Coleburn 34yo 1981/2015

Coleburn 34yo 1981/2015

Rare Old, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Milk, honey, prunes, malted grains, red grapes, fresh baked bread, fresh cut grass 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, watery, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, honey, hay, prunes, fresh baked bread, peaches, hints of plums. 
Finish: Long. Hay, peaches, dried apricots, hints of cucumber. 

Comments: 

This is delicious. How many more chances will I have to taste an old Coleburn? Can't be many more I wager. Anyway, I savoured every moment. It's so old it's herbal and floral, overlaid with heaps of sweet fruit. It was a glorious crown to an epic tasting session.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Catoctin Creek Roundhouse Rye Cask Proof

Catoctin Creek Roundhouse Rye Cask Proof

Official bottling
Single rye - Virginia
Amber rose
58% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, cream, pears, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, airy, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberries, magic marker, cream, cloves, bananas, hints of cardamom. 
Finish: Short. Cucumber, strawberries, cloves, bananas, hints of mint. 

Comments: 

Wow, this is amazing stuff. It's chock-full of incredibly intense spicy notes, wreathed through with fruit and herbs. It's highly sweet, and I checked to see if it had been mixed with something. Of course it hadn't, it's just great whisky. Scarily drinkable at 58%, I didn't even bother with water.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Koval Bourbon

Koval Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Illinois
Copper
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, coconut water, lemon juice, caramel, vanilla ice cream, hints of cardamom. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, turns watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Bananas, coconut water, caramel, brown paper, red grapes, hints of cucumbers. 
Finish: Long. Cucumbers, red grapes, raisins, hints of white pepper. 

Comments: 

I've been chasing this one for a while, trying to round out my tasting notes of Koval. It's unusual, like its siblings - there's the usual banana, of course, then it's overtaken by unusual spicy notes, almost like a sherried rye. Good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bruichladdich 12yo 2006/2018

Bruichladdich 12yo 2006/2018

Maltbarn
Single malt - Islay
Amber
51.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, chocolate, honey, salt caramel, red grapes, hints of apples. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens slightly, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Peanuts, chocolate, salt caramel, toffee apples, red grapes, white pepper. 
Finish: Short. Toffee apples, chocolate, honey, red grapes, white pepper, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

A very nice unpeated Bruichladdich, sherry casked, redolent of all manner of sweet things. A nice peppery finish too. This makes for a refreshing change, especially with all the peaty stuff the distillery is doing.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mars Shinshu 3yo 2013/2016 (Cask 1664)

Mars Shinshu 3yo 2013/2016 (Cask 1664)

10th Anniversary, Number One Drinks Company
Single malt - East Honshu
Pale gold
58.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, honey, brown paper, peat, roast pork, hints of soy sauce. With water, fresh cut grass, lemon zest, photocopy paper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon juice, nashi pear, cream, brown paper, peat, hints of driftwood smoke. With water, more bitter, peat, fried eggs, fresh cut grass, hints of salt caramel. 
Finish: Long. Lemon juice, peat, peanuts, hints of honey. 

Comments: 

An independent Shinshu Mars bottling, by the Number One Drinks Company people that have done so many great Karuizawas. This must have been distilled shortly after the distillery reopened around 2012. It's peaty and robust, this is not a light slightly namby-pamby Irish. It's full on, with savoury notes on a complex nose, turning bitter and fragrant on the tongue. With water, it's more herbal, but more bitter too. Excellent stuff, perfect for an introspective evening.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Deanston 18yo (Batch 2)

Deanston 18yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
46.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, chocolate, vanilla, red grapes, milk, apples, hints of strawberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, mouth coating. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Chocolate, vanilla, red grapes, orange peel, red wine, hints of peanuts. 
Finish: Short. Peanuts, chocolate, red grapes, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

From a lightly sherried whisky to a heavily sherried whisky. This is more like it, if one wants a sherry hit. It's sweet and wholesome, lots of fruity notes on the nose, tapering to a slightly bitter finish. Yum.

Verdict:

I like this.

West Cork 12yo Sherry Cask

West Cork 12yo Sherry Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Pale lemon
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, photocopy paper, strawberries, malted grains, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon juice, strawberries, malted grains, peaches, peanuts, hints of prunes. 
Finish: Short. Lemon juice, strawberries, limes, hints of peaches. 

Comments: 

This whisky didn't spend very long in that sherry cask! It's got lots of estery fruity notes, sure, even some red grapes, but it's tart, and fragrant, and light. It's not your usual Irish whisky, for sure.

Verdict:

I like this.

Longmorn 31yo 1983/2014

Longmorn 31yo 1983/2014

Bottled on licence, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, chocolate, lemon zest, orange juice, rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, watery, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Chocolate, fresh baked bread, lemon zest, honey, caramel. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, peanuts, caramel, hints of lemon zest. 

Comments: 

This old Longmorn was just crying out to me from the top shelf in the whisky bar. I was not disappointed, it's so classically structured - sweetness and light on the nose, then more flavourful and robust (hello fresh bread!) on the tongue, and finishing in a more savoury, less sweet fashion. Wonderful.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Guillon Sauternes Cask Finish

Guillon Sauternes Cask Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Champagne-Ardenne
Rose lemonade
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rosewater, cloves, red grapes, honey, malted grains, hints of raspberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cloves, peaches, orange peel, magic marker, cream, hints of rose water. 
Finish: Short. Magic marker, peaches, peanuts, orange peel. 

