Soft and gentle rye spices, much less sweet and more vaporous and spirit, perhaps displays more tropical fruit nature from the distillate. 82/100
Fettercairn 12 Years Old 2009 Rye Cask
Heritage Corn Whisky
Quite light & vanillic a nice mixture of sweet and spiced from the grains without being overly oily/buttery. I’m relishing what this will be like with a little more time in the cask. 82/100
Johnnie Walker Red Label
Entertaining, with generous contributions from sherry, grain spirit, malt and peat. A touch metallic and solventy in places. Sherry, spice and smoke. 82/100
Glen Grant The Major’s Reserve
Light, creamy and buttery, full of fresh apples, lemon, vanilla and hazelnut – does exactly what it says on the tin. A delicious light Speyside single malt at a bargain price.
Blair Athol 10 Years Old 2009 Cask 307362
A rather citric, juicy and fruity and a touch floral Blair Athol accented with woody oak from the rechar cask, quite unusual to sample Blair Athol naked of sherry cask influence.
Lindores Abbey 2 Years Old 2018 Cask 29
A hint of Lindores Abbey florality peeks through here but most of this spirit reveals cask-led flavours, coastal, lime and peat perhaps even a Kildalton malt was previously in this cask?
Glasgow 1770 The Coopers’ Cask Release
Overtly woody and plenty of soft/baked fruit nature to this one, it is rather complex thanks to the fancy cask but still quite youthful with a tendency to become hot and spirity later on the palate. 82/100
Jim Beam Single Barrel
Intriguing on the nose but rather too spiced on the palate for my liking, thankfully not overtly sweet. 82/100
Filey Bay Moscatel Finish
Another tasty expression, moved more into stone fruits thanks to the Moscatel finish, plus plenty of honey and syrup sweetness too, whilst retaining core distillate flavours too. 82/100
Filey Bay Flagship
A nice introduction to the Filey Bay house style, plenty of fruity spirit and a hint of youth in the woody notes present, thankfully not too over-cask-engineered which seems all the rage with most new distilleries. A promising start! 82/100
