Ledaig 12yo 2007/2020

Ledaig 12yo 2007/2020

Hidden Spirits Whisky Company
Single malt - Islands
Pale gold
52.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, burning plastic, lemon zest, white grapes, hints of cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, turns watery, slippery, loose. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Smoke, peat, lemon zest, white grapes, marzipan, hints of yoghurt.

Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, peat, smoke, cedar, egg whites. 

Comments: 

Cask LG0720. Here’s a non meaty Ledaig, less bacon than some smoked butter and cream. Lots of wood as well for some reason, so it still smells somewhat like a barbecue. There’s something sulphurous in the finish too. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 7yo 2011/2019

Ledaig 7yo 2011/2019

Signatory, Unchillfiltered 
Single malt - Islands
Golden
60.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bacon, apple juice, lemon zest, Germolene, burning plastic, hints of white grapes. With water, carrot cake, sultanas, smoky.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, astringent, loosens.  
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Apple juice, lemon juice, white grapes, smoke, bacon, ginseng. With water, tart, smoke, lemon juice, green apples.
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, leather, peat, smoke, lemon juice.

Comments: 

Cask 15. Quite medicinal and meaty, a little like frying bacon, although there’s something chemical underneath, although not in an unpleasant way. It’s quite classic Ledaig, smoky, peaty and quite appetising. I quite often feel hungry after drinking Tobermory and Ledaig. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Chichibu 7yo 2012/2019 (bottled for Selfridges)

Chichibu 7yo 2012/2019 (bottled for Selfridges)

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Honshu
Amber
62% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, orange peel, peat, peanuts, malted grains, hints of smoke. With water, lemon and lime, hints of baked apples.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, astringent, tannic. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Orange peel, coffee, ginseng, peanuts, smoke, hints of raisins. With water, lemon zest, white grapes, sweeter. 
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, walnut skins, smoke, peat. 

Comments: 

A magnificently smoky, peaty, bitter Chichibu. The high ABV makes it palate destroying, but in a good way. Lots of sweet notes underneath all that leather and smoke. This is a bit bonkers, but very enjoyable indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Sonoma Distilling Co Rye Whiskey

Sonoma Distilling Co Rye Whiskey

Official bottling 
Single rye - California 
Amber gold
46.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, raisins, camphor, black pepper, fresh baked bread, butterscotch, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slightly astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, butterscotch, cocoa powder, orange peel, hints of caraway. 
Finish: Medium. Cocoa powder, coffee, black pepper, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

This is a nice little rye whiskey. Lots of peppery spice as you’d expect, but there are also some interesting butter notes. Decent complexity despite the young age. The oak aging seems to have added some bitter citrus as well. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Highland Park 1967/1991

Highland Park 1967/1991

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Camphor, sandalwood, leather, honey, orange peel, peat, Parma violets, ink. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loose, slippery.  
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Smoke, peat, Parma violets, leather, ink, hints of tobacco leaf.
Finish: Long. Black tea, ink, camphor, smoke, leather, honey.

Comments: 

This is an old official bottling. Very floral and smoky, much more so than today’s OBs, but also laden with heaps of old bottle effect. There’s something metallic and robust about this whisky, a note that I associate more with porter or stout. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Grant 37yo 1974/2012

Glen Grant 37yo 1974/2012

Berry Brothers and Rudd
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dried figs, plums, prunes, leather, butterscotch, dusty. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loose, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Prunes, leather, peanuts, raisins, cloves, black tea, dusty.
Finish: Long. Dried figs, cloves, tobacco leaf, prunes, raisins.

Comments: 

Cask 7646. A lovely old sherry monster, this whisky is dusty, spicy and figgy, very very sweet and complex. It was like drinking a very old Armagnac, which isn’t surprising at all. My favourite of the night. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Benriach 29yo 1976/2006

Benriach 29yo 1976/2006

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Silver
54.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Camphor, leather, white grapes, cinnamon, hints of lime zest, hints of sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, loosens slightly.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, leather, camphor, mangoes, limes, raisins, apples, tobacco leaf. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, fresh baked bread, leather, mint, hints of tobacco leaf. 

Comments: 

Cask 9441. A very floral, fruity and herbal Benriach. There’s a tinge of old bottle effect here, alongside a lot of age. There is some peat, but it’s very gentle and mellow. Lovely, lovely whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Clynelish Select Reserve 2015 Release (2nd Edition)

Clynelish Select Reserve 2015 Release (2nd Edition)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands
Pale gold
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh cut grass, beeswax, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, loosens, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon zest, beeswax, seaweed, green tea, white grapes, hints of petrol exhaust. 
Finish: Long. Lemon zest, white grapes, green tea, hints of toffee apples.

Comments: 

An unusual Clynelish, it’s an official bottling but not as you might know it. There’s not a lot of waxiness, although there’s plenty of the usual lemon sweets. But there’s an underlying savoury note that’s interesting, not something that I’ve tasted before. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Mancarella Highland Single Malt 36yo 1983/2019

Mancarella Highland Single Malt 36yo 1983/2019

Dino Mancarella
Single malt - Unknown
Golden
47.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Salt caramel, raisins, fresh baked bread, apples, honey, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Lemon zest, apples, raisins, butterscotch, honey, hints of ginger.  
Finish: Long. Lemon zest, ginger, honey, salt caramel, cream. 

