Have just tried (Speyside edition) ... Birnie Moss

Birnie Moss is a single malt whisky that is released by the Benriach distillery. Benriach is an innovative distillery based in the central Speyside region, to the south of the city of Elgin. It is one of Scotland's few independently owned whisky distilleries having been taken over by the Benriach Distillery Company in 2004. They have also acquired Glendronach, another Speyside distillery, in 2008. Benriach distillery was originally founded in 1897 and has a current production capacity of 2.5 million litres per year.

Benriach release a traditional Speyside style core range that are predominantly matured in ex-bourbon casks. However, they also release another ever expanding range of whiskies that are finished in different wine casks or are made with peated malt or, in some cases, both. These two practices, especially using peated malt, are unusual for a Speyside distillery. Other Speyside or Highland distilleries are starting to produce smoky whisky but Benriach's previous owners had the foresight to start doing this in the mid 1970s and now the Benriach Distillery Company are continuing the tradition. They distil peaty spirit for roughly one month of the year and then switch production to their regular non peated spirit.

Birnie Moss is part of this peaty tradition and represents the first peated whisky that has been produced and released by the Benriach Distillery Company. They release other peaty whiskies, namely the Curiositas 10 years old, the Authenticas 21 years old and the wine cask finished range, but these are all made up from old stock that they discovered in the warehouse when they took over. Birnie Moss was first released this Summer and is approximately four years of age, has a peating level of 35ppm (phenols per million, the scale for measuring the amount of peat absorbed into malted barley) and is bottled at 48% ABV. A bottle should cost £27-30 from specialist whisky retailers.

The colour is very pale and straw-like. The nose is potent with an initial hit of pungent sweet peat smoke (think of damp moss and earth) and then vanilla, some citrus (imagine lemon zest) and crisp fresh green fruit (pears, apples and perhaps a hint of melon). On the palate, the young alcohol is quite prickly although this soon dies away with the smoke becoming the predominant feature. The whisky feels light, spicy and vibrant - the smokiness seems a bit more like coal smoke here, rather than earthy or mossy. Through this smoke other elements battle to get noticed - that lovely vanilla is there again, as is the citrus and green fruits. There is also a distinct sweet malty cereal note and some more fruit, although this is more tropical in nature and is reminiscent of dried mango or apricot. The finish is sweet, smoky and a touch fiery (think of the heat from a red chilli). The addition of water tames the young alcohol and flattens the smokiness a little. This allows more sweet vanilla, cereals and fruit notes to come through. A decent dram that shows much potential while not being the finished article. Worth a try but it will be interesting to see how subsequent older versions of Birnie Moss will mature.

Distillery visit - Aberlour

Aberlour is a Speyside whisky distillery that is located in the village of Aberlour, which sits on the banks of the River Spey. It was founded in 1826 by James Gordon and is currently owned by Chivas Brothers, part of the larger Pernod Ricard beverage group. In 1879, the distillery was almost completed destroyed by fire and it was re-built on a different site by a local wealthy grain merchant called James Fleming. He moved sites to take advantage of an abundant fresh water supply at the other end of the village’s main street. Fleming had further massive influences on the town by financing the building of town hall (which carries his name), a cottage hospital, a school, the installation of electric street lamps and a bridge across the River Spey.

Aberlour is currently one of the best selling single malts in the world and is mainly known for its use of sherry casks during maturation. It sits comfortably within the world’s top ten for volume of sales (7th place in 2008) and is the best selling single malt whisky in France. Aberlour is also popular in the UK and southern Europe. The core range consists of a 10, 12, 16 and 18 years old and these are joined approximately once a year by a cask strength single batch whisky named A’bunadh (pronounced a-boona). A’bunadh translates as 'origin' from Gaelic and the whisky in this series is believed to be the closest in style to the whisky produced at Aberlour in the late 1800s. The 26th batch has just been released.

Our tour of Aberlour began in the visitor’s shop, which is positioned at the entrance of the distillery and must have previously been a gatehouse. We are led down the main driveway to an outbuilding that has been converted in to a boardroom. Here, our guide called Dennis begins a 15 minute story of the history of whisky in which he cleverly incorporated the history and story of the Aberlour distillery. He brought the story right up to the modern day and we were most impressed by the way that one distillery was put in to the context of the entire whisky industry. The tour continued in an entrance area of the distillery where displays, exhibits and Dennis filled us in with other interesting moments of local history and gave an explanation of the three basic ingredients used in the whisky making process (water, barley and yeast). He also threw in a couple of what we were soon to realise were his customary one liners!

