Two more North British single grains! Yay!

After Monday's glory, I decided that the second and third North Britishes didn't require separate posts. So a Taste Off was arranged. Nikka From the Barrel was used to test my nose and palate beforehand, which isn't fair, but I'm in charge here.

Today's two brawlers are:

North British 16 year old 1997 Signatory, cask 246280 for Binny's, weighing in at 57.2%abv. Let us all thank one Florin (a prince) for this sample! Thank you, Florin.

--and--

North British 25 year old 1989 Sovereign, cask HL11602 for K&L, weighing in at 57.5%abv. This may have come into my possession via an LA Scotch Club event led by one David OG. Thank you, David OG.

North British 16 year old 1997 Signatory, cask 246280 for Binny's, 57.2%abv

The nose is kinda wild. It starts off with flowers, metal, apple juice and plaster, then it shifts to flower kiss candy and pear-scented candles. It gets synthetic once diluted to 46%abv, off-gassing circus peanuts and burnt carpet.

The palate is......palatable, though very sweet. There are dried apricots and flower blossoms up front, hints of dates, clove and tart citrus in the back. It's much less palatable at 46%abv as it turns very bitter and tannic.

It finishes with brown sugar and hints of lemon. Some tannic rum in the background. But it's wincingly tannic at 46%abv.

Not bad at full strength, this North British surprised me. I'd take it over Monday's 50yo any day. It still feels closer to rum than "scotch", but nobody's perfect. I wonder what it would be like in cocktails, were it not a horror show when diluted. Perhaps it would be fun to blend?

Rating - 81 (when neat)

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North British 25 year old 1989 Sovereign, cask HL11602 for K&L, 57.5%abv

The nose begins with lots of sugar, something savory and something industrial. Then it gradually focuses on mandarin oranges, lemon candy and a hint of cassis. Diluting it to 46%abv simplifies and redirects the nose towards roses and limes.

It's another sweetie, with a combo of wheated bourbon, lemons and a hint of molasses in the palate's foreground. The background reads a bit perfumy, or is it a combo of talcum powder and potpourri? It's still pretty floral and sweet at 46%abv, with hints of oranges around the edges.

It finishes with sweet pears and honey, some lemony tartness and tannins in the back. But it's really really really sweet and floral when reduced to 46%abv.

This one, full of flowers, is prettier than the other. It shows its corn roots (if that's possible with 94.5%abv spirit), leaning towards Weller at times. It also doesn't crumble with dilution, which was much appreciated. Can't say I'd run out to buy something like this, nor offer up raves about its complexity, but I would drink it again, which is something I rarely say about a single grain.

Rating - 83

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These two were close to peak grain, so I'm happy to depart from this genre with this post. Toodle-oo, Single Grains! May you find homes on other blogs.

North British 50 year old 1962 Alambic Classique, cask 12042

Though calling Single Grain Whisky nothing but barrel-aged vodka is a bit further than I'm willing to go, I will say that convincing people to pay Single Malt prices for Single Grain whisky is the scotch industry's most successful con job. The very nature and production process of grain whisky renders a cheap, thin, nearly featureless spirit. Putting it in active casks results in bland extraction that doesn't even have the texture of American corn whiskey. Though three or more decades of maturation does produce a grain whisky with real characteristics, that's just the cask talking. I had hoped that whisky geekdom's introduction to French brandies and Jamaican rums would spell the death of three- and four-figure single grain prices, but buyers still can't resist those big age statements.

What I'm saying is, I don't like single grain scotch whisky. And this will be the last week of single grain scotch you'll ever see here. I'm going to take a look at three bottlings from North British, a distillery that uses a corn-heavy mashbill that occasionally results in a better grain whisky than its competitors. Today, it's a 50 year old. No, that's not a typo.

