This time Candenhead is offering a generous 8-dram tasting pack for an asking price of £30, with several unusual releases like old Tennessee whiskey, old Jura, and a Kilkerran. It’s a no-brainer to smash that buy button.
- Tennessee 19 Year Old
- Jura 31 Year Old
- Dailuaine 13 Year Old
- Benrinnes 16 Year Old
- Balmenach 10 Year Old
- Ben Nevis 10 Year Old
- Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old
- Kilkerran 7 Year Old
Tennessee 19 Year Old
| Bourbon Barrel | 46.3% | $130 |
Nose
Sweet and oak-driven. Fresh American oak cask, expect abundant oak char, vanilla, honey, and coconut water. Buttered corn. Boiled brown sugar. Furniture polish. A whiff of clementine sweet & citrusy poking at the background. Spices are completely tamed, near non-existent. With a few drops of water, I’m also getting a bit of berries and doughy notes.
Palate
Intriguing acidity/citrusy on arrival. Rich and slightly drying mouthfeel. Sufficient oak tannin. Honey-drizzled sandalwood. Vanilla pod. Crushed peppercorn. Nutmegs. Rye bread. Milk chocolate. A sprinkle of bitterness. A touch of strawberry conserve and sourdough notes managed to break out with a few drops of water added.
Finish
Mid, drying finish. A touch of honey lingers with plenty of oak tannin.
Conclusion
Though oak-driven, it’s not over-oaked, which is surprising at this age for a Tennessee whisky. Perhaps benefited from a partial maturation in the Cadenhead warehouse? You’ll need to like the American oak-imparted flavours to get along with this. Palate rich but thinner than expected.
7.5 – Share is love. Worth the experience.
Jura 31 Year Old
| Bourbon Barrel | 44.4% | £300 |
Nose
Mildly oily nosefeel, slightly buttery. Ripe pineapple. Mango. Very tropical. Filtered honey. Pinewood. Hōjicha. Evaporated milk. A whiff of coastal smoke. Mildly musty. A whiff of dry herbs slowly surfacing: mint, parsley.
Palate
Oily minerals, slightly fizzy. Salty, sweet, peppery. Aged American oak in a dunnage warehouse. Vanilla, honey, and nutmeg, all slightly earthy. Philippine dried mango. Grapefruits. Sea salt. Then sweetness took dominance.
Finish
Long, slowly drying finish. Cooked rice sweetness lingering with smoked oak.
Conclusion
Independent bottling Jura is hard to see, not to mention a generously aged one. This deserved time in a blender’s glass. Fresh and vibrant despite the age. Very enjoyable and decently priced, though far exceed my “quality yet affordable” price range. Compared to Jura’s core range release, this is simply different, offering more complexity while able to keep the balance between the cask, time, and most of all, the distillate.
7 – Share is love. Worth the experience. (Probably a 8/9 for Jura collector)
Dailuaine 13 Year Old
| Ruby Port Hogshead since September 2020 | 53% | £60 |
Nose
Zesty lemon and raspberry aromas combined with a dirty malt smell, sawdust, and animal fat. Mildly floral with a hint of honey and marshmallow.
Palate
A toasty oak taste, followed by Turkish delight and sugary malt. Black and white pepper, cinnamon, and a slight smokiness with meaty flavors. There is also a slightly minty taste. The spiciness and sweetness are slightly overpowering, leading to a slightly bitter finish.
Finish
Mid-length finish with a waxy texture, and a lingering taste of drying oak, warming spices, and barley-sugar maltiness.
Conclusion
This one is a bit off-balance for me, as the cask doesn’t seem to work in harmony with the distillate. While it’s not repelling, I prefer my bourbon-matured Dailuaine.
6 – Once and no more. Why do I do this to myself?
Benrinnes 16 Year Old
| Fino Sherry Hogshead since June 2019 | 51% | £75 |
Nose
Sugary Sherry nose but not as syrupy as PX. Canned cherries. Grapefruits. Apricots. Golden raisins. Porridge with sugar. Wet oak. Christmas spices are led by cinnamon and cloves. New leather. A pinch of white pepper.
Palate
Sugary, savoury, slightly spicy. A fair amount of citrus fruits and peppery spices to balance the otherwise sugary palate. Oranges. Fairly malty. Mild buttery oak. A touch of bitterness towards the very end.
Finish
Mid finish. Candied orange. Slowly drying oak. A bit of tannin but not disruptive
Conclusion
A much better release than the earlier Benrinnes 15yo release that’s finished in Manzanilla Sherry (WB214776). Despite also being cask-driven, this strikes a better balance between the cask and distillate, not as dry as expected. Similar but better than the official Flora & Fauna release. Good strength, water not necessary. IMO, one of the best-valued whiskies in this release “
8 – Good enough. Will buy it if I see it around at RRP.
