Sherried whiskies always seem to have the capability to wow many a person. It also definitely commands a real cult following around the world. For Singapore, sweet sherried whiskies are also seeing a real uptrend in followers, making it one of the whiskies of choice for Singaporeans. Hence SGwhisky thought it would be a good idea to dedicate a post or two to some great sherried whiskies that were tried recently.
This post, however, takes one into the relative unknown with two lesser known sherried whiskies, in the hopes that it gets the name out a bit more. One of the two is slightly more popular (Yamazaki), the other however is a workhorse distillery for Diageo and hence most of its single malt doesn't really see the light of day as single malt expression. So here's two great Sherry marvels for one to sink their teeth into!
Name: Dailuaine 16YO Flora & Fauna
Distillery: Dailuaine (Speyside)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 16YO
Alc/Vol: 43%
As mentioned, Dailuaine is essentially a workhorse distillery that focuses on producing single malt for blends. According to trusted whisky site maltmadness.com, most of its production goes to Johnnie Walker blends, with only 2% going to single malt production. Most of the single malt expressions found end up in the Flora & Fauna series, a series of single malt expressions by Diageo to showcase the individual character of their distilleries. Dailuaine as a distillery, is considered one of the few unlucky ones that have good stuff about them but did not make the cut for Diageo's Classic Malts Selection, hence the F&F (along with some independent bottlings) are the closest one can get to trying the single malts from this distillery.
Nose: Nicely sherried and mellow. Creamy milk chocolate, warm pepper and cinnamon spice mixed with dusted cocoa. Slight saltiness as well as some fruitiness in the shape of orange and some red apples (not too sure about this one) (22)
Taste/Palate: Sweet and fruity with loads of spice like ginger and pepper that has been used to cook soup (hence it is more mellow). Light hints of wood smoke (19)
Finish: Berries and a nice estery sweetness and some rose syrup (21)
Overall: A great little sherried dram which is very affordable and good to try. The taste was complex but slightly unbalanced. (21) 83/100
Found at: The Auld Alliance, Quaich Bar
Name: The Cask of Yamazaki 1990
Distillery: Yamazaki (Suntory, Japan)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt
Vintage: 1990 (Bottled 2008)
Age Statement: None (But it is 18YO)
Cask Number: ON70645
Bottle Number: 5/471
Alc/Vol: 60%
Woah now that is a long list of descriptions! The Japanese are highlight meticulous and hence every detail is not spared in this whisky. It also isn't for the faint of heart, with a whopping 60% percentage of alcohol. This baby though, is a real class act, showcasing the real sherried masterpieces that this distillery is famed for producing!
See, 60%, I kid you not! This is a real full-flavoured and powerful monster. Beware!
Nose: Rich dark chocolate, dark chocolate coated oranges, rich sweet cream. Very strong earthy and grassy notes as well. With water, fruit notes come out with notes of strawberries (23)
Taste/Palate: Rich & Oily with notes of vanilla, chocolate and fresh red fruits and oranges. Notes of brandied fruits as well, with an almost syrupy feel reminiscent of liquor filled chocolates. Slight notes of rose syrup can be detected with water (22)
Finish: Amazingly sweet and long with notes of rich berries, liquorice and wood (23)
Overall: A real monster that has many sides to it. Overall a great dram (22) 90/100
Found at: The Auld Alliance (though sadly I have been told the remaining bottles have already been purchased
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