Distillery: North British
Owner: 50% Diageo, 50% The Edrington Group

Independent Bottler: Alambic Classique

Age: 50 years (1962-2012)

Maturation: bourbon cask

Cask #: 12042
Limited Release: 159 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 44.9%

(sample from a bottle split)

NOTES

It has a pretty nose, with floral notes, saline and shortbread up front, and bits of mango and grapefruit in the background. Hints of honeydew and cream soda appear after 45 minutes.

The palate starts dusty and papery. The tannins begin subtly, but do tilt towards bitterness. Mild notes of clove, eucalyptus, vanilla, caramel and black pepper slowly take shape. Around the 45 minute mark, Mount Gay Eclipse rum and cheap Canadian blends (Black Velvet, if you please) start to take over, and are only halted by a wall of paper pulp.

It finishes bitter and metallic, with notes of paper, caramel and young sugar-doped rum.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

*strains heroically to avoid using a GIF*

In defense of......whatever, I will say that this sample has not been sitting in my stash for nine years. Less than nine months, in fact. And the bottle was split by a very reputable member of the whisky community. He is likely thankful to be freed from a full bottle of this liquid.

I really enjoyed the nose as it suggested a graceful five decades of maturation. The palate is where it all falls apart, as is usually the case for single grains. Its similarity to $10-$20 spirits is disheartening, and the overwhelming paper notes are nearly tragic. That poor cask could have been used for so many other things, or maybe that tree could have been left alone to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Most importantly, I did get a sweet 2oz French Square bottle out of the deal.

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???

Rating - 76 (the nose keeps the score aloft)

Mannochmore 22 year old 1997 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 12098

Yeah, I agree, there aren't enough Mannochmore reviews on this site. But I'm fresh outta The Mann after today. There are probably another dozen unsung distilleries that I'm short on. But let us embrace what we've got, or at least what I've got, and that is a sherry cask Mannochmore with age on it. I don't know when this circumstance will come around again, so cheers!

Distillery: Mannochmore    

Ownership: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Connoisseurs Choice - Cask Strength

Age: 22 years (1997 - Feb 2020)

Maturation: first fill sherry butt

Cask #: 12098

Outturn: 490 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 55.8%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

It's not a sherry bomb despite two decades in a first-fill cask. Dried cherries and a hint of gunpowder are present at the nose's start, but there are also pears, cloves and hint of ocean air just underneath. By the 30-minute mark, cherry pie and figs have taken over with a whiff of smoke supplanting the gunpowder. The nose shifts nicely once the whisky is reduced to 50%abv, showing black walnuts, clay, barley and apricots.

What a start to the palate: dry nutty sherry, pan fried herbs, concrete and apple skins. Oranges, honey and mint float through the midground, while an earthy smoky note hides in the back. At 50%abv, it's all dried herbs, oranges, limes and a slight industrial note.

It finishes with mint, honey, limes, some earthy funk and a subtle bitter herbal bite. Simpler at 50%abv, the finish holds limes and a touch of dusty smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is a great whisky for a rainy autumn night. Or, you know, any night really. But Autumn is my favorite whisky season, and it has arrived. The leaves are dying beautifully, the rain lulls at night, and my ratty old sweatshirts get more comfortable every year.

Back to the whisky. Apparently there are two labels for this cask. One says "First Refill" the other says "First Fill". It reads like the former, like a second fill. The cask is still present, but gently so. I also appreciate that it works well with or without water. The bottles are still relatively available (as of today) throughout Western Europe because the whisky isn't heavily sherried nor is its hue particularly dark. And it's Mannochmore.

Availability - At a few dozen European retailers
Pricing - €140-€175

Rating - 89

Mannochmore 12 year old 2008 Watt Whisky

Two years ago Mark Watt left Director of Sales position with Cadenhead to start his own independent bottling company. Officially dubbed Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd., the company's first brand/range has been Watt Whisky. They did not come flying out of the gate with a 30+ year old Ardbeg, instead they have offered up some familiar names (Caol Ila, "Orkney" and Arran) as well as less-seen ones (Macduff, Glen Elgin and Allt-a-Bhainne) at modest ages and prices. All but a few are over 10 years old, and most are under €100.

