Continuing on from my earlier post, let us see what the next few days have brought.
Dec 5th
We are off to Wales for our next whisky adventure. The Pendyryn distillery have been producing whisky since 2000, with their first sales being made in 2004. (Whisky must be matured for at least three years before it can be legally sold in the UK.)
Pedyryn Portwood finish at 46% was today’s offering. It is quite a dark coloured whisky, I would describe it as amber coloured.
On the nose I got dried fruit with a hint of sweetness. Taste wise, it had notes of burnt sugar and spice.
I am not a big fan of port and/or sherry cask whisky, but I found this pleasant to drink.
Dec 6th
We are back to Japan again for our next whisky.
Hibiki Harmony Blend at 43%. It is manufactured by Suntory, who have a long distilling history. This whisky is a blend.
It is pale golden in colour. The nose was basically apples on the palate I found apples and spice, cinnamon and cloves.
It was a pleasant enough whisky, though a little on the bland side for me.
Dec 7th
My next whisky experience took me to Denmark.
Stauning Høst Danish whisky 40.5% is unusual in that it combines a single malt with a rye malt.
It is amber in colour. On the nose I got straw and roast chestnuts. It had a slightly sweet fruity palate.
The inclusion of the rye malt makes it very different whisky. The 30 ml sample that came in the calendar wasn’t enough to let me decide on the whisky. I think I would need another glass. Maybe two, to fully make up my mind as to whether I liked it.
Dec 8th
We journey back Ireland for our next whiskey,
Redbreast Single Pot Still 12 year Cask Strength 57.2%. I am not a huge fan of cask strength whiskeys. I find that at cask strength the alcohol content overpowers everything else. This one was no exception. I trust the distiller to add the correct amount of the distillery water to bring out the characteristics of their product. I think that it is better than me trying to guess. Having had my little rant, on to the whiskey.
It is a very attractive honey gold colour. On the nose I found dried fruit and vanilla. When it came to the palate, all I initially tasted was alcohol. Adding some water improved it. I found a very pleasant mix of honey, tropical fruit and vanilla.
This is a whiskey that I liked. If I were buying it for myself, I would probably choose the 12 year old 40% expression. I would prefer it over the cask strength. It is also nearly £30 less expensive.
I think writing about four whiskies at a time is enough. I will fill you in an days nine, ten, eleven and twelve in the next post.
A Scotsman in Suburbia 