When in Anstruther I usually pick up a few bottles in the Wee Couper Of Fife Whisky Shop.
They have a varied selection of miniatures – mainly for the tourist trade – as well as single cask bottlings for the aficionados.
I enjoy sampling the miniatures myself – so picked up a pair of themed minis from the Cumbrae Supply Co.
The Jockey & The Fisherman sport stylised images of their namesakes, are presented at 40% with no mention of distilleries sourced from, nor chill filtering or added caramel, which I’d expect for this type of product.
Without further ado I poured some glasses.
The Jockey
Sweet biscuity malt, very easy palate, slight hints of drying leather on the rear.
A very decent blend.
The Fisherman
Similar nose, if anything an easier palate, softer, sweeter, with less dryness on the rear.
Thoughts
I was expecting to find this pair to share the same source – but they did differ slightly on drinking.
For me The Jockey has pulled clear of the sedentary Fisherman.
Stripped of any clues as to what’s before you it heightens your senses to the tastes & flavours experienced on drinking the liquid.
Presented before me were 6 samples. I duly poured them into 6 identical Túath glasses & proceeded to savour the contents.
For some reason I thought this was a rum tasting – & quickly revised this theory as No 1‘despite having a bit of a sour nose the lack of body on the palate & high ABV kick signalled to me a poitín! Can’t say it did much for me. Nice experience – but not an approachable spirit’.
There was no No 2 so No 3‘proved intriguing. The pale yellow colour, soft fruity nose, easy palate with slight hints of burnt notes on the rear drew me in. I could drink this one again!’.
With No 4 ‘I experienced a slightly musty nose, indicative of long ageing, perfectly fine palate yet lacked a bit of body & very dry on the rear. Rather nonplussed by this one’.
No 5‘had a sherry like influence, smooth & silky on the palate with a nice touch of dryness on the rear. Could be a low ppm peater? Not quite enough to excite me if it is’.
No 6‘initially blew me away! Suggestive of high ABV. On a 2nd tasting it still didn’t entice me’.
No 7 ‘kinda hooked me, if only for a more pronounced smoky influence. Elegant yet challenging all at the same time’.
So that was it! My initial thoughts are in italics.
Given that Smögen is a bit of a unicorn bottle – hard to get hold of, pricey & limited edition – as are some of the other bottles – I think Dunville’s 1808 performed extremely well on my palate.
I took away a few themes from this tasting. High ABV can blow away the flavours for me & make for a challenging drinking experience. Sherry cask influence isn’t my style of choice & when it comes to enjoyable, affordable drinking – you can’t beat a good blend!
What would your palate have chosen?
Sláinte
Many thanks to fellow Whiskey Blogger S for the blind samples & bottle photo.
Lacking proper glasses I was reduced to sampling out of a ceramic cup!
Didn’t deter the wonderful taste experience!
Baijiu – a clear colourless Chinese spirit mainly made with sorghum grain & possessing a centuries old distilling tradition.
Ming River is a collaboration with Luzhou Laojiao – 3rd most valuable spirit brand in the world 2022 – & renowned author Derek Sandhaus to try & bring Baijiu’s charms to a western audience.
As such it’s presented at a lower strength of 45% as opposed the the usual 52% or over of other baijiu I’ve tried.
If anything this allows those distinctive umami style flavours to shine even more as I often find high ABV spirits can sometimes numb the tastebuds.
Ming River certainly opens with a flourish of meaty BBQ notes.
On the palate it’s quite mild & mellow – allowing those gorgeous notes to fully coat the mouth.
I love the drying, slightly tingling, salty BBQ style of flavours going on in the finish.
Ming River displays all the classic attributes of Baijiu without the high strength explosion associated with stronger offerings.
Derek Sandhaus & Luzhou Laojiao have created a worthy addition to the baijiu cannon.
If you haven’t tried baijiu yet – get your hands on Ming River!
Sláinte
The Spirits Business article on the World’s Biggest Brands here.
Irish Whiskey is often triple distilled, but this triple tasting includes rum distilled at the Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee.
