Review by: Raygun

Another of the group of new distilleries built in the 70s, 1971 in this case. Built by the predecessor of Diageo and now part of that conglomerate. Mannochmore is likely best known for the infamous Loch Dhu. Primarily goes to blends, but there’s a Flora and Fauna bottling and the occasional IB. I’ve had a grand total of one, but it was a pretty tasty one from Binny’s. Initially tasted blind, with additional notes after the reveal in italics. Thanks to Whiskery Turnip for the sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Mannochmore  

Bottler: Ultimate Whisky Company, Van Wees     

Region/style: Speyside single malt whisky

ABV: 54.4% 

Age: Eleven years. Distilled on April 27, 2007 and bottled on January 18, 2019. 

Cask type: Hogshead #6682, 279 bottles

Color: 0.2 pale straw. Natural color and chill-filtered.

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Nose: Smells like a nice malty Scotch. The color suggested little cask influence and there’s not a lot of oak to be found. Caramel, cereal (with a touch of frosting), and some mild citrus. A tad more frosting maybe, but not much new here. 

Palate: I like this. Sweeter here, with more frosting on the cereal. Get some pear now, like a pear tart. Lots of caramel. Some more oak than I picked up on the nose. There’s a little spice now. Cardamom mainly, with a dash of nutmeg. Some orange and lemon join the pear.

Finish: Not much heat, but has a nice mouthfeel. Pear and caramel tart sprinkled with the same spices. Gets somewhat tannic; now I think it’s older than it initially appeared. The cereal is still present.

Guess: Bourbon cask Scotch, that much I’m sure of. It does taste pretty familiar, with aspects that remind me of Clynelish and Dailuaine, even Glenlossie. Could be Speyside, could be Highlands. About 14 years and 46%. Maybe a Signatory bottling? 

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Post-reveal thoughts: I continue to be way off on ABV. Not sure what’s going on there. Overestimated age a little, but at least reasonably close. In the right general area, and it was a Diageo distillery, though not the ones I thought of. Considering Mannochmore shares a site with Glenlossie, that was fairly close. Could have done worse. 

Conclusion: It’s a pretty anonymous Speyside. Not a whole lot of personality, to be honest. Drinkable, but easily forgotten. Certainly not in the class with that Binny’s SV pick. More the sort of thing to sip on while watching a movie than something you want to focus on closely.

Score: 74

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)