2017-12-03 A. D. Rattray Macduff 7 yo Single Malt

Yikes, this one is 58% abv.

Nose: Eye watering alcohol, vanilla, lemon, pear
Palate: Caramel, bitter, pear,

A bit of colour - but fairly clear as you would expect from a young whisky

Splash of water

Nose: Vanilla, lemon, a touch of mushroom, lots and lots of pear, the splash of water and being open for a few minutes got rid of the eye watering alcohol
Palate: The pear comes forward, the bitter fades. BTW - the bitter is nice - not nasty. Caramel is still there.

This really reacts well to the splash of water. It opens out and smooths out very nicely.

I would drink this again - but still nothing special. So far, I would rate these
2, 3, 1

Like #2, this whisky grows on you, as I continue to sip, it smooths out, and the nose gets more appealing. I start to pick up some green grass I missed initially. On the palate, it remains smooth and fruit forward.

Also - these have all been Speysides. Looking forward to trying something else.




Links
A. D. Rattray
The review from Singlemalting

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2017-12-19 A.D. Rattray Williamson 5 yo Single Malt

Image
Tasting this on the 21st - behind again! Nose: wow - this is a 60% abv  5yo whisky - and the nose is smooth and well integrated-apple, pear, gentle peat and smoke, yummy musk Colour: Light gold, touch of bronze Palate: Effervescent, peppery, apple, pear, nicely balanced peat and smoke, nice smooth woody finish Frankly - very impressed!A tbsp of water and test it again! Nose: Caramel and fruit come forward, but still nice smokey peat as well Palate: Smoke and peat come to the front, still has pepper, which moves to the middle, smokey peaty woody finish This definitely has a ew rough edges. You can tell it is young. I was tempted to slot this in at #5 - but decided against it. I would love to test this back to back with some of the top 5 - I might change my mind. SO - top 5 remain unchanged: 2017-12-14 A. D. Rattray  Glen Elgin 21 yo Single Malt 2017-12-11 Samaroli - Samaroli Islay Blended Malt 2017-12-05 Secret Spirits Caol Ila 8yo Single Malt 2017-12-15 Wemyss Malts Pe
Read more

2017-12-17 Samaroli MacDuff Sherry 19yo Single Malt

Image
Nose: Nice sharp something - I do not have a good word - mint is wrong - but like that, grape, caramel, roasted nuts Colour:Light gold, with a touch of bronze Palate: smooth caramel, grapes, apple,light wood, a bitter almond alcohol bite on the finish - surprising -this is only 43% abv - but a nice bite on the finish This is very well integrated. I like this a lot. What happens with a tbsp of water? Nose: that interesting "sharp something"  is gone, still fruits and roasted nuts, green grass Palate: Much sweeter on the palate, apple, caramel, toasted nuts and a touch of wood on the finish. This is another really good whisky I really like it. But - my top 5 remains unchanged: 2017-12-14 A. D. Rattray  Glen Elgin 21 yo Single Malt 2017-12-11 Samaroli - Samaroli Islay Blended Malt 2017-12-05 Secret Spirits Caol Ila 8yo Single Malt 2017-12-15 Wemyss Malts Peat Chimney Batch Strength 2017-12-06 Samaroli Glenallachie 8yo Single Malt I am starting to regret
Read more

2017-12-18 Secret Spirits Glenrothes 19 yo Single Malt

Image
Nose: Very mild, well integrated, green grass, apple, a touch of bitter almond (55.6% abv - but not as much bite as you would expect at that strength), a touch of strawberry, a few ketones Colour: Medium gold with just the slightest touch of haze Palate: Fruit forward, followed by a good belt from the high alcohol, a touch of toffee, a slight bit of wood on the finish and a bit of peppery bitterness Very nice, well integrated, I expect the tbsp of water to open this up nicely: Nose: Green grass comes way forward,  apple, strawberry,  caramel Palate: Caramel, toffee, apple, finish with a touch of bitter almond, and a hint of a woody note I like this a lot. It is my new number 5. 2017-12-14 A. D. Rattray  Glen Elgin 21 yo Single Malt 2017-12-11 Samaroli - Samaroli Islay Blended Malt 2017-12-05 Secret Spirits Caol Ila 8yo Single Malt 2017-12-15 Wemyss Malts Peat Chimney Batch Strength 2017-12-18 Secret Spirits Glenrothes 19 yo Single Malt This is just a great example of
Read more