Dec. Tasting - Keep the Peat on the fire for a Sherry Xmas

[AdamMY]

It is time for everyones favorite winter drams, the drams that have you glad it gets dark early so you can get to the sipping all the earlier. So pull your arm chair up to the fire, and pour your favorite sherried or peated drams. Also be sure to report on your findings in this thread.

[AdamMY]

Starting of with a Whisky finished in Sherry Casks, the Tomatin 12. I've only had it for a few days, and the first few days it was harsh, but last night I remember it being rather enjoyable. Let's see how it behaves tonight.


Nose is quite nice, actually a bit more winey than expected. It oddly reminds me of the aroma of the sherry I use to make the French Onion soup each christmas eve. ( I always sample the stuff but I'll stick to whisky). Basically spices, and sweet, with a slight acidic tinge. Taste is quite smooth and mellow, the sherry really adds a nice depth, and is actually quite a nice finish effect on the Tomatin ( at least compared to the IB pure Bourbon Cask Tomatin I recently finished)... Finish though is odd, I got a touch of tart raisins and prunes on the finish, which caught me a little off guard.

[Ganga]

Irish Mist 12, ja a bit of peat

There is a certain sweetness to this. I'd suggest that it is a combination of both sweetly peated whisky and sherry whisky. Think nutty and earthy and malty. This is good but not great. Palate has some "artificial" notes.

[AdamMY]

Aberlour 12 in their standard "Double Cask Matured" fashion.

This one just smells like I would expect a good mix of sherry and bourbon casks to smell like. It is not heavy, but not light, some darker aromas reminiscent of wood, and spices, but nothing over bearing, and the fruits that come out are not the tropical fruits of bourbon but rather more fall fruits such as apples, and some red berries. The taste is no longer as sweet as when I first opened the bottle, but still very sweet, and full of fruits. It oddly still reminds me of twizzlers ( mostly the pull and peel cherry kind), and the whole gamut of starburts, namely the red and pink starbursts. The finish is incredibly nice and sweet all around, with a bit of good spices.

[AdamMY]

A whisky that I almost should save to send out samples to a few people. An odd but oddly enjoyable Peated Glenallachie, ( likely done to add some peat character to the Chivas blends, with this cask somehow finding its way to the Indie bottlers).

Nose is a rather nice mix of roasted vegetables and smoke ( oddly getting some tobacco smoke tonight), also a nice oily character, but not the heavy oils and bacon fat character of Islay whisky. Grilled Pineapple, and raw green cabbage on the taste, with some olive oil, but a strong burn, likely from the 61.6% abv. Finish is lingering cabbage and carrots.

[AdamMY]

Laphroaig 10.


Oddly nutty, and borderline harsh. It is oddly rich espeically given as it is not a sherry cask... But I am not one for the flavors that usually come from Peat, so the nose while interesting does not appeal to my urges. Taste is diluted maple syrup, and raw carrots and some stewed apples. Finish though is overwhelmingly peated, with a nice chocolate hint to it, in addition to some woody undertones.

[AdamMY]

04-06 Gordon and Macphail Caol Ila cask 306445.


Nose: A lot of hot peppers, and black pepper, a good bit of pineapple too, and a touch of pine resin. Also some ash character too.


Taste: Lots of fruit and ashes. Grilled pine apple ,and sweetened citrus fruit. ( Lemonade and lemon candies).

Finish: Incredibly sweet and candy like, but a lot of alcohol.


With water:


Nose: Much fuller and deeper, many more peat smells find their way out, but a lot like pine and hard candies, caramel, and a touch of burning candles.

Taste: Butterscotch, and caramel candies, lots of citrus fruits, and a good bit of pineapple. Dried mangos.

Finish: Touch of ash, with a lot more of those candies persisting throughout.

[AdamMY]

90-21 SV Mortlach cask 6073 Sherry Butt 52.8%

Very first pour from this bottle. Trying to let it breath a bit before drinking.

Nose: Toasted marshmallows, nutmeg, piparkukas, oranges decorated with cloves, the aroma lingering in a carpenters shop ( maybe dominant in cedar). ( With the touch of water nose is mostly the same, slightly more open, and a little lighter and sweeter).

Taste: First sip was a little rough. Added just a touch of water. Lots of toffee, and peanut brittle, an abundance of spices, oddly nice hint of oranges still in the taste. Also lots and lots of wood.

Finish: Wood tannins, and a dry nutty profile lingers for quite some time, not overtly sweet, but leaves hints of a very nice sweetness.

