As you would expect this has all the diversity and flavour of a single malt whisky, if anything the Coffey distillation has allowed the extraction of cask flavours to come through even more in the final whisky. 84/100
Spearhead
Fettercairn 16 Years Old 2nd Release 2021
Classic combination of citrus and ginger with spice and zest in harmony. 84/100
Fettercairn 12 Years Old
A pleasant single malt with plenty of fruity and grassy cereal influences and a touch of tropicality. 80/100
Samuel Gelston’s Blended Irish Whiskey
A fairly basic and very pleasant blended Irish whiskey. There are hints of youth and some solventy spirit nature, triple distilled for smoothness and bourbon matured there’s not much to hide behind and this does develop some interesting & more complex flavours. 77/100
Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire 10 Years Old
Good balance and approachable sherried Islay malt. Pleasant but could be so much more! At 40% this is a bit soft and a bit safe for me I’d like a touch more intensity to these flavours and experience.
Drouin Reserve Des Fiefs
Superb, creamy textured and vibrantly fruity this has something of a curd or yoghurty nature and the youth comes through as banana milkshake (estery and creamy). A great insight into Drouin’s base spirit nature. 84/100
Crabbies Yardhead
On its own this is a fairly basic single malt. Perfect for mixing but also drinkable in its own right. Their are traces of youthful spirit and a touch of sulphur but also a lovely minerality proving a distinct character that does carry though into longer mixed drinks or cocktails. By no means a neutral base spirit. 78/100
Jura 12 Years Old
A much cleaner presentation from Jura, certainly they have tightened up on their base bourbon cask maturation stock. I found myself wishing for a little more depth (and grime) on the palate and this is a little sweet & polished on the finish but overall a great balance and intensity. 84/100
Spey Chairman’s Choice
A very easy drinker, has some nice complexity with a backdrop of Spey’s light spirit. Full of plenty of fresh fruits tempered by oak wood maturation. 84/100
Mackmyra Mack
Banana splits club (Hold the bus!) super estery and sweet, plenty of fruit but some woody spices to keep it in check towards the end. Fairly simple and straightforward and the sweetness is just about tempered enough to keep it pleasing. 80/100
The Whiskyphiles 