For Scots everywhere this Friday the 25th
of January is of course Burns night. An evening on which to celebrate the life and
work of Robert Burns, the great bard of Scotland.
The key ingredients of a Burns supper are always
Haggis, reciting some Burns poetry and drinking whisky so here at the Vineking
we asked our resident whisky expert Mark (the manager of our West Road shop) to
review the taste and flavours of the Scotch whiskies stocked at the Vineking.
AnCnoc
12yo Highland Single Malt
AnCnoc
meaning “the hill” is distilled at the Knock Dhu distillery not be confused
with the Knockando distillery located a few miles down the road.
The AnCnoc 12 Year Old is renowned the world over. Known as a must have in any
whisky drinkers collection, it’s light and yet complex, smooth yet challenging.
And each twist and turn delivers a surprise. In fact, this is a dram that has
something for everyone.
Nose Soft, very aromatic with a hint
of honey and lemon in the foreground.
Colour Amber with a slight yellow hue.
Taste Sweet to start with, an
appetising fruitiness and a long smooth finish. A malt for every occasion.
The
Singleton of Dufftown
Perfectly
balanced, naturally rich and smooth, The Singleton of Dufftown is a single malt
that sets itself apart from other whiskies.
Its
exceptional smoothness and depth of flavour is achieved through longer
fermentation and slower distillation.
It’s then
aged for 12 years in a combination of hand-picked American and European Oak so
the rich, natural flavours stay in perfect balance throughout maturation.
With its
deep golden colour and notes of toasted nuts, rich fruit and brown sugar, The
Singleton 12 Year Old is sure to entice your taste buds.
This
would be the ideal gift malt to introduce people to the wonderful world of
whisky.
Bunnahabhain
12yo Islay
This
entry level Bunnahabhain bottling comes in a redesigned bottle. This 12 year
old is lightly peated for an Islay single malt and consequently is a light,
fresh dram. Now at the higher strength of 46.3% - for more complexity and
flavour.
Nose:
Fresh, sweet. Seaweed, malt.
Palate:
Soft, supple. Sherry, nutty. A little sweetness, malty, juicy sultana. Slightly
coastal.
Finish:
Sherried, mochaccino, herbal, balanced salty tang.
Glen
Garioch 12 yo Highland
The
Garioch – pronounced ‘Geery’ – is a tract of richly fertile land, some 150
square miles in extent, bounded on every side by rolling hills and some
eighteen miles north-west of Aberdeen. Glen Garioch Distillery was
established as early as 1797 – one of the oldest operating distilleries in
Scotland.
The Glen
Garioch 12 Years Old gains its distinctive Highland character from maturation
in two wood groups: American Bourbon, and Spanish Sherry casks. Each stage of
the marriage adds distinct characteristics to the final single malt. Bourbon to
soften and Sherry to add depth of flavour – fresh heather, poached pears and
just a hint of oak.
Compass
Box Spice Tree
Whisky
Bible Awards 2011: Best Scotch New Brand; 95.5 Points
A whisky
that was termed illegal in its previous release due to its use of oak staves
for producing its distinctive style. The Compass Box guys have rereleased
The Spice Tree after successfully producing its spicy oaky character through
“legal” practices. This is a vatted malt based on predominantly 10 yr old
whiskies with a large proportion coming from the Clynelish distillery.
The final blend is then aged in specially made casks with new
French oak heads.
Nose:
Fragrant and aromatic with notes of dried herbs, spices, oak and vanilla. Has a
bourbon note to it and a peppery tang.
Palate: Gingernut biscuits, toffee,
spices, herbal, vanilla, very rich and peppery.
Finish: Very spicy, big and rich.
Fettercairn
Fior
The name
Fettercairn means ‘foot of the mountain’. Fior is the Gaelic word for
'true', the Fettercairn distillery lies not far from the River Esk in the
Eastern Highlands.
Fior
comprises a significant amount of 14 and 15-year-old spirit, along with 15 per
cent heavily-peated five-year-old whisky from first-fill Bourbon barrels.
Sherry and smoke on the weighty nose, with ginger, orange peel, toffee and
vanilla. Significantly smoky on the palate with orange, treacle toffee, dark
chocolate and a Sherried nuttiness. The addition of water causes the
heavily-peated component to really shine through. Smoky toffee, liquorice and
mildly spicy oak in the pleasingly lengthy finish
Springbank
10 Year Old Campbeltown
Picked up
the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010.
Campbeltown
used to be known as the whisky capital of the world due to the high
concentration of distilleries in the town. Known and loved amongst whisky
enthusiasts the world over, Springbank is produced using lightly-peated barley
and a unique two-and-a-half-times distillation.
Blended
from a mixture of Bourbon and sherry casks, the light colour of this malt
belies the richness of its character. The nose has a wide range of aromas, from
citrus fruits to pears and a hint of peat, while the palate shows touches of
smoke, vanilla essence, nutmeg, cinnamon and the salty tang characteristic of
the distillery.
Longrow
14yo Campbeltown
This is a
heavily peated whisky from the Springbank distillery, matured in bourbon and
sherry casks.
The nose
is of medium-body. There are notes of cut hay and earthen roots, a little dried
grass, cereals and malted barley. There is a certain freshness present and a
very subtle smoke develops. The palate is quite thick and sweet. There are
plenty of rich cereal notes, barley and just a hint of peat. The faintest wisp
of smoke tapers up with a little malt extract. The oak develops a bit with
pepper and spice. The finish is long with the peppery oaked tannins proffering
ample staying power.
Bruichladdich
The Laddie Ten Islay
Bruichladdich
is the only major distiller to distil, mature and bottle all its whisky on
Islay.
Rich and
assertive with that unique creaminess of the Laddie. The non chill-filtered
spirit drifts serenely over the palate, warming the taste buds. It is going to
linger with you as long as malts twice its age.
You can find Mark at our
West Road shop in Reigate where he’ll be able to tell you more about whisky and
of course wine.
To buy any of these whiskies then either pop into
one of our shops or call us on 01293 771 305
