International 27th Small Batch Release (August 2019)
This is the last bottling of the summer.
Well kind of – given Autumn really starts September 21st)
Before we start, let’s answer a typical question we get with every release! “Why some products have sold out before they get a chance to buy?”
This can happen as it will with the gold label bottles in this release. Especially Benrinnes 21yo we will only have 3 bottles available at best.
So why so few? It’s all down to how many bottles we get from a cask and in the case of the small-batch, it’s going to more than 9 shops, unlike the Authentic collection. Small Batch is a worldwide release so a lot more shops to divide the stock between.
We will be saying this time and time again in the future as much as we did in the past,
“Look beyond the label and age statement”, otherwise you can miss out on some incredible drams.
Be honest, how many of you will read this newsletter and see an age statement of say 8 years, and move on to the next ignoring the information about the cask! I know I do it even myself when the release sheets come in. I am like the rest of you – get excited about the older vintages or what gold label is coming in next? I then go back and read the notes, over and over again to make sure I have not missed anything.
Such as the amazing Paul John 6 small batch from last winter, or Benrinnes 23; that stunning small batch from a few months back.
Let’s not dwell on the things you can’t get, but rather on the things you can! First, let’s look back to Small Batch No 26, as it was the start of the summer releases with the most incredible selection of small-batch whiskeys.
The list below contains the ones we in at the London Shop think are the best examples of whisky you can get, especially if you are trying to put together a home bar or small tasting selection.
Far too many people get caught out trying to get the same style or older vintages because they see others do the same thing!
Variety is best especially if you want to avoid being so dedicated to one brand style or expression, just to realize that you need deeper and deeper pockets.
DAILUAINE 2004 14 Y/O 46% Pineapple with orange on the nose with butterscotch lemon and lime toasted almonds with a finish of mint and green tea – a truly enjoyable dram.
CAMBUS 1988 30 Y/O 46.1% Closed distillery. (yes we have another out today) One of the best examples of how good a vintage grain whisky can be with the most enjoyable palate of Rich soft Banana bread with raisin butter on the nose. The palate gives incredible hints of dark chocolate sauce with some ginger ice cream blueberries and summer fruits. The finish is superb with the perfect balance of honeycomb and praline, with sugar coated almonds, as this goes even smoother than we can list with any tasting note review.
Check out our web shop for more Small Batches you might have missed.
Now the Authentic Collection!
GLENTAUCHERS 2007 12 Y/O 59.3% Nose: Vanilla cream sponge, spearmint and a hint of rosemary. Taste: Very creamy but with satsuma notes, dried bananas, toffee sweets and strawberry yoghurt. Finish: Long and creamy with inter mingling fruits. This is one of the most enjoyable younger vintages we have had from this respected distillery.
FETTERCAIRN 11yo (2007) 57.6% Nose: Milk chocolate, sponge cake and lemon curd. Green olives and pecans. Taste: Spiced apple chutney, lemon meringue pie and hints of cranberries and greek yoghurt. Finish: Toasted pine-nuts, marshmallows and custard creams with a touch of eucalyptus.What a great dram this turned out to be and a worthy addition to the range of vintages we have released over the years from this distillery.
GLEN SPEY 17yo (2001) 54.5% Nose: Cinnamon buns, apple strudel and dried fruits with a hint of lemongrass and dandelions.Taste: Creamy and nutty, nougat, salted peanuts and the some mint notes and dry white wine. Finish: Lemony with hints of flint and basil.
DISTILLERY FOCUS
Glen Spey distillery founded as the Mill of Rothes distillery in 1878 by James Stuart & Co, who later in 1886 purchased the Macallan distillery. The distillery was sold around 1887 for the sum of £11,000 – ignoring the inflation, sounds less than a price of a modern car! Around 1920, the distillery has the obligatory fire that seems to have happened to so many distilleries. This malt is one of the main components of some of the world’s great blends, being one that any master blender should enjoy using when crafting a blend.
GLEN SPEY 2001 17 YEARS OLD 53.3% VOL – 70CL – SPEYSIDE
NOSE: Custard creams, hints of pork crackling, candy floss and traces of peanut butter.
PALATE: Coconut flakes, dried banana chips, hint of pickled ginger, watercress and milk chocolate with yoghurt covered raisins.
FINISH: Long and creamy with hints of wasabi and green tea.
AN IRISH DISTILLERY SINGLE MALT 10 YEARS OLD 47.4% – 70CL – Distilled in 2006
NOSE: Vanilla with pineapple, almonds, peaches and lemongrass.
