Tag: Speyside Whisky

DRINK REVIEW: Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Whisky

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Whisky Tasting Notes

Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Nose: Blimey, the alcohols up front with this one. There are super rich toffee aromas, charming streaks of vanilla, with a hint of Pick N’ Mix bananas. I imagine this appealing to bourgeois pirates.

Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Taste: There’s a pleasing contradiction of strong sweet and spiced flavours with lush creaminess. There’s obvious brown sugar sweetness, but rum isn’t prominent – it retains its Speyside routes. I loved the effortless smoothness of the dram, although still lacked a sense of excitement.

Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Finish: A medium length, dry finish, with zero peat or smoke as expected. There’s lots of oak spiciness yet provides mellow, easy drinking – does Balvenie ever let you down?

Flavour 8/10    Value 7/10

Buy Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Whisky Here

DRINK REVIEW: Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Whisky Tasting Notes
Awarded Gold – Distillers’ Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old – 2014 International Spirits Challenge

DRINK REVIEW: Glenfiddich Experimental Series Whisky – IPA Cask Finish

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Whisky Tasting Notes

Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Nose: A fresh, innocent nose of pear drop sweets and slices of sharp, juicy apple. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was ‘Chardonnay Cask’, not IPA.

Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Taste: There’s the classic Glenfiddich apple flavour with a suggestion of cinnamon, but now zesty, green hops join the party. Some would say it has a silky mouthfeel, I’d say it was very thin. Although perfectly pleasant, the whisky remains quite one-dimensional.

Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Finish: A surprisingly long finish, with a charming sweetness, although the dry, raw hops remain overly brash. I suspect some people will love it; for me, it lacked the personality to want to buy more.

Flavour 7/10    Value 7/10

Buy Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Here

Glenfiddich Experimental Series Whisky - IPA Cask Finish
Whisky & IPA What’s not to like?

DRINK REVIEW: OLD BALLANTRUAN 10 YEAR OLD WHISKY

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Whisky Tasting Notes

Old Ballantruan 10 Year Nose: A punchy, intense nose of rich peat and mouthwatering caramelised chorizo, frying in a smoking pan. It’s an aroma that demands attention; I’ve never found a Speyside this endearing, especially at only ten years old.

Old Ballantruan 10 Year Taste: Not just wood smoke, but tar, creosote and other manly things hitting you at 50% AVB. The peat pushes things forward but freshens up with heavy doses of spicy ginger and drizzles of golden syrup. It’s not delicate, but it’s characterful and balanced.

Old Ballantruan 10 Year Finish: Such a god damn malty and unexpectedly long, comforting finish. The peat lingers but accommodates the smoothly serenading Speyside sensations  – I love it.

Flavour 8/10    Value 10/10

Buy Old Ballantruan 10 Year Old Whisky Here

Drink Review Old Ballantruan 10 Year Old Whisky Single Malt Tasting Notes
The only peated Speyside I’ve come across…