“The Castle is a Ruin but the Whisky isn’t”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Urquhart Castle
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 46%
Colour: Golden Sunlight
Nose: Sherry, Sulphur, light Varnish, Refill Oak, Warm Custard, Buttered Toast, Milk Chocolate, Honey, Plums, Peach, Dried Fruits, Orange Peel, Nuts, Barley, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Toffee and Spiced Wine. The Nose reminds me of a 10 Year Macallan that matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Sherry - and Refill Ex-Bourbon casks. I sense some Virgin Oak as well. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.
Taste: Sherry, Sulphur, light Varnish, Sweet Barley, Dried Fruits, Marzipan, Nuts, Citrus Peel, Red Grapes, Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, Caramel, light Licorice, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Menthol and slightly Bitter Refill Oak.
Finish: On the Short Side with Sweet Barley, light Sherry, light Sulphur, Dried Fruits, Nuts, Marzipan, Red Grapes, light Honey, Orange Peel, Pepper, Licorice, Ginger Ale, Menthol, light Varnish and traces of Cinnamon.
I added a little Water and as the Alcohol retreats, the Fruit, Honey, Vanilla, Caramel and Milk Chocolate gain some ground. Palate and Finish do not show remarkable differences. You can definitively add some (Loch Ness) Water to this Urquhart Castle.
Rating: 81.5
Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5
Jan van den Ende September 30, 2015
General Remarks:
The Urquhart Castle is located on the shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands, a little over a mile East of the village of Drumnadrochit. The ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, built on the site of a medieval fortification. It was practically abandoned in the 17th century and placed in state care in the 20th century. It is now open to the public and it's one of the most visited castles in Scotland.
The Urquhart Castle Speyside Single Malt is part of a Gift Set of 5 launched to promote some of the Historic Sites of Scotland. The other 4 are: Edinburgh Castle (Highland Malt), Stirling Castle (Speyside), Iona Abbey (Islay) and Skara Bray (Islands). As can be seen in above picture, the Urquhart in the new set is a 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt. The Miniature I'm tasting today is likely to be an earlier version. I bought this miniature during my trip to Scotland last year and I'm not sure where I bought although it could have been the Dallas Dhu Gift Shop. I have no other information on this "Mystery" Malt. So this is almost a Blind Tasting.
The Urquhart Castle is located on the shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands, a little over a mile East of the village of Drumnadrochit. The ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, built on the site of a medieval fortification. It was practically abandoned in the 17th century and placed in state care in the 20th century. It is now open to the public and it's one of the most visited castles in Scotland.
The Urquhart Castle Speyside Single Malt is part of a Gift Set of 5 launched to promote some of the Historic Sites of Scotland. The other 4 are: Edinburgh Castle (Highland Malt), Stirling Castle (Speyside), Iona Abbey (Islay) and Skara Bray (Islands). As can be seen in above picture, the Urquhart in the new set is a 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt. The Miniature I'm tasting today is likely to be an earlier version. I bought this miniature during my trip to Scotland last year and I'm not sure where I bought although it could have been the Dallas Dhu Gift Shop. I have no other information on this "Mystery" Malt. So this is almost a Blind Tasting.
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good
Conclusion: The Urquhart Castle is not an easy Malt to score. On the one hand people that like Sherried Speysiders might fancy this Malt. I like them as well but only if the Wood Management is perfect. I am very sensitive to Sulphur and there's too much of that here. I also get some Varnish that I usually find in West European whiskies that use Virgin Oak to mature their Whiskies. I could live without that as well. But other than that this is certainly not a bad Speyside Malt. I have absolutely no idea what distillery could have produced this Spirit. But with a knife on my throat I would guess Macallan or Dallas Dhu. If anyone can give additional information on the Urquhart Castle 12 Years, please leave a comment or send me a message. Appreciated!
Jan van den Ende September 30, 2015
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