Hudson Four Grain Bourbon

Hudson Four Grain Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - New York
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry jam, foam shrimp, pear drops, mangoes, apple juice, cloves, hints of pineapples. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Strawberry jam, pear drops, surgical spirit, malted grains, cloves, hints of pineapples. 
Finish: Short. Ink, surgical spirit, pineapples, cloves. 

Comments: 

I think this sample was spoilt. A lovely fruity nose promised a lot, but on the tongue it was insipid and even bland. It’s such a pity, if it had matched the nose it would have been glorious.

Verdict:

Not bad

Peerless Rye Whiskey Absinthe Barrel Finish

Peerless Rye Whiskey Absinthe Barrel Finish

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber gold
55.85% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mint, white chocolate, burnt sugar, wormwood, vanilla, white pepper. With water, anise, lemon juice, white pepper, grapefruit. 

Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Fennel, wormwood, white chocolate, anise, white pepper, hints of mint. With water, mint, anise, lemon juice, malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, wormwood, fennel, anise, malted grains. 

Comments: 

A very unusual finish, but the wood has overtaken the whisky. It tastes of mint and white chocolate, with a huge layer of anise. Interesting and different.

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Holy 4yo 2017/2021 Salvation Vino Cask

Holy 4yo 2017/2021 Salvation Vino Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Red brown
64.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bubble gum, cucumbers, marshmallows, strawberry laces, foam shrimp, rubber bands, mint, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, rubber bands, raisins, cucumbers, hints of new plastic. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Bubble gum, rubber bands, rye bread, black pepper, mint, dill, foam shrimp, fresh cut grass. With water, iodine, rye bread, cucumbers, rubber bands. 
Finish: Short. Rye bread, foam shrimp, dill, rubber bands, cucumbers. 

Comments: 

Very estery and bubble gummy. It’s an odd whisky, there’s no indication of what the cask was, and it’s got some herbal notes underneath all that sweetness that clash a little bit. A very bracing introduction to Holy distillery for me.

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Amaethon Single Malt

Amaethon Single Malt

Spiritique
Single malt - Champagne-Ardenne
Pale gold
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: White wine, sumac, lemon zest, cream, yoghurt, hints of green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery around the edges, expands, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Sultanas, green tea, lemon zest, cream, sourdough bread, malted grains. 
Finish: Short. Sourdough bread, white grapes, green tea, hints of yoghurt. 

Comments: 

I think this may be Rozeliures whisky, but I’m not sure. So it goes down as ‘unknown’. It’s a little thin and simple, even with the higher ABV. There’s some fruit on the tongue but it’s not well developed.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Fontagard Single Malt PNDC 9918-9

Fontagard Single Malt PNDC 9918-9

Official bottling 
Single malt - Poitou-Charentes
Pale green gold
44% ABV
Dram

Nose: Seaweed, fresh cut grass, pears, new plastic, overripe peaches, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Seaweed, fresh cut grass, lemon zest, thyme, peaches, new plastic, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Thyme, peaches, lemon zest, seaweed. 

Comments: 

Young, around 3 years old, and it shows. Some interesting kelp seaweed notes give way to estery new plastic notes on the nose. On the tongue it has more of the same, although with a bit more grassy freshness. French whisky divides opinion.

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Fujikai 10yo

Fujikai 10yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Honshu
Amber, hints of copper 
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, photocopy paper, honey, green tea, walnut skins, oak chips, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Peat, leather, honey, white grapes, walnut skins, cedar, sea salt, oak chips, white pepper. 
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, oak chips, leather, malted grains, hints of photocopy paper. 

Comments: 

A very weird, strange whisky. Lots of woody and feinty flavours, but not a lot of balancing sweet notes. It’s a bit like chewing on a piece of oak wrapped in a strip of leather.

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Raasay 2017/2021

Raasay 2017/2021

Single Cask, Berry Bros & Rudd
Single malt - Islands
Amber
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, cider vinegar, malted grains, orange peel, sea salt. With water, apple juice, lemon zest, cider vinegar. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Cider vinegar, apples, honey, green tea, malted grains, stale beer. With water, lemon zest, cider vinegar, stale beer. 
Finish: Medium. Chillies, green tea, malted grains, stale beer. 

