Caol Ila 8yo Bourbon Cask

Caol Ila 8yo Bourbon Cask

Collector Series, Caskshare 
Single malt - Islay
Pale silver yellow
60.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, peat, yoghurt, lemon juice, tobacco leaf, soy sauce, hints of sour cream. With water, sea salt, sour cream, peat, hints of smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Peat, pears, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginseng, black pepper, hints of smoke, hints of grapefruit. With water, sour cream, lemon juice, peat, hints of yoghurt. 
Finish: Short. Farmyard, diesel exhaust, black pepper, ginseng, peat. 

Comments: 

Cask CA.16.01. A gentle, not very smoky Caol Ila, with plenty of peat, lactic notes and citrus notes. Not quite as salty as some others I’ve had, but a decent dram nonetheless.

Verdict:

I like this.

Agitator Swedish Four Grain Whisky Ex White Port Cask

Agitator Swedish Four Grain Whisky Ex White Port Cask

Collector Series, Caskshare 
Single grain - Västmanland
Amber
58.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, white pepper, rye bread, peppermint malted grains, roast chicken, hints of rosemary. With water, rye bread, petrol exhaust, roast chicken, sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Peppermint, rosemary, rye bread, caraway seed, petrol exhaust, white pepper, hints of roast chicken. With water, rye bread, caraway seed, peppermint, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Farmyard, lemon juice, petrol exhaust, caraway seed. 

Comments: 

Cask 4067. There’s quite a lot of different grains in this whisky, making for a jumble of odd notes that don’t normally go together. But it’s pretty interesting, and I’d like to drink more from this distiller.  

Verdict:

I like this.

Craigellachie 21yo Ex PX Sherry Cask

Craigellachie 21yo Ex PX Sherry Cask

Collector Series, Caskshare
Single malt - Speyside
Amber brown 
58.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, damson jam, black tea, chocolate, malted grains, candle wax, hints of roast beef. With water, cream, strawberries, magic marker, damson jam. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, mouth coating, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Damson jam, strawberries, malted grains, raisins, black pepper, roast beef, coffee. With water, raisins, cream, fresh baked bread, hints of peppermint. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, malted grains, peppermint, candle wax. 

Comments: 

Cask CR.03.01. Very sweet and more-ish, with a meaty savoury sweetness. Heaps of waxiness on the nose and on the finish as well, this ought to be from the cask, but I can’t think of what wood might do this. Interesting and good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Auchroisk 12yo Oloroso Cask

Auchroisk 12yo Oloroso Cask

Collector Series, Caskshare
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber gold 
59% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, cream, vanilla custard, malted grains, orange peel, milk chocolate. With water, white grapes, strawberry jam, malted grains, hints of black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, syrupy, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White grapes, orange peel, malted grains, black tea, cream, hints of coffee. With water, white grapes, strawberry jam, black pepper, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Medium. Milk chocolate, cream, orange peel, white grapes, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Cask 22074024. Creamy and sweet, and with a notable lactic note (but not sour, like yoghurt). Lots of jammy fruit and pepper. I don’t normally comment on the mouthfeel, but this whisky is notably oily and heavy.

Verdict:

I like this.

Benrinnes 12yo Oloroso Cask

Benrinnes 12yo Oloroso Cask

Collector Series, Caskshare
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, black tea, brown paper, black pepper, coconut cream, raisins, barley sugar. With water, barley sugar, black tea, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Malted grains, black pepper, butterscotch, coconut cream, black tea, hints of coffee. With water, black tea, malted grains, coffee, hints of butterscotch. 

Finish: Long. Malted grains, barley sugar, fresh baked bread, butterscotch, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Cask 11875/082. Feinty and spicy, lots of barley sugar and malt. There’s also something oddly like coconut cream, something I associate more with grain whisky. Interesting and unusual.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Moray 13yo 2008/2021 Unpeated Cask Sample, Ex-Red Wine Cask 2956

Glen Moray 13yo 2008/2021 Unpeated Cask Sample, Ex-Red Wine Cask 2956

Caskshare 
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark amber
Around 55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dark chocolate, hazelnuts, honey, cocoa nibs, raisins, pruneaux, hints of black pepper, hints of sandalwood. With water, dark chocolate, black pepper, pruneaux, hints of aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Dark chocolate, raisins, black tea, coffee, bananas, marshmallows, sandalwood, hints of cloves. With water, pruneaux, raisins, black tea, coffee, bananas. 
Finish: Short. Bananas, marshmallows, black tea, coffee, hints of black pepper. 

