Speyside Spey Chairman's Choice
Rotting Oranges
0 178
Review by @markjedi1
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall78
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Did you know that the Speyside Distillery is owned, since 2012, by Harvey’s from Edinburgh? Just a tidbit of knowledge for your next whisky quiz. The president of the board may well have made this selection. It is a combination of bouron and sherry casks of different vintages. Hence there is no age statement on the label. Only 1.500 bottles were released to the public.
The nose is sweet and floral. Malty with a touch of rotting oranges (which can in fact smell quite good, despite the description). Vanilla and caramel are loud. Some breakfast cereals and dried apricots. Not bad, but not earth shattering either.
The body is okay. Not too light, luckily (I was a bit worried because of the low strength). Now the sherry is prevalent with dried fruit in the shape of apricots and peach, but also some spices like nutmeg, cloves and even some cinnamon. A handful of nuts appears. But the floral edge returns in full galore, which I find a bit off-putting. The rotting oranges linger and stick to the palate a bit.
I get some first hints of oak and some cinnamon in the medium long finish.
The nose left a bit to be desired, but the palate was okay. Nevertheless, this Spey is a bit of a disappointment. More so if you realize that a bottle will set you back around 90 EUR.
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In years past (2009 ~ 2012) the bottles came with a certificate indicating the year it was distilled. The age was usually 16 years. They still come with the certificate but the age has disappeared. This was the malt that got me started with single malt whisky. Smooth and buttery. Lots of florals, cereal, straw, and lemon grass. I have a bottle on my shelf that a friend gifted me.