Kurayoshi 8yo Sherry Cask

Kurayoshi 8yo Sherry Cask

Kurayoshi, Matsui Shuzo
Blended malt 
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, raisins, malted grains, cream cheese, apple juice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, thickens slightly, turns oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon juice, apple juice, sea salt, prunes, hints of cream cheese, hints of autumn leaves. 
Finish: Short. Apple juice, pears, prunes, hints of cream. 

Comments: 

Scottish malt, blended with Japanese grain and aged in Japan. It's sweet, slightly savoury on the nose, but bursts into tart flavours of lemon and apple. The saltiness is a gentle murmur underneath these notes, and there's even a whisper of earthy autumnal forest floor.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra 3yo Batch 1

Mackmyra 3yo Batch 1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Gastrikland
Dark gold
47.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, raisins, prunes, orange juice, camphor, hints of fig jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Camphor, fresh cut grass, orange peel, lemon, hints of pine, hints of leather. 
Finish: Long. Honey, orange peel, fresh cut grass, fig jam. 

Comments: 

A light, grassy herbal Mackmyra, not so much of the piney notes that characterise Swedish whisky for me. Very little smoke, just a tiny hint, but there's a spicy, even chemical note that reminds me of camphorated oil (old Chinese remedy for bruises - don't ask me if it works). Nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

2nd Chance Wheated Bourbon

2nd Chance Wheated Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - California
Dark gold
47.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, bread and butter pudding, brown paper, pears, apples, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slightly astringent, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pears, apples, marmalade, bread and butter pudding, hints of toast, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Short. Peaches, raisins, marmalade, hints of toast. 

Comments: 

The flavours are great - buttery and toasty, lots of fruit, even lovely jammy notes on the tongue. But the mouthfeel is loose, slightly puckery. I don't normally take mouthfeel into account, but for some reason it did not match the flavours. Still, it's worth drinking for those alone.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Ord 20yo Batch 1

Glen Ord 20yo Batch 1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - North Highlands
Sunshine yellow
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ginger snaps, honey, apples, pears, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens slightly, turns sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Honey, dried apples, ginger, honeydew melons, prunes, hints of beeswax. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, honeydew melon, beeswax, dried apples, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Bottle 272/293. Warming and spicy, big citrus and apple notes. Slightly chemical, even floral notes on the tongue and on the finish that remind me of nothing so much as a white beeswax candle. Very nice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Brenne Whisky Cuvée Speciale Lot 006

Brenne Whisky Cuvée Speciale Lot 006

Official bottling
Single malt - Poitou-Charentes
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Grapes, peaches, honey, bubble gum, hints of orange juice. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Bubble gum, orange juice, white grapes, peaches, honey. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, bubble gum, strawberries, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Very sweet and fruity, loaded with estery artificial fruit flavours. Like strawberry-flavoured Hubba Bubba gum. It's also redolent with cooked, almost overripe fruit. Doesn't really taste like whisky. While that's never stopped me in the past, I think this is too harsh, a few more years of aging may well bring the malt complexity to the fore.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Yellowstone Select Bourbon

Yellowstone Select Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber, tinge of pink
46.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, fresh baked bread, coconut jam, vanilla, pandan, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns airy, watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Bananas, fresh baked bread, brown paper, coconut jam, hints of toast, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. Cinnamon, coconut jam, fresh baked bread, brown paper. 

Comments: 

Oof. Nice bourbon, huge coconutty caramelised notes that spread throughout your mouth, buttery and unctuous. Nicely spicy on the tongue too, and throughout the finish. Lovely stuff made by people who know their craft.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Okayama Single Malt

Okayama Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Lemon yellow
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, elder flower, leather, nectarines, hints of orange blossom, hints of pink peppercorns. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, airy, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon juice, rhubarb and custard sweets, nectarines, orange blossom, leather. 
Finish: Short. Rhubarb compote, nectarines, lemon zest, pink peppercorns. 

Comments: 

A new offering from the Miyashita distillery, which started distilling whisky in 2012. Tart, floral and spicy, very much so, even mouth puckeringly so. But there's a lot of fruit and leather, even a slight peatiness.

Verdict:

I like this.

Smooth Ambler Contradiction

Smooth Ambler Contradiction

Smooth Ambler
Vatted bourbon
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, honey, blackcurrants, fresh baked bread, mint, hints of pineapples. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, sticky. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, brown paper, pineapples, fresh baked bread, bananas. 
Finish: Long. Hay, pineapples, black tea, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Vatted bourbon, some from Smooth Ambler's new distillery, some from MGP. This is really good, huge cereally aromas hit you in the mouth, with a tangy, fruity mintiness that liberally coats your gums. Very nice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yoichi Woody and Vanillic

Yoichi Woody and Vanillic

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber red
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, honey, strawberries, bananas, raisins, orange juice, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, static, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea blackcurrants, bananas, orange juice, hints of desiccated coconut. 
Finish: Long. Blackcurrants, coconut milk, orange juice, honey, raisins. 

Comments: 

Another bottle not normally available in the UK. I'm so lucky to be able to taste this. Amazingly silky smooth, huge hits of tannic blackcurrants, fruit and bananas. If I didn't know better I'd say it was an out of this world bourbon... but no, it's a sherry bomb from the Far East.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Miyagikyo Sherry and Sweet

Miyagikyo Sherry and Sweet

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Rose
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toast, molasses, fig jam, orange blossom, honey, red grapes, hints of fried eggs. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slightly astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, toast, fig jam, red grapes, fried eggs, strawberries, hay. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, mint, strawberries, hay, hints of fried eggs. 

Comments: 

Wow. NAS, normally unavailable in the UK, but incredible. So sherry sweet, slightly suphuric, but chock full of those jammy fruity notes that characterise a great sherry bomb. This is so delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glen Grant 20yo 1996/2017

Glen Grant 20yo 1996/2017

Celebration of the Cask, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
53.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, lemon juice, peaches, cream, marzipan, hints of sponge cake. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, sticky, thick. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon juice, vanilla, custard, peaches, pears, hints of nectarines. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, lemon zest, peanuts, marzipan. 

Comments: 

Cask 67820. Explosive, surprisingly luscious, and ooh so sticky on the tongue. There's heaps of flavour buried in this whisky. So much fruit and cream and vanilla, it's dessert in a glass. Wonderful stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.