Just a shortie - The Nant Single Malt, Cask Aged

The Nant Single Malt, Cask Aged - Unpeated 50ml sample.

Here is another little whisky I was saving for Dramcember, The Nant Single Malt Whisky, Cask Aged - Unpeated. I won this 50ml bottle a couple of months ago as part of a Nant facebook competition The Nant was running. Though yes I have had The Nant before, it has always been at a whisky event, muddling with other whiskies at the time. This is the first time I have been able to sit down and genuinely dram the whisky and examine its character.

Established in 2004 The Nant is of course one of the many new age Australian whisky distilleries coming into the market. The Nant Distilling Company, apart from making a great whiskies, also has taken on the Australia wide intuitive of creating The Nant Whisky Cellar & Whisky Bars. A sure thing to check out if you have one in your local city. Research wise unfortunately your not going to get much out of The Nant website at all so if you don't know much about the distillery or the bottlings your best to head to one of The Nant Whisky Bars or track them down at an event like Whisky Live.

The Nant Single malt Whisky, Cask Aged - Unpeated
Distiller: The Nant Distilling Company
Location / Region: Tasmania Australia
Alcohol: 43%

Colour: Amber Gold

Nose: Ripe bananas, new oak honey cream roundness, toasted toffees, with an essence star anise spice.

Taste: Rich soft creams in the forefront, a somewhat dense middle of toasted oaks before merging into a high dry spice in the upper rear palate. Mouth puckering and chewy as the dryness intensifies which is not a bad thing to balance out the initial sweetness. The spice does remind me a lot of a rye whiskies finish.

Finish: Long and dry that mainly sits in the lower throat. A tingle intensifies on the lips as a citrus zest comes to the mouth feel well tasting.

Overall pretty good balance with some sharp and soft notes. It is an enjoyably challenging whisky even though it seems a little young with all the citrus zest vibrancy. On the 2nd and subsequent drams these high and low notes become even more apparent that continues to energise the overall experience.

A truly excellent whisky to be had. From what I recall the pricing was not in the every day affordable bracket we would like to see of our local products. I would hope as stocks build that The Nant starts to position itself for us average punters to enjoy and support the Australian whisky revival. If I was to give a dram 5 1/2 out of 7 as pricing and availability are the real things dragging it down.

The Baron

A Dram To Share - Whisky by The Whisky Shop

The Whisky Shop Gift Pack

Another year another Dramcember or in this case a dual Dramcember reviews. I have been saving these ones specifically for this event. Delivered to me about a month and half ago a friend graciously purchased me these sample bottles out of the blue while traveling through the UK. Not a whisky drinker himself he took an opportunity to visit The Whisky Shop and do a few tastings while buying this at the same time.

There is little I can say about the history of these items as they are independently bottled by The Whisky Shop for sale through the stores. Packaged nice and securely the pack contains x2 100ml samples and accompanying x2 Gelncairn nosing glasses. The whiskies included in this package is a 9 Year Old Ledaig produced by Tobermory Distillery, and a 13 Year Old Speyside with an undisclosed distillery. Both are independently bottled by The Whisky Shop.

Ledaig 9 Year Old

Ledaig 9 Year Old
Distiller: Tobermory, Burn Stewart Distillers
Region: Island of Mull
Bottled: Independent, The Whisky Shop
Alcohol: 40%

Colour: For lack of a better descriptor I have to say Morning Pee.

Nose: Fresh, lively, sweet, with a good scent of smoke, salts, seaweed. Reminds me a lot of a Bowmore but with a good hit of honey. I have never had a Tobermory so I cannot compare notes to its sister brand. There is an obvious phenol burn in the nose most likely due to the peat smoke.

Taste: Quite smooth and creamy at first with some interesting floral notes before being slammed with aggressive medicinal salt assault on the sides and back of palate before burring the crap out of the throat then proceeding straight to the stomach. Ouch! This gets really unpleasant way too quick.

Finish: Long, hot and salty. Smoke returns to the pallet as does the creamy honey but the salt burn just keeps on keeping on. I get tingles in the stomach.

Overall the balance is all out of whack. Everything is in the forefront competing for attention. If I was to give a dram then the Ledaig 9 Year Old gets 2 out of 7.

Ledaig is a small production whisky coming out of Tobermory distillery, originally named Ledaig, situated on the Hebridean island of Mull, Scotland. I am very interested now to try the official Ledaig 10yo to see how it compares. It might be a long shot through as from what I can tell on the WhiskyShop website, these bottling have come from larger barrels transferred to smalls casks and rested in stores.

