Dingle 10yo

Dingle 10yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Minster
Bright gold
46.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, pears, raisins, white grapes, malted grains, leather, white chocolate, hints of elderflower. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Leather, elderflower, dunnage, white grapes, malted grains, white chocolate, lemon zest, pears. 
Finish: Long. Pears, elderflower, honey, dunnage, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Light, bourbon cask aged Irish whiskey, with plenty of distillery character. There’s dunnage and elderflower, and the finish is long, loaded with pears, honey, and malty sweetness.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenallachie 28yo 1990/2015 UK Exclusive

Glenallachie 28yo 1990/2015 UK Exclusive

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside

Copper amber 
60.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, malted grains, cream, orange peel. With water, marmalade, cream, vanilla, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cinnamon, magic marker, orange peel, malted grains, raisins, milk chocolate. With water, black tea, orange peel, raisins, milk chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Oak chips, milk chocolate, cocoa nibs, raisins. 

Comments: 

Cask 620. An excellent example of aged sherried whisky, lots of classic chocolate and raisin, with bitter edges of cocoa nibs. Plenty of candied oranges too. Superb.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Edradour 11yo 2014/2025 1st Fill Lagrein Cask

Edradour 11yo 2014/2025 1st Fill Lagrein Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber red 
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pencil lead, orange peel, wet stones, white pepper, magic marker, toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Orange peel, ink, magic marker, white pepper, pencil lead, marmalade, hints of strawberry jam. 
Finish: Medium. Malted grains, raisins, marmalade, white pepper, hints of pencil lead. 

Comments: 

Cask 701 and 703. Richly layered with sweet notes, but the wine cask turns overwhelming on the palate. Also it’s not actually sweet to taste, and has some feintiness that the wine cask actually accentuates.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tormore 12yo

Tormore 12yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pears, orange peel, vanilla custard, shortcrust pastry, parchment paper, cinnamon, hints of white pepper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Orange peel, pears, malted grains, white pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, hints of white chocolate. 
Finish: Short. Lemon zest, malted grains, nutmeg, shortcrust pastry. 

Comments: 

Rich, almost buttery. There are plenty of baking spices and light note of white chocolate on the palate. A good redesign of the Tormore core range.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macaloney’s Island An Loy

Macaloney’s Island An ally

Official bottling 
Single malt - British Columbia
Dark gold, hints of amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, vitamin C tablets, malted grains, mint, cinnamon, hints of barley sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, vitamin C tablets, honey, golden syrup, marmalade, malted grains, raisins, cloves. 
Finish: Long. Barley sugar, dark chocolate, raisins, marmalade. 

Comments: 

Sweet and luscious, very marmaladey, richly flavoured with layers. A very good whisky, highly drinkable and quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

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.