Starward Malt Whisky

Starward Malt Whisky

Official bottling
Single malt - Victoria
Copper
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, cherries, raisins, chocolate, almonds, hints of cherry brandy. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, loose, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cream, cherry brandy, chocolate, blackcurrants, red grapes, hints of hay. 
Finish: Long. Cherry brandy, blackcurrants, red grapes, marzipan. 

Comments: 

Matured in Apera barrels (what's Apera?). Cherries, cherries, cherries. Fresh, brandied, and even maraschino? Fruity and sweet, creamy too, Plenty of almonds as well. Very good for something I plucked off the shelf thinking it said 'Star Wars Malt Whisky'.

Verdict:

I like this.

Pittyvaich 25 yo 1989/2015

Pittyvaich 25 yo 1989/2015

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden yellow
49.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rhubarb and custard sweets, leather, orange peel, lemon zest, honey, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, chewy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Rhubarb and custard sweets, honey, toast, grapefruit, lemon zest, hints of orange blossom. 
Finish: Long. Toast, white grapes, lemon zest, hints of wood smoke. 

Comments: 

One of Diageo's 2015 special releases. This is such an underrated distillery, as always, shame it's closed. The whisky is a beautiful colour, has incredible legs in the glass, and has a great mouthfeel. On the tongue it's sensuous and sweet sour, Rosebank-like rhubarb and custard vies with citric grapefruit and lemon. Then a slightly smoky, white grape finish (reminds me of Penderyn).

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony

Hibiki Japanese Harmony

Official bottling
Blended malt
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cloves, vanilla, soy sauce, black tea, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, slightly sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Leather, soy sauce, caramel, orange juice, roast pork, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Soy sauce, roast pork, orange juice, black tea. 

Comments: 

Suntory blend, so made up of Yamazaki and Hakushu malts, and Chita grain. Plenty of Yamazaki in this, that sweet-salty, roast pork, soy sauce flavour is unmistakeable. It's raisiny sweet, slightly tannic, wonderfully light. Great sipping whisky, I could drink this all night, with an ice ball.

Verdict:

I like this.

Millstone 100 Rye Whiskey

Millstone 100 Rye Whiskey

Official bottling
Single rye - North Brabant
Amber red
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, rhubarb and custard sweets, lemon zest, pears, magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, watery, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Magic marker, wheatgerm, lemon zest, vanilla, grated coconut, cinnamon, hints of toast. 
Finish: Medium. Toast, wheatgerm, lemon zest, pears. 

Comments: 

100 proof, matured for 100 months, 100% rye mashbill, and my first Dutch whisky. Very spicy kick, and some interesting rhubarb and custard flavours. Lots of coconutty toasty, cereally notes on the tongue. Somewhat overpowering, but what would one expect from rye?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 71.41 (Glenburgie 17 yo 1998/2016)

SMWS 71.41 (Glenburgie 17 yo 1998/2016)

2016, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chestnut puree, figs, toffee, black tea, coffee, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, coffee, chestnut puree, oak, chocolate, hints of meringue. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, meringue, coffee, hints of vanilla. 

Comments: 

Ex sherry gorda. Chewy and eggy, with loads of meringue on the tongue. It's sweet, but not overpoweringly so. Plenty of tannic notes and something very much like creme de marron. Good stuff, very good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS B4.1 (FEW 3 yo 2012/2016)

SMWS B4.1 (FEW 3 yo 2012/2016)

2016, SMWS
Single bourbon - Illinois
English breakfast tea
62.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried mangoes, red grapes, black peppers, blackcurrants, cola nuts, liquorice. With water, strawberries, bubble gum, pears. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, tingly, thickens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Blackcurrants, dried mangoes, chillies, cola nuts, dandelion and burdock. With water, less spicy, pears, bubble gum, bananas, brown paper. 
Finish: Medium. Dandelion and burdock, dried mango, ginseng, hints of bananas. 

Comments: 

Whew! Cask strength bourbon is really something, and you do need to dilute it a little. But clearly when you make bourbon 40%, it loses something. This little whisky shows why. It's intensely fruity and spicy, and doesn't show any of the usual banana notes until some water goes in.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask B091002018A

Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask B091002018A

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Light amber
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roses, strawberries, raspberries, honey, vanilla, hints of apples. With water, oranges, lemons, more honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, apples, vanilla, blackcurrants, honey, hints of red grapes. With water, vanilla, toast, cookie dough, fresh baked bread, white grapes. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, red grapes, apples, vanilla, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

I may have erred. I bought a bottle of the Solist Sherry Cask recently, but maybe I should have bought a bottle of this instead. It's disarmingly good, with lots of fruit and floral fragrance. With water, it turns sweeter, opening up, and the red grapes turns to white grapes, maybe even a little tannic. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Invergordon 27 yo 1988/2015

Invergordon 27 yo 1988/2015

Number 48, Maltbarn
Single grain - North Highlands
Brass
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, bananas, toast, strawberries, marshmallows, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Toast, strawberries, bananas, black tea, honey, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, fresh cut grass, marshmallows, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Not as sweet as most grains, I think this one has mellowed in the cask. Good grain whisky, and beats any number of single malts for complexity. There's even a alluring toasty note. There's really no substitute for cask aging, and it's a shame that age now equals expensive.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Kininvie 17 yo Batch 1

Kininvie 17 yo Batch 1

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
42.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, orange juice, pears, lemon zest, green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon zest, limes, orange juice, green tea, vanilla, sea salt. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, lemon zest, vanilla, sea salt. 

Comments: 

My first Kininvie! I've been waiting for this one for a long time, ever since I first tasted Monkey Shoulder. It doesn't disappoint. Very Balvenie like, but tannic and ever so slightly salty, this whisky is citrusy and fragrant. Delicious stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bowmore 23 yo 1989 Port Matured

Bowmore 23 yo 1989 Port Matured

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber, tinge of red
50.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, leather, peat, red grapes, mint, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Toast, lemons, vanilla, peat, honey, hints of red grapes. 
Finish: Short. Cookie dough, leather, peat, toast. 

Comments: 

This is floral, even delicate, not something you could normally write about an Islay whisky. The port maturing has not added very many winey flavours, instead the whisky is smooth, aromatic and gentle. Scarily drinkable. I could quaff a mug!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.