Mash Whisky

My notes are fairly short - I don't think 30ml is quite enough to yield an informed opinion. But anyway, here's what I thought:

Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

First up in the August tasting session was Nikka Coffey (not to be confused with coffee - very different things!) malt whisky. Even though Nikka Coffey malt whisky is made from 100% malted barley, technically it can't be called a single malt whisky, due to not being distilled using a pot still.

Nose: Crème brûlée and vanilla pods. Stracciatella ice cream. There's light lemon zest, buttery and cinnamon spice.
Palate: Spicy but friendly. Vanilla cream. Charred oak, sweet popcorn and buttery oats.
Finish: Lots of banana bread. The spice lingers. Zesty citrus fruits coat the mouth.

Glencadam 13 Year Old 2008 Réserve de Sauternes

Next up was a dram from a distillery almost 200 years old, Glencadam. Interestingly, Glencadam's water source runs directly underneath the distillery and turns a waterwheel which powers a lot of the distillery. This dram is non-chill-filtered, has no added colouring and was finished in Sauternes casks for around 2.5 years.

Nose: Rich red fruit marmalade and honey.Poached pears and sugared macadamia nuts. A little medicinal.
Palate: Chocolate-covered strawberries. Syrupy sweet. Citrus curds. A little white pepper and baked pineapple.
Finish: Fairly drying but sweet. White pepper spice lingers. Quite a short finish. Very lush and desert-y.

Lindores Abbey Single Cask

Lindores Abbey was next, with an exclusive bottling for Master of Malt! Only 246 bottles were produced, and the drams sent out to Pour & Sip members were drawn from cask 386. The whisky is a little over 4 years old; the ex Old Forester bourbon casks were filled on the 24th of May 2018 and dumped in June of 2022. The barley used for this dram is from Fife and is fermented for a massive 119 hours! Lindores Abbey uses a twin sister spirit still setup (which essentially means that they have two smaller stills set up to do the job of one big still), which means twice the amount of copper contact time. Interestingly, even though both stills are filled with the same low wines and the cuts are made at the same time, each still apparently adds its own character.

Nose: Fresh apples and pears with set honey. Milk bottle sweets and marshmallows. Buttery pastries and a little Liquorice at the back.
Palate: Liquorice and blackjack sweets. Flapjack, sweet vanilla cream, toffee apples, buttered brown toast and baking spices.
Finish: Baking spices linger. Waxy lemon and lime. Very mouth-filling but soft, luxurious, summery and fresh.

Lochlea Our Barley

A brand new whisky was next - the first core release from Lochlea, a new distillery in the Scottish Lowlands managed by ex-Laphroaig manager John Campbell. "Our Barley" was matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and STR casks, and is said to be John Campbell's masterpiece.

Nose: Very yeasty, savoury and vegetal. Charred pineapple, sweet nougat and cream soda. Interesting - very different.
Palate: Set honey, toasted nuts and buttered sourdough toast. Peppery but light.
Finish: Drying, savoury and a little spicy. Not very long, but fills the mouth. Warming. White chocolate cream right at the end.

Smokehead Rum Rebel

The tasting session closed with Rum Rebel from Smokehead - a peated single malt scotch finished in Caribbean rum casks.

Nose: Dusty, candied bacon, soft smoke and golden syrup. Coastal. A little furniture polish, wet wood/foresty. Tiki-cocktail fruit.
Palate: Burned brown sugar, black pepper, oak and salted caramel. Raisin sweetness, rich tea biscuits and lots of peat. Good balance of sweet and smoke.
Finish: A long peated finish. The peppery spice remains - it has that sweet but drying rum funk. Oily and coats the mouth.