As the title suggests, and I've mentioned more than once on here of late, I've been looking for a good whisk(e)y that really suits the warm weather. I opened a couple of bottles prior to this that have been OK but not quite hit the spot. This does. I'm pleasantly surprised by this little beauty.
Bottle has been open almost two weeks and, I'm a little embarrassed to say, is about three quarters full. Review is from a 30 ml pour in a Taylor D Milestone glass that's sat about ten minutes. Neat.
Nose: Boy has this opened up lovely in the short time it's been popped. Creamy, lemony sweet and pithy, toffee'd malt. There's berry sweetness, apples, something exotic- mild pineapple and papaya. Satsuma, yes, definitely. There's also a dunnage/damp earth funk note that really works here and some dried fruit - raisins. Quite spicy too with dried orange and a touch of cinnamon. A tad nippy but fine.
Taste: Even at 43% this is quite concentrated. Like a soft, fruity jam but with a little nip. I'm adding two drops of water. The water brings more oak on the nose but it also mellows it all out a bit and takes out the wee nip! There's a fruit salad burst but balanced nicely with the sour lemon pith and spices.
Finish: Short - Medium. The fruit salad clings on as does the spice but softly so. That slight 'funk' note also slowly comes out. Some gentle tannins. Very nice.
This bottle was distilled under Billy Walker's ownership and is a few years old now, but I imagine current bottles are still pretty similar. I also suspect there's some older whisky in here which would account for the more aged warehouse type notes. Who knows though? Either way, this is a great summer whisky (well anytime, really) as it has a soft, fruity style but is then backed up with some character and complexity - it is very, very drinkable but always rewarding! A very well put together malt and like Benromach 10 - does very well for its age.
@RianC I only opened the Ben Nevis 10 last weekend and have only had a couple of drams. But I'm very impressed so far. I'll post a review when I get into it a bit more. It's just a real powerhouse of a Highland whisky.
@Hewie It's a wine oxidizer. This thing.
I brought it about a month ago. It wasn't very expensive. I've only used it on the Ben Riach so far. What I decided was of I have a whisky I'm not enjoying with an off note I'll try putting a glass through the oxidizer. If that improves it, I'll put the rest of the bottle through. Which is what I did when I was getting that bitter note on the arrival with the Ben Riach and it worked. I've not used it on anything else yet.
Ironically I'd never heard of aerator until I saw it in the ralfy review of Ben Nevis 10. But I've not used it on my bottle of that as I don't think it needs it.
@Wierdo - Oh I definitely enjoyed the Benromach 10 a lot more
Good to hear about the Ben Nevis too - I'm thinking about opening my bottle soon. What's it like?