Tomatin 18yo 1976/1995

Tomatin 18yo 1976/1995

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, cucumber, blackcurrant cordial, marmalade, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, cool, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Marmalade, damson jam, barley sugar, cocoa nibs, leather, blackcurrant cordial. 
Finish: Medium. Blackcurrant cordial, marmalade, lemon zest, leather, hints of barley sugar. 

Comments: 

Cask 27643. Quite sweet and sherried, with a nice frisson of leathery old bottle effect. It’s got off notes of cough syrup, perhaps, slightly bitter on the after taste. Nevertheless quite interesting and tasty whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glencadam 29yo 1972/2001

Glencadam 29yo 1972/2001

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle 
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale gold

46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Papayas, pineapples, lemon zest, guava, leather, malted grains, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Barley sugar, malted grains, guava, vanilla, honey, lemon zest, leather. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, honey, vanilla, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Cask 7639. I do find Glencadam to be quite a fruity distillate, but in this case I think I am tasting more old bottle effect that spirit. It’s indeed fruity, but it’s also leathery and slightly nutty. It’s very tasty and complex, especially at 40%, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t taste like this when bottled. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 30yo 3rd Release (bottled 2004)

Brora 30yo 3rd Release (bottled 2004)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Golden, hints of copper
56.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: honey, camphor, yoghurt, cinnamon, dark chocolate, winter melon, leather, peat, hints of smoke. With water, cucumbers, roast pork, winter melon, hints of lemon sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, leather, peat, smoke, sea salt, cocoa nibs, charcoal ash, hints of farmyard. With water, lemon sweets, sea salt, smoke, charcoal ash, winter melon. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, leather, peat, smoke, charcoal ash, hints of cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

This is magnificent. Sweet, salty, smoky and peaty, it’s almost the archetype of a very old Brora, if there was such a thing. The high cask strength makes for some intense flavours. There’s plenty of herbs in this, and the bitter peatiness fades to an ashy, smoky finish. Quite possibly the best whisky I’ve ever had - up to now. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 30yo 6th Release (bottled 2007)

Brora 30yo 6th Release (bottled 2007)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Dark gold 
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cucumbers, honeydew melons, roast pork, green peppers, leather, peat, smoke, farmyard, hints of dunnage. With water, yoghurt, leather, honey, hints of green peppers. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, tingly, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Peat, smoke, leather, cucumbers, cocoa nibs, lemon sweets, farmyard, hints of roast pork. With water, saltier, lemon sweets, sea salt, smoke, hints of camphor. 
Finish: Long. Dark chocolate, lemon sweets, smoke, leather, hints of roast pork, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Again, there’s this dirtiness of 1970s Brora, lots of meaty undertones this time. It’s saltier, especially with water, but gets still waxy lemon sweets and some chocolate. Lots of faint camphor that seems to take over on the tongue. Utterly delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 32yo 1978/2011 (2011 Special Release)

Brora 32yo 1978/2011 (2011 Special Release)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Green gold
54.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, lemon sweets, cucumber, leather, smoke, cocoa nibs, hints of farmyard. With water, smoke, bacon, honeydew melons, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, candle wax, fresh baked bread, toast, honey, rhubarb and custard sweets, sea salt, hints of farmyard. With water, sweeter, cucumber, honey, lemon sweets, chocolate, hints of honeydew melons. 
Finish: Long. Smoke, fresh baked bread, lemon sweets, toast, honey, cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

This is the last official Brora to be a vintage, I think. The others after this one were vattings of vintages. It’s quite wild, lots of earthy farmyard flavour, chocolate and lemon sweets. The peat is leathery and barely smoky, yielding a savoury briney note that covers some luscious fruit.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Clynelish 34yo 1972/2007

Clynelish 34yo 1972/2007

Single Malts of Scotland, Specialty Drinks
Single malt - North Highlands 
Dark gold
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, wax, honey, dried apricots, dried pears, fresh cut grass, papayas. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, cool, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Dried apricots, wax, lemon sweets, honey, papayas, green tea, leather, toast. 
Finish: Long. Green tea, dried apricots, leather, honey, honeydew melons. 

Comments: 

So 1970s Clynelish has peat too, just not as much as 1970s Brora. It’s also gentler, the peat is more whispery and light rather than on the tip of the tongue. The dried fruit notes are almost as glorious, and there’s a little smokiness at the end. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 25yo 1972/1997

Brora 25yo 1972/1997

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Dark gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, farmyard, honeydew melons, lemon sweets, honey, peat, dried pears, dried apricots. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, expands slightly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cocoa nibs, dried pears, honeydew melons, peat, sea salt, coffee, raisins, hints of soy sauce. 
Finish: Long. Cocoa nibs, soy sauce, leather, honey, germolene. 

