Wednesday 15th and Tuesday 21st June makes a great Mid-Winter Soltice to try unusual Speyside Malts. Strangely the two cask strength bottlings came first and second. And the sherry finished 46%er came third. Fair enough!
Nose: Woody, chocolate nuts, caramel pineapple, leather, tobacco, pine sawdust, anaesthetic gas, honey, ozone fizz, old.
Palate: "There's the Winner!" Salt, alcohol, varnish. Nod.
Finish: Spice, sweet tang, an energizer of a finish.
Nose: hot prickle, violets, old barn, drift wood, birds' nests, salt, sand, scented candles, dry antiseptic, dusty, not Spey, damp.
Palate: Perfume, floral, sweet pollen, bright, strong but smooth.
Finish: hint of smoke, sweet and long, creamy, dusty ties, a hint of mint.
Nose: Sweet sherry for sure, butterscotch, alcohol, leather, fumes, varnish, dunkin-donuts, rich and heavy.
Palate: Nice, gritty liquorice, bitter notes, a bit happening here, butterscotch.
Finish: Pepper, prickle, chocolate, sweet, mouth watering, salt/sweet balance, the long side of medium.
Nose: Spey, soft caramel, shaving cream, powder, sherried raisins, cocoa, young, heathery field, marshmallows, ozone, warm liquorice.
Palate: Sweet, Spey, custard, vanilla, creamy.
Finish: Hint of smoke, long, effervescent, gingerbread.
Nose: Whisky, municipal swimming pool, banana, tweed, cereals, esters, mint, tarragon, talc, gorse.
Palate: One eyebrow raised, woody, furniture, watery, style like the Craigellachie.
Finish: Bitter coffee, cornflakes, Spey, medium (longer than palate).
Glencadam 15yo 40%. Score 6.75 (8.02 first night but 5.5 on the second). Came Sixth. This was a weird one. First night it was great, second night all of us found rotten eggs and cabbage in the nose. Was this a bad cork?? The sulphur note finally faded off by the end of the night, and by the next morning the remnants in the bottle was checked by Alastair but it had gone from there too.
Nose: First night: Brown sugar, wine gums, seville oranges, cointreau, grain whisky, apples, pineapple lumps, brown onion gravy, some age, sherry, cheese.
Palate: First night: Peanuts, brittle, caramelized sugar, oily, full, ginger and maple, sulphur hint.
Finish: First night: Smoke hint, sweet, cognac, smooth, builds, medium, sappy bitter tail.
Nose: Second night: Rotten eggs, damp, dirty, old vegetables, musty, baby sick, honey, corked? wet cardboard, cabbage, brussel sprouts (buttered), washed rine cheese.
Palate: Second night: Dry, ash, wet cardboard, chocolate, floral soap.
Finish: Second night: Return of the eggs! Tannins, reasonable length.
I'll find out who the importer is and see if this has happened before...
Nose: Sweet, musty, banana toothpaste, cereal, mouthwash, bourbon, lowland-like, bread.
Palate: Low alcohol but bit of a sparkle, a buckle on a school bag, Balblair
Finish: Bitter, bread, back of mouth, spearmint, short.