Caol Ila 12 yo

Caol Ila 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
White wine
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, apples, honey, clotted cream, hint of peat, hint of leather.
Mouthfeel: Light body, a little watery, static.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Smoke, peat, lemon meringue pie, oats, molasses, peanuts, cream.
Finish: Medium. Smoke, pear, sea salt.

Comments:

Pretty good official bottling. I like the combination of smoke, peat and sweet notes; just right for me. The smoke is neither too aggressive nor overwhelming. Interestingly fruity finish - pear is one of my favourite things to discover in whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Longmorn 15 yo

Longmorn 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Baked apples, blueberries, raisins, cream, hint of ratafia.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet. Sherry, custard, fresh baked bread, apple, pear, hint of marshmallow.
Finish: Short. Mint, vanilla, cherries.

Comments:

Wow - this is good. I can see the complaints when Chivas replaced this expression (it's discontinued now) with the 16 yo. While the new one is good, it's not as good as this. I wish I had a bottle to drink, but I think prices have gone up too high to make it worth my while. It used to be very underpriced / underrated.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Oban 32 yo 1969/2002 Cask Strength

Oban 32 yo 1969/2002 Cask Strength

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highlands
Dark gold
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Salted fish, barley sweets, preserved lemons, hint of maple syrup, peat, sherry, vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, smooth, syrupy, very unctuous.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Lemon sweets, sour plums, sherry, quince jelly, peat, vanilla, hint of salted vegetables.
Finish: Long. Warm, candied lemon, chillies, hint of chocolate.

Comments:

Very very good indeed. This is no longer easily available, and I get the feeling that Diageo only bottled this because they had some superlative casks ready right around 2002. The distillery's oriental character is very obvious, but it's now married to loads of fruit and sherry, with a great mouthfeel as well. I love this, shame I can only afford one dram. Ever.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Glenlivet 18 yo

Glenlivet 18 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Kriek beer, lemon sweets, iodine, calvados, apples, brassy.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, static.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Vanilla, sherry, apples, raw egg yolks, baked pie crust.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, apples.

Comments:

Apple and cherry pie? That's what this reminds me of. Excellent value for an 18 yo. The slight bitter iodine and metal polish hints in the nose are what make this whisky interesting. Glenlivet is good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
54.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, sweet cherry, smoke, blueberry, driftwood, iodine.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, static.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peat, wheat, nuts, petrol, engine exhaust, breakfast cereal.
Finish: Long. Smoke, peat, oats.

Comments:

A mixture of 1993 bourbon casks (makes it 10 yo or older) and Fino sherry casks. This is great - lots more fruit in the nose, and there's a sweetish petrol note that's more interesting that the regular 10 yo bottling. Somehow the sherry casks have manifested themselves in cereally notes rather than fruit, but that's okay.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Mortlach 16 yo Flora & Fauna

Mortlach 16 yo Flora & Fauna

Flora & Fauna, Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sherry, dark cherries, raisins, cardboard, darjeeling tea, orange peel, hint of peat.
Mouthfeel:Medium body, syrupy, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Sherry, orange marmalade, violets, cocoa, cucumber, oats, peat.
Finish: Medium. Peat, oats, coconut.

Comments:

Very hard to find whisky from this distillery. I've no idea why Diageo doesn't make it one of the Classic Malts, it's complex, tasty and interesting. There aren't that many independent bottlings either, and most of them are out of my price range.

Verdict:

I like this.

Brora 24 yo 1977/2001 Rare Malts

Brora 24 yo 1977/2001 Rare Malts

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
White wine
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, peat, cream cheese, honey, figs, orange peel, hint of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, thickens in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet. Musty cupboard, preserved lemons, oak, peat, dried apricots.
Finish: Long. Warm, cayenne pepper, fig jam.

Comments:

The restaurant dropped an ice cube in my dram before I could tell them no! I managed to fish it out in time though. Good fruit, and when I added water more savoury notes appeared. Great spicy finish. Oh why oh why did they close this distillery?!

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Balvenie 15 yo Single Cask 1990/2006

Balvenie 15 yo Single Cask 1990/2006

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, kiwi fruit, caramel, cream, oranges, hint of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly syrupy, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Candied melon, caramel, orange blossom, condensed milk, hint of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Dulce de leche, hint of lime.

Comments:

Cask #11434 (bottle 14). Pretty tasty for this strength. I like the cream and milk notes, especially in the finish. This was a decent cask - wish there were more like this. Also wish that more distilleries would do single cask bottlings.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bunnahabhain 12 yo

Bunnahabhain 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Orange gold
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Peat, butter, salted caramel, lemons, tyre rubber, hint of soy sauce, hint of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Milk, salted butter, nori seaweed, preserved lemons, sage, lime.
Finish: Very short. Chilli, spice, warming.

Comments:

Lots of peat and smoke - verging on harsh. Some other things in here, notably a Caol Ila like soy sauce note in the nose. Interesting very short but spicy finish, like playing hide and seek with a firework going off in the mouth.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Dalmore 12 yo

Dalmore 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Orange gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cocoa, orange peel, cream, hint of coffee, hint of green bean.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, creamy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Candied orange peel, marmalade, dark chocolate, honey, bananas. Bitter chocolate fruit and nut bar, if there were such a thing.
Finish: Medium. Bitter cocoa, raisins.

Comments:

Aged in Oloroso sherry butts. Not quite a sherry monster though - there's a pleasing cocoa-ey bitterness running through the whisky. I imagine this would be quite pleasant with Maltesers or bitter chocolate, the usual accompaniment that everyone seems to be prescribing for whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.