Speyburn 10yo 40%

Two posts in a day! I must lie down!!! Speyburn is a stunning distillery nestled in the valley just out side the not so pretty combination plant in the village of Rothes, so how does the whisky stand up!

Nose: Hard boiled sweets - old fashioned ones! Green apples. Touches of lemon and flour?

Taste: Fairly thin, dried apricots and a little hot.

Finish: A touch of spice, not really much else.

Comment: Sorry but pretty average. I have tried some older Speyburns that I like but nothing about this really appeals to me!

Score: 75/100

Glenmorangie Original

I recently got the chance to try several of the new Glenmorangie range. I have to say that I am not a fan of this new bottling range but at the end of the day you don't drink the packaging! To be honest me as a typical male Scot that likes my whisky and a pint and is not adverse to a fish supper or a plate of mince and tatties I am probably not the clientele LVMH have in mind.

I quite liked the old 10 year old as an everyday drinker so lets see how this fairs:

Nose: Cheap yellow (school lunch) ice cream and custard creams, milk chocolate and tangerines. A little waxiness and with water it becomes a little dusty with soft custard creams.

Taste: Smooth and light and a little bit dry aswell. a faint hint of spice (maybe cloves) and then a orangey note.

Finish: The dryness in the finish of this just lets it down a little bit - still soft and pleasent but a little bit more musty fruits in grocers story than sparkly zesty sherbet that I expected.

Commnet: If it wasn't for the finish this would be an excellent whisky - overall still a bloody good easy drinking number.

Score: 84/100

For an alternative review please try Whiskyfun.

Pricewatch

Royal Mile Whiskies - £27.50

The Whisky Exchange - £25.99

Loch Fyne Whiskies - £25.90

Single Malts Direct - £21.99

Ardbeg Mor 10 year old 57.3%

Never actually thought that I would get to try this giant bottle! But luckily I did recently so here are my notes:

Nose: The cream in custard creams, warehouses and also bourbon biscuits and a faint trace of smoke.
Taste: Vanilla is over powered by soft dry peat and wood smoke and a little dry grassiness.
Finish: lingering dry ashiness at front of mouth and then more vanilla and some green apple skins.
Comment: Absolutely cracking peat is in perfect balance.

Score: 94 /100

Springbank 10yo 46% Distillery Bottling

The 10yo from one of the "cult" distilleries - if only I were drinking whisky when all that old stuff was around at far cheaper prices than it goes at at auction for these days - never mind there still is some pretty decent springer on the go just now! so lets how this one is!

Nose: Closed, musty and oily with a waxy fruity note and a faint trace of smoke.

Taste: Initially salty then a smoky oily note rushes through before giving way to heavier chocolatey notes.

Finish: Long a combination of saltiness, wood varnish and musty lemons.

Comment: I like this always have like the springers - would be interesting to try this against some of the first launched 10yo stuff as it has been rumoured that this has been getting better. Would say if anything the nose lets it down slightly.

Score: 85/100 - happy to drink this any day!