[AdamMY]

Kirkland 20 year old Speyside Single Malt Sherry Finished 40%

Freshly Opened.

Damn that is a hell of a lot of sherry aromas (not sherry cask aromas) but actual sherry aromas. It smells almost like I just poured myself a glass of sherry. Okay with air it is opening up a bit. I'll give it a bit more time then write.


Alright, now it smells like whisky.

Nose: A lot of vanilla, and wood aromas, over ripe pears, and over ripe bananas. A nice bit of red apples, and some other sweet fruits ( can not quite place them, persimmon maybe?). I think I got it, a touch of raisins from the sherry casks and some spices. A very light touch.

Taste: Weak, but given some time overly harsh. Its a paradox, it starts out just sweet slightly oily, then flavors build, mostly spices, and other woody flavors building up until the wood tannins become overwhelming. ( Keep in mind its bottled at 40%).

Finish: Actually decent it has a nice berry candy flavor, giving it a nice juicy appeal. The touch of wood tannins.


I am really confused about this whisky. Based on the taste I would say it was aged too long, and they knew it was, and tried to remedy it by watering it down as far as they legally could, and selling it so it looks like a steal for any 20 yo single malt.

[AdamMY]

Macallan 18 (from a mini bottle)


Nose: Interesting, lots and lots of spices, and woody aromas. Nutmeg, cinnamon, graham crackers. Oddly not that fruity.

Taste: The nose replayed on the tastebuds, also an odd touch of fruit leather ( but a non sweet version).

Finish: Lots of warm spices come up and fill the mouth, oddly next to no throat sensation. Just warming spice sensations all over the mouth.

[AdamMY]

Macallan 12

Nose actually reminds me of the 18, though ligther and a bit more fruit. A lot of spices, slight hints of some woody aroma's, a touch of spiced and baked apples.

Taste: Also much lighter, a touch of mayble syrup, the same set of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon), also a subtle hint of apples.

Finish: is similar to the 18 but far less spices, and warm tones.

[AdamMY]

Aberlour Abunadh batch 42 60.3%


Without Water:

Nose is definitely full of spices, a touch of rubber in there too. A touch winey also, lots of raisins, also some fresher grapes. Also smells slightly acidic.

Taste has an abundance of wonderful spices, some nice maple syrup flavors, lots of tannins, a bit strong on the alcohol front. Also again a touch winey, like a desert wine.

Finish is long and lingering, odd touch of rubber is there though. Not sure if it adds or detracts.


With a touch of water.

Nose is a lot more present now, a lot sweeter, nice spices, and still a touch winey. The rasins have almost fully turned into grapes, and other dark berries. Still a lot of spices and what I may start calling the aberlour character, a very sweet almost delicious candy like aroma to it. It reminds me of the Strawberry Pull and Peel Twizzlers.

Taste is a lot more plesant, no where near overwhelming, very sweet and fruit forward. A lot of dried berries, and some fruit candies. Good bit of spices too, also some cinnamon.

Finish, is oddly slightly stronger but the flair up of burn passes quickly, leaving behind a lengthy and strong amount of spices and dried fruits ( figs and rasins).

[pkt77242]

Lagavulin 1995 Friends of Classic Malts 12yo aged exclusively in European Oak.

N: Big sherry notes (raisin, dark fruits, and nuts) with lots of smoke and peat. Some oak, tar and pepper. A hint of caramel as well.
P: Starts on fruits (raisin, blackberry, red berries, etc) then the bonfire smoke, peat and tar hit the palate. A fair dose of pepper and salt as well. Big and chewy.
F: Is salt, bonfire smoke, pepper and peat. Some fruit hangs in the background. Finish is extremely long and coats the mouth and throat. Minutes later you can still taste it.

[pkt77242]

AD Rattray Bowmore 1991 20yo sherry cask 2061

N: Red berries, sweet cherry, some floral notes, wood smoke, toffee, and vanilla oak.
P: Starts sweet on the red berries and cherry then a big floral note. Then that gets washed out by toffee and caramel covered in chocolate with salt sprinkled on top.
F: Starts how the palate ends with toffee, caramel and chocolate covered in salt. Then some wood smoke, and floral notes come back.

A very good whisky.

[pkt77242]

Benriach 1986 23yo peated finished in Pedro Ximinez casks bottle for Plowed.

