Sheep Dip Malt Whisky & Pig’s Nose Scotch Whisky Reviews

let’s begin

Sheep Dip and Pig’s Nose hail from the Spencerfield Spirit Company, which is owned by Ian Macleod

Spencerfield itself was started as a family business by Alex and Jane Nicol and is situated in the Firth of Forth.

They have been quite successful in their endeavours to create high quality Whisky, and have been met with accolades from top critics.

They are also wonderful at marketing their creations, capturing the audience’s interest with names such as Sheep Dip and Pig’s Nose.

Sheep Dip is humorously called after the liquid that is used to delouse sheep. It is a full-bodied blend made up of 16 Whiskies ranging from 8 to 21 years old.

Jim Murray, one of the Whisky industry’s most renowned critics, described it as “young and sprightly”.

It opens with a nose of soft toffee and floral notes. There is a lovely fruitiness to it, with juicy melon and peach coming out.

There is also a burst if apples and lemons that serve to give a lovely tang against the smooth toffee, which eventually melts into caramel.

The palate brings ina delicious, dull malted note that goes hand in hand with the caramel.

These are easy going and bright, with lots of character to them. the malt is full of cereal and nutty notes, making it deep and complex.

The caramel is gently drizzled over more citrus fruits, with a great orange zest coming through.

The finish lingers for a while and hesitates on caramel and butterscotch undertones before moving into the final stages of some big malt and citrus fruit flavours.

The just-as-interestingly-named Pig’s Nose, a play on the phrase smooth as a pig’s nose, is another wonderful malt to come out of Spencerfield, and it was created by the legendary Richard Patterson.

The nose opens with oats and barley. There are lots of cereal notes coming through, giving it a fresh and easy going vibe.

These aromas are joined by orchard fruits, such as apples and pears, as well as some citrus notes. The fruits add a mouth watering tang that bounces off the duller cereal notes.

On the palette, these flavours come together with a thick caramel drizzled over them. This caramel is rich and smooth, with a great sweetness to it.

It recalls the oak of the barrel, which brings some deeper, mellower tones to the dram. These go well with the cereal notes of the nose.

There is also a slightly salty tone to Pig’s Nose, with a little hint of seaside influence, especially in the oily and briny tones that appear.

The finish is strong on this dram, with lots of caramel sweetness and some more citrus fruits coming out.

You can watch my YouTube review below:

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Tags: Ian MacleodPig’s NoseSheep DipSpencerfield Spirit Company
Greg

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.

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