Category: Whisky Tasting Notes

Scotch? For St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just for Irish whiskey. Why the right Scotch might be an appropriate choice.

St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner, but before you reach for that bottle of Irish whiskey, perhaps you should pause for a moment.

But what does Scotch whisky have to do with St. Patrick? Plenty. St. Patrick was actually a native of Scotland, taken to Ireland at the age of 14. Legend holds that he introduced the art of distilling to Scotland in the 5th Century, via the Kintyre Peninsula.

With that in mind, a whisky from that region would certainly be appropriate for March 17th. Once a booming whisky city, Campbletown has precious few distilleries left, yet remains an official (but often overlooked) region.

The Glengyle Distillery closed almost a centruy ago, but re-opened in 2004. After several limited “preview” releases, the signature Kilkerran 12 Year Old was finally available in 2016.

Upon pouring, this whisky gives an impression of having a lot of body, almost appearing thick.

Oak dominates the nose, along with a hint of peat, and some sherry notes that one would more likely expect from a Speyside. Cherries come through, and linger after everything else has passed.

On the palate, it has a full-bodied mouthfeel that confirms the first visual impression – this is a viscous whisky. Fruity and citrus flavors dominate, along with the smoke hinted at on the nose, similar to a peated Highland. However, the oily body and lingering salinity confirm that this is indeed a Campbletown malt.

The finish is long, warm, and pleasant. If you’ve never had a Campbletown before, this would be a worthy place to start.

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Glenmorangie Allta

Tasting Glenmorangie Allta, the 10th expression in the Private Edition line.

Glenmorangie has never been shy about exploring ways to bring different flavors to their whiskies. Many consider them leaders in the area of cask finishes. A side by side tasting of their 4 core expressions is certainly a great introduction to the subject.

In their Prestige Expression “Signet”, they use a dark roasted “chocolate” malt, better known as the basis of porters and stouts, to introduce new dimensions of flavor.

For the Allta, they used another technique more commonly found in the brewing industry, yeast. In this case, a unique strain of wild yeast found growing nearby on their Cadboll barley. As those familiar with beer brewing know, different strains of yeast can have a profound effect on flavour.

They combined this never before identified Saccharomyces diaemath with that same local Cadboll barley to produce a unique new make spirit, which was then aged in third fill ex-bourbon casks to reduce the impact of the wood and highlight the nature of the spirit itself.

On the nose, the wild yeast asserts itself with notes of fresh baked bread and biscuits. The first hint of aroma is not unike walking into a bakery on Sunday morning. A bit of heat comes through from the 51.2% ABV bottling, and just a hint of that distinctive Glenmoranige citrus.

On the palate, it can be a bit hot, but those wonderful notes of baked goods continue to shine through. Citrus is a little more prominent than it was on the nose.

Just a few drops of water cut through the heat very quickly and allow the distinctive flavors to shine through, making this a most enjoyable dram.

This release demonstrates that the choice of yeast, usually an afterthought in distilling, actually does make a diffence in spirits, even aged spirits.

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