October 2013 Outturn Offerings
Gingerbread man selling sweet delights
Cask No. 1.170 $150
Speyside, Spey
Black pepper and old books on polished wood made us sneeze – then a gingerbread man appeared, pulling a handcart of sweet delights (runny honey, brandy snaps, rum truffles, toffee, coconut, figs, raisins, plums). On the palate, a sweet damsel was being held ever so expertly by an oaky hero in a spicy embrace – rich spiced figs, mince pies, roasted chestnuts and nectarine stones. Water brought resinous logs and Daddies brown sauce to tickle the nose. The palate’s high-revving, vanilla virtuoso electric guitar solo, slowly faded to a Christmas spice crackle and hum. Another fine dram from the Marypark potion emporium.
Drinking tip: A fine fireside to suit that time from autumn’s first chill to the days before Christmas – but any day with a ‘y’ in it would do
Colour: Toffee gold Date distilled: September 1993
Cask: Refill hogshead Alcohol: 56.0%
Age: 19 years USA allocation: 190 bottles
Eating ice cream in a humidor
Cask No. 4.178 $110
Highland, Island
A mixture of sweet and fruity notes are predominant to start with; lemon meringue pie, buttered mandarin orange cake, Haribo crocodile sweets, rum soaked raisin and passion fruit sorbet. With time sultanas and nutmeg appear but all the while there is an ever so light clean smoke prevalent. The taste neat like eating an ice cream in a humidor. Less sweet than on the nose with maritime flavours of oysters, shrimps and other shellfish more dominant. After adding water the aroma changes to spare ribs on a barbeque but still sweet; Scotch pancakes, milk chocolate and a flaming banana pizza. The taste is now minty, cooling and slightly salty and in the finish like an iced milk shake. This sample comes from the distillery whose 18 year-old single malt was crowned ‘best spirit in the world’.
Drinking tip: A pudding dram or whilst waiting for your coffee after dessert
Colour: Bright pale gold Date distilled: June 2000
Cask: First-fill barrel Alcohol: 59.1%
Age: 12 years USA allocation: 120 bottles
Having a rose petal bath in the Glasgow School of Art
Cask No. 71.35 $175
Speyside, Lossie
We found ourselves, after a prolonged silence in the Panel, in the Glasgow School of Art. Canvas, easels, paints, pastels, watercolours, spray adhesives, brushes, linseed oil cleaner – you get the picture! But this is not all, we also find a perfumey note, rose petals and Elderflower jelly with fresh raspberries. The taste neat is kind and soft like rosewater-flavoured Turkish Delight or a very light milk chocolate bar. Releasing any tension, it leaves you wonderfully relaxed with not a care in the world. Holds water well but don‘t add a lot, pretty much the same aromas as neat with the addition of an old leather armchair to recline into. The intensity on the palate increases – if that is possible – spectacular mouth feel and the aftertaste goes on forever.
Drinking tip: Having a rose petal bath, candles, relaxing music…
Colour: Autumn sunshine on a Japanese maple leaf Date distilled: May 1985
Cask: Refill hogshead Alcohol: 57.2%
Age: 27 years USA allocation: 114 bottles
Spun sugar on polished wood
Cask No. 125.59 $95
Highland, Northern
The complex, intriguing nose had various facets – spun sugar and Crunchie bar sweetness; lavender and polished wood; tar, treacle toffees and black tea; rich Morello cherries, dates and walnuts; finally, pleasant maple, vanilla and pumpkin spice. The unreduced palate had parma violets and fizzers, slight mintyness and lots of muscovado, treacle, burnt sugar and dark toffee. The nose became even more sophisticated with water – orange oil, barley sugar, leather, sauna heat, burnt wood and caramel. The reduced palate was reasonably lively with great texture, warm spices, attractive sweet woody flavours and a wonderful afterglow. The distillery lies just outside Tain.
Drinking tip: Ideal for autumn evenings – preparing the soul for winter
Colour: Tanned leather Date distilled: December 2000
Cask: Second-fill Sherry butt Alcohol: 59.9%
Age: 10 years USA allocation: 90 bottles
A manly dram
Cask No. 127.32 $95
Islay
We enjoyed unravelling this nose – medicinal, tarry, kippers, big smoke, creosote, pine cones, harbours, caramelized parsnips, soor plooms, burnt toast, seared scallops, smoked vanilla, etc. The palate was a whopping, stomach-coating assault of tiger balm, tar, smoke, ash, embers, charred mackerel, toffee sauce and rugby changing rooms – ‘a real man’s dram!’ said one; ‘Rocket fuel!’ another. The reduced nose – Branston and HP sauce on bacon rolls, chocolate limes, coffee, cinnamon and moth balls. The reduced palate – ginger in dark chocolate, Arbroath Smokies with lime citric zing – but now the sweetness really began to emerge. A manly dram from a laddie distillery.
Drinking tip: Hip flask – fishing a hill loch – after hunting – maybe after fighting dragons…
Colour: Polished brass Date distilled: June 2002
Cask: Refill barrel Alcohol: 65.2%
Age: 10 years USA allocation: 108 bottles
All Day American Breakfast
Cask No. G5.7 $140
Grain
This sample, from the most northerly grain distillery, had the Panel very excited. On the nose neat, beeswax, tangerines, mandarins, toffee popcorn, rich honey, vanilla, orange oil, eucalyptus, cardamom and fennel seeds. The taste is sweet and spicy – sugar on caraway bread. Then turning waxy, like being in a room with children candle dipping and the aroma of sap and resin from a freshly cut Christmas tree. With water, aromas of steamed orange pudding, burnt toffee, vanilla cake batter, fluffy American pancakes with maple syrup and eggs sunny-side-up appear. The taste is velvety smooth, orange and vanilla oil, cooked chestnuts, nut brittle and cornbread. Slightly minty with a spicy edge of a Jalapeno pepper in the finish.
Drinking tip: With a rack of pork spare ribs in the Deep South
Colour: Deep amber Date distilled: May 1993
Cask: Refill hogshead Alcohol: 64.6%
Age: 19 years USA allocation: 60 bottles
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