Whisky Tasting : Regional - Whisky Tour

 Hi all, reasonably good chance of two posts - mainly as I'm playing with timed posting ... 

Regional Wines March tasting 'Whisky Tour' which was based around a number of interesting things Daniel and John wanted to try. It's complicated like that.

Glenburgie First Edition 2007 16yo 2007 53.1%

• N: hint salt, sweet, acetone, apples, no peat, sulphur
• P: warm, apples, pear, spikey, sweet n sour, bitter wood
• F: grassy, long and hot, sweet

9-9.5 /10. I like this, a lot. What a great way to start the tasting, really great balance, maybe a touch more in the cask for complexity, but great. Admittedly, it only came 6th with 7.22 but there's no accounting for taste.

Ben Nevis North Star 2012 12yo 58.6%

• N: big, menthol. sweet, powdery, peaches, leatheer, bourbon + oloroso
• P: fruit salad, big apples, candied fruit, sweet, oily, woody
• F: med-short.

8/10 tasty wee number. North Star seem to be on a bit of a role with their bottles, worth checking out. Came 3rd with 8.36

Deanston Old Particular Midnight Series 15yo 60.2% refill 667

• N: walnuts, pepper, sherry, leather, acetone, dark chocolate, aged, spikey. 
• P:fruit slad, salty, peppery
• F: long, spicy

8/10. Another I liked, I am a bit of a fan of Old Particular bottlings and this one was good. Again with the silly others in the room, it came 8th with 7.47. I also suspect that Neil has convinced me about Deanston. 

Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 1 60.1%

• N: toilet air freshner, jasmine, heather, banana, light 
• P: light, sherry, salty, 
• F: gets very hot

6/10. I didn't like this, I didn't like the balance and it just seemed wrong. It appears others agreed as it came 7th with 7.66

Kilchoman 17yo Excl Blackadder 52.3% Fresh bourbon cask #08/194

• N: peat, salt, bacon, medicinal, smoke, suppurating wound, sweet, antiseptic
• P: peaty, smoke, sounds
• F: long, nice balance

8.5/10 good stuff, I'd picked this as a Ledaig, but Kilchoman makes sense too :) oddly it's bottled for Blackadder, but in in a Kilchoman bottle (rather than the Blackadder bottle).  Came 5th with 7.76 

Signatory Ardmore 14yo NZ bottling 58.4% full oloroso - Mystery Whisky

• N: warm sweet, menthol, aged old leather, soft, gentle, sugary Demerara 
• P: chocolate, cake, burnt orange, leather, aged, integrateed
• F: med-long, sweet, pepper grows

9/10. I liked this, strong coastal flavours but wihtout it being silly. Also, ridiculously good value. why yes, I did walk away with a bottle. Came 2nd 8.78 

Ledaig Blackadder 17yo 2008-2025 57% Raw Cask PC Sherry Cask #700302

• N: peat, soke, sweet, rubber, sulphur, bacon, sultanas
• P: peaty, port, bourbon, bacon rubber
• F: long, hot, ?too young? 

8/10. I liked it, but it didn't rock things for me. the rest of the group were more in favour, it came 1st with 9.4

Ardbeg 10yo 2026 Cask Strength 61.7% Committee Exclusive

• N: lightly peated, smoke, gentle, sweet, slightly medicinal
• P: coastal hobo, dry, ashy, complex and well balanced
• F: long, hot, grows

8.5/10 for me Ardbeg are very hit and miss at bottling good drams. The independents seem to do a better job, but this was very good. Possibly my favourite I've had since the Black Sheep? Came 4th with 7.9

Really really good tasting, variety, excellent drams, everything you really want in a tasting. 

Slaints