A Flowery Song» scotland Archives

Irn Bru vs. Irn Bru

Paul Arthur — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:00:14 +0000

Interestingly, a visual inspection shows a couple of differences. The pour on the bottled export version produces large CO2 bubbles that cling to the side of the glass, while the canned original version quickly settles except for streams of small bubbles drifting to the top. The colour is somewhat close, but the bottled one is a more vibrant orange.

Nose: Indistinguishable. A mix of bubble gum and citrus with a cream soda base.

Taste: Hard to say. While I wouldn’t be able to pick it out in a blind test, the export version has a fizzier mouthfeel but slightly less of a bite. Oh, the flavour? Irn Bru is flavoured like Irn Bru; it resembles a citrusy cream soda with bubble gum high notes.

Overall: A more hard-core Irn Bru fanatic than I might find something to object to in the export version, but I found it practically indistinguishable from the real thing.

The Macallan 12yo

Paul Arthur — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:58 +0000

Background: Matured entirely in ex-sherry casks, this Speyside whisky is the most widely available of the many, many expressions the distillery produces.

Nose: Lightly smoky, with vanilla, dried citrus peel, and raisins.

Taste: Rich dried fruit, gingery spice, a bit of sweetness, then a middling amount of smoke in the finish. Nice long finish.

Overall: Lots of sherry influence, very smooth and sippable.

Glenfiddich 15yo Solera Reserve

Paul Arthur — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:15 +0000

Background: “Solera” is a term more commonly encountered in discussions of sherry production, and describes an aging and blending process which uses a series of barrels. Each year a portion of the final barrel is bottled, and that barrel is topped up with sherry from the next one down the line, and so on until the first barrel, which is topped up with the new sherry. Glenfiddich use a modified version for this expression, where the whisky is first aged normally in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and new oak casks then married in their “Solera vat”, which is never emptied more than half way.

Nose: Flowering heather, apple, rose petals.

Taste: Honeyed apple, charred oak, hints of sherry and spice. Medium-length finish is very drying and almost bitter.

Overall: Smoothish, but the new oak influence is heavy (almost to the point of overpowering) and the finish is slightly grating. Still, an interesting little dram.

Organic “Great Scot” Pale Ale

Paul Arthur — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:52 +0000

Background: Brewed by Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh (except there they call it Golden Promise). English pale ale brewed with organic Golden Promise malt and First Gold hops. I’d never heard of this hop variety before, but it’s evidently a dwarf derivant of Whitbread Golding.

Nose: Sweet, rounded malt with hints of apricot.

Taste: Candied orange and tea leaf influences on a soft honeyed malt background. Finish has a bit of metallic copper.

Overall: Decent, but not outstanding, pale ale. Just a hint of off-tastes detracts from the overall experience.

Ola Dubh Special 30 Reserve Ale

Paul Arthur — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:45:55 +0000

Background: The big brother of the Special 16 Reserve, this is bottle 7071, bottled in September 2007.

Nose: Heather and honey, a hint of smoke.

Taste: Sweet smoked game meat first, with hints of vanilla and tar. Dry, oaky finish.

Overall: Another excellent beer from Harviestoun, though a bit pricy at $15 for a 12 oz. bottle; were I independently wealthy (and if the only place I’ve seen this beer hadn’t closed down) it would be nice to do a horizontal tasting with the other versions.

Ola Dubh Special 16 Reserve Ale

admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:00:00 +0000

Background: From Harviestoun, Ola Dubh (or 'Black Oil') is a series of special bottlings of their Old Engine Oil; each one is aged in selected casks which previously held Highland Park's single malt Scotch whisky (12, 16, and 30 years old). Bottle Number 9918, bottled in September 2007.

Appearance: Dark black fading to brown at the very edge, creamy tan head.

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, smoke, a hint of iodine and peat accompanied by a smooth fruitiness.

Taste: Sweet and nutty, light oak influence. Peat smoke and heather, a hint of dry cocoa.

Overall: Oh, that's nice. Mmm. Ooh, yeah.

…

I'll be in my bunk.

Hendrick's Gin

admin — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:15:00 +0000

Background: This gin is a blend of spirits from two separate stills: a traditional pot still producing a heavier spirit; and a Carter-Head still (a specialised reflux column still) producing a lighter, more floral spirit. The makers, William Grant & Sons, also use a unique blend of botanicals including rose petals (Bulgarian, evidently) and cucumber in making this small-batch spirit.

Nose: Floral and piny, with a citrusy high note. Definite cucumber and coriander influences.

Taste: Light, spicy flavour. Solid cucumber background complementing a sharp juniper bite. Oily citrus peel and coriander round out the flavour, followed by a bit of vegetal woodiness in the finish.

Overall: A delightfully idiosyncratic gin that's smooth and refined, shifting the emphasis slightly away from the juniper but not overwhelming it with the other ingredients.

Laphroaig 10yo Cask Strength

admin — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Background: From the Laphroaig distillery on Islay comes this peaty whisky, bottled without dilution or chill-filtering at 55.7% ABV after aging for a minimum of ten years.

Nose: Full and rich, displaying smoke, iodine, medicinal phenols, fruit, and tar.

Taste: Like the nose. Rich nutty peat background, hints of sea air and a powerful smokiness. Long finish with tons of peat.

(Dilute, I suppose.)

Nose: Sweeter and fruitier, with the smoke displaying some fatty barbecue-like notes.

Taste: Strong iodine attack, earthy and meaty peat middle, strong smoky peat finish.

Overall: 'Tis whisky. Strong and takes no prisoners, but wonderfully complex and tasty. If you like peaty Scotch, you're going to love this.

Tamdhu 10yo

admin — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:30:00 +0000

Background: Another Speyside malt; Tamdhu is the only Speyside distillery that does all of its malting on-site.

Nose: Mild and fruity, with some fresh grain influence.

Taste: Spicy oak, vegetal barley. Medium-length oily finish.

(Along came H2O)

Nose: Fruity. Sweet apple and pear.

Taste: Smoke, toffee, caramel, grass, lemon, and vanilla present.

Overall: Uninspiringly mild whisky. Some water helps to open it up.

Dalmore 12yo

admin — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:15:00 +0000

Background: The standard bottling from the Dalmore distillery in the northern Highlands of Scotland is aged for a minimum of twelve years; the split in the barrels used is 50/50 ex-bourbon/ex-sherry.

Nose: Aromatic spiciness, orange citrus, and some sherry nuttiness.

Taste: Rich and tasty. Sweet sherry, citrus, some vanilla, and a bit of oak. Some light vegetal notes, with barley coming through in the finish. The finish is long and dry, with some dried fruit and nuttiness from the sherry.

(Plip plip plop little water showers)

Nose: Caramel and a hint of smoke.

Taste: Mild peat influence is detectable. Rounder and fruitier; the citrus notes are less sharp and more laid-back.

Overall: Well-structured, but not extremely complex. A comforting sipping whisky.