The Malt Cask

Today brings a sample of Westward American single malt, from @theheartcut a relatively new independent bottler on the whisky scene. The couple behind The Heart Cut are definitely no whisky newbies though (Georgie Belle-Leoni & Fabrizio Leoni) and they have been collaborating with distilleries across the world to release one-off single cask and small-batch bottlings. From Danish single malt to Israeli to English to American, their releases definitely take you on a world tour of amazing liquid! This one is their latest release, a 5 year-old Westward single malt from Portland, distilled 22-03-2018, aged in new American oak and bottled 08-08-2023 at 50%. As far as the cask is concerned, the website gives you an insight in why they chose it: “THIS MADE THE CUT BECAUSE The newly emerged American Single Malt Whiskey category is gaining momentum, and there’s one distillery we’ve had eyes on since the start. Hailing from the American Northwest, an area abundant with barley, Westward Whiskey

I have had this bottle of  the Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut  for a while now and I can’t believe I have never reviewed it fully, so it’s time to get stuck in before the bottle ends up in the recycling! Distillery:  The Glenrothes Bottler:  Distillery Age:  NAS Distilled:  n'a Bottled:  n/a Cask:  first-fill sherry sesonned casks Abv:  48.8% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price: around   £45 Extra:  Part of the Soleo Collection My tasting notes: Nose:  Very Sherry forward, dried fruit, nuts, vanilla, a little orange, caramel, treacle, floral notes too (orange blossom /jasmine), slight oak spice / fresh oak, strawberry jam, a little milk chocolate & hints of leather, sugarcoated almonds. Very inviting! Palate:  Creamy first with spice coming next, walnut, dried oak, milk chocolate with a dusting of bitter cocoa, dark berries, spiced stewed plums, barley sugar, some burnt caramel, a bit of cinnamon, espresso bitterness. Finish:  Warning, nutty, lea

This is great to finally be able to pick up a first release from a new distillery, even more so when the said distillery is located on Islay, the release is aged for 5 years, unchillfiltered, natural colour, bottled at 50% and costs £70! That’s what Hunter Laing have managed to achieve with this first Ardnahoe bottle. Let’s just hope it taste good… Distillery:  Ardnahoe Bottler:  Distillery Age:  5 years old Distilled:  2019 Bottled: 24/04/24 Cask:  ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry, mostly first-fill Abv:  50% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price: £70 Extra:  Inaugural release My tasting notes: Nose:   Sweet & smoky, vanilla, gentle oak spice, orange blossom, fruity side (slight peach and pears) phenolic peat, lemon curd, ginger, earthy notes, chared oak, iodine, cherry notes too after awhile, hints of jasmine What a start…! Palate:  Sweet & smoky again but the sweetness is more honey, vanilla, caramel, and less fruity. It’s rather oily and chewy, oak sp

  This is a bottle I should have reviewed a while back now but better late than never! Distillery:  Deanston Bottler:  Distillery Age:  12 years old Distilled:  n/a Bottled: n/a Cask:  ex-Bourbon Abv:  46.3% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price:  Around £45 Extra:  Bottle has been opened for a couple of years My tasting notes: Nose:  Creamy malted barley, linseed oil, toffee, orange, nutty shortbread, lemon, freshly cut straw and slight honey. I remember being taken aback by the first pour and some turnip notes. Thankfully these have gone now! Palate:  Creamy, nutty and malty again. Vanilla, toffeed apples, creme caramel, red apples, hints of ginger, oak spice, black pepper, almond and some bitterness kicking around. Finish:  Nutty, woody, almonds and vanilla, warming oak spice, quite drying, hints of bitter orange. The finish is not incredibly long though...  With water:  Fresher nose with more citrus and fewer nutty/earthy notes. The palate also drops

  Picture courtesy of  www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com Distillery:  Benrinnes Bottler:  Cadenhead's Age:  16 years old Distilled:  2007 Bottled: 2023 Cask:  ex-Bourbon and Fino since September 2020 Abv:  55.4% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price: Around £70 Extra:  Bottled for Cadenhead's in the courtyard 2023 My tasting notes: Nose:  Sweet, fruity and gently oaky, yellow fruit, peach and apricots, mirabelle plumb jam, nutmeg, candied ginger in dark chocolate, gentle oak spice and hints of citrus, lemon shortbread, toffee, a little char, some sea salt and waxiness too. Very inviting! Palate:  Drying bitterness, slightly briny, underripe olives, 100% dark chocolate, quite astringent and the 55.4% abv is definitely here. There are some sweeter notes in the background but they struggle to get through the 'bitter briny barrier' which makes your eyes squint whilst drawing all the moisture from your mouth and tongue. Looks like this one might ben

Distillery:  Clynelish Bottler:  Halcyon Spirits Age:  30 years old Distilled:  20/10/1993 Bottled:  24/10/2023 Cask:  ex-Bourbon ? Abv:  42.1% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  154 Price: £795 Extra:  Vatting of cask 11082 and 11104 My tasting notes: Nose: Fresh & fruity, apples, pears, peaches, quince paste, slight nuttiness, almond, lemon, dried apricots, toffee & vanilla, quite waxy (wood polish/ beeswax), desiccated coconut and some cinnamon. What a start! Palate: Rich, sweet, fruity, oak spice, waxy, more peach, apricot, apples & pears, honey & hints of aniseed, pepper, definitely some Clyrelish DNA here and it’s delicious! Finish: Warming with spicy notes from the palate to the finish, more nuttiness (macadamia?) & sweetness. Still some fruit but less present on the finish. Oak. With water: From yellow fruit, the nose becomes greener & fresher (fresh linen). The palate becomes juicier & even more mouth watering with a mix o