N: Blackberry, boysenberry and lots of other berries. Light smoke, vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar.
P: Starts off on blackberry and boysenberry with some soft wood smoke, vanilla, cinnamon, caramel and brown sugar (really similar to the nose).
F: Rather long on smoked vanilla ice cream covered in blackberries and dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar. Now the peat comes through, and the vanilla keeps getting stronger along with some dry oak and cinnamon.

[pkt77242]

Balvenie 17yo Sherry Oak

N: Raisins, cranberries, cherry and polished oak with varnish. A little saw dust and walnuts.
P: Raisins and walnuts. Polished oak and Cinnamon and brown sugar with some red apples dipped in caramel.
F: Medium on caramel, raisins and walnuts all dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar.

A little sweet and cloying but very good still.

[pkt77242]

G&M Longmorn 30yo

N: Polished oak, fried plantains, indian fry bread, walnuts and cashews. Hints of apples and caramel.
P: Starts on fried plantains, walnuts, almonds and caramel. Apples, fresh baked bread, and some polished oak.
F: Medium long with polished oak dominating. Some apples, caramel and nuts dusted with cinnamon. Gets rather dry towards the end with some pencil shavings.

I really enjoy this whisky. You have to like dry whiskies but it is very good.

[pkt77242]

90-21 SV Mortlach cask 6073 Sherry Butt 52.8%

Very first pour from this bottle. Trying to let it breath a bit before drinking.

Nose: Toasted marshmallows, nutmeg, piparkukas, oranges decorated with cloves, the aroma lingering in a carpenters shop ( maybe dominant in cedar). ( With the touch of water nose is mostly the same, slightly more open, and a little lighter and sweeter).

Taste: First sip was a little rough. Added just a touch of water. Lots of toffee, and peanut brittle, an abundance of spices, oddly nice hint of oranges still in the taste. Also lots and lots of wood.

Finish: Wood tannins, and a dry nutty profile lingers for quite some time, not overtly sweet, but leaves hints of a very nice sweetness.

Now that you have had a couple of weeks, has this opened up at all?

[pkt77242]

Macallan 18 (from a mini bottle)


Nose: Interesting, lots and lots of spices, and woody aromas. Nutmeg, cinnamon, graham crackers. Oddly not that fruity.

Taste: The nose replayed on the tastebuds, also an odd touch of fruit leather ( but a non sweet version).

Finish: Lots of warm spices come up and fill the mouth, oddly next to no throat sensation. Just warming spice sensations all over the mouth.

Are you going to buy a full bottle?

[AdamMY]

90-21 SV Mortlach cask 6073 Sherry Butt 52.8%

Very first pour from this bottle. Trying to let it breath a bit before drinking.

Nose: Toasted marshmallows, nutmeg, piparkukas, oranges decorated with cloves, the aroma lingering in a carpenters shop ( maybe dominant in cedar). ( With the touch of water nose is mostly the same, slightly more open, and a little lighter and sweeter).

Taste: First sip was a little rough. Added just a touch of water. Lots of toffee, and peanut brittle, an abundance of spices, oddly nice hint of oranges still in the taste. Also lots and lots of wood.

Finish: Wood tannins, and a dry nutty profile lingers for quite some time, not overtly sweet, but leaves hints of a very nice sweetness.

Now that you have had a couple of weeks, has this opened up at all?

Not sure if opened up is the right term, but it has mellowed quite a bit, still very flavorful, but no longer as harsh.

[AdamMY]

Macallan 18 (from a mini bottle)


Nose: Interesting, lots and lots of spices, and woody aromas. Nutmeg, cinnamon, graham crackers. Oddly not that fruity.

Taste: The nose replayed on the tastebuds, also an odd touch of fruit leather ( but a non sweet version).

Finish: Lots of warm spices come up and fill the mouth, oddly next to no throat sensation. Just warming spice sensations all over the mouth.

Are you going to buy a full bottle?

If I can save up the money. While good and worth it, it is not inexpensive.

[AdamMY]

http://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=76&whiskyid=34236

Nice Walnut and Hazelnut aroma with a touch fo spices, and a good butter and brown sugar aroma. Touch of musty oranges but not overwhemling, adds a nice touch.

Taste is wonderful, an abundance of spices, lots of brown sugar, and oranges, and many many dried fruits. (Figs, prunes, apricots, cherries, cranberries).

Finish is those same dried fruits lingering, with a nice kiss of the oranges ( more of a tangerine in the finish though), and spices and sugar mixed.

A wonderful whisky, it is going to be hard to stay away from this bottle.