Today, I attended a tasting of whiskies from distilleries owned by Brown-Forman: BenRiach, GlenDronach, and Glenglassaugh. The star of the evening was undoubtedly GlenDronach 24yo Grandeur Batch 9. There's only 1487 bottles in the world. Nonetheless, even the rest of the line-up didn't stay behind.
Let's meet the beauties:
BenRiach Curiositas 10yo Peated
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Nose: Sweet grassy malt, succulent fudge and hints of smoke and heather lead. There's a touch of malmsey underneath with fragrant honey and mellow oak.
Palate: Caramelised sugar and strong cereal flavours form the core. Marshmallows, ripe stone fruit and a warm nuttiness develop while peppery spice tingles in the backdrop with green wood smoke.
Finish: Bittersweet with slight suggestions of dry oak, beeswax and fennel.
Overall score by the tasting participants: 83/100
My score: 82/100
Verdict: A very nice basic whisky. If you're a fan of peat and looking for something to buy home, this is a good choice.
Glenglassaugh Pedro Ximenez Wood Finish
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Nose: Sponge cake drenched in honey and hot warm chocolate sauce. Some strawberry sweetness.
Palate: Chocolate buttons, brown sugar and juicy apricot. A hint of earthy floral notes.
Finish: Sticky Toffee Pudding and blueberries.
Overall score by the tasting participants: 85/100
My score: 81/100
Verdict: Definitely a nice dram, although the whisky is being slightly overpowered by the cherry flavor. To me, the nose and the finish are too sweet.
Glenglassaugh Peated Port Wood Finish
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Nose: Brown sugar, damson and a hearty waft of peaty embers.
Palate: Creamy and sweet, with a prickle of cinnamon leading towards more smoke. Poached pears and blackberry compote.
Finish: Sweetness wins out in the end, with jammy cherry and a hint of Sherried citrus peel.
Overall score by the tasting participants: 87/100
My score: 89/100
Verdict: The color of this whisky is unusually rosy. As for its taste, it's a very lovely, velvety combination of fruits and peat.
BenRiach Temporis 21yo Peated
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Nose: Meaty malt with a touch of BBQ char, joined by spiced currant buns and waxy orange peel.
Palate: Rum-soaked dried fruit, more orange peel, new leather and oak-y smoke. A touch of blueberry tucked away, too.
Finish: Five-spice, slightly floral peat, pear and prune.
Overall score by the tasting participants: 89/100
My score: 91/100
Verdict: I have to admit I do have weakness for BenRiachs. This one is particularly well-done. I love its balanced, peaty, oily flavor.
GlenDronach Allardice 18yo
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Tasting Notes by Master of Malt:
Nose: Sherry notes so thick you need a knife to cut them! There's a hint of old rum in there too, with pineapple and brown sugar in tow.
Palate: Christmas cake, rum again, chocolate-coated hazelnut, runny honey and a hint of Sauternes.
Finish: Fresh blackcurrant, blueberry pancakes with a generous helping of maple syrup.
Overall score by the tasting participants: 89/100
My score: 92/100
Verdict: Another masterpiece on the menu! A very rich, rum-like flavor is close to overwhelming - yet still nicely balanced.
GlenDronach Grandeur 24yo Batch 9
Tasting Notes by Producer:
Nose: A carefully woven tapestry of stone fruit, baked quince and glazed cherries on a seductive bed of sandalwood, roast chestnuts and subtle musk- scented leather. The freshness of oak balsam lifts and lengthens throughout, sustaining the exceptional balance and complexity.
Palate: An elegant, deep and perfectly integrated palate combines a myriad of sherry cask tastes in each sip; an initial burst of rich sherry-laced fruitcake intriguingly opens up to reveal baked orange, sultana and luscious black cherries.
Finish: As time slowly passes, the taste lengthens and deepens towards an elegant dark chocolate mint, raisin and angelica root velvet finish.
Overall score by the tasting participants: 94/100
My score: 95/100
Verdict: Well... Wow! This dram is exceptional. Very rich, complex taste with an incredibly long finish - you can fell asleep at night and still have it in your taste buds.
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