Comments: 

Cask 23. Odd whisky, this - there’s a big whiff of stale beer, and the whisky itself tastes of cider vinegar. There’s some herbal fragrance, especially on the tongue, but it’s really very cereally. I don’t quite know what to make of it. 

Verdict:

Not bad. 

“Millburn 35yo Rare Malts 1969/2005”

“Millburn 35yo Rare Malts 1969/2005”

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Bright gold
51.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, leather, toffee apples, winter melon, cranberries, lemon zest, hints of smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, thin, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour. Peanuts, lemon zest, green apples, brown sugar, cranberries, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Short. Green apples, brown sugar, cranberries, peanuts. 

Comments: 

Something happened to this bottle. The whisky is washed out, thin, and the flavours are faint. Having said that the flavours, such as they are, taste old, and are reminiscent of Millburn. Anyhow, it’s not unpleasant, just disappointing.

Edit: in 2024, I managed to get a sample of this that’s much better. 

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Macallan Triple Cask 18yo (2019 release)

Macallan Triple Cask 18yo (2019 release)

Official bottling

Single malt - Speyside 
Sunshine gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, sea salt, malted grains, honey, dried apricots, treacle.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Chocolate, fresh baked bread, vanilla sponge, salt caramel. 
Finish: Short. Dried apricots, lemon zest, vanilla sponge, honey. 

Comments: 

18 years is normally the sweet spot for whisky, at least for me, so I was looking forward to tasting this sherry monster. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations. There’s honey and chocolate of course, allied to a malty nose, but it seemed a bit thin. Bottling this at 46% or even north of 50%, may have helped, although I understand the lack of interest in a very woody, high strength whisky. 

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Kura the Whisky Pure Malt

Kura the Whisky Pure Malt

Official bottling
Blended malt
Golden bronze
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peanuts, green walnuts, molasses, hints of palm sugar.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, slightly tingly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Peanuts, cookie dough, vanilla, peat, lemon juice, hints of smoke.
Finish: Short. Lemon juice, smoke, peat, peanuts, hints of green tea. 

Comments: 

The distillery is better known for its awamori, which I gather is a sort of distilled sake. The whisky is definitely interesting, it’s not very sweet, instead it’s quite bitter, and not very balanced. It feels like a bit of an experiment. 

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Glen Breton Rare 19yo

Glen Breton Rare 19yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Nova Scotia
Bronze
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Gooseberries, white grapes, pear drops, lemon zest, fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White grapes, lemon zest, honey, cedar, Parma violets. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, pear drops, Parma violets, chocolate. 

Comments: 

My second whisky from the Canadian distillery set up to make single malt. An interesting nose, lots of fruit, fading to something grassy. On the tongue though, it's woody and sweet, with an intense, almost overpowering note of Parma violets. In fact it almost drowns out everything else. The finish is also herbal like the nose, but has plenty of Parma violets also.

Verdict:

Not bad.

An Cnoc Peated Limited Edition

An Cnoc Peated Limited Edition

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Chinese tea
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peat, raisins, brown paper, marmalade, peanuts, cashews. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, static. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Raisins, toffee, peanuts, cashews, pears, leather, hints of walnuts. 
Finish: Medium. Peat, mint, leather, walnuts. 

Comments: 

Peated Speyside whisky can be hit or miss. Or hit, and miss, in this case. There's a decent level of peat, leather notes, nuts, but I'm unsure as to what the underlying spirit tastes like. It's sweet for sure, marmalade and pears are present, but it's a bit unbalanced.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Glendronach 10yo Port Wood

Glendronach 10yo Port Wood

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Copper red
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, leather, honey, red grapes, cucumber, jasmine, hints of green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, red grapes, toffee, honey, vanilla, hints of marmalade. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, coffee, green tea, toffee, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

A rather sweet expression, new-ish. I've been told that this wouldn't suit me, and there's some truth in that. There's less of that layered complexity that I tend to find in Glendronach, but it's still there - some vegetal and floral notes, plus a lot of chocolate, and a rather bitter finish.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Langatun Old Bear Cask Proof

Langatun Old Bear Cask Proof

Official bottling
Single malt - Bern
Golden
58.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Milk chocolate, sea salt, smoke, bitter orange, lemon zest, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, milk chocolate, bitter orange, malted grains, vanilla, hints of Horlicks. 
Finish: Medium. Bitter orange, malted grains, Horlicks, raisins, hints of cream. 

