A really great tasting on Thursday evening with @TomsDram over on Twitter. 3 very different and equally interesting mystery pours! As Always I was way off with most, but lovely tasting some new (and not so new!) whiskies!
Mystery Dram 1
Appearance: Deep gold, almost auburn. Autumnal (a good colour). Nice and oily, slowly forming medium/thick legs.
Nose: Deep and luxurious, nice balance of flavour and alcohol. Sweet confectionery sugar, spicy wood notes, banana, some green apple, stewed red berries, pastry and a touch of liquorice. There’s also a very subtle sulphur/burnt match smoke scent. I would say sherry or, maybe, wine cask at this point. There might also be some sweeter BBQ scents too. Honey glazed.
Getting buttered toast on the nose now that the glass is less full and I’ve had a few sips and sniffs.
Guess(s): I’d say ABV is high 40%’s/low50%’s. Sherry cask.
Palate: Lovely oily delivery, sweet icing sugar, some copper and a touch of spice on the first sip. Buttery notes, a little drying on the throat. Some spearmint too.
Quite a Christmassy palate for me, baking spices, mince pies, buttery pastry and oak. Blood orange lingers for me, a slightly bitter note.
Finish: The finish for me is a continuation of that lovely oily and buttery mouthfeel. The orange bitterness and some peach too. A slight oakiness in the background and the baking spices
Overall: A lovely sweet and oily dram. A great sipper and perfect for the colder months and Christmas in particular. The bitterness has no detrimental effect on the overall experience.
Dram A from the fabulous @TomsDram #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/1mtpTFyyUF
— Tom Healy (@TomsDram) August 26, 2021
Reveal: Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter one 2019 48% ABV
Dram 2
Appearance: A shade darker than white wine, apple juice. Quite viscous, thin film on the glass and thin legs.
Nose: Average hit of ethanol. Light smoke and BBQ meats, some sweet saltiness, like popcorn. Honey nut cornflakes, barley and lemon zest. After some time the sweetness becomes more like icing sugar. Vanilla ice cream with milk chocolate flake crushed over it. This one has quite an ‘agricultural’ smell about it. Cornfields, dusty barns etc
Guess(s): A D Rattray – It wasn’t
Palate: Quite bitter initially, grapefruit, spice/black pepper. Mild chilli and a slight red wine vinegar taste. Some honey and that vanilla, bitter chilli infused chocolate too. The mouthfeel isn’t as luxurious this time round, I actually think it might be a higher ABV than we’ve given it credit for, maybe 50%+?
Finish: Finish for me is floral, spicy and with that grapefruit bitterness. I’m not a massive fan of this one (personal taste). But I guessed the bottler so I’m happy!
Overall: Not my cup of tea but an interesting and well-balanced whisky. The grapefruit bitterness didn’t float my boat.
Ha ha! I Hav a bottle of that sitting right next to me, unopened! #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/l5rotDbCpR
— Tony Pancakes (@MCDrammer) August 26, 2021
Reveal: High Coast Hav – Oak Spice 48% ABV
Dram 3
Appearance: Lovely and dark, an oaky tangerine colour with a lovely shine. Oozy coating on the glass, nice medium/thick legs.
Nose: Dessert-like, sugared dark fruits and plum, maybe fig. It reminds me of the Firkin Port cask as it goes. A eucalyptus edge appears after a while, in the background.
Palate: Wow, what a delivery. Oily as hell and bursting with rich fruit, orange and spice flavours. That’s glorious! It leaves the whole mouth tingling. There’s some heat there, mild, but there. It’s an awesome drop this!
Finish: Rich and fruity, with a lovely balance of spice and alcohol. What a great end to a lovely whisky experience!
Overall: Full on from start to finish. And the actual finish is no exception. Chilli heat builds, red berries, honey, orange……… it’s all there is a huge way
WTF?! I raved about this when I bought a bottle at launch. WOOPS!? haha #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) August 26, 2021
Reveal: Cotswolds Cotswolds Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky 57.4% ABV
