
June 13, 2016

More undisclosed Speyside

They are invading our shelves, these undisclosed Speysiders. Sometimes Glenfarclasses, sometimes not, sometimes stellar, sometimes not, sometimes single malts, sometimes not… What are they, exactly? Do they really have something in common? Let’s have a few, totally at random, as they come. Because when there’s not much provenance, we need fun!

Scallywag (46%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, +/-2016)

A newer batch. DL’s website (liked the old one better! More character!) states that this is a blend of Mortlach, Macallan, and Glenrothes ‘amongst others’. Colour: pale gold. Nose: malt, malt, and malt. Plus Mars bars, cereals, tarte tatin, orange and vanilla cream, orange cake, and drops of earl grey tea. A little liquorice wood makes it firmer. Mouth: very malty and toffee-ish, well in the style of many official Glenrothes, with also some chocolate and dried figs. Tends to become a notch drying (black tea). Finish: rather long, malty, toffee-ish. Marmalade-filled chocolate and more black tea. Comments: indeed, very Speyside. Now it beats many entry-level NAS official Speysiders (welcome to blendoland), including the aforementioned brands. Which ain’t too hard to do indeed. SGP:441 - 81 points.

Since there’s also a newer CS version, let’s have it as well…

Scallywag ‘Cask Strength N°2’ (54.1%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, 4800 bottles, 2016)

I have to say batch 1 was excellent (WF 85). Colour: gold. Nose: same malty, fudge-y whisky, only stronger. With water: malt everywhere. Love malt! Mouth (neat): totally excellent, powerful and full, rich, nutty, toasty, roasted, chocolaty, fudgy… This is pure cask strength cappuccino – or there, tiramisu. With water: oranges and gentian come out. The gentian sure came unexpected, but that’s all for the better. Finish: long, malty, orange-y, toffee-ish. In fact, it’s the regular Scallywag when reduced, more or less. Comments: of course we all always smell a rat when there isn’t any age statement, but I think this one works as nicely as batch #1. Very good. SGP:551 - 85 points.

Speyside 1992/2015 (48.7%, Whisky-Doris, bourbon hogshead, cask #7376, 290 bottles)

A single malt from Dufftown, according to the excellent and very talented bottlers. Good, only seven choices, piece of cake ;-). Colour: white wine. Nose: some pure fresh malty fruitiness ex-lazy wood. Now with whisky wood, laziness can be an asset if you ask me, while hyper-activity sure is a flaw, with all due respect to many a modern ‘wood technologist’. Golden barley, overripe apples, overripe gooseberries, apple crumble… Mouth: really good. Not stellar, but really good. It’s got the fruity freshness of an ex-bourbon Aberlour, with a feeling of fruit bowl drizzled with lemon and honey sauce. What it hasn’t quite got is depth, but I don’t know of many contemporary Scottish malts that are really deep. Finish: medium, barleyish, cerealy, sweet, and malty. Comments: probably not one we’ll remember forever, but it’s just irreproachable. Hey, it’s malt whisky! SGP:441 - 83 points.

Dear Whisky-Doris have another new one, let’s try it…

Speyside 1977/2015 (47%, Whisky-Doris, dark sherry, cask #25, 577 bottles)

This pedigree reeks of Glen… class. Only a very wild guess of course. Colour: amber. Nose: does Speyside need sherry? Discuss… What’s sure is that this mineral, chalky, leathery, cherry-ridden, flinty, Corinth-raisiny (tsk tsk tsk, S.!) profile just clicks. Artichokes, black tobacco (Gauloises bien sûr), dried beef meat, Grisons-style… Or is that bresaola? After ten minutes, we’re in an old wine cellar in the midst of Burgundy. Pass the persillé! (google is your friend even if they are the worst tax evaders ever!) Mouth: absolutely excellent, chocolaty and leathery, dry, tobacco-ish, leafy, herbal, deep… we’re almost crunching (or sucking on) thin mints. Finish: rather long, with more Seville oranges and oak spices – but we’re way below the limits as far as oak spices are concerned. More bitter cloves in the aftertaste, which got a little drying now. Comments: a dry sherry monster – and an ‘almost-90’. SGP:461 - 89 points.

While we’re having older ones…

Speyside 43 yo 1973/2016 (49.2%, The Whisky Agency, sherry butt, 324 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: we’ll keep this short. Beehive, pollen, nectar, beeswax, overripe apples, artisan cider, IPA, fruity hops, dried longans and jujubes... Great. I had warned you, short. Mouth: sweet and spicy oak, sweet curry, aniseed, honey, beeswax, mint honey, cider apples, cinnamon cake and mints, nutmeg. Really short – not this whisky, mind you. Finish: long. Wonderful oak spices, more cinnamon, more mint, some cloves. Guinness and other dark beers in the aftertaste. Comments: totally and plainly excellent, or when oaken old whisky managed to remain balanced and deep, thanks to some perfect oaky spices. I know, that was short. SGP:461 - 90 points.

That was good and enough. We’ll have many other ‘Speysides’ soon.