I have to say I have been dreading this tasting a while, as I haven't found too much good to say about any of the raw and spirity new-makes I've tried up until now. But this one is quite special as two of these has been pampered with by human hands, one by myself. The priorly talked about cask project both here:
http://www.maltdiary.com/2011/06/making-my-own-whisky-in-1-2-3.html
and here:
http://www.maltdiary.com/2011/09/follow-up-on-my-cask-project.html
Let's try it alongside some other youngsters and see how it does.
Loch Ewe 0yo 50.6% OB Distilled 30.6.2011
A small 100ml bottle, or jar if you like. I actually considered for a moment, putting this on a miniature cask and let it rest for 3 years just to be able to say that I've tried whisky from Loch Ewe Distillery. On the other hand, how would I be sure it still were 40% or more, and what disastrous oak impact would this poor newmake gain? It smells, well, spirity, harsh, cedar wood and stale wet hay. Not too bad, I'm confused as to why there's such a fine wood scent to a new-make? The taste is light and peppery, I like it, some bitter spirity notes of shoe laces and rubber. Synthetic, but very clean and pure spirit. I prefer it to many other new-makes. I think this could be doing very well after some years in oak casks. But for now, it hasn't developed enough to give more than a score based on potential. What's funky with this one is that a small amount of water makes it blue!
A nice and clean new-make, a good alternative to Vodka: 5
Celp NAS 55% The Ultimate Whisky Company (Lagavulin) The Seaweed Experience
A version of the old and almost forgotten Celp, a drink that was used for health resons back in the days of monks and kings and whatnot. I believe it originally was Knockeen with seaweed, made in Ireland, but now some dutch guys have tried recreating it with spirit from Lagavulin (if my sources are correct), some fresh water grass and green coloring. It's bottled in Scotland, so the grass and all that is scottish at least. Looks like some green tea. Smells pretty nice, clear coastal notes, waxy, salty, fish stock, herbal, oregano, basil, choriander, burnt junipers, and again extremely clean. The taste is thick, burnt, sweet, salty, bitter, herbal, loads of salt and lime zest, a most pleasing surprise.
This is excellent spirit, Lagavulin should be proud: 6.5
Glenglassaugh 0yo 50+/-% 3 months in 1l. cream sherry butt
Very dark, like some oloroso sherry, on the borderline between brown and red. Smells young and fresh, yet sherried and sweet. A bit minty and wet grass, flowers, honey and cinnamon. Things sure do happen quick in these small casks, but remember to let the whisky breath enough after pouring a glass. The taste is light and sweet, perhaps a bit too sweet, seems the cask did get the better of the spirit. It has a warming aftertaste of some very tamed peat. Small smoke and huge sherry, it's not fantastic, but a bloody good try if you ask me. Next time I do this project I'm going to use a new-make with higher strength so that it keeps enough stamina to last a couple months on sherry cask, at least.
Nice stuff, smooth sherry, fine smokiness, few malt notes: 6.5
Bladnoch 0yo 61% 3 months in 1l. refill cream sherry butt
Half and half regular Bladnoch newmake at 50%abv. and peated Bladnoch newmake at 72%abv. I lost a bit of time on this one, and I believe it only captured 2.5 months or so in the cask. But if the influence is as strong as it was on the Glenglassaugh it might be for the better. Lighter in color, more towards an amber, orange hue. Smells peaty and spirity, not a typical lowlander to say the least. Interesting, a wild card, crazy strength, huge peatiness and some sweet syrupy, honey whiffs. The taste is dry and sweet, honey and wool, just a bit too dry, needs water. With water it gets burnt and spirity. I guess this could use a month or two more on wood.
Weird one, I'm considering giving it a refurbish on more oak: 3
Next tasting: Glen Grant Distillery
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