November Deals of the Month – Appleton and Glenkinchie

It’s the first week of November, which means it’s time for a new Spirit and Malt of the Month! And this time we’re going big.

First up is one of the most popular well-aged rums that we have – Appleton Estate 21 Year Old. Made in Jamaica on the eponymous estate, it’s a rich and complex sipping rum that pairs up perfectly with the autumn weather. Normally £140 a bottle, we’re knocking £41 off for the whole of November – that’s a discount of almost 30%.

Stu’s a big fan, so I asked nicely and he forced himself to try it again and write some tasting notes:

APPLETON ESTATE 21 YEAR OLD RUM, 43% ABV

Tasting notes by Stuart P

Nose: Rich, ripe nose with aromas of baked dried fruits, stem ginger, Christmas-cake spices and sweet pastry dough. A little barley sugar in there, too, along with fresh leather and cigar leaf.

Palate: Big, generous flavours of sugar cane, cinnamon, sweet dried fruit and barrel char. The mouthfeel is soft and sweet with rich spices, balanced by firmer leather and tobacco notes.

Finish: Sweet and spicy, with the ginger and cinnamon notes lasting longest.

Comment: An exceptional sipping rum, this needs time to contemplate and enjoy. A perfect balance between sweet and savoury.

Our Malt of the Month has been chosen in celebration of the newly arrived Diageo Special Releases 2015. We’ve found a few bottles of 20-year-old Glenkinchie 1990 from the 2010 Special Releases and have chopped £46 off the price – it’s also £99 for the whole of November, a discount of more than 30%.

GLENKINCHIE 1990 20 YEAR OLD, 55.1% ABV

Tasting notes by Stuart P

Nose: Sumptuous honeyed fruit – peaches and melons – plus floral and grassy-meadow touches, then a big hit of cloves and black pepper, with a touch of vanilla.

Palate: So spicy! Szechuan pepper and clove, along with rich dried fruit, plus refreshing melon and fig notes. Too much water ruins this dram; a couple of drops is ideal.

Finish: Warming, with the spicy fruit lingering.

Comment: If you think Lowland whiskies are all gentle, grassy drams, think again. This is an intense single malt, with bags of fruit and spice with concentrated flavours.

These great November deals will run until the end of the month, when they will be replaced by some super-special seasonal deals. Stay tuned for more details…