Clynelish 15 yo 1992/2007 Cask Strength

Clynelish 15 yo 1992/2007 cask strength

From the cask, The Whisky Exchange
Single malt - North Highlands
Golden
57.9% ABV
Mini

Nose: Sweet toffee. Toasty, biscuity notes. Burning paper and woodsmoke. Big prickle from the alcohol, not surprising at this strength.
Mouthfeel: Thick and full, heavy bodied. Expands in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet and rich. Ginger biscuits, wheat beer, spiced apple. Waves of hot honey. Corn on the cob.
Finish: Long and very warm. Fig jam on rye toast. Fades very slowly.

Comments:

This is an identical whisky to Specialty Drinks Ltd's Single Malts of Scotland bottling (Clynelish 15 yo 1992/2007, 46%, bottled September 2007). This expression is of course at cask strength, directly from a sale cask at the Whisky Exchange in Vinopolis. The whisky was aged in refill bourbon casks (cask #1617). Tastes great wherever it came from - I keep thinking "jam sandwich" every time I drink this. All manner of sweet delicious things in it.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Tomintoul 10 yo

Tomintoul 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: White wine, chardonnay grapes, bananas, oak, malt, grass after rain.
Mouthfeel:Thin, light body, refreshing.
Tasting: Sour. Corn mash, malty, clay, cornflakes, pumpernickel, rye.
Finish: Short. Sharp, citrus fruit.

Comments:

Light and winey, doesn't really taste 40% at all. Tastes like a Lowlands whisky. This is their flagship bottling; they also have a peated version that was apparently experimental. That would probably taste quite strange.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Bunnahabhain 27 yo 1978/2006

Bunnahabhain 27 yo 1978/2006

Signatory Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Islay
Orange gold honey
55.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Burnt sugar, walnuts, sea salt, dried fruit, hint of driftwood smoke.
Mouthfeel: Thick, heavy body, a little foamy.
Tasting: Sweet. Toffee, papaya, lime, tangy, fermented fruit, malt.
Finish: Long. Sweet, hint of seaweed, hint of fresh cut grass.

Comments:

Refill butt 2541, 483 bottles. Sherry casked? Kindly shared by FM (his birthday whisky). I like the combination of fruit, peat and smoke. I like the papaya and lime, reminds me of days spent munching on papayas from the tree in the garden (although I only found out about squeezing lime on later).

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Scapa 14 yo

Scapa 14 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands (Orkney)
Straw gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sea salt, lavender, wet stones, pineapple, hint of citrus.
Mouthfeel: Syrupy, thick, not heavy. Medium body.
Tasting: Salty sour. Tangy, sweet pineapple, beefsteak tomatoes, salt caramel, malty, clay.
Finish: Medium. Salty, seaweed, nori, something sweet.

Comments:

More maritime, saltier and less fruity than the younger expression (but with the same pineappley notes). Feels more luxurious somehow, yet this isn't reflected in the price! I believe this is going to be the flagship official expression from the distillery, and they are going to discontinue the younger one.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kilchoman New Make Spirit

Kilchoman New Make Spirit

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Very very pale gold
63.5% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Peat, hay, fresh cut grass, dates underneath.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Fish sauce, tangerines, dried citrus peel, butterscotch.
Finish: Long. Hot, peaty, smoky, hint of sweet pear.

Comments:

Wow. Strong and tasty, best way to enjoy whisky. This is new make spirit, not yet aged 3 years, and therefore can't be termed whisky officially. It's the way people used to drink it anyway (maybe diluted with a little water - this stuff needs a little to bring out the butterscotch note more), before they discovered that if you stuck the stuff in wood it would taste more interesting. However, this tastes interesting enough - I can't wait for the real wood-aged stuff to appear. Kilchoman must be one hell of a distillery.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

An Cnoc 12 yo

An Cnoc 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Oak, boiled carrots, apples, broccoli, hay, grass.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly syrupy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Minty, baked potato, dried fruits, grass, spring flowers.
Finish: Short. Oaky, lemons, peanuts, starchy.

