Shenk’s Homestead 2024 Release

Shenk’s Homestead 2024 Release

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Dark amber
45.6% ABV

Dram

Nose: Honey, cream, yoghurt, vanilla, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, expands, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Brown paper, dried cherries, cream, honey, cinnamon, raisins, milk chocolate. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, brown paper, black tea, cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

Sweet and creamy, a little less complex than the 2023 version. There are some interesting dried cherries notes on the tongue, but this is an easy drinker, not taxing at all.

Verdict:

I like this.

Port Dundas 21yo 2000/2022

Port Dundas 21yo 2000/2022

Fragrant Drops, The Marble Cask Co
Single grain - South Highlands
Amber
62.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla ice cream, coconut cream, milk chocolate, nutmeg, raisins, honey. With water, oats, magic marker, sea salt, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, hot, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, milk chocolate, raisins, honey, desiccated coconut, oats, hints of white pepper. With water, oats, fresh baked bread, white pepper. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, milk chocolate, oats, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Cask 305291. Fudgy honey and ice cream, lots of cereal and a little salt. It’s luscious, but bottled at too high a strength. Port Dundas seems to come into its own around 20 years old, and the older bottles are starting to appear.

Verdict:

I like this.

Knockdhu 18yo

Knockdhu 18yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
58.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, honey, lemon zest, sarsaparilla, fresh cut grass, leather. With water, honey, fresh cut grass, vitamin C tablets. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, astringent, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, peat, smoke, germolene, vitamin C tablets, fresh cut grass, grapefruit. With water, leather, peat, grapefruit, germolene. 
Finish: Medium. Germolene, lemon zest, grapefruit, vitamin C tablets. 

Comments: 

Peated An Cnoc, it’s got a fruity bitterness that’s quite unusual. Grapefruit, honey, grassiness and a baking soda bitter note that reminds me of vitamin C tablets.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 157.2 (Warenghem 7yo 2016/2024)

SMWS 157.2 (Warenghem 7yo 2016/2024)

2024, SMWS
Single malt - Brittany
Amber
61.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, fresh cut grass, hay, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, hints of brown paper. With water, coffee, toffee, cinnamon, chillies. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, hot, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, cinnamon, black tea, hay, raisins, leather, toffee, hints of damson jam. With water, coffee, chocolate, toffee, cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, hay, brown paper, cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Very sweet and grassy, lots of cinnamon notes. These become more prominent with water, and combine with coffee and chocolate too. A very active cask, which obscures the best characteristics of the distillery though.

Verdict:

I like this.

Oban Private Cask 1989/2013

Oban Private Cask 1989/2013

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highlands 
Yellow bronze
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Aluminium foil, honey, lemon zest, wet stones, gooseberries, white grapes, smoke, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, cool, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Gooseberries, white grapes, winter melons, smoke, honey, wet stones, malted grains, dark chocolate, hints of peat. 
Finish: Medium. Leather, coffee, dark chocolate, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Minerally yet fruity, this has some age in it and good interaction with the cask. There’s plenty of chocolate bad coffee, especially on the finish. Very nice dram indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Oban 14yo 200th Anniversary Special Edition

Oban 14yo 200th Anniversary Special Edition 

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highlands
Yellow gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, pears, honey, white pepper, applesauce, cinnamon, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Pears, gooseberries, white grapes, malted grains, cinnamon, vanilla custard, smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, vanilla custard, white pepper, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

Fruity and intense, more intense than the regular Oban 14. Lots of custard notes, and the smoke is also more prominent. This is really great stuff, showcases the distillery character.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Peerless Small Batch Rye

Peerless Small Batch Rye

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber 
55.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cooked rice, brown paper, black pepper, tobacco leaf, honey, cloves, strawberry jam, hints of chocolate. With water, brown paper, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cocoa nibs, brown paper, cooked rice, strawberry jam, mint, vanilla, black pepper. With water, brown paper, cocoa nibs, black pepper, cloves. 
Finish: Medium. Cocoa nibs, mint, brown paper, cookie dough, cooked rice. 

Comments: 

Slightly unbalanced, lots of cereal and black pepper, as you’d expect from a rye whisky. But it’s not very sweet, there are some jammy notes but they’re buried deep.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 19.43 (Glen Garioch 19yo 1988/2008)

SMWS 19.43 (Glen Garioch 1988/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - East Highlands 
Golden, hints of pink
53.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, cream, candle wax, hay, fresh cut grass, camphor, hints of turmeric. With water, raisins, blueberry jam, honey, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, warm, astringent. 

Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Blueberry jam, hay, fresh cut grass, camphor, mustard, gooseberries, hints of cocoa nibs. With water, mustard, applesauce, blueberry jam, cinnamon, honey. 
Finish: Short. Camphor, candle wax, hay, gooseberries, applesauce, hints of cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

Creamy and herbal, and water brings out a lot of fruit. It’s got a bitterness on the tongue that is almost mouth puckering. It’s layered and complex though, with clear delineation between flavours. Very good whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Garioch 10yo Single Highland Malt

Glen Garioch 10yo Single Highland Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber gold

40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, hay, fresh cut grass, tobacco leaf, camphor, mustard, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, raisins, camphor, mustard, wet stones, hay, black tea, hints of cloves, hints of turmeric. 
Finish: Short. Wet stones, candle wax, black tea, hay, hints of turneric. 

Comments: 

An old official bottling from the 90s. It’s more intense than today’s OBs, tastes like there’s more older spirit in it.  The grassy herbal character is more evident here than in the current OBs too.

Verdict:

I like this.

Sullivan’s Cove 14yo 2006/2020 for 10th Anniversary of Casa de Vinos

Sullivan’s Cove 14yo 2006/2020 for 10th Anniversary of Casa de Vinos

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Copper 
56.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, leather, dried pears, dried pineapples, white tea, roses, kiwifruit, malted grains, hints of oats. With water, parchment, dried pears, kiwifruit. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Parchment, photocopy paper, dried pears, white tea, honey, malted grains, raisins, dried pears. With water, leather, dried pears, parchment, raisins. 
Finish: Long. Malted grains, cookie dough, honey, dried pears, raisins. 

Comments: 

A very doughy whisky, lots of feinty parchment paper notes, but it’s also laden with dried fruit and tannins. It’s gentle and rich though, not mouth puckering.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.