Tamnavulin 18 yo 1990/2008

Tamnavulin 18 yo 1990/2008

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Pale green gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, rubber, peaches, musk, raisins, driftwood, sea salt, hints of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, watery, volatile.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peaches, peat, driftwood, raisins, sea salt, orange peel, hints of oats, hints of smoke.
Finish: Long. Peat, driftwood, walnut skins.

Comments:

Smells chemical, although it's not harsh. Lots of subtle, deeply laid peach flavours, overlaid with sea salt, peat and smoke. Not particularly refined whisky, instead robust and earthy, unusual for a Speyside.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenturret 10 yo

Glenturret 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, peanuts, limes, lemon zest, orange peel, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, watery, loose Sweet sour.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Peat, raisins, strawberry jam, lemon zest, limes, oats, hints of peanuts.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, orange peel, lemon zest.

Comments:

Light and refreshing! Very cool, almost cold on the tongue. This whisky is great with ice, no mixers required. Delicious aperitif.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 29.64 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1989/2008)

SMWS 29.64 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1989/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Amber
54.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, sherry, grilled fish, raisins, hints of tarry rope.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, slippery, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peat, smoke, cinnamon, raisins, grilled fish, sea salt, honey, hints of tarry rope.
Finish: Medium. Warm, raisins, peat, chillies.

Comments:

Sherried Laphroaig doesn't come along very often, and I'm usually grateful when it does. I find this a little too sweet though, but that's probably the peat-head in me having too much say. This is a very good whisky indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 7.39 (Longmorn 38 yo 1968/2007)

SMWS 7.39 (Longmorn 38 yo 1968/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark amber
51% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange peel, cloves, cinnamon, plums, prunes, hints of walnuts.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet. Raisins, oranges, plums, orange peel, prunes, vanilla, honey, cinnamon, hints of walnuts.
Finish: Long. Raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, oranges, honey.

Comments:

Sweet and sherried, with great structure and body. A whisky at the pinnacle of perfection. I could drink this all night long, without water, because that's surely as good as it gets.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 105.10 (Tormore 21 yo 1983/2005)

SMWS 105.10 (Tormore 21 yo 1983/2005)

2005, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Orange amber
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oranges, orange peel, marmalade, aniseed, molasses, raisins, hints of fennel. With water, sweeter, more oranges, orange peel, coriander seed.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Orange peel, molasses, oranges, raisins, lemon zest, aniseed, hints of fennel. With water, sweeter, orange peel, coriander seed.
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, molasses, raisins, walnut skins.

Comments:

Smells a little bitter, with marmalade notes in the nose that didn't bode well. Very different on the tongue though, filling and satisfying, with a slight bitter note. The sort of whisky you have instead of dinner.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 45.20 (Dallas Dhu 31 yo 1975/2007)

SMWS 45.20 (Dallas Dhu 31 yo 1975/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
49.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, peaches, plums, honey, vanilla, hints of apples, hints of brine.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, clumps together.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Pineapples, plums, peaches, apples, orange peel, cloves, hints of brine.
Finish: Medium. Pineapples, brine, honey, peaches.

Comments:

Tangy and more than a little tropical. Lots of fruit, very estery, with a slight hint of salt that is pretty attractive. You don't get many whiskies like this often. This was the unanimous favourite of the evening.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Four Roses Yellow Label

Four Roses Yellow Label

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Golden
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Pears, apples, brown paper, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, cool, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Pears, apples, cinnamon, honey, brown paper, chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Pears, apples, banana, cinnamon.

Comments:

Pleasant, drinkable bourbon. Ultimately though, a little too light and bland. I prefer robust, strong spirits. I could drink this one all day in front of the TV though. Maybe that's what it's been made for.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 93.31 (Glen Scotia 16 yo 1992/2008)

SMWS 93.31 (Glen Scotia 16 yo 1992/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Campbeltown
Golden
65.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, honey, peat, smoke, roast pork, tobacco leaf, peaches, hints of plums.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Honey, iodine, peat, smoke, plums, leather, roast pork, grilled fish, tobacco leaf.
Finish: Short. Iodine, peat, honey, tobacco leaf.

