Tobermory 24yo 1994/2020 Manzanilla Cask Distillery Handfill

Tobermory 24yo 1994/2020 Manzanilla Cask Distillery Handfill

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber gold
52.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cotton sheets, olive brine, cream, cinnamon, orange peel, raisins, hints of roast chicken. With water, raisins, gooseberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Olive brine, cream, rubber bands, orange peel, malted grains, white pepper. With water, rubber bands, cotton sheets, orange peel, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, rubber bands, white pepper, cotton sheets. 

Comments: 

Very feinty, lots of savoury, slightly salty notes. Unusual for a sherried dram, but perhaps it carries more of the sherry characteristics than other whiskies. It’s also a little sulphurous, and that is less pleasant. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tobermory 15yo 2004/2020 PX Butt Distillery Handfill

Tobermory 15yo 2004/2020 PX Butt Distillery Handfill

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber brown
56.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yuzu, cream, raisins, dark chocolate, coffee, damson jam, cinnamon, dried apricots. With water, damson jam, dried apricots, coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, coffee, dark chocolate, black tea, dried apricots, vanilla, malt loaf, hints of cloves. With water, damson jam, dried apricots, vanilla. 
Finish: Long. Malt loaf, cloves, dried apricots, dark chocolate, hints of yuzu. 

Comments: 

Fruity and quite sweet. The yuzu interlacing throughout all the other notes is quite unique in my experience. It’s what makes this whisky stand out, from a pack of generally very good sherried drams. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Whiskey

Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Whiskey

Official bottling 
Single grain - Connacht
White wine
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oatcakes, sultanas, autumn leaves, aluminium foil, digestive biscuits, hints of white spirit. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, astringent, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour. Sultanas, aluminium foil, cotton sheets, photocopy paper, oatcakes, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, autumn leaves, white spirit, sultanas. 

Comments: 

Cereally, a little bit sweet, a little bit bitter. Quite spirity, and it’s also got some feinty notes on the tongue. Very straightforward, and easy drinking. I prefer a bit more malt though.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Garioch 10yo Equinox & Solstice Summer 2022

Glen Garioch 10yo Equinox & Solstice Summer 2022

Equinox & Solstice, Decadent Drinks
Single malt - East Highlands
Silver
48.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: White wine, elderflower, sultanas, fresh cut grass, vanilla, apple juice. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, mouth coating, airy, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. White wine, elderflower, black tea, orange peel, cinnamon, hints of ginseng, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, ginseng, sultanas, strawberry laces. 

Comments: 

Delicate and floral, I’ve not had a Geery like this before. The tart, slightly acrid mustard note is absent. It’s young and almost quaffable, subtly sweet and very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ardbeg BizarreBQ

Ardbeg BizarreBQ 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay
Copper
50.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brass polish, creosote, marmalade, germolene, leather, hints of white spirit. With water, vanilla, marmalade, apple juice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, oily, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Brass polish, tarry rope, raisins, dark chocolate, leather, smoke, marmalade, hints of tobacco leaf. With water, leather, peat, peanuts, marmalade. 
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, peat, smoke, creosote, charcoal ash. 

Comments: 

Sweet, tarry and slightly sulphurous. It’s not very barbecue-y, but perhaps that’s the bizarre bit. It’s got huge notes of marmalade and dark chocolate. Quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Circumstantial Oat 1:21:1:1:50

Circumstantial Oat 1:21:1:1:50

Official bottling 
Single grain - Bristol
Golden, hints of silver
46.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, musk, butterscotch, dulce de leche, vanilla, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Raisins, damson jam, vanilla, dulce de leche, violets, straw, oat bran, hints of magic marker. 
Finish: Medium. Oat bran, leather, damson jam, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

Strange stuff - it’s apparently 4 years old, oats and wheat spirit, aged in virgin oak with spindles in the barrel. It’s intense, yet somehow thin, like drinking air. Still it’s got a good layering of flavour.

Verdict:

I like this.

Cotswolds Sherry Cask

Cotswolds Sherry Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - Warwickshire 
Amber gold
57.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Desiccated coconut, aluminium foil, raisins, dark chocolate, oatcakes, sea salt, hints of magic marker. With water, honey, dark chocolate, hoppy beer. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, tingly, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, cinnamon, malted grains, candied oranges, aluminium foil, dark chocolate, hints of hoppy beer. With water, sea salt, hoppy beer, raisins, malted grains. 
Finish: Long. Malted grains, hoppy beer, orange peel, raisins, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Malty and mean, lots of intense notes that aren’t overly sherried. There’s plenty of savoury and feinty notes here, they give the whisky an edge. Unusual and enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bunnahabhain 19yo 1980/1999

Bunnahabhain 19yo 1980/1997

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle
Single malt - Islay
Golden bronze
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cotton sheets, leather, cinder toffee, salt caramel, photocopy paper, black tea, sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Photocopy paper, sultanas, dried apricots, kiwifruit, black tea, cinder toffee, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Candle wax, photocopy paper, cinder toffee, black tea, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Cask 5643. It’s unpeated, of course, and it’s been drowned in old bottle effect. It’s become feinty and a little floral, but lots of bitter notes still linger in the background. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Convalmore 16yo 1981/1997

Convalmore 16yo 1981/1997

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Papayas, starfruit, winter melon, mint, lemon zest, dried blueberries, strawberry laces, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, expands, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Camphor, dried blueberries, starfruit, winter melon, fresh cut grass, vanilla, hints of leather. 
Finish: Medium. Camphor, winter melon, candle wax, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Cask 89/604/122. It’s not quite the Convalmore I know, it’s got a lot of gentle subtle notes that blend softly into each other. There’s a herbal, slightly bitter backbone though, and that’s what keeps things interesting.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenrothes 21yo 1975/1996

Glenrothes 21yo 1975/1996

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle
Single malt - Speyside
Silvery gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried apricots, starfruit, white wine, papayas, Chinese angelica, cinder toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Starfruit, cinder toffee, Chinese angelica, leather, candle wax, celery salt, dried apricots, menthol. 
Finish: Long. Menthol, candle wax, dried apricots, white wine.

Comments: 

Cask 6051. Fruity and waxy, low level of typical sherried notes. Quite unusual, and the distillate has probably been overtaken by old bottle effect. It’s rather tasty, and unlike any other Glenrothes I’ve had.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.