Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee 
Amber brown 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, black pepper, blackcurrant cordial, cough syrup, brown paper, caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, loosens slightly.
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Magic marker, pencil lead, vanilla, black pepper, fresh baked bread, cough syrup. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, brown paper, black pepper, cough syrup. 

Comments: 

Decent rye, slightly sweet for my taste, but there’s plenty of pepper and cereal in here. It ends quite abruptly though, the finish is quite short.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Single Pot Still

Teeling Single Pot Still

Official bottling
Single pot still - Leinster
Pale orange
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, vitamin C tablets, raisins, white grapes, nutmeg, gingerbread, vanilla. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, thickens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Orange peel, fresh baked bread, white grapes, allspice, green tea, cinnamon, mint, hints of gingerbread. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, white grapes, orange peel, vitamin C tablets, cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Quite citrusy, with lots of spice, especially on the back palate. It’s quite complex on the tongue, something I would not have expected for pot still whisky. This is a very good dram indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Eden Mill Bourbon Cask

Eden Mill Bourbon Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale gold, hints of pink
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry jam, pear drops, honeydew melons, white grapes, lemon zest, leather, kombucha. 

Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Kombucha, leather, pear drops, wet stones, lemon zest, hints of pencil lead. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, white pepper, lemon zest, pencil lead. 

Comments: 

Surprisingly fruity, lots of strawberry jam notes. There’s also a feintiness, with some minerally notes, and a tart layer of what I think of as kombucha. It builds to a truncated, abrupt finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Signal Hill Whisky

Signal Hill Whisky

Official bottling
Single blend - Ontario
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, raisins, pear drops, malted grains, cloves, hints of cough syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Caramel, toffee, brown sugar, raisins, orange peel, cough syrup. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, raisins, toffee, cough syrup. 

Comments: 

Very estery, lots of cherry cough syrup, and pear drops. It’s a very simple whisky, not a huge amount of complexity, but well made and tasty.

Verdict:

I like this.

Craigellachie 11yo

Craigellachie 11yo 

Soho Selection, Milroys of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Amber copper
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, butterscotch, cocoa nibs, cloves, black pepper, raisins, hints of gooseberries. With water, strawberry jam, cocoa nibs, black pepper, yoghurt. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, airy, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Gooseberries, white grapes, cocoa nibs, lemon zest, milk chocolate, hints of butterscotch. With water, toffee, butterscotch, cocoa nibs, black pepper.
Finish: Medium. Malted grains, lemon zest, milk chocolate, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

Very toffee’d whisky, plenty of fruity notes as well water opens it up to more toffee, jammy notes on the nose, and milky butterscotch on the tongue. All throughout there’s plenty of black pepper and chocolate.

Verdict:

I like this.

Hearach First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured Batch 1

Hearach First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured Batch 1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Copper
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, olive brine, malted grains, leather, brown sugar, hints of farmyard. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, cool, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Aluminium foil, malted grains, olive brine, honey, raisins, cocoa nibs, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Short. Lemon zest, honey, cocoa nibs, malted grains, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

The sherry cask is evident here, but it’s probably refill. There’s plenty of stripped back raisiny, chocolatey notes, but the characteristic olive brine and slightly metallic feinty notes are front and centre. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Garioch 30yo 1990/2020

Glen Garioch 30yo 1990/2020

Celebration of the Cask, Carn Mor
Single malt - East Highlands
White wine 
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cotton sheets, white wine, malted grains, yoghurt, white grapes, hints of white pepper. With water, lemon sweets, camphor, mustard, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. White wine, autumn leaves, camphor, white grapes, mustard, cotton sheets, photocopy paper. With water, white wine, white grapes, cotton sheets, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Short. White grapes, malted grains, fresh cut grass, hints of yoghurt. 

Comments: 

Cask 20253. Lactic and spritely, lots of tart fruity notes. The mustard is there though, but gentle, more like an earthiness that pervades the whisky. Well layered, but I like the lactic notes less.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Garioch 35yo 1986/2021

Glen Garioch 35yo 1986/2021

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - East Highlands
Light gold 
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, white grapes, leather, magic marker, pears, camphor, hints of chillies. With water, magic marker, camphor, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, expands, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. White grapes, leather, autumn leaves, mustard, chillies, pears, lohan fruit. With water, sea salt, pears, sandalwood, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Short. Pears, magic marker, white grapes, mustard. 

Comments: 

Cask DL15060. Very herbal and savoury, but there’s plenty of the more bitter and complex sorts of fruits - chillies and lohan- and a touch of the classic Garioch mustard. A slightly disappointing short finish.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ki One Virgin American Oak

Ki One Virgin American Oak

Official bottling 
Single malt - Gyeonggi
Light amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apricots, mangoes, roast chicken, green tea, cotton candy, raisins, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Mangoes, fresh baked bread, malted grains, peaches, cotton candy, brown paper, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, vanilla, green tea, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Fruity, lots of sweet notes, including slightly artificial cotton candy, but recognisably whisky underneath. Malt turns up on the tongue, before fading to a tannic, spicy finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dornoch 5yo 2019/2024 Cask 149

Dornoch 5yo 2019/2024 Cask 149

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Pale copper
51.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Soot, engine oil, leeks, roast chicken, autumn leaves, sultanas, peat, hints of eucalyptus. With water, roast chicken, cloves, leeks, sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Camphor, fresh baked bread, leather, sultanas, vanilla, engine oil, soot, hints of eucalyptus. With water, peat, soot, sultanas, hints of rubber bands. 
Finish: Long. Camphor, eucalyptus, sultanas, leather. 