PALATE: Creamy with tropical fruits, kiwi, papaya and passion fruit. Hints of mango and toffee sauce.
FINISH: For something so fresh the finish is big and syrupy with bags of fruit. Dangerously drinkable.
BALBLAIR 2011 8 YEARS OLD 57.8% VOL – 70CL – HIGHLAND
NOSE: Rich fruity nose, dried fruits with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
PALATE: Thick and chewy, obvious sherry influence but still with some toffee in the background. Dark chocolate shavings with raspberries and dark cherries.
FINISH: Long dry sherry notes with some marzipan and maraschino cherries and gingerbread.
This was originally a Puncheon that was re-racked into two fresh sherry hogsheads in August 2017, before being vatted together for this bottling.
GLENROTHES 1996 22 YEARS OLD 50.1% VOL – 70CL – SPEYSIDE
NOSE: Eucalyptus, orange zest, peach skins and green olives.
PALATE: Lime zest, mango, lychee and apricots with golden syrup and butter popcorn.
FINISH: Big and fruity but lots of golden syrup and soft flinty notes.
KNOCKDHU 2010 9 YEARS OLD 56.2% VOL – 70CL – SPEYSIDE
NOSE: Gingerbread smothered in melting salted butter, apricot yogurt with pineapple fritters and banana bread.
PALATE: White chocolate buttons, lemon drizzle cake, and almond flakes. Soft lime zest and green apple skins.
FINISH: Spiced apples with runny honey and butterscotch sweets.
ORD 2006 13 YEARS OLD 53.3% VOL – 70CL – HIGHLAND BOURBON / MADEIRA WOOD
NOSE: Vibrant fruits, strawberries, raspberries, red-currants and banoffee pie.
PALATE: Mix of creamy vanilla along with sweet syrupy fruits. Marzipan, cola cubes and lemongrass.
FINISH: Mixed fruit yoghurt with whipped cream and pine nuts
This is a vatting of one bourbon Hogshead of 2006 Ord, married with another cask of 2006 Ord, that had been re-racked in a Madeira cask since 2017.
CAMBUS 1991 28 YEARS OLD 55.8% SINGLE CASK CLOSED DISTILLERY
NOSE: Honey, spice, marshmallows and crunch nut cornflakes. Creamy with a lemon balm note running through the middle
PALATE: Caramel wafers, honeycomb, satsumas and peaches in syrup.
FINISH: Long lingering honey, apple juice and star anise.
GLENBURGIE 1992 27 YEARS OLD 48.8% VOL – 70CL – SINGLE CASK
NOSE: Oily and herbal, fennel, fried sage and a hint of coriander – mix with olive oil, lemongrass, and chorizo.
PALATE: Some dry smoke mixed with ripe fruits, kiwi, mango, peaches, and dried apricots.
FINISH: Long lingering syrupy fruits with a hint of dry smoke.
BOWMORE 2002 17 YEARS OLD 53.6% VOL – 70CL – ISLAY SINGLE CASK
NOSE: Really creamy and oily, with paraffin smoke, lime pickle, and petrol lawnmowers.
PALATE: Dry smoke gives way to initially sour apples then becomes creamier with gooseberries and licorice.
FINISH: Oily smoke and fruit – a classic.
BENRINNES 1997 21 YEARS OLD 58.7% VOL – 70CL SPEYSIDE SINGLE CASK
NOSE: White crab meat, black olives, overripe fruits and pork pies.
PALATE: Olive oil, cream cheese, pineapple, a hint of paprika.
FINISH: Long and chewy a little dusty, some popping candy and orange bitters.
CREATIONS 1987 31 YEARS OLD 50.1%VOL – 70CL – BLENDED MALT
NOSE: Juicy fruits, faint warming spices and apricot jam.
PALATE: Proper old school mouth feel, chewy and fruity with passion fruit, guava and blood orange.
FINISH: More chewy fruit with soft spice that fades away – a dram to savour. A blended malt bottled from a single cask that was married together in 2004.
That’s it for now! We might be in touch again soon, as we head into the new whisky season of 2019/20 – oh and we might be in touch with some other exciting news as well !! For those who like a surprise or 2 keep checking the web shop around September 14th you never know what will arrive.
All the best Cadenhead’s London
Cadenheads Whisky Shop & Tasting Room
26 Chiltern Street, London, W1U 7QF