Dennis then led us through to the milling area and then on to the mash tun and washback room. Aberlour has one mash tun and six washbacks, all made from stainless steel. Here, Dennis explained the mashing process and we all got to see this in action before we moved on to an explanation of fermentation and the adding of yeast, intermingled with a couple more one liners and anecdotes (some of which were actually quite funny!). Everyone saw the fermentation happening and it was good to see this process at different stages in the different washback tanks. At each point of the tour it is worth noting that detailed explanation boards had been placed that summarised what was being said. This was a nice touch.

The tour was then taken in to the stillroom and it was noticeably much warmer in here. Aberlour has four stills - two wash and two spirit stills - and these produce over four million litres of spirit per year. The set up of the stills is slightly unusual here as the two wash stills are paired together but the two spirit stills are positioned at either end, rather than next to each other. We also learnt about the industry standard of marking anything (piping, door clamps etc) relating to the wash still in red and anything relating to the spirit still in blue. The process of double distillation was explained, as was how the spirit safe worked.

Finally, we came to the warehouse where Dennis talked about the different styles of wood that they use for their casks at Aberlour. These are predominantly sherry casks but they do also use a decent number of bourbon casks. We then had the sampling session in this part of the warehouse and the notes for this are below. The tour offers great value for money as you get to taste six drams at the end, including a sample of the new make spirit and a couple of single cask whiskies (one matured in a sherry cask and one from a bourbon). It later turned out that these two single cask whiskies were for sale and that you could bottle and label them yourselves! You have to pay of cause (slightly pricy at £60, we thought) but it was exceptionally good and enjoyable whisky, so we just had to do it! This tour was excellent with the jovial Dennis explaining everything in an entertaining and informative way. He also made sure that everyone was involved and understanding what was happening as we went along. This made the tour great for beginners and connoisseurs alike. We thank Dennis for his hospitality on the day and Phil Huckle of Pernod Ricard for arranging the tour for us.

Tasting notes
Aberlour new make spirit - this had been distilled on the previous day and had an alcoholic strength of 69.5% ABV. The spirit is crystal clear with a clean crisp nose that is full of fresh green fruit (think of pears and apples). On the palate, these are joined by some sweet cereal notes and a punchy spiciness that is reminiscent of the heat produced by a red chilli. With water, the sweet fruit and grains really shine through with the spiciness dulling down a touch. It was great to get the opportunity to try the new make unaged spirit, as this rarely happens on tours.

Aberlour 14 years old bourbon cask - this is a first filled cask and was one of the two that you could fill to a bottle yourself. This cask strength whisky (63.1% ABV) has lovely sweet vanilla and butterscotch aromas on the nose. On the palate, this feels rich and creamy in the mouth with lots of vanilla and butterscotch again but also some coconut and other nuttiness (think of hazelnuts). The finish was quite dry and fresh. Adding water bought out the coconut particularly.

Aberlour 15 years old sherry cask - a lovely dram and the one that we filled to a bottle ourselves. This is 56.4% ABV and dark amber brown in colour. The nose is rich and full of dried fruit (imagine raisins), spices and dark chocolate. This richness is transferred to the palate, where it feels creamy and thick in your mouth. The combination of dried fruit, spices (think of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg) and wood is lovely and is balanced by the slightly bitter chocolate element. The finish is long, woody and dry. The addition of water brings out the chocolate even more and just a hint of coffee?

Aberlour 10 years old - the distillery's flagship single malt and the one that recently kicked Glenfiddich off the number one spot in France. This is bottled at 40% ABV and the colour is amber. The nose combines caramel, butterscotch and dried fruit aromas with a touch of spice. The palate is sugary (think of that caramel again) and has lots of dried fruits (imagine sultanas and raisins), some cereal notes and that touch of spice again (think of cinnamon). The finish starts sweetly before turning dry and refreshingly woody. A lovely soft dram.

Aberlour 16 years old - this whisky is made up of 50% bourbon cask matured whisky and 50% sherry cask, which are then married together and matured for the last six months in sherry casks. The colour is dark amber and the nose is full of dried fruit (think of sultanas and raisins), wood and distinct citrus (imagine orange zest especially). On the palate, this feels viscous and creamy with elements of vanilla, dried fruit, spice (cinnamon and nutmeg with maybe a touch of clove?), citrus oil (especially orange again) and something waxy (like furniture polish or polished wood). The finish is long, sweet and full of honey, wood and fruity notes.

Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 25 - the final whisky in the dramathon. This batch was bottled at 60.4% ABV and it feels like it! The colour is a dark reddish amber and the nose is packed with expressive dried fruits (think of raisins and candied peel), sugary caramel and toffee, fresh fruit (especially green apples) and spicy woody aromas (imagine cinnamon bark). The palate combines all of these with some woody and peppery notes joining in. It feels thick, viscous and creamy. The finish sucks away that sweetness and is pleasantly dry and woody. With water, the sweetness, especially the caramel and toffee, are exaggerated.

Tour details
Entry - £10 per person/ Tour duration - 2 hour 30 mins/ No. of drams - 6/ No. of people on tour - 14 / Further details - www.aberlour.com

In the whisky cupboard ... Benromach 10 years old

Benromach is the smallest working distillery in the Speyside region and is located to the north of the town of Forres. Infact, Benromach is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and only two people are employed to produce their spirit. The current annual production capacity is just 200,000 litres per year, although they can accommodate over double that capacity. The distillery was founded in 1898 under the name of Forres distillery. It became known as Benromach in 1919 and the current owners are Gordon & MacPhail, the independent bottling company based in nearby Elgin.

Gordon & MacPhail took control of Benromach in 1993 and they renovated the distillery as it had been mothballed for the previous 10 years by the previous owners (mothballing is the term used for the process where production is stopped at a distillery, but all the equipment remains intact and ready to go again). The distillery was re-opened by Prince Charles in 1998 and shortly afterwards Gordon & MacPhail embarked on an innovative programme of whisky production. This included different wine casks for finishing, heavily peating some of their malted barley (this is an usual practice for a Speyside distillery) and producing the world's first truly organic Scottish single malt whisky.

This 10 years old is a new release that only hit the shelves at the start of October 2009. It marks a milestone for Gordon & MacPhail as it is the first Benromach whisky that they have released with an age statement since they took over the distillery. The final whisky is made up of 80% bourbon cask matured whisky and 20% sherry cask matured, which are then married together and matured for the final year in sherry casks. We purchased our bottle on our recent trip to Speyside, when we visited the Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin. It will only be available in specialist whisky retailers and was at a special introductory price of £25 a bottle. The regular price will be around £30.

This Benromach 10 years old is golden in colour and has a surprisingly smoky nose. First comes some vanilla and toffee aromas before these give way to an earthy peatiness (think of damp moss or earth). These elements combine well and there is also some dried fruits (imagine sultanas) and something reminiscent of dried grasses. On the palate, this whisky is rich, full bodied and quite creamy with an initial hit of sweet malty cereal grains and vanilla. Then comes that smokiness again, although it is a bit more ashy/ember-like now. This remains a very pleasant surprise as smokiness is rare in Speyside whiskies. The cereal, vanilla and smoke mix perfectly with some further dried fruits (add some tropical dried fruits, like mango, to the sultanas here), buttery toffee and a hint of the dried grassiness. This feels thick in your mouth and is smooth and very well balanced. The finish is reasonably long with the creamy vanilla and sweet smokiness prominent.

Benromach is a very good new release and is one of our favourites of the year to date. It offers rich, classic Speyside characteristics but with the smoky twist. Having said that, the smokiness is not too overpowering and compliments everything else. A lovely dram and good value for £30 a bottle and even better value for £25!

Gordon & MacPhail whisky shop, Elgin

Gordon & MacPhail are a company based in the heart of the city of Elgin in the Speyside whisky region of Scotland. They continue to operate from their original premises that were constructed when the company was set up by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail in 1895. The company started off by bottling whisky for the numerous local distilleries and also did some blending and vatting. The business grew rapidly and they were soon joined by John Urquhart, whose family still own and manage the company today.

Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest independent bottling companies in Scotland, with over 300 own label bottlings in their current catalogue. The whiskies are selected from most of the distilleries around Scotland and released in their 'Connoisseur's Choice' range. They also release a cask strength range and the 'Private Collection', a range of very limited edition whiskies. Gordon & MacPhail are different to most other independent bottlers as they get distilleries to fill new make spirit directly to their own supplied casks rather than buying ready filled and aged casks. They also own the local Elgin based Benromach distillery, which they purchased in 1993, renovated and then reopened in 1998.