According to the back label of today's single malt, Watt had a pair of Mannochmore hoggies that he elected to finish together in a single brandy (cognac, per Serge) butt for three months. Some of you know that butts are big (heh), so between the limited oak contact, the reuse of cognac casks and the limited finish time, I wonder if the point was more to marry the whiskies rather than flavor them. Lemme find out...

Not pictured: the whisky

Distillery: Mannochmore    

Ownership: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Independent Bottler: Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd

Range: Watt Whisky

Age: 12 years (2008 - 2020)

Maturation: two hogsheads finished for a 3 months in a cognac butt

Outturn: 663 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 54.8%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

In its first few sniffs, two layers dominate the nose: salty + savory and caramel + white chocolate. It slowly gains notes of grass, chives, mint candy and orange peel-infused rubber cement (for my huffers out there). It mellows out when diluted to 46%, with herbal and grassy notes slinking around a lot of toasted oak spices.

The palate is sweet, mineral and peppery. It's a little tannic but not too bad. Lemon juice and champagne vinegar in the background. At the 30-minute mark it picks up something reminiscent of a cinnamon-ginger amezaiku candy that my daughters enjoyed recently. Like Monday's Mannochmore, it flattens out when reduced to 46%abv. It's simple and sweet with sharp edges. Some grass, some caramel, some black pepper.

It finishes sweet and peppery with minor notes of lemon and cassia bark in the background. It's all grass and citrus at 46%abv.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

One can see why the Watts gave this whisky a secondary maturation. It's pretty close to a blendy malt, and was probably more so before the butt action. (Sorry. Like the whisky I am also 12 years old today.) It's all okay, and the nose was very good, but after a while it cowered in the shadow of Monday's Mannochmore. Would a longer finish have helped?

Availability - It might still be available in Europe
Pricing - ???

Rating - 82

Mannochmore 10 year old 2001 SMWS 64.31

I spilled half of this sample on my pants, chair and carpet. So of course it turned out to be (SPOILER ALERT) good whisky. Out of the 1600+ pours I've set out for this blog, somehow I've spilled only two. That is eerie. I'm a complete klutz, and alcohol does not sharpen hand-eye coordination. So I should have upended at least two hundred full glasses by now. Whisky's gods, spirits, kami, prophets, divinities, and brand reps must be watching over me.

Also, it's Mannochmore Week on Diving for Pearls.

Distillery: Mannochmore    

Ownership: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 10 years (April 2001 - 2012)

Maturation: first fill bourbon barrel

Cask#: 64.31

Cask "name": "A stunner for its age"

Outturn: 237 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 61.9%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose is a mix of pretty things. Oranges and paprika. Mango and roses. Vanilla, white chocolate and shortbread. It gets simpler and hotter when reduced to 46%abv, focusing on rosewater, lemon candy and white chocolate.

The palate starts out malty, almost chocolatey. Clementines, limes and flower blossoms ride through the middle- to background, with the tartness balancing out the sweetness. It loses its mojo at 46%abv, where it's just minerals, pepper and sweet malt.

It finishes with sweet and tart citrus, from lemon candy to grapefruit. A little bit malty in the background as well. At 46%abv, the finish matches the diluted palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though far from a "stunner", this Mannochmore was a lot of fun, with its maltiness and fruitiness as highlights. It came from an interesting cask, a stingy one considering the outturn and ABV. It wouldn't let go of its contents. With vanilla already present in the whisky's nose, ten years may have been its best bottling point. Though I'm not usually a fan of >60%ABVs, the strength works well here, and I prefer it at full power. I regret having shared this with the carpet.

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???

