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Chris Goodrum (Gauntleys)

Bourbon
Tasted: May 2011
An intensly fresh and briny nose. Seriously phenolic and youthful but with a good balancing malty-sweetness. Slightly gristy with hints of fleshy green banana and some high toned ‘off the still’ soapy notes which emphasise the youthfulness of the spirit. With time some charred wood aromas come through as does a slight perfumed heather/ lavender note.

The palate is sooty and sweet (as opposed to sooty and sweep!). The soot verily coats the tongue in a sugared-peat veneer. Incidentally the peat does have a kind of turf like quality! The alcohol explodes on the middle dragging the peat dust with it, but it’s not one dimensional as there is an underpinning of fleshy, slightly under ripe fruit, dark chocolate and tannins with some light syrup coming through on the finish.

Water emphasises the youthfulness of the spirit and accentuates the soapyness. It has become a tad less complex as the dry peat aromas become more prominent. The palate is less sweet now and drier and with the reduction in the abv it just lacks that mind blowing hit in the same way that watering down the George T Stagg does. If I was being picky I’d say that it could have done with matbe a touch more mature spirit included in the vatting to offset that youthful-soapyiness but if you like your peated malts young and a bit raw, like the Ardbeg very young then you will love this ……… and I do!