Comments: 

This is fragrant whisky, almost pungent. It's floral and spicy-sweet, but underneath there are some slightly chemical, slightly cereally notes. It's very interesting, it's definitely not Scotch.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lark Distiller's Selection Port Cask Matured (Cask 450)

Lark Distiller's Selection Port Cask Matured (Cask 450)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Blueberries, vanilla, mint, red grapes, oranges, hints of jasmine. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, turns syrupy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, orange peel, jasmine tea, damson jam, hints of clotted cream. 
Finish: Long. Dark chocolate, damson jam, orange peel, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

Another port matured Lark, and it tastes pretty similar to the other one. Damson jammy notes, lots of red grapes, and this time, the tang of a fine jasmine tea. Glorious stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 55.38 (Royal Brackla 15yo 2000/2016)

SMWS 55.38 (Royal Brackla 15yo 2000/2016)

2016, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Buttercups
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, oranges, pears, peaches, hints of marzipan. With water, lemon zest, more marzipan, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, watery, static. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Pears, peaches, almonds, peanuts, hints of oatmeal. With water, lemon zest, almonds, hints of goji berry. 
Finish: Medium. Peaches, lemon zest, white grapes, peanuts. 

Comments: 

A little odd. There's loads of sweetness and fruit on the undiluted nose, but it fades to a tart, cereally bitterness on the tongue. Nice estery notes on the finish, but it was a bit disappointing after that mouthfeel and mouth flavour.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS G1.15 (North British 25yo 1991/2017)

SMWS G1.15 (North British 25yo 1991/2017)

2017, SMWS
Single grain - Lowlands
Bright gold
63.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, cloves, bananas, fresh baked bread, vanilla, hints of chocolate. With water, white pepper, more chocolate, more vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, blueberries, honey, cloves, bananas, vanilla. With water, white pepper, fresh baked bread, more chocolate. 
Finish: Short. Chillies, chocolate, orange peel, honey. 

Comments: 

The quality of SMWS malt bottlings has been rather static, perhaps even declined, over the decade or so that I've been a member. The single grains however have remained consistently amazing over that time period. This is another hit, loaded with fruit and chocolate, redolent with cloves and vanilla. I feel a bit silly now that I recall how I shunned grain whisky as somehow inferior, back in the day.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Akashi Blended Whisky

Akashi Blended Whisky

Official bottling
Single blend - West Honshu
Orange gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, photocopy paper, orange peel, peanuts, white pepper, hints of cotton sheets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slightly sticky, balls up on the tongue. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cola nuts, peanuts, honey, molasses, cream. 
Finish: Short. Honey, white pepper, cream, orange peel. 

Comments: 

A proper blended whisky - the flagship White Oak contains some molasses spirit. I believe that this was created for the EU market originally, but can be found all over the world (I bought the bottle in Singapore). It's well constructed, reasonably complex, and very easy-drinking. It's almost swiggable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Brora 34yo 1983/2017 16th Release

Brora 34yo 1983/2017 16th Release

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Pink gold
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, orange peel, roses, sandalwood, malted grains, hints of raspberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Orange peel, peanuts, green tea, malted grains, hints of evaporated milk. 
Finish: Long. Cardamom, orange peel, honey, raspberries, hints of apples. 

Comments: 

What a treat! They must be scraping the bottom of the barrel by now, but Brora remains special stuff. This one is not as good as the 2010 version, but it's still remarkable whisky, nutty and floral, with tons of fruit. Great spicy finish too.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Port Dundas 28yo 1988/2017 "The Crackerjack"

Port Dundas 28yo 1988/2017 "The Crackerjack"

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single grain - South Highlands
Dark gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, bananas, caramel, green tea, kiwi fruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, cool, slightly airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Green tea, bananas, kiwi fruit, white grapes, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, peaches, bananas, strawberries. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 11693. It's been a while since I encountered a Port Dundas! This one is tannic, fruity and light. It's not as sharp and bright as most grain whiskies, perhaps it's been in the cask a little too long. Nice finish, slightly confusing nose.

Verdict:

I like this.

Rosebank 7yo 1990/1997

Rosebank 7yo 1990/1997

Milroy's of Soho
Single malt - Lowlands
Silver gold
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, fresh cut grass, vanilla, hints of olive oil. With water, roses, hints of strawberries 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, turns watery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peanuts, fresh cut grass, lemon juice, vanilla, hints of lime zest. With water, strawberries, lime juice, caramel, more vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, lime juice, peanuts, cookie dough. 

Comments: 

A very rare chance to try a young Rosebank. It's sweet and tangy, without the brassy metallic taste that the latter day Rosebanks tend to have. It turns very floral and sweet with water. Perhaps it's glass aging / old bottle effect, but it's very mellow, not brash, like the Rosebanks I'm used to.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Speyside distillery 15yo 2000/2016

Speyside distillery 15yo 2000/2016

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brass polish, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, salt caramel, hints of peppermint. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly astringent, turns watery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, lemon zest, salt caramel, rhubarb and custard sweets, vanilla, lime juice. 
Finish: Medium. Lime juice, peppermint, malted grains, hints of white pepper. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 11483. Surprisingly Rosebank-y, especially the rhubarb and custard on the tongue. It's also got that slightly metallic note on the nose. In the mouth though, different story, it's slightly sweeter, perhaps even a little savoury.

Verdict:

I like this.

Abhainn Dearg Spirit of Lewis

Abhainn Dearg Spirit of Lewis

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

Nose: Orange peel, magic marker, cream, lemon zest, peaches, hints of peat. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, tingly, loose. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Magic marker, lemon zest, limes, camomile, caramel, hints of peat. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, limes, camomile, peaches, peat. 

Comments: 

The flagship bottling from Abhainn Dearg, the tiny distillery on Lewis. Big fragrant nose, almost solvent-like, but not unpleasant. It softens in the mouth, becoming more tart, slightly herbal. Good long cereally finish. Great stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.