Comments: 

Delightful stuff. Blind tastings are always interesting, tests your knowledge of whisky and challenges your previously unconscious perceptions. Discussing this malt, it was thought to either be Clynelish or Tomatin. My money is on Tomatin, it doesn’t have Clynelish’s characteristic waxiness, but it does have some appley flavours that I’ve found in some Tomatins, particularly older ones. But, Tomatin is not a Highland distillery!

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tormore 33yo 1984/2017

Tormore 33yo 1984/2017

Authentic Collection, Wm Cadenheads
Single malt - Speyside
Pale amber
51.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, white grapes, marzipan, vanilla, pineapples.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, olive oil, pineapples, honey, peaches, hints of fresh baked bread.
Finish: Long. Pineapples, peaches, honey, olive oil, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Not quite a stunning whisky, but very good indeed. Lacks old bottle effect perhaps? This should be very good in about 15 years, but we opened it (shame). There’s a whisper of oiliness to this, if not quite in the texture, then in the slightly bitter note on the tongue and on the nose. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Millburn 25yo 1975/2001 Rare Malts

Millburn 25yo 1975/2001 Rare Malts

Official bottling
Single malts - Speyside
Silver gold
61.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Barley sugar, white grapes, black pepper, cucumber, malted grains, petrol exhaust, hints of smoke. With water, pineapples, honeydew melons, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, vanilla, fresh baked bread, black pepper, lemon zest, farmyard, hints of pineapples. With water, smoke, fresh baked bread, malted grains, pineapples. 
Finish: Long. Farmyard, petrol exhaust, lemon zest, pineapples. 

Comments: 

Surprisingly smoky, lots of fruity notes underneath that smoke though. I have not tasted enough Millburn to know of the distillery’s character, but this seems quite unusual. There’s a very Springbank-y note of petrol exhaust running through the whisky, with more than a hint of farmyard. It’s unusual, and such a treat.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

The Perspective Series #1 35yo Small Batch Blend

The Perspective Series #1 35yo Small Batch Blend

The Perspective Series, Berry Brothers & Rudd
Blended malt
Golden
43%% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, barley sugar, iron filings, blackcurrant cordial, peaches, smoke.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Vanilla, honey, pears, red grapes, leather, smoke, hints of tobacco leaf. 
Finish: Long. Smoke, red grapes, tobacco leaf, pears. 

Comments: 

A very old blended malt, not a lot of grain in this I think. Still very sweet but not with that coconutty vanilla sweetness that signifies grain to me. Lots of old aged notes, including that lovely cigar flavour. Good palate warmer for an evening’s tasting. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Jura 12yo 2007/2019 Elements

Jura 12yo 2007/2019 Elements

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islands
Amber
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cream, fresh baked bread, caramel, lemon sweets, cinnamon.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour. White grapes, pears, anise, lemon sweets, cinnamon.  
Finish: Long. Salted caramel, anise, lemon sweets, hints of raisins.

Comments: 

Cask 13814. This is a PX cask, so lots of sweet notes. Surprisingly the whisky isn’t that sweet, the main note is lemon. It’s at a good strength, but I didn’t feel the need to add water. It was good as it was. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Chichibu 7yo 2012/2019 (bottled for the Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary)

Chichibu 7yo 2012/2019 (bottled for the Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary)

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Golden
60.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cucumber, apricots, white grapes, ash, smoke, leather, peat. With water, white grapes, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, astringent, warm.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White grapes, cucumber, leather, chocolate, apples, smoke. With water, cream, apples, apricots.
Finish: Long. Chocolate, apricots, smoke, apples. 

Comments: 

Cask 2089. A smoky peaty Chichibu, one that has classic fruity flavours, but which is also infused with slightly bitter malty, chocolate notes. If you gave this me to this blind, I would say it was a young, slightly underpeated Ardbeg. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

The Macallan Estate

The Macallan Estate

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, vanilla fudge, butterscotch, coffee, hints of dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, vanilla fudge, blueberries, maple syrup, hints of coffee.
Finish: Short. Coffee, raisins, vanilla fudge, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

A nice little starter dram, very straightforward and familiar. It’s got lots of sweet flavours, and is very Macallan. Very decent whisky to start a session with. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Lg6

Lg6

Elements of Islay, Elixir Distillers
Single malt - Islay
Pale silver gold
53.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, pear, peanuts, honey, sea salt, seaweed, hints of vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: heavy body, slippery, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, driftwood smoke, orange peel, lemon zest, sea salt, vanilla sponge, hints of butterscotch. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, peat, lemon zest, vanilla sponge. 

Comments: 

I like the Elements series, they’re always quirky and interesting. This one is quite a classic Lagavulin though, lots of driftwood smoke, salt and seaweedy umami. But it’s also quite sweet, with a strong note of citrus fighting with the peat and smoke. I really enjoyed this dram. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.