Amrut Special Limited Edition Madeira Finish

Amrut Special Limited Edition Madeira Finish 

Official bottling

Single malt - Bangalore
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange peel, malted grains, chocolate, fresh baked bread, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, honey, chocolate, cloves, caramel, raisins, red grapes, white pepper, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Short. Chocolate, white pepper, malted grains, honey, hints of vanilla. 

Comments: 

Quite decadent, spicy and rich and intense. Lots of sweet notes as you’d expect, but a really nice body and a good collection of flavours. I enjoyed this very much.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 149.1 (Ardnamurchan 5yo 2015/2021)

SMWS 149.1 (Ardnamurchan 5yo 2015/2021)

2021, SMWS
Single malt - Western Highlands
Dark bronze gold
61.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, malted grains, candied orange peel, overripe peaches, sea salt, lemon sweets. With water, candied orange peel, nutmeg, citron, magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Lemon sweets, peat, leather, sourdough bread, overripe peaches, rope, hints of smoke. With water, peat, leather, sourdough bread, candied orange peel, citron. 
Finish: Long. Lemon sweets, peat, leather, brass polish, rope. 

Comments: 

Citrusy and complicated, yet laden with sweet fruit, this Ardnamurchan stands out. It’s toasty and a little smoky too, and slightly musty even - but in a good way.  A fitting inaugural bottle for the SMWS. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Auchentoshan 13yo 2007/2021

Auchentoshan 13yo 2007/2021

Cask Series, North Star Spirits
Single malt - Lowlands
Buttercups
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, mangoes, dried blueberries, green tea, orange peel, passionfruit, sandalwood. With water, leather, green tea, ginseng, passionfruit, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, loosens, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Sandalwood, cinnamon, cedar, orange peel, ginseng, fresh baked bread, mangoes, peaches. With water, candied oranges, ginseng, cedar, passionfruit. 
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, cedar, mangoes, dried blueberries, hints of passionfruit. 

Comments: 

One of those whiskies where being weirdly unbalanced somehow enhances the overall experience. Lots of fruit, bitter herbal notes, and something very like Mortlach meatiness. Quite lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 78.43 (Ben Nevis 10yo 2010/2021)

SMWS 78.43 (Ben Nevis 10yo 2010/2021)

2021, SMWS
Single malt - Western Highlands 
Honey gold 
61.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pineapples, bananas, honey, sea salt, vanilla, red chillies, hibiscus, hints of green tea. With water, lemon sweets, honey, sea salt, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, vanilla, hibiscus, barley sugar, bananas, hints of pineapples. With water, honey, lemon sweets, vanilla, barley sugar. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, bananas, hibiscus, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

A floral, slightly tannic Ben Nevis. Not as fruity as some, this whisky is quite delicate, but laden with sweet flowers. Some slight saltiness brings to mind lemon sweets, particularly with water.

Verdict:

I like this.

Cotswolds Distillery Exclusive Madeira Cask

Cotswolds Distillery Exclusive Madeira Cask 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Warwickshire 
Bronze
60.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, toffee, toast, raisins, dulce de leche, ginger, hints of allspice. With water, yoghurt, honey, brown paper, toast. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, loosens, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cocoa powder, toast, toffee, apple juice, dulce de leche, toast. With water, raisins, apple juice, brown paper, honey, toast. 
Finish: Medium. Apple juice, toast, cocoa powder, toffee, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

This whisky is milky and loaded with toffee notes. There are a lot of big, sweet notes, along with a little toast. The winey, fruity notes aren’t really there, instead it’s quite restrained. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Armorik Sherry Cask

Armorik Sherry Cask 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Brittany
Pale copper
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Caramel, black tea, raisins, cinnamon, brown paper, orange peel, hints of pomegranates. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, black tea, butterscotch, cinder toffee, pomegranates, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Caramel, raisins, white grapes, orange peel, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Relatively straightforward whisky, lots of sweet sherried notes, with some interesting fruity notes such as pomegranates. It’s got a nice toffee / spicy finish, and is a pleasant drink.

Verdict:

I like this.

Slyrs 3yo Batch 1

Slyrs 3yo Batch 1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Bavaria
Copper gold
52.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, mushrooms, autumn leaves, brass polish, pineapples, bananas, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, pineapples, peaches, overripe mangoes, hints of brass polish. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, thickens slightly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, pineapples, mushrooms, overripe mangoes, fresh baked bread, vanilla sponge. With water, vanilla, pineapples, peaches, honey, hints of brass polish, hints of toast. 

Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, overripe mangoes, vanilla sponge, muesli, hints of toast. 

Comments: 

This whisky starts out earthy, fragrant and savoury, but that evaporated rather quickly, leaving fruity sweet notes behind. With water, it opens up, revealing heaps of cereal and feinty notes. Pleasantly surprising.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cooley 19yo 2002/2021

Cooley 19yo 2002/2021

Rare Find Whisky, Gleann Mor Spirits
Single malt - Leinster
Bright gold
53.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, rhubarb and custard sweets, pear drops, lemon zest, fresh cut grass, hints of vanilla. With water, fresh cut grass, vanilla, autumn leaves, pear drops. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Rhubarb and custard sweets, brass polish, aluminium foil, fresh cut grass, lemon zest, hints of honey. With water, malted grains, fresh cut grass, autumn leaves, lemon zest. 
Finish: Long. Lemon zest, fresh cut grass, brass polish, hints of pear drops. 

Comments: 

Quite surprised I’ve not had a Cooley labelled as a Cooley. This one is quite feinty, lots of estery, chemical notes. Water introduces earthy, grassy notes which change its character quite a lot. Lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Nantou Omar Black Queen Wine Finish

Nantou Omar Black Queen Wine Finish

Official bottling 
Single malt - Central Taiwan
Red bronze
56% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dried strawberries, orange peel, sandalwood, sea salt, coffee, mint, milk chocolate. With water, orange peel, strawberry laces, pomegranates. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Violets, milk chocolate, raisins, rye bread, sea salt, vanilla sponge, black tea, coffee, hints of artificial grape flavour. With water, cinnamon, black tea, gas, violets, raisins. 
Finish: Long. Rye bread, milk chocolate, artificial grape flavour, hints of gas. 

Comments: 

Complicated and intense. This is quite an unusual wine cask finished whisky, lots of floral and winey notes, but also cereally and feinty. It rewards introspection, which is exactly what I want, most of the time.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenallachie 14yo 2006/2021 Deployment 1 (SBWAS Exclusive)

Glenallachie 14yo 2006/2021 Deployment 1 (SBWAS Exclusive)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark amber red
60.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brown paper, golden syrup, honeycomb, pu erh tea, coffee. With water, orange peel, golden syrup, raisins, honeycomb. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, oily, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, raisins, golden syrup, vanilla, pomegranate molasses, cloves, nutmeg, allspice. With water, honeycomb, fresh baked bread, cloves, pu erh tea. 
Finish: Long. Chocolate, coffee, nutmeg, allspice. 

Comments: 

I never knew there was a sherry bomb whisky society! This whisky is sweet and luscious, the cask seems to have overtaken the distillery character. Lots of spice, honey, some bitter elements like chocolate and coffee. Highly drinkable.

Verdict:

I like this.