A sample from down the road.........

As many of you will know it's not long until the opening of the Good Spirits Co. just down the road from ourselves. Two of the best shops in Glasgow and just a short walking distance between them. Glasgow has never had it so good.

We can't wait to see what they have to offer but Mark was very kind and dropped off a small sample of their exclusive Ledaig 2005 to see what we thought of it.

So......it's peaty alright, the peat goes straight through the nose and out the top of the skull. Mixed in there are notes of woodlands and a sweet sea air. On the palate, its a fiery behemoth of a malt but not lacking in subtlety. A great lenght and a wee sweet finish too.

If this whisky is just 'good' we cant wait to see the rest!

Dalmore: The King in his Castle

A very generous friend dropped off a wee sample of the new Dalmore Castle Leod for us to try and asked us for our thoughts..............

Andy: I've always been a large fan of Dalmore (even popped into to the Distillery on my honeymoon - thanks Gillian). The 12 year-old is a dark chocolate fruit filled delight and affordable enough to find its way into my drinks cupboard every now and again. I'm also very lucky to right now have a 20 year-old cask strength and a 21 year-old bottled for the American market - a report on them to follow.

Now Castle Leod.....its definitely a Dalmore! The nose is attractive, clean full powered with raspberries and fresh strawberries mixing with chocolate orange. On the palate its got a touch of spice and more dark chocolate with a red berry juice undercurrent. All in all it's another fantastic malt from up north.


Pete: Has yet to try his sample but we'll keep you updated.

A Jura Kind of Afternoon

How to pass an afternoon while reading up for a wine tasting - an impromtu Jura tasting.

Two offerings from one of our top distilleries the Isle of Jura, the superstition and a single cask release from 2005.

For those of you who have never visted the 'Isle of the deer' it is well worth the trip over and the distillery is one of the must see distilleries of Scotland. The still room is magnificent and you will not believe the size unless until you see the stills.

Anyway.......

Jura Superstition is the slightly more peated version and is widley available. We found it to be such an approachable malt - while Pete was wishing he was sitting back in leather chair with a Romeo & Julietta cigar enjoying the mix of smoke to the peaty notes I was thinking more of sitting on a pier, near a peaty fire, as the fishing boats come in. Either way this is one very drinkable malt and I have to say so much beter than when it was first released. If you've not had this one for a while give it another try.

Jura-13 year-old Cask Strength was a completely different drink. Distilled 12th Feb. 1992 and bottled 20th May 2005, at 56.6% volume. The nose is quite dense with both touches of fruit but also a rather strong wood element, both fresh oak and old dunnage warehouses. With water there was a lot of fresh fruit and a lovely penny sweetie note but with a constant oaky edge. Pete felt it was tasty but the higher abv. dominated his enjoyment and I have to agree - when compared with the superstition this is not the best example of Jura. It should be repeated that this bottle was released over 5 years ago and is no longer for sale.

Keep tasting.....