Short But Sweet: Glenkinchie Distiller's Edition

The other day I tried a whisky I didn't expect to enjoy, that left me pleasantly surprised. The whisky was the Glenkinchie Distiller's Edition. The reason I didn't have high hopes was that although I can appreciate Lowland whiskies, my tastes are certainly for the more intense flavours of the Northern distilleries. However the Amontillado sherry cask finish gave the Glenkinchie Distiller's Edition another level of flavour without making the whisky clumsy. In essence this is a whisky where the cask finish compliments and supports the spirit without dominating or cloaking it. Slainte!

Glenkinchie Distiller's Edition
43% - 14 Years Old - Amontillado Cask Finish
Nose: Rosé and rose bouquet with parma violet and Skittles sweets in an elegant and charming aroma.
Palate: Light mouthfeel, floral with delicate fruitcake notes and a touch of sherry.
Finish: Stewed fruits galore with the sherry finish closing the show.
Overall: Lovely balance with clearly defined flavours, I particularly enjoyed the rosé and rose combo on the nose.

To The Seaside! Clynelish 14 Year Old

I have found that I have a penchant for coastal whiskies. From the salty Campbeltown malts to the briny Pulteney, I am a fan. I find it intriguing that a whisky can (arguably) take on the character of the environment in which it is aged. I don't know how much this is true or how much is romantic terroir-driven musings, but coastal whiskies do have a saltiness to them. Recently I was fortunate enough to try one that I cannot remember having tried before. This whisky is the Clynelish from the legendary distilling town of Brora.

Clynelish 14 Years Old
46% - Distillery Bottled
Nose: Briny - reminiscent of fresh sea air, underneath there is honeyed vinigarette, grape and hovering smoke with a biscuity quality that adds substance to a full nose.
Palate: Sea salt and digestives (ship's biscuits?) with underlying fruit notes.
Finish: Grapes and stewed apples with a crisp acidity.
Overall: Fresh, clean and enticing. The Clynelish 14 reminds me of Springbank, if a little more savoury. Great standard release whisky for coastal fans.

Rediscovering The Classics: Oban 14 Year Old

I had a minor revelation the other day. In my eternal quest to sample as many different whiskies that I possibly can I have forgotten that some of the all time classics have their own charm that is often blown out of proportion by expensive marketing campaigns. The thing about these whiskies is that some of them are really rather good, it's just a case of working out which ones.

One such whisky is the West coast malt that is Oban. This is a whisky I had completely forgotten about but thanks to a piece of trivia imparted to me, I rediscovered it. So what is this little fact you ask me? The other week I was speaking to a friend of the graphic designer who created Oban's packaging, when he pointed out his friend had drawn a man walking a dog on top of the cliff in the background on the cardboard tube packaging. Yet when you look at the bottle label the dog is no where to be seen and the man is peering over the cliff trying to find him. It was this canine tragedy that opened my eyes to this coastal whisky again and I had to have some.

Oban 14 Year Old
43%
Nose: Brine defines this seaside malt with cedar and mascerated fermenting berries following.
Palate: Light oily mouthfeel with a clean sweetness washing over the tongue.
Finish: That saline briny quality again with a vague fruitiness from a little sherry presence perhaps?
Overall: This dram has a light mouth coating aspect and is certainly an accessible whisky. It didn't have the complexity I really desired and didn't possess any panache. A stand-up whisky but nothing to get excited about.

One Of A Kind... The Glendronach Single Casks 1994

I love the unique and the different. I like things that are one-of-a-kind that don't run with the pack. I think this comes from an inward fear of being "normal"; the fact that most of our lives follow a fairly standard pattern terrifies me. Therefore anything that breaks this mass-produced lineage is appealing to me. One of the reasons whisky appealed to me when I was younger (aside from its fearsome flavour) was that it wasn't the poison of the masses. I think most stuff that says something different is worth a listen, and I can say my film, television, music and book tastes have been much improved as a result.

This naturally brings me back to whisky. The interesting and unique is a fairly common occurrence in the whisky world. Every single whisky claims to be different from the next. Many distilleries claim to be the 'oldest' (usually suffixed with a minor difference e.g. In relevent region) or the the 'only' (usually suffixed with a minor difference e.g. Family run). So being different isn't something as unusual in the world of whisky. However there is one aspect of whisky that will always be interesting beyond marketing mirages, and that is the phenomena of single cask whiskies. Undeniably every single cask imparts a slightly different flavour on the whisky to the next cask, hence why standard releases tend to be a blend of multiple casks. But when you sample a single cask you know you are trying something unique. There is one distillery, that I have written of before that does a particularly fine selection of single cask whiskies, and that is Glendronach. Today's review is a comparison of two single cask Glendronach's distilled in 1994 and their differences are striking.

Glendronach 1994
58.5% - 14 Year Old - Oloroso Puncheon - Bottled 2009
Nose: Demerra sugar, toffee, butterscotch dominate, but becomes more herbal with water added.
Palate: Creamy with mounds of milk chocolate and viscous stewed fruit in particular raspberry and strawberry in a red fruit compote.
Finish: Sherry wood, more chocolate and roast peaces becoming fresh peaches with water.
Overall: Punchy with a long finish, rich and oily but with a slight off-woody character when left in the glass too long.

Glendronach 1994
60.1% - 17 Year Old - Oloroso Butt - Bottled 2011
Nose: Much softer than the 14 year, with fudge over toffee and a gentle kiwi character plays with orange blossom and a striking aroma of curry spice and notes of saffron with water.
Palate: Spicy, chocolate orange and Christmas pudding rolling around in brandy sauce.
Finish: Curry spice returns; notably garam massala, tumeric and chili toward the end of this long complex finish.
Overall: I preferred this 17 year to the 14 year mainly for its lack of off-wood notes and abundance of curry spice and chocolate. A very well made whisky showcasing what Glendronach do best. I should also mention each whisky was very different in colour. The 14 year was golden whereas the 17 was a rich brown. Food for thought there... Hopefully more casks to follow!