Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash

Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Copper
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconut, honey, butter, orange peel, black pepper, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, cool, loosens slightly.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Butter, honey, black tea, cola nut, brown paper, pear drops, hints of bananas.  
Finish: Long. Butter, honey, coconut, pears. 

Comments: 

Very buttery and bitter. More complexity than your usual bourbon, with some alluring pear drop notes. Quite a surprise, I’m interested to see what else comes out of their Shively distillery and, in the future, Fort Nelson.

Verdict:

I like this.

Daftmill Single Cask 2008 (The Whisky Bars of Scotland Exclusive)

Daftmill Single Cask 2008 (The Whisky Bars of Scotland Exclusive)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, tea tree oil, white grapes, candle wax, cotton sheets, hints of green tea. With water, black tea, peppermint, watermelon, tea tree oil.  
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, turns watery, volatile.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White grapes, candle wax, cotton sheets, apricots, tobacco leaf, hints of tea tree oil. With water, apricots, watermelon, candle wax, tea tree oil. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, green tea, tobacco leaf, raisins, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Cask 068/08. My palate was feeling rather worn and tired by this time, but I managed one more whisky. It was fruity and waxy, but also herbal - lots of tea tree oil (another Daftmill characteristic) and even cotton sheets. Yum yum. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Daftmill Single Cask 2009 (UK Exclusive)

Daftmill Single Cask 2009 (UK Exclusive)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Dark amber
61.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, apricots, red grapes, candied oranges, menthol. With water, fresh baked bread, pears, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, volatile, astringent.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White grapes, gooseberries, menthol, membrillo, fresh baked bread, candle wax, hints of tobacco leaf. With water, red grapes, apricots, tobacco leaf, hints of pears. . 
Finish: Long. Membrillo, candle wax, red grapes, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Cask 029/09. This is sherried Daftmill, and a scarily high strength. Lots of fruit, especially (and surprisingly) white grapes, but there’s also red grapes from the sherry, and some slightly sulphurous tobacco. Excellent, as usual. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Daftmill Single Cask 2006 (UK Exclusive)

Daftmill Single Cask 2006 (UK Exclusive)

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale gold 
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apricots, candied oranges, sea salt, marshmallows, barley sugar, hints of tobacco. With water, fresh cut grass, sage, vanilla, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, loosens, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Gooseberries, strawberries, candied oranges, white grapes, barley sugar, hints of leather. With water, candied oranges, candle wax, white grapes, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Medium. Candied oranges, barley sugar, honey, tobacco leaf, hints of leather.  

Comments: 

Cask 021/06. This Daftmill is sweet, and particularly fruity. Lots of waxiness as well, almost Clynelish-ey. I enjoyed this very much, as I have all the Daftmills I’ve tried. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Daftmill Single Cask 2006 (Luvians Exclusive)

Daftmill Single Cask 2006 (Luvians Exclusive)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands 
Bright gold 
57.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh baked bread, baked apples, apricots, marshmallows, hints of yoghurt, hints of white grapes. With water, fresh cut grass, apricots, hints of tea tree oil. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, creamy, loosens slightly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Baked apples, shortcrust pastry, apricots, vanilla, white grapes, hints of cinnamon. With water, sweeter, yoghurt, gooseberries, apricots, hints of tea tree oil. 
Finish: Short. White grapes, apricots, vanilla, yoghurt, hints of strawberries. 

Comments: 

Cask 089/06. Still fruity, less sweet than its siblings. Opens up beautifully with water, with some nice dairy notes that go very well with the creamy mouthfeel. Again, so Daftmill, so herbal. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Daftmill Inaugural Release 2005

Daftmill Inaugural Release 2005

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands

Bright gold
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Tea tree oil, honey, candied oranges, white grapes, peaches, hints of marshmallows. With water, vanilla, fresh cut grass, peaches. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, peaches, vanilla, candle wax, white grapes, green tea, fresh baked bread. With water, green tea, peaches, chalk, hints of white grapes. 
Finish: Long. Coffee, fresh baked bread, qpeaches, white grapes.  

Comments: 

Casks 05/02, 05/03 and 05/07. Well now, this is just perfect. Lots of fruit of course, and that delicious light herbal note that seems to be a characteristic of this distillery. Again a slightly mineral note, especially with water, but it’s very pleasant and not at all jarring. My favourite Daftmill?

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Daftmill Winter Release 2006

Daftmill Winter Release 2006

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Straw 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chalk, wet stones, tea tree oil, fresh cut grass, honey, apricots, hints of gooseberries. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, cool.  
Tasting:  Bitter. White grapes, apricots, chalk, autumn leaves, barley sugar, hints of candle wax.  
Finish: Medium. Peppermint, apricots, chalk, wet stones, hints of ginseng.  

Comments: 

As fruity as its summer release brother, this whisky is nevertheless quite different. There’s a minerality to this, slightly bitter notes, and it’s more herbal, definitely less sweet. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Daftmill Summer Batch Release 2006

Daftmill Summer Batch Release 2006

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale silvery gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, apricots, white grapes, tobacco leaf, sea salt, tea tree oil. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, slightly tingly. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. White grapes, tea tree oil, gooseberries, apricots, menthol.  
Finish: Medium. Menthol, apricots, candle wax, white grapes, hints of tobacco leaf. 

Comments: 

First ever Daftmill! Been looking to try whisky from this distillery for some time. It’s not disappointing in the least, hugely complex, fruity, tannic and herbal. It’s around 11 or 12 years old, and I still think that one should wait a bit longer than just 3 years for good whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cameronbridge 34yo 1984/2018

Cameronbridge 34yo 1984/2018

Vintage, Signatory
Single grain - Lowlands
Beeswax 
49.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, tobacco leaf, coconut jam, vanilla, orange peel, hints of cream soda. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, hot.  
Tasting:  Sour. Tobacco leaf, hay, coconut cream, cream soda, vanilla, leather, hints of fish sauce. 
Finish: Long. Caramel, hay, orange peel, vanilla, olive oil, cream soda. 

Comments: 

Cask 19307. This is really excellent grain whisky, it’s light but retains a huge amount of complexity. Not a lot of the sweet tutti-frutti vanilla flavour that characterises much grain whisky, instead it’s herbal and grassy, with some leathery tobacco complexity. Shame grain whisky takes so long to age properly. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Waterford Ballykilcavan Edition 1.1

Waterford Ballykilcavan Edition 1.1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Green gold 
50% ABV

Bottle 

Nose: Cookie dough, sourdough tobacco leaf, apple juice, starfruit, fresh cut grass.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, tingly, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Sourdough, vanilla, peaches, apple juice, fresh cut grass, malted grains, hints of green tea.
Finish: Short. Starfruit, apple juice, cookie dough, tobacco leaf.  

Comments: 

Terroir? Perhaps it makes a difference. Single farm barley? Again, perhaps. This Waterford was challenging, initially it doesn’t taste very nice at all, but as the air gets to it, it improves a fair bit. Lots of starfruit and gentler notes of stone fruit, but it’s under a heap of malty, bready notes. 

Verdict:

I like this.