I’ve to confess that – penning this after a great drenching on probably the most grotty Manchester day conceivable – the festive spirit has but to grace Chorlton Whisky Towers with its presence. These new whiskies are filled with the stuff although!
I usually attempt to choose a great vary of kinds for every outturn (one thing for everybody, one hopes!), and that is about as numerous a trio as you will get. The costs have labored out very well on these too.
On y va!
First up we now have a 17-year outdated Speyside. That is undisclosed single malt from Gl*nf*rcl*s matured in an oloroso hogshead – super-dark sherry good for the approaching season!
On the nostril we’re in a really oloroso place – with chocolate ganache, walnut cake, outdated metallic toolboxes, chestnuts roasting over coal, tobacco and orange. I get some rum, fir branches and a drop of Worcestershire sauce too.
The palate is large, with Dundee cake, ristretto, black cherry, treacle toffee and chocolate orange. The event is on toasted raisins, parsley oil, maple syrup and bitter orange.
Additionally value mentioning that this takes dilution very well – it will get surprisingly clear and fruity, with apple pie, orange oil, toffee pennies and touches of menthol and hazelnuts popping up.
This oloroso hogshead produced 321 bottles at 55.8% and they’re accessible for £75 every. Cut price!
Subsequent up we now have an 8-year-old Peallach, totally matured in a rioja barrique. That is mainly Ledaig beneath a distinct title.
I do know I’m on file as hardly ever approving of wine casks, however I like this one lots. It’s properly built-in (no dodgy last-minute ending right here), the cask’s not been too lively, and Ledaig’s a strong spirit that may arise for itself. It’s a extremely entertaining distinction with the very classical and chic 18yo Ledaig from the final outturn too. Consider this one because the boisterous youthful sibling!
So, on the nostril: ashes and smouldering tarmac, very buttery ache aux raisins, bandages, salt and vinegar crisps, seawater and orange peel. Within the background I get a curious mixture of toasted black peppercorns, menthol, liquorice and cloves.
The palate is huge, oily and actually smoky. Charred lemons, dried Williams pears, morello cherries, black cardomom and black treacle. The end is fantastically salty and ashy – a kind of which you can nonetheless style half an hour later.
Just like the Speyside this additionally takes water very well – turning into softer and cleaner, with citrus, smoke and brine. Pure elemental Ledaig in different phrases.
This rioja barrique produced 293 bottles at 58.2%, and they’re accessible for £65 every.
And final, however actually not least, we now have a 17-year-old Ben Nevis. Hector McDram rides once more!
I’ve completed a number of completely different Nevises now, they usually’ve all been utterly completely different. This one’s actually probably the most elegant and fruity of the bunch. The low-ish cask power makes it a straightforward dram, nevertheless it’s additionally filled with nuance and curiosity.
One the nostril: this smells like Ben Nevis, which I do know is a bit round! Butter sweet, ripe fruits (apple, peach, banana), lemon sherbets, fior di latte ice cream, shoe polish and soot. This actually develops because it breathes, with mead, verbena, and elusive savoury touches rising.
The palate is fab – fruity, funky, oily and mineralic. Oranges, plums, chalk, honeycomb, beeswax, and little bits of spearmint and chartreuse. The event is on inexperienced lemons, liquorice and salt – it feels super-precise and surprisingly coastal.
This bourbon barrel produced 285 bottles at 48.8%, and they’re accessible for £95 every.
And…
…that’s it for now.
As the top of 2024 creeps nearer I’d wish to take the chance to thanks on your persevering with curiosity and help. It means lots, actually.
I’ll see you again right here for the primary outturn of 2025, however please do be at liberty to get in contact through any of the same old channels if I may be of help within the meantime.
Cheers!
David
