A blend of Linkwood, Craggenmore and Glen Elgin malt, plus Cambus and Cameronbridge grain, all aged between 11 and 12 years.
Clean and youthful nose, with a nice intensity of straw, cereal, yellow fruits, orange and sweet, creamy oak. All nicely balanced with a saline freshness. Dry, quite light in body, fruity and cerealy with a hint of salt and creamy oak. Soft alcohol and well balanced with a good length and a touch of spice in the finish. An ideal aperitif whisky.
A blend of Cambus and Cameronbridge grain, aged between 12 to 23 years old.
A complex, oily nose with a wonderful depth of creme brulee, nutty fruit, creamy vanilla oak. Topped by a slight floral note and grainy crispness. Medium-sweet and quite full bodied. Lots of oily, nutty dried fruit, creme brulee and citrus peel notes. Lovely complexity and a tangy finish.
Quite a winey nose, reminiscent of Chardonnay/ Sauvignon Blanc. Aromatic with soft American oak, a touch of apricot and orange fruit with a rounded, delicately soft, spicy note along with a slight granity edge and a whiff of smoke. Soft and rounded on the palate, smooth, fruity and delicately spiced. Slightly winey with a lovely malty sweetness which builds on the middle. Lovely length with a granity note, hints of dried fruit and a dry finish.
A definite improvement on the first bottling. It’s cleaner on the nose with crisp barley underpinning the sweet orange liquor. It displays a greater degree of subtly and delicacy with a slight perfumed note. Dry on the palate with a gorgeous depth of soft orange liquor fruit but balanced by the beautiful sharp barley grains. Slightly gristy with the vanilla and sweet spices coming through. A lovely piquant finish with the orange fruit returning.
A clean and robust nose. Rich sherry fruit, liquorice and coffee is entwined with slightly floral/ botanical/ lemony grain overtones. The palate follows a similar trajectory. Opening with the sherry wood, chocolate, coffee, treacle and vanilla. All pleasantly balanced by the crisp grain, which kicks in on the mid palate with lemon and botanical notes. Good length and finish with the coffee-wood spices lingering.
American Oak – 70% Malt, 30% Grain Oily and deep, yet resiliently reserved. Another venerable beastie in the Glenrothes/ Caperdonich mould. It takes some time and persistence. Gently it releases notes of crystallised violets, mature dried fruit along with a touch of sawdust/ grist and gorgeously oily/ perfumed orange fruit. With unhurried adroitness the vanillins arrive adding a stratum of crème caramel delight. The grain can be more sensed than noticed, just nipping at the edges and stopping it from becoming overly vanilla-sweet.
Opening with a gentle explosion of Glenrothes style mature honey, followed by a touch of coffee and deft vanillins. Venerable, old and dusty, however the grain is more noticeable on the palate and keeps it sharp and focused, otherwise you get the impression that it would shuffle off into its favourite worn arm chair and just stare out the window all day!! (Ok enough of the euphemisms!) Lovely and mellow with a leafy/ herbal finish.
Softer, mellower and more rounded than the no age statement bottling. It shows its maturity in the rich honeyed Bowmore/ Bunnahbhain coastal fruit. Great depth with the medicinal peat taking on a lovely mature personality whilst over time the fruit develops a slight floral note. The palate is soft, maturing and oily, opening with a Bowmore/ Ardbeg violets, flowed by light fish oils and deliciously sweet coastal fruit. Mouth watering barley kicks in on the middle as does some gentle coal dust. Grain component is wonderfully integrated and just nips at the edges, adding to the complexity. Lovely length with a gentle coastal finish. A superb blend!
A pleasant distinctly Islay nose. There’s an abundance of ‘fresh’ Caol Ila with a soupcon of rich, sherried Bowmore/ Bunnahbhain in the background. Gentle peat and smoke meld with hints of Bog Myrtle, Bowmore-violets and the wonderfully integrated grain nipping at the edges. The palate is youthful and oily with young Bruichladdich cereal notes and hints of marc-like rose petals. The grain bites first followed by the briny Islay fruits and garden herbs. A pleasant depth and length with delicate peat and smoke and a sea salt finish. You don’t get much for under £20 these days, so this is a real bargain.
A lovely, crisp and clean nose. Quite fruity with touches of iodine, smoke and peat. Quite creamy beneath with a floral note, and a touch of grain and pepper. On the palate it is smooth, slightly honeyed. Piquant with a late touch of smoke. Quite drinkable actually!
A very good nose! It’s richer and juicier with a greater malt component and maturity. Succulent sultanas merge with mature honey and delicate sherry notes along with a touch of perfume and earth. The grain is there but it is almost imperceptible, buried beneath the weight of the wonderfully honeyed fruit. This is a really classy nose. The palate is like the nose, displaying a greater malt content. The grain is again well integrated and adds an edge. Juicy and honeyed with barley, dry spices and delicate sherry fill the mouth. The grain comes through on the finish with a grassy freshness. This will definitely change your opinion on blends!
Although older it has a fresher character than the 19. There’s a lovely crispness to the malt and grain along with a slight smokiness. (If I was nosing this blind I’d swear it was younger). The barley has a wonderfully soft transulent sheen, the honey is heavenly and practically no grain is noticeable. It could almost be a maturing Spey. Glenrothes comes to mind. Over time a beguiling perfumed orange, coffee and linseed oil note emerges and only after some considerable time is the grain discernable. Superb nose - ever changing and evolving! Has a touch of Islay crept into the mix?
The palate is oily and soft with sweetly spiced orange fruit, and just a soupcon of sherry. The higher level of alcohol is noticeable and gives the palate some bite. Wow! What a middle! Luxurious honeycoats the mouth but the barley retains a lovely crisp, freshness in order to balance it. The grain spirit is so swamped it barley fights through the honey. Lovely length with grippy, soft tannins and wood-spice notes to finish . Beats the 19 hands down. No contest!
Oh yes it’s an old sherry monster, but a damn fine one though! Hugely spicy with cinnamon, clove, walnuts, seriously mature honey along with toffee and coffee notes. Then out of the sherried morass comes a tantalising, perfumed orange note, more honey, beeswax and old floor polish. It screams age. A rich after dinner dram with hints of tobacco smoke, moist Dundee cake and dried fruit with a crystalised sheen. A truly divine nose to loose ones self in.
The palate is mature honey heaven, coating the tongue with its mellow, aged viscous-ness. This graceful dram gradually unfolds a complex array of flavours – elderly sherry wood, spices, cinnamon, old leather, and a slight earthy/ dunnage floor coated toffee. A sublime, juicy middle awaits, yet the elevated level of alcohol bites and stops it from being too mellow and flabby, ably abetted by the grain. The finish lasts for ages, leaving a nutty, fruitcake and cinnamon biscuit finish. The finest blend I have tasted, utterly divine. Moist and sensuous. It’s so amazingly complex that sometimes you just have to stop analysing and just sip and enjoy!
651.95
If you would like to keep up to date with all things Blended Whisky related at Gauntleys please click here
Anniversary Vintages We are frequently asked to source whiskies and Armagnacs for anniversaries and birthday.
So if you're looking for a particular vintage to celebrate a special occasion, look no further. Vintage whisky, armagnac & cognac.
