Benriach 22yo 1999/2021

Benriach 22yo 1999/2021

Connoisseur’s Choice Cask Strength, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
57.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, apple juice, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, hints of white grapes. With water, hoppy beer, apple juice, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, hoppy beer, nutmeg, white grapes, clay dust, vanilla, hints of gooseberries. With water, hoppy beer, ginseng, vanilla, lemon zest. 
Finish: Long. Clay dust, lemon zest, lemon sweets, apple juice, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Cask 29257. Citrusy, yet malty and slightly dusty, lots of layers of complexity, and subtle shifts of flavours on the tongue. They’re deep rather than wide though. Enjoyable and tast dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Daftmill Winter Release 2008 (bottled 2020)

Daftmill Winter Release 2008 (bottled 2020)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Bright gold
46% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Peaches, white wine, hoppy beer, apricot jam, leather, hints of autumn leaves. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Hoppy beer, vanilla, apricot jam, peaches, marshmallows, cotton candy, hints of tea tree oil. 
Finish: Medium. Cotton candy, vanilla, hoppy beer, apricot jam. 

Comments: 

Lovely, floral, fruity Daftmill. It’s not so herbal, instead being very heavy on the stone fruit and other sweet notes. Complex and tasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Hudson Whiskey NY

Hudson Whiskey NY

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - New York

Amber brown 
46% ABV

Bottle

Nose: Raisins, milk chocolate, cocoa nibs, maraschino cherries, brown paper, salt caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, tingly, oily. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Brown paper, white pepper, sandalwood, oak chips, salt caramel, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Oak chips, salt caramel, milk chocolate, white pepper. 

Comments: 

I’ve had the earlier versions of this bourbon several years ago. They’ve improved quite a lot - much more complexity and character. But perhaps I’m judging unfairly, my own palate has improved too! Decent dram. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Chestnut Wood Strathearn

Chestnut Wood Strathearn

Robertson’s of Pitlochry
Single malt - Central Highlands
Dark copper
59% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toast, driftwood smoke, autumn leaves, black pepper, white spirit, nutmeg, hints of cloves. With water, raisins, nutmeg, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, warm, mouth coating, loosens slightly.  
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Autumn leaves, black pepper, white spirit, tobacco leaf, driftwood smoke, hints of charcoal ash. With water, raisins, roast pork, charcoal ash. 
Finish: Medium. Tobacco leaf, black pepper, charcoal ash, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

Unusual bottle - chestnut wood isn’t very common, especially in scotch. It’s smoky and savoury, lots of spices and burning things. Not sure the wood fits the distillate, but it’s a decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

East London Liquor Co 3yo 2019/2023

East London Liquor Co 3yo 2019/2023

#02, The Heart Cut
Single rye - London
Red
49.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dark chocolate, orange peel, lemon zest, tyre rubber, cocoa nibs, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, mouth coating, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, cinnamon, tyre rubber, cinder toffee, coffee, hints of cherries. 
Finish: Short. Cinder toffee, cherries, orange peel, black tea, hints of tyre rubber. 

Comments: 

Rye whiskey aged in a chocolate stout cask. It’s sweet and dense, almost like chocolate fruity cake. It’s one of the few cases where a strong ABV was not a good idea, so it comes in at just under 50%, which I think is ideal.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Spey 12yo Flora and Fauna

Glen Spey 12yo Flora and Fauna

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, rose water, yoghurt, toffee, brown sugar, cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, cinder toffee, black tea, cloves, burnt sugar, tyre rubber. 
Finish: Medium. Cinder toffee, burnt sugar, raisins, honey. 

Comments: 

I was surprised that I’d hadn’t had this Flora and Fauna bottling yet. However I found it sulphurous and a little one-dimensional. Sweet with sulphur, which obscures some of the complexity. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Widow Jane American Oak

Widow Jane American Oak

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - New York
Amber
45.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, milk chocolate, raisins, fresh baked bread, strawberry jam, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Milk chocolate, pears, raisins, fresh baked bread, apricot jam, hints of nutmeg, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Cola nuts, cinnamon, apricot jam, pears, milk chocolate.  

Comments: 

Batch 44. Well matured whisky actually made by Widow Jane. Lots of chocolate notes, some pear and jam come to the fore. It’s quite an intense finish as well - more jam and pears. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Killowen 3yo

Killowen 3yo

Redacted Spirits
Single pot still - Ulster 
Pale silver
62.45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toast, oatcakes, bran flakes, vanilla, sultanas, honey, hints of nutmeg. With water, toast, peaches, apple juice, yoghurt. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Gooseberries, apple juice, orange peel, vanilla, tutti frutti, nutmeg, hints of oatcakes. With water, apple juice, green tea, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, gooseberries, apple juice, tutti frutti. 

Comments: 

A rather cereally, lactic young whisky from one of the new crop of distilleries in Ireland. It’s young and strong, and needs a bit of aging.

Verdict:

I like this.

Widow Jane 10yo (bottled 2022)

Widow Jane 10yo (bottled 2022)

Widow Jane distillery
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red

45.5% ABV

Dram

Nose: Autumn leaves, black tea, dunnage, honey, brown paper, hints of dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Brown paper, dark chocolate, honey, oatcakes, toffee, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Brown paper, dark chocolate, orange peel, hints of autumn leaves. 

Comments: 

Batch 627. A sourced bourbon from Widow Jane, so this is a mystery malt. It’s rather one dimensional, unfortunately, lots of dark chocolate and brown paper. It’s pleasant enough though.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bomberger’s Declaration 2023 Release

Bomberger’s Declaration 2023 Release

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Copper amber 
54% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, black tea, autumn leaves, vanilla ice cream, brown paper, hints of milk chocolate. With water, orange peel, whipped cream, milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Hoppy beer, vanilla ice cream, pear drops, milk chocolate, cola nuts, orange peel, hints of cream. With water, aluminium foil, milk chocolate, whipped cream. 
Finish: Medium. Cola nuts, milk chocolate, vanilla ice cream, hoppy beer. 

Comments: 

Batch L23E1952. Sweet and luscious, chocolatey as well. It’s much more like a sherried whisky than a bourbon, surprisingly. Only the occasional whiffs of brown paper and whipped cream remind me it’s from Kentucky.

Verdict:

I like this.