“Summer of Love” was my first choice;
but seeing as how that’s already been
done, we at the Whiskyguild have decided
to make this the “Summer of Independent
Bottlers”. Sure it’s not quite as
catchy, or as fun, but good drink is one
of our favorite vices. And coming on the
heels of last month’s Tasting Round-Up
of some Duncan Taylor bottlings, we
decided to sample a selection from
another well-known and well-respected
independent bottler – Signatory.
Although they’ve only been around for
about twenty years, the quality of
Signatory’s bottlings, not to mention
their regional breadth, is remarkable.
To that end, we recently sampled six
Signatory whiskies from four of
Scotland’s regions (sorry Lowlands), to
see if they were “Summer of Independent
Bottlers” quality.
Oh boy, were they
ever! [Maybe it really is the Summer of
Love, after all]
Glenturret 13YO,
1992:
An incredible soft, buttery nose,
full of sweet candy corn, seaweed,
brine, ivy, and simple syrup. In
fact, this Highland almost had “too
much”; an overabundance of what’s
good. I loved it, but still felt
assaulted. After the nose, this
Glenturret seemed to behave a little
more, with a beautiful, slightly
oily, medium-weight mouthfeel. The
finish didn’t echo, but instead
complimented the nose. There were
notes of marzipan, Bounty bars,
coconut, and toasted oak in its
medium-length finish. This dram was
a treat.
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Glenrothes 12YO, 1994:
A classic Speyside. If you
are a Glenrothes fan, it’s all here
for you, just tweaked a little. The
nose, though sharper than usual, is
still full of citrus (especially
orange zest), with “oodles” of
nutmeg and malt. There is an
abundance of vanilla on the palate,
but this Glenrothes is a little
lighter, even thinner, than we were
used to from this distillery. The
finish picks this one back up,
however. Very well-balanced; long
and warming, with lemon and
grapefruit at first, and a wafting
of oak at the end.
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Mannochmore 13YO, 1991:
A whisky man’s whisky. Another
Speyside, this is a wonderful dram
for people who really appreciate
whisky. The nose starts out pretty
strong and grassy, but quickly
morphs into a cereal grain maltiness,
with vanilla, nougat, and definite
milk chocolate notes. It has a hot,
medium, slightly chewy body, and
then blossoms with flavors of dried
fruits, corn husks, and more milk
chocolate sweetness. A very warming
and satisfying dram.
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Ledaig 13YO, 1993:
A Highland from the island of Mull,
this is a rather simple dram, with a
very fresh nose: lightly briny, with
wisps of smoke weaving in & out of
the vanilla and oak. An
exceptionally light body is followed
quickly by a short finish of iodine
and muskmelon. An aperitif whisky,
for those so inclined.
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Bowmore 35YO, 1970:
Ah…an Islay. And a nice old
one at that, though you wouldn’t
know it from the freshness of the
nose – very pretty. There is also
licorice and light sherry, but what
predominates is a profound Bowmore
smokiness, specifically salami and
smoked summer sausages. The body on
this dram continues the “chewy”
theme, being beautifully
full-bodied. This Bowmore’s finish
was not nearly as big as the nose,
though it did still have a level of
smokiness to it, along with old
sherry and a slight mustiness, and
(possibly) too much oak. Still, nice
to see how some extra time in the
cask can change a classic whisky.
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Glen Scotia 12YO,
1992:
Any day that I can get my hands on a
Campbeltown whisky is a good day.
Traditionally lighter than its
neighbor, Springbank, this Glen
Scotia did not disappoint. A very
deep, well-balanced dram, it
started-off very fresh, full of
sea-air, freshly mown lawn, malt,
almond extract, and Italian torrone.
With a satisfying medium-light body,
this whisky was just setting us up
for the finish; medium, yet quietly
lingering, with an open-air
freshness, and the soft sweetness of
fresh almonds and light mocha. A
delicate, elegant whisky.
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If you live in the New Jersey / New
York area, these two stores have a
great selection of Signatory.
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Marketplace Wine and Spirits
647-G Route 18
East Brunswick NJ, 08816
Ask for Nick Agathis
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Canal's Burlington
2004 Burlington Mt-Holly Rd.
Route 541
Burlington NJ,08016
Ask for Susan Seroka (Scotch
Specialist)
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August will feature seven rare drams
from Duncan Taylor.
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Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
brett@whiskyguild.com |
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Nov
06 |
Dec 06
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Jan 07
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Feb 07
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Mar 07
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Apr 07
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May 07
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Jun 07 |
