Dalwhinnie 15 yo

Dalwhinnie 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Gold
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Sherry, beer, coconut, salted butter, vanilla and mint. Some very slight smokiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens in the mouth. Egg white, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet. Cookie dough, vanilla, sherry, cream. Hints of smoke and tobacco leaf.
Finish: Medium length. Peanuts, some tamarind, slightly astringent.

Comments:

Subdued, but stimulates the mouth gently. The flavour hits are like little pokes, especially the tobacco hints. When not concentrating quite a lot of the complexity in the whisky is lost. Definitely not a quick drinking whisky - rewards concentration. Also good with nuts.

Verdict:

I like this.

Highland Park 18 yo

Highland Park 18 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands (Orkney)
Amber
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Rose, guava, malty beer, peat and a little smoke. Some iodine and sea salt, lurking underneath, pungent to the nose.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, a little watery around the edges.

Tasting: Sweet sour. Barley, chocolate, melon and pear. Hints of coffee.

Finish: Long, sour, citrusy tang.

Comments:

Delicious. Fruity with some salt in the nose, interesting and complex. I really liked this bottle, and am quite sad that it's gone. I can't quite put my finger on why it's so good though - I suppose that it's all to do with balance. Everything fits together so well that it's almost perfect. My one small gripe is the low ABV - 50% or higher, and I'd be buying a few more bottles instead of my one.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Bowmore 12 yo

Bowmore 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Smoke, cream, vanilla, honey, lemon, cod liver oil, salted fish.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, silky, smooth, thick, rollable around the mouth.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Bread, milk, honey, peat smoke, hint of chocolate, hint of new plastic.
Finish: Long. Subtle peat, preserved mango, orange peel, fades quickly but lingers.

Comments:

Great mouthfeel, quite perfumed and pleasant. Great marriage of peat and sweet stuff. Could do with a higher ABV, and with longer ageing could be even more tasty. Not too aggressive here, the smoke is quite mellow, even at this youngish age.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Grant 30 yo 1976/2007

Glen Grant 30 yo 1976/2007

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
50% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Sweet sherry, walnuts, oak, raisins and malt. Hints of blackberry and cherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, a little astringent. Great drinking strength!
Tasting: Sweet. Raisins, cherries, oak and beer. Tastes almost exactly like a cognac. Hints of "rubber band", an astringent sharp taste that all brandies have.
Finish: Long. White wine, dry and cooling. Fades to malty beer - the cognac is gone.

Comments:

I'm so very lucky to have a bottle of this! It's a great birthday present from the Pretty Lady. Excellent whisky, virtually a cognac - the sherry casks really did its job well here. It's the equal of any brandy I've ever had, and then some. I'll miss this bottle when it's gone.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Oban 1992 Distiller's Edition (1992/2006)

Oban 1992 Distiller's Edition (1992/2006)

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highlands
Amber orange
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, butter, raisins, cream, sherry (Pedro Ximenez).
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, smooth, oily, viscous.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Raisins, walnut skins, sherry, rancid butter.
Finish: Medium. Spicy red pepper, olive oil. Now it gets more like the 14 yo.

Comments:

One of Diageo's Distiller's Editions, finished in Montilla Fino casks. The sherry influence makes it a lot sweeter and probably a lot thicker as well. A whisky for thinking and playing around with (in the mouth). The finish is quite unlike the nose, but it's an interesting change from the chewy sweetness at the beginning.

Verdict:

I like this.

Brora 20 yo 1974/1995 Rare Malts

Brora 20 yo 1974/1995 Rare Malts

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Gold
57.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, milk, gingerbread, honey, hint of peat, hint of toast.
Mouthfeel:Medium body, hot, smooth, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Hoppy beer, crystallised lemons, cherries, walnut skins.
Finish: Medium. Spicy, toast, raisins, hint of pineapple.

Comments:

My goodness, this is wonderful. Not Clynelish-ey at all, even though the distilleries were side by side (maybe the toast shows that they are cousins). I like the tangy sour notes - pineapple and lemon mostly, but there are other things going on here too. I have a sneaking suspicion that Diageo closed this distillery to milk profit out of the old stocks...

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Dalmore Cigar Malt

Dalmore Cigar Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Northern Highlands
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, vanilla, hazelnuts, orange peel, raisins, hint of brown paper.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, smooth, thick, velvety, viscous.
Tasting: Sweet. Sherry, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, orange marmalade, caramel.
Finish: Short. Muted, oak, hint of orange peel.

Comments:

Dalmore markets this as an accompaniment for cigars - I guess taken in the drawing room after donning one's smoking jacket. I guess that might work, as the whisky has lots of bold bright flavours (screams "Highlander" to me) which wouldn't be overwhelmed by tobacco. Personally I think it's a great dram on its own, no need for cigars. Maybe if I got a bottle of this and some good cigars (and a free pass from the Pretty Lady) I could test this hypothesis.

Verdict:

I like this.