For the next week or so, I will take a short break from reviews to share some highlights from a recent short visit to Campbeltown, or, as it is locally known, the Wee Toon, starting with Watt Whisky Wednesdays tasting
Today’s review of the Classic Laddie started as the companion to the Bunnahabhain 12 review in the unpeated Islay pair. While that is indeed the case, while working on it I ended up going down the bunny hole of batch variations.
Today’s review of the Bunnahabhain 12 year old closes the series on entry-level ex-Sherry cask single malts and opens a separate mini series. This post and the next one will be dedicated to two distilleries which regularly bottle unpeated spirit and might be appropriately called Islay Splitters.
After Aultmore, I am looking at another one of Dewar’s/Bacardi under-the-radar distilleries with this review of the Royal Brackla 12 year old Sherry cask finish. As for Tamdhu 12 just a few days ago, I expected a Sherry forward bottle and got something else.
This review of the Tamdhu 12 year old is part of the ongoing series on sherry cask entry-level single malts. Once an almost forgotten distillery, the current owners are investing to raise the profile of this brand. Aged exclusively in Sherry casks, I bought this 12-year-old expecting a Sherry-forward dram.
For the second stop dedicated to Sherry aged single malt, I am reviewing the GlenDronach 12-year-old Original. Recently the star of GlenDronach seems to have dulled a bit. Is this change in perception justified?
This review of the GlenAllachie 12 year old is the first of a series of five dedicated to entry-level original bottlings aged in ex-Sherry casks. It is also an opportunity to break a preconceived idea that all distilleries have a centenary tradition and an unbroken track in the whisky world.
After exploring ex-bourbon cask whisky, I am moving on to look at the other side of the barrel ageing coin. This post is an introduction to Sherry cask whisky ageing, Stay tuned for more reviews of easy-to-find, original bottling, sherry-forward single malts.
With my exploration of entry-level, Single Malt Whiskies aged only in ex-bourbon casks coming to an end, it is time to round up my impressions. Like a little game of “Kiss-Marry-Kill”, but for whisky.