Peerless 5yo Single Barrel Rye Whiskey
Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Dark amber
57.05% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, vanilla, toast, hints of blueberries. With water, brown paper, cinnamon, gingerbread, honey.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, loosens, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Black tea, nutmeg, black pepper, honey, raisins, orange peel, hints of blueberries. With water, gingerbread, honey, black pepper, brown paper.
Finish: Short. Blueberries, black tea, black pepper, cinnamon, honey.
Comments:
A very spicy rye, lots of heat and fragrant notes, but once water is added, it turns gingery and sweet. Perhaps a little over proof, but that’s nothing a few drops of water won’t fix. Peerless does good whisky indeed.
Verdict:
I like this.
Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17yo
Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17yo
Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Red
59.1% ABV
Dram
Nose: Cinnamon, quinine, raisins, ginseng, golden syrup, vanilla, orange peel, hints of brown paper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, hot, airy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Vanilla custard, eggnog, orange peel, ginseng, golden syrup, blackcurrant cordial, buttered toast.
Finish: Long. Buttered toast, vanilla custard, quinine, orange peel, hints of eggnog.
Comments:
Sweet and intense, but also buttery (always the sign of a bourbon I will enjoy). There’s also a fruity note, offset somehow by a bitter herbal note. This is the sort of complexity I enjoy, and that I rarely find in bourbon.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Red
59.1% ABV
Dram
Nose: Cinnamon, quinine, raisins, ginseng, golden syrup, vanilla, orange peel, hints of brown paper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, hot, airy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Vanilla custard, eggnog, orange peel, ginseng, golden syrup, blackcurrant cordial, buttered toast.
Finish: Long. Buttered toast, vanilla custard, quinine, orange peel, hints of eggnog.
Comments:
Sweet and intense, but also buttery (always the sign of a bourbon I will enjoy). There’s also a fruity note, offset somehow by a bitter herbal note. This is the sort of complexity I enjoy, and that I rarely find in bourbon.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Drumblade 10yo 2008/2019
Drumblade 10yo 2008/2019
Dimensions, Duncan Taylor
Teaspooned malt - Lowlands
Green gold
54.6% ABV
Dram
Nose: Lemon sweets, yoghurt, brass polish, honey, golden syrup, overripe figs, hints of white pepper. With water, barley sugar, lemon sweets, malted grains, olive oil, white pepper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, expands, loosens.
Dimensions, Duncan Taylor
Teaspooned malt - Lowlands
Green gold
54.6% ABV
Dram
Nose: Lemon sweets, yoghurt, brass polish, honey, golden syrup, overripe figs, hints of white pepper. With water, barley sugar, lemon sweets, malted grains, olive oil, white pepper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, expands, loosens.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, pineapples, golden syrup, white pepper, gingerbread, hints of butterscotch. With water, lemon sweets, olive oil, malted grains, hints f tomato purée.
Finish: Medium. Lemon sweets, yoghurt, pineapples, white pepper, hints of peaches.
Comments:
Cask 14900062. Drumblade is teaspooned Alisa Bay. It’s got a sweet, slightly peppery flavour, like olive oil. Water brings this note forward. It’s also got heaps of citrus. Quite tasty, and rather unique.
Verdict:
I like this.
Finish: Medium. Lemon sweets, yoghurt, pineapples, white pepper, hints of peaches.
Comments:
Cask 14900062. Drumblade is teaspooned Alisa Bay. It’s got a sweet, slightly peppery flavour, like olive oil. Water brings this note forward. It’s also got heaps of citrus. Quite tasty, and rather unique.
Verdict:
I like this.
Peerless Single Barrel 5yo Bourbon Whiskey
Peerless Single Barrel 5yo Bourbon Whiskey
Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red
56.05% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honey, brown paper, raisins, strawberry laces, cloves, marshmallows, hints of nutmeg. With water, buttered toast, milk chocolate, raisins.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, warm, astringent.
Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red
56.05% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honey, brown paper, raisins, strawberry laces, cloves, marshmallows, hints of nutmeg. With water, buttered toast, milk chocolate, raisins.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, warm, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Bananas, blackcurrant cordial, marshmallows, buttered toast, brown paper, strawberry laces. With water, marshmallows, strawberry laces, milk chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Strawberry laces, blackcurrant cordial, raisins, brown paper.
Comments:
Lot B170411103. Sweet and fruity, it’s been aged well in good wood. Quite buttery, which I like in a bourbon. Complex spicy flavours overlay some chocolatey malt. Very pleasant indeed.
