7 Wee Drammers gathered (inside) at Jim W.’s home for our latest gathering of the group. With +30 temperatures, we sauntered right past the outdoor patio set up and opted for the cool comfort of Jim’s air-conditioned home. This evening, we sampled numbers 126 and 127 on our quest – this time, both Speyside drams. And, as we are accustomed to, we were treated to some wonderful food pairings to accompany the whisky.
First up on this evening was the Aultmore of the Foggy Moss (yep, that’s it’s name) 12 year
old. With a long pedigree, this whisky has been distilled in handmade copper pot stills since 1897. The ‘foggy moss’ seems to refer to the site where smugglers and illicit stills popped up and where the water used by the distillers is filtered through the gorse and heather of the Auchinderran burn. Today, Aultmore is “part of Dewar’s (a subsidiary of Bacardi) The Last Great Malts range launched in 2014. This 12-year-old Aultmore is the first release from the distillery for a few years and is elegant, light and fruity.” This dram receives many positive reviews and is described as “a refreshing dram, with plenty of vanilla, honey and citrus, along with a touch of grassiness.”
Tasting notes from The Whisky Exchange say this:
- NOSE: Fresh and vibrant with crunchy apples and pears, floral notes and gentle creaminess.
- PALATE: Richer than the nose suggests, with fruit, sweet pastry, custard and more floral notes.
- FINISH: Medium length, with the fruit slowly fading to leave soft spice.
Jim’s second selection for the evening, the Glenlivet 18 Yr. old, is an excellent 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky identified often as a ‘classic Speyside dram’. Of course, Glenlivet requires little introduction, being the biggest selling single malt whisky in the United States and the second biggest selling single malt brand globally.” With a history dating to 1824, today, “Glenlivet is owned by the French alcoholic beverages company Pernod Ricard, which oversees the distillery’s production of 5,900,000 litres per annum. The majority of this – enough for 6 million bottles – is sold as The Glenlivet single malt”.
Matured in a combination of first and second fill American oak and sherry casks, this is a “malt whisky of unmistakable honey-rich maturity and depth”. Glenlivet 18 yo is the winner of 2 gold medals in the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) and remains one of the best-value expressions of sherried Speyside.
- Nose: Quite big and well-rounded. There are notes of chewy sultanas and sherried peels, barley sugars and toasty cereals with petals and apple blossom. A touch of fudge and gentle wisps of smoke.
- Palate: Full and rich with notes of chewy, tannic oak. Manuka honey and walnut with Cox’s apples and orange peels. Cut herbs – fennel and spearmint.
- Finish: Long and dry with a spicy oak note.
An assortment of cheeses, smoked salmon, smoked oysters, olives, wonderfully pre
pared pork tenderloin slices, lox and cream cheese and, of course, rich dark chocolate added to the ‘flavour’ of the evening.
Another edition of the Wee Drammers monthly get togethers left all satisfied and appreciative of the endless assortment of fine whisky coming our way from Scotland. Two more wonderful drams to add to our quiver. Thanks Jim!
