Straight-forward refill ex-bourbon maturation for this 9 year old Mannochmore. Juicy Oak & Vanilla profile.
Nose: A dual breakfast of Kellogg’s Special K and Honey Nut Loop. There’s tons of freshness to start the day with here (but please, no whisky before noon unless you’re on holiday) – milk drenched oatmeal scattered with bananas and kiwi fruits. Gooey golden honey with porridge oats - crispy pressed cotton sheets, and light as a feather vanilla puff pastries. The addition of water amplifies the bakery-led aromas, so more buns, swirls and rolled pastry.
Taste: Quite a weighty arrival with excellent mouthfeel. Still very much in the breakfast cereal arena – now with added Weetabix. Honey and coconut shavings come together with fizzing sherbet, green grapes and tart, under ripe apples. Water doesn’t alter the palate majorly – but it does emphasis pattiersie flavours further with walnut cupcakes and cinnamon buns.
Finish: Medium to long with a tingle of both cinnamon and pepper and a lovely progressive drying fade.
There’s a lot to like about this young Mannochmore. It manages to be fresh and vibrant, without feeling overly spirit or wood-laden. Well-judged maturation in ex-bourbon has served the distillate well, pronouncing fruitiness and cereals, without going down the more obvious route of an overabundance of vanillins. If you’re looking for a whisky to start a warm (or damn hot as the case might be) evening, this comes recommended.