Orkney 14yo 2004/2019

Orkney 14yo 2004/2019

Artful Dodger Whisky Collective, Woolf Sung
Single malt - Islands
Dark gold
58.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, peat, honey, cinnamon, sandalwood, leather, hints of driftwood smoke. With water, honey, peat, orange juice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, volatile, hot. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Sea salt, honey, cinnamon, driftwood smoke, leather, hints of marmite. With water, sweeter, hay, orange zest, honey. 
Finish: Long. Peat, honey, leather, lemon zest, hints of marmite. 

Comments: 

Cask 18. I think this is most definitely Highland Park. I recognise the leathery, sweet honey notes. This is rather salty on the tongue, the smoke is dry and laden with marine flavours. There is something yeasty on the tongue too. With water, it relaxes, becoming sweeter and more herbal. Another magnificent expression from this remarkable bottler.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Irish Single Malt #1 13yo Batch 3

Irish Single Malt #1 13yo Batch 3

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Northern Ireland
Sunshine yellow
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, mangoes, cedar, white grapes, hints of pears. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slightly astringent, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon juice, lime zest, cedar, white grapes, pear drops, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Short. White grapes, fresh cut grass, hay, lemon juice. 

Comments: 

I believe this is Bushmills. It's got the white grape notes, slightly herbal, that I associate with the distillery. Sometimes this is rather appley, but for this expression, it's most definitely white grapes. It's also grassy and spicy, rather good, actually.

Verdict:

I like this.

Stronachie 10yo Small Batch Release

Stronachie 10yo Small Batch Release

Stronachie, AD Rattray
Single malt - Speyside
Silvery gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, lemon zest, heather honey, mint, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, leather, mint, raisins, vanilla, heather honey. 
Finish: Short. Sea salt, honey, mint, raisins, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

This is Benrinnes spirit. It's decent at 43%, lots of honey and chocolate. Salt and leather notes add some complexity, and make it interesting. Otherwise, it's a rather simple, mild dram, easy to start with. Breakfast whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

JP Wiser 35yo

JP Wiser 35yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Ontario
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, vanilla, oak, cinnamon, cloves, hints of cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, slightly airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Raisins, cedar, cloves, cinnamon, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, cloves, raisins, orange, hints of marmalade. 

Comments: 

Essentially, old Lot 40. Thanks for the dram, Eduardo. There's some rye in the mashbill, and it's responsible for the waves of spicy sweetness. This obscures the raisins and the jam, as well as the woody notes in the third layer. Great stuff, but I thought for the age it ought to have developed more complexity.

Verdict:

I like this.

Laphroaig 20yo 1996 Masterpiece

Laphroaig 20yo 1996 Masterpiece

Masterpieces, Specialty Drinks Ltd
Single malt - Islay
Mahogany
50.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoked bacon, leather, red grapes, raisins, driftwood smoke, sage, hints of peat. With water, sweeter, strawberry jam, smoke, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, slippery, cool, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Red grapes, driftwood smoke, leather, peat, raisins, hints of damson jam. With water, plums, damson jam, smoke, strawberry jam, sage, seaweed. 
Finish: Long. Damson jam, raisins, peat, smoked bacon. 

Comments: 

I've long wanted to try a Masterpiece, one of those legendary bottlings by Sukhinder Singh of the Whisky Exchange. This one, sherry finished Laphroaig, was bottled in 2016. There's that Laphroaig herbal seaweed of course, tempered by rather dry salty smoke and heaps of peat. But there's extra layers of sweet, jammy notes from the sherry cask, and alluring savoury notes of sage and bacon. So complex, so much to find.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

North British 55yo 1962/2018

North British 55yo 1962/2018

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single grain - Lowlands
Amber
45.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, shortbread, raisins, caramel, toffee apples, hints of sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, warms slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Shortbread, ink, chocolate, leather, toffee, raisins, hints of desiccated coconut. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, raisins, pear drops, shortbread. 

Comments: 

Cask DL12398. "What's the oldest whisky you've ever had?" Well, something distilled in the 1930s, but it was bottled way before it reached 55 years old. This was something special. It's grain, so it's got fewer layers than malt, but what there is, is magnificent. I loved the slightly bitter, even metallic notes on the tongue alongside the lighter coconut and toffee flavours..

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Green Spot Single Cask 26yo 1991/2018

Green Spot Single Cask 26yo 1991/2018

Official bottling, for the Whisky Exchange
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Dark amber
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, red grapes, black tea, plum pudding, honey, lime zest. With water, lime curd, honey, cocoa, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cucumber, red grapes, plums, chocolate, honey, hints of lime juice. With water, sweeter, raisins, blackberry jam, cocoa, honeydew melons. 
Finish: Long. Lemon zest, lime zest, chocolate, honey, raisins. 

