Whisky Forum - Speyside visit

sorren · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:54 pm Post subject: Speyside visit

Well I made it, set off this morning at 5.30, arrived at my favourite distillery, no prizes for guessing it's auchentoshan, straight through to the bottle your own, at the moment it's a Bordeaux cask, the cask came from chateau lagrange, laid down 15-2-06, and bottled at 58.3%, 2 bottles came my way and a nice sample, it's a lovely dram, it had a lovely spicy note and not over powered by the wine cask, but it's certainly makes it different from the other bottle your owns I've had, it's a lovely rose red colour, and a nose that changes a lot, you get the red grape, lots of fruity flavours, spicy,, pepper, and very little oak vanillas, you can tell its a younger Toshan but still worth it, this cask is almost done, and another Bordeaux cask will replace it( so I believe) but please please bring back those older bourbon casks..
Next I went over to glengoyne, had the tour, a pleasant tour, good info from our guide, friendly, into the shop we went.. Rolling Eyes

So today I've tasted...
Auchentoshan Bordeaux cask.
Auchentoshan threewood,
Auchentoshan 12,
Glengoyne 12,
Glengoyne 15,
Glengoyne 18,
Glengoyne 21,
Glengoyne cask strength,
Bottles bought....
Auchentoshan Bordeaux cask, bottle your own.x 2
Auchentoshan 12, 18 and threewood,
Glengoyne 15
Glengoyne 21
Glengoyne cask strength... I'm so looking forward to day 2..

Kenny M · Master Of Malts Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 860

I do enjoy the Glengoyne 21 these days, I hope to get up to Glengoyne this summer some time as it has been a while since I visited.

Quaich1 · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 7:22 pm Post subject: Re: Speyside visit

sorren · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 7:35 pm Post subject:

The 21 was just delicious, loaded with dark fruits, a typical big sherry dram, I can only imagine what this would be like with another 10-15 years on it, I almost bought the 25, but I needed to save a bit of money for the rest of the week...
The Bordeaux cask was good but it's not mind blowing, it's one that you want to try, you want to have more, you want another bottle but it's not the toshan I love..

Diademo · Master Of Malts Joined: 22 Aug 2012 Posts: 1255

Great notes on Auchentoshan 2006 Bordeaux Cask. I bought two bottles as well. It's great to see such a quality with the younger casks, not only at Glengoyne but across the industry.

Did you managed to sample 26 yo? That was my favourite in the distillery. You are right about 25 yo - it's excellent for regular production, I'm planning a buy after my wallet recovers from the trip to Scotland.

Enjoy touring Speyside and keep us posted on other distilleries.

Diademo · Master Of Malts Joined: 22 Aug 2012 Posts: 1255

One more thing about Auchentoshan - I really enjoyed Solera at the tasting. IMO one of best Toshans around but price is raising to the heights. In their shop is about Â£180 (if I remember correctly) and in the Heathrow Â£150. You can still get it cheaper in some shops but it's just ridiculously priced - even people in the distillery can't believe where price for Solera is heading.

Darwin · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:29 pm Post subject:

Your a lucky person, sounds like a great day! Very Happy

James T · Master Of Malts Joined: 05 Feb 2011 Posts: 2984

Sounds like a good day was had, I am a big fan of the Glengoyne 21 (drinking it tonight)also the 25 is superb but not quite priced for everyday dramming, well at least not for my wallet.

sorren · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:00 am Post subject:

A change of plan today... I got a phone call to invite me onto the balvenie tour .... YIPEEEEE... Laughing

Quaich1 · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 12:55 pm Post subject:

sorren · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 4:47 pm Post subject:

Day 2...
Where do I start with day 2..
We arrived just in time after spending 25 mins sitting in traffic in aberlour.. Nail biting time... Anyway we arrived to be greeted by David, a truly fantastic host, extremely polite, friendly and full of knowledge, offered a cup of coffee/ tea was a great start, made every one relaxed, we then set off on what has to be the best tour around, it's the only tour they do and cost Â£35 each but believe me it's worth every penny.. You see the distillery in great detail, it does not feel staged in any way, you just feel like you are so privileged to be allowed to look round.. The floor maltings is great to see, We then jumped into a land rover, to take a small trip to the cooperage.. Another great touch..I love this side, I could look at barrels all day long.. Interesting to see red wine barriques, I assume these are from Glenfiddich for the age of discovery range... After the cooperage it was off to the warehouse... The fabled warehouse 24... My kind of heaven.. The dark damp, dusky, smelly warehouse, typical dunnage type.. There was a few barrels from 1967, I did beg to try these but no luck Crying or Very sad

, we looked over the new tun 1509 vessel, then the question of " any warehouse 24 members" yes me.., o boy thank you Lord.. I'll come to why in a bit.. So after 10 mins in here we went up stairs to the bottle your own area, there are 3 barrels here, all 14 years old, 1 bourbon first fill, a refill bourbon and a sherry butt.. We tasted all 3, I bought all 3 ..x2 each lol.. So back to the tasting room.. This was rather special...
The tasting was as followed...
Balvenie 12 doublewood,
Balvenie 12 single barrel, first fill..
Balvenie 14 carribbean cask..
Balvenie 17 double wood...
Balvenie 25 single cask...
A great line up, the 25 was really really fantastic, then came the WOW factor..
As a warehouse 24 member I got to taste ..
Balvenie 41 year old, I believe a single barrel, cask strength.. This was absolutely fantastic, totally different to any Balvenie ive ever had, smokey, fruity, sweet vanilla, it's just fantastic, so Â£35 for this tour... Any day .. Other distilleries take note of this.... Fantastic well done Balvenie...
Then a dash to aberlour, another great tour, but after Balvenie, it was never going to compare,
Whiskys tasted were..
Aberlour new make..
Aberlour 10..
Aberlour 12...
Aberlour 16...
Aberlour 18...
Aberlour abunadh batch 51...
A great line up.. Not many distilleries give you a line up like this on your standard tour.. Well done... It's a nice touch with the new make.. The abunadh was the stand out for me, the 18 would be a lot better if slightly more abv (46% upwards please)...
Bottles bought today...
Balvenie 14 first fill bourbon,single barrel, bottle your own x2
Balvenie 14 refill bourbon, single barrel, bottle your own x2
Balvenie 14 first fill sherry butt, single barrel, bottle your own x2
Aberlour bottle your own sherry cask ( the last one )
Aberlour bottle your own bourbon cask x2..
This was a very good day, the Balvenie 41 will be hard to top, although I did save a wee bit to try again very soon... Once again thanks to Balvenie and to David..

Diademo · Master Of Malts Joined: 22 Aug 2012 Posts: 1255

sorren · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:33 pm Post subject:

The bottle your own we're both 16, although I have not tasted as they had already bottled them due to the sherry cask been empty, new batches should arrive any day now, and yes the Balvenie tour is 8 people and as you say possibly Due to seating..

opelfruit · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:48 pm Post subject:

Ashamed, never done a distillery tour....I'm a member of warehouse 24 and if they are doing samples of 41yo single casks I need to get myself up there ASAP, Â£35 is worth it just for that sample!!
_________________
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

sorren · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:57 pm Post subject:

Exactly.. It was a really big surprise, I'd have been happy with anything, I had to ask the age twice and was still shocked after I tasted it, yep it was really that old.. Opel get your self up there before it's gone ..