SMWS 4.211 (Highland Park 24 yo 1991/2015)

SMWS 4.211 (Highland Park 24 yo 1991/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Islands
Pale tea
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, wood smoke, soy sauce, raisins, bacon, hints of tarry ropes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, loose, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Leather, bacon, smoke, soy sauce, hints of raisins, hints of malted grains. 
Finish: Long. Peat, smoke, tarry ropes, bacon, hints of raisins. 

Comments: 

I would never have guessed that this is Highland Park. It tastes more like Caol Ila (soy sauce note) but much more meaty than a Caol Ila is. There's plenty of bacon and tar in this, reminded me of the old smoking days (pre-family, pre-girlfriend even) sitting in a greasy spoon have a fag while munching on a bacon sarnie.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 5.47 (Auchentoshan 14 yo 2000/2015)

SMWS 5.47 (Auchentoshan 14 yo 2000/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale silver
59.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, pineapples, green apples, peaches, cooked rice, hints of leather. With water, green tea, more green apples, grass. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, expands. 
Tasting:  Sour . Lemon juice, pineapples, green tea, toast, hints of cooked rice. With water, slightly sweeter, cooked rice, green apples, more green tea. 
Finish: Medium. Cooked rice, lemon juice, green tea, toast. 

Comments: 

Almost colourless, this whisky. Together with the cooked rice notes, this reminded me of nothing so much as a very good, very flavourful sake. It even has the slightly sour fermented flavour. With water though, the whisky came rushing back - tart, appley, herbal.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 28.26 (Tullibardine 10 yo 2005/2015)

SMWS 28.26 (Tullibardine 10 yo 2005/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale copper
61.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried strawberries, blackberry jam, mint, plums, hints of leather. With water, strawberry jam, pineapples, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, juicy, mouth wetting. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Strawberry jam, gooseberries, blackberries, plums, mint, cucumber, hints of leather. With water, more strawberry jam, prunes, pineapples, hints of hay. 
Finish: Medium. Strawberry jam, cinnamon, blackberries, toast. 

Comments: 

Gloriously jammy, this is chockful of stewed fruit notes. Some slight refreshment in the form of cucumber, but it only gets jammier with water. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 37.70 (Cragganmore 15 yo 2000/2015)

SMWS 37.70 (Cragganmore 15 yo 2000/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Silver gold, tinge of red
56.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cloves, raisins, sandalwood, preserved limes, golden syrup, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Candied oranges, preserved limes, cloves, leather, hay, hints of green apples. 
Finish: Short. Grapefruit, ginseng, green apples, cloves. 

Comments: 

Quite bitter, but not with that mouth-puckering ginseng note (well, at least not until the finish) that a lot of whiskies have. This is more grapefruit and apple peel, with something of that note you get when you chew whole cloves. Fragrant, enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Girvan Patent Still Single Grain Launch Edition

Girvan Patent Still Single Grain Launch Edition

Official bottling
Single grain - Lowlands
Light copper
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butterscotch, mint, black tea, brass polish, vanilla fudge, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slightly astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apricots, butterscotch, vanilla fudge, whipped cream, hints of peaches, hints of bananas. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, peaches, cream, hints of black tea. 

Comments: 

Fruity and gentle, yet not so sprightly anymore. This is apparently at least 25 years old. I like the slight brassiness on the nose, but this thins away to some peach notes on the tongue. Quite sweet and pleasant. Good grain whisky!

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 48.64 (Balmenach 11 yo 2004/2015)

SMWS 48.64 (Balmenach 11 yo 2004/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Silver
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, green tea, pine, green apples, plums, hints of leather. With water, salted plums, candied ginger, haw flakes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, oily, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Nori, green tea, salted plums, green apples, pine wood, hints of salt caramel. With water, saltier, sea salt, leather, haw flakes. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, leather, nori, hints of salted plums. 

Comments: 

Very oriental, this whisky. There's astringent green tea neat, and salty umami flavours that bring to mind sushi seaweed and Chinese salted plums. With water, this salty vibe intensifies, together with a slight cooked fruit note that suggests haw flakes (something you probably only know of if you visit China or South East Asia).

