John Lamonds Advanced Whisky Course Week 3
Back in the tasting room of the Good Spirits Co, week 3 of the advanced whisky course is underway. This week we are focussing on regionalisation and if it actually exists, why flavors and aromas differ from distillery to distillery and ultimately from region to region.
The students this week were also allowed to take the driving seat in the blind tastings, John was not leading the way with these Whiskies, we had to voice our nose and taste before John. Below are my notes:
Campbeltown Loch | Aged 5 years | 40 % Vol
Colour: lemon juice
Nose: cereal, hay, damp wood, citrus fruits, lemon rind, porridge, oily
Palate: rose buds, flower stems, green, grassy, tomato vines, church candle wax
Finish: short, citric dry
Glen Garioch 1797 Founders Reserve | Unaged | 48% Vol
Colour: amber golden
Nose: Raspberries, honey, raspberry ripple ice cream, tea cake, earl grey tea
Palate: Lemon lollies, honey syrup, toffee sauce, fudge chunks, bitter caramel
Finish: Bitter and sweet, medium
Dalwhinnie | Aged 15 years | 43% Vol
Colour: amber gold
Nose: Vanilla custard, lavender fabric softener, aniseed balls, ginger beer
Palate: Vanilla chupa chup lollie, crystallised ginger, hot lemon drink
Finish: warming, medium
Benriach | Aged 12 years | 40% Vol
Colour: lemon light
Nose: Fresh pineapple cubes, crushed nuts, vanilla cashews, wet earth, dry wood, dry custard
Palate: Dry, woody, vanilla, stewed apples, peppers, drumsticks, refreshers, rhubarb and custard
Finish: Long sweet, but drying
Springbank | Aged 10 years | 46% Vol
Colour: marmalade orange
Nose: wet earth, wet tarmac, leathery, tyres, smoking, jacket, cardboard, old toaster, crumb tray, sulphur
Palate: burnt orange rind, botanical, wet burnt wood, unsmoked raw bacon
Finish: long warming
Ardbeg | Aged 10 years | 46% Vol
Colour: lime juice
Nose: cold BBQ briquettes, metallic smoked gammon joint, sweet peas
Palate: day old BBQ, smokey, ashy, rose soap, burnt honey, old smoke, dragon breathe
Finish: long fire breathing
