Alberta Rye Dark Batch

Alberta Rye Dark Batch

Official bottling
Single rye - Alberta
Amber, tinge of purple
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, toffee, cinnamon, lohan fruit, charcoal, cotton candy. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, cool, loosens. 
Tasting: Sweet. Red grapes, lohan fruit, charcoal, prunes, black tea, hints of cotton candy. 
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, red grapes, black tea, leather, prunes. 

Comments: 

OK, Canadian whiskey is weird. This is rye spirit distilled at Alberta Distillers in Calgary, but it's adulterated with some bourbon and a little sherry. But it's still 91% single rye, honest. It's fruity and dark, with a cooked, slightly charred note that I interpret as the herbal lohan fruit soup I used to get as a child. Nice stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

George Dickel No 8

George Dickel No 8

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cinnamon, brown paper, sugar cane, coconut, hints of lemon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slippery, slightly chewy. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Bananas, peanuts, cinnamon, toffee, sugar cane, walnut skins. 
Finish: Medium. Walnut skins, peanuts, bananas, lemon peel. 

Comments: 

Hmm. An unusual bourbon (ok, sorry, Tennessee whiskey), it's got a burnt sugar taste that reminds me very much of rum. It's got heaps of bitter notes as well, along with the normal bananas and toffee. I quite enjoyed this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Inchgower 20 yo 1995/2015

Inchgower 20 yo 1995/2015

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Green gold
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ink, gooseberries, leather, quinces, lemon zest, hints of iron filings. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Gooseberries, iron filings, green apples, rice crispies, leather, hints of sandalwood. 
Finish: Medium. Ink, lemon zest, quinces, walnut skins. 

Comments: 

An unusual Speyside whisky. It's light, but it's tart and cereally, with bitter fragrant, even metallic notes. Well aged, it's very complex, and worth taking plenty of time over when drinking a dram. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendalough Double Barrel

Glendalough Double Barrel

Glendalough
Single grain - unknown
White wine
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, raisins, dried cranberries, sea salt, malted grains, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery, slippery. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Bananas, brown paper, dried cranberries, dried apples, dark chocolate. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, bananas, sea salt, dried apples. 

Comments: 

A sourced grain whiskey from Glendalough (and I'm really looking forward to what they can produce, if the quality of their sourced spirit is any guide). This one has been matured in both oloroso and bourbon casks, and is about 4 years old apparently. It's fruity and light, plenty of savoury and bitter notes. Delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glentauchers 19 yo 1996/2016

Glentauchers 19 yo 1996/2016

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, apples, vanilla, peaches, white grapes, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, turns watery, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Coffee, cream, milk chocolate, apples, vanilla, hints of pineapples. 
Finish: Medium. Milk chocolate, white grapes, cream, apples. 

Comments: 

Wow, this is luscious! A refreshing and light whisky that also tastes its age, with heaps of fruity complexity, darkening into chocolate and slightly bitter fragrant coffee on the tongue. Excellent finish too. This is my first 'Tauchers in 7 years.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Limeburners Single Malt Whisky (Cask M97))

Limeburners Single Malt Whisky (Cask M97)

Official bottling
Single malt - Western Australia
Rose
61% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, red grapes, cough syrup, brown paper, hints of crispy bacon. With water, rhubarb and custard, leather, more honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, turns sticky, chewy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, chocolate, raisins, prunes, honey, cough syrup, hints of baked oats. With water, saltier, more red grapes, more honey, leather. 
Finish: Long. Baked oats, chocolate, raisins, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Super duper sherried whisky. Slight meaty note on the nose, but chock full of red grapes and raisins. Rather like a good Pedro Ximenez sherry (obviously, since it's a sherry cask). Good cereally notes on the finish as well.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Deveron 10 yo

Glen Deveron 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, chocolate, marzipan, honey, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, turns watery, slightly astringent, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, honey, marzipan, orange peel, raisins, hints of cream. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, dark chocolate, marzipan, raisins. 

Comments: 

My second ever Macduff, it's not a whisky that's easily available outside travel retail, and I don't drink in bottles really. It's chocolatey and almondy, sweet and luscious. There's a slightly bitter note in the finish, as there often is with many good whiskies. Excellent stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Roughstock Montana Bourbon Whiskey

Roughstock Montana Bourbon Whiskey

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Montana
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, raisins, cooked rice, buttermilk, hints of sweet corn. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, turns watery, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cooked rice, bananas, roasted sweet corn, cream, hints of lemon zest. 
Finish: Short. Cream, coffee, buttermilk, rice crispies. 

Comments: 

The white dog from this distillery was more than decent. Let's see what the whiskey tastes like... it's got the same cereally, slightly starchy notes that remind me of cooked rice, and a nice tangy buttermilk note. But there's no mistaking it - it's really good bourbon.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Blended Whisky 1 Batch 2

Blended Whisky 1 Batch 2

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Blend
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange juice, iron filings, chocolate, honey, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, syrupy, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Honey, raisins, golden syrup, orange peel, blackcurrant cordial. 
Finish: Medium. Blackcurrant cordial, iron filings, honey, raisins. 

Comments: 

Wow, this is a good blend! Sweet honey and raisins, cut through with a slightly bitter metallic finish. That's not unpleasant though, it shakes things up and makes things interesting.

Verdict:

I like this very much.

Allt-a-Bhainne 18 yo 1996/2014

Allt-a-Bhainne 18 yo 1996/2014

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Gold, tinge of silver
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, malted grains, leather, sea salt, hints of crispy bacon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, a little airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Leather, apples, orange peel, lemon zest, cream, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Cream, vanilla, raisins, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Cask ref 10825. Not your usual Speyside. The delicate sweet flavours are not so obvious here, instead there's savoury leather, plenty of creamy, milky notes, and ever-present lemon zest. It's great though, the higher strength creates all this complexity, and it's really drinkable, almost scarily so.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenlivet Cipher

Glenlivet Cipher

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Copper
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cookie dough, vanilla, apples, white grapes, honey, hints of caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, thickens slightly, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Apples, chestnuts, cookie dough, honey, chocolate, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, dark chocolate, chestnuts, black tea. 

Comments: 

A Cipher, so secret they don't tell you anything about it. Well, it's appley to the extreme, with plenty of chocolate and vanilla. A calvados barrel perhaps? Stranger things have happened.

Verdict:

I like this.