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Twitter Tasting The Gladstone Axe Malt Whiskies – Sampling At The Edge!

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The Gladstone Axe – which one was my favourite on the night?!

Last Wednesday nights @TweetTastings, hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, gave us the opportunity to sample the two styles available from The Gladstone Axe!

The malts sampled were:-

  • The Gladstone Axe “American Oak”
  • The Gladstone Axe “The Black Axe”

Fine wine and spirits company, Biggar and Leith recently launched The Gladstone Axe Malt Whisky and it is named after four-times Prime Minister, William Gladstone.

The whisky is a modern twist on classic Scotch and the two expressions in the range – American Oak and The Black Axe – are both bottled in iconic bottles which tells the story of William Gladstone, but in a contemporary way.

The whiskies have been carefully selected from the Highlands and Islay to create two easy-drinking smooth blends made up of 14 single malts and were created in honour of William Gladstone by his great-great-great Grandson, Elwyn Gladstone, Founder of Biggar and Leith and Malfy Gin.

Gladstone Axe Whisky – American Oak and The Black Axe!

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #TheGladstoneAxe on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – The Gladstone Axe “American Oak” Blended Malt Whisky (41%)


The Gladstone Axe American Oak is aged and finished in American Oak Bourbon barrels and blended from whiskies from 14 different Highland and Islay single malt distilleries.


Nose: Creamy toffee and vanilla, woody oak and all coupled with buttery popcorn.

Palate: A thin mouthfeel with some sweet popcorn and vanilla toffee. I was also getting quite a new-make spirit vibe with this dram.

Finish: Smooth, light finish with quite a peppery spice as well as very inviting savoury pastry!

Overall: Quite untamed with an attractive rough n’ ready palate!

Tasting Notes – The Gladstone Axe “The Black Axe” Blended Malt Whisky (41%))


The Black Axe has a higher proportion of Islay malts to add just a touch of smoky character!


Nose: Buttery popcorn (as before) but this time with wood and a little smoke!

Palate: A light dram. Sweet vanilla toffee with liquid smoke and wisps of licorice.

Finish: Black treacle blended with some spicy chilli punch ending in tobacco dryness and a little sulphur.

Overall: Of the two The Black Axe is nicest taken neat – I think because of the subtle smokiness (which I’m a sucker for!)

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 2, I think it’s got to be the The Gladstone Axe “The Black Axe” but both these drams will make an excellent choice as mixer whiskies!

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

The Gladstone Axe range is available from:-

Instagram: @gladstoneaxe

Website (coming soon): gladstoneaxe.com

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @MaltMusings @ReviewsWhisky @sprungatom @CEVokins @MrEdwardMilner @whiskeychap @FiShoop @AndyatDram @StillSurreal @WhiskyWings @whiskyRubhach @FreshPrinceRob @SpiritAndWood @MaltBox @Jotterface @RealDramRob @WhiskynWhiskers @LeedsWine @ForTheDram @Sake_Baku @WhiskyWithMolly @GentlemanGrimm @rodbodtoo

The Glasgow Distillery Tweet Tasting – An Enlightening Take On Familiar Spirits!

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The Glasgow Distillery lineup!

We celebrated the 200th. @TweetTastings last Wednesday and as always for the last 10 years, it was ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire.

For this special occasion we had the honour of sampling some of the Glasgow Distilleries portfolio of products.

The spirits sampled were:-

  • Glasgow Distillery Makar Dry Gin (alone & with Indian Tonic Water)
  • Glasgow Distillery G52 Vodka (alone & with Indian Tonic Water)
  • Glasgow Distillery Banditti Club Rum (alone & with Ginger Beer)
  • Glasgow Distillery 1770 Whisky

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #GlasgowDistillery on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery Makar Dry Gin (43%)


Makar Original Dry Gin, which takes its name from the Scots word for poet, is the first gin to be distilled in the city of Glasgow. It’s distilled in small batches in their copper pot still, called Annie!

A juniper led gin, made with seven botanicals, including angelica root, liquorice, coriander seed, lemon peel, rosemary, black peppercorns and cassia bark.

Nose: Nice lemon and really prominent lime citrus hit straight off! Lime seems to increase in strength as you nose! This is coupled with inviting icing sugar sweetness and black pepper.

Palate: Thick, pleasing mouthfeel with bitter lemon and spicy pepper and ginger.

Palate with mixer: Even more lemon now it’s got tonic in! It also brings out pine, sweet boiled lemon sweets and rose!

Overall: A superb gin, full of flavour and very unique!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery G52 Vodka (40%)


G52 Botanical Vodka Fresh Citrus, was inspired by the merchant past on which Glasgow was built. Distilled and produced using 100% natural and fresh ingredients.

Produced using botanicals including fresh grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, rosehip and spicy fresh ginger.

Nose: Seriously tropical – Starburst in a glass – explosions of lime, strawberry and orange – can’t believe it’s vodka! Zesty, fruity and sweet.

Palate: Very similar to the nose – lots & lots of lemon, lime and icing sugar with grapefruit thrown in!

Palate with mixer: Goes well with the mixer – dials down the sweetness a bit and adds some bite to it!

Overall: Is this a vodka in gins clothing? Whatever, ’tis very nice!
Available to buy from this Merchant:-

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery Banditti Club Rum (44%)


The Banditti Club were a company of bold rogues who would meet in Glasgow’s local public houses; singing, eating and playing music late into the night.

Matured and spiced in Glasgow, made using rum distilled from freshly pressed sugar cane juice on the Island of Madeira and aged for up to 12 months in oak casks, and spiced with a selection of fresh tropical fruit and exotic spices, including pineapple, orange, cacao and allspice.

Nose: Creamy vanilla, sugary cinnammon, fennel, cloves, chocolate and licourice! Liquid stollen cake!

Palate: Well that’s different! Quite astringent with creamy vanilla, ginger cake / stollen cake and a massive spicy pepper hit. Shades of cloves, cinnammon and also wondering if it’s time to put the Christmas tree up yet – now where did I put those baubles?!

