The Whisky Exchange recently introduced “The Seasons: Summer,” a trio of new whiskies in their own-label collection. This selection includes:
- Benriach 2008 15 Year Old: A Speyside single malt renowned for its fruity and floral characteristics.
- Lowland Single Malt 2012 11 Year Old: A light and delicate whisky, typical of the Lowlands.
- Ardmore 1997 26 Year Old: A Highland single malt with a rich, smoky flavor.
Per the TWE These whiskies are ideal for enjoying on a summer evening or whenever you crave a taste of sunshine. (They clearly did not keep Israel in mind, where we’re looking for a refreshing cold drink in summer). They are the inaugural releases in “The Seasons,” a new series comprising 12 single malt Scotch whiskies, each inspired by a different season. The full collection will be released over the next year, starting with the Summer whiskies.
Benriach 2008 15 Year Old , 51.9% , £110
Nose: Very nice sweetness, with vanilla and vibrant fruit up front, vanilla, mango and some ripe oranges make for a lovely combination, juicy and thick. For me summer whiskies are lighter, but this one’s lovely.
Palate: the Juicyness continue on the palate, with a sweet and spicy attack, a honeyed feel to it, with vanilla fudge, and nice wood notes, the mouthfeel is oily and thick and viscous, with a peppery tang.
Finish : Sweet vanilla, more of the fruit going on for some time. Medium long and brilliant.
Score: 88/100
Lowland Single Malt 2012 , 58.8% , £69.95
Aged for 11 years in a refill hogshead, and coming from a mystery Lowland distillery. Wonder what this is? Let’s dive.
Nose: Now this is much lighter, and certainly not as fruit and sweetly concentrated as the Ardmore. What have we here? some minerality, some stone fruit, unripe bananas , more of the vanilla, but far less juicy. This might work well in a highball or with some ice hanging around the pool in summer.
Palate: The palate feels sweeter and juicier than the nose, with more bananas (this time ripe, and sweet), ripe peaches in vanilla, and a hint of wood and coconut.nice mouthfeel , and plenty to chew on.
Finish: Banana and nut ice cream, peach cobbler.
Score: 86/100
Ardmore 1997, 26 yo , 50.3% , £199
A notable aspect in this whisky is that 1997 was the final year Ardmore distillery utilized direct fire to heat its stills. This traditional method, which has largely vanished from Scottish distilleries, is ideal for producing whiskies with exceptional texture and depth, much like this one.
Nose : quite heavier with big waxy notes, hint of wood char, some tropical fruit, but rather gentle on the nose, with a hint of sultana sweetness.
Palate: The waxy notes and char are evident here as well, but the fruit comes to the forefront with more noticeable grilled pineapple, stewed apricot and vanilla notes, as well as sultanas.
Finish : honeyed waxy and charred BBQ fruit, vanilla and sultana sweetness that goes on for quite some time.
Score: 89/100
Conslusion: All three whiskies are lovely. I was surprised by how nice the undisclosed lowlands whisky was, really a nice catch at this price. The fruity and brilliant Benriach is my pick among those three whiskies if you must chose only one. Loved it also not a bad VFM.
Let’s hope for a cool summer here, (or a hot summer if you enjoy that in the EU).
Slainte!
All 3 whiskies are available online on the TWE site