Royal Brackla 12yo

Royal Brackla 12yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, raisins, malted grains, yoghurt, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, loosens, light. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Yoghurt, honey, lohan fruit, raisins, apples, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, lohan fruit, honey, apples. 

Comments: 

Matured in first fill Oloroso sherry casks, but not very sherried. It's in fact, lactic rather than fruity, with sour yoghurty notes that are subtle rather than assertive. Interesting fruit notes, it's lohan fruit rather than something more well-known.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jameson Gold

Jameson Gold

Official bottling
Single blend - Southern Ireland
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, cotton sheets, apples, cloves, cinnamon, hints of cardamom. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, cool, static. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, cloves, white grapes, raisins, chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, honey, cloves, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Well, this is a surprise! This whisky is spicy, fruity and assertive, full of honeyed glory. Much better value than the previous whisky, and certainly a better whisky all round. Great value for its price point.

Verdict:

I like this.

Midleton Very Rare 2015

Midleton Very Rare 2015

Official bottling
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, raisins, honey, figs, photocopy paper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loose, watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, raisins, coffee, buttered toast, hints of iodine. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, raisins, vanilla. 

Comments: 

I've had some good, and some odd expressions of this range in the past. This 2015 version though, is disappointing. It starts out fruity and slightly chemical, then morphs to bitter sweet on the tongue, some tannic notes, then peters out to... not much.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Amrut Single Cask 2009 (4yo 2009/2013) Cask 3437

Amrut Single Cask 2009 (4yo 2009/2013) Cask 3437

Official bottling
Single malt - Bangalore
Amber
62.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, coffee, vanilla, butter, blackcurrant cordial. With water, orange peel, hints of lychees. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, vanilla, figs, blackcurrant cordial, hints of ginseng. With water, more bitter, black tea, ginseng, coffee. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, vanilla, coffee, hints of peppermint. 

Comments: 

This is apparently a bourbon cask, but the whisky doesn't taste bourbony at all. In fact, it's rather sherried, with huge fruity notes of red wine and blackcurrant. The spirit apparently matured in virgin oak for a time, which I guess is how the 'sherried' character appeared. That, and time in warm Indian weather.

Verdict:

I like this.

The Chita

The Chita

Official bottling
Single grain - West Honshu
Pale gold
43% ABV
D3ram

Nose: Sandalwood, ginger, apple juice, vanilla, hints of mangoes, hints of pear drops. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens, turns oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, pear drops, ginger, salted peanuts, custard, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Custard, fresh baked bread, apple juice, sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Finally, an official Chita! The SMWS bottling was wild and estery, the official version is tamed, restrained, with spicy ginger notes and hints of bold fruit. It's also quite salty, even nutty. I guess there's some element of reversion to the mean when you have to blend so many casks. Nevertheless I like this even so.

Verdict:

I like this.

Old Hobart Overeem Bourbon Cask Matured (Cask Strength OHD-065)

Old Hobart Overeem Bourbon Cask Matured (Cask Strength OHD-065)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Dark gold
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, raisins, salt caramel, orange peel, lemon zest, hints of vanilla. With water, toasted coconut, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, vanilla, toast, raisins, lemon zest, hints of cream. With water, more savoury, sea salt, toasted coconut. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, cream, orange peel, toast. 

Comments: 

Oddly named ('cask strength' is redundant, perhaps?), but I like the information on the provenance. It's decent whisky, but not stand-out. Takes a lot of water - I added perhaps twice what I normally do, and the flavours didn't open up a great deal until I'd drenched it. But they are good flavours, there's something salty and more-ish hiding under all that alcohol.

Verdict:

I like this.

Smögen 4yo 2011 Sherry Project 1:3

Smögen 4yo 2011 Sherry Project 1:3

Official bottling
Single malt - Bohuslan
Amber brown
53.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, hazelnuts, blackcurrant cordial, pears, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, peat, blackcurrant cordial, pears, cream. 
Finish: Long. Sea salt, black tea, soy sauce, raisins. 

Comments: 

An unusual whisky, peated Swedish spirit matured in a sherry butt for 14 months. It starts out as one would expect, nutty and peaty with hints of fruit. But there's something unusual underneath, a savoury salty note that is reminiscent of Caol Ila. It's covered by the sherry influence on the nose and on the tongue, but it bursts out in the finish, clear as day.

Verdict:

I like this.

Rampur Select

Rampur Select

Official bottling
Single malt - Uttar Pradesh
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, lychees, vanilla, guavas, figs. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loose, static. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Lychees, honeydew melons, honey, guavas, ginger, hints of olive oil. 
Finish: Medium. Ginger, lychees, vanilla, guava. 

Comments: 

Batch 1656 01/17. This is unusual whisky, no age statement, yet redolent of tropical fruits and spice. I wonder what casks they used - bourbon? White wine? Whatever they were, they were great casks, and this is great whisky. The perfect whisky to start 2018 on.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.