Cladach - The Coastal Blend - Special Release 2018 - Sample

• 0.06 liter
• 57.10 %
• 0 yrs

Tasting notes Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com, 88 punten: 
Cladach (57.1%, OB, Special Release, blended malt, 2018) Four stars and a half I have to say the very idea of some NAS blended malt amongst Diageo’s prestigious Special Releases sounds a little strange to me. Well it used to until I saw that they had vatted Caol Ila, Clynelish, Lagavulin, Talisker, Oban and Inchgower. Which, in my book, sounds a bit like some truffle, foie gras and lobster salad. They’ve also used several cask types. Colour: gold. Nose: I don’t know if they’ve used those malts in equal proportions, probably not in fact, but this is a very smoky nose for sure, with something very medicinal. We’re talking tinctures and mercurochrome. There’s also quite a lot of sherry, and one cannot not think (bang, double negations kill, S.) of Lagavulin’s latest Distiller’s Editions. I think there’s more and more smoked meat as well – in Cladach. With water: a little menthol, while Talisker seems to take a stronger lead. Mouth (neat): it’s clearly a peater while we’re rather going towards margarita as far as the other flavours are concerned. Tequila, grapefruit, salt, lime… One raisin for good measure, a touch of ginger and gentian. With water: an even bigger peater. I find it funny that many official tasting notes for actual peaters seem to describe much smoother and mellower spirits (according to this humble taster). Perhaps do they all hire the same taster/writer? Story short, I think this Cladach is much peatier than what they say in brochures, web pages and leaflets. Finish: long and more Caol-Ila-y this time. But why always try to find about the core ingredients? (and usually fail?) Comments: they were clearly going to achieve something with this one. SGP:466 - 88 points.