Springbank eat, sleep, dram, repeat tour was absolutely worth the journey and the price. For those of you considering the adventure, here are some tips.
The last few years Armagnac has experienced a small renaissance. The traditional single producer rustic brandy has struck a chord with connoisseurs. At the start..
SMWS 26.151 – Fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers – Clynelish 26yo 47.3%
Let’s do a SMWS Clynelish tasting! I’ve had very little Clynelish and have heard wonderful things about this bottle. Nose Tangerine, peach/apricot cobbler, honeysuckle, jasmine,..
Nose: Almond croissant, walnuts, marzipan in fruit shapes, touch of maple syrup, candied raisins.
Palate: Old stale milk duds, marzipan, getting better as its sits, biscoff cookies, graham cracker crust for a pie, layer of floral, I say begonia and ryan leans rose hips.
Rating: 4 / 10 – there is something to be enjoyed here, but I’m not impressed.
Nose: Pencil shavings and graphite, canned pineapple rings, lychee syrup, cloves, champagne vinegar, oatmeal, green beans.
Palate: Tangerine marshmallows, tums fruity antiacids – in particular the chalky mouthfeel, angel food cake, dominant note of mirabel after some rest, brown sugar on oatmeal, and an ephemeral woody note that is warmth but not distinct enough to give a specific reference. The a very quiet baseline on a song.
Rating: 5 / 10 – a completely and totally acceptable pour.
Nose: Nothing like the whiff of that core springbank dna…stewed plums, figs, dates, that springbank salinity and smell of the sea, bandaids and iodine. Smoked salt butter. Bees wax.
Palate: Tastes like a drier sherry, maybe oloroso, slightly more savory, nose carries over nicely to the palate with that core springbank dna holding constant.
Rating: 6 / 10 – This is an interesting dance between springbank core dna and the fresh sherry cask and it works. Fun.
Nose: stone fruit, violet, orange marmalade, dark chocolate orange, hershey kisses, nutmeg and ginger cookie spice mix, intermittent moments of umami on the Worcestershire
Palate: wood forward, herbal black licorice candies. Powerful and viscous and coating. Dandelion. Bitter green. Graham crackers.
Rating: 4 / 10 – the nose is damn good, but the palate became all wood and lost its fruit mojo.
