Balcones Brimstone

Balcones Brimstone

Official bottling
Single corn - Texas
Dark amber
53% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, smoke, maple syrup, black tea, blueberries, vanilla, hints of turmeric.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, airy, watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Brown paper, maple syrup, sweet potatoes, vanilla, magic marker, hints of turmeric.
Finish: Long. Sweet potatoes, vanilla, magic marker, pears.

Comments:

Interestingly made - the whiskey has been smoked (not the grain, the whiskey itself) with scrub oak. It's sweet and smoky, with a vegetable hint of something very like sweet potatoes. Good complexity, even spiciness. Very nice, and I hope Balcones keep producing this sort of stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Hellyers Road Peated

Hellyers Road Peated

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Green gold
46.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pears, smoke, lemon zest, peat, lime juice, vanilla, hints of charcoal.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thins, expands, slippery.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Peat, smoke, pears, lime juice, vanilla, ginseng, hints of olive oil.
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, olive oil, pears, charcoal.

Comments:

Reminds me of a young Caol Ila, but without the savouriness. This simply hasn't aged long enough I think, there's not a great deal of flavour behind that smoke and peat. Nevertheless it's promising, with complex bitter flavours (charcoal, ginseng and olive oil) and some light fruit. It's easy to drink and goes down well, but it should really have spent a little longer in the cask.

Verdict:

I like this.

Corsair Ryemageddon

Corsair Ryemageddon

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee
Amber orange
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, orange juice, black tea, pickle brine, brown paper, blackcurrants, hints of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, syrupy, sticky.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Orange juice, black tea, pickle brine, brown paper, limes, red grapes, hints of cinnamon.
Finish: Short. Cinnamon, orange juice, pickle brine, hints of chillies.

Comments:

My first single rye whiskey - it's taken me a long time to dip my toe into that particular pond. I'm sorry to say that I'm a fool, I should have done it a long time ago. This is spicy, tart and flavourful. I like the black tea, and the astringency characterised by brown paper notes and even pickle brine. Yummy yum yum, lots of the orange juice and lime that made previous Corsair whiskies so tasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Isle of Jura 22 yo 1992

Isle of Jura 22 yo 1992

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islands
Bright yellow
47.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Freshly baked bread, lemon zest, vanilla, orange peel, freshly mown grass, hints of leather.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, expands, turns watery.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Freshly baked bread, lemon zest, honey, vanilla, orange peel, hints of leather, hints of pomeloes.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, freshly baked bread, honey, orange peel.

Comments:

Cask 10362. A Burns Night whisky, chosen mostly at random. This whisky is cereally, slightly burnt, and fragrant. The effect is rather like standing in front of an oven where a freshly baked loaf is about to be taken out. Not just any loaf though - this one is redolent with fruit peel and sweetened with honey. Good whisky, but it's a little low in strength I think. Bottled slightly too late perhaps (but that would be carping).

Verdict:

I like this.

Four Roses Limited Edition 2013

Four Roses Limited Edition 2013

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber rose
63.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, blackcurrants, raisins, vanilla, coffee, dark chocolate, hints of soy sauce. With water, more soy sauce, preserved lemons, roast chicken.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, expands, turns watery.
Tasting: Sweet. Blackcurrants, raisins, prunes, coffee, dark chocolate, dried apples, hints of soy sauce. With water, more savoury, roast chicken, dried apples, hints of mushrooms.
Finish: Long. Coffee, blackcurrants, prunes, dried apples.

Comments:

Batch 3-4P. Wow! Huge lashings of fruits, dried and fresh, with lots of coffee and dark chocolate. This is incredibly drinkable at 63.4%. Once water is added though, it becomes even more flavourful, with quite a lot of savoury, umami notes. Great, great bourbon.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bowman Brothers Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bowman Brothers Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Virginia
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, brown paper, vanilla, custard, nutmeg, hints of watermelon.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Brown paper, vanilla, nutmeg, watermelon, white pepper, hints of cardamom.
Finish: Medium. Watermelon, custard, white pepper.

Comments:

Good bourbon, well made. Apparently it's Buffalo Trace spirit, redistilled in the A. Smith Bowman distillery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It's nice and fruity, good intensity of flavour, spicy and satisfying. It's not overly complex, and it's a nice easy one to start the night with.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Garioch 12 yo

Glen Garioch 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, pears, malted grains, heather honey, vanilla, hints of brown paper, hints of banana.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, loosens, turns slightly watery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Pears, orange peel, lemons, vanilla, white grapes, heather honey, hints of brown paper, hints of white pepper.
Finish: Medium. White pepper, pears, dark chocolate, hints of smoke.

Comments:

Quite fruity, with nice estery notes, but there's a bitter undertone which I think is orange pith, or lemon zest, the part of the fruit which most people don't like. Nicely bitter, slightly smoky finish, redolent with white pepper and dark chocolate. Very tasty.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Copper gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, honey, vanilla, lemon zest, apples, palm sugar, hints of peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Malted grains, honey, vanilla, apples, lemon zest, palm sugar, hints of chocolate, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Long. Apples, chocolate, malted grains, honey.