Comments: 

Winey and fragrant, the flavours in this Glen Moray imparted by the red wine cask seem to have melded well. Lots of pruneaux and bitter notes, but a floral fruity finish of banana marshmallows. Quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ardnamurchan 6yo 2015/2021 Peated Cask Sample, Cask 760P

Ardnamurchan 6yo 2015/2021 Peated Cask Sample, Cask 706P

Caskshare 
Single malt - Western Highlands 
White wine
Around 52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, driftwood smoke, sandalwood, nutmeg, jasmine, dark chocolate, dried apricots, sea salt. With water, driftwood smoke, roast chicken, malted grains, dark chocolate, jasmine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Malted grains, driftwood smoke, dried apricots, dried pears, jasmine, lemon zest, hints of dark chocolate. With water, fresh baked bread, dried apricots, dark chocolate, hints of roast chicken. 
Finish: Long. Leather, nutmeg, dried apricots, dried pears, hints of sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Cask 706P. Lots of meaty peaty notes, salty smoke, savoury roast chicken, and sweet dried fruit. Well integrated, and as Ardnamurchan normally is, very complex for a young whisky. Quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cambus 32yo 1989/2021 Cask Sample

Cambus 32yo 1989/2022

Caskshare
Single grain - Lowlands
Dark gold
Around 45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, sandalwood, cedar, pears, fresh cut grass, popcorn, salted caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Popcorn, salted caramel, lemon zest, cream, vanilla, cedar, butter, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Long. Lemon zest, vanilla, cream, butter, sea salt, hints of salted caramel. 

Comments: 

Cask 41752. Buttery old grain, utterly delicious and comfortingly straightforward. Heaps of popcorn and salted caramel, just the type of grain whisky I like. Yummy.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Raasay 45 months Peated Cask Sample, Virgin Chinkapin Oak Cask

Raasay 45 months Peated Cask Sample, Virgin Chinkapin Oak Cask

Caskshare
Single malt - Islands
Amber
Around 55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, mint, fresh cut grass, raisins, sage, orange peel, white pepper, smoke. With water, pears, pencil erasers, white pepper, hints of dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Mint, fresh cut grass, orange peel, sage, smoke, dark chocolate, white pepper, sea salt, hints of roast chicken. With water, dark chocolate, pears, pencil erasers, smoke. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, smoke, leather, dark chocolate, hints of roast chicken. 

Comments: 

This is actually whisky, unlike the previous 2 cask samples I had from Raasay. It’s fruity and spicy, lots of interesting flavours imparted by the virgin oak cask. Some slightly sulphurous notes too, but ‘good’ sulphur rather than unpleasant sulphur. Water opens it right up, creating a smoky, chocolatey dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Raasay 33 months Cask Sample, Woodford Reserve Rye Cask

Raasay 33 months Cask Sample, Woodford Reserve Rye Cask 

Caskshare
Single malt - Islands
Pale green gold
Around 60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, cream, lemon zest, cumin, sea salt, white pepper. With water, lemon zest, fresh cut grass, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Yoghurt, sourdough bread, cumin, lemon zest, sea salt, white pepper. With water, lemon zest, orange peel, fresh cut grass, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Caraway seed, cumin, lemon zest, hints of orange peel. 

Comments: 

Age matters, as does the cask, I suppose. This whisky is spicy, lots of warming spices such as cumin and pepper, alongside some lemony tartness. A few more years will see this right.

Verdict:

I like this.

Raasay 17 months Peated Cask Sample, Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Cask

Raasay 17 months Peated Cask Sample, Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Cask

Caskshare
Single malt - Islands
Pink, hints of orange 
Around 60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, oat porridge, surgical spirit, popcorn, red grapes, pomegranate molasses, new plastic. With water, orange peel, peaches, red grapes, lemon curd. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, expands, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Smoke, peat, pomegranate molasses, new plastic, orange peel, red grapes. With water, new plastic, peaches, lemon curd, smoke. 
Finish: Long. New plastic, smoke, leather, oat porridge, hints of surgical spirit. 

Comments: 

Very alcoholic, not much else in terms of flavour, at least on the surface. Delving a bit reveals some nice windy notes, but also a heap of new plastic bags. I would say there are some promising features, but it needs a lot of aging.

Verdict:

I like this.