Comments: 

I’ve never had 1970s Brora until today, and it was an epiphany. I’d never thought of Brora as particularly peaty - it had its slight medicinal notes, but it wasn’t in your face. I now realise that’s because 1980s distillate is quite different from 1970s distillate. This one is leathery and bitter, with the peat on the tip of the tongue rather than buried under fruit. Quite delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 33yo 1982/2015

Brora 33yo 1982/2015

Rare Old, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - North Highlands
Pale gold, tinge of green
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, camphor, wax, sea salt, honey, ink, hints of smoke, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, leather, raisins, cocoa nibs, toast, honey, camphor, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Cocoa nibs, leather, sea salt, watermelon, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Lot RO/15/01. I like 80s Brora. The fruit is bright and sometimes intense, and the peat is light and gentle, and quite herbal. There’s some chocolate bitterness and a long briny finish. So far, so familiar. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ainslie’s Royal Edinburgh Scotch Whisky 5yo

Ainslie’s Royal Edinburgh Scotch Whisky 5yo 

Ainslie & Heilbron
Blended malt
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, toffee, camphor, wax, cocoa nibs, cloves, hints of dried pears. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Camphor, raisins, cloves, cocoa nibs, orange peel, black pepper, hints of dried pears, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. Dried pears, orange peel, cloves, cocoa nibs, mint, hints of wax. 

Comments: 

I love old blends. This one is particularly special, as it has quite a high proportion of Clynelish and / or Brora. Lots of spicy notes, along with some waxy notes and a heap of old bottle effect. Very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Distillery 291 11 months old Batch 1

Distillery 291 11 months old Batch 1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single bourbon - Colorado
Amber, hints of red 
49.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, strawberries, raisins, honey, prunes, dark chocolate, damson jam. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, warm, loosens. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, ink, raisins, cornbread, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Short. Ink, green tea, fresh baked bread, hints of raisins. 

Comments: 

Lots of classic sherried dried fruits on the nose, but it falls apart a bit on the tongue. It devolves to cereal and slightly metallic tannins, a sign that it’s too young (of course it is, at 11 months!). I normally wouldn’t have tried it, but stuff from this distillery is hard to come by.  

Verdict:

I like this.

Annandale Man O’Sword Bourbon Cask (Cask 474)

Annandale Man O’Sword Bourbon Cask (Cask 474)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Bright gold 
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, driftwood smoke, peat, germolene, leather, hints of black tea. With water, honey, sugar cane, orange peel, hints of smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Driftwood smoke, sea salt, fresh baked bread, black tea, germolene, hints of honey. With water, sweeter, orange peel, pears, driftwood smoke, honey.
Finish: Long. Honey, vanilla, orange peel, toast. 

Comments: 

There’s a lot of peat in this, and it almost doesn’t go well when tasted neat. A bit of water opens it up nicely, lots of fruit and honey under a veil of antiseptic, medicinal peat. It will get better with aging, it’s already pretty good. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Annandale Man O’Words Bourbon Cask (Cask 152)

Annandale Man O’Words Bourbon Cask (Cask 152)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale gold
59.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, lemon sweets, greengages, milk, hints of bananas. With water, cream, bananas, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, thickens, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Milk, almonds, vanilla, lemon sweets, cream, hints of milk chocolate. With water, lemon sweets, fresh baked bread, vanilla, hints of cream. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, vanilla, greengages, leather. 

Comments: 

This is young stuff, and it seems that the bourbon cask has imparted quite a lot of bourbon flavour to the spirit. On the nose it’s quite hard to discern the malt, but in the tongue it opens up quite nicely. Lots of cereal and chocolate flavours. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Strathclyde 31yo Batch 4

Strathclyde 31yo Batch 4

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single grain - Lowlands 
Bright gold 
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cornflakes, ink, sea salt, toffee, vanilla, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, syrupy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Ink, pear drops, fresh baked bread, cornflakes, yeast, hints of sea salt. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, shredded wheat, vanilla, hints of pear drops. 

Comments: 

I love old grains. They take longer to mature than malts, but the results are just as lovely. This one is quite delicious, slight bitterness allied to lots and lots of cereal. Some fragrant esters hang around too, tying the whisky together. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Garioch 15yo 1991/2006

Glen Garioch 15yo 1991/2006

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing 
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale yellow gold
50% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Barley sugar, leather, vanilla, honey, white grapes, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, turns slippery, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Leather, sea salt, fresh cut grass, honey, lemon zest, vanilla, hints of roast pork.
Finish: Medium. Barley sugar, fresh baked bread, sea salt, hints of vanilla. 

Comments: 

Cask 3061. Quite uncompromising. Lots of herbaceous notes, with a fair bit of peat. Not much sweetness in evidence, but a little meatiness on the tongue. I’m in two minds about this, it’s interesting rather than enjoyable. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

St George’s Chapter 9

St George’s Chapter 9

Official bottling 
Single malt - Norfolk
Golden
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Orange peel, fresh cut grass, hay, leather, peat, smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, thickens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Orange peel, peanuts, leather, smoke, hay, honey, hints of custard. 
Finish: Medium. Oranges, peanuts, germolene, honey, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Casks 266, 267, 268, 181. It’s got a bit of fruitiness under a fairly heavy blanket of peat. There’s also a nuttiness that I associate with distillate from St George’s. This is an early example of the make though, that has been sitting in my cupboard for a while. Tasty. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Slane Triple Casked Whiskey

Slane Triple Casked Whiskey

Official bottling 
Blended malt
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, honey, cinnamon, brown paper, toffee, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, expands, fresh. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea, white pepper, raisins, honey, butterscotch, toffee, vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, vanilla, white pepper, honey, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

Entry level bottling from the newish Slane distillery in Ireland. The whiskey here is probably sourced. It’s a decent dram though, light and refreshing with a slightly spicy edge. Plenty of butterscotch and vanilla as well, a little like drinking cake. 

Verdict:

I like this.