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 55.33 (Royal Brackla 17 yo 1997/2015)

SMWS 55.33 (Royal Brackla 17 yo 1997/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden yellow
56.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pears, honey, lemon zest, honeycomb biscuits, hints of peaches. With water, carbolic soap, orange juice, hints of mangoes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, turns slightly watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pears, chillies, honeycomb biscuits, mint, hints of golden syrup. With water, cream, peaches, mangoes, hints of papayas. 
Finish: Medium. Toast, pears, peaches, mint. 

Comments: 

Plenty of fruit and honey neat, but once water is added, a faint tang of carbolic soap, allied with a slight creaminess come in. The whisky opens up beautifully, with lots of orange juice and mangoes coming to the fore.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 64.67 (Mannochmore 25 yo 1990/2015)

SMWS 64.67 (Mannochmore 25 yo 1990/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
54.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Candied oranges, lemon zest, pears, apple juice, maraschino cherries, hints of hay. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, turns syrupy, tingly, fizzy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pineapples, mangoes, peaches, apple juice, marmalade, hints of maraschino cherries. 
Finish: Short. Pears, peaches, butterscotch, caramel. 

Comments: 

True tutti-frutti whisky. There's almost nothing else but fruit here (save a little grassiness on the nose), but what a diverse set of fruity notes it is! I particularly like the slightly aniseedy maraschino cherry notes.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Rittenhouse Straight Rye

Rittenhouse Straight Rye

Official bottling
Single rye - Heaven Hill
Amber red
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, nutmeg, bananas, black pepper, hints of chillies. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slightly fizzy, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cream, caramel, black pepper, mace, chillies, orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Caramel, black pepper, butterscotch, hints of bananas. 

Comments: 

Wow, this is pure rye spiciness. Spicy, fruity, plenty of mouth-warming pepperiness, laced with oodles of dried fruit. I don't know much about rye, but I do know that I like it and that I want to find out more.

Verdict:

I like this.

Port Askaig 19 yo Cask Strength

Port Askaig 19 yo Cask Strength

Port Askaig, Specialty Drinks Ltd
Single malt - Islay
Pale straw
50.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, smoke, roast pork, mint, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, mouth coating, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, mint, roast pork, smoke, green tea, hints of leather. 
Finish: Long. Green tea, leather, roast pork, lemon zest, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Oooh, mystery malt! Except that most people think it's Caol Ila, so not really a mystery after all. This one is sourish, with beautiful smoky roast pork notes. Not too peaty. There's something which many describe as 'flinty' but I prefer to think of as the bitterness inherent in green tea. This is wonderful stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Evan Williams Extra Aged

Evan Williams Extra Aged

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, pears, yoghurt, cream, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. White pepper, lemon zest, bananas, hay, hints of butterscotch. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, hay, lemon zest, bananas. 

Comments: 

A creamy, spicy bourbon, replete with bananas, lemon zest and a tinge of grassiness on the finish. I really enjoyed this, even though it's rather one-dimensional. Sometimes it's better to do a few things really well rather than many things adequately.

Verdict:

I like this.

Rebel Yell

Rebel Yell

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

Nose: Yoghurt, thyme, grass, photocopy paper, hints of pears. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Thyme, bananas, photocopy paper, black pepper, hints of yoghurt. 
Finish: Medium. Yoghurt, black pepper, bananas, hints of black tea. 

Comments: 

A grassy, herbal bourbon, with the usual bananas replaced by pears and thyme. While I normally relish surprises and complexity, I'm afraid this combination leaves me slightly cold. It just doesn't go together, and the yoghurty notes didn't help.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Old Granddad, Bottled in Bond

Old Granddad, Bottled in Bond

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Orange
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cream, blackcurrant cordial, strawberries, hints of brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, turns syrupy, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Bananas, blackcurrant cordial, brown paper, prunes, hints of orange peel . 
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, white pepper, prunes, orange peel. 

Comments: 

A slightly unusual bourbon, the strength and the depth of flavour means that the usually omnipresent brown paper notes are relegated to the background. Reminds me of Ribena with vodka... a little bit, anyway. Good spicy finish, when the brown paper comes whooshing back.

Verdict:

I like this.