Lagavulin 1991 Distiller's Edition (1991/2007)

Lagavulin 1991 Distiller's Edition (1991/2007)

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Smoke, peat, butter, vanilla, cream, plums, hints of apple, hints of leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly syrupy, smooth and unctuous.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peat, smoke, sweet cider, vanilla, raisins, hints of sea salt, hints of polished wood.
Finish: Medium. Buttercups, orchids, peat, bitter gourd.

Comments:

Partly matured in Pedro Ximenez casks, long enough to take on some of the sweetness from the sugar-bomb sherry. Quite delicious. Smoke and sugar make an excellent combination. Compared to the 16 yo, a lot less aggressive and raw. The extra sweetness really rounds out the whisky and brings out some of the more peaty notes which would have been lost in the clouds of smoke.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 28.18 (Tullibardine 17 yo 1990/2008)

SMWS 28.18 (Tullibardine 17 yo 1990/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
White wine
56.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, pine nuts, almonds, tar, molasses, bread dough, hints of marmalade.
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter. Sherry, butter, oat bread, coffee, cocoa, hints of glace cherries, hints of pineapple. Water brings out a little more peat, hiding the faint fruity notes.
Finish: Long. Fades quickly, salty, coffee, cookie dough, cooked rice.

Comments:

Very grainy and nutty. There's oats, wheat and rice (and barley of course, goes without saying), pine nuts, almonds, and the bitterness brings walnuts to mind. And lots of coffee. I enjoyed this dram, but I wish there were some sweeter notes. Salty whisky needs more peat than this one has.

Verdict:

I like this.

Oban Distillery

Oban Distillery
Stafford Street
Oban
Argyll PA34 5NH

West Highlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Oban whisky, to me, is something very Oriental. There's a lot of Chinese sour plums in there, as well as Japanese nori (dried seaweed for sushi), in addition to sherry, peat, and lots of tasty sweet things.

The Wordle below is interesting - Oban whisky seems to always have sherry and peat, as well as a basic sweet salty taste. The sherry and peat then tends to followed by lots of sweet notes, as well as the odd savoury note. The whisky is usually quite oily and heavy on the tongue.


All the Obans I've tasted so far are here.

Oban 14 yo (OB) - good
Oban 1992 Distiller's Edition (1992/2006) (OB) - good
Oban 32 yo 1969/2002 Cask Strength (OB) - very good

Distillery history

Founded 1794 by brothers John and Hugh Stevenson. Goes through a long chain of owners before finally being bought by the Oban Distillery Company in 1923. The ODC, through mergers and acquisitions, was eventually folded into Diageo. The distillery was silent from 1931 to 1937, and again from 1969 to 1972, and for a few months in 1991.

The distillery is an urban distillery. There aren't many of these left. The flagship 14 yo bottling was chosen as one of Diageo's Classic Malts, representing the West Highlands. The malt also goes into Dewar's and Old Mull.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Gleann and Bhearraidh Lochs.
Washbacks: Four, European larch, 36,000 litres each.
Wash stills: One, constricted neck, 18,800 litres.
Spirit stills: One, constricted neck, 8,296 litres.
Spirit still Lyne arm: Unusually short.
Production per year: 700,000 litres.

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

SMWS 29.67 (Laphroaig 16 yo 1991/2008)

SMWS 29.67 (Laphroaig 16 yo 1991/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Amber
53.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, iodine, sherry, egg yolks, black pepper, hints of white grape.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Smoke, peat, lemons, grapefruit, sherry, cinnamon, hints of red wine.
Finish: Long. Orange juice, peat, tonic water.

Comments:

Laphroaig in a sherry butt - topsy-turvy whisky! Sherried Laphroaig might well sound like an oxymoron, but it works very well indeed here. Sweet yet peaty and smoky, some white grape in the nose, followed by red wine in the mouth. Excellent set of contrasts, very tasty indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

St Magdalene 19 yo 1979/1998 Rare Malts

St Magdalene 19 yo 1979/1998 Rare Malts

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Golden
63.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, sherry, coffee, cocoa, raisins, hint of salt caramel.
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, warm, volatile, vapourises easily.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peat, leather, coffee, toast, chocolate, hints of guarana.
Finish: Long. Bitter, walnut skins, peanuts, peat.

