Well,
well, it appears that all those consolidations in
the spirits industry are finally starting to pay off. Since
Bacardi acquired John Dewer & Sons from Diageo back in
1998, they haven't paid much attention to limited edition
and small scale bottlings from their five malt distilleries
until now. Realizing that single malt now accounts for a fifth
of Scotch exports and that it is one of the fastest growing
spirit categories in the world, they started to pay attention.
And pay attention they did by launching sixteen new single
malt whiskys.
Today,
we're lucky enough to give three of those 12 year old single-malt
scotches a taste drive: the Royal Brackla weighing in at 40%
ABV and selling for $70.23 per 750ML bottle, the Aultmore
weighing in at 46% ABV and going for $64.05 per 750ML bottle,
and the Deveron at 40% ABV and coming in at $119.00 per 750ML
bottle. These prices I am showing above are averages, as the
price varies considerably depending upon the source and the
location of that source, so I recommend, if you would like
to buy one or all of these scotches, definitely shop around
until you find a number that makes you happy. Mind you that
none of these scotches are Johnnie Come Lately's; Royal Brackla
has been around since 1812, and both Aultmore and Deveron
since 1896.
I
do believe I'll start with the Aultmore,
as it is the lightest in appearance of the three. It is actually
the color of a very weakly brewed tea. The first aroma in
the nose is light malted barley, a touch of oak, and then
hints of vanilla and honey. Altogether, it is light and sweet
and slightly earthy. On the palate, the smoky oakyness comes
forward, followed by the malted barley, and then the vanilla
and honey, ending in a citrus note. The finish is more earthy
up front and then comes the barley and then a bit of lemon,
leaving behind a pleasant spicy heat that lasts a medium length
of time. This is a light hearted spirit that is very easy
on the palate and not overly complicated but has just enough
depth to be quite interesting, and it is just right for sipping
straight up.
The
Royal Brackla is amber in color, and the
nose is definitely more pronounced than the Aultmore. It is
thick and deep, with aromas ranging from raisins to figs,
followed by a touch of that ever present barley, a hint of
some smoke, and oak and peat. The palate is malty and earthy,
with a few citrus notes of orange and grapefruit poking their
way through a light spicy taste. The finish is a pure malty
delight with peat and barley playing nice with the oak and
hints of smoke. This is a very nice, again, not heavily complicated,
but layered, scotch that would also make a nice straight up
sipper.
The
Glen Deveron appears to be the darkest of
the three and sports a beautiful deep amber color. The nose
is spicy, but not so much that it overpowers the aromas of
honeysuckle, apples, cinnamon, pears and just the barest tiny
hint of barley and oak. This is a very inviting nose.
On
the palate, most of those flavors combine quite harmoniously
yet retain a touch of their individuality that combined with
a bit of barley and peat make for a very interesting sip of
a scotch that's flavorful yet not too complex. The finish
is smooth with a little bit of spice and a touch of apple
and cinnamon, but it doesn't last long and requires another
sip to keep the flavors flowing. This too is a delightful
sipper but one that can hold up under ice and mixes, thus
making it a bit more versatile. But if you're like me, you'll
just sip this sucker straight up so you can enjoy all those
fabulous flavors.
These
are all very good scotches to choose from, so I recommend
you get all three and determine which one is your favorite,
or you can be like me and get all three, and enjoy one on
Monday and another on Wednesday, and start your weekend with
the third one, and wear your kilt over the weekend while you
struggle to decide which one to drink on Sunday.
By George Brozowski
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