Malt has been an important a part of my whisky journey. The musings of the writers previous and current has influenced my expertise and helped me zero in on what I prefer to drink. I’ve realized a lot about distilleries, their processes, and met some implausible folks alongside the way in which. Latest suggestions from Patreon supporters prompted me to mirror on these earlier levels of my very own expertise and attempt to provide extra articles that I’d have discovered enlightening a couple of years in the past.
A beneficial lesson I’ve realized – however have to maintain reminding myself of – is to hunt out the opinions of others and to hearken to recommendation from a wide range of sources. Except for studying whisky evaluation websites, the perfect supply of recommendation are brick and mortar whisky outlets. Workers are at all times keen to cross the time with prospects and listen to concerning the whisky they get pleasure from earlier than providing some focused recommendation on any buy.
I obtained in contact with Nick and his workforce at Aberdeen Whisky Store. Primarily based within the pretty Granite Metropolis within the Northeast of Scotland, AWS has a attain round Europe as a result of success of the net store. It’s a small workforce that features Bryan, who manages a lot of the on-line social media, does in home tastings and takes the nice bottle photographs you see in Instagram. You’re prone to meet Natasha within the store along with her Spaniel Ash, on Saturdays; Kelly is within the store throughout the week, and also you would possibly chat with Maria on Twitter.
The shop itself is charmingly small and any go to entails discovering a spare spot to face between all of the incoming and outgoing deliveries. Any greater than two prospects within the store brings the entire place to a whole cease. The employees by no means seem to thoughts stopping within the midst of a busy day to speak about their ardour for whisky.
I initially enquired about their best-selling mainstream whisky and was rapidly rebuffed with the problem “What’s mainstream whisky?” A legitimate level and brought laborious as I lately railed concerning the unhelpful categorisation of whisky. It’s a very daft query to ask the workforce at AWS, as they actually specialise within the impartial bottler market. Getting stocked in AWS is a big enhance for most of the new entrants to that market together with Concept8, Auld Goonsey, Little Brown Canine, and extra lately Dràm Mòr.
The place AWS – or certainly any good whisky retailer – will assist most is aiding their prospects in discovering new issues. When asking at Royal Mile Whisky’s retailer in Edinburgh for one thing totally different to Springbank, I bear in mind my introduction to Ben Nevis through their MacDonald’s Glencoe 8 Yr Outdated Blended Malt Whisky. For anybody that has not had that expression: it’s a tough soiled punch of flavour within the face, a bareknuckle boxer of a dram. However, from the discussions with AWS, we formatted a barely extra light mixture.
Most whisky consumers start tasting whisky with pals, tasting at cocktail bars, or visiting distilleries. Their whisky bottles are picked up at basic off-licences in the identical approach as most gin, vodka and many others. Supermarkets naturally get quite a lot of enterprise from these early fanatics and, now greater than ever, Amazon is making a play into the market. As a lot as I’m responsible of decrying the standard of among the whisky out there in that market, all whisky followers begin off there. Many people will nonetheless decide up bottles from these stores. Specialist outlets of any type might be daunting. They actually ought not be.
Attending to the crux of the story right here: I requested AWS what they might advocate to any person that was a fan of Glenlivet 12 12 months outdated. A decent dram, together with an age assertion which is broadly out there in off licences, supermarkets and naturally Amazon. I’ve purchased a bottle from Amazon for this evaluation and obtained it for simply £24.65.
I advised a finances round £40, which I believe is a good step up in value for any Glenlivet 12 drinker in search of one thing a bit of extra particular and fascinating. They got here again with the suggestion of Arran 10 12 months outdated. I used to be instantly delighted. It’s a dram that has been lauded broadly as probably the greatest value-for-money drams, it was awarded Finest “Entry Stage” Scotch and greatest total Scotch Whisky within the inaugural On-line Scotch Whisky Awards final 12 months. It has scored effectively right here on Malt, too. By way of the model of presentation we whisky followers search out: it isn’t chill filtered, with out synthetic colouring, at a extra sturdy 46% ABV, and out there from AWS for simply £38.99. I ordered a bottle of this, too, and the article was set.