Comments: 

Cask 50776. I like wine-finished Green Spot. The whisky just seems to take wine finishing very well, and you can often taste the wine in the whisky. No, I'm not really a purist. This particular one was aged in bourbon, then sherry, then finished in Marsala casks for a couple of years (!). It shows - there's sweet plum pudding and blackberry jam, even chocolate, but there's also quite a lot of citrus underneath. Marvellous stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 10yo Port Wood

Glendronach 10yo Port Wood

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Copper red
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, leather, honey, red grapes, cucumber, jasmine, hints of green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, red grapes, toffee, honey, vanilla, hints of marmalade. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, coffee, green tea, toffee, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

A rather sweet expression, new-ish. I've been told that this wouldn't suit me, and there's some truth in that. There's less of that layered complexity that I tend to find in Glendronach, but it's still there - some vegetal and floral notes, plus a lot of chocolate, and a rather bitter finish.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Westward Whiskey

Westward Whiskey

Official bottling
Single malt - Oregon
Copper
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Birch wood, raisins, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, hints of iron filings. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Raisins, strawberry jam, cinnamon, black tea, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Long. Iron filings, black tea, strawberry jam, vanilla. 

Comments: 

There's perhaps a touch of rye in this, it's very spicy, but not with warm spice. It's something metallic draped in a cloak of spicy, sweet jammy notes. A rather good effort.

Verdict:

I like this.

Deanston Virgin Oak

Deanston Virgin Oak

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale amber
46.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rhubarb and custard sweets, honey, green tea, cola nuts, hints of milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Green tea, vanilla, raisins, nutmeg, cola nuts, hints of milk chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, cola nuts, milk chocolate, orange zest. 

Comments: 

Sweet and tannic, plenty of chocolate. It's rather run of the mill though, pleasant, drinkable, but no more. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, but there's little special about it either.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 19yo 1997/2017

Glenrothes 19yo 1997/2017

Unchillfiltered, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla ice cream, chocolate, honey, rubber bands, fried eggs, hints of red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, thickens, evaporates quickly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Vanilla ice cream, autumn leaves, fried eggs, red grapes, hints of petrol. 
Finish: Medium. Fried eggs, raisins, toffee apples, autumn leaves. 

Comments: 

Thank you Marco for the sample. Cask 9259. It's unbalanced, this one, lots of the requisite sherried fruit, but with earthy undertones, and more than a touch of sulphur. There's fried eggs, rubber bands, even petrol. Yet, somehow, it still works. Very nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 13yo

Ledaig 13yo 

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Amber
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roast pork, raisins, marmalade, honey, cocoa powder, sea salt. With water, lemon juice, honey, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Seaweed, honey, chocolate, roast pork, driftwood smoke, leather, hints of damson jam. With water, lemon juice, rhubarb and custard sweets, sea salt, seaweed. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, peat, driftwood smoke, hints of damson jam. 

Comments: 

One of the new official Ledaigs, with a port pipe finish. I found it intensely salty, chocolatey and meaty, robust and mouth-filling. With water, it softened, still salty and redolent of seaweed, but the meatiness dissolved into citrus and rhubarb and custard. Very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Tomatin 11yo

Tomatin 11yo

Artful Dodger Whisky Collective, Woolf Sung
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, peanuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, acacia honey, hints of white grapes. With water, condensed milk, sour cream, tobacco leaf, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Ink, pear drops, peanuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, acacia honey, hints of tobacco leaf. With water, more sour, sour cream, leather, vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Tobacco leaf, black tea, iron filings, lemon juice. 

Comments: 

Cask 453. I'm very impressed with the Artful Dodger releases. All the ones I've tried have been intense, full of flavour, and it's not hard to see why - the whiskies are cloudy, full of fat and flavour compounds, especially if you add water. This one is no exception - it's citrusy and sweet, until you add water, then it turns leathery, even sour.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Reservoir Rye 2yo Batch 1

Reservoir Rye 2yo Batch 1

That Boutique-y Rye Company, Master of Malt
Single rye - Virginia
Red brown
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, rose, blueberries, strawberry jam, cloves, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, loosens, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, cloves, strawberry jam, maraschino cherries, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, white pepper, strawberry jam, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

Well, this is not even whiskey - it's only been aged 2 years, but that has been in some sort of wine cask. It's very sweet, lots of jammy notes, and these go very well with the spicy rye character. It's good, despite its age, but I can't help thinking that it could be even better if it was left to age a little longer.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Revival Vol IV 15yo (Muscat Barrels)

Teeling Revival Vol IV 15yo (Muscat Barrels)

