SMWS 46.21 (Glenlossie 11 yo 2002/2013)

SMWS 46.21 (Glenlossie 11 yo 2002/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - SpeysidePale gold
60.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, orange peel, caramel, butterscotch, lemon zest.With water, pepper, maple syrup.

Mouthfeel: Light body, thin, loose, spicy, watery. 
Tasting: Sweet. Chocolate, orange peel, cayenne pepper, popcorn, oak. With water, sweeter, hints of bacon and maple syrup.

Finish: Long. Chocolate, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

Quite Christmassy at the beginning, with lots of lovely sweet, spicy notes.Then, with water, morphs into a little bit of a McDonalds' breakfast - bacon and maple syrup, on hotcakes. This one is a bit of a chameleon.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 3.198 (Bowmore 14 yo 1997/2012)

SMWS 3.198 (Bowmore 14 yo 1997/2012)

2012, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Copper brown
57% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke,honey, chocolate, mint, rhubarb and custard. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, expands. 
Tasting: Sweet. Tarry, woodsmoke, chocolate, strawberries, honey. 
Finish: Short. Smoky, seaweed, mint. 

Comments: 

Surprisingly sweet. This is one of those rare Islays where the smokiness is an accent to the flavours, rather than the other way around. Nice hints of seaweed (and wet stones? Hard to tell) at the end.

Verdict:

 I like this.

Inverleven 15 yo 1991/2005

Inverleven 15 yo 1991/2005

Distillery Labels, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale copper
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Grapefruit, honey, rhubarb and custard, lemon peel, hints of caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, chewy. 
Tasting: Sour. Vanilla, honey, chocolate, grapefruit, hints of lemon peel. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, vanilla, grapefruit, lemon peel. 

Comments: 

Refreshing and light, this is relaxing and pleasant in a glass with lots of soda. But it's from a closed distillery, and it would be a waste to dilute the flavours like this. Dilemmas, dilemmas... Any how, very nice on a hot summer's day.

 Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Fettercairn Fasque

Fettercairn Fasque

Official bottling (Tesco exclusive)
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber Copper
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red fruits, bananas, chocolate, vanilla, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, loosens on the tongue. 
Tasting: Sweet. Bananas, red fruits, vanilla, chocolate, toffee, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Sweet, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon. 

Comments:

This is a Tesco exclusive bottling. Fettercairn was a favourite of an old gentleman who was a kind and gentle chap. This is the first Christmas without him. Great tasting, decent value on Christmas offer at Tesco. I especially like the spicy notes that seem to spark in the mouth and in the finish.


Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Crown Royal Canadian Blended

Crown Royal Canadian Blended

Official bottling
Single blend - Manitoba
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cardboard, brown paper, black pepper, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, watery. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Bananas, brown paper, orange peel, vanilla, cardboard. 
Finish: Short. Sour, vanilla, cardboard. 

Comments: 

Reminds me of bourbon (which it is, really), and a poor one at that. Cardboard all over the place. Marginally better than the previous blend.

Verdict:

Not bad.

King of Scots

King of Scots

Official bottling
Blended malt 
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marker pens, cereal, cardboard, rope, grass. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, loose. 
Tasting: Salty. Oranges, pears, cardboard, grass, hints of oats. 
Finish: Short. Bitter, oats, grass, rope. 

Comments:

Strange-tasting sort of blend. Quite salty on first taste, but that evaporates to something more herbal. Shame about the cardboard - that sort of note really kills a whisky.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS G7.3 (Girvan 27 yo 1984/2012)

SMWS G7.3 (Girvan 27 yo 1984/2012)

2012, SMWS
Single grain - Lowlands
Golden
59.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla ice cream, popcorn, bananas, baked potatoes, hints of rope. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, smooth, mouth coating. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Bananas, leather, popcorn, vanilla, cardboard, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Leather, cardboard, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Starts out promisingly, with lots of tasty fruity fragrant notes, but then fades into a slightly unpleasant welter of rope and leather. Normally I find leathery notes to be a tasty sign of nice aging, but here it tastes somewhat musty.
 

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 128.3 (Penderyn 5 yo 2006/2012)

SMWS 128.3 (Penderyn 5 yo 2006/2012)

2012, SMWSSingle malt - South Wales
Straw
61.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, raspberries, chestnut puree, chocolate, cherries. With water, pineapple, starfruit.

Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, foamy, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Chocolate, chestnut puree, raspberries, bananas, condensed milk. With water, vanilla, more milk.

Finish: Short. Chocolate, bananas, condensed milk, cherries. 

Comments: 

Yum yum! Very nice indeed. Surprisingly complex for its age. Penderyn always seems to be fruity. More of the same please, Welsh Whisky!

 Verdict:

 I like this a lot.

Glenglassaugh Fledgeling XB

Glenglassaugh Fledgeling XB

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Very pale gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, white wine, wheat, orange peel. With water, more wheat, hay.

Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, smooth, tingly.

Tasting: Sour. Oranges, bananas, wheat, hints of vanilla. With water, grassy, hay. 

Finish: Medium. Bananas, vanilla, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Not really whisky yet of course, this is just 1 year aged spirit. But quite fragrant and pleasant for all that. Good tangy flavours, strong hint of banana (like bourbon) with some nice orange peel in the background. Takes a little water, opens up and becomes quite grassy, slightly sweeter perhaps.

Verdict:  

I like this.

SMWS 73.44 (Aultmore 30 yo 1982/2011)

SMWS 73.44 (Aultmore 30 yo 1982/2011)

2011, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Red gold
53.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, raisins, oak, hints of raspberries.

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, mouth coating.

Tasting: Sweet. Oak, raisins, raspberries, chocolate, hints of chillies. 

Finish: Long. Chocolate, raspberries, orange peel.

Comments:

I found some old tasting notes. What the heck, might as well put them up!


This one was near to hand when I wanted something sherried and sweet, just a nice pre-Christmas treat. It did its job, but it didn't nearly taste its age. Adequate, but not really satisfying.

Verdict: 

Not bad