Comments:

Sometimes I get lucky. The Capital was selling this at a price I think is only about 75% of what I would pay for it in a bar, so I ordered a dram. It was delicious - classic Lowlands body (no doubt enhanced by the near 64% strength!), peat wreathed through a succession of toasty, chocolatey notes, with a little bit of fruit lurking in the background. For people who like strong, bold flavours. Big, big salute to an increasingly hard to get single malt. St Magdalene - another distillery they shouldn't have shut.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Glengoyne 21 yo

Glengoyne 21 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - South Highlands
Golden
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Chocolate covered raisins, oak, orange juice, butter, coffee, salt caramel, hints of peat, hints of hay.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peat, sherry, butter, chocolate, olive oil, hints of grapefruit, hints of raisins.
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, salt caramel.

Comments:

Very like the 17 yo in the nose, but peatier. It tastes much more salty and savoury than the 17 yo though. There's a lot less oak too. I appreciate that - the 17 yo was in some ways far too much, but then once the oak is gone there's not much there to replace it, save some interesting olive oil notes. It's a drinkable whisky, but for me, it's not among the great ones.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 13.41 (Dalmore 11 yo 1996/2008)

SMWS 13.41 (Dalmore 11 yo 1996/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber gold
62.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sherry, evaporated milk, sponge cake, chocolate, dulce de leche, hints of sulphur.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, expands slightly.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Toast, sherry, matches, egg yolks, condensed milk, honey, raisins, hints of cranberry.
Finish: Long. Yoghurt, hoppy beer, fresh cut grass.

Comments:

The kind folks behind the bar at the SMWS tasting room let me smell 2 Dalmores before I bought. This one smelt a little more chemical and artificial. Those notes turned out to be cooked, sweet egg yolks, like the kind you get in Chinese egg rolls. Sponge cake too, with lots and lots of milk - condensed, evaporated, you name it. Tasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bunnahabhain 11 yo 1996/2007

Bunnahabhain 11 yo 1996/2007

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islay
Silvery gold
50% ABV
Mini

Nose: Raisins, sugared haw berries, butter, starfruit, hints of honey, hints of black tea.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly syrupy, thickens, quite gentle.
Tasting: Sweet. Peat, sherry, raisins, mustard, coffee, hints of salted caramel, hints of beef dripping.
Finish: Long. Coffee, chocolate, hints of roast pork.

Comments:

Interesting in several ways. First, there's the colour - strangely silvery, like a cup of silver needle tea. Then there's some dissonant notes on the nose. I mean, starfruit and sugared haw berries? Reminds me of strolling along the Bund in Shanghai, buying a random snack (mostly haw berries and tropical fruit) from the hawkers every now and then. Then there's the savoury meaty notes, which aren't obvious at all, teasing the nose in a now-you-smell-it-now-you-don't fashion. Very confusing! Tasty whisky though, another great Old Malt Cask bottling, something I've come to expect from this excellent indie bottler.

Verdict:

I like this.

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Orange brown
45% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Honey, sour corn mash, molasses, cough mixture, hints of basil, hints of lavender.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thin and watery.
Tasting: Bitter. Brown paper, caster sugar, mashed potato, barley sugar sweets, hints of plum.
Finish: Medium. Barley sugar, banana, leaf mould.

Comments:

Great bourbon. It has that banana-ey, slightly brackish flavour that I really like in a bourbon. The latter even lasts through the finish, hence the interesting leaf mould flavour noted down above. Much more complex than I expected it to be.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Royal Brackla 27 yo 1976/2004 Scott's Selection

Royal Brackla 27 yo 1976/2004 Scott's Selection

Scott's Selection, Speyside Distiller's Company
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
65.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sherry, peat, iodine, honey, Crunchy Nut cornflakes, orange peel, hints of ammonia.
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, slightly syrupy, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Cayenne pepper, toast, mint, peat, butter, plums, magic marker, hints of banana chips.
Finish: Long. Peanuts, lime juice, salted lime pickle.