Comments:

The starch and the oak don't make for a very interesting combination. The floral notes and the fruit don't quite help out enough. I do like vegetal flavours in my whisky, but they don't meld very well with the other flavours here. A little too one-dimensional - the oak dominates. Still an acceptable dram, just doesn't reach the heights others have.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Rosebank 17 yo 1990/2007 Cask Strength

Rosebank 17 yo 1990/2007 Cask Strength

From the cask, the Whisky Exchange
Single malt - Lowlands
Straw gold
55.2% ABV
Mini

Nose: Spring grass, lemons, fresh orange juice, not the peel. Rhubarb and custard sweets. Slightly medicinal from the high ABV.
Mouthfeel: Light body. Evaporates quickly. Like getting poked in the mouth.
Tasting: Salty sweet. Jam doughnuts, lemon curd on toast. Magic marker and pear drop lurking underneath.
Finish: Medium length and warm. Something sweet and spicy, like mulled wine (although that's not very summery). Fades to sweet.

Comments:

This is identical to a whisky sold by Specialty Drinks Ltd as part of their Single Malts of Scotland range (Rosebank 16 yo 1990/2007) but at cask strength of course. I bought this from the sales cask at the Whisky Exchange. First taste of Rosebank, and I really enjoy the light, summery, "brassy" character.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Glenfarclas 10 yo

Glenfarclas 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber, tinge of pink
43% ABV
Mini

Nose: Sherry sweet, clotted cream and fresh milk, oranges and dried apricots. A little oak underneath.
Mouthfeel: Watery. Very liquid but not thin.
Tasting: Sweet. Big hit of spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Strawberry jam, vanilla cream, tannin. Cream tea!
Finish: Medium to long. Loses intensity quickly, but hangs around. Spice cake and orange peel.

Comments:

Cream tea whisky. Milky sweet notes, very enjoyable. This is Glenfarclas's flagship official bottling. If it's this spicy at this strength, the cask strength and Family Cask bottlings must be very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bruichladdich 15 yo

Bruichladdich 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Pale straw
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Oak, raisins, lemons, pine, hint of soap, hint of perfume.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy.
Tasting: Sweet. Pungent, apples, butter, green apples, lemon tart, chillies, red peppers.
Finish: Long. Chillies, wasabi peanuts, warm.

Comments:

Lots of stuff going on - like being in the middle of some fireworks going off. Green apples are an interesting flavour component. This bottling just goes to show how fast the world of whisky changes - it's been discontinued! Bruichladdich has brought in a limited edition series of 15 yo bottlings themed around golf, and some no-age statement bottlings themed around flavours - Peat, Rocks, and so on.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macallan 18 yo 1989/2007 Cask Strength

Macallan 18 yo 1989/2007 Cask Strength

From the cask, the Whisky Shop
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
55% ABV
Mini

Nose: Oak, wine, sherry, oranges, honey, hint of candied ginger.
Mouthfeel:Heavy body, thick, full.
Tasting: Sweet. Toffee, tangy, honey, pine, paper, orange peel, cherry syrup.
Finish: Long. Hint of smoke, sweet caramel fudge.

Comments:

This was a present from mum and dad. Pretty good, more dimension of flavour than I normally find in Macallan. Very Christmas pudding. Macallan is much better at a higher strength; I do think that 40% is too weak for many whiskies.

Verdict:

I like this.

Monkey Shoulder

Monkey Shoulder

William Grant & Sons
Vatted malt - Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Kininvie
Amber gold
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Oak and sherry. Pear beer, plum brandy, oranges and cinnamon. Buttery notes underneath.
Mouthfeel: Medium body. Watery around the edges.
Taste: Tangy at the edges. Slightly salty. Coconut, raspberries, heather honey, bananas. Citrus notes.
Finish: Long. Lemons and oranges. Turns iodine and medicinal at the end.

Comments:

Vatted from Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Kininvie. The orange is the Balvenie, pear beer the Glenfiddich. Maybe the Kininvie is the plums (or bananas?). Anyhow, it's quite funny that monkeys would like to drink banana flavoured whisky (actually, it's named after a condition that distillery workers used to get after turning the malted barley one time too many). Pretty tasty, although the whisky is meant for making cocktails...

Verdict:

I like this.

Scapa 12 yo

Scapa 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands (Orkney)
Straw gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Citrus, grapefruit, coconut, chocolate, fresh cut grass, hint of pineapple.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick. Sits in a little ball on the tongue.
Tasting: Salty. Tangy, coconut, chocolate, Bounty Bar, raisins, apricots, hint of peat.
Finish: Long. Chocolate, oranges, pomeloes, grapefruit, lemon.

