Blind tastings are always a lot of fun, and they’re also a really nice way to try things you might not normally try, and without the preconceptions of marketing and bottle details.

I was, therefore, very pleased to be invited by Brian from Brian’s Malt Musings to take part in one of his monthly Blind Drams events. Here someone picks five drams and bottles them up and posts them to people to try together on Twitter (and optional Google Meet), completely blind. The drams are then scored, and then there is the big reveal.

I will start by posting my nosing and tasting notes, along with my score, before the big reveal of the whiskies tasted at the end. No skipping ahead!

The theme of the night was “Imposter”, which was a nice tease as to what that meant.

Dram 1

Nose: Straight away I got Foam Bananas. Orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon, definitely some ground coriander. A little coffee? After a while Ribena. Much later on when returning to some of the drams I got stacks of basil.

Palate: Wow that’s potent. High ABV. Lots of cayenne. Sweet, but mellow too. lots of char. Blackcurrants. Cinnamon spice too.

Adding water: Nose really mellows. Vanilla fudge, Doesn’t reduce the spice on palate though. Sweet spice, dates, still bitter char, butterscotch. Cinnamon.

Finish: That finish is loooooong. Still going here. Spice and sweetness.

My score: 4/5

Dram 2

Nose: Aniseed balls, sage and thyme. Struggling a little with this. Starting to get hay now as it rests more. Cola sweets!

Palate: Pepper spice, but quite one dimensional for me. Sweetness is there with a charred bitterness. Greengage jam pops through with a sour hit.

Adding water: Not much more on the nose. That slightly sour note comes through a bit more. It’s a LOT spicier.

My score: 1/5

Dram 3

Nose: Vanilla fudge, nutmeg, cinnamon, maybe a little pinot grigio? There’s a really sharp and fresh note as the heady spices cut away.

Palate: Very dry initially. Quite oaky. There is an underlying sweetness but the oak really cuts over it. Quite a bit of orange peel. Popping candy.

Adding water: Not a good idea. Very flat and oaky.

My score: 0/5

Dram 4

Nose: Really nice colour here. Slightly pink. Sea salt, redcurrants, quite potent. Rosewater, maybe a little cardamom. As it develops it starts to remind me of Kunefe.

Palate: Plums, chilli spice, almonds, sweet but drying. A bit funky. Definitely salty.

My score: 2/5

Dram 5

Nose: Frazzles straight away! Smoky (not islay, bonfire smoke), salty, meaty. Citrus cutting through as well. Jerk seasoning? Lemon juice on bbq’d meat.

Palate: High ABV. It’s tickling the filthometer. Sweet and rich with a musty, smoky bonfire note.

Adding water: The salty meats are lighter, but the spice comes through along with quince jelly. It’s like a Mediterranean charcuterie board.

My score: 5/5

The big reveal!

Dram 1 was a Tomatin Distillery Exclusive Virgin Oak Cask @ 61.8% ABV

Dram 2 was a Glenlivet Distillery Exclusive Batch NAS (£40!!!) @ 61.4% ABV

Dram 3 was a Glen Moray 2006 15yo Single Cask #6008523 (Madeira) @ 53.9% ABV

Dram 4 was a Glenallachie 2012 9yo Single Cask #804369 (Red wine) @ 60.06% ABV

Dram 5 was a Glen Moray 2010 Single Cask #99916 (Peated PX) @ 55.9% ABV