Lismore 21 Year

Tasting Notes

Evan’s Tasting Note (from the 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar)

Nose: Honeyed, nutty, and full of butterscotch notes, Caramilk bars, raisin tarts, Apple Jacks cereal, plus a touch of rum and eggnog.

Palate: Sponge toffee, fresh-pressed and unpasteurized apple juice, more rum and eggnog, banana chips, and a touch of clove.

Finish: Smooth and rich all the way down, with a touch of dryness on the fade.

Comment: The soft yet decadent style of this whisky makes it a smooth and easy drinker. Tasty stuff.

Andrew's Tasting Note - New Packaging - Lot 09 - 06 - 16

Nose: soft, floral, and creamy, with delicate fruits; melons, apricots, and peaches; parchment paper and tallow wax candles; honey, vanilla extract, and agave nectar.

Palate: soft, floral, and spicy, with more delicate fruits; still waxy, parchment paper and tallow wax; more honey and agave nectar sweetness with a touch of vanilla extract bitterness; the fruits remain in the melons and stone fruits column, with soft citrus to boot.

Finish: light, floral, and fruity with tangy fruits and crips spices.

Comment: similar, but different, this batch is floral with delicate fruit tones, but has much less of a sherry influence than previous batches; and what of the bottling code... has this been in bottle since 2016? still great value for a 21-year-old malt; anyone else want to see a cask strength version!?

Andrew's Tasting Note - 2021 - Lot 07-04-21

Nose: polished oak pews, brandy soaked cherries, Wine Gums and leather; goat's milk dark chocolate, candied nuts, and marzipan; fruity pipe tobacco, oranges, and sliced melons.

Palate: rich, fruity, and floral with a warm, buttery mouthfeel; still oaky, with more polished oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla bean; creme caramel and dulce de leche with mandarin orange and brandy-soaked cherries; more tobacco, dark chocolate, and leather to boot.

Finish: medium in length it coats the palate with warm spices, creamy vanilla and soft fruits.

Comment: not as sherried as the last batch I tasted, but more elegant and complex; the origins of this whisky are not entirely clear, though the brand is owned by a famous distillery on the Ballindalloch Estate!

Andrew's Tasting Note - 2018

Nose: stewed fruits, chocolate covered espresso beans, soft leather and plum pudding; cooked medjool dates with prune and grapefruit juices; some musty earthy tones and classic Christmas cake sherry tones.

Palate: round, fruity and chocolaty with building earthy sherry notes and spices; more milk-chocolate covered espresso beans, soft leather and musty old dunnage warehouse tones; nutty and a touch grassy; raisins, dates, figs and prunes with crisp spices: licorice, fennel and clove.

Finish: medium length with big coating sherry notes and drying fruity tannins; 

Comment: quite sherried, but not a sherry bomb; a lovely malt at a good price for its age; possibly from the Ballindalloch Estate!

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Delicate well-mannered whisky, freshly peeled green apple skin dipped into light, creamy chocolate sauce.

Palate: Balanced with stewed fruit, nuts, toffee and caramel all coming through in equal quantity to each other

Finish: Long finish that keeps on going giving off sherry aromas and that feeling of biting into a toffee apple sweet and that crunch of fresh fruit.

Origins: From the Highlands of Scotland