On our recent visit to the Speyside region, we stayed in Elgin and we just had to visit Gordon & MacPhail's legendary whisky shop that continues to draw whisky drinkers and visitors from around the world. The store is located on South Street and is split in to three main sections. As you walk in there is a well stocked wine section to your left and a food store to the right that stocks a selection of traditional and contemporary Scottish produce. This stretches back to a large delicatessen counter that houses a wide array of local meat, cheese and other produce.

We were there for the whisky though and the whisky section of the shop is tucked away in the back left hand corner. It is an absolute treasure trove of whisky with over 700 different ones jammed on to the shelves and in stock at any one time. At the heart of the stock is their own Gordon & MacPhail bottlings that are available in full or miniature size, some of which are available for tasting. The rest covers almost every distillery that you can think of, whether it be open or closed. The range is the biggest that we have ever seen in a shop and covers everything from the big household names and everyday whiskies to highly rare and collectable bottlings. It takes ages just to look at what is on the shelves and there is not enough hours in the day to digest it all. They also showcase the whiskies from their Benromach distillery - whilst at the shop we had the chance to sample the new Benromach 10 years old, which we will write a full review for shortly, and it was so good that we ended up buying a bottle. For further information on Gordon & MacPhail's shop and bottlings, then go to their informative website at www.gordonandmacphail.com.

Have just tried (Speyside edition) ... Mortlach 16 years old

The Mortlach distillery is in the heart of the Speyside region of Scotland. It is located in the whisky town of Dufftown and was the first of the famous seven distilleries in the town, having been founded in 1823. Mortlach remained the only distillery in Dufftown until Glenfiddich was built over 60 years later. The current owners are Diageo and the distillery has an annual production capacity of three million litres. Mortlach whisky has traditionally been popular with the blending companies and today the majority goes towards Diageo's famous Johnnie Walker blended range. Mortlach is considered to be the 'heart of Johnnie Walker' and as a result little is left to be released as single malt.

This 16 years old single malt is sporadically released as and when stock levels dictate. It forms part of Diageo's Flora & Fauna range, which showcases single malts from some of the lesser known distilleries in their portfolio. The 16 years old is occasionally joined by limited edition special releases, although Mortlach is popular with the independent bottling companies.

Mortlach is well reknowned for its use of quality sherry casks during maturation but also for its robust, rich spirit. This combination is what makes it so desirable to blending companies. The spirit is produced in one of the most idiosyncratic stillrooms in Scotland - it houses six stills but each is a different shape and size, having been installed at different times during the distillery's history. One of the stills, named 'Wee Witchie', is particularly unique in that it is a short, fat, odd shape and the spirit gets distilled three times through it. This is compared to the regular double distillation that takes place in the majority of Scotland and the other stills at Mortlach.

The colour of this 16 years old is a dark golden brown and the nose is packed with rich sherry cask influenced aromas. There is an immediate hit of sugary, almost burnt, caramel and through this comes dried fruit (think of raisins and candied orange peel especially), a warm spiciness (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and hints of dark chocolate and espresso coffee. On the palate, this is rich, full bodied and viscous, coating the inside of your mouth. It is heavy and intense with sherry cask influence - lots of the dried fruit, spices and those darker chocolate and coffee notes - but these are joined by a dark and sugary element (think of black treacle), some malted barley, as well as a hint of something meaty and savoury (this may sound weird but the nearest reference that we could think of was gravy). The finish is long with the dried fruits and treacle elements particularly prominent. An interesting slight whiff of coal smoke also appears close to the end.

This is one robust and intense dram that is extremely complex, dark and enjoyable. It may not be to everyone's taste as it does have a heavy sherry cask influence but it is easy to see why Mortlach is considered the backbone to so many top blended whiskies. As mentioned earlier, this 16 years old is released sporadically so if you see a bottle then grab it! It will be found in specialist whisky retailers only for approximately £45-50 a bottle. Beautiful stuff.

Have just tried (Speyside edition) ... Cragganmore 12 years old

Cragganmore is a distillery that is located close to the village of Ballindalloch in the heart of Scotland's Speyside whisky region. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, who owned two other local distilleries - the now defunct Ballindalloch and Glenfarclas. It is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million litres. Cragganmore has long been sought after by blenders and today supplies large amounts of whisky for the hugely popular Old Parr and White Horse blends.

