I first tried today's Mannochmore at an event 2+ years ago, when Columbus Scotch Night started carefully phasing in in-person events post-Covid. This whisky was great, its price was not. But I did wind up taking home a generous sample. Two years later (last weekend), I enjoyed a Taste Off between two 2008 Mannochmores: this Lady of the Glen, and yesterday's Signatory.
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Distillery: Mannochmore
Ownership: Diageo
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Speyside (Elgin)
Independent Bottler: Lady of the Glen
Age: 11 years (17 Oct 2008 - 12 Jul 2021)
Maturation: Hogshead
Cask number: 13959
Outturn: 328 bottles
Cask number: 13959
Outturn: 328 bottles
Exclusive to: Dram Hunter
Alcohol by Volume: 55.3%
(from a paid event)
(from a paid event)
NEAT
Huzzah! Another fruity nose, with dried apricots, orange pixi stix, yuzu peel, and kiwi candy catching most of the attention. Subtler notes of lemongrass and roses linger behind. The brightly tart palate, leads with yuzus, grapefruits, and tart berries. The citrus turns a little bitterer with time as it tilts more towards the peels than the fruit. A little bit of toasted barley highlights the background. It finishes with tart and bitter citrus, with hints of cayenne pepper and salt.
DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Same fruits in the nose, though they seem more intense. The floral notes are gone. A hint of guava sneaks in later on. The palate comes in tarter, sharper, bitterer, more peppery. Less nuance, more violence. But still loaded with citrus. It finishes with peppercorns and citrus peels.
WORDS WORDS WORDS
A close relative to the Signatory UCF cask, this LotG hoggie reads a bit more forceful and less graceful, but it's still a great fruity single malt. In fact, this is a rare example of a fruity whisky that may drink better in winter than spring. Alas, I did not buy a bottle of this stuff because I didn't understand the price tag, which was twice what I, an actual Mannochmore fan, would pay. But if you want to drop two bills on something like this, I won't stop you.
