Caol Ila 14 yo Cask Strength

Caol Ila 14 yo Cask Strength

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Yellow gold
59.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, lemon zest, chillies, peaches, lillies, hints of fish sauce. With water, cream cheese, yoghurt, hints of thyme. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, airy, loose. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Chillies, lemon zest, lillies, soy sauce, mangoes, hints of white grapes. With water, saltier, cream, yoghurt, hints of sea salt. 
Finish: Long. Chillies, white grapes, mangoes, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

Unpeated Caol Ila, quite a rare beast. It's floral and fruity neat, quite unlike the distillery's usual output. But add water and it loses its delicate floral notes and becomes something more like the Caol Ila we all know and love - saltier, creamier, with a bit of funky seaside. Good for the novelty value, and a decent whisky in its own right.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Moray 10 yo Chardonnay Cask

Glen Moray 10 yo Chardonnay Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cola nuts, malted grains, white grapes, nutmeg, hints of vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cola nuts, grass, white grapes, nutmeg, hints of red pepper, hints of vanilla . 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, grass, nutmeg, hints of sage. 

Comments: 

Herbal and grassy on the tongue, but the wine finish also imparts a great deal of fruit and spice. This apparently spent all its 10 years in the Chardonnay cask. Lots of flavour, light and refreshing. Good whisky, very good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2014

Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2014

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, black tea, leather, smoke, peat, pears, hints of smoked fish. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, watery, loose. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Pears, plums, black tea, tobacco leaf, peat, smoke, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Plums, tobacco leaf, orange peel, hints of smoked fish. 

Comments: 

Sherried Kilchoman. Sweet, but with lots of savouriness underpinning it - familiar-ish Kilchoman fishiness, tobacco leaf, and of course the Islay peat and smoke. This is really excellent whisky, perfect marriage of peat and fruit.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, oak, cream, leather, red grapes, hints of musk. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, spreads out, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, black tea, butter, raisins, hints of butterscotch. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, black tea, butter, oats. 

Comments: 

A new (at least for me) NAS expression from Yamazaki. Rather fatty and buttery, something I don't often find. Possibly over-sherried as well, with the sweet grapeyness masking a lack of complexity. Lots of raisins, butter, black tea... and not much else. Unfortunately.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Glenlochy 32 yo 1980/2012

Glenlochy 32 yo 1980/2012

Cask Strength, Signatory
Single malt - West Highlands
Weak tea
60.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Salt caramel, leather, mint, brass polish, lemon sweets, raisins, hints of chillies. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, viscous, static. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Mint, lemon sweets, brass polish, leather, grass, raisins, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, leather, wet stones, black tea. 

Comments: 

One of the last drams of Glenlochy, surely. This one is scarily drinkable at 60.1%. I took the decision not to add water, and to enjoy it fully flavoured at cask strength. Smoky and 'hard', but not harsh. Salt caramel on the nose that melts away to grassy smoky loveliness.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 58.16 (Strathisla 9 yo 2006/2015)

SMWS 58.16 (Strathisla 9 yo 2006/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Silver
59.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roses, vanilla, white grapes, soy milk, yoghurt, hints of white chocolate. With water, more white grapes, mint, lemon peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, turns chewy, turns syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. White grapes, oats, soy milk, yoghurt, hints of roses, hints of green tea. With water, salty, salt caramel, chillies, yoghurt. 
Finish: Long. Yoghurt, white chocolate, oats, hints of green tea. 

Comments: 

Slightly odd whisky again. It's floral, yet cereally, with a slightly fermented flavour that I interpret as soy milk and yoghurt. Upon adding water, it opens up, smelling more herbal and fruity, and salty on the tongue. Like I said, odd.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 123.4 (Miyagikyo 17 yo 1996/2014)

SMWS 123.4 (Miyagikyo 17 yo 1996/2014)

2014, SMWS
Single malt - East Honshu
Mahogany
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, honey, raisins, dark chocolate, oak, sandalwood, hints of leather. With water, sweeter, more red grapes, cotton candy, more honey. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens slightly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, sandalwood, soy sauce, raisins, leather, hints of honey. With water, more bitter, more astringent, black tea, orange peel, more red grapes. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, black tea, tobacco leaf, leather. 

Comments: 

Ooh, first fill sherry cask aged Japanese whisky. This is as delicious as it sounds, and slightly unusual, in that upon adding water, it is sweet on the nose but slightly bitter and mouth-puckering ont the tongue. I really enjoyed this one.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 55.29 (Royal Brackla 14 yo 2000/2015)

SMWS 55.29 (Royal Brackla 14 yo 2000/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
56.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, eucalyptus, fresh cut grass, hints of strawberries. With water, ink, grapefruit, hints of pears. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, chewy, chunky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemons, vanilla, orange peel, fresh cut grass, hints of ginseng, hints of grapefruit. With water, salty, sea salt, grapefruit, hints of leather. 
Finish: Medium. Eucalyptus, grapefruit, ginseng. 

Comments: 

Sweet and fruity neat, turns all sorts but sweet upon the addition of water. Chameleon whisky. Still, the bitter citrus notes of grapefruit and herby notes of eucalyptus are ever present. Good stuff, this.

Verdict:

I like this.