Ardbeg Grooves

Ardbeg Grooves

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
46% ABV
Tiny taste

Nose: Red grapes, honey, smoke, chocolate, marmalade, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slightly oily, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, red grapes, candied oranges, smoke, nutmeg, hints of butterscotch. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, caramel, smoke, peat, candied oranges. 

Comments: 

Wow. A non-age statement Ardbeg, but quite gentle, very little peat. Plenty of sweet things however - jam, classic Ardbeg chocolate, honey, and sherry red grapes. A pleasant and unusual twist on Ardbeg, normally so uncompromising and robust.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bealach Ruadh 7yo

Bealach Ruadh 7yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Islay
Silver
58.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peat, smoke, olive oil, marmalade, hints of soy sauce. With water, peanuts, marmalade, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peanuts, iron filings, olive oil, black pepper, butterscotch, hints of orange peel. With water, slightly bitter, iron filings, marmalade, peanuts. 
Finish: Long. Sea salt, fish sauce, orange peel, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

This is Caol Ila. There's the usual smoke and peat, but it's cut through with a pepperiness that reminds me of good extra virgin olive oil. There's fruit too, and a caramelly sweetness that underpins the dram. Good stuff, despite its young age.

Verdict:

I like this.

Cragganmore 25yo

Cragganmore 25yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Chinese tea
51.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Heather honey, red grapes, white grapes, candle wax, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Honey, white grapes, gooseberries, candle wax, toast, orange peel. 
Finish: Long. Candied oranges, white grapes, toast, hints of pears. 

Comments: 

A fine, well-balanced dram. There aren't a lot of layers here, but the whisky is delicious. The fruity notes are tangy and intense, with a waxy layer very reminiscent of a good Clynelish - which, of course, this is not. Mmmmm.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Deanston 20yo 1999/2019

Deanston 20yo 1999/2019

Maltbarn 125
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale silvery gold
50.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, sour cream, lemon zest, leather, honey, red grapes, apricot jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, turns syrupy, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Vanilla sponge, lemon zest, brass polish, apricot jam, mint, hints of leather, hints of hibiscus flower. 
Finish: Short. Toast, chocolate, lemon zest, apricot jam, mint. 

Comments: 

A rather delicate dram, not like the official Deanstons, which are quite robust. This one is minty, slightly chocolatey, and has a nice jammy note, redolent of stewed apricots. It's quite delicious, very drinkable neat.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Arran Single Malt Cote-Rotie Finish

Arran Single Malt Cote-Rotie Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Amber red
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, fresh baked bread, chocolate, black tea, vanilla, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, loosens, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea, fresh baked bread, red wine, raisins, hints of pears. 
Finish: Long. Red grapes, coffee, vanilla, fresh baked bread, black tea. 

Comments: 

Perhaps I didn't do this whisky justice. This was the seventh (I think) dram in a long tasting session with some intense whiskies. This cut through all that though, sweet and winey, with more-ish cereal notes. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendronach 22yo 1990/2013

Glendronach 22yo 1990/2013

Special Bottling, Silver Seal
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
52.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Balsamic vinegar, caramelised onions, red grapes, breadcrumbs, ink, hints of red wine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, mouth coating, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Balsamic vinegar, caramelised onions, fried bread, red grapes, orange peel, tomatoes, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, malted grains, red grapes, black tea, vanilla. 

Comments: 

I've been chasing this whisky for quite a long time, only to discover it behind the first row of bottles in the best whisky bar I've ever been to. It's unusual and delicious, redolent of fried onions finished in balsamic vinegar, sweet and savoury, with a conventional finish. Lovely and brilliant.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glen Scotia Victoriana Cask Strength Batch 001

Glen Scotia Victoriana Cask Strength Batch 001

Official bottling
Single malt - Campbeltown
Amber
54.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rhubarb and custard sweets, brass polish, raisins, leather, sea salt, hints of driftwood smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, mouth coating, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, applesauce, red grapes, fresh cut grapes, tarragon, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Long. Peat, leather, blueberry jam, red grapes, driftwood smoke. 

