What is this taste?

thommes

I have drank scotch for a number of years, mostly blended. In the last year, I've moved on to single malts. I've been buying a bottle here and there trying out different distilleries. I found a bar (pub) that had Glenlivet Founder's Reserve and shared a glass with a friend who is literally just starting to drink scotch, as in her second glass. She liked it and said it tasted like a white wine. To me, the scotch did have a distinct wine taste which was a bit displeasing to me. Today I bought a bottle of Speyburn 10. Tasting it, I once more tasted a distinct wine taste. I look up the scotch and found it was aged in sherry casks. To my knowledge, I don't believe I've had a single malt that was aged in sherry casks, and figured this sherry flavor was what I was not appreciating in scotch. I looked up the Glenlivet Founder's Reserve and found that this scotch is aged in oak! No sherry. So now I'm wondering from where the dry white wine flavor is emanating?

On a positive note, just recently I've been able to start smelling the various wonderful aromas from scotch whisky. As I watch various videos on scotch, I will drink the scotch if I have it and try to pull out the various aromas that the reviewer is smelling. Up to a week ago, it was difficult for me to distinguish different smells.

bedlamborn

@thommesIt It may be that you are picking up the citrus note of certain distilleries that has such as Balblair and younger Macallan. Because this citrus note is also present in many white wines.

horst_s_2

@thommes
There are many different influences on the taste of whisky. 1st the yeast strain and the duration of the fermentation. The longer it takes, the more fruitiness will be taste-able.

2nd the type of cask. Sherry casks deliver the Sherry taste and nuttiness. Normal American White Oak casks deliver coconut, vanilla and caramel.

3rd the duration of the maturation. The older the whisky is, the more oxidization takes place and the darker the fruits will be.

thommes

@horst_s
Thanks for the reply horst. That's what surprises me about the Glenlivet Founder's Reserve. It has a dry white wine taste to me, as does the Speyburn. The Speyburn was aged in sherry casks but there was no mention of that with the GFR. Do you know what might be in the GFR that I could be perceiving as a dry white wine taste? 

thommes

@bedlamborn

Thanks for the reply. I will check the Glenlivet to see what fruits may be in it. I perceive a distinct dryness to the Founder's Reserve as with white wine. I'm not a big fan of white wine in case you can't tell. I've been enjoying every scotch that I've tried so far, some more than others. My purpose of figuring out what's generating this taste is to avoid similar scotch's.

When I first tried the GFR I thought maybe it was the age. Maybe the scotch hadn't matured and I've been drinking 12 year and up. However, when I tried that Speyburn, I started questioning the age being what was generating that taste.

[Deleted User]

@thommes

I don't think you would be getting much sherry influence in the Speyburn 10. It is almost entirely bourbon cask matured. A good test might be to try a dram of Glenmorangie 10 year old, which is matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks. If you pick up the white wine note in the Glenmorangie, perhaps your palate perceives something from ex-bourbon cask maturation as the wine note, or it could just be that your palate is not yet "calibrated" to single malts after being a long-time blend drinker.

thommes

@Carlton

Where did you find out that Speyburn 10 is matured almost entirely in bourbon casks? The website says both bourbon and sherry casks.

I'll look for Glenmorangie 10 and try it. I'm sure that my palate hasn't gotten used to single malts. I have much to learn which is why I'm asking what might be causing certain flavors. I'm sure I'll be asking many more of this type of question on my journey. I haven't given up blended malts either.

[Deleted User]

@thommes

I have read that almost all of Speyburn's production that is matured on-site (the whisky intended for bottling as single malt) goes into ex-bourbon casks. I recently finished a bottle of the 10 year old, and it had no discernible sherry influence. They likely mix in a very small amount of sherry-matured whisky just so they can say it is matured in bourbon and sherry casks.

Have fun on your journey of discovering single malts. Like you, I enjoy a good blended malt or blend, and I always have one in my open bottle rotation. Single malts and blends don't have to be mutually exclusive, although they are often presented that way.

thommes

@Carlton

I had the opportunity to try the Glenmorangie last night. The dry white wine taste that I perceive from the Speyburn was not present in the Glenmorangie.  In fact, I quite enjoyed the Glenmorangie. I can understand why its one of Scotland's favorite. I'll certainly pick up a bottle.

I've also had the chance to try a Monkey Shoulder which I have no problem with at all.  I would have added it to my buy list but I received a bottle of it last night as a bday gift. 

Since I haven't had it and it's one of the best selling in the USA, I also tried the Glenlivet 12. Didn't hate it, I would drink it, I'll eventually buy a bottle to have on hand, but I'm not sure what makes this the best selling in the States. 

Sorry for bringing up a blended malt in a single malt thread, but I also had Spice Tree by Compass Box. Interesting situation. A blended malt from a non distillery. What are they calling it? An artisan scotch? I approve. I'd love to find a bottle in the original packaging and then another one to drink.

So that brings it back to the dry white wine taste. I've only perceived the taste so far in the Glenfiddich Founder's Reserve and the Speyburn 10. Guess I'm just going to have to keep trying new scotches until I find another scotch that has the same taste. LOL.

[Deleted User]

@thommes

Glad you liked the Glenmorangie, although you didn't make any progress in identifying your white wine note. You know, it could just be something specific to Speyburn that your palate perceives as a white wine note.

By the way, The Spice Tree is approximately 60% Clynelish, 20% Dailuaine, and 20% Teaninich, and it is finished in barrels with new French oak heads for about two years. It is a good example, without being overwhelming, of the influence of European oak on a whisky. I had a bottle and enjoyed it very much. Since you liked it, that might bode well for you liking a single malt with some European oak in the mix.

Slàinte_Mhath

@thommes

What you refer to as 'wine taste' might simply be cask influence - especially refill casks (3rd or 4th fill) that tend to release a lot of tannins. My palate doesn't like dry whiskies, which often reminds my of dry white wine. The reason you notice it in some whiskies, but not in others might be due to cask quality. Neither Glenlivet NAS nor Speyburn 10 use high quality casks, as they are rather cheap malts. Hence the reason your palate might be sensitive to tannins released from 'old' refill casks.

It's just a guess but maybe it helps you calibrating your palate?