Bunnahabhain 24 yo 1990/2015

Bunnahabhain 24 yo 1990/2015

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islay
Buttercups
40.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, brass polish, ginger, leather, peat, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens slightly, turns watery, slightly fizzy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Ginger, lemon zest, honey, malted grains, vanilla, leather. 
Finish: Medium. Ginger, ginseng, malted grains, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Cask #10822. Warming and pleasant, it's a perfect drinking whisky for a cold rainy night. Not too smoky, but quite a lot of peat, manifesting in some mild bitter notes on the tongue and the finish. Very citrusy though, surprisingly sweet sour for an Islay.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendalough 13 yo

Glendalough 13 yo

Glendalough
Single malt - Central Ireland
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brass polish, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, cream, hints of sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, airy, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apples, cream, sour apple sweets, peaches, hints of leather. 
Finish: Long. Green tea, sandalwood, apples, sour apple sweets. 

Comments: 

Cooley whisky, bottled by Glendalough distillery while their new make ages. Rather brassy and tart on the nose, like a young Rosebank (don't get too many of those these days). Nice apple notes on the tongue, tannic and fragrant finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Arran The Bothy Quarter Cask Batch 1

Arran The Bothy Quarter Cask Batch 1

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Golden
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, roses, caramel, raspberries, pink lady apples, hints of candy floss. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slippery, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sour. Raspberries, plums, pink lady apples, roses, candy floss, hints of jasmine. 
Finish: Short. Jasmine, pink lady apples, raisins, plums. 

Comments: 

Floral and fruity, intensely appley. On the tongue it was like drinking Appletiser, but boozy and with heavy rose notes. Gorgeous tart notes from other fruit, and light, floral finish. Very nice indeed. Quite an amazing whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Armorik Classic Single Malt

Armorik Classic Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Brittany
Bronze
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, pears, orange peel, overripe peaches, leather, hints of mint. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, slightly oily . 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Orange peel, cream, overripe peaches, lemon zest, cucumber skin, hints of ginseng. 
Finish: Long. Leather, ginseng, lemon zest, cucumber skin. 

Comments: 

Fruity, slightly peaty, on the nose, but that is washed away on the tongue by a wall of herbal bitterness. Very odd note - almost like what you get when you bite into a cucumber, intense bitterness but only for a moment. Then more gentle, herbal bitterness that reminds me of ginseng.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 18 yo 1994/2012

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 18 yo 1994/2012

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
53.6% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Orange blossom, brass polish, roses, black tea, pear drops, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Roses, brass polish, orange peel, toast, white grapes, hints of peach. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, white grapes, pear drops, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

Neat, this is on the edge of needing water... but not quite. It was quite superior without water - floral, fruity, bold and brassy, with a bitter bite of coffee on the nose and in the finish. This is really good whisky. I've not had many unsherried Glenrothes, this is a fine example of what I have been missing.

Verdict:

I like this.

Spirit of Hven Tycho's Star

Spirit of Hven Tycho's Star

Official bottling
Single malt - Scania
Amber, tinge of copper
41.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, chocolate, sarsaparilla, mint, blackcurrant cordial, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, coffee, orange peel, mint, sea salt, hints of leather. 
Finish: Long. Coffee, chocolate, blackcurrant cordial, salted caramel. 

Comments: 

Well, this is rather good! It's not part of the official 'Seven Stars' whisky range, but instead it's a vatting of peated and unpeated malt from the same distillery. Very chocolatey, even slightly savoury, but oh so sweet. The real surprise is the blackcurrant cordial, very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Cardhu Special Cask Reserve CS/CR 12.14

Cardhu Special Cask Reserve CS/CR 12.14

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, coffee, fried eggs, toffee, honey, hints of sulphur. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, ginseng, coffee, oranges, honey, hints of tamarind. 
Finish: Short. Red grapes, toffee, oranges, chocolate, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Fried eggs and coffee! Loaded with chocolate too, this whisky is sweet and unctuous. Definitely loads of sherry cask, but still slightly tart on the tongue. This was the last whisky of a very long night, but it was still great. I was done after this one - couldn't taste anything else.

Verdict:

I like this.