Comments:

Great mouthfeel, very pleasantly fruity finish. Shame this distillery didn't really produce whisky for years. The younger official expression is very much like a cross between a Bounty Bar and a Cadbury Fruit and Nut on steroids.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glengoyne 17 yo

Glengoyne 17 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - South Highlands
Orange honey gold
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Chocolate covered raisins, dark chocolate and oak. Grapes and apricots. Some faint minty, grassy notes.
Mouthfeel: Thick and viscous. Heavy body.
Taste: Sweet, winey and rich. Chocolate and grappa. Sweet, juicy California raisins.
Finish: Medium length, salty and sweet. Coffee and toast. Chocolate bonbons.

Comments:

Excellent whisky - the oak influence has combined well with the chocolate flavours. Reminds me of Christmas. This is a dessert whisky in any case, best had with something sweet. And Maltesers won't do either. It's got to be Christmas pudding.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Balvenie 12 yo DoubleWood

Balvenie 12 yo DoubleWood

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber, tinge of pink
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Oak, sherry, then lots and lots of oranges (peel, marmalade, juice etc).

Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands in the mouth, turns watery.
Taste: Sweet sour. Vanilla, toffee, honey, lavender and something very like raspberries.
Finish: Medium to long in length, faint but lingering, peanuts and burnt sugar.

Comments:

This whisky has been matured for most of its 12 years in bourbon casks, then transferred into sherry casks for about 2 years after that. I found this quite pleasant drinking, although there was almost too much orange in the nose. In the mouth there were more things to enjoy, and I liked the caramelly finish. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teacher's Highland Cream

Teacher's Highland Cream

Fortune Brands
Blended malt
Amber
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Medicinal antiseptic, iodine, listerine, smoke, hint of pear drops, hint of magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, syrupy, milky, rollable.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peat, bread, cereal, buttered rye toast.
Finish: Short. Bitter, malty, oak.

Comments:

Great fun with the mouthfeel - each mouthful can be rolled around the tongue for ages. Excellent buttery, bready, cereally notes in the tasting, but the finish is something of a letdown. Nice to play with, but drinking is just okay.

Verdict:

I like this.

Edradour 10 yo

Edradour 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Straw
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Chocolate covered raisins, minty Kendal cake, hint of coffee, blackcurrant underneath.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly syrupy.
Tasting: Sour. Tangy, lemon, mint, grassy.
Finish: Short. Raisins, blackcurrant, dark chocolate.

Comments:

Oddly refreshing - it's like having a mint and a lemon sweet together. The whisky freshens the mouth, despite not being as light as say a Lowlands would be. Quite happy with this, and I wish the independent bottlings were cheaper.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lagavulin 16 yo

Lagavulin 16 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber gold
43% ABV
Mini

Nose: Smoke, peat, heather honey, salt, iodine, hint of apricots.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, watery around the edges.
Tasting: Salty sour. Intense smoke, intense peat, lemon, hints of sherry, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Long. Sherry, vanilla, fades to smoke.

Comments:

Lovely smoke. I can taste a glimmer of Port Ellen in this (without the fish of course), but it stands on its own feet. Sweet fruity notes in the taste and finish add to the fun. Great, great flagship bottling. The Scandinavians like this, and so do I.

Verdict:

I like this.

Chivas Regal 12 yo

Chivas Regal 12 yo

Pernod Ricard
Blended malt
Straw
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Prunes, toffee, armagnac, raisins, heather honey, hint of peat.
Mouthfeel: Thin, light body, wetting.
Tasting: Bitter. Coffee, raisins, chocolate, malt, oats, honey.
Finish: Medium. Tabasco sauce, bitter, malty, slightly sour.

Comments:

Pretty tasty blend - I especially like the way it has a tang of brandy, something I associate with decent armagnac, in the nose. Nice oaky raisins in the tasting, and a surprising spicy finish. Definitely a decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera Reserve

Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Dark honey
40% ABV
Mini

Nose: Cherry blossom, pears, apples, hint of orange, vanilla underneath.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium body, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Pears, cheddar, malted barley, hint of honey.
Finish: Short Sweet, grapefruit, sour and bitter at the end.

