Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Copper gold
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, tarry rope, chocolate, brine, smoke, lemons, caramel, hints of iodine. With water, less briney, turns citrusy and fresh.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, smooth, slick.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Chocolate, lemons, smoke, peat, iodine, marmalade, tobacco, tarry rope. With water, sweeter, more orangey, hints of strawberries appear.
Finish: Long. Chillies, iodine, chocolate, brine.

Comments:

Ardbeg is gorgeous with chocolate. This particular expression takes that taste experience to new heights. It's chockfull of the usual Ardbeg flavours - chocolate, peat, smoke - and adds citrus, brine and iodine. A little water loosens it up and brings out sweetness, but I'm still undecided as to whether I like it neat or diluted.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 73.37 (Aultmore 17 yo 1992/2009)

SMWS 73.37 (Aultmore 17 yo 1992/2009)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cardamom, cinnamon, cardboard, brown paper, hints of honey, hints of hops.
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, watery, loose.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Bananas, cinnamon, plums, cardboard, brown paper, hops, apples, oats.
Finish: Medium. Bananas, apples, plums.

Comments:

Jamie Oliver has a muesli recipe where he adds grated apple and banana slices to home made muesli. It's good - fruity and satisfying. This whisky tastes a little like that, except that there's a lot of apple, banana and plum, and relatively little oats. Egg nog muesli?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 100.9 (Strathmill 11 yo 1998/2009)

SMWS 100.9 (Strathmill 11 yo 1998/2009)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
58.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, honey, lemon zest, grape juice, sponge cake, hints of almonds.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, oily, slightly sticky.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Honey, vanilla, grape juice, sponge cake, almonds, custard, milk.
Finish: Medium. Bitter, toffee, grape juice, almonds.

Comments:

Fruity, milky, and smells like someone baked a cake in the room. There's a curious bitter note running through the taste and lingering in the finish. Ever had vanilla sponge and a glass of wine? Me neither, but this reminds me of that.

Verdict:

I like this.

North Port-Brechin 20 yo 1970/1990

North Port-Brechin 20 yo 1970/1990

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - East Highlands
Dark gold
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Bananas, raisins, hoppy beer, toast, brown sugar, hints of smoke, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, bananas, cedar wood, smoke, driftwood, hoppy beer, hints of sea salt, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Short. Walnut skins, smoke, bananas, hints of sea salt.

Comments:

Pretty hard to track down online. I don't know for sure if this is 20 years old (and indeed, whether it was bottled in 1990) as it tastes too old for just 20 years of wood aging. Very robust, bitter and smoky, with a bourbony banana scent.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Tomintoul 27 yo

Tomintoul 27 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Smoky amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, caramel, orange peel, leather, driftwood, lemon zest, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, cool, loose.
Tasting: Bitter. Orange peel, vanilla, leather, driftwood, peat, honey.
Finish: Short. Lemons, vanilla, driftwood, orange peel.

Comments:

Light, cool and refreshing. This is unusual in something so old. There's a lot of vanilla flavour from the long wood aging, but this does not overpower the slight salty, bitter flavour components such as driftwood and orange peel. Pleasant and drinkable.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 14.17 (Talisker 20 yo 1989/2009)

SMWS 14.17 (Talisker 20 yo 1989/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islands
Pale gold
52.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, coconuts, heather honey, sea salt, seaweed, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, watery, loosens.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Heather honey, sea salt, seaweed, raisins, orange peel, hints of peat .
Finish: Medium. Coconuts, raisins, heather honey.

Comments:

A great salty seaweedy Talisker, very different from the somewhat sweet, smoky official bottlings. There's just a glimmer of smoke in this, with a lot of peat and salt. The orangey characteristics that appear as marmalade in the official bottlings comes through here as orange peel.

Verdict:

I like this.

Drumguish Single Highland Malt

Drumguish Single Highland Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Pale copper
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cinnamon, orange peel, milk, vanilla, hints of banana, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet. Vanilla, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, orange blossom honey, milk, hints of leather, hints of peat.
Finish: Short. Raisins, vanilla, chocolate, aluminum foil.

Comments:

A strangely named official bottling from the strangely named Speyside distillery. Anyway, it's very drinkable, if a little middle of the road. Slightly unpleasant metallic edge to the finish, but the nose and the taste are very pleasant, light and sweet indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Springbank 15 yo

Springbank 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Campbeltown
Rose copper
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, raisins, tobacco leaf, smoke, molasses, cotton sheets, hints of wool.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, loose, astringent.
Tasting: Bitter. Apples, honey, vanilla, tar, limes, tobacco leaf, smoke, walnuts, hints of wool.
Finish: Long. Walnuts, tobacco, lime juice.

Comments:

Surprisingly smoky and powerful. Develops in the glass, revealing a fruity character overlaid by tar and limes. Water doesn't mellow this whisky at all.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 18 yo Allardice

Glendronach 18 yo Allardice

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, honey, vanilla, sea salt, tobacco leaf, dried apricots, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, tingly, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Chocolate, raisins, vanilla, honey, dried apricots, tobacco leaf, red wine, hints of leather.
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, orange peel, vanilla, honey, hints of lime.

Comments:

Spicy, complex and sweet. Lots of heavy sherry character, but with an astringent citric bite lurking in the mouth and especially in the finish. It's a perfect Christmas whisky. Brilliantly made.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Braes of Glenlivet 32 yo 1975/2007

Braes of Glenlivet 32 yo 1975/2007

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, leather, hoppy beer, oats, peat, hints of buttered popcorn.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, watery, tingly, cool.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, leather, chillies, hoppy beer, oats, peat, engine exhaust, vanilla, honey.
Finish: Medium. Hoppy beer, honey, engine exhaust, hints of leather.

Comments:

Bitter and robust, with huge bursts of peaty, chemical flavours - engine exhaust (very unusual) and leather (rather more common). Pleasant spicy notes that manifest mostly as vanilla and beery hops. Good and strong, best with food.

Verdict:

I like this.