From the exclusive ‘Man With The Hat’ series is this well-aged 32yo distilled at Girvan Distillery. Bottled in association with Hunter Laing this is part of their First Editions range.
The below notes were made during a blind tasting. Dram kindly supplied by Peter Hunt (@uk_whisky).
Appearance: Shade darker than white wine, slightly more towards light honey. That corrugated film effect when swirled with a hairline tide mark.
Nose: Slight smoke again, this time more of a BBQ style though. Some salinity too. This one has a bit more depth and richness for me. Honey nut cornflakes, malt and orchard fruits.
Getting fruit crumble and custard now. I like how this one is evolving.
Palate: Nice viscous mouthfeel, spice forward but with fast-acting sweetness and a mellow vanilla custard note coming forward. Some aniseed, maybe, or mint too. This is much more my cup of tea!
The second sip is still spicy with a touch of chilli heat, but also fruitier. Lots of strawberries (which is now also on the nose as I take a sip). Black pepper seems to be dusting everything. which offers a nice spicy balance.
Finish: Quite long for me. Getting liquorice and dark chocolate. Still, the berry sweetness twanging away in the background. There is some drying on the finish and a bitter lemon note too. Black pepper is also in the mix.
Overall: Very enjoyable and not what I would expect at all from a grain whisky. Well worth a look!
Featured image credit: southportwhisky.co.uk/.