Palate with mixer: What a wholesome drink with the mixer added – it could replace a meal – A spicy ginger sensation!

Overall: I think I could drink this all night!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery 1770 Whisky (46%)


1770 Whisky Rich & Smoky, matured in virgin oak barrels, before being finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

Produced using malted barley which has been smoked with the aromatic heather-rich peat of the Scottish Highlands, and the exceptionally pure water of Loch Katrine.

Nose: Ooh! Gorgeous smokey nose, burning firewood and throwing peat on the fire! Add in some black treacle and sweet coastal wood and it’s a nose to linger over!

Palate: Very satisfying – smokey, BBQ, with sweet peat and more besides including caramel and orange!

Finish: Sweet, spicy, smokey finish that makes you go looking for savoury snacks!

Overall: Adding water levels things out a little but I’m a ‘neat’ man for this dram. I could curl up with this dram any day of the week that has a ‘y’ in it!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Such a different take on familiar spirits but Out of the 4, I think Makar Dry Gin wins it for me with 1770 Whisky coming a very close second!

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

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @Whisky_And1 @whiskeychap @SpiritAndWood @Jotterface @WhiskyAlly @WhiskyResource @thedramble @ocdwhisky @MrEdwardMilner @ScotchB78 @AndyatDram @AndWhiskey4All @MaltBox @WhiskyWings @whisky_jamie @WhiskyGeekPete @whiskyrover @MaltMusings @rodbodtoo @2rumheads @LeaskPatrick @Whiskyviewer @FiShoop

Glasgow Distillery products are available to buy from these Merchants:-

Sampling Lambay Whiskey – Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day The ‘Island’ Way!

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The Lambay Malt Irish Whiskies!

To celebrate St. Patricks’s Day Lambay Whiskey was the subject of last Monday nights @TweetTastings.

Steve from The Whisky Wire guided us through two Irish Whiskies:-

  • Lambay Malt Irish Whiskey
  • Lambay Single Cask Strength Irish Whiskey

The Lambay Whiskey Brand was inspired by Cyril Camus, President of Maison Camus; an independent Cognac house since 1863, which remains one of the last family owned cognac houses.

Camus previously created the world’s first maritime matured cognac, Ille De Ré. Having explored the impact of maritime conditions on these casks and seeing how the Irish whiskey category was growing he wanted to create a truly unique Irish whiskey with a cognac cask finish, using the influence of the sea in maturation.

Partnering with his friend Alexander Baring, the owner of privately owned Lambay island, located in the Irish Sea off the coast of north County Dublin, they converted the old lifeguard boathouses into what are now bonded warehouses for their casks.

Lambay island is private nature reserve and was chosen because it is always a few degrees warmer than the mainland and right on the gulf stream. It has the highest portion of sea spray aerosols in Europe making it perfect for cask maturation in their bonded warehouse.
(Apologies to Steve for pinching his notes!)

There is also an opportunity to WIN a Lambay Small Batch Gift Set for you and a friend!

For more details go to thewhiskywire.com and get entering!

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #LambayWhiskey on Twitter.

AND we managed to trend 9th. on Twitter in Ireland – a great finish for our St. Patrick’s Day Tasting!

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Lambay Malt Irish Blended Whiskey (43%)


Available from Lambays’s online store for €50.00

A blend of single malts that are both double and triple distilled. Matured in bourbon barrels for at least three years, before being finished in cognac casks from the renowned Maison Camus.

Lambay Malt Irish Whiskey, was the result of a complex process of consistent testing back and forth to ensure the light and delicate notes of the bourbon cask matured single malts weren’t overtaken or dominated by the cognac cask finish.

Lambay Island’s own volcanic Trinity Well water was added at the final stage of finishing before bottling.

Nose: A little tropical with a big slice o’ banoffee pie! Popcorn, creamy vanilla, apples and cereal notes. Lemon, citrus and oak also make an appearance. After a time some nice porty aromas appear – which was nice!

Palate: Creamy, vanilla custard, with hints of tropical fruit. Some growing popcorn and refreshing rose water.

Finish: Punchy pepper with a little chocolate I think. The sweet tropical flavours are still there though.

Overall: All-in-all a very sippable dram – plenty going on!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Lambay Single Cask Strength – Cask 4613 – Irish Single Malt Whiskey (56.5%)

Limited to 400 bottles and launching April 1st. via their online store, for a RRP of €120.00

Initially matured in bourbon barrels for four years, before being finished in cognac casks from Maison Camus for three years.

The Lambay Single Cask Strength bottlings, are from the earliest casks laid down on Lambay back in 2018. Twenty casks were set aside for their Barrel Program and Cask 4613 is the fourth cask release and the only one so far released to the public.

Camus are known for their rich aromatic cognacs, but the casks Lambay use are not always old, as the younger casks are higher in sweet compounds, rather than the deeper rancios notes that you get from the older casks.

Nose: Slow burner me thinks … patience required … So, vanilla toffee, floral loveliness, honey and stewed fruits – a great nose!

Palate: Rich, intense, cane sweetness with tropical flavours and banana. There’s glorious licorice & fennel – very unusual – and it had all the tweeters harking back to the childhood sweets they used to love!

Finish: Very sweet finish with fiery pepper fighting it all the way!

Overall: A very interesting and tasty dram – I’d be curious to know if further releases from their earlier casks produce these types of flavours!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 2, I think it’s got to be the Lambay Single Cask Strength – such an unusual tasty dram that makes me want to come back for more!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great evening and Lambay Whiskey (@LambayWhiskey) for sending the generous samples!

Many thanks to Lambay Whiskey for sending such generous samples!

