Braeval 16yo 2010

Braeval 16yo 2010

Little Brown Dog Spirits
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, peaches, honey, cloves, caramel, hints of carrot cake. With water, honey, peaches, malted grains. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, mouth coating, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon zest, orange peel, honey, peaches, malted grains, vanilla, hints of cinnamon. With water, honey, orange peel, cinnamon, hints of malted grains. 
Finish: Short. Cloves, cinnamon, peaches, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Malty and sweet Braeval, with plenty of peach and nectarine notes. Quite a spicy whisky, and water brings out more orange and cinnamon.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braeval 9yo Batch 5

Braeval 9yo Batch 5

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Speyside
Dark amber
57.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dark chocolate, honey, vanilla, molasses, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon. With water, honey, molasses, dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Molasses, dark chocolate, honey, vanilla, roast pork, black pepper, cocoa nibs, black tea, hints of sea salt. With water, raisins, cream, damson jam, molasses, dark chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Mint, black pepper, dark chocolate, sea salt, hints of roast pork. 

Comments: 

Sherried Braeval, lots of spicy sweet notes. Particularly molasses, deep, dark and a little bitter. Water brings in more jammy notes, and a little cream. Enjoyable dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braeval 24yo 1997/2021 (for London Whisky Club)

Braeval 24yo 1997/2021 (for London Whisky Club)

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale gold
47.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, malted grains, hoppy beer, leather, green tea, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, hoppy beer, honey, lemon zest, vanilla, hints of bananas, hints of leather. 
Finish: Long. Honey, malted grains, green tea, hoppy beer, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Excellent old whisky (yes, 24 years old is old now) with lots of complex fruity highlights on a good strong malty spine. It’s got some unusual notes - soy sauce on the nose, as well as estery bananas on the tongue. Unbalanced, but in a good way.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Braes of Glenlivet 27yo 1994/2021

Braes of Glenlivet 27yo 1994/2021

Rare Find Whisky
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber 
53.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Clay dust, peaches, orange peel, dried apricots, vanilla custard. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, loosens slightly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Peaches, orange peel, cinnamon, brown paper, vanilla custard, dried apricots, hints of leather. 
Finish: Short. Peaches, vanilla custard, leather, clay dust, hints of dunnage. 

Comments: 

Cask 165617. Old Braeval, still called Braes, and it’s rich and yet a little dry and dusty. Lots of dried apricots, over-dried, as if they’ve been left in the sun too long. Delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Braes of Glenlivet 25yo 1994/2019

Braes of Glenlivet 25yo 1994/2019

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, coconut cream, toffee, white grapes, sea salt, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, cool, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Coconut cream, honey, black tea, vanilla, sea salt, hints of orange peel, hints of toast. 
Finish: Medium. Toffee, vanilla, orange peel, toast. 

Comments: 

Quite a briny dram, but that’s overlaid with heaps of coconut and a little vanilla. I would have said this was a grain whisky. Just goes to show how much I know. I’m afraid the complexity deriving from age was not really there, but it was an interesting dram nonetheless.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braeval 19yo 1998/2018

Braeval 19yo 1998/2018

Dun Bheagan, Ian Macleod Distillers
Single malt - Speyside
Amber rose
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, cocoa powder, vanilla sponge, red grapes, hints of cloves, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cocoa powder, red grapes, cloves, fresh baked bread, candied oranges.
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, candied oranges, ginseng, raisins, hints of aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

Cask 93961, port cask Braeval. Sweet and meaty, with more than a hint of fruity Christmassy chocolate. Excellent winter dram, almost like mulled wine. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Braeval 18yo 2001/2019