Comments: 

This peated Langatun is odd stuff. The high proof probably intensifies the esters and fruit notes, but they clash a little with the smoke. There's not a lot of peat flavour, maybe in the bitter orange. There are large hints of smoky Horlicks. But it's thin, not intense at all. No water required.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Milk and Honey New Make Single Malt

Milk and Honey New Make Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Colourless
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yeast, malt vinegar, plums, hibiscus, jute sacks, hints of aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, mouth coating, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, apples, malt vinegar, hibiscus, fresh baked bread, aluminium foil, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Plums, yeast, jute sacks, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

A first for me - Israeli single malt whisky! This is new make of course, so it's slightly unfair to judge it too harshly. There are interesting notes - fruit, something tart, something metallic, and a yeasty, sour note. Also something dusty and vegetal, which smells like jute sacks full of uncooked rice...

Verdict:

Not bad.

Hinch Small Batch Bourbon Cask

Hinch Small Batch Bourbon Cask

Hinch Small Batch
Blended malt
Bronze
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rye bread, new plastic, juniper, fried eggs, marmalade, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, turns watery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Rye bread, marmalade, strawberries, new plastic, chocolate, juniper. 
Finish: Short. Chocolate, juniper, vanilla, barley sugar. 

Comments: 

A blend of purchased stock not from the new Hinch distillery. Tastes (almost reeks) of juniper, and sulphurous new plastic. Some sweet things in there, even some cereally rye bread, but not very good, I'm afraid.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Gelstons 12yo Rum Cask

Gelstons 12yo Rum Cask

Gelstons
Single malt - Northern Ireland
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ginger, cardboard, apple juice, lemons, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Gingerbread, raisins, lemon zest, honey, hints of photocopy paper. 
Finish: Short. Ginger, raisins, lemon juice, apples. 

Comments: 

A light, uncomplicated dram. Some ginger, maybe shading to toasty gingerbread, but also a lot of wet cardboard and paper. One dimensional, not too pleasant, and definitely not a dram to follow two others. I believe the spirit is sourced from Bushmills, unless I misread the clues on the website.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Macallan Sienna

Macallan Sienna

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Sienna
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, raisins, vanilla, toast, fresh baked bread, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Raisins, vanilla, fresh baked bread, red grapes, black tea. 
Finish: Long. Mint, lemon zest, honey, black tea. 

Comments: 

Well, this is well-constructed, plenty of honey, red grapes, vanilla. But it's like many other sherried whiskies, and really in the mold of the age-statement Macallans. It's not as sweet and intense. There are some interesting cool citrusy notes in the finish.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Mackmyra Skordetid

Mackmyra Skordetid

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Pink
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Blueberries, raspberries, raisins, thyme, bubblegum. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly oily, slippery, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Marshmallows, vanilla, raspberries, dried apples, hints of bubblegum. 
Finish: Short. Burnt caramel, raspberries, vanilla, hints of thyme. 

Comments: 

Finished in amarone wine casks. I'm not sure I can discern a lot of the distillery's character, beyond a certain herbal note that is not unpleasant. I think the wine finish may have overwhelmed what might have been a very good whisky. It's just alright now.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Macduff 8yo 2009/2018

Macduff 8yo 2009/2018

Provenance, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Silver
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, lemon juice, malted grains, cloves, hints of cinnamon, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, volatile, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. White grapes, sandalwood, cinnamon, orange peel, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Short. Honey, white grapes, white tea, peaches, hints of malted grains. 

Comments: 

Cask no DL12603. A young Macduff, but quite complex, spicy and fruity. It's a tad bitter though, and that jars more than a little. Nice tannic finish, but short. I didn't finish the dram, and I didn't feel the loss.

Verdict:

Not bad.