Comments:

This is hard to drink given the strength, yet water just brings out huge hits of magic marker and pear. I much prefer it at the original strength. The mouthfeel is something else - hard-hittingly, painfully astringent, like eating too much raw pineapple. My tongue hurt for nearly an hour after drinking this, sweet and fruity though it was. The trade-off is the interesting, very lengthy finish of lime juice and lime pickle, just like having a meal at my favourite South Indian restaurant.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 104.10 (Glencraig 33 yo 1974/2008)

SMWS 104.10 (Glencraig 33 yo 1974/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, vanilla, pear, lemon, cream, butter, hints of sandalwood.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, chewy, static.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Earl Grey tea, rose, key limes, melon, hints of cloves.
Finish: Short. Orange blossom, passion fruit, jasmine, hints of pear.

Comments:

Tasty, very floral, especially in the finish. The rose, jasmine and orange blossom notes are so clear and ethereal. Excellent refreshing complex stuff. My only gripe is that 45% is almost certainly under-proof, at least, as far as tastiness goes. I don't know if Lomond stills in a distillery count as a separate distillery, but they really shouldn't have been dismantled. Hopefully I can get some more of this before it's too late.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 9.44 (Glen Grant 10 yo 1997/2008)

SMWS 9.44 (Glen Grant 10 yo 1997/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Pale copper
59.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, brassy, lemon, Portuguese cherry brandy, wet wood, hints of ginger.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, fizzy, thickens slightly.
Tasting: Sour. Ginger, butter, rhubarb, lemons, carrot cake, hints of sweet cherry.
Finish: Medium. Rubber bands, butter, vanilla.

Comments:

A little water transforms the carrot cake into frosting and vanilla sponge, with just a hint of carrot. It gets a lot less complex unfortunately, losing the rhubarb. The whisky just isn't that balanced though, it's a little raw. A wise man once told me that Glen Grant is the slowest aging whisky - it takes about 25 years before the casks are ready to drink. On this evidence, he was right.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 76.57 (Mortlach 8 yo 1999/2008)

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SMWS 76.57 (Mortlach 8 yo 1999/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
60.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Big alcohol prickle, lemons, barley sugar, marigolds, osmanthus, honey.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, thin, smooth.
Tasting: Salty sweet. Sour plums, lemons, tamarind, prunes, hints of butter, hints of oats, hints of sandalwood.
Finish: Short. Salt, Moroccan preserved lemons, prunes, honey.

Comments:

Excellent whisky! Loads of salty sweet flavours - sour plums, tamarind powder (the stuff they sprinkle on guava in Malaysia) buttered prunes, etc etc. Light and floral, perfect to end a dramming session. Young Mortlach is very different from old Mortlach. If it's all like this, Diageo should really bottle the younger stuff instead of the Flora & Fauna 16 yo.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

SMWS 59.37 (Teaninich 24 yo 1983/2008)

SMWS 59.37 (Teaninich 24 yo 1983/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - North Highlands
White wine
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Salted butter, lemons, vanilla, fresh-cut grass, wet stones, hints of fish sauce.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thin, thickens slightly in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Starfruit, clotted cream, guava, peanuts, hints of chocolate.
Finish: Long. Soy sauce, yuzu, hints of diesel exhaust.

Comments:

Complex, and takes a long time to give up its secrets. Very drinkable despite the strength, and there was a lot of new things in each sip. Primarily buttery and tangy, but with curious salty and bitter notes after a little aeration. Water doesn't really add much, draws out the diesel fumes in the finish a little, perhaps.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

SMWS 76.58 (Mortlach 23 yo 1985/2008)

SMWS 76.58 (Mortlach 23 yo 1985/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Big alcohol prickle, honey, oak, orange peel, ham.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Oak, walnut skins, toffee, clotted cream, butterscotch, hints of nutmeg.
Finish: Long. Bitter, honeydew melon, custard.

Comments:

A little water draws the orange peel in the nose out into orange juice, which dominates the savoury ham notes. Those were quite faint in the first place - I wouldn't have detected them if I hadn't known they were there. Bitter notes in the tasting, very creamy though. Like a creamy coffee without the coffee, strangely. More bitter notes in the finish, this time a little fruity. Intriguing whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Loch Lomond Single Highland Malt

Loch Lomond Single Highland Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - South Highlands
Golden
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Vanilla, something metallic, lemon curd, brassy, stale beer, cream, hints of roast chicken.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thin, watery, static.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Oaky, milk, orange juice, custard apple, hints of cinnamon, hints of nutmeg.
Finish: Medium. Lemons, white pepper.

