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| The Queen with a pint of Spey Royal Choice single malt whisky. Or beer, we're not quite sure which. |
It’s rushing
towards the end of the week and despite the seasons taking a very clear turn
from summer into autumn the sun has crept out again to warm our backs here at
Caskstrength HQ.
With an early
start this morning to send off some bits of work and generally get our house in
order for the weeks ahead, we find ourselves with a rare moment of calm; a
peaceful oasis in the middle of a busy few weeks.
So while we have this comma
in the middle of a long sentence, it gives us a chance to pick a sample off our
review table and write a brief post on something that, quite frankly, probably
should have been reviewed a while ago. Thanks goodness this isn’t a film blog,
or some of the samples on our ‘To Be Reviewed’ list would have gone from the
cinema, to DVD, to Netflix and then Channel 4 already...
The stand out
offering on our table of drams is a rather unusual one; a quite majestic bottle
from the Speyside Distillery. Bottled in limited quantities, it simply known as Spey Royal Choice and is only available for purchase at Historic Royal Palaces,
which includes the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House,
Kensington Palace and Kew Palace.
Having decamped
from my Central London apartment to the Royal Borough of Windsor late last
year, I’m a little put out that this isn’t available at Windsor Castle (which
does stock their own selection of wines and spirits), but the idea appealed to
me nonetheless.
The Speyside
Distillery is a distillery that you don’t see a whole lot of malt from. Only
starting production in 1990, it took from the early 1960’s to lay all the
stones and install the stills. The bottle itself comes in a huge wooden and
leather box, with a certificate of authenticity. Not styled to my taste, to be
honest... but then their focus seems to be on the Asian market with a new
partnership with ex-footballer Michael Owen, announced earlier in the year to
promote their products in the Far East.
Royal Choice - Spey from The Speyside
Distillery – Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Bottle No. 92 of 3194 bottles. 46% abv - £150.00
Nose: The initial aroma on this screams
youth, with some light notes of honey nut cornflakes and vanilla and rose petal
marshmallow. Some ginger and herbal notes (green veg steamed) develop into oaty
creaminess (think porridge with whisky on top).
Palate: A world away from the nose,
which isn’t too inviting, this does give some honey, heather and ripe banana
notes. It isn’t overly complex or powerful, and isn’t trying to be too clever.
Rather large and mouthfilling, after the honey the herbaceous notes attack
giving it a rather oaky tone. A pretty simple whisky but at least the palate
isn’t following in the footsteps of the nose.
Finish: More herbs, honey and delicate
spices (cinnamon/nutmeg) but a slightly bitter after taste.
Overall: This whisky feels youthful and
over coloured. The construction has probably done the best it can using the
whiskies available, but this might have been better as a blend and not a single
malt. Not adventurous enough for me, this sits on the fence from a flavour
perspective.
Time to move on, and move on quickly, we think.