The Speyside 13 Year Old

The Speyside 13 Year Old
Distiller: Undisclosed
Region: Speyside, Scotland
bottled: Independent, The Whisky Shop
Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Pale straw

Nose: Creme brulle toffees, coconut, mild smokes, fresh cut grasses.

Taste: Really soft on initial taste and very cushioning across the whole palate at first. Sweet rum like sugars, desiccated coconut on the swallow but then just numbing tingles on the lips and tongue.

Finish: Long with a good heat building in the lower chest.

Overall again an unpleasant experience leaving my frowning through the whole tasting. Certainly more drinkable then the Ledaig but not by much.

Giving a dram on this one a 2 1/2 out of 7. Really left me with a downer overall. In both these cases whiskies my tasting notes do not match in any way to what is being said about them on The Whisky Shops website.


I am happy I left these for Dramcember even if the end result is a negative on both whiskies.

The Baron

Adnams fire a Broadside with the launch of their new whiskies

Adnams Whisky No 1
(Photo courtesy of Adnams)

Last summer I visited the Adnams brewery, well known in the UK for brewing some excellent beers, in Southwold, Suffolk.

During the brewery tour we were told about a whisky Adnams were planning to release. Originally scheduled for early 2013 the launch was delayed until December. What we weren't told during the tour is that they were planning to release two whiskies. So are the latest additions to the English whisky scene any good?

The Single Malt No 1 is made using local East Anglian Barley and aged in virgin French oak barrels. I read online that the whisky is made from the same wash as their Copper House Barley Vodka.

The Triple Grain No 2 is made from wheat and East Anglican oats and barley. The triple grain has been matured in virgin American oak barrels and is made from the same wash as their Longshore Premium Vodka.

Having produced just ten barrels of each whisky, Adnams have been hyping that stocks were sure to sell out quickly, an have pitched both bottles at the premium price of £44 each.

I clubbed together with a friend so that we could sample a dram of each.

Single Malt No 1
Distillery: Adnams, Southwold, England
Matured: French Oak
Alcohol: 43% ABV

Colour: Golden, with touches of amber

Nose: Smooth, not as much spice as I'd expect from virgin oak. Sweetness. Balanced, maybe a little too well as I struggled to pick up any distinguishing features.

Palate: The smoothness carries through to the palate. The sweetness leaves a light syrupy coating on the tongue. Only after I added water did the spice / oak really open up and the whisky develop on the palate.

Finish: Before adding any water the finish was decidedly short. The water helped the spice linger down the side of the tongue.

Triple Grain No 2

Distillery: Adnams, Southwold, England
Matured: American Oak
Alcohol: 43% ABV

Colour: Straw. Noticeably paler than the single malt.

Nose: Smooth and balanced. Remarkably similar to No 1. I was expecting a different profile considering it is a triple grain.

Palate: Again smooth and not as much spice as I would have expected from virgin oak. As a triple grain I was expecting the flavour to have hints of an American bourbon, but the flavour wasn't nearly as big. However, it was thankfully more rounded and a but more complex than the single malt making it a favourite. Again water helped bring out the spice / oak.

Finish: Similarly short, but the water helped lengthen the spice on the tongue.

Both were very drinkable, admirably smooth and generally impressive for such young whiskies. Adding water helped open up both drams and that will be my preference when I drink the rest of the bottle.

The more I drank the more they grew on me (some might call that getting tipsy). However, neither was as complex or as interesting as I'd hoped, or indeed would expect, for the price and I'm not sure I can forgive them for that.

Below is the official video by Adnams on their distilling process.

Drinking the Adnams whiskies I couldn't help remembering the Grants Cask Editions I sampled last year. At less than half the price, if I wanted another easy drinker I couldn't see myself buying the Adnams again.

If I was to give a dram I'd say three lightening bolts out of seven for the Single Malt and three and a half for the Triple Grain.

The Converted

A Renaissance Whisky – Lark Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

Lark Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

Being a Dramcember post I will try to keep this as short and sweet as possible.

My father is slowly getting into whisky. He does not have a great nose for it, nor and history with drinking it in general but he certainly has a interest with a special interest in Australian whiskies.

Not long ago I put him onto watching the Landline episode that spoke about Australian whiskies being produced in Tasmania. While they were (still are) visiting for Christmas father asked which ones he might try and buy for a Christmas whisky. Well if there is any you should start with I thought Lark Distillery would a good choice considering Bill Lark is somewhat seen as the godfather of Australia's whisky revival. Not only that but in my opinion Lark Distillery is one with a rooted traditionalist background but a keen obvious desire to produce something uniquely Australian. The Lark lads are a jovial bunch to speak too and I think their personality speaks through their whiskies quite clearly.

