Knockando 13yo 1974/1987

Knockando 13yo 1974/1987

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pears, raisins, orange peel, lohan fruit, nutmeg, cloves, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, volatile, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, leather, lohan fruit, cloves, vanilla sponge, orange peel, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, lohan fruit, vanilla sponge, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Quite herbal, lots of raisiny dried fruit flavours with plenty of vanilla. No water, it’s perfectly drinkable as is. The finish is surprisingly peppery and fragrant.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Chichibu Distillery II (Ichiro’s Malt)

Chichibu Distillery II (Ichiro’s Malt)

Official bottling
Single malt - Kantō
Amber gold 
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, pears, fresh cut grass, white grapes, orange peel, barley sugar, nutmeg, mace. With water, pears, magic marker, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Pears, orange peel, leather, barley sugar, malted grains, magic marker, ink, mace. With water, mace, pears, magic marker, leather. 
Finish: Medium. Pears, orange peel, malted grains, lemon zest, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Lots of lovely balanced flavours, mainly spices, pears and a big leather note that is quite characteristic of Chichibu in my opinion. Water brings out some estery flavours with more of that leather. This is actually from their new production facility, but they’ve maintained their character well. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tsunuki Yakushima Aging 5yo 2016/2021 (bottled for LMDW)

Tsunuki Yakushima Aging 5yo 2016/2021 (bottled for LMDW)

Official bottling
Single malt - Kyushu
Amber brown
61% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, raisins, sandalwood, pears, dried apricots, malted grains, fresh baked bread. With water, raisins, winter melons, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, evaporates, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Oak chips, sandalwood, malted grains, dried apricots, barley sugar, raisins, pears, hints of winter melons. With water, malted grains, raisins, barley sugar. 
Finish: Long. Dried apricots, leather, raisins, barley sugar hints of sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Cask 2069. Floral and herbal, very intensely flavoured with a hot, volatile mouthfeel. No doubt it’s due to the high ANv. Water brings out cereally sweetness with more raisins too. Quite interesting and somewhat typical of the Yakushima aging style.

Verdict:

I like this.

Longmorn 30yo

Longmorn 30yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber red 
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, golden syrup, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, clotted cream, wet stones. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Clotted cream, raisins, cloves, nutmeg, golden syrup, butter, barley sugar, wet stones, hints of molasses. 
Finish: Medium. Nutmeg, black pepper, cloves, raisins, hints of molasses. 

Comments: 

A gentle, sweet, syrupy dram. The bitterness is that of molasses and slightly burnt caramel, but the predominant notes are creamy golden syrup, and buttery barley sugar. Very good whisky indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Caperdonich 13yo 1968

Caperdonich 13yo 1968

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, raisins, orange peel, dried pineapples, black pepper, honey, sandalwood, hints of lohan fruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, dried pineapples, dried apples, cloves, honey, black pepper, hints of lohan fruit, hints of farmyard. 
Finish: Medium. Cloves, honey, dried pineapples, raisins, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Minerally, with a bitter herbal edge, very prominent on the tongue. But under that there is a classic dried pineapple note, which I’ve found in a number of Caperdonich. There’s a bit of farmyardy tang at the end.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Grant 1948

Glen Grant 1948

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, lohan fruit, leather, sandalwood, roast chicken, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, sandalwood, white pepper, black pepper, cumin, roast chicken, lohan fruit, smoke. 
Finish: Long. Smoke, leather, black pepper, orange peel, lohan fruit. 

Comments: 

Bitter sweet, with the bitter note being quite herbal, almost savoury. Not the most complex whisky, but very well layered with distinct flavours. It builds to a long, very smoky finish. It was a privilege to try this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Grant 5yo 1974 (OB for Italy)

Glen Grant 5yo 1974 (OB for Italy)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Very pale yellow
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, lemon zest, sandalwood, sea salt, malted grains, white grapes, hints of yeast extract. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Lemon zest, yeast extract, roast chicken, sea salt, starfruit, pears, white pepper, hints of gunpowder. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, sea salt, white pepper, malted grains, hints of roast chicken. 

Comments: 

Gentle and light, but with a citrusy, savoury edge. There’s a roast chicken note which starts to take over on the tongue, and et the very end, something flinty, minerally and sulphurous. Superb old whisky

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tomatin 13yo 2010/2023

Tomatin 13yo 2010/2023

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Bronze gold 
50.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, elderflower, wet stones, honey, sea salt, fresh baked bread, hints of coffee. With water, sandalwood, fresh baked bread, leather, lemon sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Fresh baked bread, honey, elderflower, nectarines, coffee, leather, hints of lemon sweets. With water, fresh baked bread, lemon sweets, elderflower, coffee. 
Finish: Long. Coffee, grapefruit, nectarines, leather. 

Comments: 

Floral and rich, but also minerally. Lots of cereal notes underneath, and water brings out more floral notes with a robust bitterness. Rather good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Green River Kentucky Straight Rye DSP-KY-10

Green River Kentucky Straight Rye DSP-KY-10

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber gold
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peppermint, brown paper, popcorn, toffee, blackcurrant cordial, hints of black pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Peppermint, toffee, vanilla, cream, brown paper, popcorn, fresh baked bread, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Short. Black pepper, popcorn, vanilla, cream, blackcurrant cordial. 

Comments: 

Quite minty with lots of popcorn notes. The latter is not unusual for rye, but the former is. There’s plenty of cereal and bread too, which keeps it interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

Raasay 4yo 2021/2025 Marsala Cask

Raasay 4yo 2021/2025 Marsala Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Dark gold, hints of amber

50.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, cinnamon, honey, gooseberries, white grapes, dried apricots, toffee, hints of smoke. With water, menthol, dried apricots, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, cool, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cinnamon, apples, smoke, dried apricots, leather, sourdough bread, toffee, vanilla, peat, smoke. With water, smoke, peat, leather, white grapes. 
Finish: Long. Peat, smoke, charcoal ash, apples, dried apricots. 

Comments: 

Sometimes sweet wine finishes clash with peat but for this whisky they are quite well integrated. The sweet notes are prominent on the nose and especially near, and once water is added the smoke comes to the fore.

Verdict:

I like this.