Words of Whisky – Reviews, News & Distillery Visits

8.9

speyside 22 years black friday edition 2021

Speyside 22 Years ‘Black Friday Edition’ (2021)

2 min read

Another Black Friday, another mysterious single malt whisky from The Whisky Exchange — a Speyside Single Malt matured for 22 years.

inchfad 2007 staoisha 2014 craigellachie 2006 whiskydudes

Staoisha 2014, Craigellachie 2006 & Inchfad 2007 (Whiskydudes)

8.7

waterford the cuvee

Waterford The Cuvée (2021)

8.6

GlenAllachie 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 6

GlenAllachie 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 6 (2021)

8.6

st kilian signature edition 7 ambassadors choice

St. Kilian Signature Edition 7 & Ambassador’s Choice

9.1

port charlotte 2003 18 years whiskysponge decadent drinks

Port Charlotte 2003 18 Years (Whiskysponge)

I tasted Martin Foley’s new make spirit back in

I tasted Martin Foley’s new make spirit back in 2017 when I visited Waterford. Now it’s finally time for the finished product: Waterford Hook Head 1.1 🥳
.
• Grower: Martin Foley
• Propino barley harvested in 2015
• Fermentation length: 142 hours
• Maturation period: 3 years, 8 months and 25 days
• 30,066 bottles
.
Nose: Rather earthy with a good amount of malt and whole grain biscuits, as well as a touch of buttered toast and copper. Somewhat farmy and even a tinge of dried seaweed. There’s a hint of orange marmalade and lemon in the background, as well as a touch of milk chocolate.
.
Taste: Proper oily mouthfeel with touches of stewed apple and caramel, followed by white pepper, licorice root and ginger, as well as a subtle salinity and chocolate. Finally a hint of pear.
.
Finish: Lingering spices and drying.
.
Score: 86
.
Rather a little less approachable than some other Waterford I tried, the Hook Head 1.1 is a little more austere but a quality single malt still. Fresh and earthy.

With @whiskyfun’s recent high praise of the Spri

With @whiskyfun’s recent high praise of the Springbank 10 Year, I decided it was time to crack open one of my own bottles, something I should have done a long time ago.
.
Nose: Old leather books and nougat with some quinces and oranges, as well as touches of ozone and wet pebbles. There's a whisper of anise and soot followed by dense, earthy smoke.
.
Taste: A waxy mouthfeel with a peppery arrival, followed by melted salted butter, charred lemon and sweet tangerines. There's light touches of menthol and tobacco, with finally a whisper of hemp rope and leafiness.
.
Finish: Medium to long with notes of bitter grass, soot and a nice salinity. Finally some oranges.
.
While 90 points seems insanely high for an entry-level whisky, the Springbank 10 Year deserves it. Yup, it even outperforms my beloved Benromach 10.

The branding leaves no doubt, Smokehead Single Mal

The branding leaves no doubt, Smokehead Single Malt is not to be trifled with. This should be in-your-face, heavily peated Scotch whisky from the legendary Isle of Islay. Let’s find out, shall we?
.
Nose: Somewhat medicinal with notes of tar, charcoal and diesel, but also a bit funky with a touch of rubber soles and spent matches. Whispers of smoked paprika powder and preserved lemons also.
.
Taste: Lacks a little oomph and the mouthfeel is a bit thin. Notes of sweet barley, rubber and ashes, but also touches of grass and moss. A whiff a caramel.
.
Finish: Ashy, dry and medium in length.
.
Score: 74
.
The nose is somewhat enjoyable but it fell flat once I took the first sip. I always thought young peated whisky had a rather high floor, but not this Smokehead. To be honest, I like their Rum Rebel much better.

The Allt Gleann is a wonderfully impressive second

The Allt Gleann is a wonderfully impressive second showing from Torabhaig, who are really starting to win me over. The level of maturity is far beyond what you'd expect at this stage and the warming, surprisingly gentle peat is so very promising for future, older releases.
.
There are a few key differences between the 2020 Inaugural Release and the new Torabhaig Allt Gleann, the distillery’s second release. First, it is ever so slightly older. Not much, but older nonetheless. Second, in grain phenol levels were measured at 75 ppm, compared to roughly 55 ppm for last year’s release. The residual phenol levels (measured after maturation) of the Allt Gleann sit at 27 ppm.
.
Torabhaig have also added another yeast variety to the mix, and have used not just Pinnacle MG+, but also Safspirit M-1. Finally, the Allt Gleann has matured in first-fill bourbon AND refill barrels, instead of just the former.
.
Nose: Warm and inviting. Savoury, sweet peat with notes of burlap, tobacco leaves and a whiff of mint, but also sweet orange zest and a touch of chalk. A gentle coastal breeze as well. I’m impressed with the balance and find it somewhat reminiscent of Ledaig sans the sauerkraut.
.
Taste: Oily and mouthcoating. A sooty arrival with plenty of barley husks, wood smoke and a subdued salinity, but also a touch of petrol. Some proper farmy notes as well as fennel.
.
Finish: The finish showcases a more mature side. There’s notes of tobacco, menthol and a gentle peat influence I normally associate with (much) older releases.