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @whiskeychap @WhiskyWings @whiskyrover @SpiritAndWood @WhiskyGeekPete @MrEdwardMilner @whiskyRubhach @ReviewsWhisky @WhiskyApocalyps @Whisky_And1 @houstonbrian @FiShoop @Sav70 @whiskey_paddy @Jamiewronan @Teachmor1 @sekurumbudzi @stepheny7168 @dram_gazette @antheocy @ManyMilesWhisky @_PMcDermott @HelenORahilly @StillTripleDist @missjudithboyle @ultanfinegan @DavidMarra @MaltyMission

Sampling Penderyn Whisky For The St. David’s Day Tweet Tastings – What Could Be Better?

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The Penderyn ‘Gold’ Collection!

To celebrate St. David’s Day, the Welsh Distillery of Penderyn Whisky was the subject of Monday nights @TweetTastings!

On the night, Steve from The Whisky Wire, guided us through Penderyn’s “Gold” Collection which consisted of:-

  • Penderyn Madeira Finish
  • Penderyn Rich Oak
  • Penderyn Sherrywood
  • Penderyn Portwood
  • Penderyn Peated

The Penderyn Distillery, which launched in 2000, is located in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales.

Penderyn uses single copper-pot stills for its distillation, which creates a spirit at an industry high of 92%. These stills were created by Dr. David Faraday, descendent of the ground-breaking Victorian scientist, Michael Faraday.

In 2014, Penderyn also commissioned a pair of Scottish-style ‘lantern’ stills (producing spirit at around 67%) to allow them to experiment with new whiskies.

Penderyn proudly boasts an all-female distilling team. Led by Ditillery Manager Laura Davies, along with Blender Aista Jukneviciute and Trainee Distiller Bethan Morgans.

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #PenderynWhisky on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Penderyn Madeira Finish (46%)

Penderyn Madeira Finish: 46% ABV – Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Available from their
online store for £41.82 (inc delivery)

The original Penderyn ‘house style’, initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels (Buffalo Trace) and finished in ex-Madeira wine casks.

Nose: Juicy, crisp green apples with toffee, cereal, a little banana and citrus. There are shades of wood and later on strong aromas of fruit salad sweets which is very welcome!

Palate: Those green apples coming through – quite a sweet dram.

Finish: A little vanilla and then a sharp, intense, peppery finish.

Overall: Pleasant dram with tasty fruits and toffee.
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Penderyn Rich Oak (46%)

Penderyn Rich Oak: 46% ABV – Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Available from their online store for £48.00 (inc delivery)

Matured in a combination of specially selected ex-bourbon (Buffalo Trace) and rejuvenated oak casks.

Nose: Creamy toffee, sultanas and apples with some nice orange and cherry. It’s waxy with aromas reminiscent of old books.

Palate: Toffee, some apple and very spicy with fruity, creamy, strawberry tang!

Finish: More spice and it all goes together very nicely!

Overall: A fuller dram with more rich flavours than the Madeira Finish.

Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Penderyn Sherrywood (46%)

Penderyn Sherrywood: 46% ABV – Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Available from their online store for £45.28 (inc delivery)

Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels (Buffalo Trace) and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Nose: Slow to impart for me this one … A little indistinct with hints of floral, some familiar toffee and cereal but sadly, no sherry aromas.

Palate: Palate is much better than the nose. Some nice toffee notes, very buttery.

Finish: A snappy, peppery finish!

Overall: Not for me sadly but a lot of the other twitter tasters on the night gave it a big thumbs-up! I’ll have to give it another go sometime soon.
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Penderyn Portwood (46%)

Penderyn Portwood: 46% ABV – Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Available from their online store for £62.60 (inc delivery)

Initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels (Buffalo Trace) and finished in ex-port casks.


Nose: Port washed fruits and woody aromas – very nice! I’m getting strawberry creams, melted toffee and those fruit salad sweets from earlier are making another appearance but this time cherries have joined them!

Palate: Very sweet and jamy – rather lovely in fact! Bramble jam and sweet port (all jams on toast should be required to have it like that!) with some lovely tropical fruit flavours in the background.

Finish: Smooth and sweet to the last with no real discernable spiciness. Saying that it’s perfectly palatable and not over-sweet at all.

Overall: Glorious dram with lots of aroma and flavour. Highly recommended!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Penderyn Peated (46%)

Penderyn Peated: 46% ABV – Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Available from their online store for £47.77 (inc delivery)

Initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels (Buffalo Trace) for between 5-8 years, before being finished in ex-Laphroaig casks for several months.

Nose: Yum! Smokehouse rules! Lovely ‘liquid’ smoke with an absract of peat and sweet lemon. In there as well is buttery popcorn and burnt sugar.

Palate: Subtle blend of sweet fruits (lemon) and smokiness – very palatable indeed!

Finish: Buttery, enjoyable finish – again, no pepper but that’s okay!

Overall: A very nice peated dram – very accessable to those new to peated whiskies – and, to be honest, very palatable to those who are well-versed in peated whiskies!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 5, I think it’s got to be the Penderyn Portwood – I nearly went for the Peated but the Portwood was a nicely balanced revelation!

Many thanks to Penderyn for providing their drams!

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

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @thedramble @whisky_jamie @StillSurreal @whiskyrover @InverurieWhisky @DistilleryBikes @PhilScott101 @newdramrising @VJOsgood @whiskywings @WhiskyUnplugged @whiskeychap @LeedsWine @jwbassman_ @Whiskyviewer @WhiskysideO @MashtunandMeow @MrEdwardMilner @rodbodtoo @CEVokins @samdrinkswhisky @SpiritAndWood @jenkaloid

Penderyn is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tweet Tasting Bowmore’s Whiskies – ‘Timeless’ – But (With Drams This Good) How Can We Live Normal Lives Now?!

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Bowmore – Legendary, Timeless!

I was lucky enough to take part in the recent Bowmore ‘Timeless’ @TweetTastings – and it was truly Legendary!

Once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, we were also joined on the night by David Turner, Distillery Manager at Bowmore, who imparted his wisdom!

The malts sampled were:-

  • Bowmore 12 Years Old
  • Bowmore 15 Years Old
  • Bowmore 18 Years Old
  • Bowmore ‘Timeless Series’ 27 Years Old
  • Bowmore ‘Timeless Series’ 31 Years Old

Bowmore was the first licensed Islay distillery, and has stood on the shores of Lochindaal, a sea loch opening out into the wild Atlantic Ocean, since 1779.

