Beinn Dubh- Black Mountain (The Speyside Distillery)

This is my third pour from our sixth batch of distillery samples, originating from Speyside Distillery. The name Beinn Dubh means “black mountain,” referencing Ben Macdui, the tallest peak in Scotland's Cairngorm Mountains. This spirit honors Professor Norman Collie's solo ascent in 1891 and his encounter with The Big Grey Man, a mythical beast thought to inhabit the foggy summit and deter visitors. Shortly after his climb, locals created this dark spirit to ward off malevolent entities. Speyside Distillery has been offering this as a single malt for several years, as most of their production is typically destined for blends. Beinn Dubh presents as very dark, leaving numerous thin legs in the glass. It's clearly heavily colored to achieve a deep, black hue similar to soda, even though it was finished in port casks. It's bottled at 43% ABV, and I suspect it's also chill filtered. The aroma is dominated by burnt sugar, licorice, musty oak, and grape must. I detect a subtle cola note, though it might be influenced by the color. As it rests, more grape scents emerge from the glass. It consistently carries an old, musty aroma, which isn't a negative, merely an observation. The taste is dark and profound, with some wine characteristics and a robust oak cask influence. The aged, musty notes carry over to the palate, giving the impression of significant aging, despite being a no-age-statement whisky. The texture is oily and warm, with that same depth permeating your mouth and lingering into the finish. The finish is of moderate duration, oily and warm, maintaining the oak's bitterness and a dry wine character. I'm impressed by how aged it feels, considering its actual age. The master blender at the distillery has done an excellent job. It doesn't feel like a $45 bottle from a distillery focused on blends. However, once the flavors dissipate, it's as if you haven't been drinking whisky at all, which is peculiar. Overall, for $45, I consider it a great value. It's like a magic trick—I'm baffled how they achieved such a profound sensation while using young spirits and maintaining a low price point. I'm inclined to give it 4 stars for value, but its nature as an inexpensive whisky makes me hesitant. I'm settling on 3.5-3.75 stars. It's decent. Cheers.

Stop number 94, and the final stop of round 6 of the Scottish Distillery Tour is the Speyside distillery, Speyside. Yes, the distillery with enough hubris to name itself after the region in which it was built. Beinn Dubh translates to The Black Mountain and is a NAS release. For a more detailed history on the distillery see the review by a previous writer. They are also the one that provided this sample. Bottled at 43%, chill filtered and with enough colorant added to make this a deep dark purply-red with brown hues. The nose is super rich/sweet. Lots of vanilla and chocolate. Toffee, caramel and coffee. Plenty of sherry, some blackberries, baked apples and cherries. Anise, root beer and hints of cola. Strong notes of grape/mixed berry jelly that get stronger the more it sits. Hints of oak and damp, musty basement. Really not a bad nose, but it all feels artificial. Sticky sweet on the palate. If you want to attract ants, just pour some of this on the ground in late spring and watch them swarm. Lots of sherry, cherry cough syrup with about a cup of sugar added. Vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel and anise. Some ginger and a definite note of teriyaki. Some bitter nuts and oak. A light to medium bodied mouthfeel. Watery, but mouth coating and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long, sticky sweet with sherry, caramel and teriyaki. This is a strange one. I’d like to see what this thing looks like without all of the colorant. It’s a sherry bomb for sure, but I suspect that rather than years upon years of maturation in quality sherry seasoned oak, that they left more than a few casks 10-15% full of sherry before they filled them. I like a sweet sherry bomb the likes of Macallan or Tamdhu, but this is a little ridiculous. The nose is decent enough, but the palate really shows the youth and flaws. Quite the good value though at only $48 if you can find it. I’ll have to give this a 3.5. Looking forward to round 7 in a few weeks and enjoying the final leg of out tour. Cheers

The week concludes, marking the beginning of a long break from work for the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll commence this weekend with a sample shared by a member of the SDT group. I must admit, this is a dark spirit. Its color resembles Birch Beer soda or Dr. Pepper. The aroma is gentle, sweet, and rich, featuring toffee and milk chocolate (like a Heath Bar), vanilla, and butterscotch. It also presents rich fruits: plums, figs, raisins, apples, and Concord grapes, similar to Welch's Grape Jam. A musty, mildewed cardboard scent drifts among the aromas. The nose is quite fitting after a Thanksgiving meal. The palate is light, starting syrupy sweet and becoming even sweeter over time. Fruity sweetness enhances the sugars, with notes of plums and raisins alongside light brown sugar and cola. The sweetness shifts to a slightly spicy character with cinnamon and ginger. A hint of oak wood emerges towards the finish. A warming sensation develops throughout. The palate is left somewhat charred, dry, and oaky, with a lingering presence for a considerable time. A solid offering that achieves a good balance between sweet and spicy. It's a fine choice to enjoy after a rich, hearty meal. If the palate offered the same variety as the nose, it would be elevated. Overall, quite enjoyable and satisfying. [86/100][Tasted: 11/16/18]

Can this be called a "rarity"? Beinn Dubh "the Black" is among the darkest whiskies available, rivaled only by a 10-year-old Loch Dhu for that distinction. Aged in Ruby Port casks, this single malt from The Speyside Distillery (the one with the tall bottles) is also known as "The Flying Scotsman," honoring the first train to hit 100 kph. It's bottled at 43% ABV, with a Coca-Cola color. Only 10,000 bottles were ever produced. On the nose, it's quite straightforward. Red fruits, red lingonberries, and chocolate. Red wine. On the palate, it's like a light red fruit juice. Red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon. Actually, it's salty. Church wine. The aftertaste kept the pace. Salty and red fruitiness. Quince. Overall, this felt exactly like a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Was it bad? Not at all. Was it good? Not really. As an experiment, it might be a bit collectible, I guess, but completely unnecessary for any whisky lover. Boring, too direct, and very wine-like, it didn't even feel like whisky. It's so light. My score for it is 69 out of 100.

A friend, where in the world did you find this... black gold... texas tea? This is the darkest whisky I think I have ever seen. Black jellybeans, dark fruit, floral properties, and honeycomb. The palate isn't like anything I've ever had. Mocha, espresso, cola, vanilla/caramel cream, concord grapes and sassafras notes follow, but a thinner mouth coat than expected. A real surprise though that it's overall better than I thought it was going to be. The short finish brings on milk chocolate and black pepper, but no fruit or herbal notes to speak of. Far from being a typical scotch, and is close to my experience of the Auchentoshan Three Wood. I think a 3.25 is fair. The theme of this dram is "Mirage Rock" by Band of Horses.

Another sample from our SDT team, sent by a friend. I don't believe I've encountered whisky this dark; it's black, almost like Guinness without the foam. I was hesitant to try it; the color is captivatingly unsettling. So, I took a sip... what's the worst that could happen? It might taste like oil, and a little oil never harmed anyone. The flavor is reminiscent of cola, like a licorice stick dissolved in soda. I'd rate this one star, or less, if it weren't such a peculiar novelty. I'm not sure what this is, it's certainly not whisky, but for some inexplicable reason, I can't stop drinking it.