Revival, Teeling
Single malt - Unknown
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pumpkin, lemon zest, vanilla, coffee, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, loosens, turns slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, caramel, coffee, white grapes, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, pumpkin, white grapes, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Now, I guess this is Cooley, but honestly, it's quite hard to tell. So, down into the 'Unknown' category it goes. This one has pumpkin, maybe even pumpkin pie, plenty of raisins, lemon and vanilla. It's quite delicious and I really enjoyed it.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Teeling 24yo Sauternes & Bourbon Casks (bottled 08/17)

Teeling 24yo Sauternes & Bourbon Casks (bottled 08/17)

Vintage Reserve, Teeling
Single malt - Northern Ireland
Dark gold
46% ABV
Teeny taste

Nose: Plums, prunes, raisins, peaches, leather, dragon fruit, hints of white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, airy, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, cooked bananas, prunes, peach preserves, peat, hints of slivovitz. 
Finish: Short. Peach preserves, green tea, white grapes, prunes. 

Comments: 

Supposedly sourced from Bushmills. This is slightly peated, and it offsets the Sauternes sweetness. There's plenty of plums, fresh dried, even distilled, but there's also a leathery, cooked fruit note that must be the peat. A pleasant little taste.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dumbarton 22yo Batch 3

Dumbarton 22yo Batch 3

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single grain - Lowlands
Amber
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Desiccated coconut, toffee apples, vanilla ice cream, sponge cake, chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Toffee apples, fresh baked bread, cornflakes, chocolate, sponge cake. 
Finish: Short. Cornflakes, chocolate, vanilla, lemon zest, hints off condensed milk. 

Comments: 

Old grain from this distillery, but, as it closed some time ago, it can hardly be anything but old. This one is surprisingly sprightly, lots of cereally notes, allied to coconut and toffee. This is like being at a fair, eating ice cream, and scoffing a coconut ice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Garioch 1999 Wine Cask Matured

Glen Garioch 1999 Wine Cask Matured

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber red
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pears, red wine, marzipan, Demerara sugar, strawberry jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red wine, marzipan, black tea, blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, cocoa powder. 
Finish: Long. Cocoa powder, orange peel, marmalade, blackcurrant cordial. 

Comments: 

Distilled 1999, bottled 2018. It's sweet, lots of red fruit, jam and chocolate. Something cereally underneath, which must be the Glen Garioch spirit. Lots of wood in here, the cask finish dominates, but it's tasty nonetheless.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenturret 14yo 2005/2019

Glenturret 14yo 20015/2019

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
54.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, toffee, smoked bacon, chocolate, oak, coffee. With water, bananas, maple syrup, toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Bacon, chocolate, bananas, liquorice, raisins, hints of maple syrup. With water, liquorice, maple syrup, tobacco leaf. 
Finish: Medium. Baked apples, maple syrup, bacon, coffee. 

Comments: 

Lovely cask strength Glenturret, full of maple syrup and toffee. There's something meaty too, almost smoky, and this adds heft and savour to a very intense whisky. There's some herbal bitterness on the palate, but this is so wreathed through with sweet notes that I think it's more liquorice than black tea or ginseng. I really enjoyed this dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra 12yo

Mackmyra 12yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Gastrikland
Golden
50.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pine, lemon zest, green apples, honey, lemon curd, barley sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, warm, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Pine, lemon zest, barley sweets, juniper berry, black tea, hints of orange blossom. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, juniper berry, green apples, pine. 

Comments: 

Mackmyra, finished in a bourbon cask, rather than those fancy wine cask finishes that the distillery is fond of. It's a pure expression of the spirit's character, and I taste those clean pine notes very clearly. It's floral and herbal as well, with a nice astringently bitter edge. Lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Port Dundas 13yo 2004/2018

Port Dundas 13yo 2004/2018

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single grain - South Highlands
Pale gold
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, pear drops, barley sweets, desiccated coconut, chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cocoa powder, vanilla, desiccated coconut, black tea, honey. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, honey, chocolate, barley sweets. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 12465. This is perhaps the 'classic' grain whisky profile, lots of vanilla, coconut and sugar. It's barley sugar though, which is a tad perplexing. Rather enjoyable, and as with all closed distilleries, best taste them when you get the chance.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tormore 26yo 1992/2019

Tormore 26yo 1992/2019

First Editions, Hunter Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Silver gold
45.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honeydew melons, green tea, fresh baked bread, cinnamon, pineapples, hints of candied orange. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slightly astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Fresh baked bread, pineapples, sea salt, vanilla, candied orange, green tea, malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, bitter orange marmalade, sea salt, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Cask HL16487. This is another absolutely delicious First Editions dram, this one full of cereal, tropical fruit and savoury goodness. I haven't had many Tormores, and I can't really say how one should taste, but hopefully all the others I ever have taste this good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.