Shenk’s Homestead Sour Mash Whiskey 2023 Edition

Shenk’s Homestead Sour Mash Whiskey 2023 Edition

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Copper
45.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, whipped cream, desiccated coconut, brown paper, milk chocolate, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Fresh baked bread, kiwifruit, red grapes, milk chocolate, whipped cream, marshmallows, hints of milk. 
Finish: Medium. Milk, milk chocolate, whipped cream, raisins. 

Comments: 

Creamy and sweet, lots of cereal along with the fruity notes. I like this style of American whisky, lots of complexity, multi-layered yet distinct. Well crafted stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Wireworks Virgin Oak Finish Batch 08/2022

Wireworks Virgin Oak Finish Batch 08/2022

Official bottling 
Single malt - Derbyshire
Dark gold
51.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Digestive biscuits, dates, raisins, photocopy paper, brass polish, toast, hints of aluminium foil. With water, dates, aluminium foil, toast. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, loosens, hot. 
Tasting:  Salty bitter. Brass polish, aluminium foil, toast, black tea, black pepper, nutmeg, digestive biscuits. With water, oatcakes, bran flakes, toast. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, brass polish, toast, aluminium foil, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

Slightly metallic tasting, but has a decent malty backbone. Lots of biscuity notes are apparent, but these fade a bit with some water, leaving the slightly burned metal. It’s not unpleasant, maybe it’s a distillery characteristic.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 10yo 2009/2020 Bordeaux Cask

Ledaig 10yo 2009/2020 Bordeaux Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber red
56.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brown paper, rubber bands, foam shrimp, strawberry laces, black pepper, hints of bananas. With water, tyre rubber, strawberry laces, soy sauce, moss. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, airy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, peat, autumn leaves, smoke, honey, red grapes, fresh cut grass, hints of rubber bands. With water, orange peel, black tea, brown paper, peat. 
Finish: Long. Orange peel, moss, peat, red grapes, smoke. 

Comments: 

Sweet, floral, yet laden with savoury notes. There’s some earthiness with the smoke that clashes slightly with the sweet wine notes. Yet still a pleasant dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 19yo Oloroso Finish Handfilled Distillery Exclusive

Ledaig 19yo Oloroso Finish Handfilled Distillery Exclusive

Official bottling

Single malt - Islands
Golden
45.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, butterscotch, raisins, maraschino cherries, autumn leaves, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Autumn leaves,  charcoal ash, maraschino cherries, honey, sea salt, germolene, hints of golden syrup. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, sea salt, peat, autumn leaves, honey. 

Comments: 

Sweeter, lots of cherry and cough syrup notes from the oloroso finish. Unfortunately these clash a little bit with the peat and smoke. That’s the risk with sherrying peated stuff, it often doesn’t quite go together.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 8yo 2012/2020 Handfilled Warehouse 1

Ledaig 8yo 2012/2020 Handfilled Warehouse 1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
White wine
62.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, lemongrass, lemon zest, vanilla, sultanas, hints of white pepper. With water, sultanas, white wine, kiwifruit. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Salty bitter. Sea salt, autumn leaves, peat, charcoal ash, lemon zest, vanilla, sultanas, hints of kiwifruit. With water, autumn leaves, sultanas, white wine. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, leather, autumn leaves, peat, kiwifruit. 

Comments: 

Quite a gentle and floral Ledaig. The high ABV doesn’t make it harsh, in fact, it’s scarily drinkable. Lots of citrus complement the smoky salty peat.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Holy 4yo 2017/2021 Salvation Vino Cask

Holy 4yo 2017/2021 Salvation Vino Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Red brown
64.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bubble gum, cucumbers, marshmallows, strawberry laces, foam shrimp, rubber bands, mint, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, rubber bands, raisins, cucumbers, hints of new plastic. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Bubble gum, rubber bands, rye bread, black pepper, mint, dill, foam shrimp, fresh cut grass. With water, iodine, rye bread, cucumbers, rubber bands. 
Finish: Short. Rye bread, foam shrimp, dill, rubber bands, cucumbers. 

Comments: 

Very estery and bubble gummy. It’s an odd whisky, there’s no indication of what the cask was, and it’s got some herbal notes underneath all that sweetness that clash a little bit. A very bracing introduction to Holy distillery for me.

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Kilkerran 14yo Virtual Open Day 2020

Kilkerran 14yo Virtual Open Day 2020

Official bottling

Single malt - Campbeltown
Bronze

57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, wet stones, clay dust, toffee, gooseberries,  coffee, vanilla. With water, fresh baked bread, wet stones, peat. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Wet stones, clay dust, vanilla, fresh baked bread, sultanas, nutmeg, hints of orange peel. With water, peat, wet stones, gooseberries, hints of clay dust. 
Finish: Long. Menthol, orange peel, fresh baked bread, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

Feinty and minerally, lots of fruit notes but those fade a bit into the background. Not as stellar as the Springbank virtual open day bottles, but good nevertheless.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Days

Nikka Days

Nikka
Blended malt
Pale amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, camphor, grapefruit, green tea, hints of honeydew melons. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Gooseberries, green tea, wet stones, sultanas, nutmeg, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, wet stones, gooseberries, honey. 

Comments: 

Realised I’d never had this, Nikka’s entry level blend. It’s alright, a little underpowered and inoffensive. Which is precisely what it was created to do.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lowland 10yo 2013/2023

Lowland 10yo 2013/2023

Rare Find, Gleann Mor Spirits
Single malt - Lowlands
Dark amber
63.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dark chocolate, honey, butterscotch, toffee, raisins, condensed milk, brown paper, hints of cloves. With water, milk chocolate, condensed milk, butterscotch, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Dark chocolate, digestive biscuits, butterscotch, coffee, condensed milk, raisins, hints of cinnamon. With water, brown paper, aluminium foil, milk chocolate, black tea. 

Finish: Medium. Black tea, dark chocolate, condensed milk, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

I was told this is Bladnoch. It’s sweet and chocolatey, very Christmassy. Lots of feinty notes then appear when a little (a lot of!) water is added. Great cask, but I can’t tell what the distillate is like.

Verdict:

I like this.

Crabbie 22yo Orkney Single Malt

Crabbie 22yo Orkney Single Malt

Crabbie
Single malt - Islands
Copper orange
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marmalade, mint, menthol, lemon sweets, honey, brass polish, leather, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon sweets, marmalade, honey, toffee apples, brass polish, wet stones, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Medium. Rhubarb and custard sweets, brass polish, orange peel, lemon sweets. 

Comments: 

A very marmalade-y, fruity Highland Park. The peatiness is just a whisper, manifesting itself in some menthol and brass polish in the finish. A very pleasant dram, wouldn’t have guessed it was Highland Park if I’d hadn’t been told.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.