilla-ness (is that a word?) which is the highlight of this dram.

Overall: I really do like the SMWS offerings – so much flavour, punch and bang for your buck!
This particular dram delivers, once again, on all fronts.
Buy SMWS 336.155 “Marmalade In A Nutshell”
£82.00 to Members


About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Sampling The Whisky Exchange’s Exclusive Bottling – A 1973 Vintage Speyside – Taste Thats 43 Years In The Making!

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Great things come in small Sample bottles!

The Whisky Exchange has once again collaborated with German independent bottler The Whisky Agency to release a 1973-vintage Speyside blended malt whisky, aged for 43 years and bottled in 2017 from a refill sherry butt.

The Speyside Region Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

It is one of a small number of similar casks that have been released recently, all to critical acclaim. They capture a very particular style of early-1970s spirit, which has been allowed to develop slowly over the past five decades, bringing together fruity character from both cask and distillery.

The Whisky Exchange believes it has been matured in a fino sherry butt, rather than the more usual oloroso cask, adding an extra dimension of flavour.

The whisky’s style is incredibly reminiscent of similarly matured whisky from a renowned family-owned distillery, bottles of which sell for many times the price of this excellent release.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!).

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange’s Exclusive Bottling Of A 1973 Vintage Speyside (47.4%)



Distilled: 1973
Age: 43 Years (Matured in a refill sherry butt)
Bottled: 2017 at 47.4%
Price: £399 (70cl.)


Nose: Massive, crisp, crunchy, green apple aromas hit you right out of the glass! There’s Vanilla, fudge and then glorious quantities of tropical fruits.
Following on comes some wood, old waxy polish and there’s a crisp, icing sugar headiness which increases the longer the dram is in the glass. Which wasn’t very long to be honest!

Palate: Bountiful Tropical fruits, hints of cherry and a nice, underlying vanilla creaminess.

Finish: Smooth and sweet with tropical fruitiness and vanilla. Spicy pepper is present to spice things up nicely! A slight dryness at the finish.

Overall: Smooth, creamy and tropical is a quick summary of this most excellent dram.
Getting hold of whiskies this old is getting increasingly difficult and getting hold of one at this price is nigh on impossible.
So if you fancy tasting a dram from a bygone age then this one could be for you!

Tags

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