Jack Daniel Triple Mash

Jack Daniel Triple Mash

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cough mixture, brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, expands, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Milk chocolate, honey, fresh baked bread, cream, cough mixture, hints of rye bread. 
Finish: Short. Cream, milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar. 

Comments: 

Sweet and chocolatey, a cut above the regular JD. There’s a bit of rye in this, oddly, and it makes for a slightly jarring note on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this.

Thompson Brothers Lowries Reserve

Thompson Brothers Lowries Reserve

Thompson Bros
Blend
Copper gold
45.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, molasses, vanilla, tablet, petrol exhaust, hints of milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, static, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Molasses, tablet, orange peel, raisins, icing sugar, leather, hints of milk chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Icing sugar, leather, orange peel, raisins, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Sweet blend, with hints of bitterness that never really quite come to pass. There are some whispers of more industrial whisky but they’re drowned in orange peel and icing sugar.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bruichladdich 10yo Old Skool

Bruichladdich 10yo Old Skool

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold 

50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, cream, malted grains, barley sugar, white pepper, hints of pencil erasers. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, yoghurt, white pepper, fresh baked bread, sea salt, hints of rolled oats. 
Finish: Short. Lemon zest, yoghurt, cream, white pepper, rolled oats. 

Comments: 

Quite lactic, although doesn’t have the butyric note that Bruichladdich sometimes has. Quite lemony too, plenty of salty cereal. Not too peated, in fact it’s quite hard to discern.

Verdict:

I like this.

Filey Bay Porter Cask #2

Filey Bay Porter Cask #2

Official bottling
Single malt - Yorkshire 
Amber gold
51.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marmalade, wet stones, fresh baked bread, vanilla sponge, orange peel. With water, white pepper, strawberry sweets, marmalade. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, astringent, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Marmalade, fresh baked bread, strawberry sweets, wet stones, pencil lead, hints of ginger. With water, marmalade, strawberry sweets, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Short. Ginger, marmalade, orange peel, raisins, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Laden with marmalade and strawberry notes. It’s got a deep sweetness that must come from the beer, not a lot of woody notes. Also quite minerally and flinty, which seems to be a characteristic of this distillery.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Goalong Single Malt

Goalong Single Malt

Official bottling 
Single malt - Hunan
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, malted grains, white pepper, lime zest, raisins, dried pears. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Bananas, limes, vanilla, white pepper, icing sugar, hints of dried pineapples. 
Finish: Short. Limes, lime zest, vanilla, cream, icing sugar. 

Comments: 

Citrusy, plenty of banana and vanilla. It’s a light approachable whisky with lots of rich notes packed into a life mouth feel. Decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

The Chuan Handfill (bottled 2004)

The Chuan Handfill (bottled 2024)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Sichuan
Amber 
60.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lohan fruit, raisins, marzipan, orange peel, lemon sweets, coffee, nectarines, hints of strawberry sweets. With water, orange peel, menthol, hints of marzipan. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, volatile, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Orange peel, strawberry sweets, nectarines, camphor, white pepper, raisins, papayas, hints of coffee. With water, raisins, nectarines, strawberry sweets. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, camphor, white pepper, lohan fruit, hints of nectarines. 

Comments: 

A rather good Chinese whisky, plenty of sweet and nutty notes with herbal bitterness. Water brings out more stone fruit sweetness with menthol on the nose. Surprisingly good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Inverleven 31yo 1977/2008

Inverleven 31yo 1977/2008

Cask Strength, Signatory
Single malt - Lowlands
Light amber
47.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, pencil lead, wet stones, raisins, white grapes, honey, hints of plums. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Camphor, wet stones, raisins, honey, lohan fruit, pencil lead, orange peel, pears. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, pears, pencil lead, lohan fruit, honey. 

Comments: 

Cask 3606. Leathery and minerally with bitter herbal accents. Very Chinese - lots of oriental fruit and the requisite orange and pear. Plenty of honey as well, it’s quite sweet. A very good dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

North Port 15yo 1974/1989 Very Rare

North Port 15yo 1974/1989 Very Rare

Sestante
Single malt - East Highlands
Dark yellow
66.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, peaches, sandalwood, magic marker, fresh baked bread, lemon sweets, peppermint, hints of malted grains. With water, olive oil, lemon sweets, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peaches, sandalwood, olive oil, clay dust, dunnage, malted grains, lemon sweets, hints of papayas. With water, olive oil, lemon sweets, peppermint.
Finish: Long. Malted grains, papayas, sandalwood, olive oil, dunnage. 

Comments: 

Superb whisky, perfectly drinkable at this high strength. Plenty of stone fruit and ily dunnage, with lemon sweets and peppermint. Water brings out a bitter olive oil note and more lemon sweets.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

West Midlands Inaugural Release - Bourbon Quarter Cask

West Midlands Inaugural Release - Bourbon Quarter Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Staffordshire
Amber gold
53.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rye bread, new plastic, black pepper, malted grains, ink, raisins, hints of cinnamon. With water, new plastic, cinnamon, black pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Rye bread, raisins, hoppy beer, malted grains, black pepper, ink, butter, hints of barley sugar. With water, fresh baked bread, black pepper, barley sugar.
Finish: Short. Barley sugar, ink, raisins, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Quite lactic and chemical, which seems to be a character of this distillery. The cask imparts sweetness and some nice dried fruit, even raisiny notes. Water brings out more pepperiness and sweetness.

Verdict:

I like this.

Puni Gold

Puni Gold

Official bottling
Single malt - Alto-Adige
Pale yellow
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, vanilla, pencil lead, malted grains, nutmeg, peaches, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Malted grains, white pepper, vanilla, barley sugar, pencil lead, cream. 
Finish: Short. Barley sugar, malted grains, pencil lead, wet stones. 

Comments: 

Quite minerally and delicate, lots of gentle spices and barley sweetness. It’s a young, light whisky, but a well made one. The flinty pencil lead notes bring body and interest.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.