Sideburn or Burnside? In any case two whiskies produced by William Grant & Sons. The bottom part might be Balvenie. First we’ve got one of many final Whisky Sponge releases, a wedding of a 1992 2nd fill barrel and a 1993 1st fill barrel, bottled at cask energy.
Sideburn 31 yo 1992+1993 (51,4%, Decadent Drinks 2024, bourbon barrels, 404 btl.)
Nostril: beehive galore. Waxy purity, together with mild honey, some wildflowers. Peaches, yellow apples and mirabelles. Then tin packing containers, damaged branches and barely tense hints of chalk and weissbier. Richer notes of vanilla custard and ripe pineapple within the background. Whiffs of star anise and bergamot too. Near the official profile.
Mouth: properly creamy, with a fruit cocktail on syrup. Apricots, quinces, pears. Then extra in the direction of lemons (with zest) and greengages. Very refreshing. Then just a little white pepper and clove oil, together with inexperienced tea.
End: lengthy, with extra tea, inexperienced fruits and recent herbs.
This has a basic beehive-y and creamy profile, exhibiting each the hotter aspect and a more energizing zesty aspect. Good complexity from two well-paired casks. Total very top quality. Bought out from Decadent Drinks however nonetheless out there from TyndrumWhisky or The Whisky Change as an example.
We’re pairing this to a Burnside 1994 launched in Taiwan. Whisky AGE purchased a complete batch of those casks and launched them in several ranges through the years (Whisky Blues and others).
Burnside 28 yo 1994 (48%, Whisky AGE 2022, hogshead #5135, 224 btl.)
Nostril: barely greener and tighter, with extra Granny Smith and loads of floral notes. Almond, floral honey, whiffs of beeswax, recent wooden shavings and delicate white pepper. Banana pores and skin, citron liqueur and lemon meringue. A number of quinces and a touch of mineral oils.
Mouth: extra inexperienced fruits corresponding to apples, melons, greengages and bananas. Lemon peels and suble wax, with inexperienced tea and inexperienced spice. Then loads of flowery touches. Some cardamom in the direction of the top.
End: medium size, by now you understand which color. There’s a refined natural woodiness together with maltier notes and a touch of coconut.
Equally refreshing however maybe a tad much less advanced, lacking a number of the hotter honeyed aspect. Mixing two casks is a trick that the Whisky Sponge masters like no different. Rating: 88/100
