Speyside

Glenfiddich 21 Year Old

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 Years old
Cask Selection 32
40% ABV
$200
Website
glenfiddich-21yr-old-product-extra-image-3
What the Distillery Says:
We use casks that once contained premium Caribbean rum to finish our 21 Year Old expression. It’s the details that matter. This expression spends four months finishing in Gran Reserva barrels selected by our Malt Master, adding to its distinctive and complex flavour.

Experience an intense and vanilla sweet aroma, floral with hints of banana, followed by a soft, lively taste with lime, ginger and spice and a complex and exceptionally long ending.

Our rum finish releases layers of intensity and sets this 21 Year Old apart from other whiskies.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Vanilla wafers, toffee, a grassy floral note, cedar lined humidors, almonds and a little nutmeg.
Palate: A little thin and underwhelming but there are some nice redeeming notes of cocoa powder and fruit.
Finish: Dry and rather short.
Comments: The change on this some years back to non-Cuban rum casks was not for the better. This is a pleasing enough dram but there isn’t anything exciting about it. It would benefit greatly from a lack of chill filtering and 3 to 6 more points of proof.
Rating: Average

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Alexander Murray Dailuaine 16 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Alexander Murray & Co Dailuaine Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 16 Years
40% ABV
$45 (Costco Exclusive)
Website
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What the Bottler Says:
Dailuaine Distillery is found in the heart of the Speyside Region near Aberlour. Only 2% of Dailuaine Distillery whisky production ends up as a Single Malt. It is also a key component in all the Johnnie Walker Blends. Alexander Murray & Co brings you this rare bottling of Dailuaine Single Malt Distilled in 1997. It has been matured in Oak Casks for 16 years. This gives our single malt a sweet vanilla nose, followed by a sweet, creamy butterscotch taste and a long soft-spiced fruit finish. Perfect for an after Dinner Drink.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Sweet vanilla cream and honeysuckles. As the nose opens it becomes a bit more herbal and grassy yet retaining the back sweetness almost like a Ricola cough drop but much better.
Palate: The palate is a bit thin (probably due to the low bottling proof) but the rich sweetness hits you out of the gate. Vanilla whipped cream on butterscotch pudding. Around the edges is a little hint of prickly spice.
Finish: There is a distinctive malty note before settling to slow mellow oakiness.
Comments: This is another private bottling by Alexander Murray for Costco. They’ve done a few of these over the years and they also do the Kirkland Signature bottlings and bottlings for Trader Joe’s. This isn’t a mind blowing malt but it is tasty and easily drinkable. I wish it was at 43% or 46% and unfiltered. I think then a nice oiliness might show through that would be great with the rich sweetness. If you are a scotch drinker and happen into a Costco it’s worth grabbing a bottle of a rarely seen malt at this great price.
Rating: Stands Out

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Speyburn 25 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Speyburn 25 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV
$315
Website
Speyburn 25YO Bottle high res
What the Distillery Says:
Speyburn 25 Year Old is a whisky of rare quality. The finest Scottish spirit is matured for a quarter of a century in American white oak Fino sherry and bourbon casks carefully selected by the distillery manager Robert Anderson. This slow process produces a multi-award winning single malt whisky of exceptional depth, complexity and balance.

Appearance: Clear Light Amber, Golden Honey, Red Gold, Bright Amber

Aroma: Citrus, Toffee, Fruity – vanilla, honey, apples & pears, woody, oaky, spicy

Flavour: Smooth, vanilla, fruity, grapefruit, sweet, spicy

Finish: Spicy, sweet, long lasting with a dry finish

What Richard Says:
Nose: Creamy rich vanilla custard, sweet stone fruit cobbler, marzipan, and that great “old scotch” smell.
Palate: Lemon cheesecake drizzled with a sherry reduction but much lighter than the nose would lead you to believe. There is a nice little spicy kick as you let it settle on the palate.
Finish: A little hotter and more sherry like with hints of cocoa powder.
Comments: The mix of ex fino sherry and bourbon casks makes for a delicious scotch. This is one for the sherry wood lovers but it’s not an over the top sherry bomb. It’s more balanced and nuanced than that. The ease of drinkability shown in the 10 year old still holds but with more depth of flavor. Spend time with it and layers begin to open up. This is no one trick pony.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank The Thomas Collective and International Beverage for sending us a sample for review.

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Speyburn 10 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Speyburn 10 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
%40 ABV
$29
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
This perfectly-balanced Scottish single malt whisky was born in the Highlands of Scotland more than a century ago. It’s created using fresh spring water from Speyside. And, it’s this soft water which gives our whisky its distinctive character and unique flavour.

Nose: Fresh, clean and aromatic with a rich lemony fruitiness

Colour: Pale gold with amber highlights

Taste: Medium-bodied with a delicate, fruity character with hints of toffee and butterscotch. A sweet long lasting finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: This is light on the nose with hints of vanilla and honey. The nose very much foretells the bourbon wood aging.
Palate: Light with fruity sweetness coming from poached pears and pineapple with a hint of ginger.
Finish: The finish is soft and relatively clean with a surprising roasted peanuts note.
Comments: I got a sample of this as part of an online tasting of International Beverage single malts. I was surprised to find out that this is the number five selling single malt in the U.S. I was even more surprised how easily drinkable and enjoyable this is. I’m asking myself why I haven’t spent time with this before. Like Glen Grant 10 Year Old I would say this is a great introductory or sharing single malt. It would be especially good if you aren’t sure the guests or recipient will like single malts.
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

We would like to thank The Thomas Collective and International Beverage for sending us a sample for review.

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Longmorn 21 Year (K&L Wine)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Longmorn Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Vintage 1992, Bottled 2013
52.4% ABV
$114.99
Website
Longmorn21
What the Bottler Says:
Oh Longmorn, you elusive lovely creature. Last year, we bottled a Longmorn from a fresh sherry butt that was arguably our most positively received whisky of 2012. All the whisky geeks went mad and snatched up every bottle moments after it arrived. This year we return with another Longmorn of a similar price and aged, but this time it’s coming from a second fill butt. It’s not the sweet up-front style of last year’s, but instead a powerful whisky filled with fresh vanilla, dark dense fruit, and aromas of toffee and spice. This is a fabulously complex whisky with a roundness that’s undeniably pleasurable. Again don’t expect a redux of last year’s cask, but a special whisky that stands tall on it’s own merit. All lovers of this splendid Speyside distillery, located just south of Elgin, should buy now before the price goes up. A very welcome addition to the Faultline family.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The age and second fill nature of the sherry barrel make for a surprisingly nuanced nose. Dark berries, stewed prunes and raisins, and treacle syrup drizzled over panna cotta.
Palate: Rich, mouth coating, and unctuous. There are layers flavors here running the gamut of herbal, floral, and fruity with a nice viscous non-cloying sweetness to round it all out. All this lays nicely over a rich malty backbone.
Finish: There’s very little wood given the age. What there is seems light like a damp toothpick. It’s a little dry and slightly tannic but very clean.
Comments: How much do I like thing bottle? Well, after trying it a friends house earlier this year I rearranged my travel plans to Napa and Sonoma in June so that I could swing by K&L in San Francisco to get a bottle. Yeah…that much. You don’t see much Longmorn around but when you do it’s usually pretty damn good.  This is in the top three Longmorn’s I’ve ever had.  There’s a half-joke that goes around the scotch industry that Longmorn is every distiller’s second favorite malt. Try it and you’ll see why.
Rating: Must Buy

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