Aberlour-Glenlivet 19 yo 1995/2014

Aberlour-Glenlivet 19 yo 1995/2014

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
52.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: White chocolate, white grapes, black tea, cocoa, lemon zest, hints of jasmine. With water, chocolate, peaches, hints of mango. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, slippery, turns slightly watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, malted grains, lemon zest, toast, black tea, hints of condensed milk, With water, more toast, peaches, chocolate. 
Finish: Medium.White chocolate, raisins, toast, hints of condensed milk. 

Comments: 

Sauternes cask, and it shows. Winey and chocolatey, laden with fruit and raisins. A little bit floral on the nose, but this disappears in the welter of fruity malty flavours on the tongue. Good, opens up a bit with water, turns more chocolatey.

Verdict:

I like this.

Benriach 20 yo

Benriach 20 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, black tea, honey, cinnamon, sea salt, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, thickens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, cinnamon, black tea, salt caramel, apples, hints of bananas. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, apples, leather, bananas. 

Comments: 

Fruity and astringent, there's quite a lot of tannic notes in this. Also surprisingly salty sweet, but very bitter on the tongue. Spicy too. Very decently priced for its age - not often you get 20 year old whisky for this much.

Verdict:

I like this.

Guillon Cuvée 42

Guillon Cuvée 42

Official bottling
Single malt - Champagne-Ardenne
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, oolong tea, raisins, milk chocolate, prunes, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, turns sticky, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White grapes, raisins, prunes, blackberries, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Short. Cloves, white grapes, prunes, brown paper. 

Comments: 

Aged in Burgundy casks. This is grapey and rich, but still quite light. Plenty of white grapes (Penderyn like) but allied to a fruitiness and spiciness all its own. I have no idea where this distillery is, or its history, but it produces reasonably good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS G1.13 (North British 36 yo 1978/2015)

SMWS G1.13 (North British 36 yo 1978/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single grain - Lowlands
Buttercups
56.2% ABV
Dram

Nose:  Cream, vanilla, lemon peel, orange zest, candied figs, hints of coffee. With water, dates, salt caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, sticky, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon zest, chocolate, red grapes, vanilla, coffee, hints of toast. With water, saltier, dates, salt caramel, hints of cornflakes. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, toast. 

Comments: 

Grain whisky is the best value drink for money in the whisky world at the moment, I think. Aged single grains don't seem to be popular. More for me. This one wears its age lightly, and is chockful of fruity notes neat. With water, it opens up beautifully, with savoury sweet notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS B4.2 (FEW 3 yo 2012/2016)

SMWS B4.2 (FEW 3 yo 2012/2016)

2016, SMWS
Single bourbon - Illinois
Amber
61.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, black tea, golden syrup, cloves, hints of liquorice. With water, sandalwood, oak, chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, slippery, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, brown paper, cloves, golden syrup, chocolate, hints of chillies. With water, more bitter, black tea, dark chocolate, cherries. 
Finish: Long. Cloves, liquorice, black tea, vanilla. 

Comments: 

More single cask bourbon! This one is spicy, and less bananary at cask strength, Gorgeously sweet, plenty of fruit, and slightly bitter. Good complex flavours, there should be more bourbon like this. I'd pay for it, and you should too.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomatin Legacy

Tomatin Legacy

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Brass
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, sour cream, orange peel, leather, hints of wet leaves, hints of tobacco leaf. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, oily, astringent. 
Tasting: Sour. Sour cream, raisins, orange peel, walnuts, lemon zest, hints of sea salt. 
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, green apples, sour cream, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Aged in virgin oak and bourbon barrels (!). Is this whisky or bourbon? Who cares? It's tart and grapey, but not overly sweet. There's a milky, creamy note, which would be great if there were say a chocolatey bite, but instead it's accompanied by orange peel and other citrus. Decent dram, not a particularly great one.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Evan Williams Single Barrel 10 yo 2004/2014

Evan Williams Single Barrel 10 yo 2004/2014

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
43.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, liquorice, toast, honey, bananas, maple syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Brown paper, condensed milk, desiccated coconut, plums, honey, hints of roast pork. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, condensed milk, roast pork, liquorice. 

Comments: 

I had the 2013 sister release a while back. This one is saltier and sweeter compared to its sister, but has the same savoury roast pork notes. Also plenty of liquorice and fruit, along with sweet notes of condensed milk. I like this better than the 2013 one actually.

Verdict:

I like this.

Paul John Edited

Paul John Edited

Official bottling
Single malt - Goa
Orange gold
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Peat, oranges, brass polish, lemons, peaches, hints of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, turns watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet. Peat, oranges, fresh baked bread, cream, peaches, hints of green olives.
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, oranges, lemons, peaches.

Comments:

Lightly peated, fresh and sweet, this whisky has a nice mouthfeel and is quite refreshing. It's a perfect middle ground. Fruity enough to be identified as a Paul John (albeit rather 'Highlander' in style), yet peated just enough to be interesting. Good stuff, look forward to more from this fine Indian distillery.

Verdict:

I like this.

Scapa Skiren

Scapa Skiren

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Golden yellow
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, plums, bananas, orange peel, pineapples, hints of mango. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peaches, creamed coconut, mangoes, oranges, hints of lemon zest. 
Finish: Short. Cardamom, mangoes, creamed coconut, pineapples. 

Comments: 

Fruity and light, the mango notes really come to the fore here. They're a little overpowering though, and it's hard work to discern the other notes hiding behind them. This is decent whisky for its price, which I suppose is fair enough, but it tastes a little... slapdash?

Verdict:

Not bad.

Karuizawa 31 yo Sherry Cask #3555

Karuizawa 31 yo Sherry Cask #3555

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Mahogany
60.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, golden syrup, vanilla, waffles, red grapes,hints of balsamic vinegar. With water, strawberries, orange blossom, honey, pomegranate molasses. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, hot, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, waffles, red grapes, balsamic vinegar, strawberries, hints of black pepper. With water, more sour, fresh baked bread, golden syrup, pomegranate molasses, hints of preserved walnuts. 
Finish: Long. Waffles, balsamic vinegar, pomegranate molasses, golden syrup. 

Comments: 

Cask #3555, bottled for the Whisky Exchange. Despite the incredible colour, this whisky isn't overly sherried, by which I mean there's not an overpowering hit of red grapes. It does taste a lot like a good Pedro Ximenez sherry though (at least in the finish). Plenty of tart sweet concentrated notes (like the pomegranate molasses). Heavy and complex, worth every penny.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.