Speyside

Longmorn 2002 17 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Longmorn 2002 17 Year
Signatory Vintage The Un-chillfiltered Collection
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Bottled Exclusively for The Whisky Exchange

56.2% ABV
$160
Website
Longmorn 2002 17 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

AGED: 17 years
DISTILLED ON: September 17, 2002
BOTTLE ON: May 5, 2020|
MATURED IN: a Bourbon Barrel
CASK NO: 800638
BOTTLE NO: x of 229

Cask Strength | Natural Colour

What Gary Says

Nose:  Bright fruit notes of peaches, green apples, kiwi, coconut and cotton candy with fresh walnuts.
Palate:  Sweet with fruit salad, cherries, nutmeg, vanilla with a bit of toffee and nutmeg before pepper spice builds.
Finish:  Moderately long with fruit notes, vanilla and cracked white pepper.
Comments:  This is a really bright and fruity dram, with orchard and tropical fruits. I’ve tried a few Longmorns, and liked every single one (although I don’t recall the others being this fruity). The Whisky Exchange points out that they “… love Longmorn, and this bourbon-barrel-matured single-cask bottling showcases the fruitiness that so often gets lost in drams from the distillery.” I think they nailed it.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Glen Grant 1997 13 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Glen Grant 1997 13 Year
Signatory Cask Strength Collection
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

59.3% ABV
$100
Website
Glen Grant 1997 13 Yr Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottler Says

AGED: 13 years
DISTILLED ON: March 1997
BOTTLE ON: February 2010
MATURED IN: Hogshead
CASK NO: 38886
BOTTLE NO: of 291

Glen Grant Distillery, built in 1840 by brothers, John and James Grant, is located in the heart of Speyside. The distillery is now the world’s second-largest single malt whiskey brand.

TASTE NOTES
COLOR: Light amber
NOSE: White grapes, a fresh apple tart and ripe pears
TASTE: Similar to the nose, with hints of vanilla, oak and white pepper.
FINISH: Medium, white pepper spice

What Gary Says

Nose:  Buttered yeast roll, honey, malty, pears, apricots, subtle earthiness with heather.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel but tart and sharp, canned pears with fruit salad and freshly cracked pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with pepper spice and pears.
Comments:  This has a sour/tart note to it that reminds me a bit of sour fruit gummy candies. It clouds up nicely with a bit of water, reflecting the non-chill filtration (although it doesn’t state that on the label from what I can tell). I’m not familiar with Glen Grant, but this doesn’t leave me with seeking out more specifically. Any one cask might be just that (a one off), but I think the folks at Signatory do a pretty good job so can’t help but think that this isn’t a fair representation of Glen Grant (albeit at higher proof).

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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The Macallan Terra

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Macallan Terra
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

43.8% ABV
$165-$180
Website
The Macallan Terra

What the Distillery Says

– The Quest Collection –
Each single malt within the range is an exploration of flavor and texture, from vibrant and fresh through to rich and intense, concluding with a whisky that signifies the essence of The Macallan. The Macallan Terra represents the story of discovery in the Quest Collection journey in this balanced and complex whisky.

A complex, yet balanced single malt, with a distinctive character of toffee, sweet dried fruit and rich wood spices.

A DEFINING MOMENT
The Macallan Terra tells the story of discovery through a complex, yet balanced single malt, aged in exclusively selected first fill sherry-seasoned oak casks, whose journey spans 10,000 miles.

Matured exclusively in first-fill European and first-fill American oak casks sourced from two of the most distinguished family cooperages, The Macallan Terra honours the very best of sherry seasoned oak from both continents. Celebrating the wonders of spirit maturation this is a whisky with a distinctive character of toffee, sweet dried fruit and rich wood spices, that reveals the intensity of first-fill oak that inspires our quest.

Displaying the bark of the oak tree, The Macallan Terra marks the discovery of the journey, grounded in a defining moment.

