Cragganmore 12 Year old

 Cragganmore 12 year old

ABV 40%

What the professionals Say:

Gold in appearance, a combination of sweet floral fragrances, riverside herbs and flowers with some honey and vanilla. A firm rounded light body with a strong malty taste, hints of sweet wood smoke and sandalwood to the palate with a long, malt-driven finish with light smoke and hints of sweetness.


What I think:

Another Speyside great!

OK, so I am not just going to leave it there lol...

I fell in love with the colour of this Whisky, long before I got to smell it, let alone taste it. Its a rich gold colour, that promises all kinds of delights and dreams, and it does not fail to deliver.
I spent quite a while nosing this one, and enjoying the complex heady aromas, all though, looking pretty silly at the same time, eyes closed, glass swirled and tilted, nose in glass, mouth slightly open.... I was just waiting for Kerry to call the men in white coats.
The aroma is complex, far too complex for me to do it any justice. That being said, there is hay,  almonds,  fruit, a sweetness that's hard to describe, floral notes and yet more fruit. If nothing else it is subtle and very enjoyable.

It tastes REALLY NICE.... no I mean it, try it, you will understand. OK, a bit of a let down, after the colour and that nose, it seems to be lacking in taste. Now I don't mean it is not nice, because it is. It's really nice. There is some flavours there, its rich and honeyed, almonds, hint of berries maybe, slight fruitiness to it. The finish is better than the palate. Its a good length, slight smoke and peppery spice to it.

I want to love this Whisky, and I do love it. It's great, the only thing that lets it down is the taste in my opinion, however, that would seem to be the biggest part of any Whisky surely? Maybe its the filtration process (something I shall blog about another day), maybe its not quite strong enough? But the flavours, some how seem muted. Please don't let me put you off it. Its a classy malt, it is certainly a malt for people with delicate palettes, if you like your Whisky light and delicate then this is a winner by far. If you like peaty, smokey, roll you on the floor and kick you in the back Whisky, your going to wonder what happened to the volume on this one.

The score I am struggling with... I want to score it high I really do, I really did enjoy it, I just wish there was more to it.... OK...

7.10 out of 10. Nice with a meal, as an entrance to Whisky you cant go wrong. If you smoke, your going to struggle with flavours on this one.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Dalwhinnie 15 year old

ABV: 43.5%

What the professionals say:

Delicate yet aromatic on the nose, hints of toffee, fruit salad, lush nectarine, custard. Floral, apple blossom, honeysuckle. Apple peels, pear, touch of smoke.

It tastes malty. Walnuts steeped in manuka honey with vanilla sponge. Gentle smoke weaves its way through the cereal with a touch of spice.

With a long, malty, walnut, almond finish.

What I think:

This is a Speyside Whisky, coming out of the light 'lunchtime' (Please drink responsibly) whiskies camp of Speyside. It is probably the most underrated malt within the classic six. As to why this is, I am not sure. Maybe it is because some people would define it as bland. It certainly does not have the massive flavours of some Whiskies, it has a hint of smoke, yet it does not drown you in peat.

I was surprised when I first tasted this Whisky, described as medium bodied and at 15 years of age, part of the classic six, you expect it to be strong flavoured, to be bold, for want of a better word. Instead it is very light in colour, unassuming on the nose, with delicate hints and a subtleness of flavours that I could not distinguish between. Sweet, definitely, something creamy and hints of vanilla... was about all I could muster.

On the tongue it tastes sharp. I'm not sure where the professionals get there flavours from. The first sip was not the most enjoyable experience I have ever encountered with tasting whisky, sharp, slightly acrid, maybe even woody. Yet it soon settles down, and by the second glass i had begun to enjoy the subtle flavours. Slightly sweet, yet sharp, woody, hint of smoke. Delicate yet sharp and clean tasting, it does have a hidden depth to it, yet is not apparent on first taste.

All in all not a bad Whisky, takes some time to appreciate. Light, delicate, sharp yet sweet and none of these things are necessarily bad!

6.75 out of 10 - Probably deserves higher, but too subtle and gentle for my palette. 

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

ABV 40%

What the professionals say:

Carefully matured in the finest American bourbon and Spanish sherry oak casks for at least 12 years. Married and mellowed in oak marrying tuns for complete harmony of aroma and flavour.

A single malt Scotch whisky with distinctive fresh pear, creamy with subtle oak flavours and a long smooth and mellow finish.

The world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky; this is our family’s signature expression.

