Scapa 16 yo 1993/2009

Scapa 16 yo 1993/2009

Distillery Labels, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islands
Pale green gold
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Peanuts, malty beer, leather, cooked rice, raisins, hints of fried onions.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, airy.
Tasting: Salty sour. Grapefruit, leather, lemons, malty beer, cooked rice, chocolate, hints of fried onions.
Finish: Short. Grapefruit, cooked rice, lemons, malty beer.

Comments:

Quite salty and tart, loose and light. I think this whisky would have been better bottled at a higher strength. It's got a nice bitter sour grapefruity note that is quite refreshing. Excellent on ice, but you have to drink it quick - it doesn't dilute well.

Verdict:

I like this.

Balblair 10 yo

Balblair 10 yo

Distillery Labels, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - North Highlands
Pale green
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Salt, leather, brown paper, raisins, cloves, plums.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, oily.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Vanilla, brown paper, leather, raisins, dates, prunes, plums, hints of pineapples.
Finish: Long. Brown paper, dates, prunes, vanilla.

Comments:

Young, but tastes old! Lots of dried fruit, not as fresh and as tangy as the official Balblairs are, although there is still a nice tart hint of pineapple. Instead, this whisky is sweet, vanilla-laden, and slightly briney.

Verdict:I like this.

SMWS 29.83 (Laphroaig 20 yo 1989/2010)

SMWS 29.83 (Laphroaig 20 yo 1989/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Brown
52.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, cream, vanilla, oranges, honey, grilled pork, hints of raisins, hints of oatmeal.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, smooth, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter. Vanilla, oranges, smoke, honey, raisins, black pepper, cloves, hints of grilled pork.
Finish: Long. Black pepper, smoke, honey, walnuts.

Comments:

Not as sweet as I thought it would be. Instead, there's a nice spicy, tingly peppery bite, with a meaty, tasty feel on the tongue. Laphroaig is one of those whiskies that takes sherry finishing really well, and it's hard to go wrong when I find one.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 25.52 (Rosebank 18 yo 1991/2010)

SMWS 25.52 (Rosebank 18 yo 1991/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Golden
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, cream soda, limes, pine, cloves, hints of honey, hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, airy.
Tasting: Sour. Lemon sweets, limes, honey, vanilla, coconut, cloves, hints of cinnamon.
Finish: Medium. Lemon sweets, limes, cloves.

Comments:

Very tart and citric, turning spicy on the tongue. It's not like other Rosebanks, much less sweeet, with the lemons really coming through. There's an overtone of limes as well, which isn't something I've encountered before in this type of whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glencadam 25 yo 1982/2007

Glencadam 25 yo 1982/2007

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden
51.2% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Leather, iodine, lemons, malty beer, sea salt, molasses, hints of raisins. With water, sweeter, less leathery and salty, pears, magic marker appear.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, warm, thickens.
Tasting: Sour salty. Honey, leather, iodine, vanilla, cream, oats, raisins, hints of molasses. With water, sweeter, more cereally and oaty, raisins really come to the fore.
Finish: Medium. Hot, lemons, iodine, leather, sea salt.

Comments:

Throat-tickling, and salty cereally when neat, but takes water pretty well. I added more than a splash, way beyond my usual two dribbles, and it opened up a lot - much sweeter, a little more like Juicy Pear jelly beans, and more fruity too.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 2.76 (Glenlivet 16 yo 1993/2010)

SMWS 2.76 (Glenlivet 16 yo 1993/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Pale amber
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ink, pears, magic marker, coca cola, lemon juice, molasses, hints of thyme. With water, slightly cardboardy, plums, orange peel appears.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, thickens, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Coca cola, pears, molasses, lemon juice, honey, hints of thyme. With water, more sour, plums, cloves appear.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, molasses, pears, coca cola.

Comments:

Quite a chemical bitter nose, but this gives way in the mouth to bitter sweet sour flavours reminiscent of Coke. With water the nose unfortunately doesn't improve, turning a bit cardboardy, but in the mouth the whisky gains fragrance and spice. A strange one.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 16.29 (Glenturret 21 yo 1988/2010)

SMWS 16.29 (Glenturret 21 yo 1988/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
Golden
46.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, honey, plums, lemons, cardamom, ginger, cloves, hints of balsamic vinegar. With water, sweeter, bubblegum, five spice powder.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, watery, loose.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Honey, plums, marmalade, cardamom, ginger, cloves, hints of cinnamon. With water, sweeter, more honey, preserved Chinese sour plums.
Finish: Long. Marmalade, ginger, plums.