Braeval 18yo 2001/2019

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Sunshine gold
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dried apricots, apple juice, tobacco leaf, honey, candied orange, barley sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, syrupy, slightly sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Dried apricots, toast, shortbread, apple juice, tobacco leaf, barley sweets. 
Finish: Long. Barley sweets, toast, tobacco leaf, apple juice, dried apricots. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 13507. My past Braevals have been rather Christmassy whiskies, chockfull of raisins and spice. This one is rather gentler, shorter on the spice and longer on the sweet notes. There's something toasty and shortbready as well, reminds me of one of the first cask strength Rosebanks I ever had. Absolutely delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Braeval 20yo 1997/2018

Braeval 20yo 1997/2018

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, peaches, golden syrup, honey, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slightly astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Biter sweet. Black tea, golden syrup, molasses, leather, hints of caramel. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, leather, molasses, raisins, hints of salt caramel. 

Comments: 

Cask DL12399. Good fruity notes on the nose, but this then decays to sweeter, tannic notes on the tongue. There's not a lot of variation in the finish, although the peat makes a reappearance. A more robust Braeval than I've had before.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braes of Glenlivet 25 yo 1989/2014

Braes of Glenlivet 25 yo 1989/2014

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, roast pork, condensed milk, nutmeg, apricots, pears, hints of chillies. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Apricots, pears, apple juice, nutmeg, hints of cucumbers. 
Finish: Long. Leather, coffee, apple juice, toast. 

Comments: 

Meaty on the tongue, plenty of fruit. Tart and spicy, eventually fades away to toasty leather and coffee in the finish. It's not the most fantastic whisky in the world, sometimes stuff gets bottled because it's a bit rare and most of the whisky goes into blends.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braeval 14 yo 2001/2015

Braeval 14 yo 2001/2015

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toast, yoghurt, apples, pears, orange peel, hints of peaches. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slightly watery around the edges, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Toast, orange peel, peaches, pears, vanilla, hints of cookie dough. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, orange peel, pears, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

Maybe it was my palate reeling after so much fine whisky, but it was hard to pin this one down. Creamy and milky, even yoghurty, but married to a lot of distinctive fruity notes. I could drink a lot of this, it's almost quaffable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braeval 12 yo 1996/2009

Braeval 12 yo 1996/2009

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
50% ABV
Mini

Nose: Oranges, pears, plums, malted grains, cinnamon, hints of leather, hints of marmite. With water, saltier, hazelnuts, honey, more marmite.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, turns watery in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet. Cinnamon, leather, oranges, plums, honey, pears, hints of chillies, hints of marmite. With water, honey, vanilla, malted grains.
Finish: Long. Chillies, oranges, plums, hints of cinnamon, hints of marmite.

Comments:

Young and fresh, the 50% strength makes for a fruity, spicy, slightly salty whisky. I think this is one you either hate or you love, like (yes) marmite. With water, it mellows into something sweeter, lots of honey and vanilla. I'm undecided whether I like it better with or without water.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braes of Glenlivet 32 yo 1975/2007

Braes of Glenlivet 32 yo 1975/2007

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, leather, hoppy beer, oats, peat, hints of buttered popcorn.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, watery, tingly, cool.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, leather, chillies, hoppy beer, oats, peat, engine exhaust, vanilla, honey.
Finish: Medium. Hoppy beer, honey, engine exhaust, hints of leather.

Comments:

Bitter and robust, with huge bursts of peaty, chemical flavours - engine exhaust (very unusual) and leather (rather more common). Pleasant spicy notes that manifest mostly as vanilla and beery hops. Good and strong, best with food.

Verdict:

I like this.

Braeval 8 yo

Braeval 8 yo

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
50% ABV
Mini

Nose: Vanilla, barley sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, christmas pudding, cookie dough, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens in the mouth, egg white.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Coffee, orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla, cookie dough.
Finish: Short. Coffee, vanilla, orange peel.

Comments:

Lousy packaging - the bottle started leaking before I got home! The smell was glorious though, Christmas pudding, all manner of sweet spice and orange peel, and even a little chocolate chip cookie. The nose however promised more than the taste delivered. The mouthfeel and taste gave away how young this whisky was.

Verdict:

I like this.