Category Archives: Whisky of the Month

Posts of each month’s taster!

Whisky of the Month

Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt

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The club recently celebrated our 11 Year Anniversary and this was bottle #2 in our tasting range for the evening, notes by member Adam Buchholtz.

Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt

Specs: Speyside Scotch Whisky

Matured in: American Oak Cask

Alcohol: 46%

Our Purchase Price: $535.85 (LCBO in Ontario)

Nose: The first impression on the nose of this whisky is quite complex. I picked up some peppery notes, with an aromatic spice blend, along with something akin to sulphur. It seemed like quite a pungent smell, with a hint of sea salt mixed in. Absent for me were the fruity notes that are mentioned in many a review of this whisky, however I was so excited to taste it, that it may not have had the requisite time in the glass to fully envelope my senses.

Taste: Immediately I got an old leathery taste, almost rawhide-esk, to go along with a very oily mouthfeel. I was surprised at how different this expression is from their younger age statement bottles. With the taste also came a range of fruits, mostly tropical and citrusy in nature, like pineapple, orange, or even grapefruit. It meshed surprisingly well with the leathery flavours and made for a complex dram.

Finish: Again the oiliness was evident on the finish, with some heat from pepper notes, but also sweet citrus, with a touch of honey. It lasted quite a while, with a dryness to it that allowed it to linger.

Overall: The Craigellachie 23 is a complex scotch, as should be expected from anything that has been matured in American Oak for 23 years. However at the price point, it isn’t a bottle that I would strive to add to my personal collection. It is definitely worth a taste if you should be able, but I would not go out of my way for another dram

Whisky of the Month

Collectivum XXVIII-Special Release 2017

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Background from Mater of Malt website:

There was quite the hullabaloo when Diageo announced that its 2017 Special Releases series would include a blended malt for the first time. Luckily, Collectivum XXVIII lives up to the hype. Not only does the expression include malt from every single operational Diageo distillery*, its also really rather lovely. It’s the only blend of its kind ever released, and at 57.3% ABV, it packs quite the (tasty) punch.

*There’s 28. We counted them: Auchroisk, Benrinnes, Blair Athol, Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Cragganmore, Dailuaine, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glen Elgin, Glenkinchie, Glenlossie, Glen Ord, Glen Spey, Inchgower, Knockando, Lagavulin, Linkwood, Mannochmore, Mortlach, Oban, Roseisle, Royal Lochnagar, Strathmill, Talisker and Teaninich.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Chocolate, sweet cake, red berries and  a hint of apples to start. Custard and cocoa sit underneath and a sprinkle of candied lemon lies on top.

Palate: Quite hot to start – it takes water well – with intense cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness. Orchard fruit comes in through the middle, surrounded by lemon and orange. Spice fades and then builds again, with liquorice and hints of smoke at the back.

Finish: Damp leaves and spice fading to chocolate milk.

Comment: A densely packed dram that needs time to reveal itself. A drop of water helps – while it’s great that the Special Releases are bottled at full strength, this one definitely needs a drop to show its full potential.

Bottom line if you have a chance to try it, it’s well worth your time and money, great work on this blend Diageo.

Whisky of the Month

Glenkinchie 12 Year Old

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Glenkinchie 12 Bottling Note

This 12 year old is the new entry level bottling from Glenkinchie, released in 2007 to replace the 10 year old.

The nose is quite light, yet fragrant. Notes of fresh cereal and grist, some barley sweetness and a nutty note. Acacia honey creeps in with gentle warmth. The palate is very fruity with notes of Madeira and sweet stewed fruits. A hint of calvados and tannic oak lining the mouth. There is a freshness and roundness to this dram. The finish is of medium length with notes of cereal and a fresh greenness.

Whisky of the Month

Teeling Stout Cask Irish Whiskey

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Teeling Stout Cask Finish Bottling Note

The Teeling chaps have collaborated with the Galway Bay Brewery to create this tasty Irish whiskey finished in stout casks! We love the attention to detail on the presentation box as well.

Nose: Chocolatey and rich, with a light hint of rye spice backing it up.

Palate: Creamy caramel and vanilla, with layers of orange and plum.

Finish: Chocolate biscuits, more caramel, a subtle maltiness.

Whisky of the Month

Sexton Irish Whiskey

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The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey is a new face on the Irish Whiskey market, but unlike most new faces it’s not a blend, but a sherried single malt which was honestly a bit shocking to see. I was first lured in with the crazy looking bottle and the macabre gothy label but it was the fact it was a sherried Irish single malt that intrigued the mind.

Put out by Proximo spirits the distiller of The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey is unknown, but we have a pretty good idea who it is. Not too long ago Bushmill’s (located in the north of Ireland) released a sherry cask single malt for its Steamship series and Proximo has been the owner of Bushmill’s since 2014. I can’t help but think this comes from some of the same stocks.

Whisky of the Month

Green Spot Chateau Montelena Irish Whiskey

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Green Spot Montelena Bottling Note

A delicious edition of Green Spot Irish single pot still whiskey which has been finished in casks that previously held Zinfandel wine from Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley, California. It’s the second in ‘Wine Geese’ series, all of which feature whiskey finished in casks from wineries run by Irish winemakers around the world – the family currently running Chateau Montelena was originally from Waterford!

Whisky of the Month

Glenglassaugh Torfa

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Torfa bottling notes: We’ve seen the Revival and the Evolution, and now Glenglassaugh are adding a peated expression to their range. The Torfa (which refers to the Old Norse word for turf or peat) has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and weighs in at 20 PPM. We love to see that Glenglassaugh is back up and running again after being closed for over 20 years, and they’ve even got enough momentum to try new things, as this is their first peated single malt Scotch whisky!