Balmenach 10 Year Old
| PX Sherry Hogshead since September 2020 | 55.9% | £50 |
Nose
Floral at first, with a burst of white grapes. The intense Sherry cask influence quickly takes over, with a mix of dark plums, figs, and dates. A dash of cocoa powder, followed by cinnamon and black pepper. Worn leather with a hint of orange-y notes lingering at the back.
Palate
Mouthcoatingly sweet with a balance of bitter oak. There’s a citrusy taste that leads into a Quaker chocolate porridge flavour. The warm pepper upholds the fine balance, while a touch of menthol and cold smoke adds a unique twist.
Finish
The finish is mid-length, with a drying effect of bitter oak. A touch of honey and fruits appear in the background, providing a pleasant aftertaste.
Conclusion
PX Sherry cask can be a double-edged sword, but when used correctly, it adds additional layers of flavour without masking the distillate. In this case, the Sherry cask is slightly overpowering, but you can still taste a bit of Balmenach, and for the price of £50, this is one of the best-valued whiskies in this release. Despite being young, the Balmenach 10-year-old holds up with a unique balance of sweetness, bitterness, and warmth. If you’re a fan of heavily sherried whisky, you should give this a try.
7 – Share is love. Worth the experience.
Ben Nevis 10 Year Old
| Ex-Longrow Red Hogshead since 2018 (Ex-Cabernet Franc) | 55.9% | £55 |
Nose
Engine oil, slightly sulphuric. Red fruits: plums, grapes, apples. Then the honey-drizzled oat finally broke through the oil. A whiff of oak well-integrated with the hint of peat in the background. Water opens up spaces for vanilla, citrusy, and thankfully, diluted the oil (+).
Palate
Vibrant & expressive. Oily mouthfeel. A lot of malty spices, canned oranges, earthy wood smoke. Toasted oak, more vanilla and honey than the nose. With few drops of water, the fruity side of Ben Nevis shines through and the sugary peat became more pronounced.
Finish
Mid, slightly waxy finish. Orange peels. Caramel. Drying oak.
Conclusion
Oily nosefeel is a big no for me. That’s why I sometimes find young Ben Nevis hard to indulge. But put aside my prejudice, this is an interesting whisky that shows you what Cadenhead’s capable of, by having an extensive reach of stocks across distilleries and quality casks from Springbank. Palate was the best part of all as it’s rich and multi-layered at a good strength and young age. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this whisky more than I expected.
7 – Share is love. Worth the experience.
Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old
| Bourbon Barrel | 57.8% | £65 |
Nose
The nose is full of brine, honey glazed summer fruits like white grapes and yellow pears, toasted malt, minerals, and a very faint soapiness with a touch of smoke.
Palate
The palate starts off punchy, as expected with the high strength, but quickly gives way to sugary fruits and salted caramel. Lightly charred oak, slightly buttery, vanilla pods, toasted malt, and oat biscuit. Adding a few drops of water reinforces the honey notes and dries the mouthfeel.
Finish
Mid, sweet & malty finish with slowly drying oak, a touch of bitterness, and a hint of lemon wax lingering around the corner.
Conclusion
It’s my first 100% ex-bourbon matured Bunna, and I found the sweet fruits and maritime flavors to be pronounced. This is not a punch-in-your-face type of young Islay release, and instead of saying it’s peated malt, I’d believe this is unpeated wash distilled in a still that previously processed their peated wash.
7 – Share is love. Worth the experience.
Kilkerran 7 Year Old
| Bourbon Barrel | 56.7% | £60 |
Nose
The moderately ashy peat is prominent, along with fragrant oak and fresh dough. I could detect the scent of green apples and citrus fruits, with a slight savoury note of rock salt and white pepper. A touch of honey and caramel added a bit of sweetness. It’s light and refreshing, yet at the same time, the peat pokes your senses. I even got a whiff of wall polish.
Palate
The mouthfeel is slightly oily, and the fruity peat with black pepper sparks throughout. There’s a BBQ smoke flavor that comes through, followed by granola. I noticed more honey and vanilla, along with ripe apples and melons. It’s less savoury than the nose, but there’s still a hint of saltiness. A touch of burnt meat gives it a rich and expressive taste.
Finish
The finish is medium, with fresh fruits and oaky peat lingering. It’s drier than I would’ve expected for such an age and cask type, but it’s still a pleasant aftertaste.
Conclusion
While it’s not as fruity as my regular Kilkerran and not as peated as my go-to Islay drams, this whisky is still very enjoyable. It’s not something very special, but I like it. I found that water opened up the greenness further, but it’s not necessary.
7 – Share is love. Worth the experience.
Dram A Life 