So a few days ago I set off to my local bottle shop to pick my father up a bottle of Lark Single Cask Single Malt and what a great dramcember addition it is as well. As noted on the Lark Distillery website this whisky is around 50% peated barley using locally cut Tasmanian peat. My father has a taste for peated whiskies so this is a great comparison for him to build on with a bit of shock value thrown in.

Lark Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: Lark Distillery
Location/Region: Tasmania, Australia
Alcohol: 43%
Cask No: 383
Barrel Aged: Port, 100L Quater Cask
Bottled: 2013
Price: $130 AU

Colour: Honey gold

Nose: Heavy burnt toffees, raisins, honey, woodish smoke with a strong damp medicinal salt and mineral oil scent. The later descriptors most likely forming from the Tasmania peat. Dribs and drabs of floral notes waft in and out but stone dampness is a key for me here. At this point you discover it is a whisky that is going to get your hands dirty as you dig a round and pull it apart.

Taste: Mouth puckering with an immediate fluid machine oil palate coating texture. Malts begin to thicken at this point with some salts and minerals in the forefront followed that same dampness sense with vegetive mass reinforced up the nose. Really textured and chewy leaving you puckering then smacking the lips. Flavour is densely packed with a considerably amount of complexity.

Finish: Long and warming. Leaves with a high heat in the palate and a deep spring in the chest. A strong scent of oily minerals remain slipping in the mouth.

Overall a stunning whisky with balance swaying towards those oils, minerals and salts. Not for the light hearted. This whisky is in your face, up your nose and out your ears, before tugging on your short and curls for good measure. Just the way a good Antipodean whisky should be. Peat with a difference it is wise to never mistaken Tasmanian peat for a obvious resemblance to your regular old Islay peat. Though in saying that I did find some very clear similarities in the peat notes of this whisky to the recently released Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary Edition (a whisky using mainland Scottish forest peat).

A true renaissance whisky, forming all the classical notes and then asserting some fresh boundaries in order to mark its territory. If I was to give a dram a healthy 6 out of 7. If your a bit of a explorer and want to discover something new go for this whisky, but if by chance your not so fond of change maybe this is the whisky to start broadening your palate.

I really enjoyed this whisky even if her rotund booty has to be reserved only for Friday night sexy times.

The Baron

Your Sweetness Is My Weakness - Glen Orrin Aged Thirty Years

Glen Orrin Aged Thirty Years

Anything aged 30 years involving alcohol evokes desire - aging something rubbish so long is akin to whisky heresy. There's an elevated expectation the glorious rare mummified contents of a 30 year old will be bordering on nectar from a unicorn.

Which is why the 30 year old blend Glen Orrin is an interesting proposition. It comes exclusively from Aldi Liquor supermarkets, they of the 'smarter shopping' brigade. A brave move to jump into the premium category from them but a question was lingering. Have they jumped into the token shallow end for a paddle or have thrown the floaties away and headed to the very crowded deep end with big duty free blended brands like Chivas and Johnny Walker?

Upon hearing the low price point of $99 my suspicion before pouring a dram was the former. There's a reassuringly expensive aspect of normal thirty year olds that for the uninitiated allows you to get what you pay for. So heresy was surely about be committed at under a hundred.

No crucifix needed it seems. Aldi have instead parked themselves not shallow, not deep but right in the middle of the whisky pool. A clever move that will reward you with most of the wonderful things a 30 years old possesses without the usual price sting. It's not complex. It is however, very drinkable.

This lack of complexity carries through everything from the packaging to the finish on the palette. But, not complex compared to what? For $300-400 I expect complexity, even for that price someone to pour it. Considered on its own it yields its own quiet rewards.

Can something be too smooth? Glen Orrin is distilled in copper pot stills and matured in oak casks, giving it almost too smooth a finish. Barry White would be loving this even from his grave.


Glen Orrin Aged 30 Years Blended Scotch Whisky Special Reserve
Distillery: Not Applicable
Alcohol: 40% alc vol.
Retailer: Exclusive to Aldi Liquor
Price: $99.99 AU


Glen Orrin has an overall sweetness with safe notes of vanilla and fruitcake, all rounded off at 40% alcohol.

It would be hard for a well versed palette to get excited by this, but I wouldn't imagine at normal 30 year old prices there would be many of them out there.

The Alchemist