Speyburn 15 Year

It's been a while since I've sat down to truly taste a spirit, though I've certainly consumed my share. I've accumulated many samples that need attention. I'm starting the long weekend with this sample, provided by a friend, which I've been anticipating because I enjoy Speyburn: affordable, decent flavor and quality, and relatively easy to find. The color is a light golden yellow, similar to golden raisins. The aroma begins with fruit, a blend of orchard and dark fruits. Apples and pears alongside plums, raisins, and black cherries. A faint nutty quality, like walnut or pecan, is in the background. As it sat, the aroma became sweeter with butterscotch and milk chocolate, plus a sprinkle of lemon zest. Soft and sweet. It arrives soft, spicy, and sweet almost simultaneously. The softness is silky and creamy with a medium body. Ground cinnamon and ginger provide the spice. The sweetness is expressed through flavors of Concord grapes, applesauce, vanilla, and butterscotch. The finish is drying and slightly oaky, with lemon oil, grape skin, and a dusting of cocoa powder lingering for a considerable time. A dram with a pleasant aroma, subtle sweetness, and spiciness that is inoffensive, enjoyable, yet complex enough to savor slowly. It might even be suitable as a summer sipper. Thanks to my friend; I will seek this one out. [87/100][Tasted: 5/24/19]

Speyburn Distillery post-tour masterclass, May 2nd, 2024, whisky #2 Aroma: Herbal, grassy, leafy, stewed black tea, damp wood, dates, mustard, and treacle. It has a substantial and "purposeful" aroma. Palate: The initial taste is sweeter than anticipated but becomes dry later on as walnut skins, dark chocolate, orange marmalade, and other flavors that are both sweet and bitter take over. Vanilla, raisins, and Christmas cake spices are also present, balancing the palate. The texture is full but surprisingly not heavy. Finish: Long. Dark fruits and oily roasted nuts with a spicy and tannic edge. Very different from the standard 10 year old, which is sweet, fruity, and loaded with vanilla. This version has a firm sherry oak finish that adds cocoa, tannin, and walnut skin characteristics alongside dark fruits. It was also greatly improved by generous dilution (in my opinion), which balanced the dry characteristics with dark sugars. It was very popular at the tasting session, but while it has a lot of character and is excellently made, it didn't particularly appeal to me (I preferred the 10 and 18 year expressions). It was somewhat reminiscent of Glenfarclas 15, which is a good thing, but that whisky is my least favorite Glenfarclas. "Good": 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: very subtle: sweet vanilla, delicate oak mingling with light citrus fruits like lemon and mandarin. Palate: initial taste is very sweet, honey and caramel, a touch of royal jelly, cappuccino, milk chocolate, followed by light oak, vanilla; no citrus this time. Slightly oily texture. Finish: consistently very sweet and long, the highlight: a prolonged sweet sensation lingers in the mouth, akin to having consumed a spoonful of high-quality honey! I enjoyed it greatly: a consistently sweet whisky, whose finest attribute is its exceptional finish. 4.50 rating __________________________________________________________ Naso: molto leggero: vaniglia dolce, quercia delicata che si interseca con agrumi leggeri come il limone ed il mandarino. Palato: primo impatto molto dolce, miele e caramello, punta di pappa reale, cappuccino, cioccolato al latte, poi leggera quercia, vaniglia, niente agrumi stavolta. Consistenza leggermente oleosa. Finale: sempre molto dolce, lungo, la parte migliore: rimane in bocca un lungo piacere dolce, come avere mangiato un cucchiaio di miele di alta qualità! Mi è piaciuto molto: un whisky sempre dolce, che ha in un finale eccezionale la sua parte migliore. Voto 4,50

Nose: Spice, Light Oak, Faint Hints of Overripe Banana, Gentle Citrus Vanilla, General Dried Fruits, Malt, Burnt Sugar. Palate: Culinary spices, Light Oak Tannins, Brown Sugar, Orange Citrus, Dates, Vanilla, Lingering Syrupy Body. A truly excellent dram, and the price is good considering current whisky costs in the US. It begins with a balance of warm oak tannins and baking spices, then transitions into a delightful array of subtle sweetness. The sweetness primarily stems from the Spanish oak, and I'm unsure if it's ex-sherry as it doesn't exhibit typical sherry cask characteristics. It might be an unfamiliar sherry type. Regardless, get the Speyburn 15; it's good stuff 👍.

The aroma is dominated by a strong sherry character, with plenty of cinnamon, cloves, lemon, ripe banana, honey, and vanilla. Peat in the background, with a slightly unapologetic alcoholic note. Simple and overall anonymous. And the alcohol is still bold on the palate, boasting from its 46%, with the amplified herbaceous profile accompanying the aromatic impressions. Ripe fruit and vanilla, apples cooked with cinnamon, honey, a pinch of citrus, and an impression of chocolate. In the end, the cinnamon dominates the aromas, overpowered by the intrusiveness of alcohol, making everything rather monotonous. Fairly short finish, with (strangely!) cinnamon, alcohol, caramel, lemon.

A complex Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Speyburn Distillery in Speyside, Scotland, aged at least 15 years in American and Spanish oak casks. It starts aromatically with hints of dark chocolate, spices, vanilla, marmalade, sawdust, cacao nibs, stroopwafels dipped in coffee, citrus, and raisins. Its rich and spicy life adds citrus, toffee, vanilla, honeyed barley, Tunnock's Caramel Wafers, lemon meringue, smoke, and leather. It concludes with a long, creamy finish featuring notes of brown sugar, honeycomb, dried banana chips, caramel, apple cider, flamed orange peel, and pear. June 2020 / September 2022