Comments:

Very medicinal, yet I get the feeling that I'm being a bit naughty when I'm drinking this. It's probably the very high alcohol content, as well as the tobacco flavours. It's like smoking in a hospital. None of this prevents the whisky from being absolutely delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 81.14 (Glen Keith 13 yo 1994/2007)

SMWS 81.14 (Glen Keith 13 yo 1994/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Orange gold
60.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, sponge cake, honey, milk, butter, raisins, cinnamon, black tea.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, static, loose.
Tasting: Sweet. Honey, brown paper, vanilla, sponge cake, cinnamon, milk, cream, butter, black tea.
Finish: Long. Walnuts, cream, butter, vanilla.

Comments:

High tea whisky! Reminds me of eating sponge cake with a cup of tea handy. Very gentle, despite the strength. This whisky is almost bland, and very delicate indeed. Handle with care, don't add too much water.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 69.10 (Glen Albyn 25 yo 1979/2005)

SMWS 69.10 (Glen Albyn 25 yo 1979/2005)

2005, SMWS
Single malt - North Highlands
Golden
58.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, raisins, pears, vanilla, plums, honey, hints of prunes.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, warm, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet. Chocolate, raisins, pears, plums, prunes, honey, hints of heather.
Finish: Long. Warm, chocolate, raisins, prunes.

Comments:

Lovely and sweet, gentle and light, and above all, rare. Absolutely delicious whisky, tastes surprisingly like Drambuie.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 104.8 (Glencraig 33 yo 1974/2008)

SMWS 104.8 (Glencraig 33 yo 1974/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
49.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, surgical spirit, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange blossom, cedar wood, brazil nuts.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, watery, loose.
Tasting: Sour. Vanilla, green tea, orange blossom, cedar, brazil nuts, cinnamon, hints of nutmeg.
Finish: Short. Orange blossom, cinnamon, green tea.

Comments:

Styled by the SMWS as "Sophia Loren in a mink coat". Very accurate indeed - floral, fragrant and perfumed. There's a slight astringency on the tongue, with a delicate green tea flavour. Very nice and refreshing, with a touch of Japanese class.

Verdict:

I like this.

Scapa distillery

Scapa Distillery
Scapa
St Ola, Kirkwall
Orkney KA15 1SE

Islands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Lots of sour (and unusual, at least in whisky) tropical fruits in Scapa, among them pineapple, grapefruit, tomatoes, pomeloes, papaya and even coconut. All this is wreathed in peat, and occasionally, something sweet like cocoa, or syrup. Fruit flavours are always good in a whisky, and Scapa has a lot of interesting ones. If this were wine, it would be white, from an excellent vineyard. Not bad for a distillery that was, once upon a time, worked only when the people at Highland Park had a spare moment.

Scapa whisky is generally tangy, perhaps slightly sour, although the latest official expression, the 16 yo, is quite sweet. There are occasional reminders of the distillery's proximity to the sea, with the odd whiff of sea salt.


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

Scapa 12 yo - good
Scapa 14 yo - good
Scapa 23 yo 1978/2001 - good
Scapa 16 yo - very good

Distillery history

Founded in 1885 by John Townsend, Scapa was owned by the founder's eponymous company until about 1919, when it was bought by a consortium. Then it passed through various hands until it ended up with Allied Domecq. It was nearly sold to a third party after Allied's merger with Pernod Ricard, but Pernod hung on to it in the end. The distillery was silent from 1934-1936 and again from 1939-1945. From 1994 it was operated on a part-time basis by employees of Highland Park.

There's a limited official range - a 12 yo and a 14 yo. Very recently, the 14 yo was discontinued to be replaced by a 16 yo. Scapa malt is part of Ballantine's.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Lingro Burn, a source of peaty soft water
Washbacks: Six, stainless steel, 21,548 litres each
Wash stills: One, ex-Lomond still, 13,500 litres
Spirit stills: One, normal neck, 12,563 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Bent s-shape
Production per year: 1,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

SMWS 33.76 (Ardberg 10 yo 1998/2009)

SMWS 33.76 (Ardberg 10 yo 1998/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, peat, smoke, honey, grilled fish, peanuts, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, turns watery, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Chocolate, peat, tarry rope, sea salt, grilled fish, honey, liquorice, hints of raisins.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, peat, liquorice, chocolate.

