SMWS 16.44 (Glenturret 8yo 2010/2019)

SMWS 16.44 (Glenturret 8yo 2010/2019)

2019, SMWS 
Single malt - Central Highlands
Dark gold
64.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peat, grilled meat, sea salt, honey, hints of smoke. With water, lemon zest, grilled meat, malted grains, hints of tomato paste. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, sea salt, cream, butterscotch, pear, hints of tobacco. With water, sweeter, toffee, ginseng, lemon zest. 
Finish: Long. Mint, malted grains, lemon zest, hints of grilled meat. 

Comments: 

High strength single cask Glenturret. It’s a little bit atypical, quite bitter and citrusy, with some smoke. The sweet notes are relegated to the background. It’s quite wild, unbalanced even, but it does work. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 Spanish Oak Finish 15yo 2002/2018

Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 15yo 2002/2018

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay 
Amber
58.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, black tea, rhubarb, butterscotch, chocolate, hints of sour cream. With water, oatmeal, chocolate, fried eggs, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, butterscotch, raisins, damson jam, sea salt, fried eggs, tyre rubber. With water, sea salt, black tea, chocolate, damson jam. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, oatmeal, tyre rubber, damson jam, sea salt. 

Comments: 

The Spanish oak is actually a sherry brandy cask. It’s lovely, very cereally despite possessing all the sweet notes you’d expect. There’s also a sulphurous edge to it that’s not unpleasant, and it tapers off into a savoury finish. Excellent stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 2007 Palo Cortado

Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 2007 Palo Cortado

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay 
Red gold
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, sandalwood, toffee, cream, chocolate, hints of smoke. With water, honey, plums, cream, damson jam, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cream, toffee, sea salt, vanilla, orange peel, heather honey, raisins, hints of chocolate. With water, oatmeal, damson jam, cream, sea salt, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Sea salt, heather honey, raisins, orange peel, raspberry jam. 

Comments: 

Cask 18. This is heavenly. It’s complex, slightly funky (is this the influence of the flor from the Palo Cortado?) and laden with sweet things, from dried fruit to vanilla cream. Perhaps the best Bunnahabhain I’ve ever tasted, in my humble opinion. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cameronbridge 27yo Batch 3

Cameronbridge 27yo Batch 3

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single grain - Lowlands
Yellow gold
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, lemon sweets, vanilla, desiccated coconut, cornflakes, rolled oats. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, syrupy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Rolled oats, vanilla, waxed paper, cornflakes, desiccated coconut, sultanas, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Short. Cornflakes, rolled oats, lemon sweets, sultanas. 

Comments: 

Pretty decent aged grain. Cameronbridge is very subtle when younger, but the age and wood seems to have created a brightly flavoured cereally whisky. Quite enjoyable and refreshing. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Grant 23yo 1972/1995

Glen Grant 23yo 1972/1995

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber red
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, peaches, gunpowder, cardamom, cloves, anise, hints of black tea. With water, peaches, fresh cut grass, raisins, manuka honey. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peaches, anise, cloves, gunpowder, walnut skins, honey, damson jam, hints of sandalwood. With water, manuka honey, cucumbers, peaches, hints of lemon sweets. 
Finish: Long. Red grapes, peaches, walnut skins, cloves, sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Cask 689. Lovely stuff, this whisky. It’s sweet, and there’s plenty of good, aged sulphur, tasting like anise and cordite. Lots of stone fruit and jam too. Very definitely a treat. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

“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. 

Cragganmore 12yo (bottled 1980s)

Cragganmore 12yo (bottled 1980s)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Greengages, leather, gooseberries, apricots, pears, white grapes, hints of peat. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, turns watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apricots, leather, gooseberries, grilled meat, orange peel, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Long. Orange peel, apricots, smoke, grilled meat, sultanas. 

Comments: 

Well now, this is different from the newer 12yo. There’s an edge of smoke, and a touch of leathery peat, with a delicious grilled meat note. It’s like munching sultanas in a kebab shop. Highly enjoyable, and I believe bottles are still widely available and affordable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Miltonduff 36yo 1978/2015

Miltonduff 36yo 1978/2015

Single Cask, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside 
Straw
44.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green tea, winter melon, vanilla, elderflower, hints of jasmine tea, hints of poppy seeds. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, airy, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Elderflower, orange blossom, medlar jelly, poppy seeds, jasmine tea, Turkish delight, manuka honey. 
Finish: Long. Manuka honey, medlar jelly, orange blossom, Turkish delight. 

Comments: 

Cask 1753. Very sweet, all sorts of good things found in dessert, and breakfast too. There’s the intense overripe, slightly floral sweetness of medlar preserves, married to Turkish delight bonbons. Utterly lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Breath of the Highlands 1972

Breath of the Highlands 1972

Archive, Adelphi
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber gold
51.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Papaya, peaches, apricots, gooseberries, leather, hints of lime juice. With water, greengages, lime curd, leather, hints of pine needles. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, turns watery around the edges, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apricots, peaches, leather, green tea, orange juice, lime juice, hints of aluminium foil. With water, more sour, orange juice, cinnamon, peaches, lemon thyme. 
Finish: Medium. Apricots, peaches, rambutans. 

Comments: 

Royal Lochnagar, a 23yo distilled in 1972 and bottled in 2007. Cask 1753. It’s magnificent, hugely fruity and complex, chock full of delicious stone fruit notes. It opens up with water, becoming citrusy, spicy and more vegetal. There’s also a touch of old bottle effect. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Isle of Jura 26yo 1988/2014

Isle of Jura 26yo 1988/2014

Rare Cask Selection, Pearls of Scotland 
Single malt - Islands 
Golden
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, leather, vanilla, cardboard, lemon sweets, dried mangoes, hints of musk. With water, leather, green apples. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly sticky, thickens, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Lemon sweets, musk, leather, sour cream, watermelon rind, white grapes, hints of pears. With water, green tea, pears, green apples, musk. 
Finish: Short. Leather, vanilla, musk, sour cream, pears. 

Comments: 

Very funky Jura, to the extent that the sour cream tips over into notes of musk and even rotting fruit. This one is more ‘green’ and vegetal than the other ones I had in this little tasting session. Those were more ‘red’, with notes of stone fruit and red fruit. 

Verdict:

I like this.