An Cnoc 16 yo

An Cnoc 16 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, photocopy paper, white grapes, cola nuts, honey, hints of vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White grapes, soor plooms, photocopy paper, orange blossom, lemon zest, hints of cotton sheets. 
Finish: Short. White grapes, soor plooms, photocopy paper, cotton sheets. 

Comments: 

Papery, fruity and gentle. Subtle whisky, but laid over a base of sweet fruity stuff. Floral too, with plenty of orange blossom. It's taken me a long time to track down my second ever Knockdhu whisky, and I should have tried harder. Won't take me 800 drams to get to the third!

Verdict:

I like this.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 5th Edition

Kilchoman 100% Islay 5th Edition

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Pale gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dates, honey, pears, smoke, peat, hints of fish sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slippery, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Dates, fish sauce, sea salt, pears, cream, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, apples, leather, soy sauce, hints of pears. 

Comments: 

Dates, pears and fish sauce - that's what Kilchoman tastes like. All those lovely notes are very much in evidence with this one, and it's also wreathed through with cream, sea salt and apples. This is great whisky, from a rather unique distillery. Yummy yum yum.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra Svensk Ek

Mackmyra Svensk Ek

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Gold, tinge of copper
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, mint, pears, peaches, orange juice, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, flimsy, watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peaches, pears, green apples, orange juice, hints of honey, hints of juniper. 
Finish: Short. Peaches, orange juice, honey, juniper. 

Comments: 

Lush, sweet, slightly tart, like overripe fruit. That's better than it sounds. Plenty of peaches and green apples, fragrant pears, honey. Mackmyra for me has a little nip of juniper, maybe it's my imagination, but it's much less in evidence for this one. Very tasty stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glen Spey 26 yo 1988/2014

Glen Spey 26 yo 1988/2014

35, Maltbarn
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
43.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raspberries, cream, cola nuts, brass polish, hints of sarsaparilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, slightly chewy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cola nuts, vanilla, brass polish, orange peel, honey, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Cream, honey, chocolate, hints of raspberries. 

Comments: 

Mild and gentle, slightly metallic (that's the brass polish) with some good fruitiness. It doesn't really perk up much till the finish, where there's waves of cream and honey and chocolate. I couldn't quite get into this, it's good whisky but maybe slightly tired.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Millstone 14 yo 1999/2014

Millstone 14 yo 1999/2014

Milroy's of Soho
Single malt - North Brabant
Mahogany
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, brass polish, soy sauce, leather, cherries, sugar cane, hints of rhubarb and custard. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Vanilla, chocolate, cherries, sugar cane, fresh baked bread, hints of red grapes. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, leather, toast, black tea, hints of cherries. 

Comments: 

Cask #1355. Flavourful and rich, plenty of sweet chocolatey bite, even slightly savoury notes on the tongue. This is great sherried whisky. The short finish was a surprise, but it was really intense, toasty, fruity and slightly tannic. I really enjoyed this.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ghosted Reserve 26 yo

Ghosted Reserve 26 yo

Rare Cask Reserves, William Grant and Sons
Vatted malt - Inverleven, Ladyburn
Pale green
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, white grapes, dark chocolate, brass polish, vanilla, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, airy, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour . White grapes, fresh cut grass, dark chocolate, green tea, almonds, hints of rhubarb and custard. 
Finish: Short. Orange peel, white grapes, almonds, green tea, hints of teak wood. 

Comments: 

A vatting of 26 yo Inverleven and 57 yo Ladyburn. I think it's spent a bit too long in the cask. Subtle flavours, slightly tart, a lot of grape and wood. But I was in the mood for big bold whisky, and somehow this didn't do it for me at all. Good stuff, but not the right night.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dallas Dhu 33 yo 1980/2014

Dallas Dhu 33 yo 1980/2014

Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, vanilla, cream, heather, honey, Scottish tablet, hints of peaches. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, chewy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour . White grapes, Scottish tablet, heather, black tea, hints of toast. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, white grapes, peaches. 

Comments: 

Can't be too much of this left in the world! It's alluringly fruity on the nose, even sweet, but on the tongue it's quite tart. Great fruity tannic finish. As with many closed distilleries, I was surprised by the quality of the final product. Old, rare, delicious. What's not to like?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.