Aultmore 15yo 2010/2026

Aultmore 15yo 2010/2026

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, white chocolate, foam shrimp, malted grains, white pepper, vitamin C tablets, fresh cut grass. With water, lemon zest, nectarines, white pepper, fresh cut grass. 

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon zest, nectarines, clementines, malted grains, honey, white pepper, photocopy paper, vitamin C tablets. With water, malted grains, fresh cut grass, foam shrimp, clementines. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, photocopy paper, vitamin C tablets, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Quite citrusy and peppery, with a thick heavy body that sits on the tongue. Water brings out some malty sweetness, some additional grassiness to cut the ought h citrus.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ruadh Maor 14yo 2011/2026

Ruadh Maor 14yo 2011/2026

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Central Highlands
Golden yellow
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, smoke, peat, orange peel, gooseberries, sandalwood, pine, hints of sawdust. With water, honey, sandalwood, germolene. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, hot, expands. 

Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Smoke, orange peel, raisins, gooseberries, soot, sandalwood, sawdust, coffee, dark chocolate. With water, raisins, honey, soot, dark chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, peat, soot, orange peel, hints of pine. 

Comments: 

Chunky, sweet smoke, lots of herbal and incense notes, but with plenty of dried fruit and fragrant coffee. Water expands the range of flavours, bringing in notes of honey  and dark chocolate.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Knockdhu 18yo

Knockdhu 18yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
58.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, honey, lemon zest, sarsaparilla, fresh cut grass, leather. With water, honey, fresh cut grass, vitamin C tablets. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, astringent, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, peat, smoke, germolene, vitamin C tablets, fresh cut grass, grapefruit. With water, leather, peat, grapefruit, germolene. 
Finish: Medium. Germolene, lemon zest, grapefruit, vitamin C tablets. 

Comments: 

Peated An Cnoc, it’s got a fruity bitterness that’s quite unusual. Grapefruit, honey, grassiness and a baking soda bitter note that reminds me of vitamin C tablets.

Verdict:

I like this.

A Speyside distillery 17yo

A Speyside distillery 17yo

Chorlton Whisky

Single malt - Speyside 
Mahogany
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, chocolate, raspberry jam, treacle, vanilla, cream. With water, cream, raspberry jam, vanilla, shortbread. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cream, vanilla, honey, Demerara sugar, raspberry jam, meringues, cloves, nutmeg, sandalwood. With water, shortbread, black tea, malted grains, vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Raspberry jam, cloves, meringues, cream, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Now this is a sherry bomb. Lots of classic jammy sugary notes, but water brings out buttery shortbread and some floral sandalwood. A very nice dram indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glentauchers 8yo

Glentauchers 8yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Speyside
Pink
61.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, chocolate, raisins, honey, strawberry jam, hints of malted grains. With water, vanilla, chocolate, cream, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Malted grains, strawberry jam, chocolate, golden syrup, honey, black pepper. With water, cream, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry jam. 
Finish: Short. Golden syrup, malted grains, cinnamon, strawberry jam. 

Comments: 

Chocolatey and sweet, lots of complexity over a good malty spine. I’m less enamoured of finished whisky in general, but this is good - well integrated, cask strength and complex.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Bunnahabhain 18yo 2002/2020

Bunnahabhain 18yo 2002/2020

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold 
53.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, green apples, lemon zest, honey, nutmeg, kiwifruit, hints of greengages. With water, cream, honey, lemon zest, greengages. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, expands, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Green apples, lemon zest, honey, fresh baked bread, gooseberries, malted grains. With water, lemon zest, greengages, honey, hints of cardboard. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, lemon zest, malted grains, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

An unusual Bunna, lots of tart yet salty notes. There’s a little bit of cardboard once water is added, which detracts slightly. Neat, the fruit and cereal notes are very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Speyside Blended Malt 22yo 1997/2020

Speyside Blended Malt 22yo 1997/2020

Chorlton Whisky
Teaspooned malt - Speyside
Golden
55.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Starfruit, marzipan, white grapes, cream, hints of leather. With water, white grapes, green tea, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, leather, white grapes, green tea, sourdough bread, orange peel. With water, sweeter, allspice, orange peel, cinnamon.  
Finish: Long. Orange peel, green tea, allspice, cream. 

Comments: 

This is teaspooned Kininvie - teaspooned with what, I don’t know, probably Balvenie. It’s quite a Balvenie-like whisky as it happens, lots of orange and fruit. But there’s some white grapes, as well as spicy herbal notes. Very nice indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Mackmyra 12yo

Mackmyra 12yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Gastrikland
Golden
50.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pine, lemon zest, green apples, honey, lemon curd, barley sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, warm, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Pine, lemon zest, barley sweets, juniper berry, black tea, hints of orange blossom. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, juniper berry, green apples, pine. 

Comments: 

Mackmyra, finished in a bourbon cask, rather than those fancy wine cask finishes that the distillery is fond of. It's a pure expression of the spirit's character, and I taste those clean pine notes very clearly. It's floral and herbal as well, with a nice astringently bitter edge. Lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ben Nevis 23yo

Ben Nevis 23yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - West Highlands
Dark gold
53.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, honey, raisins, white grapes, gooseberries, hints of elderflower. With water, honey, elderflower, orange blossom, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, gooseberries, orange juice, orange peel, ginseng, hints of aluminium foil. With water, sweeter, peanuts, elderflower, honey, white grapes. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, ginseng, breadcrumbs, aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

Tastes young, but has complexity. The flavours are bright and floral, in clear layers. There's a nutty, slightly metallic finish, that fades slightly to a bitter, cereally finish. Haven't had a lot of Ben Nevis, those that I remember tend to have been heavily sherried. This one is a lot more floral.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Moray 10yo

Glen Moray 10yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, vanilla, apple juice, toast, sea salt, white grapes. With water, honey, white grapes, apples. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slightly oily, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Toast, shortcrust pastry, vanilla, apple juice, brass polish. With water, sandalwood, white grapes, honey. 
Finish: Short. Apple juice, toast, vanilla, lemon juice, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Intense, spicy, fruity, Glen Moray. It's especially good for being so strong, there's some salinity in it as well, which makes a big difference. With water, it opens up, becoming more herbal and fragrant, but retaining a lot of sweetness. Very good whisky indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bealach Ruadh 7yo

Bealach Ruadh 7yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Islay
Silver
58.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peat, smoke, olive oil, marmalade, hints of soy sauce. With water, peanuts, marmalade, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peanuts, iron filings, olive oil, black pepper, butterscotch, hints of orange peel. With water, slightly bitter, iron filings, marmalade, peanuts. 
Finish: Long. Sea salt, fish sauce, orange peel, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

This is Caol Ila. There's the usual smoke and peat, but it's cut through with a pepperiness that reminds me of good extra virgin olive oil. There's fruit too, and a caramelly sweetness that underpins the dram. Good stuff, despite its young age.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tobermory 24yo

Tobermory 24yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Islands
Dark amber
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, lemon zest, peat, raisins, honey, fresh cut grass, hints of key lime. With water, sea salt, caramel, ink, hints of smoke
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slightly oily, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, raisins, fresh cut grass, coconut, green tea, hints of butterscotch. With water, salty, caramel, ink, hints of iron filings. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, green tea, lemon zest, leather, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

A massive, bold, brash Islands whisky from indie bottler Chorlton Whisky. Not one I'm familiar with, but this is a great start, and I intend to seek out more expressions. This one is peaty, sweet, and herbal to start with, plenty of citrus too. Water (and time) changes it, it turns salty, sweet, and even slightly metallic.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.