-
- Price band
-
£ £ £ £ £
- ABV
- 54.3%
- Production type
- Single malt whisky
- Region
- Islay
- Flavour camp
- Smoky & Peaty
- Nose
- Oily to start, with well-integrated smoke which initially (and surprisingly – this is Supernova, after all) holds itself back, allowing a peppermint aroma to come through; then comes creosote, pepper and a sudden sweetening into cinnamon toast and even a little cream. Water makes it distinctly mossy and seaweed-like, though by now the chimney is belching.
- Palate
- Enormous. A dry start with smoke from the off. There is a pagan element to its peatiness, almost uncontrolled in its exuberance, but there is just about enough sweetness to claw back the balance and give some mid-palate focus before it blasts off again into fish oil, vetiver and the menthol/minty thing. Water softens it, but you lose that mental impact.
- Finish
- Dry.
- Conclusion
- The most massive of the Ardbegs, this fifth edition is big, bold and smoky, but almost too dry – though its untamed elements will appeal to many. It’s also the final bottling, so you know what to do.
- Right place, right time
- An insane Beltane bonfire, witches shrieking in the darkening skies.
- Price band
-
£ £ £ £ £
- ABV
- 40%
- Production type
- Single malt whisky
- Region
- Highland
- Flavour camp
- Fruity & Spicy
- Nose
- A rich and spicy start with some boiled sweets, apple pips and a light roasted hazelnut element. Quite weighty. With water it becomes nuttier, showing some cake mix.
- Palate
- Big, thick, stickily honeyed and upfront. The mid-palate shows a little (and much-needed) bite, because this is a chunkily rumbustuous ball of flavour which jostles in the middle of the mouth. The impact is lost with water.
- Finish
- It’s such a mid-palate whisky that you almost don’t notice the finish; it just stops.
- Conclusion
- And so we come to the final releases from the Dewar’s Last Great Malts range and – you know what? – the name is justified. These have all been a revelation. This is also a seriously well-priced dram. Gulp it down. Responsibly.
- Right place, right time
- Walking along a river bank in the October smirr, armed with a hipflask.
- Price band
-
£ £ £ £ £
- ABV
- 40%
- Production type
- Single malt whisky
- Region
- Highland
- Flavour camp
- Fruity & Spicy
- Nose
- Intriguing mix of wet dog and straw, making it seem a little like a mature Loire Chenin Blanc. There are also some heavy florals – rain-drenched iris blooms. Behind this are some baking spices – even a little burn of bicarb, then nuts. Polished, with some burly elegance. Water shows cake icing.
- Palate
- Heavy vanillic notes and, like the 12-year-old, possessing a big lump of flavour in the middle which contains a mix of nuts, seaside rock, then toasty oak allowing the sweet and the dry to play off each other. Water kills the impact, so have it neat.
- Finish
- Sweet and a little short.
- Conclusion
- Bottlings from Macduff/Deveron have been frustratingly inconsistent. No longer on this evidence, though like the recent Bracklas this would have been better at a higher strength – even 43% would have given lift and more complexity.
- Right place, right time
- Same river bank and weather conditions as the 12-year-old, but this time throwing sticks for an over-enthusiastic black Labrador.
- Price band
-
£ £ £ £ £
- ABV
- 46%
- Production type
- Single malt whisky
- Region
- Speyside
- Flavour camp
- Fragrant & Floral
- Nose
- Ever so slightly muted to start, but there are clean, dew-fresh fresh fruits and a little dunnage warehouse back note, leading into ripe pear, cooked apple and scented soap (but not soapiness). With water, macarons, but slightly diminished fruit.
- Palate
- Fine and quite precise. The alcohol gives a good juicy burst to the mid-palate. Shows good distillery character. Water brings out greater mouthfeel and previously hidden substance.
- Finish
- Lightly gingery.
- Conclusion
- This is good, but here’s the issue for an IB. The bottlings have to be as good as OBs while saying something different as well. This is a rock-solid Glenlivet – and I recommend you try it – but being a picky bastard, I just want more.
- Right place, right time
- Taking in the washing on a late spring evening.
- Price band
-
£ £ £ £ £
- ABV
- 46%
- Production type
- Single malt whisky
- Region
- Islands
- Flavour camp
- Smoky & Peaty
- Nose
- Well-balanced with just a slight hint of smoke before some praline, lemon and a pleasant, sweet turned earth note. Then ink and freshly sharpened pencil. Very impressive. In time, and with a drop of water, some spice cupboard.
- Palate
- Sweet and quite thick to start, then comes a boost up to the mid-palate, where the smoke begins to develop alongside the sweet fruits – quite peachy now, but still with the citric edge. With the water things become more lively, but still with a silky quality and gentle smoke.
- Finish
- Just a little short.
- Conclusion
- Another lovely bottling – and with an extra dimension. On this evidence, a new bottler worth keeping an eye on.
- Right place, right time
- Writing letters by an open window beside an orchard.
- Price band
-
£ £ £ £ £
- ABV
- 43%
- Production type
- Blended Scotch whisky
- Region
- n/a
- Flavour camp
- Fruity & Spicy
- Nose
- Fresh, with a light Weetabix/sweet sacking note, then fresh-cut flowers, gentle fruit and a little mint.
- Palate
- Sweet and floral to start. All quite lifted. A genuine bouquet of aromas with a succulent mid-palate. The fruits are ripe and there seems to be a little Sherry element giving some nutty grip. It becomes more creamy with water and also a little more direct. Take your choice.
- Finish
- The nuts return and it dries before some light peach pokes out.
- Conclusion
- Very well-assembled, and keenly priced (which is brought into consideration in the score), but remember the apostrophe though, guys!
- Right place, right time
- Early morning in a flower market.
Dave Broom's latest batch of notes concern a trio from newcomer Edinburgh Whisky, two more of Dewar's Last Great Malts – and a substantial blast of peat from Ardbeg.