Verdict:
I like this.
Finish: Medium. Strawberry laces, blackcurrant cordial, raisins, brown paper.
Comments:
Lot B170411103. Sweet and fruity, it’s been aged well in good wood. Quite buttery, which I like in a bourbon. Complex spicy flavours overlay some chocolatey malt. Very pleasant indeed.
Verdict:
I like this.
Masthouse Single Malt
Masthouse Single Malt
Official bottling
Single malt - Kent
Pale gold
45% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honey, milk chocolate, vanilla sponge, custard, hints of cinnamon, hints of eggnog.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, expands slightly, syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet. Malted grains, honey, milk chocolate, cinnamon, pears, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Short. Honey, malted grains, autumn leaves, heather, pears.
Comments:
Floral, well-defined flavours, with a heavy dose of maltiness. It’s quite sweet, and according to the person who shared, only just old enough to be whisky. It’s quite promising for its age, and a few more years should turn it into something very interesting.
Verdict:
I like this.
Official bottling
Single malt - Kent
Pale gold
45% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honey, milk chocolate, vanilla sponge, custard, hints of cinnamon, hints of eggnog.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, expands slightly, syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet. Malted grains, honey, milk chocolate, cinnamon, pears, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Short. Honey, malted grains, autumn leaves, heather, pears.
Comments:
Floral, well-defined flavours, with a heavy dose of maltiness. It’s quite sweet, and according to the person who shared, only just old enough to be whisky. It’s quite promising for its age, and a few more years should turn it into something very interesting.
Verdict:
I like this.
Friday, 23 September 2022
Laphroaig 32yo
Laphroaig 32yo
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Golden brown
46.6% ABV
Dram
Nose: Yoghurt, pencil erasers, tyres, leather, smoke, graphite, honey, orange peel, dark chocolate, hints of quinine.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, cool, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Pencil erasers, sea salt, tyres, leather, smoke, kelp, quinine, dark chocolate, peat.
Finish: Long. Kelp, quinine, pencil erasers, peat, smoke, graphite.
Comments:
There’s a lactic note on the nose of this whisky that clashes slightly with the sulphurous smoky orange and chocolate notes that otherwise dominate. On the tongue it’s rather more savoury and feinty, turning into flinty graphite. Excellent, intense and complex.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Golden brown
46.6% ABV
Dram
Nose: Yoghurt, pencil erasers, tyres, leather, smoke, graphite, honey, orange peel, dark chocolate, hints of quinine.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, cool, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Pencil erasers, sea salt, tyres, leather, smoke, kelp, quinine, dark chocolate, peat.
Finish: Long. Kelp, quinine, pencil erasers, peat, smoke, graphite.
Comments:
There’s a lactic note on the nose of this whisky that clashes slightly with the sulphurous smoky orange and chocolate notes that otherwise dominate. On the tongue it’s rather more savoury and feinty, turning into flinty graphite. Excellent, intense and complex.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Lagavulin 12yo Pure Malt (SC 803) 1970s bottle
Lagavulin 12yo Pure Malt (SC 803) 1970s bottle
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber bronze
42.8% ABV (75 proof)
Dram
Nose: Toffee, blackcurrant cordial, coffee, dark chocolate, leather, pu erh tea, oyster shells, hints of orange peel, hints of driftwood smoke.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, cool, thickens slightly, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Blackcurrant cordial, coffee, orange peel, honey, barley sugar, oyster shells, peat, hints of damson jam, hints of driftwood smoke.
Finish: Short. Pu erh tea, lohan fruit, peat, leather, coffee.
Comments:
A rare old White Horse Distillers bottle. Sweet and smoky, with a maritime edge, this makes me wonder why they sherry age Lagavulin 16 these days, if the original distillate is so sweet. Very good indeed.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber bronze
42.8% ABV (75 proof)
Dram
Nose: Toffee, blackcurrant cordial, coffee, dark chocolate, leather, pu erh tea, oyster shells, hints of orange peel, hints of driftwood smoke.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, cool, thickens slightly, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Blackcurrant cordial, coffee, orange peel, honey, barley sugar, oyster shells, peat, hints of damson jam, hints of driftwood smoke.
Finish: Short. Pu erh tea, lohan fruit, peat, leather, coffee.
