Mannochmore 16 yo 1992/2008

Mannochmore 16 yo 1992/2008

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
Dark amber gold
55.6% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Grilled pork, sherry, magic marker, pears, brine, malty beer, orange peel, marmalade, hints of strawberry jam. With water, sweeter, caramel, molasses, even more strawberry jam.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, slippery, loose.
Tasting: Sweet. Orange peel, sherry, vanilla, honey, strawberry jam, marmalade, hints of lychees, hints of pears. With water, even sweeter, more red fruits - plums, raspberries - then toast and coconut oil.
Finish: Long. Vanilla, sherry, honey, marmalade, strawberry jam.

Comments:

Matured in a sherry butt (as if you couldn't guess!). It doesn't smell sweet at first though, with lots of savoury elements, and even a very faint suggestion of peat. Left for a while, it turns sweet as sin, lots of cooked concentrated fruit, honey, and vanilla. Water opens it up beautifully, turning it fragrant and toasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ledaig 15 yo 1990/2006

Ledaig 15 yo 1990/2006

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islands
Dark gold
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Grilled fish, leather, smoke peat, grass, cooked rice, malty beer, blueberries, hints of oats.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, airy, fizzy, slippery.
Tasting: Sour salty. Cooked rice, grass, smoke, oats, malty beer, blueberries, peat, hints of cream.
Finish: Medium. Chillies, cooked rice, peat, malty beer.

Comments:

This whisky is something of a chameleon. When first poured, it reeks of grilled fish, leather and salty sea breeze. Left to sit for 5 minutes, it softens to smoky, starchy cooked rice, sweet malted wort, and light cereal and fruit. If you smoked rice, then fermented it into sake, maybe it would taste like this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, black pepper, honey, orange peel, lemons, hints of strawberries.
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, airy, loose.
Tasting: Sweet. Peanuts, black pepper, orange peel, strawberries, honey, vanilla, brown paper.
Finish: Short. Mint, black pepper, honey, orange peel.

Comments:

Distilled at the Four Roses distillery. Apparently has a high percentage of rye in the mash (close to 35%). Light and airy, quite a lot of flavour. No age statement, but this must be 4 or 5 years old, as it tastes youthful and fresh. I like the spicy, peppery fruit.

Verdict:

I like this.

Caol Ila 12 yo 1996/2009

Caol Ila 12 yo 1996/2009

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islay
Pale gold
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Smoke, peat, dark chocolate, plums, lemon juice, hints of lavender, hints of soy sauce.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, smooth, slippery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Smoke, peat, honey, dark chocolate, walnut skins, plums, lemon juice.
Finish: Medium. Honey, peat, walnut skins, smoke, hints of new plastic.

Comments:

This whisky doesn't taste like the Caol Ila I thought I knew! There's little sign of the usual salty-sweet umami taste that reminds me so much of soy sauce. Instead, there's sweet chocolate and red fruit, mainly plums, with a tart little hint of lemon juice. The expected peat and smoke are present in abundance.

Verdict:

I like this.

Aberfeldy 20 yo 1989/2009

Aberfeldy 20 yo 1989/2009

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Central Highlands
Bright gold
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Lemon sweets, orange peel, dark chocolate, malty beer, mint, raisins, hints of vanilla, hints of peanuts.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery, airy.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, orange peel, dark chocolate, malty beer, vanilla, orange juice, hints of cherries.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, orange peel, lemon sweets, orange juice, vanilla.

Comments:

Terry's Chocolate Orange with lots of real orange? And a hint of fizzy lemon sherbet filled sweets? Yes, and with a sprinkle of peanuts on top. That's what this whisky tastes like. Absolutely delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ben Nevis 10 yo

Ben Nevis 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highland
Amber
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, coconut oil, leather, peanuts, strawberry jam, olive oil, sea salt, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, slippery, loose.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Raisins, honeydew melon, leather, sea salt, chocolate, strawberry jam, peanuts, hints of olive oil.
Finish: Long. Chocolate, strawberry jam, peanuts, leather.

Comments:

Pretty decent strength for a flagship official bottling - nice to see some distilleries still keep their whiskies strong! This one is complex and rich, with lots of different layers of flavour, something quite unusual for a 10 yo. Nice, and good for a relaxing afternoon.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ardmore 16 yo 1991/2008

Ardmore 16 yo 1991/2008

Distillery Labels, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Pale yellow
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Malty beer, leather, chillies, lemon zest, smoke, soy sauce.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, warm.
Tasting: Salty. Lemon zest, orange peel, leather, cardboard, chillies, malty beer, soy sauce, hints of grilled fish.
Finish: Long. Chillies, orange peel, leather, hints of prunes.

