Since my memories of what used to be the spicy speysider in the Classic Malts range from Diageo, Cragganmore, way surpassed my experience of it a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd have a similar go at the 14yo Oban from the same range. I remember it as a characterful, spicy highlander, and it was one of my first ever whisky-experiences. The color has been adjusted to the level I remember :-). It smells heather, cumin, honeysuckle, peat, ashes, biscuits, sour milk, leather, wax, coal. The taste is sweet, musty, cumin, strong mustard, cinnamon, fennel tea, malt, peat, dry port, yeast, ginger ale, most of all there's unusually strong hints of fennel(!). I can't recall getting the notion of fennel in many whiskies. Adding water makes for a heavier malt, more citrus notes like lime peel and sour fruits, also a bit more malty notes. Unfortunately both the peat and the fennel disappears. All in all I must say this whisky is not far of what I recollect from many years ago, thoughts wander to peated/older Glen Garioch, Clynelish, and other typical highlanders.
A classic malt that truly carries its stamp: 8
Next tasting: Glenkinchie Distillery
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar