The Tweeddale Blend Tweet Tasting was a lovely event and my first exposure to this historic blend. After tasting the whiskies on offer it certainly won’t be my last foray into Tweeddale and I can’t wait to see how the blend shifts and changes over the next couple of iterations. All of the spirits on offer were enjoyable but I’ve picked out two of my highlights from the night; Batches 2 and 3. For me, they just had something about them that excited me. They are definitely my sort of whisky and I’d happily have a bottle of each at home.

A Tweet Tasting line up

Tweeddale Blend Batch 2 [46%]
A very well balanced dram made up of whiskies aged between 12 and 21 years. This blend also contains a 15 year old grain whisky from a sherry butt.
Nose: Apples, autumnal fruits, leathery and woody. We also found some pomegranate, banana and kiwi
Palate: Love the influence the increased maturation has had on the whisky – full of banana, vanilla, and refresher sweets
Finish: Long and sweet. The fruit disappears to be replaced by the candied refresher notes

Tweeddale Blend Batch 3 [46%]
Seven of the malts in this blend are those found in earlier batches; they are just a year older. The grain however is an 18 year old from sherry butts. Interestingly the youngest whisky in the blend is 13 years old, but it is sold as a 12 year old in Canada! Only 300 bottles were allocated to the UK.
Nose: Darker and earthier than the earlier batches in the series; but then the familiar fruitier notes kick in. Very grassy and farmyardy. Great influence from the sherry
Palate: Surprisingly juicy – very orangey before the heat moves in. A good touch of gingerbread and victoria sponge
Finish: Like a hard boiled sweet you can taste it for hours. Very sugary

Ready to sample!

The Milroy’s event was another evening of new and interesting whiskies. It was also a night of suprises as my favourite two whiskies were Dutch; I’ve not tried Dutch whisky before and the two below were a revelation. Overall it was a delightful session of dramming and I’d recommend that you check out Milroy’s range of whiskies for yourself.

Milroy’s Single Cask Zuidam Dutch Rye [46%]
This was my highlight of the Milroys Tweet Tasting. A really cracking whisky with strong Rye notes and a lovely depth to it. Retailing at £40 this whisky is a bit of a bargain.
Nose: A big blast of coffee and chocolate mixed in with some coconut (think Bounty Bars and you’re almost there). Finally a hit of slightly tempered freshly glossed wood
Palate: Gentle to begin with, before cardamon and curry leaves seep through. A bit of varnish before some lovely meaty slow cooked pulled pork delights the mouth
Finish: Very long, with a helping of Extra Strong Mints

Millstone 14 1999 [46%]
A great whisky for this time of year – its one to get of as the nights continue to draw in and it becomes even colder outside. Alternatively consider it as an ‘out of the box’ choice for Christmas Day!
Nose: Very dark and mysterious – much like an over-alchoholic Christmas pudding. Very spicy and lots of stewed fruits
Palate: Big flavours to begin with. Quite grassy and very hot on the tongue. Reminds me of a very good sticky toffee pudding
Finish: Long and pungent

Thanks again go to Steve Rush of The Whisky Wire, and keep an eye on the blog as we’re involved in some more tastings in the run up to Christmas!