The distillery still operates in traditional ways, honouring the origin whisky-making techniques, refining their craft for over 240 years.

Bowmore uses the soft fresh water from the nearby River Laggan, barley malted in their proprietary malt barns and perfectly-timed fermentation periods with a cocktail of cultivated yeast to produce their single malt.

The Malt Barns are hand crafted, the tradition has been handed down through generations. It’s an art of time, turning the Barley by hand for 7 days. The tropical fruits Bowmore is well known for start out in the Malt Barns and get carried through the process to the whisky.

The Mash is run very slowly, stirring a maximum 3 times in 5 hours and 30 minutes which gives a nice semi-clear wort. This is what brings the fruity flavours through from the Malt Barns.

Fermentations are for 66 hours, using two different yeasts to give the Fermentation the flavours Bowmore requires.

The Spirit Stills are also run slowly – 16 litres per minute from each Spirit Still. This is to ensure only the finest and lightest of flavours carry over the neck of the Stills and into the Condensers and Spirit Safe.

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #BowmoreTimeless on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Bowmore 12 Years Old (40%)

Bowmore 12 Year Old: Matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Oloroso Sherry casks. The oloroso sherry casks come from Bodega Jose y Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain.

Nose: Peaty smoke with lovely coastal aromas – creamy vanilla with hints of citrus.

Palate: Sweet and pleasantly smokey which makes it very sippable! Zesty lemon and some floral notes.

Finish: A dry spicy finish with yummy peppery bite!

Overall: Lovely sipping dram with some great floral and smokey flavours!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Bowmore 15 Years Old (43%)

Initially matured in a combination of 12 years in Bourbon barrels and finished for 3 years in 1st. fill Oloroso Sherry casks.

Nose: Mmm, creamy sherry – completely different to the twelve! Raisins, plump fruits, dusky polish and very faint hints of strawberry! Plenty of toffee, toffee, toffee as time passes and this dram also gets smokier after a good long sit in the glass!

Palate: Ooh! Nicely sherried with plenty of fruit! Some smokey backburner action going on as well!

Finish: A spicy finish with blackcurrant & chocolate.

Overall: A big step-up from the twelve and a great dram to boot! As often is the case, the 15 of any range is a good compromise between taste (of an 18) and price-point (of a 12).
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Bowmore 18 Years Old (43%)

Matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Oloroso Sherry casks.


Nose: Very fruity with plump blackcurrant. There’s more tropical fruitiness and also dusky roominess & furniture polish ‘Liquid’ smoke & toffee!

Palate: Very smooth and creamy with tropical fruits to the fore! There’s some dark chocolate and blackcurrants as well.

Finish: Growing smokiness with salt and increasing spicy pepper. Slightly medicinal at the end.

Overall: A classy dram with rich flavours of tropical fruits, chocolate and smokiness!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Bowmore 27 Years Old (52.7%)

Bowmore Timeless Series 27 Year Old: Limited to 3,000 bottles – Now available from specialist retailers, with a RRP of £1,500.00.

Initially matured in a combination of Sherry casks and Bourbon barrels for 15 years, before being matured for a further 12 years in first-fill Oloroso butts.

Bottled at natural Cask Strength of 52.7%, non-chill filtered and natural colour.

Shaped by centuries of skill and tradition, it’s single malt harnesses the power of it’s history in every single drop.

The Timeless Series reflects this legacy, celebrating the timeless creation, as patience and dedication combine with an unwavering attention to detail.

Bowmore are continually seeking different ways to bring their story to life and drive intrigue, as well as desirability. The Timeless Series supports this approach but also offers the consumer a limited edition proposition with the most exceptional single malt.

Nose: Rich, cane sweetness married with tropical fruits and loads of toffee! Heavy, stewed fruits, a little blackcurrant & loads of love! It’s woody, dusty, rich, creamy, chocolatey and timeless!

Palate: Rich, satisfying, mouthfeel with Chocolate, heavily stewed fruits & more chocolate! Blackcurrant, sweet vanilla toffee & tobacco.

Finish: Spicy pepper leads us out accompanied by that glorious stewed fruit sweetness.

Overall: A Very different dram, to me, than the 31 year old. A Fantastic flavour extravaganza though and an experience to be cherished!

Tasting Notes – Bowmore 31 Years Old (45.4%)

Limited to 3,000 bottles and available exclusively through Global Travel Retail for a RRP of £1,725.00

Initially matured in Bourbon barrels for 28 years, before being matured for a further 3 years in Spanish Oak Matusalem Sherry seasoned butts.

Inspired by the classic hourglass shape, each Timeless Series edition is housed in a distinctive black box.

Inside the bottle sits alongside an hourglass, designed to encourage the drinker to turn it and allow nature’s gravity to release the grains of sand into the base of the hourglass.

This gives three precious minutes to enjoy the nose of this beautifully balanced masterpiece that has taken decades to perfect.

Nose: Creamy, sweet vanilla with hints of background smoke. Dusky, oaky, old leather, tropical fruits including pineapple – WoW!

Palate: Very floral (rosewater) and amazingly so! Distinctive parma violets, pineapple & other lovely tropicalness.

Finish: Much the same with just a hint of pepper to increase the joy!

Overall: The 27 and 31 are heady drams and I defy anyone to say they don’t like them! They are an amazing taste bud experience and I wish the samples allowed me to spend more time with them. As ever, they ran out all too soon but I certainly won’t forget them!

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 5, I think it’s got to be the Bowmore 27 Years Old – just stunning!.

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) and Bowmore (@bowmore) for providing such glorious, special drams!

Many thanks to Bowmore for providing such glorious, special drams!

