Tag: Lowland Whisky

Lowland whisky are single malt whiskies distilled in Scotland’s lowlands. The region is home to distilleries such as: Annandale Distillery; Auchentoshan; Bladnoch; Daftmill; The Girvan Distilleries; The Glasgow Distillery and Glenkinchie distillery near Edinburgh.

Littlemill 25 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/18/2015

In Single Malt whisky

Great was my excitement when I received an email from Steve (The Whisky Wire) confirming that we have been chosen to take part in the Littlemill 25 year old single malt Scotch whisky flash blog. A week or two earlier, I saw a request for bloggers who wanted to take part and responded.

Then the (long) wait began. About a week before the due date (14 Oct), I started ‘stalking’ our local Post Office. I became a regular in the queue. The man behind the counter saw me so often that he handed me the ‘Packages Received’ book as soon as I walked in.

No package arrived. The day of the Littlemill Whisky Flash Blog came and went. I read all the amazing blogs and tasting notes of the other (lucky) bloggers but left the Post Office empty-handed each time. I nearly gave up hope of ever getting our package.

And then, low and behold, a slip of paper arrived in my post box. Just before we depart for a short break away to the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains).

It was with much excitement that I skipped into the Post Office. The man behind the counter reached for the book, but I was waving my slip of paper. I got my Littlemill 25 year old whisky sample.

Established back in 1772, this Lowland distillery fell silent in 1994 and was destroyed by a fire in 2004. The fire only left a few last barrels. Once they are consumed, there will be no more. The whisky chosen for this release was casked in 1989 and 1990, respectively.

The Littlemill 25 year old Scotch whiskywas matured in a mixture of American and European Oak and has been finished in first-fill European Oloroso Sherry casks.

Also Read: Auchentoshan American Oak Whisky

Littlemill 25 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Lowland

ABV: 50.4%

COLOUR: Golden wheat. It is quite an oily whisky.

NOSE: Notes of sherry sweetness, Christmas Pudding and candied fruit. There are hints of oak, caramel, toffee and butterscotch.

PALATE: Without water, the Littlemill 25 year old is creamy and rich with fruity sweetness, Crème brûlée and spice. There are hints of nutmeg, black peppercorns and cloves. With water, the Littlemill palate releases notes of grape jam, vanilla and sultanas.

FINISH: Long and lingering and end in notes of sweet spiciness, citrus and toasted oak.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Littlemill 25 year old single malt is a complex and robust whisky. With the beautiful golden Drakensberg in front of us and the sun setting, this dram glowed golden bright. A wonderful dram in an amazing setting. Dinner was a slow-cooked lamb potjie (lamb stew), and the 25 year old was the dessert.

Only 1500 individually numbered bottles were released. The remaining Littlemill casks are owned by the Loch Lomond Group. The Littlemill 25 year old retails for GBP 1690. (R36 500)

Also Read: The Balvenie Roasted Malt whisky

Auchentoshan Heartwood Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/20/2013

In Single Malt whisky

On our trip to Dullstroom, we stopped off at the ‘Wild about Whisky’ bar. There we worked our way through a tiny bit of their selection. I tried to taste whiskies that I have not seen before. At one of the tastings, I tried various whiskies aged in sherry casks, and one of the nicest ones was the Auchentoshan Heartwood single malt Scotch whisky.

Lucky for me, Wild about Whisky had one in the store that I could buy. Auchentoshan (pronounced ock-en-tosh-an) is a Lowlands distillery, and the name translates as ‘corner of the field’ from the local form of Gaelic. Auchentoshan is unique among Scottish whisky distilleries in that they triple distil using three stills.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the common practice is to distil twice. Triple distillation produces a spirit that is lighter and more delicate in flavour. Auchentoshan has a core range that include the American Oak and 12 yo whisky release and have also produced a range exclusively for the retail travel market.

What it means is that if you are not travelling through Heathrow airport – or get lucky – this bottle may elude you in the usual places. That would be a tragedy, for this is a fine whisky indeed. The Auchentoshan range consists of four core expressions, with two limited-edition releases coming out each year.

The whole range pays tribute to the wood, and each whisky in the range is inspired by the phase of a tree’s life cycle and named to reflect the whisky’s flavour as if it were part of the tree’s life. The Auchentoshan Heartwood single malt whisky is aged in Oloroso sherry casks, as well as charred American oak bourbon casks.

Related Article: Glenkinchie 12 yo whisky

Auchentoshan Heartwood Whisky Review

REGION: Lowlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Some commentators have described the colour as a dark honeycomb. To me, it looked far more copper in colour. It reminded me of beautiful copper pots that had been polished and caught the light just the right way in sunlight. It is indeed a warm, inviting colour.

NOSE: From a nose perspective, the Auchentoshan Heartwood is quite complex. I picked up some sherry and notes of orange. Other commentators have picked up honeycomb – proof if any was needed that it’s a complex nose because I did not pick that up.

PALATE: Whilst you may not remember the Auchentoshan Heartwood for its nose, you won’t easily forget it on the palate. On the palate, the Auchentoshan Heartwood feels lighter than other Scottish whiskies. It may be a testament to the triple distillation rather than the standard double distillation.

The Heartwood flavours that came through were sherry, vanilla and honeycomb. I thought of ice cream at first! While it is light, there is a richness to it, with oak coming through as well as some hints of citrus.

FINISH: The finish is not long, with quite a short tail to it. It does not distract in any way, and it finishes in a nice, mouth-filling, fresh way.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Auchentoshan is a wonderful whisky, and we both instantly reached the same verdict. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also probably one of the most “moreish” whiskies I have tasted, and you quickly find yourself pouring another glass before you realise it. I’m glad it’s a 1L bottle because it’s not going to last for very long!

I have also tried the Auchentoshan American Oak whisky and captured my tasting notes.

Also Read: Singeton 12 yo whisky