The whiskies Todd and I tasted over the course of this trip were quite varied, old, new, unavailable to anyone, not yet released and mostly really, really good. I did not take notes and time like I usually do since I was actually working the first five days and on the fly for most of the time the next two weeks. My notes were on my phone. They are short. Keep in mind that I may have been covered in whisky, literally, because it splashed on me from a cask or spilled down my chin while tasting from a graduated cylinder.
Cadenhead, Springbank's other arm, buys casks from other distilleries and ages them in their warehouses until they are ready to bottle, as determined by the master blender, I suppose. This gave us the opportunity to try some rare expressions from other distilleries. Of course Hazelburn, Longrow and Kilkerran are all in the protfolio. Kilkerran is the newer producer, restarted by Springbank, with the help of Headmaster of Whisky School and former distillery manager of Springbank, Frank McHardy.
7/5/16
*Springbank 21 yr from 1995
-smelled sweet toffee and vanilla
-tasted vanilla and cookie dough with pepppery finish
7/7/16
*Hazelburn 18yr 57% ABV Oldest Hazelburn in the warehouses.
-smelled cookie dough
-tasted sweet vanilla with pepper in the middle going into toffee
*Kilkerran 12yr Refill Bourbon Cask 55% ABV Aged also in port pipe
-smelled caramel, cinnamon dessert
-sweet grassy smell also
-tasted port dryness with pepper into dough
*Springbank 21yr 50% ABV
-smelled grassy with smoke and vanilla - almost rubber
-tasted grassy with strong pepper
-trailed into oak
Todd did not like this one.
*Longrow Malbec Red South African Cask 12yr 50% ABV 84ppm Peat
Aged 11yrs in bourbon barrel and final year in Malbec
-smelled medicinal (Necco wafer) sweet
-tasted strong wine!
-trailed bitter oak quickly
*Springbank 25yr 49% ABV
-smelled grape juice and vanilla dessert
-tasted oak and port
-trailed quickly to oak
*Springbank 22yr 50% ABV
-smelled floral sweet vanilla
-very little pepper!
-trailed quickly but dry like wine
*Springbank 8yr 52% Mystery Local Barley
-smelled vanilla, toffee, cinnamon bun
-a little sweet, a little oak
My taste buds were fried by this point in the afternoon.
*Kilkerran Triple
-smelled bananas
-pear sweet came through
-trailed to bitter oak
Surprising with the sweet fruit. This was a partial cask of leftover whisky from a previous bottling. Cool stuff.
7/6/16
*Highland Park 1986
-smelled sweet toffee, chocolate dessert
-tasted honey with sweet oak
This was like dessert in a glass.
7/8/16
*Spiringbank Green 16yr 46% ABV
Was supposed to be Organic. They got approval and went forward with the whisky and something happened during production and the Organic was removed. So they named it Green.
-smelled grassy with touch of rubber
-tasted sweet peppery with grass and oak aftertaste
-with water smelled light grass
-tasted sour oak trailing to bitter pepper
-more water and very subtle grass with a strong peat punch!
I was surprised this whisky could take this much water without being ruined.
Cadenhead, Springbank's other arm, buys casks from other distilleries and ages them in their warehouses until they are ready to bottle, as determined by the master blender, I suppose. This gave us the opportunity to try some rare expressions from other distilleries. Of course Hazelburn, Longrow and Kilkerran are all in the protfolio. Kilkerran is the newer producer, restarted by Springbank, with the help of Headmaster of Whisky School and former distillery manager of Springbank, Frank McHardy.
7/5/16
*Springbank 21 yr from 1995
-smelled sweet toffee and vanilla
-tasted vanilla and cookie dough with pepppery finish
7/7/16
*Hazelburn 18yr 57% ABV Oldest Hazelburn in the warehouses.
-smelled cookie dough
-tasted sweet vanilla with pepper in the middle going into toffee
*Kilkerran 12yr Refill Bourbon Cask 55% ABV Aged also in port pipe
-smelled caramel, cinnamon dessert
-sweet grassy smell also
-tasted port dryness with pepper into dough
*Springbank 21yr 50% ABV
-smelled grassy with smoke and vanilla - almost rubber
-tasted grassy with strong pepper
-trailed into oak
Todd did not like this one.
*Longrow Malbec Red South African Cask 12yr 50% ABV 84ppm Peat
Aged 11yrs in bourbon barrel and final year in Malbec
-smelled medicinal (Necco wafer) sweet
-tasted strong wine!
-trailed bitter oak quickly
*Springbank 25yr 49% ABV
-smelled grape juice and vanilla dessert
-tasted oak and port
-trailed quickly to oak
*Springbank 22yr 50% ABV
-smelled floral sweet vanilla
-very little pepper!
-trailed quickly but dry like wine
*Springbank 8yr 52% Mystery Local Barley
-smelled vanilla, toffee, cinnamon bun
-a little sweet, a little oak
My taste buds were fried by this point in the afternoon.
*Kilkerran Triple
-smelled bananas
-pear sweet came through
-trailed to bitter oak
Surprising with the sweet fruit. This was a partial cask of leftover whisky from a previous bottling. Cool stuff.
7/6/16
*Highland Park 1986
-smelled sweet toffee, chocolate dessert
-tasted honey with sweet oak
This was like dessert in a glass.
7/8/16
*Spiringbank Green 16yr 46% ABV
Was supposed to be Organic. They got approval and went forward with the whisky and something happened during production and the Organic was removed. So they named it Green.
-smelled grassy with touch of rubber
-tasted sweet peppery with grass and oak aftertaste
-with water smelled light grass
-tasted sour oak trailing to bitter pepper
-more water and very subtle grass with a strong peat punch!
I was surprised this whisky could take this much water without being ruined.
RSS Feed
