Highland

Edradour 12 Year 2009 Cask Strength

Edradour 12 Year 2009 Cask Strength
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

55.1% ABV
$130-150
Website
Edradour 2009 12 yr Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

(from the bottle)
Natural Cask Strength
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Sherry Cask Matured
Aged 12 Years
Distilled on: 9th December 2009
Bottled on: 28th February 2022
Cask Number 393
Outturn 545 bottles

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sherry BOMB, raisins, dates, cherries, fudge, molasses, balsamic, cinnamon, sulfur, spent matches and charred oak.
Palate:  Rich, savory oak, dark fruit notes with raisins, plums, dates, orange, brown sugar, hone and chocolate fudge.
Finish:  Long, drying with chocolate, smoke and oak.
Comments:  This is REALLY DARK in the glass, somewhere between Coca Cola and coffee. Clouds up beautifully with a bit of water. I haven’t had much experience with Edradour previously but this is just outstanding! A bit of water tamps some of that sulfury note and thickens up the mouthfeel even more. If you don’t like that sulfury note (which honestly, if someone had asked me before I’d have said I’m not particularly a fan of that), try it anyways. There’s so much more going on. This is an intense dram, and my only regret is not buying a bottle (but this is going on my ‘auction watch list’).

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Oban 18 Year Old Single Malt

Oban 18 Year Old
West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

43% ABV
$120-$140
Website
Oban 18 Year Old West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

An elegantly matured single malt that balances opulent fruit flavours with rich peat smoke and spicy wood, culminating in a long, smooth, finish.

PALATE: Mouth-filling sweetness tempered with smoked malt dryness.
SCENT: Peat smoke and spicy wood with notes of ripe banana, pear, and plum.
FINISH: Long and sweet. Hints of dark chocolate and salted caramel.
BODY: Medium bodied and rich with good legs.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruit salad with poached pears, apples, apricots, nectarines, heather, wisp of earthiness, sandalwood and leather.
Palate:  Sweet entry with fruit notes, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper spice followed by peat and soft oak.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with peat, dried fruit and pepper.
Comments:  A very nice and enjoyable pour! Fruity, balanced with a bit more peat on the palate than on the nose. At $120 locally, a quite reasonably priced aged single malt although not sure I’d spend a lot more than that. Water thickens it a bit and tamps some of the pepper spice edge.

Rating: Stands Out

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Compass Box Myths & Legends I

Compass Box Myths & Legends I
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$150
Website
Compass Box Myths and Legends I

What the Blender Says

Scotch whisky has a rich array of stories, myths and legends.

However, what start as myths can become received wisdom, influencing our understanding and restricting our enjoyment. We have deployed blending to challenge assumptions, biases and prejudices concerning Scotch in this limited edition series we call Myths & Legends.

It may surprise some, but blending is as crucial to the creation of single malts as it is to blended whisky. Myths & Legends I highlights the extent to which individual casks are often unreliable authorities for the style of whisky made at a distillery; it is by blending casks together that a fuller picture of distillery character can emerge.

Two parcels of malt whisky from the same Northern Highland distillery tasted markedly different: the younger parcel was malty and citrusy, the older one much creamier with a ripe fruit character. Two distinct personalities but from the one distillery.

By combining these two parcels we have created a whisky full of fragrance with a more rounded complexity, one that provides a richer understanding of what this distillery can produce.

FLAVOUR PROFILE: A malty and creamy character develops into notes of ripe orchard fruits and delicate oak.

SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS: This whisky is delicious neat, as an aperitif. Adding a splash of water will reveal more of its bright and delicate character.

Not Chill-Filtered, Light 5 Micron Filtration | Natural Colour | Lead Whiskymakers: Jill Boyd and James Saxon | A limited edition of 4,394 bottles | July 2019

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruit notes of pears, peaches, fresh apples, floral notes of honeysuckle with a hint of lavender.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with pears, nutmeg, malt, peaches in cream, kiwi.
Finish:  Long and gentle with dried fruit and nutmeg.
Comments:  A delightful dram – fruity, nuanced, gentle.  I’m not sure if I’d had anything from Balblair distillery before (from where this came, with one parcel aged for 15-16 years in recharred American oak and the second aged for 22 years in first fill bourbon barrels).  But this would certainly leave me willing to try it blind.  The first of three in the Myths & Legends series is starting off strong!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old

The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

43% ABV
$53-$60
Website
Macallan Double Cask 12 Yr Old

What the Distillery Says

The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old forms part of our Double Cask range which marries the classic Macallan style and the unmistakable sweetness of American oak. This is a fully rounded single malt in perfect balance, with flavors of honey, citrus and ginger.

The perfect partnership of Oloroso sherry seasoned American and European oak casks creates the distinctive, warm character of this harmonious single malt. Our skilled whisky making team optimize the right mix of European and American sherry seasoned oak casks to allow the delicate and indulgent flavors of American oak to take centre stage while the more traditional Macallan characteristics of rich fruits, sherry and wood spice provide a reassuringly familiar backdrop.

THE EXPERIENCE
COLOUR: Harvest sun.
NOSE: Creamy butterscotch with a hint of toffee apple, candied orange, vanilla custard and newly felled oak.
PALATE: Deliciously honeyed, wood spices and citrus, balanced with raisins and caramel.
FINISH: Oak lingers, warm, sweet and drying.

What Gary Says

Nose: Lovely sherry with raisins, dates, plums, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, bit of orange, oak, toffee, hazelnuts, a hint of leather.
Palate:  Sweet honey with raisins, oranges, nutmeg, vanilla sponge cake with caramel cremes.
Finish:  Moderate in length, damp with orange honey, figs and a bit of pepper.
Comments:  Very nice dram – less sherry intensive than Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak, with more honey and a touch of vanilla. The nose on this has a load of complexity, more so than the palate – which is nice enough. The first time I tried this, I thought it stood out, but each time I’ve sampled it I have liked it more.  If you’re a fan of the standard Macallan 12, I think you definitely should give this a try – roughly the same bank and an interesting offering.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Grangestone Sherry Cask Finish

Grangestone Sherry Cask Finish
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$30
Website
Grangestone Sherry Cask

What the Producer Says

The Grangestone Single Malt Scotch Whisky range offers a selection of some of the finest Single Malts available from the Highlands of Scotland. Each spirit is chosen by our Malt Master for its quality and character to be symbolic of whiskies of this region.

Grangestone truly is a perfect example of a whisky from the Highland region of Scotland.

This Grangestone Single Malt has been matured in traditional American oak casks until it has achieved the perfect balance of flavours, green leafy notes play in harmony with its sweet delicate oak flavour.
The whisky is then transferred into casks that have previously held Sherry to allow for further development.

Aroma: A rich malty aroma with subtle notes of dried fruits and cinnamon sticks. The sherry cask influence has introduced a sherbet spice and oaky character.
Taste: Rich and spicy with layers of sweet oak, raisins, apricots and fresh oak. Addition of a little water releases the characteristic flavours of sherry cask.
Finish: Mellow and enduring.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruity, almost brandy-like, grapes, green apples, hint of an earthy note.
Palate:  Thin, sour apple candy notes, grapes, bit of pepper at the back.
Finish:  Short and drying with grapes and pepper.
Comments:  Another non-age stated whisky that I again approached with low expectations – and like the Rum Cask Finish fell short of that low bar. I love sherry matured and finished spirits, but this doesn’t remind me of any of them. Again, thankful it is offered in 50mL and if you’re just dying to try this – would highly recommend buying that size before a full bottle.

Rating: Probably Pass

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