Cragganmore is best known as being the representative whisky of the Speyside region in Diageo's Classic Malts series. The series showcases six distilleries, one from each of Scotland's whisky producing regions, that Diageo feel best represent the classical flavours and style of whisky from each of those regions. The other five are Dalwhinnie (central Highlands), Glenkinchie (Lowlands), Lagavulin (Islay), Oban (west Highlands) and Talisker (Islands). Being part of the Classic Malt series has helped boost sales and awareness of Cragganmore, with approximately 350,000 bottles sold each year. The core range consists of this 12 years old and the more limited Distiller's Edition, which is part matured in Port casks. These are occasionally joined by older versions and independent bottlings are relatively hard to find.

The colour of this 12 years old is pale gold and the nose is soft and inviting. There is a subtle mixture of aromas - sweet vanilla, some honey, dried fruits (think of pears and apricots) and dried grasses. On the palate, this is velvety and smooth with some sweet vanilla and malty cereal grains up front and then the honey, dried pears, apricots and grassiness from the nose comes through. Other subtle notes are detectable, such as a nuttiness (imagine hazelnuts), a sweet buttery biscuit-like character that is reminiscent of shortbread and a hint of citrus (think of orange zest or oil especially). The finish is fairly short with a lovely buttery sweetness (imagine that shortbread again) and some creamy vanilla and oaky wood. This 12 years old is a lovely balanced whisky that combines all of the classical bourbon cask matured Speyside whisky characteristics. It is easy drinking and smooth and would be a perfect dram to offer a beginner or someone who thinks that they don't like whisky. This is not the most complex or over complicated whisky but that is what makes it good, enjoyable and popular. Cragganmore can be found in specialist whisky retailers and a bottle of 12 years old should cost £30-35.

Distillery visit - Glen Moray

Glen Moray is a distillery that is located in the Speyside region of Scotland, sitting on the outskirts of the town of Elgin and the banks of the River Lossie. The distillery started life as a brewery that was founded in 1828 and was converted to become the Glen Moray whisky distillery in 1897. It is currently owned by French drinks company La Martiniquaise, who took control in 2008 after buying the distillery from Moet Hennessey. They use the whisky made and matured at Glen Moray for a number of their own blended and vatted whiskies that are particularly popular in France, namely Label 5 and Glen Turner, as well as an expanding range of single malts. The main market for Glen Moray single malts is the UK, where it lies in fourth place for total sales last year, behind only Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie and Glenlivet.

The tour begins in the Visitor Centre and we are welcomed by our guide Emma. The first stop is the milling room where the three whisky making ingredients (barley, water and yeast) are explained, followed by how the barley is malted and then milled to the correct specification. This section is hands on as you can touch and smell barley from before and after malting, as well as the milled grist. It is then off to the mash tun, where the grist is added to warm water in order to extract the soluble natural sugars. We get to see this process in action before moving on to the washback room, where the yeast is added. Glen Moray has one mash tun and five washbacks. Each washback contains liquid at different stages of the fermentation cycle and it is interesting to see and compare the differences.

The tour continues in to the stillroom and this is the only area where we are instructed not to take photos (the photo to the left is of the stills but is taken from the stillroom doorway, in case you were wondering!). There are four stills - two wash and two spirit stills - and these operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They produce 2.1 million litres of spirit each year and this flows through the spirit safe. Emma explained the different types of alcohol that are produced during the distillation process, how they are separated in the spirit safe and how each is used. An interesting point is that you get to see the bottom of the stills (as pictured), which is something rarely seen on other tours or photos. It gives an idea of the scale and full size of the stills. The bases are covered in metal sheeting that protect the still by contracting and expanding with the heat.

After seeing the cask filling area, we move to the warehouse. Here it is explained how important the environment and constant temperature is for maturing whisky (thick stone walls, earth floor, low ceilings), the different types of casks used and the evaporation of the spirit over time (called the 'angel's share). They have a great way of showing the 'angel's share' by having two perspex ended casks set up so that you can see how much has has evaporated in the two years since they have been filled (pictured left). The casks are both ex-bourbon but the one on the left has been charred and the other is non charred to show how this can influence the colour. This is very innovative and we have never seen this before on a distillery tour. Glen Moray use mostly ex-bourbon casks and their 10 warehouses hold around 65,000 maturing casks.

