Tag Archive for: Lowlands

Whisky Review #94 – Rosebank 21 (Cask Strength)

Rosebank…”The finest example of a Lowland malt” (Michael Jackson) is a whisky which creates many emotional outbursts amongst whisky lovers. Rosebank shares typical Lowland characters of grassiness, fruits and flowers with other famous Lowland distilleries such as St Magadelene and Littlemill.

Recently, we got lucky and tasted two Rosebank expressions bottled in the 1990s. Both of them are 21 years old, bottled at cask strength. The bottle that we tried in The Drunken Master Bar was from the 1992 bottling while the other one that we had in The Swan Song was from the 1990 bottling.

This review showcases the Rosebank 21 Years Old distilled in 1990 and released in 2011. Part of the Rose series, this expression is a heavenly dram which represents all the Lowland glory of Scotland.

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Gold
ABV: 53.8%

Nose: Glorious Lowlands notes are immediately apparent. Grassy, herbal and slightly cereal. Then after a few minutes, the sweetness of fruits surface. Green apples, sweet pears and a hint of melons. Mintiness also appears with the grassy notes going into the background. Peppery spice combines with the grassy notes to give an extra complexity. (19/20)

Palate: The palate is herbal, grassy and fruity all at once. Green apples, sweet pears, peppery spice and mint come together after that. The oak influence becomes more prominent after a while and creates a slightly drying palate. The fruitiness of the dram combined with the gentle spice gives a comfortable feel to the overall experience. (18/20)

Finish: It has a medium to long finish that is oaky, minty and sweet. The drying effects from the grassiness of the dram lengthen the finish. (17/20)

Body: It is a balanced dram with typical Lowlands notes. The identity is Rosebank from the nose to the finish. Excellent dram! (36/40)

Total Score: 90/100

Comments:

Geek Flora: “I was not a Rosebank fan previously, but after drinking this expression, I was converted. It is light and floral but yet, complex. I especially love the minty notes that we get, as it is quite special to me.”

Geek Choc: “I am a Rosebank fan and can only love Rosebank more with every expression that I tried. Rosebank produces good quality whisky, and I am looking forward to the new Rosebank distillery.”

 

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    Whisky Review #82 – Littlemill 22 Years Old (WhiskyBase)

     

    Some of you may know that I have a strong love for Littlemill. I never passed a chance to try new expressions from this closed distillery. I was again, given an opportunity recently, when I got to taste a Littlemill.

    This expression is distinctive on its own. It is a bottling from WhiskyBase, in celebration of their 40,000 bottles on the wall. Matured in a bourbon hogshead, it is a 22 years old whisky distilled on 20th Dec 1990 and bottled 10th Feb 2013. Not quite a 23 years old whisky, so as per SWA’s rules, its label reads 22 years old.

    Let’s dive straight into the notes!

    Tasting Notes:

    Colour: Bright Gold
    ABV: 56%

    Nose: Hmm…a typical Lowlands nose with aromatic dried grass. Floral and perfumey, almost like sniffing a particular brand of perfume. Sweet pears, melons and berries dance gracefully in the nose. Warm spice lurks underneath, waiting for its turn to dance. (18/20)

    Palate: Sweet fruits – pears, apples, melons and berries – explode in the mouth. The sweet overtones bounce all over with warm spices catching up in the background. The floral, grassy notes come last, rounding up the perfect and typical Littlemill notes. Warm spice tingles in the back of the throat pleasantly. (18/20)

    Finish: Medium finish with dried grassy notes that become herbaceous after a while. Sweet and perfumey all the way, the finish boasts pleasant spice that lingers comfortably while it lasts. (17/20)

    Body: This is a typical Littlemill that boasts the usual grassy notes, but what is worth noting here is that instead of the fresh grass that we usually find in Littlemill, this expression features grassy notes of dried grass! The fruitiness is beautiful and welcoming to anyone who is a Lowlands fan. Excellent mix of spice, fruits and grassiness to make an unforgettable whisky. While it does not have the most exciting profile, it has the strength of the character from Littlemill Distillery. (37/40)

    Total Score: 90/100

    Comments:

    Geek Flora: I love this! It features the characteristics of Littlemill without taking on too much character from the bourbon hogshead. I simply adored the grassiness of this dram!

    Geek Choc: Well, it is nice, but I think I prefer something a little sweeter. A bourbon hogshead is too mild for me. Maybe a sherry cask Littlemill will do the trick! 

