Review - Aberlour A'bunadh Batch No. 54
Sherry finished Scotches are a dime a dozen but try to find an over-proof cask strength that is as balanced as A'bunadh?... good luck.
Rating 4 Glasses
- Distillery: Aberlour Distillery Company, LTD.
- Years Aged: NAS
- Proof: 121.4
- Local Price (USD): $84.95
- Availability: Widespread
- Local Price (USD): $84.95
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Deep amber with extremely thin legs
- Nose: Initial nose is incredibly stringent with loads of that good ol' Oloroso Sherry then leads to bourbon levels of caramel and a hint of orange.
- Taste: Pepper, Sherry. Oak and tannins that are noticeable but not overpowering. A sweetness that hides some of the initial citrus that was found on the nose.
- Finish: Corn Syrupy sweet with a heat that warms your tonsils on a cold winters night and is like a hug from a Tibetan Mastiff.
- Conclusion: We have nothing bad to say as there is no other Scotch quite like it. The Oloroso Sherry is up front but not overpowering and adds to the multitude of other flavors. Sherry finished Scotches are a dime a dozen but try to find an over-proof cask strength that is as balanced as A'bunadh?... good luck.
Review - Tamdhu Batch Strength Batch No.1 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
"The finish leaves your tongue writhing in agony and pleasure, all at the same time hating itself but wanting more."
Rating 4.5 Glasses
- Distillery: Tamdhu Distillery
- Years Aged: NAS
- Proof: 117.6
- Local Price (USD): $97.60
- Availability: Rare (Batch No.1 only)
- Local Price (USD): $97.60
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Reddish-tan & the legs just hold on like Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger
- Nose: Sherry first then butterscotch, cherry and oak
- Taste: Berry & cherry sweetness but not in a bad way. Syrupy, tangy & due to the batch strength it just burns so good
- Finish: Oaky with lingering sugars and alcohol.
- Excerpt from the tasting session - "The finish leaves your tongue writhing in agony and pleasure, all at the same time hating itself but wanting more." ..maybe a little too 50 Shades of Grey perhaps?
- Conclusion: Batch No.1 is a rare commodity but as a whole, Tamdhu Batch Strength is easy to come by. First taste is bliss, super sweet, but bliss. We were pleasantly surprised when the Willy Wonka sweetness started to overpower but the abundance of alcohol did its part to keep everything in check.
- If the batches keep on par with No.1 then yes, thank you ma'am may we have another! We know its on the higher side of the price range but if you are a fan of over-proof, cask strength, barrel strength, etc. then definitely grab yourself a bottle and don't look back.
Quick Facts
1. Introduced in 2015- 2. Majority is aged in first-fill sherry oak casks from America & Europe
- 3. Ongoing debate whether caramel coloring added
- 4. Tamdhu Distillery was built in 1897 & currently plays a significant role in the blends of Cutty Sark, The Famous Grouse & Dunhill Brand
Review - Linkwood 25 Year Old Gordon & MacPhail Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Absolutely an amazing dram and even though the grass is always greener across the pond, definitely one of if not the finest Speysides we've had to date. Enough said... Delicious.
Rating 4.5 Glasses
- Distillery: Linkwood Distillery
- (Matured & bottled by Gordon & MacPhail)
- Years Aged: 25
- Proof: 86
- Local Price (USD): N/A ~$200.00
- Availability: Rare
- Local Price (USD): N/A ~$200.00
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Dark maple with fat bottom legs... Delicious
- Nose: Floral & citrus. A freshly cut grass field glistening with morning dew... Delicious
- Taste: Sherry forward with a hint of lemon zest. Thick, oily & waxy with tannins that remind us of a rich Malbec... Delicious
- Finish: Ginger with a hint of fennel, vanilla & cinnamon in the transition.... Delicious
- Conclusion: First, a moment of silence for the spilled Linkwood on the patio....................