Comments:

Aged for 15 years in oak then transferred to a solera aging system (a series of barrels where the spirit is transferred along to the next sequential barrel every time some is bottled). Lots of pear flavour, but I think the solera system have resulted in this spirit being much older than the age statement. There's almost too much oak in it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Maker's Mark (Burks')

Maker's Mark (Burks')

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple sours, coffee, chocolate, caramel.
Mouthfeel: Light body. Watery, smooth, thin around the edges.
Tasting: Sour bitter. Bubble gum, corn mash, coffee cake, smoke, iodine.
Finish: Medium. Coffee, seaweed.

Comments:

No rye in this (according to legend, the recipe was decided by baking loaves of bread and using the grains for malting and distillation). Just corn, barley and wheat. That enhances the bourbon bubble gum trademark a lot. The other interesting note is coffee. There's a lot of it! Small hints of smoke too.

Verdict:

I like this.

Highland Park 12 yo

Highland Park 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands (Orkney)
Dark gold
40% ABV
[Dram]

Nose: Oranges, grapes, chocolate, leather, heather honey, hint of peat.
Mouthfeel: Oily, smooth, breaks up.
Tasting: Sour. Oranges, melon, chocolate milkshake, hints of butter, hints of white chocolate.
Finish: Short. Bitter, sherry sweet, peaty, heather honey.

Comments:

Pretty good - like chocolate milkshake with fruit in it. I think the older expressions must be a lot better; this whisky could do with a little bit more wood. Not a bad way to end a good meal though - sometimes I just want a little alcohol and perfume in the mouth, as a great spirit sometimes distracts.

Verdict:

I like this.

Talisker 18 yo

Talisker 18 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands (Skye)
Amber, tinge of rose
45.8% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Smoke, preserved pork, soya sauce, cinnamon, crème brulee, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body. Oily, viscous, smooth, expands in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Citrusy, Seville orange marmalade, bacon and bread.
Finish: Medium. Tobacco, peanuts, cheddar cheese, burnt sugar.

Comments:

Delicious savoury and salty combination. This whisky was Whisky Magazine's best whisky of 2006. Tastes to me like a bacon and Seville orange marmalade sandwich - bizarre but delicious! I love this whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Laphroaig 10 yo

Laphroaig 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Straw gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, grapefruit, hint of cumin, hint of leather, hint of prawn crackers.
Mouthfeel: Medium body. Grainy, numbing, gritty and sandy.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Seaweed, cedar, peat, citrusy.
Finish: Long. Miso, nori, cigars.

Comments:

The classics are classics for a reason - this whisky is very good indeed. Aggressive smoke, with just a bit of refined fishiness and fragrance. Like walking along a pebble beach, windy and damp and salty. Great stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Oban 14 yo

Oban 14 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highlands
Amber
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Raisins, peat, toffee, herbal soup, hints of flatulence. Very pleasant despite the unpleasant descriptor, however.
Mouthfeel: A little oily, smooth, medium body.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Plums, ume, chinese sour plums.
Finish: Toffee, hint of peat, musty, leather, candied winter melon.

Comments:

Very maritime, and slightly Japanese. Evokes the Japanese pickles you get along with a bento box. The nose isn't unpleasant, despite the manure characteristics. Something you could drink in a musty old library while munching on sushi.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macallan 10 yo Fine Oak

Macallan 10 yo Fine Oak

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Straw
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, raisins, nutmeg, eggnog.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, viscous, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet, hint of smoke, more caramel, maple syrup, buttered pancakes.
Finish: Short. Bitter, peanuts, peanut skin.

Comments:

Matured in a mixture of bourbon and sherry casks. I enjoyed this the first time I tried it, but as I educated my palate a little more I found that there really wasn't much in here. Apparently cutting back on the use of sherry casks (as a cost saving measure) has allowed more the distillery's character to emerge with this expression, but I don't think the distillery character is an improvement over the sherry monster.

Verdict:

I like this.

My personal whisky blog

This blog is going to be a personal collection of tasting notes. It's a little impractical to organise my tasting notes on paper, or even in an Access database on my own PC. I can't access them easily enough. So I've decided to keep them in a blog format that will be easily accessible from any internet PC. After all there's all this free storage courtesy of Google - it would be a shame not to use it.