wemyss – grey whisky

Whisky 2021 – 1-3

And we’re away for 2021. Hope you enjoy the reviews, they’ll be cross posted to Reddit and Instagram.

1 – Wemyss Bowmore 1990 “Satsuma Soap” 48% for Whisky Fair Takao

Nose is salty, flinty, I ripe plums, maraschino cherries and honeyed… really inviting minerality. Touches of cream.

Palate is intensely floral, salty, peachy, tropical fruit, slight licks of smoke

Finish is grassy, cocoa dusted and salty

5/5 Stars

2 – 1976 Blend The Maltman (Clynelish, Dailuaine, Macduff, Teaninich, Ben Nevis, Invergordon)

Nose reminds me of my grandfather’s garden with dried apricots warmed in the hot sun. Day old cream, spice and cloves.

Palate is gnarled woody apricot trees, apricot kernels and more stone fruit. It is salty and loads of vanilla cream. Goes tannic with bruised apples and slightly thin before the great finish.

Finish is super rich vanilla cream.

4.5/5 Stars

3 – Secret Speyside 1993 26 Years by TWA and Three Rivers 49.3% Ex-sherry hogshead

Nose is inviting deep sherry with apples, salt and stone fruit

Palate is cream, spice, and well controlled rubbery sulphur. It’s got a lightness of spirit with great nuttiness.

Finish is lots of stone fruit and sarsaparilla

4.5/5 Stars

Whisky 2019 – 88-90

88 – Springbank 1989 bottled 2002 by Cadenhead Sherry Puncheon 56.1%

Nice nose of caramel and furniture polish, bruised apples and salt flakes on chocolate mousse.

A really intense palate… wow! Pencil shavings, toasted coconut, liquorice and molasses. The mouthfeel is intensely thick and honeyed.

With the finish the liquorice lingers on top of an eggy chewy toasted meringue.

****

89 – Springbank 17 Year Old Sherry Wood bottled 2015

Lovely umami like nose – gunpowder mixed with dashi, milk caramels sitting in dusty drawers.

Classic springbank palate; funk, dried fruit and bruised apples. A slight dusty xmas pudding and hints of toasted marshmallow.

The finish is old world charm of sitting in an old leather chair eating the cream on top of a roasted apple.

****

90 – Bowmore 1995 by Wemyss “Nostalgic 70’s Flavour”

An intense nose of spiciness and jersey caramel. I’m immediately thinking freshly grated nutmeg. Pencil shavings on chocolate mango pudding.

On the palate a beautiful whisky, showing balance and charm. Red apple, mangoes, loads of fruit and gentle spice. This is a coconut drenched old whisky. There is real elegance here.

To finish red apples and tropical fruit by the seaside

A dram to return to many times!

*****

Whisky 2018 – 100-104 Thornbury Spirits Co Tasting

100 – Thornbury Spirits Co. 1st Release – Vatted Casks 17yo “The forgotten casks”
Nose – pine, rose water, metallic, apricots, marshmallow
Palate – apricots, green almonds, loads of tropical fruits, ice coffee
Finish – super creamy and salt, cold butter with salt

101 – Thornbury Spirits Co. Cask HH0363 17yo
Nose – pine resin, garden pea tart, salted lemons,
Palate – butter, cultured butter, passion fruit vine,
Finish – cream, dried apricots,

102 – Thornbury Spirits Co. HH0367 17yo
Nose – cream, plastic toys, mango, rhubarb, tropical fruits
Palate – burnt matches, salt, cocoa, cream,
Finish – stewed apricots, cream

103 – Port Charlotte 13 Years by The Whisky Find, Leroy cask finished, cask 1049 59.6%
Nose – grilled pineapple, chalk, stewed apricots, aspirin, butter, truffles, ham, dust, hair spray
Palate – vegetal, honey, cream, butter, smoked ham hock, orange zest cake
Finish – cough syrup, leather, beef jerky, instant coffee

104 – Wemyss Malt 1998 Bowmore 2017 bottled “mocha on the deck”
Nose – dark honey, brown sugar, glue and old leaves, milk chocolate mousse, candle wax, apples
Palate – rocks from a fire, autumn leaves, tarte tatin, salt, old rubber, caramel sauce, wax
Finish – wine tannins, salted caramel

Whisky 2015 – 127-131

Some good drams in this set. Really enjoyed the lot.

127 – Benriach 12 Sherry Cask
Passion fruit, raisins, pancake batter, cream, vanilla. Green herbs, salt, cream, passion fruit.

128 – Signatory Highland Park 1999 Bourbon Barrel single cask
Citrus curd, biscuit crust, milk chocolate, violets, cola, bananas. Cola, gasoline, vanilla cream

129 – Wemyss 2002 Glengellachie “Dark Treacle Fondant”
Huge raw honey, golden syrup, tomato paste, toffee, glue. Rubber, coffee trifle and vanilla.

130 – Wemyss 1995 Mortlach “Stem Ginger Preserve”
Ginger, wood polish, bananas, plasticine, sweat (not in a bad way). Green rockmelon, ginger, syrup, ginseng, vanilla, cloves.

131 – Bunnahabhain Toiteach
Christmas cake, pepper, salt, instant coffee and seaweed. Seaweed, walnuts, lick of smoke, bitter orange seeds.