Comments:

Surprisingly smoky and salty. Uncompromising, and very spicy for the low-ish strength of 43%. I'm very pleasantly surprised. This is excellent whisky. It's not only the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's Ardmores that are unusual and interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

Highland Park 8 yo

Highland Park 8 yo

The Macphail's Collection, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islands
Light amber
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Leather, milk, orange peel, peat, smoked fish, sea salt, raisins, hints of caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, watery, slippery.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Orange peel, milk, leather, peat, smoked fish, walnuts, new plastic, hints of raisins.
Finish: Short. Walnuts, new plastic, orange peel, leather.

Comments:

Very flavourful, and quite salty. I had not expected such a young Highland Park to have such depth of flavour. There is a light hit of new plastic, something quite chemical at the back of the mouth, as well as on the finish that I find a little unpleasant. Otherwise quite enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Benromach 19 yo 1978/1998

Benromach 19 yo 1978/1998

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Copper rose
63.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roses, raisins, peanuts, bananas, caramel, violets, honey, salt, hints of chillies. With water, more delicate, honey notes become more pronounced, saltier, perhaps some blue cheese.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, thick, loosens quickly.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Raisins, peanuts, honey, roses, violets, sea salt, chillies, hints of leather. With water, saltier, the floral notes are emphasised, leather and blue cheese appear.
Finish: Long. Warm, honey, peanuts, violets.

Comments:

Rare Malt, rare find. This is Benromach whisky distilled and bottled by Diageo while they owned it (and bottled when the distillery was silent). Benromach is of course an active distillery now. This whisky is quite subtle and delicious, salty with sweet floral notes. It opens up when water is added, producing quite an interesting flavour element, blue cheese. Is this rancio?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Karuizawa 15 yo 1992/2007 (for WhiskyLive)

Karuizawa 15 yo 1992/2007 (for WhiskyLive)

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Cough syrup
60.6% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Raisins, mint, coca cola, cloves, vanilla, sarsaparilla, tobacco leaf. With water, even sweeter, dried apricots, molasses, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, watery, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet. Brown paper, raisins, mint, coca cola, cloves, dried apricots, leather, tobacco leaf. With water, sarsaparilla, orange peel, marmalade notes appear.
Finish: Long. Chillies, cloves, coca cola, mint.

Comments:

Cask 3434, 308 bottles. Bottled for WhiskyLive London 2009. I opened this bottle to celebrate my son's arrival. The whisky is fragrant and herbal, more like a tonic than a drink. It tastes a little like Coke. Perhaps that shouldn't be surprising - Coke was originally sold as a herbal pick-me-up. This whisky is pretty good at doing that too!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 41.42 (Dailuaine 23 yo 1986/2010)

SMWS 41.42 (Dailuaine 23 yo 1986/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, ginger, rum, coffee, walnuts, butter, macadamias. With water, turns wilder, pears, magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet. Ginger, raisins, molasses, coffee, macadamias, creme de marron, hints of roses. With water, sweeter, pears, peanuts, more roses.
Finish: Long. Rum, ginger, molasses, macadamias.

Comments:

Sweet and nutty, full of ginger flavour. With water, it blows wide open, turns wilder and harsher. The flavours become more obvious, coming to the front of the tongue, and also to the front of the nose. Really, really good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 18.29 (Inchgower 24 yo 1985/2010)

SMWS 18.29 (Inchgower 24 yo 1985/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Tawny gold
49.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, malty beer, tobacco leaf, rum, cream soda, hints of leather, hints of grass.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, tingly, slippery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, leather, grass, rum, tobacco leaf, vanilla, butter.
Finish: Medium. Chillies, rum, tobacco leaf, vanilla.

Comments:

Quite airy and ethereal, with some nice hints of herbaceous tobacco. However, there's not very much going on in this whisky, and it's a little one-dimensional. Drinkable, but slightly boring.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 105.14 (Tormore 26 yo 1983/2010)

SMWS 105.14 (Tormore 26 yo 1983/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark honey
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange blossom, mint, dark chocolate, cloves, honey, hints of smoked bacon.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Plums, orange blossom, marmalade, honey, cloves, dark chocolate, hints of cinnamon.
Finish: Long. Honey, marmalade, plums, cloves.

Comments:

Sweet, fragrant and lovely. Lots of spice and fruit, with particularly nice notes of orange blossom. It tastes a little like one of those delicious Laduree macaroons - orange blossom flavour of course - but there's so much more going on here.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Inverleven 16 yo 1990/2007

Inverleven 16 yo 1990/2007

Distillery Labels, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Lowlands
White wine
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Grapefruit, brine, malty beer, grass, salted fish, hints of leather, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, slippery, smooth.
Tasting: Salty sour. Grapefruit, brine, lemons, vanilla, salted fish, malty beer, hints of raisins.
Finish: Long. Brine, grass, grapefruit, raisins, demerara sugar.

Comments:

Very clean, smooth and easy to drink. Salty and sour on the nose and tongue, but then turns to salty and sweet in the finish. I've not had Inverleven before, but I find it quite interesting. Time to go and find more expressions before they run out.

Verdict:

I like this.