Comments:

Sweet and fragrant, curiously light for an Islay whisky. Complex body with chocolate overlaid by peat and smoke. Very interesting whisky, very great whisky. Thanks to Anne-Lise, kind enough to share!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 29.76 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 29.76 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Light amber
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, pine, smoke, peat, smoked fish, vanilla, hints of limes.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Sour. Pine, smoke, lemons, plums, smoked fish, green apples, peat, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Coconut, pine, plums, smoke, vanilla.

Comments:

A fine Laphroaig indeed - tart and smoky, with a light vanilla fragrance to leaven it. Complex but obvious, this dram is easy to understand indeed. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 25.48 (Rosebank 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 25.48 (Rosebank 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Copper
59.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, mead, honey, rolled oats, brass polish, hints of fennel. With water, lemons, lemons sweets, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, tingly, warm.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, rolled oats, cinnamon, honey, fennel, vanilla, hints of chillies. With water, more sour, lemons, lemon sweets, much more like a Rosebank.
Finish: Long. Lemons, mead, cinnamon.

Comments:

Delicious, thick Rosebank. Not light like the usual make, instead surprisingly heavy. But the lemon sweets, brassy character is still there, albeit covered by cereally flavours. A little water opens this up admirably.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 123.3 (Glengoyne 8 yo 2001/2009)

SMWS 123.3 (Glengoyne 8 yo 2001/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - South Highlands
Rose
59.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberries, plums, kirsch, cherries, chocolate, vanilla, hints of raspberry jam.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, warms, then loosens.
Tasting: Sweet. Cherries, raspberry jam, strawberries, chocolate, toffee, hints of butterscotch.
Finish: Long Butter, peanuts, strawberries, cherries.

Comments:

Deliciously sweet and laden with red fruits. Rather like Portuguese cherry brandy (ginja), certainly more like that than whisky. It's a little less sweet and more complex than the usual Lisbon bar fare though.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 11.30 (Tomatin 17 yo 1990/2008)

SMWS 11.30 (Tomatin 17 yo 1990/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
58.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, lemons, chocolate, molasses, black pepper, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, hot .
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemons, blue cheese, plums, raisins, chocolate, molasses, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Long. Blue cheese, potato chips, molasses, plums.

Comments:

Very drinkable despite the high strength. No water required here, just enjoy the burn. Sweet fruit, a strong coating of molasses, with a little savoury bite of Stilton in the finish. Unusual, and delicious. Something to have instead of dinner.

Verdict:

I like this.

Midleton Very Rare 2006

Midleton Very Rare 2006

Official bottling
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Bronze
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Nail polish, oak, walnuts, lemon zest, cedar, pears, hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, warm, evaporates quickly.
Tasting: Sour. Pears, oak, walnuts, lemons, peaches, vanilla, hints of limes.
Finish: Short. Peaches, pears, lemon zest, starfruit.

Comments:

Smells strange at first, like a cleaning cupboard. Then once on the tongue, it explodes into sweet, fruity flavours. There is a lot of flavour in this whisky (despite being Irish). Apparently there are some 50 yo aged casks blended in. Each annual release differs slightly.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 13 yo 1991/2005

Glenrothes 13 yo 1991/2005

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, molasses, raisins, plums, honey, peanuts, leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, cool.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Molasses, leather, plums, raisins, honey, hints of orange peel, hints of lemons.
Finish: Short. Walnut skins, molasses, plums.

Comments:

This is a bit stodgy because of the overwhelming flavour of molasses! I missed the Glenrothes red fruit, but upon further inspection it was actually still there - just buried under a molasses mountain. This whisky is hard work.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Bowmore Claret

Bowmore Claret

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Deep red brown
56% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, leather, lavender, red grapes, lemons, hints of hazelnuts. With water, pears, sea salt appear.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, expands, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Sweet. Peat, soap, red grapes, leather, lavender, orange peel, peanuts, hints of smoke. With water, turns salty, peanuts, leather, peat, sea salt appear.
Finish: Long. Lemons, lavender, soap, red grapes, peat.