Comments:

Hmm. One of the more appley Yamazakis. Apparently speed-aged in a puncheon (a smaller cask) and I think it shows. The whisky is very mild, with the fruity notes quite faint and difficult to discern. Nice notes of vanilla and palm sugar, but there is precious little complexity. Needs to spend more time in the cask, although fairly refreshing.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Miyagikyo 2002 Single Cask #101127

Miyagikyo 2002 Single Cask #101127

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Pale yellow
62% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red apples, green apples, orange peel, clementines, kiwi fruit, honey. With water, sweeter, more red apples, peaches, vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, spicy, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Red apples, green apples, kiwi fruit, ginseng, chillies, honey, hints of oats. With water, sweeter, malted grains, peaches, vanilla, more red apples.
Finish: Medium. Green apples, ginseng, orange peel, kiwi fruit, hints of dark chocolate. With water, vanilla.

Comments:

Fruity and rich, with an alluring chilli heat on the tongue. But that's due to its high strength, once water is added the whisky calms down. It's sweeter and fruitier, and gentle too - much more like the Miyagikyo I know. I wouldn't describe Miyagikyo as 'feminine' (I know, some whisky writers do), but it's certainly a gentler, easier to drink single malt compared to, say, Yoichi or Yamazaki.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 41.62 (Dailuaine 11 yo 2003/2014)

SMWS 41.62 (Dailuaine 11 yo 2003/2014)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
61.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, vanilla, lemon curd, oats, cream, pears, butter biscuits, hints of brown sugar.
Mouthfeel: Light  body, thickens, airy, slightly fizzy.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Bananas, oats, butter biscuits, lemon curd, dried cherries, freshly baked bread, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Dried cherries, butter biscuits, bananas, freshly baked bread.

Comments:

Very buttery, which manifests itself in all sorts of interesting notes. There's lemon curd, baked butter (in the form of butter biscuits, and maybe fresh buttered toast (the bread's certainly there). That overlays a lot of fruit and milky, creamy notes. Good whisky, though not spectacular.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 48.53 (Balmenach 12 yo 2001/2014)

SMWS 48.53 (Balmenach 12 yo 2001/2014)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Green gold
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried mangoes, sesame brittle, peaches, clementines, autumn leaves, hints of wet stones.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, tingly, expands.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Dried mangoes, peaches, dried starfruit, sesame brittle, dried apples, hints of wet stones, hints of milk chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, dried apples, dried mango, dried starfruit, dried pineapple.

Comments:

Whoa! Best whisky this First Friday at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Laden with dried fruit, with dried mangoes predominating. Behind that huge note lurks dried starfruit (a delicacy, not too common), dried apples, and clementine peel. Lovely and fruity, this whisky lingers in the memory. No water, despite the strength.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS G14.1 (Dumbarton 28 yo 1986/2014)

SMWS G14.1 (Dumbarton 28 yo 1986/2014)

2015, SMWS
Single grain - Lowlands
Golden
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Popcorn, bananas, vanilla, pear drops, sweet potatoes, sandalwood, pancakes, hints of butterscotch.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, fizzy, airy.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Bananas, cardamom, sandalwood, popcorn, cinnamon, pear drops, hints of milk.
Finish: Short. Sandalwood, cardamom, bananas, pineapples.

Comments:

Gentle and light, very spicy, lots of interesting estery notes. There's quite a lot of caramel flavour lurking in the background, but it's very gentle. On the tongue it explodes into a spice garden - cardamom and cinnamon predominate. Very nice, and unusual grain whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No 2 Merak

Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No 2 Merak

Official bottling
Single malt - Scania
Orange
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, leather, grilled meat, lemon zest, thyme, mint, orange blossom.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, chewy, oily, syrupy.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Liquorice, orange blossom, lemon zest, thyme, peat, black pepper, hints of ginger.
Finish: Short. Smoke, peat, tobacco leaf, leather, hints of ginger.

Comments:

Rather herbal and harsh-tasting, spicy on the tongue. It's not a gentle whisky by any means. But the herbal flavours are well defined, and the smoke and peat leave a glorious mouthfeel and a punchy, flavourful finish. This is good, if unusual whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Balvenie 15 yo Single Barrel Sherry Cask

Balvenie 15 yo Single Barrel Sherry Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange peel, malted grains, dried apples, cream, grilled meat, hints of sandalwood.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet. Raisins, malted grains, dried apples, dark chocolate, orange peel, chillies, hints of maple syrup.
Finish: Medium. Coffee, dark chocolate, chillies, hints of rose.

Comments:

Cask #16293. Hmm. Rather less orangey character than the last few Balvenies I've had (though admittedly that was 5 years ago, more or less). This one is delicate and appley, with a slightly bitter, chocolatey coffee finish. I like this, it's not overtly sherry finished, but well flavoured and tasty. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.