Deanston 19yo 1999/2019 Muscat Cask Finish

Deanston 19yo 1999/2019 Muscat Cask Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Copper gold
55.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, gooseberries, honey, honeydew melons, burnt sugar. With water, lemon zest, toffee apples, nectarines. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, astringent, thickens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Nectarines, gooseberries, white grapes, pomegranate molasses, butterscotch, hints of vanilla sponge. With water, hay, fresh baked bread, burnt sugar, white grapes. 
Finish: Long. White grapes, vanilla sponge, toffee apples, hints of pomegranate molasses. 

Comments: 

Sweet, intense, highly fruity neat, this is a very enjoyable whisky. I normally wouldn't use the adjective 'smooth' to describe a whisky, but it is indeed smooth in mouthfeel, slipping down easily despite the high strength. With water it loosens up, turning slightly tart, with lots of cereal and floral notes. Excellent.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Roughstock Montana Pure Malt Whiskey

Roughstock Montana Pure Malt Whiskey

Official bottling
Single malt - Montana
Pale amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, vanilla, popcorn, hazelnuts, buttermilk, hints of pine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Popcorn, butter, vanilla, salt caramel, butterscotch, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Long. Buttermilk, butterscotch, fresh baked bread, popcorn. 

Comments: 

Very cereally, lots of bread, popcorn, even hazelnuts, and something woody as well. Plenty of sweet notes too. I'm reasonably sure this is not all barley, so 'Pure malt' is something of a misnomer. But it doesn't really matter - it's very good whisky, despite the lack of an age statement.

Verdict:

I like this.

Filey Bay Second Release

Filey Bay Second Release

Official bottling
Single malt - Yorkshire
Silver gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chestnut purée, green apples, malted grains, walnuts, lemon zest, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Green apples, sea salt, malted grains, lemon zest, wet stones, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, lemon zest, walnuts, wet stones. 

Comments: 

Fruity and sweet on the nose, lots of nuts, but is overtaken by salty, wet stones on a pebble beach, once on the tongue. Lovely cereal notes too. It's less peaty than its brother expression (the first release), but it's no less delicious.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Breton Rare 19yo

Glen Breton Rare 19yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Nova Scotia
Bronze
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Gooseberries, white grapes, pear drops, lemon zest, fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White grapes, lemon zest, honey, cedar, Parma violets. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, pear drops, Parma violets, chocolate. 

Comments: 

My second whisky from the Canadian distillery set up to make single malt. An interesting nose, lots of fruit, fading to something grassy. On the tongue though, it's woody and sweet, with an intense, almost overpowering note of Parma violets. In fact it almost drowns out everything else. The finish is also herbal like the nose, but has plenty of Parma violets also.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Beverbach Sherry Finish (2018 Release)

Beverbach Sherry Finish (2018 Release)

Official bottling
Single malt - Lower Saxony
Pale green gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black pepper, white grapes, caraway, rye bread, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, cool, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Rye bread, white grapes, white chocolate, vanilla, nectarine conserves, hints of guava. 
Finish: Medium. Caraway, black pepper, lemon zest, black tea. 

Comments: 

A German whisky, from a distillery more known for its vodka. It's gloriously unbalanced, with very spicy rye notes of black pepper and caraway on the nose. These melt away and become sweet fruity, chocolate swirled jam on the the tongue, with an earthy hint of rye bread. It's all very sherry monster (despite the pale colour) but then it fades to that spicy, lemony finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Penderyn 11yo 2008/2019 (TWE Exclusive)

Penderyn 11yo 2008/2019 (TWE Exclusive)

Official bottling
Single malt - South Wales
Dark gold
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Barley sugar, pears, sultanas, nutmeg, hints of shortcrust pastry. With water, pear drops, blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, sticky, thickens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Marmalade, sultanas, pears, nectarines, butterscotch, shortcrust pastry. With water, sour, pear drops, nutmeg, cinnamon, blackcurrant cordial. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, cinnamon, nutmeg, applesauce. 

Comments: 

It's been a long time since I've managed to get my hands on a Penderyn. This one is cask strength, and it really shows. It's intensely jammy, with a beautiful fruity Ribena note. Lots of spices too, it's like eating a blackcurrant pie.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Octomore 10yo Dialogos (3rd Edition)

Octomore 10yo Dialogos (3rd Edition)

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Golden beeswax
56.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Tobacco smoke, peat, germolene, honeydew melon, peaches, hay. With water, drier, driftwood smoke, sea salt, tobacco, preserved lemons, wet leaves. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, tobacco smoke, leather, peaches, marmalade, vanilla fudge. With water, sour, driftwood smoke, preserved lemons, sea salt. 
Finish: Long. Hay, fresh baked bread, honeydew melon, smoke, peat. 

Comments: 

Octomore is finally old enough to be of an interesting age! Yes I'm a little behind, given this is the 3rd release. It's highly peated (duh!) but it's also floral and grassy, with some umami notes that resolve as preserved lemons, especially with water. It finishes at huge length, with sweet cereal fading to big smokey peaty notes.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

White Horse Blended Whisky (bottled 1958)

White Horse Blended Whisky (bottled 1958)

White Horse Distillers
Blended malt
Dark gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, creosote, leather, nutmeg, petrichor, hints of driftwood smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Creosote, warm tar, liquorice, chocolate, prunes, wet stones, hints of driftwood smoke. 
Finish: Long. Charcoal, driftwood smoke, peach jam, petrichor, damp leaves. 

Comments: 

Well now, this is a real treat. I got this from Cheaper by the Dram, a new-ish company that breaks down expensive bottles into cheaper drams for enthusiasts. It's incredibly rare to to taste whisky distilled before my parents were born. Anyway, it's quite something - lots of dry woody salty smoke, reminiscent of Lagavulin (which is probably a major component of this). Something tarry and chemical, overlaying some delicious fruit and chocolate. Is this perchance the fabled Malt Mill?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Teeling Brabazon #1

Teeling Brabazon #1

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Ireland
Bright gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Hazelnuts, chocolate, burnt cinnamon, brown sugar, hints of plum jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, sticky, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Marmalade, plum jam, honey, chocolate, burnt cinnamon, hints of nutmeg. 
Finish: Long. Burnt cinnamon, chocolate, allspice, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

This set of Teeling's releases (from their existing stock - fairly sure this is Cooley) is meant to showcase the virtues of cask finishing. This one is a blend of several sherry casked whiskies. The sweet jammy notes are classic sherry, of course, and there's spice as well. It's all rather sickly, I'm afraid, although I enjoyed it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lagavulin 12yo (2018 Special Releases)

Lagavulin 12yo (2018 Special Releases)

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Pale gold
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Driftwood smoke, peaches, raspberries, dried orange peel, preserved lemons. With water, burning leaves, soured cream, candied orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peaches, driftwood smoke, peat, fresh cut grass, cream, hints of vanilla sponge. With water, sweeter, burning leaves, candied orange peel, caramel peanuts. 
Finish: Long. Driftwood smoke, vanilla sponge, meringues, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Excellent Lagavulin, amazing even. It's somewhat sweeter than what I perceive as 'classic' Lagavulin, it's got a lot of slightly unusual fruity notes, but the dry, salty smoke is still there, alongside gentle peat. What a treat!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.