Comments:

Quite soapy and floral neat (perhaps slightly unpleasant even). But with water, the whisky turns salty, opening up with classic Islay notes - salt, peat, leather, and even peanuts. I guess the claret finish adds a slightly jarring cast to the whisky, but this is quickly and easily remedied. Too much tinkering perhaps?

Verdict:

I like this.

Balvenie 10 yo Founder's Reserve

Balvenie 10 yo Founder's Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, raisins, oranges, orange peel, cherries, vanilla, hints of roses.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Sweet. Honey, raisins, orange peel, cherries, chocolate, vanilla, hints of leather.
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, honey, oranges.

Comments:

Simple, comforting and familiar. This is classic Speyside whisky, an excellent introduction to single malt, and almost as good even if you know a little bit about whisky. There's the typical Balvenie orange character, allied with lots of sweet fruit. I enjoyed this very much.

Verdict:

I like this.

Cu Dhub Black Whisky

Cu Dhub Black Whisky (Speyside distillery)

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Ebony
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, molasses, magic marker, honey, caramel, walnuts, hints of peat, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, turns watery, loosens.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Molasses, honey, peanuts, walnut skins, walnuts, hints of peat.
Finish: Long. Bitter, yeasty, walnut skins, peanuts.

Comments:

Cu Dhub means "Black Dog" in Gaelic. This is whisky distilled at the Speyside distillery, aged for approximately 5 years, and flavoured with a great deal of caramel, turning it black. They say caramel has no taste - well, it does. Not particularly nice, this whisky, with a bitter cast overlaying a lot of sweet but uninteresting things. A bit thin as well, given the 40% alcohol content. I debated creating a new category for my rating system ("bad"), but in the end, it's drinkable, so I won't.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Glentauchers Distillery

Glentauchers Distillery
Mulben
Keith
Banffshire AB55 6YL

Speyside, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Expressions of this whisky are difficult to come by, but the ones I've tried so far are quite distinctive in some ways. There are a lot of sweet and light flavour elements present, as you can see from the wordle below. However, there are two obvious flavours - black tea and butter. I associate this with Russian food, somehow. Maybe it's the way black tea, sugar, butter and black bread always go with a Russian meal.

The black tea flavours are not astringent on the tongue. Rather, there is a hint of bitterness that lingers a little in the finish. So with the butter - most whiskies are a little buttery and sweet because of a high alcohol content. The butter flavours here are slightly milky, salty, and different. I wouldn't call the whiskies from Glentauchers particularly outstanding, but they are unusual, drinkable, and, in some cases, rather good!



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

SMWS 63.22 (Glentauchers 18 yo 1989/2008) - good
SMWS 63.21 (Glentauchers 18 yo 1989/2008) - good
Glentauchers 1990 10 yo (1990/2001) - good

Distillery history

This distillery was founded in 1898 by James Buchanan and WP Lowrie (by way of the Glentauchers Distillery Co.). The company changed names a few times, eventually becoming James Buchanan and Co. and was merged with Dewars in 1915. Buchanan-Dewars joined Distillers Company Ltd in 1925, eventually becoming United Distillers. They sold Glentauchers to what was eventually to become Allied Domecq in 1989. Pernod Ricard acquired Glentauchers in 2005 by buying Allied Domecq.

There's a semi-official Gordon & Macphail 10 yo bottling, which is the most widely available. A 15 yo official bottling was released in 2000. Other than that, there are some independent bottlings released in 2006. There's a lot of this whisky in Teachers, Ballantine's and Black & White.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Reservoir fed by Rosarie Burn or Mulben Springs
Washbacks: Six, larch, 60,000 litres each
Wash stills: Three, normal neck, 10,000 litres
Spirit stills: Three, normal neck, 10,500 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Nearly 15 degrees descending
Production per year: 3,400,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo