Highland Herold

Die englischen Originaltexte der Blindverkostungsnotizen zum Artikel "Farming and Distilling" in Ausgabe #52.

Clonakilty New Make Spirit Sample 2020

triple distilled Irish pot still spirit | 40% malted barley, 60 % unmalted barley | 63,5 % abv

Blind Notes by Angela D'Orazio

Medium light oiliness type of new make, with a good malt sugar nose and aniseed, added some pear drop fruitiness and spice with water.

Not tasted without water. Pleasant as if it were a grappa to the coffee, fine in the perceived balance and taste, with stone fruits, aniseed and residual malt sugars.

Blind Notes by Andy MacDonald

Nose with water (diluted to 20% abv [alcohol by volume]): sweet citrus orange and ripe pears. Fresh cut hay stacks in a newly harvested field.

Taste with water: Sweet fruitiness of pears and pineapple. Vibrant and there is a freshness that stays in the mouth for a long time.

Comments: A good quality NMS [new make spirit].

Ballykeefe Single Estate Whiskey, Single Cask #9

triple distilled single pot still Irish whiskey | NAS, Cask Strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour | 61,1 % abv

Blind Notes by Angela D'Orazio

Light straw coloured, light green edges.

Undiluted sample is strong and a bit shy, with some vanilla, bourbon, and citrus notes. Adding water gives a classical bourbon matured dram, with malty and citrussy aromas, with pear drops and some good creamy vanilla notes, adding pencil shavings and stone fruit notes to it all.

Good vanilla bourbon cask taste, but way too strong for my palate in undiluted version. With water it opens up with a bunch of classics attributes: toffee, toasted oak tones, slight pear drops and a soft citrus fruit to it. Aftertaste is citrussy vanilla, dryish and medium short in time.

Not one of the top of the top, but still a very good bourbon cask matured dram with a fine balance.

Blind Notes by Andy MacDonald

Nose without water: Strong nose prickle from the high alcohol. Sweetness of coconut and vanilla with a malty cereal aroma in the background. Some stone fruit aromas like peaches or mango also in the mix.

Taste without water: Mouth coating oiliness that gives sweet stone fruit flavours of peach and mango. Also a slight dryness from the wood flavours.

Nose with water (diluted to 20% abv): the aroma opens up to give a candy floss sweetness that reminded me of days at the funfair when I was a kid. Vanilla and stone fruit flavours are magnified with the addition of water

Taste with water: There is a dry spiciness on the tongue that disappears to leave behind flavours of milk chocolate and vanilla ice cream melting in the mouth. The aftertaste was surprisingly similar to the flavour of a fine calvados.

Comments: A fine balance to this sample when some water is added. I would be more than happy to drink it again!

Tipperary Homegrown Barley, Batch 2020.SM.01

Irish single malt whiskey | triple distilled in pot stills, NAS, Rioja wine casks, non-chill filtered, natural colour | 50,0 % abv

Blind Notes by Angela D'Orazio

Pale coloured with a slight pink hue.

Undiluted sample has as sharpness on the nose, is youthfully oily with light wood spice and some green herbal notes. Adding water gives a berry fruity nose with some more new make tones, some plum and some winy fruitiness to it. The eye and the nose say that this is a young sample with a bit to go on the wood influence.

Taste undiluted is a bit more promising, with fruity wine tones and some vanilla spice. With water it gets more vanilla and fruit. Aftertaste is dryish with an oily feel, slight fruit and some vanilla.

Not bad at all, with character, oily, young and interesting.

Blind Notes by Andy MacDonald

Nose without water: Very sharp on the nose like a balsamic vinegar or solvent. Boiled vegetables aroma of cabbage and onions. There is a top note aroma of pencil sharpenings.

Taste without water: Slight sweetness on the tip of the tongue followed by a very bitter sensation on the back of the tongue similar to high cocoa dark chocolate. A sharp taste of balsamic vinegar.

Nose with water (diluted to 20% abv): A sharpness on the nose that woke me up with a start! Pencil sharpenings, balsamic vinegar, solvent, shoe polish.

Taste with water: Initially there is a sweetness of milk chocolate but this is quickly followed by a bitterness that overwhelms the mouth. Leaves a furry feeling on the tongue!

Comments: This sample has a rose tint to the colour that would suggest maturation in a red wine or port cask. I think it is very immature and it would definitely benefit from more time in the wood.

Waterford Single Farm Origin – Hook Head Edition 1.1

Irish single malt whisky | double distilled in pot stills, NAS, non-chill filtered, natural colour, TĒIREOIR Code: F035E01-01 (can be used on waterfordwhisky.com to get detailed information) | 50,0 % abv

Blind Notes by Angela D'Orazio

Straw coloured with golden hints.

Undiluted sample gives a light shy nose with some maltiness and some bourbon wood.

Adding water opens up and here the bourbon cavalry comes along, with fine concentrated vanilla, toffee and toasted oak notes.

The undiluted sample's taste has some sharp edges in my mouth, with light spice of bourbon cask and citrus notes. With water it opens up and becomes very accessible; a buttery and creamy texture, fine fruits with citrus and even some plum. A soft toffee in a fruity dryish aftertaste.

Youthful notes in there and a fine dram with contributions from good bourbon casks.

Blind Notes by Andy MacDonald

Nose without water: Sweetness of vanilla, coconut and bananas. Slight nose prickle and pepperiness. Some clove and woody aromas in the background.

Taste without water: Very dry and a pepperiness on the tongue. Oily mouthfeel with a slight burnt matches aftertaste.

Nose with water (diluted to 20% abv): Gives a fruity aroma like bubble gum. Less woody and a lovely clove freshness appears.

Taste with water: Dryness is still there but in a well-balanced way. There are flavours of dark chocolate and coco and a slighty suphury smokiness on the aftertaste

Comments: A heavier style of whisky with a rounded character. Better with a drop of water. It left me with a big smile on my face!

Waterford Single Farm Origin – Tinnashrule Edition 1.1

Irish single malt whisky | double distilled in pot stills, NAS, non-chill filtered, natural colour, TĒIREOIR Code: F033E01-01 (can be used on waterfordwhisky.com to get detailed information) | 50,0 % abv

Blind Notes by Angela D'Orazio

Straw coloured with golden hints.

Nose is oily, spicy and fruity with grains. A youthful nose with plum and stonefruit. Adding water opens up quite a bit: After ten minutes it has a good plumlike fruitiness and got spicy – with ginger, cardamom, cloves and aniseed in the nose.

The undiluted sample's taste is oily, fruity and quite hot, and a dry aftertaste. With water it opens up a mile more and becomes soft, fruity and enjoyable. The vanilla comes out and gives me a slight malt sugary aftertaste.

A quite youthful and well-balanced dram.

Blind Notes by Andy MacDonald

Nose without water: Sweetness of honey, coconut, vanilla and chewy toffee. Some fresh baked bread and an underlying hint of a floral perfume.

Taste without water: A creamy mouthfeel with a honey sweetness on the tip of tongue. A dryness from the tannins on the rear of the tongue. Delicious Almond cake flavours. A slight fruity note comes through like baked pears or baked apples.

Nose with water (diluted to 20 % abv): The aroma opens up to reveal a freshness of aromatic tea and floral perfume. A fruity aroma of pears and baked apples along with some baked bread or apple studel.

Taste with water: Stewed apples or strudel with a sprinkle of almonds on top. Sweetness of boiled fruit candy and a bit of cinnamon spice on the finish.

Comments: A really well-balanced sample with a complex array of aromas and flavours. So nice that I poured another dram!