Blogging, one whisky at a time
Style: Forest fruits, Peppery and Oaky Nose: Starts with a powerful herbal drum roll, vanilla barley, autumn apples and honey mead emerging afterwards. Black pepper fuses with peppermint and showers down on the whole parade. Fat blue berries leading fragrant tropical fruits, mineral peat going slightly chalky at the back. Clean, peppery with optimal sweetness.…
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You can read our last interview with Brian and Genise here. Nicholas: So tell me, what has changed at Black Gate since our last chat over three years ago? Brian: Well, we built a cool room so we can ferment during the hotter weather, and we were able to increase production from when we first…
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[46.0%・25 Years Old・Official Bottling・Limited Release] Nose: Mellow, delightful white fruits laced with faint hints of ash and finely dried coastal peat, some flannel seeds and a subtle layer of burnt oranges to create the depth. The wood is elegant and soft, whilst the warming bonfire sensation subtly builds, the iodine is restrained and balanced by…
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[58.0%・39 Years Old・Distilled in 1963・Bottled 2002・Signatory Vintage Bottling Selected by La Maison du Whisky・Cask No. 4750・Single Cask Release of 185 Bottles] Nose: The dram opens with a clean, mellow dose of stone fruits, then it is like opening the wardrobe to find your Barbour Bedale freshly brushed with wax together with your oil finished tin…
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[43.0%・NAS・Distilled in 1984 Michel Couvreur Bottling・Single CaskBottling] Nose: Brown sugar and matured pear sweetness giving off that bright yet refined scent dressed with an elegant mahogany note. Soft egg custard and tobacco with more ripe stone fruits coming out on the lighter spectrum and the lightly toasted barley and dark chocolate giving a heavier edge.…
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[49.7%・28 Years Old・Distilled in 1987・Berry Bros & Rudd Bottling・Cask No. 2484・Single Cask Release of 185 Bottles] Nose: A juicy number with soft pears and lemon twists, the malt lays a gentle foundation and complimented by the vanilla and sandalwood notes. Fragrant barley aromas with hints of raspberry coulis and icing sugar. Natural and attractive. Palate…
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[47.8%・25 Years Old・Distilled in 1989・Bottled Circa 2015・Official Bottling・Cask No. 7004・Single Cask Release] Nose: The nose exerts rich honey, and gooey caramel, luxurious but very refined. Very much Balvenie-esque with a hearty dose of malt. The wood is well and truly mellow, with hints of pure poached pears and some marzipan as more sweet custard note…
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[46.0%・NAS・Bottled in 2017・Official Bottling・Batch Release] Nose: A firm sense of toffee and chocolate on the nose but it’s also slightly herbal. Even with the leather and mahogany it is inherently sweet and as gentle as it gets for an Australian whisky. It’s not particularly layered but certainly charming. Palate & Finish: Dark blackberries getting crushed…
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Style: Sweet, Smoky and Sophisticated Nose: Delicate lemon tart fuses with a beautiful body of peat smoke. Hint of dry hay, seaweed, orange confectionaries core with a zesty edge. Fruitiness embraced by a gentle, icy breeze. Subtle notes of smoked ham, ginger shreds, Maraschino cherry and liquorice root lurking at the back. Very nice. Palate:…
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Style: Fruity and Smoky Nose: Starting with a spark of flint stone then we have cloudy hay smoke shrouding on delicate pear drops and lemon pop tart. Vanilla sugar absorbed by the malt. Deep waxiness, a persistent dried grass undertone. Aroma oscillating between sweet and dry planes along the way. The acidity lingers to give…
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