Whisky Review #26 – The Single Cask Glenrothes 19 Years Old

August 14, 2017/in Reviews/by Zerlina Zhuang

We have kept the rarest whisky as the last bottle from The Single Cask Masterclass. The Glenrothes 19 Years Old is a dark sherry whisky – generally considered as an expensive and hard to find whisky in the industry due to the lack of sherry casks. Bottled at cask strength in Speyside, Scotland, it is also a single malt Scotch. There is only 86 bottles produced because the guys behind The Single Cask has only bought 60 litres of this whisky (roughly about 10% of a whole cask). Imagine how unique this is! Moreover, this bottle is not for sale. You can only taste it if you head over to The Single Cask for a dram or two.

This dark sherry is from Glenrothes. The oldest distillery in Speyside, it was founded in 1775 and is still a functioning distillery today. It is owned by the Edrington Group today. The distillery started out as a blending house, supplying both the Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. They use mainly bourbon casks, but kept some special sherry casks as well. 50 of these special sherry casks was released by Glenrothes in late 2016 for purchase, and that is how The Single Cask got their hands on this!

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Dark Red Sherry
ABV: 58%

Nose: Aeration of minimum 30 minutes is needed. After 30 minutes: sherried notes of rich Christmas fruit cake engulfs the nose completely, with no other companions. 40 minutes later: dark stone cherries start to develop, pushing the fruit cake to the background. 50 minutes and counting: the oaky notes start coming out, softening the overpowering sweetness. Now the dark stone cherries complement the rich Christmas fruit cake to present a pleasant sweetness that feels really pleasant. (17 points)

Palate: Rich dark sherry, dark fruits like red grapes and berries fills the palate like a Christmas fruit cake in a glass. Black pepper, nutmeg and clove stay in the background with hints of spices but overpowered by the sweetness. Paired with a 70% dark chocolate, the palate changes. Sweetness is reduced to allow the spices to come out. Nutmeg is especially pronounced after the chocolate pairing. (17 points)

Body: Well-balanced whisky that needs a lot of aeration. The nose, palate and finish of dark fruits and Christmas fruit cake is exceptional. (33 points)

Finish: Very long finish with dark fruits and Christmas fruit cake leading the way from the start to the end. Tingles of spices accompanied at the side of the palate, making it a very pleasant finish. (16 points)

Total Grade: 83 points

Comments:
Geek Choc: “It is a little too sweet for my liking (I prefer the Islay peats) but it is a pleasant and well-balanced drink. Due to its exclusivity and uniqueness, I would recommend that you go for a try to judge it for yourself.”

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Whisky Review #25 – The Single Cask American Sour Mash 5 Years Old

August 13, 2017/in Reviews/by Zerlina Zhuang

The America Sour Mash is a unique Tennessee whisky from George Dickel. Tennessee whisky is normally called straight whisky and must be produced only in Tennessee. Sour mash is a special technique that uses leftovers from a previous fermentation process to add a certain “sourness” to the current batch of fermentation. Bottled at cask strength, the America Sour Mash looks nothing like a 5 years old whisky. In fact, it looks more like an 18 years old! This unique 5 years old can easily be misunderstood as a whisky with added colours, but due to the US mandate that no colouring can be added to any whisky made on its land, you can be assured that the colour of the sour mash is certainly genuine.

Tasting Note:

Colour: Caramel
ABV: 59.7%

Nose: Nail polish removal on the high! Glue alert! Strong, creamy vanilla tries to cover the acid but succeeds only partially. Caramel popcorns with leather come in shortly, with herbal or tobacco leaves. It feels sharp on the nose, likely to need some water. Gradually, it releases notes of chrysanthemum flowers with acetone. (17/20 points)

Palate: Aggressive and spicy even as the rich sweetness of corn syrup engulfs the palate, almost like burnt plastic. The hint of sourness mixes with sweet peppercorn and bitter orange chocolate as you keep the liquid in the mouth. Vanilla fades in and out just like the typical American bourbon with hints of salted caramel. (16/20 points)

Body: A Relatively balanced whisky with overpowering sweet corn and malt. Aggressive and spicy but yet sweet on the palate. (31/40 points)

Finish: A long finish of over-boiled sweets lingers on the palate with hints of sourness and a sharp spiciness. The overpowering sweetness lingers on your palate long after the drink is gone. (16/20 points)

Total Grade: 80/100 points

Comments:
Geek Choc: “I did not like this very much due to the sweetness of caramel and vanilla. However, I’ve got to admit that the finish is great even if I do not completely agree with it. I think it will be an enjoyable drink for those who like sweet long finishes.”

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Whisky Review #24 – The Single Cask Tobermory 22 Years Old

August 13, 2017/in Reviews/by Zerlina Zhuang

The Tobermory 22 Years Old is an exclusive single malt Scotch whisky bottled by The Single Cask at cask strength. With only 86 bottles available in the market, this whisky is special. The Tobermory distillery is located on the Island of Mor, and to make this whisky, they employed a very special technique. The distillery obtained ex-sherry butts to make this whisky, but instead of using the ex-sherry butts directly, they sent it to a cooperage, had them scraped the inside of the cask, recharred them and put in white sherry. After some time, they removed the white sherry and put in the new spirit and matured it for 22 years. They literally created a whisky out of a second fill sherry butt.

The result of this unique method is a whisky with a light golden hue instead of a dark red that is typical of a sherry cask. It is nonetheless a whisky made from ex-sherry butts, making it special in its own ways.

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Light Golden
ABV: 59.1%

Nose: White pepper rushes into the nose with hints of flint and gunpowder with fruity sweetness at the background. After aeration of 10 minutes, the fruity sweetness comes forward to soften the spiciness of the whisky. (15 points)

Palate: The fruity sweetness greets the palate for a very short while before the peppery spice commands a complete takeover. The spice tingles and burns the tongue slightly but not in an unpleasant way. I had a chance to taste this whisky again after 1.5 months and the palate changes significantly. Now, the entry is brine, pepper and sweet fruits. The spice no longer overwhelms but mix nicely with the slightly salty notes and sweet fruits. It becomes very pleasant indeed! (17 points)

Body: Generally a balanced whisky that sorts itself out nicely between sweetness and spice. Might be a little spicy for some but those who like a strongly flavoured whisky should like the whisky. (33 points)

Finish: Unique, long and dry finish with some spiciness to lead the way. Fruity sweetness takes over the spice and after some time, hints of bitter oranges can be felt at the tip of the tongue. (17 points)

Total Grade: 82 points

Comments:

Geek Flora: “Overly spicy for my liking but I do like the finish of the Tobermory. I find the unique long finish pleasant even with the spiciness leading the way because it is softened by the sweetness towards the end. I must say that I like the bitter oranges that came in right at the end.” – 13 August 2017

Geek Flora: “It has been 1.5 months since I last tried the Tobermory 22 Years Old and I had a chance to taste it again in the masterclass collaboration between TSC and Whisky Butler. The change in the palate of the whisky is amazing! I like the whisky more now. The brine, pepper and sweet fruits mix really well now, and the balance is just fantastic!” – 30 September 2017

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