Comments: 

Cask 149. Sooty and richly peated, there’s plenty of sulphurous and smoky notes to chew on. The texture is nice too, oily and mouth coating. Plenty of bitter herbs round out the finish.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Aultmore 13yo 2010/2024

Aultmore 13yo 2010/2024

A Year Long Celebration, Hidden Spirits
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
51.5%% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, white grapes, honey, malted grains, hints of cinnamon. With water, lemon juice, photocopy paper, rhubarb and custard sweets, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, rhubarb and custard sweets, malted grains, barley sugar, white grapes, hints of green tea. With water, peaches, white grapes, gooseberries, apple juice, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, honey, malted grains, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Cask AU1024. Tangy and sweet, lots of complexity, and there’s an especially thick layer of feintiness in this one. Water opens it up dramatically, more fruit, more spice, more tannins. Lovely whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Caol Ila 4yo

Caol Ila 4yo

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Islay
Amber
61.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Driftwood smoke, malted grains, peat, leather, lemon sweets, fresh baked bread, soy sauce. With water, lemon sweets, peat, germolene. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Malted grains, peat, leather, fresh baked bread, soy sauce, ginseng, black tea, hints of black pepper. With water, lemon sweets, soy sauce, germolene. 
Finish: Medium. Peat, leather, soy sauce, cloves, raisins. 

Comments: 

Smoky and savoury, like most Caol Ila. The peat hasn’t been mellowed by age here, it’s in your face and bitter. There’s a lot of cereal in this, less of the lemony salty sweet flavour that is a key characteristic of Caol Ila for me.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bunnahabhain 10yo

Bunnahabhain 10yo

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Islay
Golden
50.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, smoke, peat, germolene, sea salt, tarry rope, hints of lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, oily, turns syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Raisins, germolene, slate, tarry rope, malted grains, smoke, ginseng. 
Finish: Medium. Slate, wet stones, tarry rope, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Peated Bunna! This one is medicinal and minerally, lots of sea and lemon. The peat is rather gentle, and isn’t aggressive. Very drinkable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenburgie 27yo 1995/2022

Glenburgie 27yo 1995/2022

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
51.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, lemon sweets, sage, white pepper, white grapes, saffron, limes. With water, limes, vitamin C tablets, saffron, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon sweets, white grapes, gooseberries, damson jam, limes, saffron, malted grains, white pepper, sandalwood. With water, white pepper, white grapes, sandalwood, raisins. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, lemon sweets, barley sugar, sandalwood, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Spicy, layered, and quite herbal. Lemon sweets abound, and it turns jammy after a little while. Water brings out even more spice, this time woody and slightly bitter.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenburgie 25yo 1995/2021

Glenburgie 25yo 1995/2021 Cask Strength Collection

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
54.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cotton candy, lemon sweets, butterscotch, roast chicken, yoghurt, lemon zest, hints of applesauce. With water, lemon sweets, lemon zest, yoghurt, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. White grapes, lemon sweets, papayas, cotton candy, gooseberries, yoghurt, white pepper, hints of roast chicken. With water, white grapes, gooseberries, lemon sweets, white pepper. 
Finish: Short. White pepper, white grapes, lemon sweets, papayas. 

Comments: 

Casks 6528 and 6582. Fruity, lots of sweet notes, yet not very sweet. There’s a slight earthiness, even savouriness here, that seems to come from the age. Initially quite meaty, but this faded with time, and water.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 72 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 72 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Official bottling
Single malt - British Columbia
Amber, hints of red 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green tea, roast beef, malted grains, yeast extract, vitamin C tablets, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Vitamin C tablets, yeast extract, raisins, damson jam, orange peel, malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Black pepper, rye bread, green tea, roast beef. 

Comments: 

Cask 72. Not very sweet for a red wine finish, instead it’s malty and slightly fruity, with a lot of feinty savoury notes. It builds quite well to a spicy, tannic finish. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Mars Komagatake 2022 Edition

Mars Komagatake 2022 Edition

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Honshu
Golden, hints of copper
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, yoghurt, white grapes, apple juice, malted grains, gooseberries, hints of allspice. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, cool, turns airy. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Yoghurt, cream, gooseberries, white grapes, lemon juice, malted grains, sandalwood, hints of allspice, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Sandalwood, malted grains, peaches, lemon juice. 

Comments: 

A fruity, spicy, Shinshu Mars. It’s also quite woody, but in a fragrant, incense-like way. It peters out a little though, the finish is less spicy and less intense than expected.

Verdict:

I like this.

Sagamore Spirit Rye Double Oak

Sagamore Spirit Rye Double Oak

Official bottling
Single rye - Maryland
Mahogany
48.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, oak chips, vanilla, cooked rice, malted grains, maple syrup, brown sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Sandalwood, oak chips, maple syrup, sawdust, malted grains, black pepper, sea salt, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Sawdust, malted grains, black pepper, oak chips, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

Very oaked, woody spirit, with some sweet notes offsetting the bitterness. It’s had too much time in the cask, in my opinion. Even with water, it’s still rather woody.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dunville’s 10yo PX Cask

Dunville’s 10yo PX Cask

Dunville’s
Single malt - Unknown
Golden bronze 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, vanilla, chocolate, sourdough bread, orange peel, hints of sugar cane. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, mouth coating, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, malted grains, sourdough bread, apricots, raisins, orange peel, black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Malted grains, sourdough bread, raisins, black tea. 

Comments: 

A very restrained PX cask from Dunville’s. This one is bready and cereally, with only the odd raisin or apricot. It’s less sweet on the tongue than in the nose, but retains a decent level of complexity.

Verdict:

I like this.