Several of us at the
Whisky Guild just completed a cross
country tour of Scotland and managed to
fit in seventeen distilleries, one
castle and a little golf. We came back
exhausted but thrilled by some of the
great experiences we had. After the
first dozen distilleries our little
group thought we could make it an even
twenty but we all agreed that seventeen
distilleries were about our limit. We
started the tour in the Lowland Region
at Glenkinchie which seemed like a
perfect way to start our country wide
odyssey. Below are a few of the rare
whiskies we were able to try:
Bew Wyvis 27 year old cask
strength 43.1% (distilled 1972, cask
#1061, bottle 80 of 146):
Although the Ben Wyvis distillery is
closed it’s stills live on in
Springbank’s Glengyle distillery in
Campbeltown. We were fortunate to
see the new Glengyle distillery in
addition to trying a little Ben
Wyvis on our trip. Ben Wyvis is
extremely rare but the
Craigellachie Hotel
in Speyside still has a bottle. We
couldn’t resist and paid a hefty sum
for a wee sample. Needless to say we
weren’t disappointed. I found this
to be a great perfectly balanced
dram full of subtle flavors.
Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla,
fresh and clean
Body: Silky smooth, dried
fruit
Finish: Light and medium
length, lingering, cinnamon, dried
fruit, vanilla
A tremendous dram that’s
close to perfection. |
|
Springbank 25 year old: I was
fortunate enough to be offered this
dram by Springbank legend Frank
McHardy in his office at the
Springbank Distillery. We tried many
great and rare whiskies but I found
this one the best. Extremely well
balance, the whole dram just worked
perfectly. Another great Springbank
that had some nice sweet smoky
character and wonderful depth.
Nose: Fresh, a meat smokehouse, deep
and complex, oranges, sweet and a
hint of fruit
Body: Medium, menthol
Finish: Medium length and very
smooth
A special whisky. |
|
Ardbeg Lord of the Isles: I
tried this dram in the Ardbeg
visitor’s center and it took all my
will power not to take a few bottles
home. Ardbeg’s distillery manager
was nice enough to open a bottle for
our little group and the dram
definitely lived up to the hype. A
beautiful silky smooth Ardbeg that
even Islay skeptics will love. Truly
a special whisky.
Nose: Sweet smoke, raisins, peat,
fresh and clean, deep
Body: Silky smooth and flavorful
Finish: Long and dry, some bite,
peat balanced with fruit
A gorgeous whisky. |
|
Laphroaig 13 year old bottle 28
out of 170 58.5%: We sampled
this amazing dram with Laphroaig’s
distillery manager John Campbell
when we were on Islay. This was an
individual cast bottling of
Laphroaig from one of those ‘we
struck gold’ casks. The dram changed
so dramatically with just a touch of
water John insisted we try it first
neat. Without water it’s just an ok
dram but add a little water and you
have one of the best laphroaig’s
you’ll ever try.
Nose: Bacon, peat smoke but
not overpowering, fudge
Body: Medium and smooth,
enjoyable
Finish: Long dry and smooth
A dram to remember. |
|
Bowmore 7 year old
Islay Festival bottling:
A vibrant and youthful Bowmore which
I really liked. A touch of water
brings out the fruit to balance off
all of the Islay character of this
young dram. Just another example of
why some of the best Islay whiskies
are usually the youngest.
Nose: Youthful & vibrant, red wine,
light peat and smoke, oranges
Body: Full
Finish: Long sharp and dry, orange
marmalade, peat smoke
Youthful but very nice. |
|
Oban 18: We sampled this dram
at the distillery with site
operations manager Duncan Tait. This
is a new Oban that will only be
available in the US market in very
limited quantity. The dram still
retains that classic Oban character
but doesn’t have a trace of smoke. I
still prefer the standard 14 year
old Oban to all of the others but
this dram comes close. If you’re an
Oban fan this is a bottle worth
seeking out and should retail for
about $100.
Nose: Floral, fresh, oranges, sea
air, caramel
Body: Medium mouth feel, fruit
Finish: Long and smooth, flavorful,
some brine
I nice unique Oban. |
|
Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
glen@whiskyguild.com
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