Rating - 86 (neat)

Ursa Major III 13 year old 2006 Scotch Universe

The full name of this one is Ursa Major III - 158° U.2.1 1843.1" TS, which is kind of dorky and a pain in the ass, but I also adore it. Scotch Universe has gone Full Fuck It Mode and named all of its 110+ whiskies after celestial bodies. Then they added in some coding to out-nonsense the SMWS, while also disclosing whisky info.

In this instance:
158 = Months of maturation
U = Unpeated
2 = Sherry cask (allegedly)
1 = First Fill
1843 = the year Morangie distillery's license was obtained
1 = Highlands (allegedly)
TS = tough shit Teaspooned

Here's the label from the official site:

And here's my sample bottle, obtained via a bottle split:

Distillery: Glenmorangie
Ownership: LVMH
Region: Northern Highlands
Bottler: Scotch Universe
Age: 13 years (2006 - 2020)
Maturation: first-fill Oloroso hogshead
Cask #: 158° U.2.1 1843.1" TS
Alcohol by Volume: 61.5%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose leads with apricot jam, cardamom, cookie dough and a dab of Elmer's glue. Then some maple fudge, and more plums than prunes. It gets even louder when reduced to 50%abv. Dates, dates and more dates in the foreground, with red bean paste and maple syrup in the background.

Cherry Coke and a whiff of earthy smoke. That's how the palate begins. It's also grapey, but in an armagnac way, as opposed to sherry. It's sweet, but never too sticky, and has plenty of lemons in the backgound. It's also very easy to drink considering its poison level. At 50%abv, its sweetness (cherry cola and dates), bitterness (raw cacao) and tartness (lemon zest) stay well aligned.

Sweet citrus and semisweet chocolate highlight the warm finish. My written notes for the diluted 50%abv version start with "sherry bomb-ish", which......I'm sorry. But I do also mention bitter coffee, PX and a hint of dates.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This was so much more enjoyable than I had expected. If it is "sherry bomb-ish" (sorry, again), it's not of the generic sort, but is instead a mix of fruits and sweets (gotta love those dates!), with an occasional grungy touch. It certainly beats the tar out of most of the official limited editions.

Availability - Alemania (which is either Germany or beer craziness or both)
Pricing - €85

Rating - 87

Westport 16 year old 2005 Single Cask Nation, cask 2112

Monday's Westport Glenmorangie was from a refill hoggie, while today's is from a 2nd fill Oloroso butt. It has quite some color to it, so either the cask was re-seasoned and/or a bit charred. But the real news here is that I am writing about a whisky that was released this year. My sincerest apologies for reviewing something that may almost be of current interest. 

Distillery: Glenmorangie
Ownership: LVMH
Region: Northern Highlands
Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Age: 16 years (March 2005 - May 2021)
Maturation: second-fill Oloroso butt
Cask #: 2112
Outturn: 577 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50.6%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

In its first burst the nose shows oats and bulgur, as well as plum wine and strawberry bubblegum. It gradually settles into a nice combination of toasted barley, orange peel and cassis. Once the whisky is reduced to 43%abv, there's a good middle ground of toasted grains and toasted oak, then nutty sherry and canned peaches. Very pretty.

The palate starts with citrus and malt, and some raw nuts in the background. It adds almond cookies and lime candy without ever getting too sweet. A little bit of toasted oak and cayenne in there as well. Things go the wrong direction once diluted to 43%abv, as sugar and bitter oak take over. Keep it neat.

It finishes with oranges, limes, cayenne and a dab of honey. See the palate note regarding the 43%abv level.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I really enjoyed this one. It's not very complex, but it's a great drinker at full strength, big and friendly with just enough oak, never getting boring. It almost reads like a muscular version of the very good official 18yo. It's 50% more expensive than the 18, which is understandable since this is a single cask, but I'm still in no mood to dish out $150+ for a 16 year old whisky. If that is no problem for you, you can do a lot worse at this price.

Availability - The States
Pricing - $150 - $175

Rating - 87 (neat only)