Pigs Nose & Sheep Dip
Well that got your attention.
They sound like something that you do to the geeky kids at school but these two are actually a couple of really nice blended scotch whiskys. Wadebridge Wines kindly sent me a couple of sample bottles recently with a view to replacing Bailie-Nicol- Jarvie which has served me well for the past year or two.
The two sample bottles I had weren’t very photogenic and I didn’t have my camera anyway so you’ll have to make do with this fancy rip-off.
The two siblings come from the Spencerfield Spirit company, based on the Spencerfield farm in Fife which in itself is impressive since the farm is nearly 500 years old! The farm is surrounded by barley fields and live animals complete the panorama.
Pig’s Nose is the cheaper of the two but still contains a high quantity of superior malt whisky. Spencerfield HQ describe it as being ‘perfect for weekdays but too good for the Christmas cake’, which I think is a honest and accurate statement. On the nose we found toffee and caramelised pear but an overall softness and elegance, which incidentally is where the name comes from - softer than a pig’s nose. Tasting revealed typically mild Lowland qualities despite this being a blend of all four regions. All together very good and very drinkable.
Sheep Dip thankfully tastes a lot better than it sounds! The name comes from British farmers who used to hide their whisky in barrels marked ‘Sheep Dip’. This fresh blend is comprised entirely of 8-12yo single malt whiskys and on the nose shows stunning Speyside qualities with a sherry edge present. I also got a lot of spice in the aroma, earthy spices such as cardamon, pepper and cumin. The taste is much fresher than its younger sibling, lively in the mouth but with a good body too.
So there you have it, two great whiskys at a good price too, both will be sitting on my spirit shelf shortly.
