Kilchoman United Kingdom Small Batch

Kilchoman United Kingdom Small Batch

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold
48.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, leather, red grapes, bacon, smoke, orange zest, hints of lemon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, peanuts, leather, fresh cut grass, lemons, dates. 
Finish: Short. Green peppers, fresh cut grass, lemons, hints of fish sauce. 

Comments: 

This no-age-statement Kilchoman is subtle and gentle. There's the usual dates, smoke, peat, and even a little fish sauce, but there's also many herbal notes, including grass, green peppers and lemons. Enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Royal Lochnagar 19yo 2000/2019

Royal Lochnagar 19yo 2000/2019

First Editions, Hunter Laing
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, raisins, peaches, strawberry jam, golden syrup. With water, toast, green apples, raisins, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Toast, strawberry jam, white grapes, green apples, vanilla, lemon zest. With water, sweeter, raisins, roast pork, lemon zest. 
Finish: Medium. Peaches, raisins, white grapes, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Cask HL16350. This is the first dram that I've tried from this new First Editions range from Hunter Laing. It's a rare Royal Lochnagar indie, and it's wonderful. Loads of jam and ham - stone fruit preserves, roast pork, and even some toast. With water, it opens up beautifully, with that meaty note starting to predominate, with more raisins. Lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Pittyvaich 29yo (2019 Special Release)

Pittyvaich 29yo (2019 Special Release)

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
51.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, mangoes, white grapes, tobacco leaf, leather, hints of sour cream. With water, lemon zest, sour cream, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, syrupy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Mangoes, white grapes, tobacco leaf, sour cream, malted grains, hints of ginseng, hints of peat. With water, more sour, lemon juice, ginseng, vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Tobacco leaf, fresh cut grass, ginseng, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

This must be one of the last chances I will have to drink a Pittyvaich. This one has the intense white and tropical fruit notes that I remember, but it's also slightly tart, bitter and herbal. The bitterness is somehow lip smacking, rather than mouth puckering. It opens up a little with water, turning more sour than bitter.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jim Beam Signature Craft (Soft Red Wheat 11yo)

Jim Beam Signature Craft (Soft Red Wheat 11yo)

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconut, vanilla, candle wax, pineapples, butterscotch, caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, fresh baked bread, butterscotch, black tea, oatcake. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, hints of pineapples. 

Comments: 

Part of the Harvest Bourbon Collection, a series of whiskies made with unusual and interesting mashbills. This one is all wheat, red wheat at that. It's not bourbon-y at all, instead it's got plenty of coconut, and pineapples, allied to a tangy saltiness. Enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Peat and Sherry Islay Blended Malt

Peat and Sherry Islay Blended Malt

Blended malt
Amber
56.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, fresh cut grass, lemon zest, peat, smoke, cooked rice, hints of green tea. With ater, raisins, red wine, vanilla, cedar wood. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Raisins, lemon zest, fresh cut grass, sea salt, driftwood smoke, hints of rubber, hints of fresh baked bread. With water, honey, tarragon, raisins, smoke. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, driftwood smoke, sea salt, vanilla, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Bottled by the Whisky Exchange for the French market. This is an awesome whisky, full of complexity, lots of different layers, and gloriously unbalanced. It's bitter and herbal all throughout, and water opens it up to layers of honeyed sweetness.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

George Washington Straight Rye Whiskey

George Washington Straight Rye Whiskey

Official bottling
Single rye - Virginia
Dark amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, molasses, brown paper, cookie dough, vanilla liqueur. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Desiccated coconut, molasses, brown paper, fresh baked bread, vanilla liqueur. 
Finish: Medium. Molasses, desiccated coconut, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, black pepper. 

Comments: 

An odd little rye whiskey, apparently only available at Mount Vernon itself, the family estate of George Washington. It's brightly sweet, with a bitter edge, and the usual rye spiciness is muted, drowned in vanilla. It only appears at the finish, in the guise of black pepper and cinnamon.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Elgin 18yo Limited Edition

Glen Elgin 18yo Limited Edition

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
54.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, raisins, malted grains, leather, white pepper, hints of lemon zest. With water, honey, butterscotch, lemon curd. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Malted grains, leather, raisins, peanuts, white pepper, walnuts, menthol, hints of peat. With water, honey, malted grains, vanilla, raisins, white pepper. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, menthol, walnuts, malted grains, raisins. 

