Indri Dru Cask Strength

Indri Dru Cask Strength

Official bottling
Single malt - Piccadily
Amber
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: New plastic, rye bread, black pepper, lemon zest, surgical spirit, hints of orange peel. With water, orange peel, honey, hints of surgical spirit. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, volatile, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Orange peel, white grapes, honey, vanilla, black pepper, malted grains, fresh baked bread. With water, honey, raisins, black pepper, hints of surgical spirit. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, orange peel, raisins, honey. 

Comments: 

Feinty to the point of plasticky, but has some caraway, seedy notes. The strength doesn’t contribute much in my view, just alcohol burn. Water brings out some more spirity notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Einar’s Distillery 5yo

Einar’s Distillery 5yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Nordoyar
Straw 
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, malted grains, pears, fresh cut grass, eucalyptus, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens slightly, mouth coating, slightly oily. 

Tasting:  Sweet. Malted grains, raisins, pears, caramel, menthol, fresh cut grass, lemon zest. 
Finish: Long. Honey, pears, fresh cut grass, lemon zest, hints of eucalyptus. 

Comments: 

Grassy and mentholly, with herbal notes. There’s a smidgen of peat in this, but it’s very light, grassy rather than earthy. The natural sweetness of the whisky stands out.

Verdict:

I like this.

Blackwater 5yo 2019/2024 PMD II: Return of the Dragon

Blackwater 5yo 2019/2024 PMD II: Return of the Dragon

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
Golden
59.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, pears, leather, white grapes, honeydew melons, mint. With water, dried pears, dried pineapples, honeydew melons. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Honeydew melons, white grapes, peat, leather, lemon zest, pears, hints of smoke. With water, malted grains, white grapes, pears, hints of new plastic. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, mint, pears, white grapes, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Barrel BBL000052. Really quite fruity and flavourful for a young whisky. Irish whisky usually uses some pot still make to achieve this effect but there’s no hint of that here. Well made and delicious.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bonnington 5yo 2020/2025

Bonnington 5yo 2020/2025

Fruitful Spirits
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber
63.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Tires, honey, apricots, smoke, peat, limes, farmyard, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, smoke, peat, charcoal ash. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, volatile, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Tires, farmyard, malted grains, honey, burnt sugar, smoke, peat. With water, limes, smoke, peat, malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Limes, fresh cut grass, smoke, peat. 

Comments: 

Unbalanced and sulphurous, quite grassy but also with a suspicious-tasting farmyard note. Water improves it, brings out some zesty citrus and a little ashy note that is more typical of peated whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfarclas 190th Anniversary

Glenfarclas 190th Anniversary 

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark amber
51.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, strawberry sweets, black pepper, cloves. With water, dark chocolate, raisins, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Honey, coffee, black pepper, strawberry sweets, nutmeg, raisins, hints of pomeloes. With water, nutmeg, dark chocolate, raisins, honey. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, coffee, black pepper, raisins, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

Quintessential Speyside whisky, very representative of Glenfarclas, yet has a distinct strawberry flavour of its own. Well crafted and excellent dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lochrann Aoire (Shepherd’s Lantern) 3yo Barrel No 1

Lochrann Aoire (Shepherd’s Lantern) 3yo Barrel No 1

Scaire Uisce
Single blend - Leinster
Amber gold
53% ABV
Dram

Nose: Caramel, barley sugar, black pepper, magic marker, strawberries, hints of cinnamon. With water, caramel, barley sugar, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Malted grains, vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel, barley sugar, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, hints of black pepper. With water, milk chocolate, caramel, pears. 
Finish: Medium. Caramel, milk chocolate, cinnamon, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

This has a bit of pot still in it if I’m any judge - there’s that spikiness and barley sweetness that I associate with it. The malt contributes the chocolatey, creamy notes of course, along with the bread and cereal. Decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Van Brunt Stillhouse Rye Lot 23

Van Brunt Stillhouse Rye Lot 23

Official bottling
Single rye - New York 
Amber copper
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, nectarines, parchment paper, black pepper, applesauce, hints of green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Parchment paper, peaches, applesauce, cinnamon, gooseberries, caramel, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, caramel, raisins, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

Quite tannic and herbal for a rye, and also quite delicate. There’s a slightly dusty, papery quality to it, one that goes well with the fragrant green tea notes. Rather unusual and rather good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Annandale 8yo Defender of the Crown

Annandale 8yo Defender of the Crown

Whiskyheroes, Brave New Spirits
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber gold 
52.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, germolene, raisins, sea salt, white grapes, smoke, leather, autumn leaves. With water, leather, raisins, cocoa nibs. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, hot, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Germolene, raisins, white grapes, honey, soot, smoke, hints of gentian. With water, smoke, germolene, cocoa nibs. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, white grapes, smoke, germolene. 

Comments: 

Quite sweet and delicate despite the peatiness of the distillate. It’s characteristic of Annandale in my view. Rather well aged, with layered complexity. Very well constructed whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Arbikie 10yo The Signature

Arbikie 10yo The Signature

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden 
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, mangoes, orange peel, gooseberries, peaches, dunnage, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, expands, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Peaches, orange peel, dunnage, malted grains, cinnamon, gooseberries, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Short. Aluminium foil, peaches, gooseberries, mangoes, magic marker. 

Comments: 

Lots of peach notes, as well as very funky dunnage, although it doesn’t take over the whisky as much as some others. Other fruits are also present, with a sweet barley cereal core.

Verdict:

I like this.

Brenne 10yo Limited Edition (bottled 2017)

Brenne 10yo Limited Edition (bottled 2017)

Official bottling
Single malt - Poitou-Charentes
Straw
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, honey, honeydew melons, mint, lemons, hints of bubble gum. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Photocopy paper, spearmint, fresh cut grass, bubblegum, pineapples, mangoes, honey, lemons, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Short. Honey, lemons, fresh cut grass, spearmint. 

Comments: 

Still fruity, but with other flavours, mainly herbal and a little floral. It’s now recognisably whisky, whereas in its early days this distillery made something deeply weird.

Verdict:

I like this.