I love the independent bottlers. Here at
the Whiskyguild, nothing tingles our
toes more than one-off variants of
well-loved classics (except for
toe-tingling stuff that doesn’t belong
on this type of site). Independents can
do things that the “big boys” just
can’t. This can be good, or not so good.
But it’s always interesting: different
age statements, finishes, lack of
caramel coloring, cask strength
bottlings; anything to make the whisky
different (and hopefully better). Of
course, it doesn’t always work-out that
way, but if you do decide to start
experimenting with independent bottlings,
start with a reputable, high quality
independent bottler. Duncan Taylor is
just that. Around for decades, Duncan
Taylor has a dizzying array of different
whiskies at their disposal; maybe too
dizzying. We decided to narrow this
month’s round-up to the Speyside region,
and chose five lovely drams that seemed
to encompass the region. Here they are:
Allt-a-Bhainne
14YO (46%):
A beautiful fresh, malty nose that
softly explodes with honey butter.
There is also the essence of those
hard peppermint candies that you get
in diners. It’s a sharp segue to the
palate, which is medium weight, very
spicy, and perhaps a bit young. This
whisky’s finish, though, recalls its
start (as all good whiskies should),
with echoes of butterscotch and
candy caramels. The medium-long
finish also strangely seemed a
little “fizzy”, although this
couldn’t be understood by any of us.
Nonetheless, a very nice dram.
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Knockando, 1980, bottled 4-23-07,
cask 1912, (46%):
The most straightforward of the
bunch. The nose is extremely
vegetal, full of wet grasses, with
oak, caramel, and floral notes. This
morphs into a medium, spicy palate,
before ending with a short finish of
caramel and hot wintergreen candy.
We see this as a before-dinner
aperitif.
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Macallan, 1969, bottled 4-10-07,
cask 8373 (44.6%):
Now this is a BIG whisky! A favorite
of two of our tasters, this dram was
chock-full of sherry, but also
contained strong honey notes, and
that balsamic vinegar character that
only happens when a sherried dram is
aged well. The palate was, of
course, very full-bodied, with
flavors of cherry-pie filling, and
(maybe) just a little too much oak.
A long, soft finish helped complete
the picture, slightly resinous, with
oranges and grapefruits also in the
mix. A quintessential “sipping
whisky”.
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Glenlivit, 1968,
bottled 3-5-07, cask 6199 (52.1%):
Another very aged, sherried dram,
this Glenlivit oozed old leather and
wild grasses, and was at once both
rugged and tamed. The body on this
one was exceptionally big, full of a
mix of fresh fruits. Its finish was
a little surprising, though:
medium-short, and bursting with
(very) tart cherries. Warming, but a
little abrupt. Still nice to get our
hands on an older Glenlivit, though,
and enjoy what a little extra time
can do.
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Strathisla, 1967,
bottled 6-19-06, cask 1896 (48.8%):
An extremely complex nose that
reminded me of wine because of its
“grape” character, this Strathisla
exploded onto the senses with
olives, sponge cake, and clover. The
best nose of the day (one man’s
view). The medium-weight body gave
way to a hot, “shortish” finish, at
times malty, at times oaky, but
never boring, with beautiful caramel
notes that weren’t too sweet to
drown-out the whisky. Nicely done.
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www.singlemaltsdirect.com
carries
a great selection of Duncan Taylor
whiskies. |
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Upcoming reviews will include whiskies
from Signatory and seven more 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
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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 |