You’ve probably already seen Berry Bros & Rudd’s new bottle design, but I wanted to share this very special, personalized bottle of Bunnahabhain 1989. A way too generous gift that’s obviously very much appreciated. I’ll be sure to let as many friends as possible share in Berry Bros’ kindness.

New acquisition: a (hopefully) delicious Benrinnes

New acquisition: a (hopefully) delicious Benrinnes from Cadenhead’s, part of the sadly discontinued Small Batch series.
.
While its location is stunning, Benrinnes is far from a pretty distillery. It was founded in 1829, but not much (if any) of the original structure is still there. After a fire in 1896, it was rebuild completely, and indeed is more reminiscent of Benromach (the maroon coloured chimney helps), a distillery built during the same period.
.
Fermentation at Benrinnes takes place in 8 wooden washbacks, each capable of holding about 39,000 liters of wort. There’s two lengths of fermentation applied: 65 hours and 105 hours, depending on wether or not the weekend gets in the way of emptying out a washback. For the shorter ferment about 180 liter of Kerry yeast in added. A little less is needed for the longer ferment, because there’s more time for the yeast to do its thing.
.
The still house is pretty impressive, and is just a tad different than most that you’ll see in Scotland. There’s 6 stills, but instead of the usual 3 pairs of wash and spirit stills, Benrinnes has 2 wash stills and 4 spirit stills. Up until about 15 years or so, Benrinnes used a somewhat complicated partial triple distillation regime, but that’s no longer the case. Good ol’ double distillation is now common practice.

Latest News

Lagavulin Jazz 2021 festival edition mezcal casks

New: Lagavulin Jazz 2021 From Ex-Mezcal Casks

2 min read

bruichladdich the biodynamic project packshot

Coming Soon: Bruichladdich’s First Biodynamic Single Malt

3 min read

jameson 21 years limited edition

Introducing: Limited Edition Jameson 21 Year Old

2 min read

Interviews

Interview Keith Cruickshank WoW1

Manager Keith Cruickshank on the success of Benromach

7 min read

glen scotia distillery exterior 2

Interview with Iain McAlister, Glen Scotia Distillery Manager

9 min read

svg%3E

Monologue: Waterford’s Mark Reynier on Biodynamics & Terroir

15 min read

Distillery Visits

Check out some of my travels over the years...

Ballindalloch Distillery 1

Campbeltown by night

Glenfarclas distillery visit 6

Visiting Ballindalloch Distillery: Tradition & Patience in Speyside

I've always said that if you do just one tour in Speyside, it should be at Balvenie. After visiting Ballindalloch, I may have to rethink that position.

Visiting Two Campbeltown-distilleries: Springbank and Glengyle

Just a couple of weeks ago I visited two of the three Campbeltown distilleries. Although Glengyle was nice to see, Springbank is definitely one of the must-see distilleries in Scotland.

Visiting Glenfarclas, A True Family Run Distillery

Oh Glenfarclas! The romance of whisky making is still very much alive in this small part of Speyside.

8.9

speyside 22 years black friday edition 2021

Speyside 22 Years ‘Black Friday Edition’ (2021)

2 min read

Another Black Friday, another mysterious single malt whisky from The Whisky Exchange — a Speyside Single Malt matured for 22 years.

inchfad 2007 staoisha 2014 craigellachie 2006 whiskydudes

Staoisha 2014, Craigellachie 2006 & Inchfad 2007 (Whiskydudes)

4 min read

The Inchfad 2007, Staoisha 2014 and Craigellachie 2006 from the Whiskydudes fit the autumn and winter season — heavily peated, sherried, or both!

8.7

waterford the cuvee

Waterford The Cuvée (2021)

3 min read

Waterford The Cuvée is Mark Reynier's most important stop yet in his journey of creating "the most profound single malt whisky that’s ever seen."

8.6

GlenAllachie 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 6

GlenAllachie 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 6 (2021)

4 min read

The GlenAllachie 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 6 reviewed on Words of Whisky.

8.6

st kilian signature edition 7 ambassadors choice

St. Kilian Signature Edition 7 & Ambassador’s Choice

3 min read

A review of two St. Kilian Distillery whiskies: the Signature Edition Seven and Ambassador's Choice by Gavin Ryan Thomson.

Latest News

Lagavulin Jazz 2021 festival edition mezcal casks

New: Lagavulin Jazz 2021 From Ex-Mezcal Casks

2 min read

The new Lagavulin Jazz 2021 Festival Release comes with an fascinating twist: it will be the first-ever Lagavulin finished in ex-Mezcal casks.

bruichladdich the biodynamic project packshot

Coming Soon: Bruichladdich’s First Biodynamic Single Malt

3 min read

jameson 21 years limited edition

Introducing: Limited Edition Jameson 21 Year Old

2 min read

Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction

New: Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction

2 min read

Interviews

glen scotia distillery exterior 2

Interview with Iain McAlister, Glen Scotia Distillery Manager

9 min read

I hope you enjoy reading my interview with Glen Scotia distillery manager Iain McAlister as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

Monologue: Waterford’s Mark Reynier on Biodynamics & Terroir

15 min read

WaterfordDistillery_Mark-Reynier

Interview Mark Reynier, Waterford Distillery

9 min read

Adam Hannett (3) (Anton Suckdorff Photography) small

Interview Adam Hannett: ‘Floor Maltings Are The Missing Jigsaw Piece’

7 min read