Comments: 

This is bold and salty, plenty of light fruity notes, with an alluring and unusual note of tarragon on the tongue. Very bold finish too, there's definitely some wine in this. Delicious whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Single Malt Batch 4

Dingle Single Malt Batch 4

Official bottling
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Pink
46.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange zest, leather, pear drops, red grapes, nutmeg, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, oily, loosens slightly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Brown paper, nutmeg, sea salt, red grapes, orange zest, preserved plums, hints of damson jam. 
Finish: Short. Damson jam, orange zest, raisins, red grapes. 

Comments: 

Matured in a combination of bourbon, port and sherry casks. There's definitely a lot of cask influence here, sweet and fruity, nice oily mouthfeel, with some bitter damson in the finish. What's the spirit like? Well, hard to say. Perhaps it's slightly savoury. Anyhow, it's quite tasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glencadam 18yo

Glencadam 18yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Watermelons, barley sugar, lemon zest, honey, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Watermelons, barley sugar, nutmeg, sea salt, hints of milk. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, raisins, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Beautiful unusual notes of watermelon and nutmeg. Allied with slightly savoury notes around the edges, this makes for a delicious and refreshing dram. About the only flaw is that the finish is somewhat uncomplicated. 18 years old is a magic number for whisky, where it suddenly turns from nice to delicious.

Verdict:

I like this.

Gelstons 12yo Rum Cask

Gelstons 12yo Rum Cask

Gelstons
Single malt - Northern Ireland
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ginger, cardboard, apple juice, lemons, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Gingerbread, raisins, lemon zest, honey, hints of photocopy paper. 
Finish: Short. Ginger, raisins, lemon juice, apples. 

Comments: 

A light, uncomplicated dram. Some ginger, maybe shading to toasty gingerbread, but also a lot of wet cardboard and paper. One dimensional, not too pleasant, and definitely not a dram to follow two others. I believe the spirit is sourced from Bushmills, unless I misread the clues on the website.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Teaninich 18yo 1999/2018

Teaninich 18yo 1999/2018

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - North Highlands
Sunshine
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, vanilla, custard, honeydew melons, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honeydew melons, bananas, honey, lemon zest, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Short. Lemon zest, honey, lemons, hints of toffee. 

Comments: 

DL Cask 12675. A floral, summery, light dram. It's quite gentle, almost fragile in its flavour profile. Water kills it, even a little lingering taste in the mouth from something else might ruin it. It's best to drink this one neat, and with a fresh palate.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mars Komagatake Shinanotanpopo

Mars Komagatake Shinanotanpopo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Bronze
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, blueberry jam, orange peel, peanuts, nashi pears, toffee, hints of toast, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, slippery, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, camphor, black tea, honey, orange peel, hints of peat. 
Finish: Short. Nashi pears, peanuts, leather, lemons. 

Comments: 

There's some quite old whisky in this, maybe even 30 year old stuff, or I'm no judge. Well, perhaps I'm not at that - but this stuff is brilliant. Herbal and fruity, some smoke, leathery notes that might be old bottle effect, it's marvellous.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Laphroaig 28yo

Laphroaig 28yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
44.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, bacon, autumn leaves, blueberry preserves, dried apples. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Dried apples, bacon, orange peel, blueberry preserves, smoke, peat, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Peat, fresh baked bread, orange peel, chocolate, smoke. 

Comments: 

The oldest Laphroaig I've ever had, I think. It's wholesome, smoky and earthy, like eating a bacon sandwich, chargrilled over a driftwood fire, with a large blob of blueberry jam on the side. Amazing, it's a pretty price but worth every penny.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra Appelblom

Mackmyra Appelblom

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Golden
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, pine needles, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly sticky, thickens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apple juice, dried apples, lemon zest, pine needles, raisins, honeycomb. 
Finish: Long. Apple juice, raisins, lemon zest, honeycomb, hints of gooseberries. 

Comments: 

Mackmyra's herbal, tangy spirit, finished in calvados casks. It shows - it's tremendously appley, and there are lots of sweet, fruity notes. The herbal character shows through, in this case as pine notes. A very enjoyable and successful experiment.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomatin 18yo

Tomatin 18yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh baked bread, raisins, marzipan, candied oranges, toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Burnt sugar, black tea, raisins, cloves, candied oranges, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, burnt sugar, vanilla, boiled eggs. 

