Batch 214

Sweet and quite delicate fruitiness: strawberry, raspberry, rosehip syrup, glacé cherry and a light touch of hibiscus tea. In time there’s a pleasant dustiness. This is playing to GlenAllachie’s floral side: lilac blossom and buddleia. Soft and quiet, but with character. When water’s added (and don’t be heavy-handed) there’s the bloom on damson skin, fruit bread and peony.  

Honeyed and sweet (again with that almost savoury quality) along with maraschino cherries, and blueberry bran muffin. It’s all front and middle, a mixture of the dusty, the perfumed, and the slightly fragile. Water continues things in this vein, adding touches of honey, which further sweetens the gentle red fruits.

Lightly drying.

The Port is barely there, just nudging the whisky into the realms of summer pudding. Rather lovely.

The colour of A Rose Petal in the Dying Light.

(Dave Broom)

A sweet aroma of blackcurrant Jelly Babies, powdered ginger and the baked quality of Pedro Ximénez. Water closes things down to begin with, but eventually there’s some raisin, speckled banana skin, orange and blue fruits.

Quite fat, with the Pedro Ximénez pulling out GlenAllachie’s more robust, heavier-fruited elements and being given more breathing space, resulting in a mix of plum sauce, black cherry and briary fruits. By the end, you get a lovely mixture of fragrant fruit cut by an almost savoury quality. You lose the concentration with water, so keep things neat.

Sweetly spicy.

Pedro Ximénez Sherry can be like the extra slice of chocolate cake at the end of a rich meal. This, however, has balance.

Shake it Sugaree.

(Dave Broom)

Light and clean, with extra virgin olive oil and some daffodil. An unusually textural smell (if you know what I mean), then some green bracken in the heat, and lemon posset. Water brings out cookie dough, pear and then dew-wet grass.

Very bright, fragrant and zesty, with a clinging quality; lime, green apple, then ginger and lemongrass, but the heat is building all the way through. The oak begins to show around the back palate, adding a biscuity quality (custard creams, perhaps). It does need water – and be generous with it – to calm it down, bring out the softer fruits and turn it into a gentle aperitif.

Spicy and buzzy, even with water.

Balanced and rather delicious.

Sipping on a cup of Buttercup Tea.

(Dave Broom)

This is several shades darker than the standard Jameson offering – burnished copper versus pale straw – hinting at the impact of the mix of Bourbon, Sherry and Malaga wine casks. Immediately sweet to the point of confection, with Red Delicious apples coated in treacle toffee. There are sunny flavours of juicy tropical fruits and very light spice, with fresh hayloft aromas adding to the summery feel. In time, barley sugar and butterscotch.

As sweet as you’d expect, with a smooth texture adding to the slightly syrupy sensation on the tongue. Even at 40% abv, there’s a mid-palate prickle, but this soon subsides into sugary caramel and peanut brittle. Crème caramel, a little spice and an edge of black pepper. A feeling of sweetness tipping over into torrefaction, like a slightly singed meringue nest.

Back to the toffee apple; quite short.

There’s a sense here that everything’s been smothered in crunchy brown sugar. Perfectly enjoyable at the price (€32/litre at an airport near you), but diabetics need not apply.

Jackie’s right: this gives you the Sweetest Feeling.

(Richard Woodard)

Big, sweet and slightly fig-like with light date, caramel toffee, toasted malt and mocha. In time, there’s a massive hit of gingerbread cut with some clove. A splash of water brings out more dried fruits and bosky woods.

Things start dark and sweet with grape jelly, then comes the mixture of gingerbread, toffee, dried fruit and then amber malt. The tannins are supple, allowing a soft, even flow. As it opens, there’s a sudden hit of pineapple, adding lift. A drop or two of water shows the underlying clinging quality and some malt extract. In time things become spicier, with allspice now coming into the mix.

Lightly bitter, which is a good thing for the balance.

A big bear hug of a dram.

Michty me! Just feel The Weight.

(Dave Broom)

A touch of malt kicks things off, along with green and yellow wine gums, then peachiness. In time, there’s a coating of linseed oil and a hint of cold pastry. With water added, you get overripe pineapple, apricot and dessert apple as things also become waxy.

Mature, yet also estery: pineapple, fondant cream and nut sprinkles to start, before it softens and becomes lightly oily along with almond flour, lemon zest and cut flowers, then a surprising hit of white (Mealie) pudding. Water shunts the soft fruits to the back, allowing the malty elements to come through. It becomes more mature with notes of French polish and dried orchard fruits.

Juicy and long. Lightly oily.

A thought-provoking dram that moves in many directions simultaneously.

‘Tis of A Certain Kind.

(Dave Broom)