Scotch Single Malts taster's guide

Scotch Single Malts taster's guide

This information is excerpted from Michael Jackson's Guide to Single Malt Whisky, specifically for tasting the Classic Malts series from United Distillers. There's much more information available for this series, here are a couple of other pages:
Cragganmore Dalwhinnie Glenkinchie Lagavulin Oban Talisker
Years 12 15 10 16 14 10
Region Highland Highland Lowland Islay Highland Island
District Speyside Speyside East South shore Western Skye
Score 90 76 76 95 79 90
Colour Golden Gold Gold Full amber Amber "Amber-red, bright"
Nose "Complex, fragrant and delicate, with cut grass and herbs" "Very aromatic; dry, faintly phenolic, lightly peaty" "Soft, very sweetly aromatic, grassy sweetness, hint of smoke emerging after a time" Sherry "Whiff of sea, touch of fresh peat, assertive" "Pungent, smoky, rounded"
Body "Light to medium, but firm and smooth" "Firm, smooth, oily" "Light to medium, some viscosity" "Full, smooth" "Quite rich, smooth, slightly viscous" "Full, slightly syrupy"
Palate "Delicate, clean, restrained, with a huge range of herbal flowery notes" "Remarkably smooth, long lasting flavour development. Aromatic, heather-honey notes give way to cut-grass, malty sweetness, which intensifies until a sudden burst of peat" "Very clean, grassy sweetness; smooth, well-definted, with lots of flavour development" "dryness of whisky, sweetness of sherry. As the palate develops, the salty notes in particular emerge" "Dry, smoky, with malty and fruity undertones" "Smoky, malty-sweet, with sourness and a very big pepperiness developing"
Finish Long Very long "Becoming spicy; cinnamon, ginger? Gentle, warming, dryish." "Huge, powerful, peaty, salty, embracing" "Aromatic, smooth" "Very peppery, huge, long"

This page maintained by Wil Howitt
Last updated 27 December 2000