Comments: 

This is brilliant stuff, like drinking sticky toffee pudding, with orange syrup, and an odd side of boiled egg. Aged Tomatin appears to be remarkable stuff, and like with so many other whiskies, 18 years seems to be some sort of magic number.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Balblair 15yo

Balblair 15yo

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange peel, shortbread, kiwifruit, vanilla, hints of custard. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, astringent, numbing. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Kiwifruit, gooseberries, orange peel, honey, toast, hints of pineapples. 
Finish: Medium. Toast, honey, vanilla, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

A sweet and fruity dram, very classical Highlands whisky. Nice tangy gooseberry notes, even some tropical fruit on the tongue and perhaps even the finish. Slight tang of smoke too. Nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Overeem Batch 2

Overeem Batch 2

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Tasmania
Dark gold
52.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, blackberry jam, orange marmalade, black tea, cinnamon, vanilla, hints of sea salt. With water, sea salt, vanilla, raisins, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, blackberry jam, vanilla, honey, fondant icing, hints of cinnamon. With water, more bitter, sea salt, honey, raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, vanilla, toast, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Quite fruity, clearly a wine cask or sherry cask finish. Something very sweet, yet tannic, on the tongue. Doesn't take a lot of water to open it up, and it becomes salty, and more bitter.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mortlach 10yo 2008/2018

Mortlach 10yo 2008/2018

Cask Strength, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
58% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, orange peel, brass polish, butterscotch, vanilla, hints of soy sauce. With water, lemon zest, soy sauce, hints of red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, static, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, ink, lemon zest, raisins, honey, pears, fresh cut grass, hints of cinnamon. With water, sweet salty, honey, coffee, soy sauce. 
Finish: Long. Pears, peaches, gooseberries, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Cask 800071 + cask 800072. They weren't kidding when they labelled this Cask Strength. It's very spirity, but fruity even so, with savoury and metallic notes. With water (quite a lot), it opens up into something salty, sweet and even slightly bitter.

Verdict:

I like this.

Old Kempton Small Cask Matured (Pinot Finish)

Old Kempton Small Cask Matured (Pinot Finish)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, fig jam, marmalade, rhubarb and custard sweets, brass polish. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, sticky, thickens, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Fig jam, marmalade, honey, raspberry jam, lemon zest, orange peel. 
Finish: Medium. Fig jam, orange peel, raspberry jam, hints of brass polish. 

Comments: 

Cask no RD024 #88. A whisky from a craft distillery in Tasmania, this one displays clear signs of the wine finish - it's very fruity and jammy, in fact so jammy that it tastes like a fig newton with extra jam slathered on top. Quite delicious though, and it displays impressive complexity for what must be quite a young whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mannochmore 12yo

Mannochmore 12yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, honey, lemon zest, green tea, hints of gooseberries, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, cool, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Lemon zest, cotton candy, gooseberries, honey, vanilla, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Short. Lemon zest, vanilla, cotton candy, green tea. 

Comments: 

Flora and Fauna bottling. Sweet, slightly savoury, but light and fragrant. Plenty of fruit, even a little herbal, especially on the finish. I enjoyed this whisky

Verdict:

I like this.

Hatozaki Pure Malt

Hatozaki Pure Malt

Yonezawa Family
Blended malt
Pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, lemon zest, vanilla, malted grains, hints of raisins, hints of pears. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, turns oily, slippery. 
Tasting: Sweet salty. Fresh baked bread, lemon zest, raisins, black tea, black pepper, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, orange peel, lemon zest, raisins. 

Comments: 

This is a blended whisky sourced by the Yonezawa family while their spirit from their new Kaikyo distillery matures. It's gentle and sweet, fragrant, slightly spicy. It's very much in the mould of Suntory Toki and Nikka Daze, but with a fair bit more character. It is enjoyable as a starter dram for an evening's tasting.

Verdict:

I like this.