     

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      Whisky Review #78 – Linlithgow 1982 (SV)

       

      Do you know the other name of Linlithgow? If your answer is Saint Magdalene, you are right! Recognized as one of the closed distilleries with fantastic golden liquid, Linlithgow invoked much excitement amongst whisky fans whenever a bottle of its whiskies surfaced in auction sites. The same enthusiasm arose in us when we saw its name on the menu in The Swan Song, and we wasted no time in ordering a dram of the liquid!

      Signatory Vintage is the bottler of this particular expression of Linlithgow. Matured for 25 years in a wine-treated butt (cask #2201), Signatory Vintage bottled this expression in 2008 for La Maison du Whisky Collectors’ Edition.

      Let us check out this dram now.

      Tasting Notes:

      Colour: Gold
      ABV: 59.2%

      Nose: At first, there is a strong peppery spice in the forefront that mixes with the sweet and fruity nose. After airing for some time, the spice disappears, and apricots (wow!) replaces the spice! The intense tropical fruitiness gets stronger, and the nose becomes so fragrant that we can’t help but to bring the glass to our mouths! (18/20)

      Palate: Clean mouthfeel with sweet apricots and pears enveloping the mouth as we sip, taking us to a fruity, tropical island where all we want to do is sit and relax. It is incredibly fruity with hints of peppery spice that combines beautifully without being underwhelming. It is the abv talking, and we love it! (18/20)

      Finish: The pleasant warmth from the peppery spice as we swallow is comforting, reminding us of the higher abv and why we are enjoying this dram so much. The medium to long finish is full of sweet tropical fruits, bringing us right back to that fruity, tropical island that we were in when we first tasted the liquid. (18/20)

      Body: This is a fantastic dram to be sure! Superbly balanced with a right combination of pepper and fruity flavours, it is an exciting dram to try. Words cannot justify the experience, and you just got to try it to understand why we love it. (37/40)

      Total Score: 91/100

      Comments:

      Geek Flora: “Well, if I did not know this is a Linlithgow, I might think that it is a Littlemill. The dram showcased its Lowlands’ characteristics well and is an excellent expression to start.”

      Geek Choc: “Hmm…I think this is fantastic. It is my first time trying an St Mag, and I am not disappointed! I will try more moving forward.”

       

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        Whisky Review #76 – Littlemill 24 Years Old (Fighting Fish)

         

        Littlemill is a lesser-known distillery found in between the Lowlands and the Highlands. Regarded as a Lowland distillery, Littlemill produced a single malt that is light and floral. It closed down in 1996 and burned to a crisp in 2004. The site is now a block of apartments.

        We will speak more of Littlemill as a distillery soon, but for now, let’s look at the subject for this whisky review.

        The Fighting Fish series is from Germany, independently bottled by Jack Wiebers. The expression is distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2014, making it a 24-year-old whisky. Matured in a bourbon cask, it is not chill-filtered and has no colouring added. The final outturn was 172 bottles.

        Tasting Notes:

        Colour: Bright Amber
        ABV: 52.3%

        Nose: Sweet molasses, honeyed sweetness, red berries and hints of tropical fruits fills the nose before light vanilla comes into the picture. Spice lingers in the background and forms a pleasant expectation of this expression. It is different from other Littlemill expressions that I had tried before. It has an attractive nose! (17/20)

        Palate: The oily mouthfeel gives robustness to the palate before sweet vanilla engulfs the palate. Molasses and tropical fruits rush in after the vanilla dissipates. Warm spice hangs in the background to remind me of the high abv in this dram. Again, it is different from other Littlemill expressions but certainly one of the interesting ones. (17/20)

        Finish: The medium to long finish of this dram is pleasurable with light spice lingering at the back of the throat. Sweet molasses and creamy vanilla last all the way to the end, marking this dram as a superb balanced one! (18/20)

        Body: There is a fantastic balance for this Littlemill. The nose, palate and finish are consistent, and while it does not exhibit the typical grassiness of Littlemill whisky too much, the sweetness of this dram puts it in the “interesting” category indeed. (36/40)

        Total Score: 88/100

        Comments:

        Geek Flora: “I love Littlemill ever since I had my first dram and I was never disappointed. While I do not like the sweetness of this Littlemill, I got to say that the superb balance did not disappoint. The nose, palate and finish were perfect, so there is nothing to complain about. The expression did not score more than 88 points mainly because I find it a little unlike a typical Littlemill, which I had grown to like. So perhaps, you can say that my scoring is just a little biased!”

        Geek Choc: “I find Littlemill to be too light and floral for my liking, but this expression hits the spot very well. The sweetness of the whisky makes it more special than a typical Littlemill expression. I score it much higher than Geek Flora, hence, that 88 points!”

         

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