Craigellachie 31yo

Craigellachie 31yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden beeswax 
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, pineapples, apple juice, honey, lemon zest, peaches, hints of wax. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, warm, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Brown paper, candle wax, toast, cinnamon, pineapples, peaches, apples.

Finish: Medium. Black tea, toast, pineapples, peaches, apples. 

Comments: 

Thanks Eddie for the taste. This is a newish addition to Craigellachie’s core range, and is what you might call ‘classic’. Heaps of pineapple, smoked, baked, along with plenty of other fruity notes, melded together into a harmonious whole. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Port Ellen 27yo 1983/2010

Port Ellen 27yo 1983/2010

Douglas of Drumlanrig, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islay
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roast beef, cinnamon, baked apples, smoke, leather, peat, hints of fish sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, airy, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Roast beef, honey, apple juice, leather, white grapes, smoke, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Fish sauce, dates, raisins, apple juice, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Cask LD 6443. Another chance to taste Port Ellen, can’t be many left. Anyway, it’s a slightly atypical one, the smoke is gentle and fades a little into the background, there are a lot of fruity notes over the underlying savouriness that I like in Port Ellen. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Waterford Single Farm Origin - Bannow Island 1.2

Waterford Single Farm Origin - Bannow Island 1.2

Official bottling 
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Dark gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green tea, cinnamon, cloves, toast, white grapes, prawn cocktail. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, tingly, slightly astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cinnamon, white grapes, apple juice, green tea, brown paper.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, cinnamon, green tea, prawn cocktail. 

Comments: 

Another new release, this time from Mark Reynier’s new project in Ireland. Made with barley from Bannow Island farm, it’s spicy and light, very gentle and subtle. Irish whisky style.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt Batch 1

Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt Batch 1

Official bottling
Single malt - West Highlands
Chinese tea
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, barley sugar, lemon peel, rhubarb and custard sweets, white grapes.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon peel, white grapes, fresh cut grass, brown paper, hints of sage. 
Finish: Short. Barley sugar, lemon peel, green tea, camphor, hints of celery.  

Comments: 

First release from this new distillery in the West Highlands. Very herbal and grassy, lots of white fruit too. Quite an impressive dram, for something that’s under 5 years old.

Verdict:

I like this.

Clynelish 26yo 1993/2020

Clynelish 26yo 1993/2020

Celebration of the Cask, Carn Mor
Single malt - North Highlands
Golden
52.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wax candles, honey, mangoes, rhubarb and custard sweets, cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, astringent, static. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Candle wax, rhubarb and custard sweets, white grapes, black tea, vanilla, honey. 
Finish: Long. Honey, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Cask 11215. This Clynelish is magnificent, hugely waxy yet redolent of tropical fruit. Lots of mangoes and cinnamon. No water please, this is great as is. Lovely, lovely stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Speyside Blended Malt 22yo 1997/2020

Speyside Blended Malt 22yo 1997/2020

Chorlton Whisky
Teaspooned malt - Speyside
Golden
55.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Starfruit, marzipan, white grapes, cream, hints of leather. With water, white grapes, green tea, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, leather, white grapes, green tea, sourdough bread, orange peel. With water, sweeter, allspice, orange peel, cinnamon.  
Finish: Long. Orange peel, green tea, allspice, cream. 

Comments: 

This is teaspooned Kininvie - teaspooned with what, I don’t know, probably Balvenie. It’s quite a Balvenie-like whisky as it happens, lots of orange and fruit. But there’s some white grapes, as well as spicy herbal notes. Very nice indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Craigellachie 17yo 1974/1991

Craigellachie 17yo 1974/1991

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, rose apples, honey, pears, malted grains, mint, tobacco leaf. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Pineapples, cloves, honey, peaches, pears, brown paper, white pepper.  

Finish: Medium. Black tea, cloves, pears, peaches. 

Comments: 

Thanks Eddie for the taste. This is magnificent stuff, heaps of spice and pineapples, and it wears its age lightly - very little old bottle effect. Very intense, classic Craigellachie. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Corsair Wry Moon

Corsair Wry Moon

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee
Colourless
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, white grapes, orange juice, gooseberries, limes, hints of pomegranates. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, tingly, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, white grapes, limes, pomegranates, yoghurt, orangeade, lemon zest. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, malted grains, limes, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

New make rye spirit from a very good US distillery. It’s surprisingly fruity, with little of the spiciness that characterises rye whisky. Maybe that comes with wood. But it’s very pleasant indeed, and there’s a nice tart note of lime, in common with some of the other Corsairs that I’ve had. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glengarriff Series Peat Charred Cask Finish

Glengarriff Series Peat Charred Cask Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Bright gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, oranges, raisins, tobacco leaf, hints of leather, hints of buttermilk. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, tingly.  
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange juice, tobacco leaf, menthol, fresh baked bread, leather. 
Finish: Medium. Menthol, fresh baked bread, buttermilk, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Irish whisky finished with wood harvested from Glengarriff forest - an interesting idea. This one is cereally, albeit light, with some interesting milky flavours and rather a lot of vanilla. The peat is very gentle, more leathery than anything else. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Ardbeg Blaaack Limited Edition

Ardbeg Blaaack Limited Edition

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, roast mutton, chocolate, vanilla, peat, hints of rubber.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, thickens slightly, turns sticky. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Roast mutton, vanilla sponge, chocolate, white grapes, smoke, peat, hints of rubber.  
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, smoke, leather, honey, vanilla.  

