Whisky Tasting: Sherry v Bourbon

 The September Regional whisky tasting, Sherry v Bourbon finishes. Eight whiskies, mostly 43-46%, and mostly Signatory (and related) bottlings. 

Mortlach 12 yo Signatory 46% 2009

• n: grass, pineapple, tropical fruit, effervescent, citrus, green apples.
• p: green apples, tropical fruit, pepper, spicy, dry
• f: med-long, sour on finish.

7/10 didn't seem a very typical Mortlach, much lighter than usual. but tasty. Came 7th with an average of 7.27

Caol Ila 9yo Signatory 46% 2012

• n: bacon, smoke, burnt toast, crispy bits, parmesan.
• p: ash, watery
• f: short, boring

5/10. I like Caol Ila, I did not like this. There was very little there, nose was good. After that, err... Came 8th with 6.8, so it appears others didn't like it either.

Ben Nevis 8yo Signatory 46% 2013

• n: fruit salad, banda copy roll fluid, schanppes, mohito, hint of peat
• p: fruity, meaty, sulphurus, peppery, sweet !
• f: med spicy

7.5/10 interesting, i liked it more than the score suggests. Came 4th with 7.78

Glenlossie 15yo Signatory 58.2% 2006

• n: tasty, butterscotch, green apples, custard, chocolate, newsprint
• p: zesty, sweet, green apples, chocolate, citrus, fruit salad, 
• f: med-long

8.5/10 ok so i may have enjoyed the cask strength, but this was also a different class of whisky. I don't thin I've had much Glenlossie before, but would not turn it down again.

Came 2nd with 8.71.

Mystery: Glendronach NAS Cask 

• n: rum, caramel, incr alco, leather, orange, sticky toffee pudding, sugar (dark)
• p: warm, sugar, sweet, creamy, coffee, pepper
• f: long and peppery

8.5/10 yep thats a bit of me. But then again, once we found it was Glendronach, it made more sense. 

3rd, with 8.68

Speyside Distillery Cadenhead 13yo 46%

• n: caramel, toffee, woody, butter, chocolate, leather polish, ash
• p: watery, sugar
• f: short

5.5/10 this was pretty poor after promising much on the nose.

Others disagreed, and this was 5th, 7.44

Signatory Edradour 10yo 46% 2011

• n: rich, cake, sweet, complex, toffee, treacle, molasses.
• p: smokey peat, not pleasant
• f: short

5.5/10 again very disappointing and not what I expected from Edradour.

6th, 7.4

Edradour Straight from the Cask 10yo 2011 58.5%

• n: complex, molasses, citrus, liquorice, vinyl.
• p: sweet, sugar, molasses, complex
• f: long

9/10 yup that's more like it. count me in and much happier with this one.

Came 1st with 9.23

Slainte!