Redbreast 15 yo

Redbreast 15 yo

Official landing
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Gold, tinge of green
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, raisins, lemon zest, brown paper, rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Orange peel, raisins, brown paper, dark chocolate, lemon zest, apricots. 
Finish: Short. Dark chocolate, raisins, lemon zest, apricots. 

Comments: 

Finishing the Redbreast official bottling trinity! I've had the 12 and the 21, and this is the last one. It's fruity like the others, a bit more chocolatey and raisiny perhaps. Plenty of fruit and chocolate in the finish too.

Verdict:

I like this.

Strathclyde 28 yo 1987/2015

Strathclyde 28 yo 1987/2015

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single grain - Lowlands
Golden
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Salt caramel, chocolate, coffee, orange peel, magic marker, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, oily, volatile. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Coffee, magic marker, soy sauce, lemon zest, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, magic marker, lemon zest, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Cask no DL 10982. Another aged grain, and like the previous one, it has picked up a lot of savoury, and in this case, slightly bitter notes from the wood. Soy sauce, coffee, even some cinnamony spiciness. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Garnheath 41 yo 1974/2015

Garnheath 41 yo 1974/2015

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single grain - Lowlands
Dark gold
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ink, pear drops, magic marker, vanilla, wood polish, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, airy, smooth. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Pear drops, magic marker, brown paper, coffee, apricot jam, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Short. Chocolate, honey, apricot jam, pear drops. 

Comments: 

Cask no DL 11029. A rare find this, Garnheath! I thought my chance to taste Garnheath had gone for ever. Aged grain is so wonderful, light and estery, yet it's picked up savoury notes from the long aging in the wood. Still plenty of fruity notes though.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Blair Athol 18 yo 1995/2014

Blair Athol 18 yo 1995/2014

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Central Highlands
Dark gold
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butterscotch, orange peel, honey, cinnamon, maraschino cherries, hints of beeswax. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warming, tingly, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, candied winter melon, vanilla, whipped cream, hints of beeswax. 
Finish: Medium. Mint, orange peel, maraschino cherries, brown paper. 

Comments: 

Cask no DL 10457. This one is fruity and spicy, candied fruits really. Candied oranges, maraschino cherries, even candied winter melon. And beeswax. A very bold and brassy Highlander. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Braes of Glenlivet 25 yo 1989/2014

Braes of Glenlivet 25 yo 1989/2014

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, roast pork, condensed milk, nutmeg, apricots, pears, hints of chillies. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Apricots, pears, apple juice, nutmeg, hints of cucumbers. 
Finish: Long. Leather, coffee, apple juice, toast. 

Comments: 

Meaty on the tongue, plenty of fruit. Tart and spicy, eventually fades away to toasty leather and coffee in the finish. It's not the most fantastic whisky in the world, sometimes stuff gets bottled because it's a bit rare and most of the whisky goes into blends.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka 12 yo

Nikka 12 yo

Nikka
Blend
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, orange juice, rhubarb and custard sweets, vanilla hints of white chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour . Lemon zest, orange juice, green apples, condensed milk, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, condensed milk, tamarind, rhubarb and custard sweets. 

Comments: 

So this is what Nikka have been putting their Yoichi and Miyagikyo into. It's tart, slightly sweet, quite fruity and light. It's a shame about the single malts, they were so much better than this. It's not a bad blend, just... too easy drinking.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tamnavulin 23 yo 1993/2016

Tamnavulin 23 yo 1993/2016

Malts of Scotland
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
55.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, bubble gum, leather, lemon zest, cream, hints of white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, oily. 
Tasting:  Salty sour . Green apples, white grapes, orange peel, cardamom, brown paper, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Toast, white grapes, cardamom, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

Cask #16013. One of those slightly odd whiskies that smell sweet but don't taste that sweet. Aromas of bubble gum and white grapes merge into tart green apple and sour grape skins on the tongue. Tantalising glimpses of sweet fruit hover on the edge of the tongue before vanishing into toasty leather notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ardbeg Dark Cove

Ardbeg Dark Cove

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
46.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cream, chocolate, cinnamon, peat, smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, sticky, slightly chewy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Cream, malted grains, apples, sawdust, peat, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Peat, sawdust, apples, chocolate, smoke. 

Comments: 

Ardbeg 2016 official expression. Creamy, milky even, with plenty of apple. It's peaty and smoky of course, with a woody sawdust note, wreathed with a bit of chocolate. All in all, a decent Ardbeg, I quite enjoyed it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Craigellachie 21 yo 1995/2016

Craigellachie 21 yo 1995/2016

Malts of Scotland
Single malt - Speyside
Amber, tinge of green
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, raisins, malted grains, white grapes, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Fresh cut grass, fresh baked bread, white grapes, apples, toast, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Short. White grapes, apples, lemon zest, rhubarb. 

Comments: 

Fresh and fragrant, cut with malted grains and many, many fruity notes. It tastes young, unaged, less fusty than many other aged whiskies. Nevertheless it's attained a complexity commensurate with its true age. Very nice, if a little short on the finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Charbay Whiskey Release III 6 yo

Charbay Whiskey Release III 6 yo

Official bottling
Single bourbon - California
Mahogany
66.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red wine, prunes, raisins, tobacco leaf, hops, apricots. With water, honey, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Prunes, red grapes, tobacco leaf, marijuana, dried apricots, hints of sandalwood. With water, sweeter, honey, raisins, sandalwood. 
Finish: Long. Marijuana, red grapes, sandalwood, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

This is hopped beer, distilled into whiskey, so maybe not strictly whiskey. But it's great! Fully sherried, plenty of fruit, and the hops makes it taste herbal, slightly bitter, not unlike, er, weed. Call it a memory of a misspent youth. Fantastic stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.