The end of last month saw the next meeting of the Manchester Whisky Club held at The Castle in Manchester. Like previous meetings, a region of Scotland was the order of the day, with Campbeltown being the chosen. Club founder Andy brought with him 5 expressions, but like last month, set a challenge to the rest of the members and revealed the brand names at the end, so effectively a night of blind tastings. So without further a do, lets see how they all fared –
Kilkerran Work In Progress 5th Release – Bourbon Wood – 46%
Light and dry on the nose, with a very sharp, lingering citrus flavour on the palate that grows with hints of peat.

Hazelburn 12yr – 46%
Very aromatic on the nose with dry fruits, sherry and toffee coming through. A little spicy on the palate, with cocoa, coffee and a hint of peat nearing the finish. A long finish.
Springbank 12yr Cask Strength – Batch 5 – 53.1%
Soft with light sherry notes on the nose. Hints of fruit and vanilla come through too. Very sharp on the palate, it develops a very long citrus flavour that flows into a spice and fudge combination.
Glen Scotia 21yr – Single Cask, Cadenhead’s – 52.2%
Lots of dry sherry wood on the nose, flowing onto the palate, although livens up into a smooth finish.
Longrow Peated – 46%
Rich smoak on the nose, with bursts of leather making appearances. Very smooth on the palate, with a burst of smoke near the lingering dry finish.
A very diverse collection, with many of the expressions causing quite a discussion. Not the most well-known of the Scottish whisky areas, but with the recent resurgence in popularity, there are a fair few limited and exclusive bottlings available.
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