Glenfarclas 40 yo

Glenfarclas 40 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Deep red brown
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, chocolate, brown paper, fresh baked bread, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, thickens, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Raisins, peanuts, honey, freshly baked bread, cream, vanilla, chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Raspberries, candied oranges, chocolate, raisins. 

Comments: 

Hell of a sherry monster, this, and it's an amazingly old one as well. Classic honey, chocolate and raisins everywhere, but there's also candied oranges, fresh baked bread and vanilla... latte? Very Christmassy, and I wish I had a bottle rather than a mere dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Lg5

Lg5

Elements of Islay, Specialty Drinks Ltd
Single malt - Islay
Green gold
54.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, pears, white grapes, smoke, bacon, peat. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, thickens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, smoke, frying bacon, white grapes, pears, honey, hints of oolong tea. 
Finish: Long. Peat, pears, peanuts, hints of honey. 

Comments: 

Whoa! Slammed in the nose by a panful of frying bacon, then again in the mouth. Some fruit starts to peep through that curtain of smoke and peat though, and it's deliciously sweet pears and grapes. Slight astringent finish, maybe some tea notes?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glenfiddich Malt Masters Edition Sherry Cask

Glenfiddich Malt Masters Edition Sherry Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Tea
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dark chocolate, red grapes, stewed pears, plums. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, thickens, slightly chewy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Dark chocolate, raisins, prunes, strawberries, red wine, stewed pears. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, red wine, stewed pears, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

My first Glenfiddich in years! It's not often you get special editions either. This one has the classic Glenfiddich pear, and here it is mellowed so much by the sherry influence it reminds me of pears stewed in red wine. Lovely grapey, chocolatey finish as well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Balvenie 14 yo Caribbean Cask

Balvenie 14 yo Caribbean Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, nutmeg, cream, orange peel, raisins, hints of pistachio nuts. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, slippery, turns chewy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cola nuts, nutmeg, pistachio nuts, peanuts, dark chocolate, hints of grass. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, peanuts, cream, coffee. 

Comments: 

Rum casked Balvenie! Tastes remarkably like cola upon the tongue, with some chocolatey, nutty notes to follow after. Great finish too, chockfull of raisins and nuts and even coffee.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 100.12 (Strathmill 10 yo 2005/2015)

SMWS 100.12 (Strathmill 10 yo 2005/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Very pale gold
58.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, tinned peaches, pineapples, lemon juice, hints of elderflower. With water, cookie dough, cough syrup, cashew nuts. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery, airy.
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Elderflower, vanilla, orange blossom, cherries, hints of lemon juice. With water, saltier, cookie dough, rum and raisin ice cream. 
Finish: Long. Roses, sandalwood, elderflower, orange blossom. 

Comments: 

This whisky is something of a chameleon. Neat, it explodes in fruity and floral fireworks on the tongue, laden with elderflower, orange blossom, and in the finish, sandalwood, just to name a few. With a few drops of water, it turns saltier, but not unpleasantly so, and shows a lot of rum and raisin.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS B3.3 (Rocktown 2 yo 2012/2015)

SMWS B3.3 (Rocktown 2 yo 2012/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single bourbon - Arkansas
Mahogany
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oak, cinnamon, vanilla, treacle, bananas, hints of apricots. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, fizzy, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Bananas, apricot jam, brown paper, treacle, cinnamon, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Long. Green apples, cranberries, apricot jam. 

Comments: 

You wait a long time for a single cask bourbon, and suddenly a couple come along like buses. This one is sweet and jammy, but never overpowering. Then the sweetness slips away in the finish, to be replaced by fragrant appley sour notes. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.