THE EXPERIENCE
COLOR: Sunset Orange
NOSE: Dried fruits are tempered by lemon zest, toffee and light ginger. Aged oak rises.
PALATE: Sweet dried fruits, subtle tones of ripening apple. Heavy and fresh on the palate.
FINISH: Medium length. Dried fruit and wood spices.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, thick dark fruits with some lighter notes of lemon, caramel, meaty notes of boiled cabbage and tobacco.
Palate:  Sweet and fruity with apples and citrus notes, a spicy zip, savory notes with cloves and sultanas.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with plums and spices.
Comments:  Another very nice dram – a bit more vegetal and earthy compared to The Macallan Edition No. 2, but not a departure from the style of Macallan. Rather enjoy that difference, and think I’d prefer this over that – although not sure I like this enough to fork over the asking price.

Rating: Stands Out

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The Macallan Edition No. 2

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Macallan Edition No. 2
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

48.2% ABV
$120-$150
Website
The Macallan Edition No. 2 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

– The Edition Series –
A unique selection of oak cask styles are combined to yield a new limited edition expression each year. A characterful single malt, Edition No. 2 showcases our extraordinary commitment to sourcing and selecting only the very best oak casks for The Macallan.

Four extraordinary characters, one exceptional single malt.

DEEP AND RICH
A creative collaboration between our Master Whisky Maker and the three Roca brothers – co-founders of world-renowned restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca – Edition No. 2 unites these four masters in one spirit.
The distinctive and dynamic character of Edition No. 2 has been shaped not only by the use of seven exceptional oak cask types from four different bodegas but by the creative spirit of each of the four collaborators; combining flavors to reflect each of their distinctive personalities in the resulting whisky.

THE EXPERIENCE
COLOUR: Golden Syrup
NOSE: Treacle, ginger, toffee apples and rich fruits. Layers of vanilla open into tropical fruits and subtle green wood.
PALATE: Warm with spice as cracked black pepper and cloves join with hints of chocolate, brown sugar, oak and nuts. Finally, liquorice and brandy snaps come through.
FINISH: Full, slow, warm and wonderfully viscous.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick sherry, stewed dark fruits, musty spice, oak, sandalwood, fruit cake, dulce de leche, hints of apple and leather.
Palate:  Sweet with sherried fruit, honey, vanilla, clove, cinnamon, cocoa, oak, bit of pepper and anise.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with chocolate, raisins and sherry.
Comments:  A nice dram – fully of sherried fruit but also a fair amount of spice notes. Well balanced overall, and what you’d come to expect from. I tried this along side The Macallan Terra, and found this to be sweeter (but unfortunately didn’t have any more readily available Macallan on hand for a side by side).

Rating: Stands Out

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The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

43% ABV
$160-$180
Website
Balvenie DoubleWood 17 year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

To craft The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 year old single malt whisky Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE returned to one of his most celebrated achievements – consecutive maturation in two different types of cask, a process often referred to as ‘cask finishing’.

This technique is at the heart of The Balvenie DoubleWood – it sees the whisky matured first in American oak barrels, which impart soft sweet vanilla notes, before being transferred to European oak sherry casks, where the second cask ageing adds rich spicy flavours and a depth and fullness of flavour.

The DoubleWood 17 year old is an elder sibling to DoubleWood 12 year old and shares its honeyed, spicy characteristics, but it is distinctly different, with deeper vanilla notes, hints of green apple, creamy toffee and a striking richness and complexity.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Elegant and complex oak, vanilla, honeyed sweetness and a hint of green apple.
TASTE: Sweet with dried fruits, sherbet spice, toasted almonds and cinnamon, layered with a richness of creamy toffee notes and traces of oak and deep vanilla.
FINISH:Vanilla oak, honey and spicy sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Green apples, cinnamon buns with raisins, heather, honey, a floral perfume, vanilla.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with dried fruit notes of apple and pears, vanilla with soft spices, nutmeg, slightly nutty with a touch of oak, pepper and tamed cinnamon.
Finish:  Long with fading cinnamon dusted fruits.
Comments:  I’ve always found Balvenie to be an elegant whisky, and this is no exception. Really nice balance between the two casks where neither is dominating the other, and the combination is lovely. A bit of water tilts this toward more tropical fruit notes of papaya and mango, although wouldn’t blame anyone for sipping neat and never thinking to add water!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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