Comments: 

This is a whisky-lover's whisky. It's complex, spirit led, spicy and a little sweet. There's a bitter edge to this, turning to walnuts, leather, and menthol cigarettes. It all leads to a herbal, bitter finish, with just a little hint of sweetness underneath it all.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glentauchers 27yo 1991/2018

Glentauchers 27yo 1991/2018

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon and Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
56.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, vanilla, black tea, sticky toffee pudding, dark chocolate. With water, bitter orange, vanilla, jasmine, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Bitter orange, black tea, dark chocolate, jasmine, toffee, hints of cucumber. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, bitter orange, toffee, dark chocolate. With water, sweeter, bitter orange marmalade, cucumber, dark chocolate, jasmine, honey.

Comments: 

This is a huge Glentauchers, robust, complex and bold. It's caramelly, sweet and sticky neat, but it opens up marvellously with water, turning into something floral and jammy. It's really delicious, the spirit wears its age very well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Chichibu 7yo 2012/2019 (Milroy's of Soho Exclusive)

Chichibu 7yo 2012/2019 (Milroy's of Soho Exclusive)

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Orange gold
60.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, malted grains, stewed apricots, cinnamon, leather, hints of sulphur. With water, honey, white chocolate, apricot jam. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, volatile, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, stewed apricots, green tea, leather, pecans, hints of sulphur. With water, cinnamon, apricot jam, tobacco leaf. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, white grapes, cinnamon, honey. 

Comments: 

Cask 2279, a white Bordeaux wine. The resulting whisky is jammy, chockful of apricots, nuts and leather. There's a little sulphur lurking around the edges. With water, it opens up, turning chocolatey and warm, like a gentle hug. This is magnificent, I'm a little sorry I missed getting a full bottle.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Clynelish 21yo 1997/2018

Clynelish 21yo 1997/2018

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - North Highlands
Dark gold
54.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Almonds, candle wax, lemon zest, fresh baked bread, hints of peaches. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, slippery, loosens slightly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, peaches, lemon zest, honey, white grapes, hints of lime curd. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, fresh baked bread, vanilla, ginseng. 

Comments: 

A very classic Clynelish, but with some twists. Firstly, there are hints of almond on the nose, alongside all that candle wax. Secondly, alongside the lemon zest on the tongue, there's plenty of black tea without the bitterness, just floral and herbal notes, dancing on the tip. And a rather cereally finish. I liked this, but it doesn't quite hit the heights of some other Clynelishes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfarclas 24yo (Milroy's of Soho Exclusive)

Glenfarclas 24yo (Milroy's of Soho Exclusive)

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, nutmeg, fresh baked bread, cloves, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, slippery, cool, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, cocoa butter, fresh baked bread, vanilla, hints of nutmeg, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, milk chocolate, cloves, black tea. 

Comments: 

Classic Glenfarclas, plenty of chocolate and spice. This one is a little out of the norm - there's cloves, something buttery, and maybe even some candied ginger. There's a robust little bitter sweet finish, that punches you in the mouth. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Singleton of Glen Ord 18yo (2019 Special Release)

Singleton of Glen Ord 18yo (2019 Special Release)

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Dark gold
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Golden syrup, white grapes, peach preserves, lemon zest, hints of candied orange peel. With water, honey, vanilla, golden syrup, lemon juice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warming, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Green tea, jasmine, white grapes, peach preserves, honey, dark chocolate. With water, more bittersweet, cocoa nibs, golden syrup, white grapes, dulce de leche. 
Finish: Long. Dark chocolate, green tea, lemon zest, peach preserves. 

Comments: 

Cask strength Glen Ord, very elegant, citrusy and floral. There are jammy notes, which dissolve upon adding water into chocolate and golden syrup. There's also something bitter in this, cocoa, or burnt sugar. The whisky is delicate and surprisingly gentle.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.