Comments:
A rare old White Horse Distillers bottle. Sweet and smoky, with a maritime edge, this makes me wonder why they sherry age Lagavulin 16 these days, if the original distillate is so sweet. Very good indeed.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Port Ellen 18yo 1979/1988
Port Ellen 18yo 1979/1988
Cask Strength, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islay
Golden
61.1% ABV
Dram
Nose: Grapefruit, dates, fish sauce, smoke, lemon juice, pomeloes, blueberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper. With water, grapefruit, pomeloes, white pepper, fish sauce.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, volatile, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Smoke, blueberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper, dates, green tea, leather, peat. With water, pomeloes, grapefruit, green tea, white pepper, candle wax.
Finish: Short. White pepper, dates, green tea, pomeloes, candle wax.
Comments:
Tasting a Port Ellen is a rare treat these days, of course. This one is citrusy and savoury, with a peppery, smoky edge. It’s not like others I’ve had, the smoke is rather restrained and gentle. It’s ‘lickable smoke’, as a fellow taster put it.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Cask Strength, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islay
Golden
61.1% ABV
Dram
Nose: Grapefruit, dates, fish sauce, smoke, lemon juice, pomeloes, blueberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper. With water, grapefruit, pomeloes, white pepper, fish sauce.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, volatile, tingly.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Smoke, blueberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper, dates, green tea, leather, peat. With water, pomeloes, grapefruit, green tea, white pepper, candle wax.
Finish: Short. White pepper, dates, green tea, pomeloes, candle wax.
Comments:
Tasting a Port Ellen is a rare treat these days, of course. This one is citrusy and savoury, with a peppery, smoky edge. It’s not like others I’ve had, the smoke is rather restrained and gentle. It’s ‘lickable smoke’, as a fellow taster put it.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Lagavulin 28yo 1991/2019 Prima & Ultima
Lagavulin 28yo 1991/2019 Prima & Ultima
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Silvery gold
50.1% ABV
Dram
Nose: Roast beef, oyster shells, smoke, fresh cut grass, leather, honey, vanilla custard, driftwood smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Fresh cut grass, driftwood smoke, honey, butterscotch, vanilla custard, hints of roast beef.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla custard, honey, leather, oyster shells, hints of driftwood smoke.
Comments:
A strangely gentle Lagavulin, meaty and sweet. Lots of typical salty driftwood smoke appear on the nose, before it turns sweet again on the tongue. Highly complex, yet restrained. Amazing stuff.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Silvery gold
50.1% ABV
Dram
Nose: Roast beef, oyster shells, smoke, fresh cut grass, leather, honey, vanilla custard, driftwood smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Fresh cut grass, driftwood smoke, honey, butterscotch, vanilla custard, hints of roast beef.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla custard, honey, leather, oyster shells, hints of driftwood smoke.
Comments:
A strangely gentle Lagavulin, meaty and sweet. Lots of typical salty driftwood smoke appear on the nose, before it turns sweet again on the tongue. Highly complex, yet restrained. Amazing stuff.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Caol Ila 20yo 150th Anniversary
Caol Ila 20yo 150th Anniversary
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Chinese tea
57.86% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honeydew melons, lohan fruit, soy sauce, leather, five spice powder, mint, candied oranges. With water, smoke, honey, leather, hay.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, hot, syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Smoke, peat, five spice powder, honey, barley sugar, candied oranges, moss, hints of leather. With water, hay, fresh cut grass, moss, smoke, honey.
Finish: Long. Oyster shells, leather, honeydew melons, lohan fruit, soy sauce.
Comments:
Amazing distillery-only bottling. Lots of the classic Caol Ila soy sauce, but also heavy sweet notes of oranges and honeydew. It’s unctuous and thick, luxurious on the tongue. Utterly delicious.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Chinese tea
57.86% ABV
Dram
Nose: Honeydew melons, lohan fruit, soy sauce, leather, five spice powder, mint, candied oranges. With water, smoke, honey, leather, hay.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, hot, syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Smoke, peat, five spice powder, honey, barley sugar, candied oranges, moss, hints of leather. With water, hay, fresh cut grass, moss, smoke, honey.
Finish: Long. Oyster shells, leather, honeydew melons, lohan fruit, soy sauce.
Comments:
Amazing distillery-only bottling. Lots of the classic Caol Ila soy sauce, but also heavy sweet notes of oranges and honeydew. It’s unctuous and thick, luxurious on the tongue. Utterly delicious.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
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