Whisky Review: Provenance Mannochmore 14 Year 1999/2013

Mannochmore is another one of Diageo's semi-anonymous distilleries, little known except through its Flora & Fauna release and independent bottlers. The exception comes in the form of Loch Dhu, which is rightly infamous as some of the worst whisky ever released upon the world.

This whisky was distilled in 1999, filled into what I assume was a refill ex-bourbon hogshead, then bottled in 2013 at 46% without coloring or chill filtration.

I purchased this sample from Dramtime, who have (at the time of writing) both samples and full bottles.

Provenance Mannochmore 14 Year 1999/2013 Cask #9766

Nose: pleasantly malty with honey, floral mint, licorice, lemon/orange peel, and just a touch of peat. After adding a few drops of water the aromas almost completely shut down with only some dry malt and a bit of peat left.

Taste: lots of syrupy malty sweetness up front, becomes bittersweet around the middle with floral, herbal, and very light but perceptible peat, almost no oak at all. After dilution the sweetness is initially replaced by a sort of malty tartness and a bit of oak comes out at the back.

Finish: gentle malt sweetness, long lasting herbal notes, very light oak providing some roundness

This is a pretty generic Speyside malt from an Nth fill ex-bourbon cask. Nothing to write home about, but perfectly serviceable. Unless you add water, in which case it all falls apart. I wish the peat had been a little more aggressive because that could have added some interest, but as is you have to go hunting to find it. Overall I would say this is a fine cask that could provide a solid base for further blending, but it's nothing I need to have more of.