- Ok, we can continue - Absolutely an amazing dram and even though the grass is always greener across the pond, definitely one of if not the finest Speysides we've had to date. Purchased at Cadenhead's Whisky Shop in Edinburgh, Scotland. Unfortunately this particular vintage is not available stateside but we were lucky enough to score a bottle thanks to a visiting friend. Enough said... Delicous
Distillery Info & History
Located on the outskirts of Elgin (though now within its ever-growing suburbs) Linkwood was established in 1821, but only started production in 1824. Owner Peter Brown was the factor [manager] of the Linkwood Estate and wisely kept his nose clean until the 1823 Excise Act was on the stature book.
It was completely rebuilt in 1874 by his son William and existed as an independent distiller, run by an Elgin-based whisky broker, until 1932 when it joined the DCL stable. It has remained in production ever since, with regular upgrades taking place, most significantly in 1972 when a new distillery was built opposite the old buildings.
Both plants ran until 1985 when the original ceased production, although it was still used as an experimental site – it was here that a lot of Diageo’s research into copper, reflux and the effect of worm tubs took place. In the late 1990s it was on the shortlist to become the Speyside representative in The Classic Malts range.
In 2012, the old building was demolished as part of yet another upgrade. This time six new washbacks were installed in a new distillery along with two new stills. Capacity is now in excess of 5.5m litres per annum.
Linkwood is bottled as a 12-year-old in Diageo’s Flora & Fauna range, and for many years quasi-official bottlings have come from Gordon & MacPhail of Elgin – often from ex-Sherry casks.
Review - Kilchoman Sanaig
Just sniff, sip, repeat. Sweeter than most Islay Scotch but really a delicious combination...
Rating 3.5 Glasses
- Distillery: Kilchoman Distillery
- Years Aged: N/A
- Proof: 92
- Local Price (USD): $76.00
- Availability: Widespread
- Local Price (USD): $76.00
- From Kilchoman's Website:
- Kilchoman is the first distillery to be established on Islay in over 124 years. The distillery was built in 2005, with the first run of new spirit comming off the stills later that year. It is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of approximatley 120,000 litres of alcohol and is one of only six distilleries to carry out traditional floor maltings. Their barley is grown right there on the farm, whereas other distilleries purchase barley from around the country. Anthony Wills, the founder and managing director of the Kilchoman Distillery Co Ltd ran his own independent single cask bottling company for 8 years when he came up with the idea of building a farm distillery. Islay was chosen as the location for the distillery because of it’s reputation for producing top quality malts, and also because Anthony knew the island well having married into a family that had owned an estate on the Island for 60 years. Specifically Rockside Farm was chosen because of the ideal buildings available and because the farm grows the best malting barley on the island.
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Golden wheat with mildly developing legs that run into oblivion
- Nose: Peat, sherry & caramel with a hint of brine. Light stewed fruits & hazlenuts
- Taste: Peat again, sweet, orange/citrus rind and vanilla
- Finish: Take everything that is great about the taste and just let it linger awhile
- Conclusion: Definitely gets two points for presentation. Just sniff, sip, repeat. Sweeter than most Islay Scotch but really a delicious combination of flavors and the sweetness is not overpowering. We would buy this one again in a heartbeat although its unique history and flavor most likely warrant the higher price tag, it may be somewhat of a hold back.
Review - Mortlach Rare Old 2.81 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
It's like a jilted lover; sweet in the moment but quick to say goodbye.
Rating 3.5 Glasses
- Distillery: Mortlach Distillery by Diaggio
- Years Aged: N/A
- Proof: 86.8
- Local Price (USD): $121.00
- Availability: Widespread
- Local Price (USD): $121.00
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Honey amber & thin with quickly developing legs
- Nose: Pear and fruit. Floral with butterscotch and a slight citrus/lemongrass hit
- Taste: Nutmeg, pepper, pistachio, sugar
- Finish: Unfortunately shorter than we would like with sherry notes and spice. It's like a jilted lover; sweet in the moment but quick to say goodbye.
- Conclusion: Good scotch but better if you can find it at reasonable cost. Could do with some more aging and maybe bottle at a higher proof. All that to say this scotch would be (and is) welcomed by the majority as there is really nothing offensive about it save for the short finish and oh yeah, it lost 1/2 glass for the exorbitant price tag (at least in the Northwest market).