Amrut Single Cask 2009 (4yo 2009/2013) Cask 3437

Amrut Single Cask 2009 (4yo 2009/2013) Cask 3437

Official bottling
Single malt - Bangalore
Amber
62.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, coffee, vanilla, butter, blackcurrant cordial. With water, orange peel, hints of lychees. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, vanilla, figs, blackcurrant cordial, hints of ginseng. With water, more bitter, black tea, ginseng, coffee. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, vanilla, coffee, hints of peppermint. 

Comments: 

This is apparently a bourbon cask, but the whisky doesn't taste bourbony at all. In fact, it's rather sherried, with huge fruity notes of red wine and blackcurrant. The spirit apparently matured in virgin oak for a time, which I guess is how the 'sherried' character appeared. That, and time in warm Indian weather.

Verdict:

I like this.

The Chita

The Chita

Official bottling
Single grain - West Honshu
Pale gold
43% ABV
D3ram

Nose: Sandalwood, ginger, apple juice, vanilla, hints of mangoes, hints of pear drops. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens, turns oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, pear drops, ginger, salted peanuts, custard, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Custard, fresh baked bread, apple juice, sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Finally, an official Chita! The SMWS bottling was wild and estery, the official version is tamed, restrained, with spicy ginger notes and hints of bold fruit. It's also quite salty, even nutty. I guess there's some element of reversion to the mean when you have to blend so many casks. Nevertheless I like this even so.

Verdict:

I like this.

Old Hobart Overeem Bourbon Cask Matured (Cask Strength OHD-065)

Old Hobart Overeem Bourbon Cask Matured (Cask Strength OHD-065)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Dark gold
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, raisins, salt caramel, orange peel, lemon zest, hints of vanilla. With water, toasted coconut, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, vanilla, toast, raisins, lemon zest, hints of cream. With water, more savoury, sea salt, toasted coconut. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, cream, orange peel, toast. 

Comments: 

Oddly named ('cask strength' is redundant, perhaps?), but I like the information on the provenance. It's decent whisky, but not stand-out. Takes a lot of water - I added perhaps twice what I normally do, and the flavours didn't open up a great deal until I'd drenched it. But they are good flavours, there's something salty and more-ish hiding under all that alcohol.

Verdict:

I like this.

Smögen 4yo 2011 Sherry Project 1:3

Smögen 4yo 2011 Sherry Project 1:3

Official bottling
Single malt - Bohuslan
Amber brown
53.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, hazelnuts, blackcurrant cordial, pears, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, peat, blackcurrant cordial, pears, cream. 
Finish: Long. Sea salt, black tea, soy sauce, raisins. 

Comments: 

An unusual whisky, peated Swedish spirit matured in a sherry butt for 14 months. It starts out as one would expect, nutty and peaty with hints of fruit. But there's something unusual underneath, a savoury salty note that is reminiscent of Caol Ila. It's covered by the sherry influence on the nose and on the tongue, but it bursts out in the finish, clear as day.

Verdict:

I like this.

Rampur Select

Rampur Select

Official bottling
Single malt - Uttar Pradesh
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, lychees, vanilla, guavas, figs. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loose, static. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Lychees, honeydew melons, honey, guavas, ginger, hints of olive oil. 
Finish: Medium. Ginger, lychees, vanilla, guava. 

Comments: 

Batch 1656 01/17. This is unusual whisky, no age statement, yet redolent of tropical fruits and spice. I wonder what casks they used - bourbon? White wine? Whatever they were, they were great casks, and this is great whisky. The perfect whisky to start 2018 on.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Aultmore 12yo

Aultmore 12yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Very pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, malted grains, green tea, raisins, hazelnuts. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. White grapes, apples vanilla, raisins, green tea, hints of sea salt. 
Finish: Long. Apples, vanilla, white grapes, green tea. 

Comments: 

Finally, an official Aultmore! The indies are interesting but I've never been able to compare against the 'official' distillery character. First off, it's a very odd colour, the palest of golds, as if it spent a couple of years in wood rather than 12. It's sweet savoury, plenty of fruit and tannins, like a good white wine, with a long appley finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bakery Hill Peated Malt

Bakery Hill Peated Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Victoria
Light amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dried cranberries, vanilla, peat, smoke, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Black tea, peat, vanilla, dried cranberries, hints of gooseberries. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, gooseberries, orange peel, peat. 

Comments: 

A very gentle peated malt. There's barely any smoke, instead there's plenty of fruity eatery notes, maybe some savoury hints of the nose. Tannic bitter notes predominate once I take a sip, in fact it's a little astringent while somehow reaching all the crevices in my mouth. Decent finish, could be longer.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kininvie 23yo 1991 (Batch 3)

Kininvie 23yo 1991 (Batch 3)

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Orange gold
42.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, orange peel, stewed apples, vanilla, raisins, hints of allspice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, honey, raisins, cinnamon, hints of allspice, hints of dried cranberries. 
Finish: Long. Vanilla, stewed apples, honey, cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Bottled 2015. I was lucky to be able to get hold of this - spirit from the rarest of open distilleries. It's definitely got a fair amount of sherry cask in it, the rich colour tells a story. Plenty of scrumptious fruity notes, with alluring hints of spicy heat mixed in.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky

Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky

Official bottling
Single grain - Western Cape
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, cardamom, figs, sandalwood, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slightly astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White pepper, vanilla, cream, lemon zest, cloves, hints of figs. 
Finish: Medium. Cream, vanilla, figs, hints of cardamom. 

Comments: 

Highly spicy, highly fragrant grain whisky from South Africa. I believe this expression, bottled at 43%, has been discontinued in favour of a 40% version. That's a shame - this is complex grain whisky, and is redolent of the spice islands.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured

Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Red gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, raisins, smoke, peat, hints of jasmine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, slippery, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, white grapes, smoke, green tea, jasmine, peat. 
Finish: Medium. Red grapes, jasmine, orange peel, apple juice, peat. 

Comments: 

Smoky, but gently floral, plenty of red fruit. The anticipated peat was a restrained influence in the background, and didn't overwhelm the whisky. I missed the usual date notes that I find in Kilchoman though. Nevertheless, good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.