Finally, we are returned to the Visitor Centre to sample some of Glen Moray's whiskies. The brief tasting notes for these are below. The Visitor Centre has a gift shop selling all styles of Glen Moray merchandise and a cafe serving refreshments. This tour is excellent and would be perfect for beginners, as the whole whisky making process is explained from start to finish in a clear, interactive and concise way. The distillery feels intimate and welcoming. Our guide Emma was friendly, informative and attentive, both during the tour and the whisky tasting afterwards.

Tasting notes
Glen Moray Classic - This whisky is popular in the UK, USA and Europe and is roughly eight years old. It has a pale lemon colour and a fresh, vibrant nose that has elements of sweet vanilla, cereal grains and dried grasses. On the palate, this is light, crisp and refreshing with some butterscotch and a citrus zing (imagine lemon zest) added to the elements of the nose. The finish is short, sweet and enjoyable. This would be ideal as an aperitif or on a hot day.

Glen Moray 12 years old - This is richer, sweeter and more rounded than the Classic. There is a cereal maltiness on the nose that is joined by vanilla and toffee notes. On the palate, it feels richer and more viscous with a warm spiciness (think of ginger) and a juicy fruitiness combining with the elements from the nose. The finish is of medium length with the toffee and cereals particularly prominent. A good, easy going and balanced dram.

Glen Moray 16 years old - Unlike the Classic and 12 years old, this has a small part of sherry cask maturation in addition to the bourbon. The colour is a golden amber and the nose is hotter, drier and spicier than the 12 years old. On the palate, this is sweet with lots of cereal grain, toffee and caramel. The spiciness from the nose is present (think of cinnamon and nutmeg), as is some dried fruit and a hint of something darker and bitter (imagine dark chocolate). The finish is long and enjoyable with just a whiff of peat smoke coming through.

Glen Moray 8 years old Red Wine Cask  - This bottling was released for WhiskyLive in Glasgow in September 2009 and is from a single French red wine cask. It is bottled at 59.7% ABV and only 270 bottles are available. The colour is amber with a reddish tinge and the nose is full of red fruit, demerara sugar and spice (think of nutmeg and clove). These are replicated on the palate which is rich, sweet and viscous. A bitter rich element comes through that is reminiscent of coffee beans or chocolate. A long, fruity finish rounds off a very good dram.

Tour details
Entry - £3 per person/ Tour duration - 1 hour 15 mins/ No. of drams - 4/ No. of people on tour - 2 (us! well it was 9.30am)/ Further details - www.glenmoray.com

Whisky For Everyone's visit to Speyside

The last week or so at Whisky For Everyone may have seemed a quiet one with regards to the number of posts that we have written. However, the reality is a different story as we have been in Scotland travelling around the gorgeous Speyside region. Over the next couple of weeks, we plan to share the experiences and stories of our trip, so keep checking for regular updates!

We had an action packed few days in Speyside and visited a number of distilleries. Our aim was to visit those that we knew little about or had not sampled their whiskies. We wanted to cover different sizes, popularity and types of tour. These ranged from the hugely corporate Macallan to Benriach, which is not open to the public, and others that fell in between the two. The whisky making process follows the same path and uses the same ingredients across Scotland but it was interesting to observe the subtle differences in each distillery and also how the customer experience differed on each tour.

As part of the trip we also searched for shops, bars and other interesting places to drink and buy whisky, so we will be writing up our findings and recommendations. Finally and of cause, we sampled, bought and drank plenty of top quality whisky! We will be posting our tasting notes of these over the coming weeks and they include some classic Speyside single malts that we had never tasted and some lesser known ones too.

We hope that you enjoy the distillery, bar, shop and whisky reviews from our trip to Speyside and we also plan to include lots of the photos that we took along the way.

Have just tried ... Whyte & Mackay 40 years old

Whyte & Mackay is one of the world's best known whisky companies. It was founded in Glasgow in 1844 by whisky merchants James Whyte and Charles Mackay and by the late 19th century their popularity was growing rapidly. Whyte and Mackay's first blended whisky, named 'Special', had been a great success upon its release in the UK and this success spread around the globe with the expansion of the Victorian Empire. Whyte & Mackay are currently owned by the Indian beverage company United Breweries Group, after they purchased the distilleries and brands in May 2007.

