Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection - 1838 Style White Corn

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection - 1838 Style White Corn

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
45.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brown paper, digestive biscuits, lemon zest, honey, golden syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, expands, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cornflakes, digestive biscuits, honey, desiccated coconut, glacé cherries, candied oranges, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, white pepper, desiccated coconut, glacé cherries. 

Comments: 

Spicy and biscuity, this corn bourbon is also rich and luscious. Lots of fruit alongside those cereal notes, all budding tot a bitter fragrant finish. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Tamnavulin-Glenlivet 8yo (bottled late 1970s)

Tamnavulin-Glenlivet 8yo (bottled late 1970s)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Bright gold
42.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, vanilla ice cream, cream soda, leather, lime zest, hints of butterscotch. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, tingly, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Vanilla ice cream, lime zest, leather, malted grains, ginseng, dried apricots, hints of dried pears. 
Finish: Short. Lime zest, dried pears, chocolate, vanilla ice cream. 

Comments: 

A very old bottle, but there’s surprisingly not much OBE. The flavours are a little bit muted though, perhaps there’s been some oxidisation. Lots of creamy vanilla, along with dried fruit and a little touch of chocolate. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dallas Dhu 24yo 1979/2003

Dallas Dhu 24yo 1979/2003

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle 
Single malt - Speyside 
White wine 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, custard apples, rose apples, pears, cream, hints of malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour. White grapes, rose apples, malted grains, pears, autumn leaves, hints of vanilla, hints of leather. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, white grapes, malted grains, rose apples, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Cask 1382. Fruity, earthy and tangy, this whisky is redolent of certain juicy tropical fruits, and shares their thirst quenching properties. I didn’t have a lot more than a single dram, but if it isn’t too sacrilegious with a malt from a closed distillery, I'd love to have this in a highball or with ice.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Elgin 20yo 1990/2011

Glen Elgin 20yo 1990/2011

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle 
Single malt - Speyside 
White wine
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, white wine, ink, white grapes, malted grains, dried pears, hints of dried apricots. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, thick, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, lemon zest, dried pears, dried apricots, fresh cut grass, golden syrup, hints of nutmeg. 
Finish: Long. Nutmeg, dried pears, white grapes, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Cask 7871. Spicy and well aged, with a lot of dried fruit notes overlaying what was once a grassy bright spirit. I don’t know if this is bottle aging rather than cask aging, but it’s really quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Balcones Single Barrel #10011 (for the British Bourbon Society)

Balcones Single Barrel #10011 (for the British Bourbon Society)

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Texas
Bright amber
62.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cherries, cornflakes, toffee, raisins, amaretto, hints of jasmine. With water, sea salt, raisins, orange peel, toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cornflakes, toffee, cherries, chocolate, amaretto, sea salt, hints of coffee. With water, raisins, cherries, orange peel, oats. 
Finish: Long. Cornflakes, sea salt, coffee, oats, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

This bourbon is so well seasoned it reeks of raisins and stone fruit. Lots of underlying cereal notes betray its grain identity, and it’s luscious and rich. Lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Kornog Peated Single Malt

Kornog Peated Single Malt

Official bottling 
Single malt - Brittany 
Pale straw
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, leather, peat, preserved lemons, candied oranges, sea salt, hints of green papayas. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Sea salt, leather, candied oranges, smoke, peat, preserved lemons, hints of germolene, hints of malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Preserved lemons, pineapples, leather, peat, hints of sea salt, hints of green papayas. 

Comments: 

Saline and savoury, with gentle but assertive peat, this French whisky also has some citrus and mouth puckering notes. Unusually good as an aperitif with some ice - and I don’t say this often about whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this.