Drum Whisky Black Label

Drum Whisky Black Label

Official bottling 
Single malt - Bali
Yellow gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Caramel, toffee, new plastic, orange juice, matches, hints of butterscotch. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, loosens, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Matches, caramel, burnt sugar, butterscotch, kombucha, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Sourdough bread, matches, butterscotch, toffee, burnt sugar. 

Comments: 

I did not know that Indonesia made whisky. This one is fairly straightforward, and it’s also one without any tartrazine in it. Some tart notes, wreathed through with sulphur and toffee.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ardbeg 14yo 2008/2023

Ardbeg 14yo 2008/2023

Cut Your Wolf Loose, Woolf Sung
Single malt - Islay
Amber
63.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, orange peel, pears, lemon zest, golden syrup, hints of dark chocolate. With water, smoke, dark chocolate, orange peel, cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Dark chocolate, smoke, honey, toffee, pears, raisins, molasses. With water, smoke, leather, dark chocolate, cloves. 
Finish: Long. Pears, smoke, golden syrup, leather, hints of peat. 

Comments: 

Lovely Ardbeg from the famous Brighton bar. It’s sweet and chocolatey, quite quintessentially Ardbeg for me. There’s other stuff - bitter dark molasses, fragrant cloves - that make this very interesting.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Balmenach 10yo 2011/2022

Balmenach 10yo 2011/2022

Casks of Distinction, Lady of the Glen
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, yoghurt, green apples, lemon zest, fresh cut grass, grapefruit, hints of vanilla. With water, yoghurt, green apples, grapefruit, raisins, toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Green apples, grapefruit, dark chocolate, toast, toffee, cocoa nibs, hints of sour cherries. With water, green apples, raisins, toffee, cinnamon, yoghurt. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, butterscotch, cocoa nibs, sour cherries. 

Comments: 

Cask 417. Fruity and bright Balmenach, with some darker, more bitter notes lurking underneath. Slightly unbalanced - more tart than sweet - but interesting and sparked discussion.

Verdict:

I like this.

Port Charlotte SYC:01 2006

Port Charlotte SYC:01 2006

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold
60.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, apple juice, leather, peat, driftwood smoke, cream, hints of greengages. With water, honey, cooked rice, smoke, cocoa nibs, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, driftwood smoke, leather, apple juice, cooked rice, cinnamon, sandalwood. With water, peat, new plastic, honey, cooked rice. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, cooked rice, honey, cocoa nibs, driftwood smoke. 

Comments: 

Sweet, but with a peaty, smoky, bitter edge. So far, so expected. The creaminess was something that I did not expect, however, and it was very pleasant. Water unfortunately didn’t improve it, bringing a slightly acrid plasticky note to the fore.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 14yo 2008/2022 Cigar Malt Edition

Auchroisk 14yo 2008/2022 Cigar Malt Edition

Single Cask Family Series, The Single Cask
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber red
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, molasses, toffee, butterscotch, strawberry jam, hints of sage, hints of camphor. With water, marmalade, butterscotch, honey, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Toffee, honey, strawberry jam, marmalade, sage, fresh cut grass, camphor. With water, marmalade, camphor, cooked rice, honey. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, toffee, marmalade, cooked rice. 

Comments: 

Cask 806008B. Oily, sherried dram, it would be perfect with a cigar if I still smoked. There’s some interesting cereal notes too. Still that lingering, earthy camphor, I had to double check that it wasn’t the previous dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ardmore 11yo 2009/2021

Ardmore 11yo 2009/2021

The Single Cask
Single malt - Speyside 
Orange
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, apple juice, heather, germolene, leather, petrichor, hints of wet stones. With water, honey, apple juice, apricot jam, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Apple juice, sandalwood, apricot jam, petrichor, wet stones, autumn leaves, leather. With water, sandalwood, leather, apricot jam, camphor, black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Germolene, malted grains, apricot jam, leather. 

Comments: 

Cask 709249. Ardmore, but with the peat a little stronger. It’s sweet but earthy, with a lot of camphor, but also apricot jam and some sandalwood. A good session dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.