Comments:

Quite oriental, sweet sour. Like licking ginger preserves and damson jam straight out of the jar. Very tasty and spicy, a great dessert whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kilchoman Autumn 2009 Release

Kilchoman Autumn 2009 Release

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Bronze
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Peanuts, peat, dates, honey, smoke, butterscotch, hints of soy sauce, hints of mint.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, turns watery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peat, dates, honey, butterscotch, peanuts, mint, hints of fish sauce.
Finish: Short. Oats, dates, cream, peat.

Comments:

3 years old, finished for 3 months in a sherry butt. Sweet, like the new make spirit, this time with hints of savoury notes. The date and butterscotch comes through very strongly, cutting through all that peat.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

North Port-Brechin 19 yo 1981/2000

North Port-Brechin 19 yo 1981/2000

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - East Highlands
Yellow gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, mushrooms, lemon zest, lemon sweets, orange juice, hints of chillies.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Mushrooms, lemon zest, limes, orange juice, chillies, red peppers, hints of oranges.
Finish: Short. Peanuts, mushrooms, limes, red peppers.

Comments:

Quite musty and fungal at the beginning, although this is soon joined by spicy, sweet, citrusy notes. A very brisk whisky, hurries the drinker along, and pretty soon, is all gone...

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Esk 15 yo 1985/2000

Glen Esk 15 yo 1985/2000

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, caramel, plums, prunes, green apples, roses, hints of leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet. Raisins, caramel, plums, prunes, green apples, roses, honey, hints of leather.
Finish: Medium. Chillies, honey, plums, prunes.

Comments:

Something like Chinese sour plums, reminds me very much of Oban 14 yo, except that Oban whisky is saltier. This is more fragrant, and more caramelly sweet. Quite tasty.

Verdict:

I like this.

Coleburn 21 yo 1979/2000 Rare Malts

Coleburn 21 yo 1979/2000 Rare Malts

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
59.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, white grapes, molasses, pineapples, coconut cream, apple juice, hints of limes. With water, sweeter, notes of honey, orange peel appear.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Apple juice, pineapples, coconut cream, white grapes, walnuts, black tea. With water, sweeter, notes of honey, molasses, orange peel appear.
Finish: Long. Walnuts, black tea, apple juice.

Comments:

Coleburn single malt is as rare as hen's teeth, but I was lucky enough to find two in a single session! This one is thick and fruity, like a pina colada, except that it fades to bitterness, slightly tannic, at the end. Great indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Coleburn 24 yo 1972/1996

Coleburn 24 yo 1972/1996

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, roses, apple juice, honey, cloves, leather, limes, hints of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Pineapples, roses, apple juice, plums, limes, honey, cloves.
Finish: Short. Pineapples, plums, limes, cloves.

Comments:

A drink fit for the gods! Tastes very much like mead, perhaps a little less heavy on the honey, and loads more fruit. Extremely good whisky, delicious as an aperitif.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Macduff 16 yo 1989/2005

Macduff 16 yo 1989/2005

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
Pale amber
59.8% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Malty beer, leather, brine, peanuts, black pepper, hints of iodine. With water, more fragrant, honey, marmalade, hints of molasses.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peanuts, black pepper, cardboard, vanilla, salt caramel, leather, brine. With water, sweeter, more vanilla, custard, marmalade.
Finish: Long. Iodine, salt caramel, peanuts, vanilla.

Comments:

I don't often drown my whisky in water. Even the 70%+ (!) whiskies that I've had needed a touch, or two touches, from my water jug. This one, however, improved a lot with a large slug of water. It was a better dram at around 40%, or just under, than at nearly 60%. Maybe they took it out of the cask too early...

Verdict:

I like this.

Littlemill 16 yo 1991/2007

Littlemill 16 yo 1991/2007

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Lowlands
Golden, tinge of pink
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Roses, vanilla, honey, gooseberries, ginger, grass, hints of lemons.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet. Vanilla, ginger, gooseberries, honey, orange peel, cream, hints of roses.
Finish: Medium. Gooseberries, grass, roses.

Comments:

Light and floral, with a nice herbal, vegetal something that reminds me of gooseberries laced with ginger wine. Refreshing, something to sip while relaxing at the bar, waiting for someone to show up.

Verdict:

I like this.