“The Real Cooper’s
Choice”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Speyside Cooperage
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol: 40%
Colour: Light Amber
Nose: Sweet but not too Sweet and quite Fruity with Peach, Apricot, Pineapple, Green Apple, Barley Sugar, Nuts, Golden Syrup, Buttered Toast, Fine Orange Marmalade, Toffee, Custard, Honey, Milk Chocolate, Hay, Heather and other Floral Tones. The Nose is not spectacular but Well-Balanced and Pleasant. The Alcohol is quite nicely integrated given the Spirit's relative young age.
You can identify the Coopers by the Red Shirts
Taste: Slightly Thin but still Creamy Delivery with Golden Syrup, Barley Sugar, Ripe Banana, slightly Bitter Orange, Caramel, Nuts, Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Honey and Licorice. This is my least favourite part of this Single Malt.
Finish: Middle-Long with Cocoa Butter, White Chocolate, Orange Marmalade, Buttered Toast, Caramel, light Spices (Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg), Dry Earth and Menthol.
Crazy Pete at Work!
I added a bit of Water and I find additional Floral Tones and Traces of Porridge with added Honey. On the Palate you get more Oak and Spices while the White Chocolate is enhanced in the Finish. I prefer it neat but you can certainly play with a but of Water.
Rating: 83
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 20.5
That's Me at the Corner, That's Me in the Spotlight!
General Remarks: The Speyside Cooperage was founded in 1947 by the Taylor family. Since 2008, it belongs to a French Group. It is the only operational cooperage in the UK where you can watch the art of coopering. The casks are made from American Oak and are destined for the Scottish Whisky industry as well as for export. The coopers are paid per Cask and it is fantastic to see how fast some of them handle the wood. Yearly, around 150.000 casks are made or reconditioned. The 10 Years Single Malt I'm tasting today is especially bottled for the Speyside Cooperage. We don't know where this Spirit was produced but I would guess it's from da Hood.
There's enough room to operate!
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: I was expecting a Marketing Gimmick but that's not the case. The Speyside Cooperage 10 Years is an acceptable young Speysider. The best part is the Fruity and Floral Nose. The Palate can't quite follow up. The delivery is on the Thin side and I'm not too fond of the Bitter Orange note. The Finish is better again with clear Cocoa, Chocolate and Spice Notes. I couldn't tell you what distillery produced this Spirit. During the Tasting the following names came to mind: Craigellachie, The Glenlivet, Cardhu and Tamdhu. But I wouldn't bet my life on any of them! Let the mystery live on!
A Closer Look at a Cask that's almost ready
All Casks Are Thoroughly Tested Before Release!
We visited the Speyside Cooperage on Thursday May 22, 2014. The weather was awful that day and it hardly stopped raining. We did the Tour that starts with a very nice video presentation that shows all the ins and outs of coopering from Acorn to Cask. The Tour itself is very nice and you are allowed to take pictures along the way. At the end of the Tour you can try to assemble a mini cask. I can assure you that it's not at all easy! The big attraction is a cooper nicknamed Crazy Pete. He's the fastest of them all and, consequently, earns more money than all the others. It's fascinating to see him dance, twirl and run around the cask like a madman. After the tour we had a very mediocre Cappuccino in the Coffee Shop and did some shopping in the very nice Gift Shop. If you are in Speyside, don't forget to pay a visit to the Cooperage. You won't regret it!
The Guy in Front is from Hungary and came to Scotland by Bike!
Jan van den Ende January 7, 2015
Brother in Law Jan in the Crowded Coffee Room!
No comments:
Post a Comment