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @thedramble @TheWhiskyphiles @ocdwhisky @MaltMusings @rodbodtoo @WhiskyWings @Whiskylassie @MarkBylok @GreatDrams @joewb69 @KristianeSherry @cowfish @Whiskyexperts @PosDrinking @MoodieDavitt @MashtunandMeow @MrEdwardMilner @LaCaveDeCobalt @ChrisMCoates @ShayWaterworth @char_mcmanus @EdinburghWhisky @TheTRBusiness @T_M_Insider

Bowmore is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Sampling The Dalmore ‘Four’ – Including Their New “Sherry Cask Select” Whisky!

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The Dalmore ‘Four’!

Last Sunday night I had the pleasure of attending another @TweetTastings, courtesy of Steve from The Whisky Wire.

The Dalmore was the distillery in question and we had the pleasure of sampling four of their range.

They were:-

  • The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select
  • The Dalmore Cigar Malt
  • The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve
  • The Dalmore King Alexander III

We were also fortunate to be joined on the night by Stephen Martin (@shakenstephen) who is Global Single Malt Whisky Specialist for Whyte & Mackay.

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #TheDalmore on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select (43%)

Initially matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, before being finished in casks that previously held Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry.

It is designed to push the boundaries of what is possible in whisky production and the art of cask curation.

Available from October! (rrp £69.99)

Nose: Beloved old wood & furniture polish! Stewed, sherried fruits and creamy vanilla sweetness. Crisp n’ crunchy green apples.

Palate: Sweet sherry, creamy chocolate, vanilla and a smidgen of cherries on the palate!

Finish: Creamy with rich fruits & spicy black pepper – very warming and satisfying!

Overall: A great dram, it has all the classic hallmarks of a Dalmore and should be a worthy addition to The Dalmore range.

Will Be Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – The Dalmore Cigar Malt (44%)

Initially matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, with a small proportion remaining in the casks. The rest being transferred into a combination of Gonzalez Byass sherry casks which have previously contained 30 year old Matusalem oloroso sherry and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques.

Master Distiller for Cigar Malt Reserve, Richard Paterson (@the_nose) said: “The body, structure and character of this extraordinary expression is the perfect complement to a fine cigar.”


Nose: Orange and furniture polish with pencil shavings thrown on the floor! Fruity & caramel aromas come along later.

Palate: Quite oily and buttery – sweet but not overpowering with rich chocolate.

Finish: Some sharp spiciness to jiggle those taste buds!

Overall: ’tis a nicely balanced dram. As for going well with a cigar I’ll have to take up smoking!

Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve (46.5%)

Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred into a combination American white oak casks and aged Tawny Port pipes from W & J Graham’s vineyard in Portugal.

Nose: Red wine with a healthy slug of portiness. Again, there’s that furniture polish and pencil shavings thing goin’ on! Getting more of the chocolate with this one. It’s also fruity with some apples & blackcurrant.

Palate: Spiciness to the fore – and cracking with it! Smooth with nice flavours of chocolate, porty fruits and hints of liquorice.

Finish: Lots of peppery spice ending with quite a tannin dryness.

Overall: A great dram with some finely balanced spice and fruitiness.
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – The Dalmore King Alexander III (40%)

Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, before being transferred into a combination of ex-bourbon casks Matusalem oloroso sherry casks, Madeira barrels, Marsala casks, Port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques.

Nose: Slow to give of it’s secrets this one – it demands patience! Plasticine & old school rooms. Along comes caramel, orange and chocolate but not so pronounced as the other drams. There’s a little bit of mint bit and nice tropical aromas after quite a sit in the glass.

Palate: Orange, rich fruits, creamy chocolate, tropical flavours and some mintiness as well!

Finish: Glorious tempered spice which gives way to some woodiness and shades of liquorice.

Overall: That’s very smooth – not even a hint of harshness! It’s not a cheap dram but it is like a luxury car: beautifully balanced, comfortable, relaxing and you never want the journey to end!

Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Even though the King Alexander III is superb, out of the four drams, I think it’s got to be the The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select. It’s incredibly tasty and taking price-point in consideration as well, the best all-rounder on the night.

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

The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select is Available from October!

My fellow Tweeters were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @MaltMusings @whiskeychap @TheWhiskyNovice @rodbodtoo @ReviewsWhisky @2rumheads @whiskyrover @dvdbloke @WhiskyWings @StillSurreal @WhiskynStuff @MrMDMaloney @PoshScotch @DramofWar @somewhiskybloke @SplashyWine @PhilScott101 @Jotterface @FiShoop @SpiritAndWood @JasonGilluley @LeedsWine @AK_The_Great @bogstandarddram @dram_gazette @LaCaveDeCobalt

Sampling Bermuda’s Finest – Goslings Rum!

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Bermuda’s Finest – Goslings Rum!

Wednesday nights @TweetTastings, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, gave us the opportunity to sample Bermuda’s very own Goslings Rum.

In the spring of 1806 James Gosling, the oldest son of William Gosling, wines and spirits merchant, set out from Gravesend, Kent, England on the ship Mercury, with £10,000 sterling worth of merchandise, bound for America.

After ninety-one desperate days on becalmed seas their charter ran out and they put in at the nearest port, St. George’s, Bermuda. This is where their Rum story began.

In 1857, the firm then known as Gosling and Son, was renamed Gosling Brothers. In 1860 the first oak barrels of rum distillate arrived in Bermuda.

After much experimentation in the blending process, their distinctive black rum which would eventually become Black Seal was formulated and offered for sale.

As part of our tasting, the Rums sampled were:-

  • Goslings Rum Black Seal
  • Goslings Rum Gold Seal
  • Goslings Rum Family Reserve
  • Goslings Rum 151 Proof Black Seal

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #GoslingsRum on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Goslings Rum – ‘Black Seal’ (40%)

Made from a Gosling’s family recipe dating back over two centuries. A blend of 3 to 6 year old pot and continuous still rums, made from molasses and aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

Black Seal Rum takes its name from the black wax that was originally used to seal the bottles, but now there’s an actual black seal on the label.

