Alex Bruce from private bottlers Adelphi and the new Ardnamurchan Distillery presented a whisky masterclass at the Whisky Room in Surry Hills. The tasting featured five of the newest expressions from Adelphi including a preview of new make spirit from the Ardnamurchan Distillery.
Alex Bruce
Alex Bruce, Director of Adelphi Distillery was in Sydney after launching The Glover by Adelphi, the First Scottish-Japanese whisky which launched simultaneously in Aberdeen and Tokyo. Adelphi are one of the world’s highest regarded independent bottlers of whisky. The new expressions were all bottled in September 2015 and will soon be available in Australia.
New Adelphi Whisky Range
Below are the tasting notes:
Adelphi Glenborrodale Batch 1 8yo (46% ABV) is a blend of Bunnahaibhain, Macallan, Tamdhu and Highland Park along with some Glenrothes with each whisky matured in a single sherry cask.
Viscous in the glass and on the palate and bright gold in colour, the nose has peat smoke intermingled with fruit. The palate is a blend of peat amoke and dried fruit, toffee fudge, orange peel, leading to hints of chocolate. The finish is very long and warming, lingering with camp fire peat smoke and sherry notes. A most delicious and sessionable dram for any occasion.
Adelphi Fascadale Batch 9 Ardmore 14yo (46% ABV) comes from the Ardmore distillery which supplies the Teachers Blend. Chosen for its peaty character, Ardmore imparts campfire peatiness rather than an iodine style of peat. It is aged in sherry and bourbon casks
Rich fruit aromas with orange peel, vanilla with some peat in the background hint at a sweeter style of dram with ripe fruit, orange notes, some spice, vanilla and chocolate on the palate. The fruity sweetness, lingers with campfire smoke, ash and soot.
For Adelphi Liddesdale Batch 9 Bunnahabhain 21yo (46% ABV), the traditional mildy-peated Bunnahabhain was used before it was changed to a heavily peated style.
Nose: Chocolate, honeycomb, toffee and citrus aromas lead to fruity acidity in the mid palate, supported by sherry with cinnamon and clove, toffee and chocolate. A complex dram, layered thoughout but exhibiting less sherried notes with age.
Cask strength Adelphi Ben Nevis 1996 18yo (54.3% ABV) has been aged in 18 yo refill Spanish oak, ex-sherry butt. The nose starts a little dry and leads onto sweeter apricot jam notes. The palate is sweet with, jammy apricot notes and some orange peel, finishing with chocolate and a hint of oak.
Adelphi Longmorn 1992 23yo (54.4% ABV) is bottled from a refill American oak, ex-sherry hogshead. Rich gold in colour, sherry notes develop into sweetness with burnt sugar, spices with a soft chocolate and orange note finish.
The most anticipated spirit on taste was straight from the still of the new Ardnamurchan Distillery. The new distillery is located in Glenbeg, Scotland and is the most westerly mainland distillery. Ardnamurchan will be producing two signature styles of whisky, one peated and one unpeated to be matured in American and European oak, ex-sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon casks. The peated new make was abundant with fruit character, honey sweetness and a luscious creamy palate with hints of chilli pepper on the tongue.
The Adelphi masterclass with Alex Bruce was held on Saturday 31 October 2015 at the Whisky Room in Surry Hills.
Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