Comments:

Strange tasting - very much like a Rosebank, with the fruity brassy light character. But somehow the lemon notes overpower the other flavours. I couldn't find much in this. Jim Murray describes this as a "disaster" but I disagree. It's great if you like your lemon, but I prefer it in moderation. My first foray into Lomond still whisky doesn't look too promising, but it wasn't a disaster. "Not bad" will do.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 45.24 (Dallas Dhu 32 yo 1975/2008)

SMWS 45.24 (Dallas Dhu 32 yo 1975/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden yellow
46.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toast, chocolate, maple syrup, apples, lemon curd.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, thickens slightly.
Tasting: Sour bitter. Grapefruit, toast, lemons, chinese pears, hints of vanilla, hints of cinnamon, hints of sandalwood. With water, becomes more floral, is that rose I taste?
Finish: Long. Spicy, warm, bitter quinine, hints of wasabi.

Comments:

I don't normally dilute anything under 50%, as I can't then detect the more subtle aromas. This one however took water very well, becoming more floral and lighter. Overall, quite complex, less fruity than initially hinted at by the nose. I found more in every sip. Great cask from the SMWS, I think I'm going to enjoy being a member. Unfortunately, this distillery goes on the list of those that shouldn't have been closed. Maybe they could make it a working museum distillery?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki 12 yo

Yamazaki 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Golden
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Brassy, lemons, malty beer, toffee, vanilla, hints of quince jelly, hints of ammonia.
Mouthfeel:Medium body, thickens slightly, fizzy.
Tasting: Salty sour. White pepper, cayenne pepper, guava, lemons, hints of fish sauce, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Short. Tingly, lemon thyme, grape skin.

Comments:

Strange whiskey. The nose bears little relation to the taste, except for some lemon and the barest hint of vanilla. Quite spicy too, with strange tingles in the mouth and the finish. Intriguing. Not as good as I thought it might be, since the 18 yo brother of this was voted World Whisky of the Year by Whisky Magazine, but tasty enough.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Scotia 12 yo

Glen Scotia 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Campbeltown
Golden
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Orange blossom honey, malty beer, clotted cream, salted butter, hints of Greek yoghurt.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens in the mouth, egg white consistency.
Tasting: Sour bitter. Clotted cream, dried oats, grapefruit, hints of lilies, hints of yoghurt covered raisins.
Finish: Short. Walnut skins, iodine, grapefruit.

Comments:

Lots of "ghost" flavours in this one. The nose is redolent of honey, clotted cream and other assorted dairy products. The salted butter could well be salted caramel. But the taste is curiously bitter and cereally, albeit slightly floral. No sign of the sweet honey flavours that he nose promised at all. Must be quite popular this - the Whisky Exchange is sold out!

Verdict:

I like this.

Balblair 1989 17 yo (1989/2007)

Balblair 1989 17 yo (1989/2007)

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Straw
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Brassy, lemons, apples, pears, hints of chocolate, hints of iodine.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Chocolate, banana, salt caramel, vanilla, green apple, hints of pineapple.
Finish: Long. Raisins, white pepper.

Comments:

Aged in bourbon casks. Quite easy drinking. This is the mid-range expression of Balblair's new vintage bottlings. There's also a 1975, which I think isn't available in sampler bottles. Shame - I'd quite like to see if that has the youthful pineapple / green apple characteristics that this one is chock-full of.

Verdict:

I like this.

Blair Athol 12 yo 1993/2006

Blair Athol 12 yo 1993/2006

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
50% ABV
Mini

Nose: Oak, banana, oranges, malty beer, brandy, rubber bands, hints of brown paper.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, smooth, thickens in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Blackcurrants (Ribena), orange peel, prunes, sherry, hints of mushroom.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, white grapes, hints of melon.

Comments:

Cask 3065, sherry butt. Another fine sherry monster, very brandy-like, despite the young age. Great mouthfeel. Very fruity, with loads of Ribena flavour, and a tantalising musty hint of something I identified as mushrooms, but really can't put my finger on. I got a OMC Advanced Sample Bottle (20cl). It's a great idea - I can now try many expressions in this great series without having to drink 70cl bottles and spend lots of money.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!