Nose: Amazing colour – and bursting with fruits and muscovado sugar!
VERY ripe bananas with malt loaf, molasses and black treacle. Add in golden syrup and blackcurrant and you’ve got a recipe book!
There’s also a little liquorice and mint (which I get hints of in a lot of nosings!)

Palate: Creamy rum with sugary explosions – lots of treacle, malt and sweet blackcurrant.

Finish: Pleasantly peppery with quite a dry leather finish.

Overall: An excellent rum which tastes fantastic, even without a mixer. A fantastic drink is their Dark’n Stormy illustrated below.


There is also a very handy ready-to-drink Goslings Dark’n Stormy, available from Waitrose.

Goslings Rum is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Goslings Rum – ‘Gold Seal’ (40%)

A blend of 3 to 5 year old pot and continuous still rums, made from molasses and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Released in 2016, Goslings Gold Seal Rum was the first new product to be launched by the brand in over 100 years.

Nose: A little shy this one – but I’m getting popcorn which seems very similar to new-make whiskey to me.

Palate: Creamy vanilla with some white wood and pleasant spiciness – it tastes more like a dram than a rum!

Overall: Wasn’t that thrilled with this one to be honest – more like a rum trying to be a whisky which I couldn’t quite get.
Though the other Tweeters were well impressed with this one so it’s very much a matter of taste. I was well advised that this is another good one for pairing with Ginger Ale!

Goslings Rum is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Goslings ‘Family Reserve’ (40%)

A blend of 16 to 21 year old pot and continuous still rums, made from molasses and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. This should be tasted last really but the 151 might blow those tastebuds away!

Nose: Big citrus hit! Bags of tangerines, pineapple and lemons! Add in bananas, liquid treacle, liquorice, stewed fruits, creamy vanilla fudge, waxy furniture – have I left anything out? Probably!
I could nose this till Christmas!

Palate: Ooh! That’s so smooth and creamy. Lovely tropical fruits with vanilla and Xmas cake fruits with added banana and all the treacly trimmings!

Finish: Oaky dryness on the finish – superb – sure makes me wish it was a magic sample!

Overall: This is a ‘sipper’ and no mistake – don’t ruin this in a coctail. Enjoy as it was meant to be enjoyed – on it’s own.

Goslings Rum is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Goslings Rum – ‘151 Proof’ (75.5%)

Uses the same blend of 3-6 year old pot and continuous still rums as the standard Black Seal bottling, but bottled at a higher ABV – 75.5%!

Nose: Seems quietly understated – luring us in eh? Light molasses, banana and some herbiness but be careful of that alcohol burn!

Palate: Well it’s a kicker for sure but very flavoursome – that is before my taste buds surrendered! There’s Xmas cake, treacle and vanilla. Adding water smoothes this along quite considerably and allows the flavours to be appreciated without the bulldozing alcohol.

Finish: A savoury finish that almost feels like I’ve had a meal!

Overall: This rum has a considerable alcohol strength but it’s not as bad as a whisky of a similar strength. An experience to be sure but some water addition is really a necessity.

Goslings Rum is available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 4, I think it’s got to be the Goslings Rum Family Reserve followed by the 151 Proof – a great taste but but even with water added my taste buds may never forgive me!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TweetTastings) for a great evening and Goslings Rum (@TheBlackSeal) for sending the samples and without whom!

My fellow Tweeters were:-


@GaryMills01 @TheArtpunk @iheartwhisky @LeedsWine @MashtunandMeow @FiShoop @Whisky_And1 @rumcompass @PhilScott101 @rodbodtoo @MaltMusings @JasonGilluley @RUMDOTLV @thedramble @T_M_Cocktails @JoBlogsRum @Ardbaggie @ocdwhisky @2rumheads @The_Lady_Sybil @TheWhiskyphiles @RumDiariesBlog @SpiritAndWood @whiskywings

It’s A Rum Do! Sampling El Dorado’s Range Of Rums – Yum!

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El Dorado Rum – Yum!

I’m a newbie to Rum so last Wednesday nights @TweetTastings was a great opportunity for me to get my taste buds around this product. One which is getting extremely popular these days.

The rum in question was El Dorado Rums which are the only range of rums to be made from 100% Demerara sugar.

Demerara Distillers, the home of El Dorado Rum, has over 300 years of experience of sugar and rum production and have been integral to the history of British Naval Rum.

El Dorado rums are blended from batches of rums from different stills; Wooden Coffey Still, Wooden Pot Still (world’s only remaining) and French Savalle Still. They are then aged in American oak (Jack Daniel’s) barrels.

The Rums sampled were:-

  • El Dorado Rum 3 Year Old
  • El Dorado Rum 5 Year Old
  • El Dorado Rum 12 Year Old
  • El Dorado Rum 15 Year Old
  • El Dorado Rum 21 Year Old

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #ElDoradoRum on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 3 Year Old (40%)

Cask Aged Demerara Rum from Guyana.

A clear rum, the colour of which is achieved by being filtered through charcoal. That seemed a bit of a strange thing to do to me but there you go!

Nose: Quite new-makey-spirit type aroma with popcorn featuring heavily. Sugary with hints of mashed bananas.

Palate: Mmm … that’s very much like new-make-spirit. Popcorn and a very ‘young’ palate with lots of raw alcohol.

Overall: Bit too ‘neat’ alcohol and young for me. It needs to develop and round off a bit more for me to enjoy it neat. It would be great as a mixer though – bring on those cocktails!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 5 Year Old (40%)

Cask Aged Demerara Rum from Guyana.


Nose: A sweeter aroma with more tropical fruits than the 3YO. It slowly opens up to release vanilla fudge, creamy caramel, coffee and burnt sugar.

Palate: Very smooth with caramel and some cheeky spice!

Finish: A liitle tropical fruitiness with very dry grapefruit on the finish.

Overall: Much tastier than the 3 year old but I think I’d still be tempted to cocktail this – maybe I’m being too harsh?
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 12 Year Old (40%)

El Dorado Rum 12 Year Old, recently won Gold at the 2019 World Rum Awards, in the category for Pot and Column Still rums aged 11 years and over.

