APPEARANCE
Honeyed gold
AROMA
Baked peaches with syrup and toasted almonds. Vanilla and light cinnamon spice.
TASTE
Sweetness, Spice, Citrus, Baked peaches.
Tag Archives: Tasting notes
The Arran 14 year old Single Malt
APPEARANCE
Sunset Copper
AROMA
An initial burst of brine leads onto warming toffee apples and hazelnuts. This is followed by dates, chocolate orange and spiced tea cake. The mouthfeel is overwhelmingly rich and weighty.
TASTE
Sweetness, Spice, Bitter orange, Charred Oak, Honey.
Kilchoman 100% Islay
All parts of the production process for the 100% Islay have taken place at the distillery – from barley to bottle; grown, malted, distilled, matured and bottled, making for a unique character. We are proud to be the only Islay distillery distilling single malt from barley both grown and malted on Islay. Bottled at 50% ABV and peated to a lower level to that our other releases, 100% Islay has a lighter, fresher feel to it. Citrus and lemon notes come through with soft peat smoke and a long smooth finish. First launched in 2010 a new edition of the 100% Islay has been released every year since.
Kilchoman Sanaig
Sanaig, a small rocky inlet North West of the distillery is the name given to this continuously available release. Sanaig has a predominantly sherry cask influence owing to the significant time spent in oloroso sherry Hogsheads. These aged oloroso casks contribute a drastically transformed depth of colour and character compared to the mostly Bourbon cask matured Machir Bay. “A beautiful marriage of bourbon and sherry maturation balanced with classic Islay peat smoke and light citrus sweetness”Anthony Wills, Founder. Sanaig was awarded Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Non Age Statement at the IWSC 2016.
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Machir Bay is the flagship of the Kilchoman range. Machir Bay is a unique and complex combination of ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts. Machir Bay was first launched in 2012 when it won the prestigious IWSC 2012 Gold Award and more recenty in 2016 it was awarded best Islay Single Malt at the IWC.
Machir Bay has a beautiful balance of vanilla, smokey butterscotch and rich fruitiness each contributing in complexity and combining to create a truly unique Islay dram
Cragganmore 12 YO – Speyside
CRAGGANMORE STORY
The Cragganmore Distillery was founded in 1869 by John
Smith, who is said to have been the most experienced
distiller of his day. He had been manager of Macallan,
Glenlivet and Wishaw distilleries, and was lease-holder of
Glenfarclas Distillery when he persuaded his landlord, Sir
George Macpherson-Grant, to lease him the land to build
a new distillery at Ballindalloch beside the Strathspey
railway line.
Cragganmore was the first distillery to be deliberately
sited to take advantage of the railway line and a private
siding was built to accommodate distillery traffic. John
Smith was a great railway enthusiast, but since he
weighed 22 stones (140kg) and was too wide to enter a
railway carriage, he was obliged to travel in the Guard’s
van.
PERFECT SERVE
Cragganmore 12 Year Old is one of the most complex
single malts with layers of sweet floral fragrances, wood
smoke, riverside herbs, vanilla and cereals. It is best
enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
Lagavulin 16 YO – Islay
LAGAVULIN STORY
Founded in 1816 by local farmer John Johnston,
succeeding more than 10 illicit stills that had previously
been on the site. Now one of eight operating distilleries
on Islay off the west coast of Scotland
Named Lagavulin after a Gaelic word meaning “the
hollow where the mill is”
Aged in ex bourbon casks, the high levels of peat,
coupled with its rich flavours make this the definitive
Islay malt and the Holy Grail for many whisky drinkers.
PERFECT SERVE
Lagavulin 16 Year Old is an intense, smoky-sweet single
malt with seaweed flavours and a huge finish, aged in oak
casks for at least sixteen years. This is best appreciated
neat or on the rocks.
Appearance: Deep Amber Gold
Nose: Intense peat-smoke and a rich, deep sweetness
Body: Full
Palate: Srong and intense with a rich, dried fruit sweetness &
peppery smoky
Finish: Huge, long and warming
Caol Ila 12 YO – Islay
CAOL ILA STORY
Caol Ila is the Gaelic name for the Sound of Islay, which
separates the island from Jura in one of the most remote
and beautiful parts of Scotland’s West Coast. Caol Ila is
the only distillery on Islay to face due east, and every
morning the six stills are the first to feel the dawn of the
day on their copper faces.
Nestled in a hidden cove near Port Askaig, the Caol Ila
(pronounced “Cull Eela”) distillery sent its whisky to
market by sea for over a hundred years.
PERFECT SERVE
Caol Ila 12 Year Old is a fresh, sweetly fruity and smoothbodied,
with a delicate balance of tastes which is best enjoyed
neat or on the rocks.
Appearance: Pale Straw
Nose: Subdued, citric fruitiness, a fresh and appetizing nose, with
little or no trace of smoke.
Body: Firm, smooth, light to medium
Palate: Drinks well at natural strength; sweet start; pleasant, light
fragrant smokiness and a lengthy finish. Smooth, pleasant
mouth-feel.. A complex balance of primary tastes.
Finish: Sweet smokiness in the lingering, slightly sour finish
Oban 14 YO – West Highland
OBAN STORY
Fine single malt whisky has been made here in Oban for
over 200 years, in one of the oldest licensed distilleries in
Scotland. In effect, the town grew up around the
distillery and since its foundation in 1794 it has played a
crucial role in local life. Oban is the frontier between the
West Highlands and the Islands; the meeting place
between land and sea.
In 1883 the unforgettably named J. Walter Higgin bought
the distillery. Between 1890 and 1894 he dismantled and
rebuilt it bit by bit, in order to keep it in production – such
was the demand for Oban Single Malt Scotch Whisky. He
carefully replicated the famously small stills and other
traditional features in order to preserve the quality of the
whisky.
The distillery buildings and their internal arrangements
remain almost the same today as they were following
Higgin’s refurbishment.
PERFECT SERVE
Oban 14 Year Old has a rich sweetness followed by a
smokey dryness that is best appreciated neat or on the
rocks.
Appearance: Olive Gold
Nose: Rich sweetness and oranges & lemons with sea-salt and
peaty smokiness
Body: full, rich
Palate: Mouth filling, dried figs and honey-sweet spices, followed
by a smoky, malty dryness
Finish: Long, smooth-sweet finish with oak-wood, dryness and a
grain of salt
Glenkinchie 12 YO – Lowland
GLENKINCHIE STORY
One of the few remaining Lowland distilleries,
Glenkinchie’s rural location amid fields of barley, just
twenty miles from the hustle and bustle of the capital,
makes this “The Edinburgh Malt”.
Founded in 1825, the distillery was later purchased and
restored by an association of whisky merchants and
blenders from Edinburgh in the 1890s. It took ten years
but the result was the Victorian distillery that we know
today, with its characteristic red-brick buildings, houses
for workers and even its own bowling green.
PERFECT SERVE
Glenkinchie 12 Year Old is light, sweet, fresh yet creamy with
hints of flowers and cut grass, underpinned by toasted malt
and cheesecake notes. It is best enjoyed neat or on the
rocks.
Appearance: Pale Gold
Nose: Aromatic, vanilla, cut flowers and a clean, toasty note.
Body: Light, smooth
Palate: Sweet, soft start becoming flowery. Crisp mid-palate then
butter icing, lemon, cheesecake and freesias
Finish: Herbal and drying, a little like pot pourri.