Let it burn...Three Uncommon Malts

A random and unplanned get-together ended up with a tasting of three whiskies, two of which were bought for JE at the LMDW sale last weekend. They were clearing stock before the renovations, so some of the stuff were going at a pretty cheap price. They were even selling the half-finished bottles behind the bar. I didn't get anything for myself though - was there to buy for friends instead. It was a liberating feeling to be able to shop without spending my own money.

Mystery bottling - Blended Scotch Whisky by The Moorings Hotel (40% abv)

A miniature that was a complimentary gift at The Moorings hotel, which DW stayed in when on holiday. He claimed to not have tried it then, but brought it back instead. Time to find out if good things come free.

Nose - Burns the insides of your nostrils on first nosing, then intensely sweet, on malted barley and something close to rye or bourbon. Probably a higher mix of grain whisky in this blend. Still burning the insides of my nostrils on second nosing.

Palate - Strong grain influence, with an intense, almost cloying sweetness and spice. Not the good kind of grain whisky, perhaps? Big on alcohol too. It never stops burning, even with a small sip. But the pity is, there isn't too much flavour behind the burn. Some spice and suggestions of sherry, and then we're back to sweets - Haribo's artificial sweetener and cotton candy before it settles back down into something like rye.

Finish - Nope. We did not finish this.

Overall - Ok, this was complimentary from the hotel that DW stayed in on one of his trips, so perhaps expectations can't be too high. And if you just want some scotch to knock back after a day out, this will do. Sweet and strong on alcohol, this reminded me a lot of the bottom-shelf Jack Daniel's, which is, to date, the only whisk(e)y that has made me puke, to date. Not because I was drunk; just because it didn't taste and sit well in me.


JE's Whiskies - A Better Burn

It was a really interesting experience choosing whiskies for JE. He wanted a Kilchoman Sanaig, but they had already ran out of stock for that. Hence, JE gave me permission to pick two malts for him, that were under $100 each. That was quite a challenge even during a sale. The next challenge was that he was buying these whiskies partially for himself, but also partially to expand the palette of one of his friends who had just started getting into whisky, and was buying based on brand names and age statements. As such, the whiskies bought needed to be something that was not a well-established brand (even if it came good and cheap), and has to be of a style that JE's friend has probably not tried before.

It was fun choosing, and I remember that part of the challenge was going beyond my own prejudices/favourites, to curate and pick something meant for someone else's taste buds and collection. That was great fun. After walking around the small space at LMDW for almost half hour (pacing around in a semi-circle, really), I settled on these two: Wolfburn, and a Glen Keith from Signatory's Non-Chill Filtered series.

The Glen Keith and Wolfburn. The Mooring's blend is hiding
behind its more accomplished brothers

Wolfburn (46% abv)

This is a young whisky, so the lovely staff at LMDW (think her name was Priscilla?) was telling me to expect a weaker body. I was asking her to help me decide between the Wolfburn, and a young Clynelish (8 years), from Signatory. She recommended the Wolfburn without hesitation, which is either testament to the clear difference in quality, or a great need to sell the Wolfburn quickly. But this is good. Whiskyfun gave this four stars, and I think I would too.

Colour - Very pale. It's the colour of a healthy person's urine, according to medical conventions. Ok, that's probably not the best way to describe whisky, but it's true. Something more elegant...? Diluted chrysanthemum tea in Chinese restaurants.

Nose - Bright and malty, with some suggestions of raisins, and a fair amount of something herbal. A little Chinese medicine. Light peat and smoke wafts up together with the alcohol. This is young, and you can tell from the eagerness of the alcohol to evaporate. Give it a bit of time, and it smells a little sweeter on malt sugars and a light touch of coconut.

Palate - A good balance between herbal bitterness and barley sugar. There's a bit of lemon and/or oranges, then more of that maltiness. Spicy too - pepper and alcohol burn at the same time, though this is held in check by a fairly smooth texture that I would say is even a little creamy, and not just oily. With time in the glass, a more nutty profile emerges, though it gets oakier too. Smoke and light, vegetal peat throughout. All in all, still very well balanced.

Finish - A light sprinkling of salt, and lingering smoke. A hint of vanilla and cinnamon sugar on the aftertaste. This is a very pleasant and long finish.

Overall - The body isn't exactly thin. Frankly, I think the Wolfburn has more presence than the Glen Keith, but where it loses points is perhaps that the palate is fairly one-dimensional. It does what it does very well, and this IS a very good young whisky. However, compared to older and more distinguished malts, it doesn't have a lot of depth and lacking in development. That, though, is something that is easily solved with age, and I'll be on the look-out for more Wolfburn's in a few years. This should be added to the list of new and impressive distilleries, which currently includes Kilkerran and Kilchoman. With great sadness, I hereby declare that this young Wolfburn is better than the Talisker 10.

Glen Keith 1995/2014, Signatory Vintage Non-Chill Filtered Collection (46% abv)

Colour - This is closer to hay, or less diluted Chrysanthemum tea. Or, a slightly dehydrated person's...never mind.

Nose - Not immediately clear what's the nosing profile. This takes a while to start talking. With a bit of swirling and coaxing, I'm got some rubber and faint suggestions of a drier sherry. Surprisingly, a little medicinal. Vanilla, and honey dew peel.

Palate - Drying and thin, but has a nice development between fruitiness and smoke. The smoke is slightly bitter - like burnt and charred wood. Fruitiness...some melons and maybe a small handful of dried raisins. Dried orange peel - the kind dusted with cinnamon sugar that I used to eat as a childhood snack, but without the sweet stuff on top. The palate swings between the fruit and the smoke. The texture is surprisingly thin and watery though, considering that this is old and un-chill filtered. Probably a refill cask that had already given most of what it had to previous fillings. But this leaves the whisky fairly distillate driven despite its age.

Finish - Not as long as the Wolfburn, but in the same ball-park.

Overall - I think the Wolfburn gives a better first impression, and shows great promise, but the Glen Keith just about shades the comparison due to a more interesting development on the palate, though the Wolfburn's finish is stellar.

Hope JE's friend would enjoy trying these two whiskies, and expand his palate beyond the usual suspects.