Nose: Plump raisins and port aromas with vanilla, leather and polish. After a while there’s juicy cherries and dark chocolate. I think this would develop more if I gave it time – but that’s not going to happen me thinks!

Palate: Oh! That IS nice!! So smooth with creamy vanilla, chocolate and molasses.

Finish: Plump raisins and hints of Xmas cake but it’s also got some very nice spice at the finish. Not too peppery though.

Overall: This is very nice – very sippable and one to savour and enjoy on it’s own.
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 15 Year Old (43%)

Nose: Initially very similar to the 12YO – plump raisins and port aromas with vanilla caramel. Burnt sugar and honey are also very prominent.

Palate: Very rich & smooth! Cherries, sweet caramel, chocolate! Who could complain?

Finish: Getting lots of chocolate with hints of orange and even a little mint I think …

Overall: Another classy rum this. Getting smoother and more refined as we get older. Plenty to offer – much to give!

Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 21 Year Old (43%)

Produced using a blend of rums, aged from between 21 and 25 years of age

Nose: Antique leather, toffee, fudge, honey and chocolate. And don’t forget those cherries!

Palate: Similar to the 15 year old – Gorgeous alcohol infused cherries, plump raisins, caramel and chocolate but with a greater depth and old-worldiness about it!

Finish: “The cherry is strong in this one …” I also got tastes of blackcurrant Ribena which was very intriguing!

Overall: Real quality here. But I think I only touched the surface with regards to aromas and flavours as I’m certain it has a lot more to give. I shall need to do some more research!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 5? Well it has to be the 21 Year Old doesn’t it? Real quality and certainly a rum to consider if you deserve a treat (which we all do of course!)

But the 12 Year Old is also really fantastic AND great value for money – always a major plus in my book!

For me, this tasting was a great introduction to the wonderful world of Rum, something I have to admit I hadn’t really considered before. El Dorado has changed all that!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TweetTastings) for a great evening, Love Drinks (@Love_Drinks) for sending me the samples and, of course, El Dorado Rum (@ElDoradoRums) without whom!

My fellow Tweeters on the night were:-


@SpiritAndWood @WhiskyUnplugged @T_M_Cocktails @The_Lady_Sybil @RealDramRob @thedramble @Spiritus_Online @Whisky_And1 @TheArtpunk @SplashyWine @Exotictramp @WhiskynStuff @moonbites @MashtunandMeow @TheWhiskyNovice @kizzsmyth @NeilMacKinnon1 @jwbassman_ @ScotchB78 @neillmurphy @swimforce01

The Borders Distillery Tweet Tasting – Four Great Styles To Sweeten Your Christmas!

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The Borders Distillery range of drinks

Monday nights @TweetTastings, the last one for this year, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, gave us the opportunity to sample Borders Distillery range of drinks.

Based in Hawick, Borders Distillery, which was commissioned in March 2018, is the first Scotch whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837. Tours are available where you can see their carefully renovated buildings and learn about their distilling process!

On the night the styles sampled were:-

  • Borders Distillery New Make Spirit
  • Borders Distillery William Kerr’s Gin
  • Borders Distillery Small Batch Vodka
  • Borders Distillery Lower East Side Whisky

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

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery New Make Spirit (63.5%)

Available exclusively from the Borders Distillery shop for £39.95. Made entirely from Borders barley (concerto). The production uses two spirit and two wash pot stills for its spirit/whisky production which were made by Forsyths in Scotland.


Nose: Creamy vanilla and popcorn, moist cereal, apples and a hint of rum.

Palate: very sweet – almost icing sugarary with that familiar new make popcorn taste to accompany it! H2O opens up to some apples and fiery pepper – dry finish.

Overall: A pleasant new make really – compared to some new makes I’ve tried – I enjoyed it!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery William Kerr’s Gin (43%)

William Kerr’s Borders Gin – available from Borders Distillery is a “barley to bottle gin” They use their own malted barley spirit for re-distillation through its unique recipe of botanicals in its specially commissioned one-shot vapour Carter-Head still.

The botanicals used are: Macedonian Juniper, English Coriander, Scottish Heracleum, Bitter Orange, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Cassia, Angelica, Myrtle, Angelica, Orris, Almond and Liquorice.


Nose: Sweet grapefruit and lemons – very citrusy! Getting hints of licquorice.

Palate: Lovely and sweet with orange, grapefruit, lemon and tasty licquorice following on after – very smooth!

Overall: A great gin, one that is sweeter than some of the others out there. It would make a great cocktail base!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery Small Batch Vodka (40%)

Available exclusively from the Borders Distillery shop for £29.95. Made entirely from Borders Barley (concerto) in single batches, with active charcoal in the botanical baskets, using a one shot vapour system in their specially build Carter Head Still.


Nose: Very similar to the new make spirit …. strong creamy cereal nose with some rum hints.

Palate: Sweet, light, smooth with citrus elements and zesty pepper – very nice sweetness lingers like icing sugar dissolved in water for a glaze. Dry grapefruit at the end

Overall: Not your usual vodka this one – it actually has flavour and isn’t all fire – a tasty vodka indeed!

Tasting Notes – Borders Distillery Lower East Side Whisky (40%)

A Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Available from Borders Distillery for a RRP of £32.99. The first blended whisky from Borders which is a lightly peated marriage of Highland and Lowland single malt whiskies. Designed to be an all-rounder; to be sipped straight-up, on the rocks or as a cocktail base.


Nose: Sugar rich, green apples with vanilla and honey cereal and a little light peat.

Palate: Sweet and sugary and smokey and peaty – a little of each – all rolled into one! Green apples but no real spice to discern.

Overall: A pleasant whisky, either as a sipper or used in a cocktail.

My Favourite On The Night

Although it’s not really fair to choose a favourite as each style is a different thing but out of the 4, I think it’s got to be the Borders Distillery Lower East Side Whisky – very easy going and sippable – a higher abv may have made it even better!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@thewhiskywire) for a great evening and Borders Distillery (@BordersDstlry) for sending the samples and without whom!