Right here is without doubt one of the many the reason why whisky store recommendation is so helpful: they always communicate with different prospects like your self, at all times are contemplating the breadth of Scotch out there to fill their cabinets, and can at all times choose to make a lifelong buyer by giving good recommendation than lose one by over-selling or pointing in direction of unhealthy whisky. As whisky followers, we are able to assist our native whisky outlets by directing purchases in direction of them each time attainable. I prefer to drop in whisky samples of fascinating issues they don’t at present inventory too and so are much less prone to have sampled. It’s good to be good.
Let’s attempt to scrutinise these drams with one eye on the relative newcomer to whisky and one eye on somebody extra skilled and see how they stack-up in opposition to one another.
Glenlivet 12 Yr Outdated – Evaluate
A mix of American and European Oak. 40% ABV. £24.65 from Amazon.
Color: Golden.
On the nostril: Candy however extra balanced, golden caster sugar, Millionaires Shortbread, pear drops, peach schnapps, buttered white toast, citrus marmalade.
Within the mouth: An odd expertise; candy, very candy, and vague. It’s easy however principally as a consequence of a scarcity of character than any inherent high quality. With extra time, low-cocoa milk chocolate, caramel, Maltesers, vague fruit, then a deeper extra advanced toasted barely nutty word in direction of the end. Costa Espresso Almond Croissant, chilly milky on the spot espresso, hazelnut pores and skin, Brûlée tops.
Conclusions:
There’s nothing inherently flawed with this whisky; its lack of character makes it tough to dislike, but it isn’t in any respect thrilling. In case your whisky finances is just £25 a bottle, you’ll do happy with this, and also you shouldn’t be ashamed to drink it. It’s nice. For extra character in the identical value bracket, I’d advocate Tomatin Legacy or Chivas 13 for a change.
Rating: 4/10
Arran 10 Yr Outdated – Evaluate
A mix of bourbon and sherry casks. 46% ABV. £38.99 from the Aberdeen Whisky Store.
Color: Pure amber.
On the nostril: Biscoff unfold, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, huge Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Gum, freshly pressed apple juice, vanilla, a peach word, freshly sliced pineapple, dry baking spice and a few oak sawdust.
Within the mouth: Buttery texture, juicy from the off, tinned fruit salad syrup, yeasty apple cider, grapefruit peel, sliced inexperienced apple, honey and vanilla sponge, a barely peppery spirit balanced by wooden spices which give an honest medium size end. With time the dram opens to provide some overripe fruit and bruised pear notes taking the dram in an fascinating route. So much to get pleasure from right here.
Conclusions:
I obtained in contact with Arran to search out out if virgin oak had been used within the cask invoice for this dram because it’s juicy like different virgin oak whiskies I’ve tried, however Arran confirmed that it solely has bourbon and sherry casks within the combine, with extra bourbon than sherry (the precise ratio is just not revealed). These bourbon casks are doing quite a lot of work to melt and develop the fruitiness of the spirit right here.
That is balanced, fascinating. An incredible decide from the workforce at Aberdeen Whisky Store and I’m certain that Glenlivet 12 drinkers can be snug the extra £14.34 had been effectively spent. The good thing about going for a smaller impartial producer akin to Arran is that they’re very a lot nonetheless within the “craft” mode slightly than Glenlivet’s “quantity” in terms of the whisky. The character of this whisky speaks to thoughtful cask administration getting used to get the perfect from the spirit, whereas it’s straightforward to think about barcodes, big batches of casks, and a deal with effectivity from the well-known distillery ten instances the dimensions of Arran. Nice Whisky
Rating: 6/10
Whether or not you’re a newcomer to whisky seeking to improve or a veritable connoisseur looking for a shock, a whisky store may give you some nice recommendation, promote you some sudden new whisky, and provide better worth within the spherical than the grocery store and web quantity retailers. Time to take a wander right down to your native store.
For newcomers, that is our scoring grid.
