Lochlea Ploughing Edition First Crop

Lochlea Ploughing Edition First Crop

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Colourless
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, malted grains, wheat beer, sourdough bread, green apples, hints of vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Malted grains, leather, diesel exhaust, green apples, grapefruit, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Peat, leather, grapefruit, diesel exhaust, hints of vanilla. 

Comments: 

Odd lack of colour on this dram. It’s quite tart and fermented, lots of citrus and slightly ripe bread. On the tongue there’s peat and diesel exhaust. The flavours and harsh, perhaps a bit more aging will mellow this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Millburn 12yo 1983/1996

Millburn 12yo 1983/1996

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead 
Single malt - Speyside
Sunshine gold
59.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Starfruit, pineapples, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, hints of celery salt. With water, vanilla, starfruit, tutti frutti, hints of passionfruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Starfruit, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, tutti frutti, nutmeg, papayas, hints of smoke, hints of photocopy paper. With water, peaches, starfruit, leather, celery salt. 
Finish: Medium. Photocopy paper, papayas, starfruit, leather, hints of celery salt. 

Comments: 

I do like a Millburn, and this one does not disappoint. Lots of tropical starfruit, and sundry other fruit too, fading to the damp smoke characteristic of the dram, and celery salt, a sign of old bottle effect. Delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glendronach 25yo 1993/2019

Glendronach 25yo 1993/2019

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange blossom, black tea, cherries, chocolate, leather, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, turns syrupy, hot. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Cloves, chocolate, orange blossom, raisins, vanilla custard, blackberries, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, raisins, cloves, fresh baked bread, hints of petrol exhaust. 

Comments: 

Classic sherried dram, lots of sweet spicy notes. It’s multi-layered and complex, starting with spice and chocolate, before fading to jammy fruit, then a good malty spine. Lovely whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

The Orientalist 8yo

The Orientalist 8yo

The Orientalist
Blended malt - Multi-country
Amber, hints of gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, milk chocolate, honey, cocoa nibs, vanilla, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Golden syrup, raisins, vanilla, fresh baked bread, lemon juice, salt caramel. 
Finish: Medium. Cocoa nibs, vanilla, milk chocolate, black tea. 

Comments: 

A blend of malt from Japan, Taiwan and India, the three Asian whisky powerhouses. It’s salty sweet, lots of sweet fruity notes abound. But it’s not really that complex.

Verdict:

I like this.

Komagatake 2021 Edition

Komagatake 2021 Edition

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Honshu
Dark gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Camphor, honey, overripe peaches, mangoes, orange peel, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Honey, fresh baked bread, orange peel, mangoes, nutmeg, hints of burnt sugar. 
Finish: Short. Burnt sugar, nutmeg, lemon zest, orange peel, hints of camphor. 

Comments: 

Earthy camphor covers a heap of tropical fruit, mainly mangoes and bananas. Plenty of spices too, dominated by nutmeg. It’s good and unbalanced, in a good way. Lots of layers with waves of flavour.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Filey Bay Double Oak #2

Filey Bay Double Oak #2

Official bottling 
Single malt - Yorkshire 
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, curry leaves, black pepper, lemon juice, green tea, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Orange peel, cinnamon, rhubarb and custard sweets, lemon juice, orange sherbet, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Short. Orange sherbet, green tea, cinnamon, black pepper, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets. 

Comments: 

Sweet, citrusy distillate, some tannins, and a little intriguing, nutty, curry leaf. It’s rather good for something so young, and doesn’t suffer with dilution. Quite enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fleurieu 3yo Batch 2

Fleurieu 3yo Batch 2

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - South Australia
Orange red
65% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, honey, marmalade, strawberries, cream, fresh baked bread. With water, toast, white pepper, marmalade, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, marmalade, toast, cinnamon, white pepper, lemon juice, hints of vanilla. With water, fresh baked bread, marmalade, honey, vanilla. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, lemon juice, marmalade, toast. 

Comments: 

Highly sherried (Apera’d?), it’s picked up a lot of cask flavour. Lots of jammy sweet notes, but also plenty of peppery kick. Quite pleasant, but it’s got raw edges.

Verdict:

I like this.

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.