I’d already purchased their Smugglers Reserve Overproof – read about it here – & found it a lively powerfully funky rum.
Their Smugglers Reserve Bordeaux Cru Rum at 42% won out over a couple of other Irish Rums also due to the funk – blog here.
Image c/o Copeland Distillery
So will the standard Smugglers Reserve at 40% hold up to scrutiny?
Well the nose certainly promised it would!
That sweet fruity funk lured me in. An engaging oily mouthfeel enveloped the senses delivering that rich funkiness & prickly enticing spice on the finish.
Lovely stuff.
Image c/o Copeland Distillery
The last remnants of my Grand Cru sample continued to delight. If anything – it delivered a more mellowed & cultured mouthfeel. Perhaps some would find this more appealing – but the straight forward bold flavours of the original still won me over.
Image c/o WhiskeyNut
The Overproof meanwhile managed to excite!
A powerful explosion of funky flavour, high ABV & an intense drinking experience is something to behold.
I must say I was mightily impressed by all 3!
That fruity funk signature note I love presents itself clearly in all variants making it hard to choose a favourite.
For ease of delivery, richness of flavour & overall accessibility & affordability however – I’m giving it to Smugglers Reserve, 40%.
Who got the funk?
Copeland Rum’s got the funk!
Sláinte
For clarity, Overproof was purchased in Donaghadee, Grand Cru was sample swapped & Original was kindly donated by Copeland Distillery.
I previously tried this attractive trio – blog here – but now they’ve appeared in an eye-catching miniature set complete with historical stories regarding the Earls portrayed & tasting notes on the whiskeys too – I thought I’d give them another go!
Red Earl, Blended Irish Whiskey, 40%
Triple casked, finished in Rioja casks. This light brown blend has a gentle aroma of soft dark fruits. The palate is quite soft yet there’s a delightful fruit bomb on the finish. An added prickly spice livens up the finish.
A very pleasant offering.
Great Earl, Single Grain Irish Whiskey, 40%
Triple casked, finished in Sangiovese casks. Not come across that wine before! Slightly paler in colour. Finding the nose more expressive than the blend – richer & more redolent. A lovely sweet grainy appeal on the palate slowly develops into a punchier finish.
Liking this one!
Spanish Earl, Single Malt Irish Whiskey, 43%
Triple casked, finished in Stout casks. Upping the game with a few extra ABV! A darker shade of straw. Finding the nose a tad muted – but darker & heavier when it does appear. Very smooth & silky palate. The stout cask flavours emerge with dark toffee & burnt toast notes.
Vey attractive.
Thoughts
A terrific trio!
It’s actually hard to pick a favourite from these well presented whiskeys. All lean towards a sweet wine cask finished style with the malt introducing darker stout elements. On this occasion Spanish Earl won me over. What it lost on the nose was more than compensated by a rich finish.
I’ve taken to hosting ‘Whiskey By The Water’ tasting evenings in one of my local bars.
The water being the Shannon & the bar Sean’s.
It’s a way of sharing my growing drinks cabinet that would be folly of me to consume on my own.
Old Horseshoe is an Aldi brand from an un-named source.
The 70 Proof is a throwback to the Sikes system of alcohol strength as used in the UK until the 1980’s – they might yet go back to it after leaving Europe.
Deep brown in colour with viscous legs.
I’m getting a classic high-rye bourbon style of nose from Old Horseshoe – very reminiscent of Four Roses.
Given a number of releases from new distilleries – possibly due to commercial demand – were to my tastes at least offered a tad fresh – Batch 1 displayed a richness of flavour & welcome complexity in the emerging distillery category.
Presented at 47% the nose was initially a touch spirity but a lovely rich bourbony warmth of sweet vanillas & a touch of nuttiness captured me.
A silky mouth coating feel on the palate further opened up those gorgeous notes.
An entertaining bite on the finish furnished with a dry nutty prickliness – a combination of the high ABV & Oloroso finishing no doubt – danced merrily away.
An impressive debut from the Ballina based distillery.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 