Thanks to Borders for sending the samples!

The Walsh Whiskey Tweet Tasting – Chocolate, Tropical Fruit & Spice – Who Could Ask For More?!

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The Walsh Whiskey lineup!

Irish Whiskey, namely from the Walsh Whiskey Distillery was the subject of last Monday nights @TweetTastings hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire.

Walsh Whiskey was founded in 1999, initially to create a better Irish Coffee and eventually leading to re-creating a Whiskey recipe to celebrate the golden era of 19th. century distilling in Ireland. They rapidly became a leading player in the revival of Irish Whiskey.

Since then, Walsh Whiskey, have gone from strength to strength. They officially opened their €25 million distillery at Royal Oak, County Carlow, Ireland in June 2016.

The distillery produces all three styles of Irish whiskey; pot still, malt and grain from its two production lines using both pot stills and column stills. The Walsh Whiskey Distillery is one of the largest in Ireland, with the capacity to produce 8.2 million bottles of whiskey a year.

Walsh Whiskey’s The Irishman and Writers Tears brands are currently sold in over 45 countries. By 2019 this will have increased to over 100!

On the night the Whiskies sampled from the Walsh range were:-

  • Writers Tears Copper Pot
  • The Irishman Single Malt
  • The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Rum Finish
  • Writers Tears Cask Strength

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

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey Writers Tears Copper Pot (40%)

A blend of single malt and single pot still whiskeys; 60% malt & 40% pot still. Triple distilled, non-peated and matured in American oak bourbon casks.

A gold Medal winner at the International Spirits Challenge in London and one of the highest rated Irish Whiskeys in Jim Murray’s Iconic “Whiskey Bible”. “Altogether a very unusual Irish Whiskey , a throwback to the last century where spiced Pure Pot Still whiskey was married with Floral Single Malt” – Jim Murray. It has also been added to Ian Buxton’s publication “101 Whiskeys to try before you die”.

Nose: Apples with some sugary vanilla. Quite floral with some oatiness thrown in. Very definite mintiness coming through with a little toffee and some spicy cinnamon.

Palate: Smooth and light with apples and floral flavours. Creamy vanilla custard with a smidge of mint!

Finish: Spice oils and oak balanced with fruity sweetness and a dry kick at the end.

Overall: A great whiskey with plenty of nosing aromas and flavour.

Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey The Irishman Single Malt (40%)

Matured in a combination of bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts. Triple distilled, it won Whiskey of the Year and Overall Spirit of the Year at the London Spirits Competition 2018.

Nose: Crisp apples and malty oatcake biscuits – very nice! Sherry and a hint of those famous bananas the tweeters are talking about! After a while I’m getting a little tropical fruits with some fudge.

Palate: Luscious sweet fruits with some chocolate plus hints of cereal and grapefruit.

Finish: A fiery end with some tanin dryness and cereal – punchy, but in a good way!

Overall: Spicy and sweet with impressive fruit aromas and flavours.

Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Rum Finish (46%)

Produced using the original signature blend created by distillery founder Bernard Walsh, which is comprised of 70% Single Malt and 30% Single Pot Still. Finished for 6 months in The Chairman’s Reserve rum casks from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.

Winner of Best Irish Single Cask of the Year at the Irish Whiskey Awards 2018.

Nose: Rum soaked wood and plump raisins – lovely! Very fruity with apples and a tropical cocktail but this dram takes a while to develop … vanilla fudge comes through as a finale.

Palate: Rich and sweet with LOADS of tropical fruits and apples. Only a hint of rum for me I’m afraid but it’s incredibly tasty all the same!

Finish: Some peppery spice that duels with the fruity sweetness admirably. I also got a real burst of yummy dark chocolate right at the end!

Overall: Not as rummy as I expected (and hoped for) but this is more than made up for in some great tropical fruits flavours and warming spice!

As an experiment, my fellow tweeters and I paired this up with some dark chocolate – an experience I’d highly recommend – chocolate alcohol heaven! Are we allowed to have so much fun on a Monday night?!

Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey Writers Tears Cask Strength (53%)

A rare vatting of aged Single Pot Still and Single Malt Whiskey’s. Triple distilled and matured in bourbon barrels and limited to just 5,175 bottles.

Cask Strength was a Gold Medal winner in “The Premium Irish Whiskey Category” at The Whiskey Masters.

Nose: Fresh apples and waxy sweetness with some wood in there as well. There’s chocolate and tropical fruits but it seems reluctant to give up all it’s secrets straight away! The chocolate gets creamier as time passes …

Palate: WoW! A chocolate and tropical fruit spicy hit! Creamy chocolate and tropical fruitiness.

Finish: Adding H2O smooths things out a lot – there’s chocolate, apples and vanilla with a punchy spice that not even water can tame!

Overall: Chocolate, tropical fruit and a spicy conclusion. What is there NOT to like? Very enjoyable indeed and if you add some water you can enjoy it all over again!

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 4, I think it’s got to be the Writers Tears Cask Strength followed closely by The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Rum Finish. The Cask Strength has such lovely chocolate flavours and two individual palates when you dram it neat or with water – double your fun and gorgeous with it!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great sampling evening and the team at Walsh Whiskey (@WalshWhiskey) for sending the samples and without whom!

My fellow Tweeters were:-


@TomsWhisky @TheWhiskyphiles @Whiskylassie @ScottNelson @Whisky_And1 @NikkiHayes1969 @brawspirit @SpiritAndWood @FiShoop @WhiskyUnplugged @simonrees73 @iheartwhisky @Marc_Whiskey @thatsdramgood @whiskeytalk2U @daveoc1980 @LaCaveDeCobalt @Girl_Whisky @dram_gazette @MrSingleMalt @whiskydram_ @MaltMusings @wetwewhistle

Walsh Whiskey is available to buy from:-

And other great retailers!

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