The current Whyte & Mackay portfolio includes four whisky distilleries - Dalmore, Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin - as well as the Whyte & Mackay blended whisky range, which includes a modern version of the original 'Special' and aged blends at 13, 19, 22, 30 and 40 years of age. They also own the Glayva whisky liqueur and Vladivar vodka brands. Whyte & Mackay currently export single malts or blended whiskies to almost every country in the world.

We were lucky enough to try this 40 years old Whyte & Mackay blend at a recent event - we thank Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's legendary Master Blender, for this sample as you don't often get the chance to taste whiskies of this age. Richard created this blend to commemorate the service that John McIlraith gave to Whyte & Mackay. He worked for the company for 70 years and worked as a blender, then a salesman before working his way up to Managing Director. It is the oldest blended whisky to be released by the company. Richard has used a high single malt content in this blend (70% with the other 30% being grain whisky) and they were distilled in June 1966. There are only 1000 bottles released, each at 45% ABV and all personally signed by Richard. The price, if you can still find a bottle, should be around £550.

The colour is a dark, rich amber brown and the nose is fragrant, intense and complex. There is an immediate hit of malty cereal grains and this is quickly joined by dark luscious dried fruit (think of raisins and candied orange peel especially), sweet butterscotch, some wood spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and something woody and waxy that is reminiscent of a wax furniture polish. On the palate, this whisky is rich, sweet and velvety. There is again a lot of dried fruit (the orange zest is particularly prominent) and sweetness (this is more like caramel this time). These are combined with other more subtle notes - spices (think of cinnamon, nutmeg and just a touch of ginger), toasted oats, nuts (imagine hazelnuts), dark wood and a hint of liquorice and clove. The finish is rich, complex and mellow and the whisky is very easy to drink and enjoyable. Thanks to Richard again for the opportunity to sample this 40 years old - it is a lovely, deeply complex and well balanced whisky.

Have just tried ... Hazelburn 12 years old

Hazelburn is a single malt whisky that is made by the Springbank distillery. It is located on the Campbeltown peninsula on the west Highland coast. Springbank is one of only three distilleries left in an area of Scotland that 200 years ago supported over 30 distilleries (Glen Scotia and Glengyle are the others). Springbank is small with a production capacity of only 750,000 litres per year, but their whiskies are highly regarded around the world. It has been owned by the same family, the Mitchell's, since it was founded in 1828 and this makes Springbank the oldest distillery in Scotland that has been continually owned by the same family.

Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland to regularly produce three different single malt whiskies - Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn - using three different production methods. The production is split between the three throughout the year with roughly 80% of the time going to Springbank, 10% to Longrow and 10% to Hazelburn. Springbank is made in the lightly peated style, Longrow is heavily peated and Hazelburn is unpeated.

Hazelburn whisky was first distilled in 1997, with the first release in 2005 as an 8 year old single malt. It is distilled three times and is one of the only Scottish whiskies to experience a full third distillation. Only a limited number of bottles are released each year. Hazelburn is available as an 8 year old (now on its 4th release) and this 12 years old, which was first released in August 2009 and is limited to 3900 bottles. Hazelburn is named after one of the long defunct Campbeltown distilleries, as is Longrow.

The colour of this Hazelburn 12 years old is an intense dark burnt amber, showing that the whisky has been matured in some serious sherry casks. The nose is highly aromatic and packed with the common characteristics associated with sherry cask maturation - plenty of dried fruits (think of raisins and candied orange peel), sweet caramel, nuts (especially something like walnut) and spice (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg). However, there are also some darker, more bitter notes on this complex nose - dark chocolate, damp wood, roasted coffee beans and just a hint of smoke, although this is slightly sulphuric and tobacco-like. On the palate, this is rich, dense and creamy with many of the elements of the nose carried through. There is sweetness coming from the dried fruit/citrus peel (there is an orange marmalade feel), caramel and nutty influences and these are balanced by the darker bitter notes such as the chocolate, coffee and spices (ginger is particularly prominent). The finish is long with lots of caramel sweetness followed by drier woody and spicy (especially nutmeg) notes.

The Hazelburn 12 years old is an interesting, intense and complex whisky. It is an enjoyable dram but the intensity of the sherry cask influence may be too much for some palates and is in danger of overpowering what is undoubtedly a lovely, creamy triple distilled spirit. It will be interesting to see how the future releases of Hazelburn are to be matured and what they will taste like. A bottle of this first release will be found in specialist whisky retailers for £45-50.