What I think:

Well, I have read a lot about this Whisky, and I have tried several bottles over the years, this was the first single malt I ever shared with my Dad, and simply the sight of the distinctive green bottle can transfer me back in time to the front room of our old house. Let alone the aroma and taste, but enough about my past…

This Whisky is golden in colour, and a real delight to watch swirl around the glass. It has a slightly fruity, but quite light aroma with a long and smooth finish. It’s a very pleasant Whisky to drink with hints of butterscotch, malt, fruit and subtle Oak. It retails at around about £20-30 per bottle for a 70cl.

It’s a great Whisky to keep in the cupboard for an occasional tipple, the cornerstone of every bar and a great place to start when introducing people to Whisky for the first time!

No Whisky drinker will ever be offended if you offer them a dram of this one.

7 out of 10!

The Whisky Glass

What do you imagine when people mention Whisky glasses? To most people in the world that are not 'into' there Whiskies would imagine a tumbler, probably quite shallow with a wide rim, probably crystal... and to be fair they would not be wrong to. Lots of times on tv and films when people are drinking Whisky it is in this traditional tumbler. There are some down sides to this though, the wide rim and straight sides allow the aroma of the Whisky to escape, meaning you lose a lot of the experience of drinking and some of the flavour.

The tumbler tends to be used typically for Bourbon and to allow the adding of ice. Something I would not recommend to any discerning Whisky drinker.

The truth is up until 2001, Whisky was drunk typically out of any kind of glass, from goblets through sherry glasses to tumblers. However in 2001 a glass was released by Glencairn Crystal designed by a gentlemen called Raymond Davidson who took it upon himself to design/develop the quintessential Whisky glass. He envisaged a glass based upon the sherry nosing copita, this would allow the Whisky drinker to appreciate the aromas as well as the palate, it would also need to be robust enough to survive in a thriving bar environment. Eventually it reached the Master Blenders of the Scotch Whisky Industry and their guidance and expertise helped the glass evolve. It was perfected to accommodate a 35ml pour and allow for the addition of water. The design was revolutionary, the tapering mouth allowed for ease of drinking, something never associated with a copita, however, it still captured the all-important aromas. The wide bowl of the glass allows you to appreciate the colour and viscosity of the Whisky and the solid base feels good in the hand.

The Glencairn glass can now be found at all major Whisky festivals worldwide, in every discerning Whisky drinkers bar and in nearly every distillery in the world! The best thing about these glasses, they are crystal, but they are also not overly priced, it is available from about £4.00 each for the 'normal' glass up to about £60 for a cut crystal pair. 

Whisky and the name of this blog....

Whisky, the word

The word whisky (or whiskey) is an anglicisation of the Gaelic word uisce/uisge meaning water. Distilled alcohol was known in Latin as aqua vitae ("water of life"). This was translated to Gaelic as Irish: uisce beatha and Scottish Gaelic: uisge beatha="lively water" or "water of life". Early forms of the word in English included uskebeaghe (1581), usquebaugh (1610), usquebath (1621), usquebae (1715).

It's as an Englishman enjoying Whisky, that made me choose the address for this blog. I do enjoy a wee dram now and then. I drink mainly single malts and after numerous years, and experiences, and tasting sessions, have decided to note down my likes and dislikes...

I am no expert, but I will try and explain as much as possible about each expression.

Firstly the different types of whisky:

Whisky or whisky-like products are produced in most grain-growing areas. They differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality.

Malt whisky is made primarily from malted barley.

Grain whisky is made from any type of grains.

Malts and grains are combined in various ways:

• Single malt whisky is whisky from a single distillery made from a mash that uses only one particular malted grain. Unless the whisky is described as single-cask, it contains whisky from many casks, and different years, so the blender can achieve a taste recognisable as typical of the distillery. In most cases, single malts bear the name of the distillery, with an age statement and perhaps some indication of some special treatments such as maturation in a port wine cask.
• Blended malt whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskies from different distilleries. If a whisky is labelled "pure malt" or just "malt" it is almost certain a blended malt whisky. This was formerly called a "vatted malt" whisky.
• Blended whisky is made from a mixture of different types of whisky. A blend may contain whisky from many distilleries so that the blender can produce a flavour consistent with the brand. The brand name may, therefore, omit the name of a distillery. Most Scotch, Irish and Canadian whisky is sold as part of a blend, even when the spirits are the product of one distillery, as is common in Canada. American blended whisky may contain neutral spirits.
• Cask strength (also known as barrel proof) whiskies are rare, and usually only the very best whiskies are bottled in this way. They are bottled from the cask undiluted or only lightly diluted.
• Single cask (also known as single barrel) whiskies are bottled from an individual cask, and often the bottles are labelled with specific barrel and bottle numbers. The taste of these whiskies may vary substantially from cask to cask within a brand.