What happens when you take infinity bottles created by 5 whisky enthusiasts and pit them against each other? As it turns out, you get 5 really good whisky blends and a great evening of tasting!
The below notes are clearly pointless as infinity bottles change and evolve with every addition. Find out more here.
Pure Filth (@RestlessNative)
Appearance: Light gold/straw. When swirled a medium/thick tide mark forms with a rippled film wrapped around the inside of the glass. A few teardrops form after some time too.
Nose: Peat, a coastal fire and some meats. It’s mellow on the ABV at first and then there’s a ‘kick’ that suggests it’s higher. A tropical fruit sharpness: grilled and smoked pineapple (if that’s a thing). Some earthy vegetal notes appear after a while too. This isn’t half bad on the nose!
Some faint sugar sweetness, like a light icing sugar dusting. Random pangs of red berries, snap in and out of the nose.
Palate: Wow, great oily mouthfeel, lovely sweet/spice balance and a good chest warmth. Honey, vanilla, black pepper and confectionary sugar hit first. Milk chocolate, Polo mints (that sweet mint), red berries and orchard fruits. Some toffee.
Finish: Medium to long. Sweet and spicy, still nicely balanced. Black pepper and jam.
Overall: Banger, shame he can’t remember what’s in it!
Follow @restlessnative/a>Little Brown Grog (@WhiskeyChap)
Appearance: Honey gold with an orange hue. A hairline swirl mark forms and thin film coats the inside of the glass. Many medium legs form as well as some teardrops that hang from the swirl mark.
Nose: Lots of toffee and caramel, butterscotch Angel Delight, sugar and funk. Quite mellow where the ABV is concerned, a friendly nose. Sweet shop aromas, all jumbled up, toffee apple and custard. Raspberry ripple ice cream, tree bark and dusty damp book
Palate: An odd first sip. Sweet with toffee and butterscotch and mild black pepper. There’s barrel char and slight acidity too. The toffee/caramel element grows and thickens with every sip. There’s not an ABV tingle too. Slight chest warming spiciness, Sodastream Cola syrup. and vanilla.
Finish: Long. Slightly cloying, spicey and toffee sweet. The dryness is a tad too heavy but it’s ok.
Overall: I’m pretty proud of this infinity bottle, it’s not a usual mess of aromas and flavours and actually works well (until I add the next whisky at least!).
Follow @whiskeychap/a>Silence Of The Drams (@Whiskytip)
Appearance: A lovely dark honey gold, crisp and shiny looking too. A pretty viscous film forms with a medium/thick swirl mark. The swirl mark morphs into many teardrops, which then morph into medium legs.
Nose: I think this one has a deceptively high ABV. Orchard fruits, liquorice, faint smoke, petrichor and rosemary. Grilled tropical fruits, a subtle sweetness builds slowly and lemon sherbert. A sudden aroma of boozy peaches (think Archers). Toffee apple scents increase with time, rich and sweet, with a slight zest. pencil shavings.
Palate: A nice balance (again) of sweet and spice. Semi-viscous mouthfeel. Honey, smokey vanilla, black pepper, red berries and slight dryness. Custard tart, chocolate powder, oak and caramelised wood. I’m getting that biscuit flavour now, malt/wheat.
Finish: Short to medium. Quite a spicy finish, jam, Digestive biscuit and chocolate. Some dried fruit and vanilla too.
Overall: A great blend of whiskies. Good balance, excellent depth and lots to explore! The sweetness, for me, was spot on and complimented by the spice.
Follow @whiskytipFrankenstein (@jason85388511)
Appearance: A deep sunset golden colour with an almost brown hue. A thick swirl mark and good dense film form when swirled. Teradrops then start to appear and slowly seep down the glass.
Nose: Orchard fruits, Gooseberry jam, caramel, vanilla and general bourbon’esque aromas, freshly drilled smouldering plywood and white wine grape. Coffee ice cream, chocolate and Black Forest Gateaux. Stewed fruit crumble with baked brown sugar and custard. A funk after the dram has matured.
Palate: Lovely mouthfeel and, from the first sip, a banger! Latte coffee, cherry and chocolate, black pepper tingle and squirty cream. Some drying. There’s a caramel, toffee and cream mellowness running through the palate that makes up the main element, then there is a warming spice and the slight coffee bitterness.
Finish: Medium to long. The creamy mellowness continues. Slight black pepper tingle and a touch of that crumble.
Overall: It’s a lovely friendly mellow dram, but with plenty going on. I really like it!
Follow @jason85388511Spicy Fireplace (@StillSurreal)
Appearance: Apple juice gold, A slightly chaotic swirlmark and corrugated film quickly form with medium legs and some teardrops.
Nose: Another coastal, smokey and meaty nose on this one. That grilled pineapple on wood, along with red apple skin, ink (a new one on me), grape and lemoncello. The ABV is quite evident on this, but that might be because it’s of the flavours, rather than the alcohol content. Some oak and barrel char notes and fresh bandages. There are mellow custard undertones, they’re subtle though. There’s a funk on the nose after the dram has matured.
Palate: A decent mouthfeel. The ABV is more evident on the palate. Very earthy and vegetal, some white pepper spice heat, maybe mild chilli that builds in the mouth. It’s not like anything I’ve tasted before, I can’t (yet) distinguish individual flavours. Blackberries, sherry cask wood drying, bottom of the bowl fruit pie and custard mix.
Finish: Medium in length. Floater coffee, chocolate, raisins, ash and caramelised wood. A tad drying with black pepper tingling.
Overall: It’s another great infinity blend and I really enjoyed it. A little too drying for me and I had trouble exploring the flavours. That said, for a home blend, it’s a banger!
Follow @stillsurreal