Comments: 

A limited edition Ardbeg! Very meaty, sticky, even oily. There’s a lot of sweet in this, but it’s flavour notes masked by the salty spirit. Lots of smoky chocolate as usual. Lovely stuff. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Caol Ila 10yo Galil Mountain Finish

Caol Ila 10yo Galil Mountain Finish

DS Tayman
Single malt - Islay 
Very pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Frying bacon, vanilla ice cream, white grapes, sultanas, smoke, hints of tobacco leaf.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Vanilla ice cream, sea salt, tobacco leaf, sultanas, smoke, leather.  
Finish: Short. Soy sauce, smoke, peat, sea salt, peaches, hints of menthol.  

Comments: 

Interesting whisky from new indie bottler DS Tayman. It’s an atypical Caol Ila, at least in my experience. It’s got lots of sweet notes, including a very unusual one of vanilla ice cream, and the characteristic soy sauce note I find in Caol Ila only makes an appearance in the finish. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Bunnahabhain Moine PX 22yo 1997/2020

Bunnahabhain Moine PX 22yo 1997/2020

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Dark amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, red wine, frying bacon, roast beef, pears in syrup, leather, hints of peaches.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, loosens, slightly airy. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. White grapes, red wine, smoke, peaches, roast beef, golden syrup, hints of tobacco leaf. 
Finish: Long. White grapes, vanilla, leather, smoke, pears in syrup. 

Comments: 

Not as sweet as one would expect. Perhaps it hasn’t spent that long in a PX cask. However there’s plenty of smoke, and very gentle peat. This whisky wears its age lightly. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Blair Athol 25yo 1995/2020

Blair Athol 25yo 1995/2020

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale gold
59.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: lychees, pineapples, white grapes, mangoes, Parma violets. With water, vanilla sponge, rum and raisin ice cream.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, warm, airy.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, lychees, white chocolate, fresh baked bread, vanilla, mangoes. With water, vanilla sponge, golden syrup, rum and raisin ice cream.
Finish: Medium. Mangoes, white chocolate, malted grains, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Cask DL13945. Extremely fruity and floral stuff, aided and abetted by the very high strength. Robust and spirit forward, a very gentle cask finish despite the quarter century. Delicious, mellows with quite a few drops of water. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Wolfburn Highland Whisky Festival *Cancelled*

Wolfburn Highland Whisky Festival *Cancelled*

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Pale silver
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, dry smoke, white wine, lemon juice, sea salt.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loose, slippery.  
Tasting:  Bitter sour. White wine, white grapes, lemon zest, pears, dry smoke, hints of fresh baked bread.
Finish: Short. Leather, pears, lemon juice, white grapes, hints of dry smoke. 

Comments: 

My first Covid dram! Wolfburn bottled this for a whisky festival that subsequently didn’t take place, but they stuck “Cancelled” on it and released it anyway. It’s dry and quite smoky, lots of tart flavours under that. A well constructed and impressive dram. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7

Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7

Official bottling 
Single malt - South Highlands
Mahogany
59.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, chocolate, grape must, coffee, honey, hints of anise. With water, honey, coffee, walnuts, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, hot, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, coffee, walnuts, grape must, black tea, hints of aluminium foil. With water, bitter, coffee, candied orange, black tea, walnuts. 
Finish: Medium. Walnuts, coffee, anise, aluminium foil.

Comments: 

I’ve been meaning to try a Teapot Dram for the longest tome. Finally managed to get my grubby paws on Batch 7. Highly sherried of course, but not too sweet. Not as raisiny as Glengoyne normally is, more bittersweet dark chocolate and coffee. Young, yet complex. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Hillside 25yo 1970/1995 Rare Malts

Hillside 25yo 1970/1995 Rare Malts

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Pinewood
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, pine nuts, tobacco leaf, lemon zest, mint, sea salt, kiwi fruit. With water, peat drops, strawberries, magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, cool, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Pine nuts, leather, kiwi fruit, gooseberries, sea salt, toasted sourdough bread, hints of coffee. With water, sweeter, strawberries, honeydew melon, toasted sourdough, hints of pear drops. 
Finish: Long. White grapes, gooseberries, coffee, mint. 

Comments: 

Bottle 2915. Oof - very strong old Glen Esk, but why do these Rare Malts bottlings have a label recommending 2 parts whisky to 1 part water?? This one is delicious neat, lots of fruit married to some savoury leather. Not as much old bottle effect as the sister bottling. Still delicious though, highly enjoyable. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.