New Riff Straight Rye Whiskey

New Riff Straight Rye Whiskey

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, photocopy paper, leather, white pepper, blackcurrant cordial, oatcakes, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, cherries, white pepper, leather, photocopy paper, cloves. 
Finish: Long. Photocopy paper, blackcurrant cordial, raisins, cherries, white pepper. 

Comments: 

A flinty, feinty, spicy rye. Lots of cereal notes too, and there’s a bit of barley in this, if I’m any judge. Lots of fruity cough syrup notes as well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Micil Earl’s Island

Micil Earl’s Island

Micil distillery
Single malt - Leinster
Pale amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: White pepper, yoghurt, cinder toffee, malted grains, lemon zest, hints of green peppers. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, chalky, loosens slightly, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Yoghurt, lemon zest, malted grains, wheat, fresh cut grass, hints of hoppy beer. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, lemon zest, malted grains, hints of tyre rubber. 

Comments: 

Spicy and butyric, with a vegetal undertone. The mouth feel is gritty and chalky, rather odd. There’s also some sulphur on the finish. This has been sourced from the Great Northern Distillery.

Verdict:

I like this.

Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch 2

Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch 2

Official bottling
Single malt - Yorkshire
Golden 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, wet stones, lemon zest, honey, hay, driftwood smoke, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Honey, leather, peanuts, hay, lemon zest, wet stones, cinnamon, driftwood smoke, ginseng. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, sultanas, wet stones, peat, hints of toast. 

Comments: 

Lightly peated, the whisky has a savoury edge to it, but it’s also minerally and citrusy. It’s gentle and subtle, quite an enjoyable dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

A Ross-shire Distillery 12yo 2011/2023

A Ross-shire Distillery 12yo 2011/2023

Thompson Brothers 
Single malt - North Highlands
Sunshine yellow 
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, apricots, peaches, vanilla, hoppy beer, honey, hints of sultanas. With water, vanilla, honey, peaches. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, mouth coating, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Apricots, peaches, hoppy beer, malted grains, vanilla, cotton candy, hints of bubble gum. With water, malted grains, apricots, hoppy beer, sultanas. 
Finish: Medium. Bubble gum, malted grains, cotton candy, apricots. 

Comments: 

Lots of stone fruit notes. It’s a malty giant, but also floral with other slightly chemical esters. As a rule I don’t like bubble gum flavours in my whisky, but here it’s a nice little accent on the flavour profile.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Stauning Sweet Wine Cask Rye Whiskey

Stauning Sweet Wine Cask Rye Whiskey

Official bottling
Single rye - Midtjylland
Golden brown
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, black pepper, blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, raisins, hints of strawberry jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands slightly, slippery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Black pepper, blackcurrant cordial, cough syrup, raisins, cherries, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Short. Cough syrup, raisins, cherries, orange peel, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Straightforward rye whisky from Stauning. The ‘sweet wine’ cask seems to have given it some cherry and cough syrup notes, so it tastes quite medicinal. And pleasant, actually, like it will do you a power of good. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Bivrost Vanaheim

Bivrost Vanaheim

Official bottling
Single malt - Nord-Norge
Silvery gold 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, white wine, creme de marron, apple juice, raisins, cloves, hints of lychees. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Leather, oak chips, weetabix, butterscotch, creme de marron, cloves, lychees, hints of tyre rubber. 
Finish: Long. Hay, raisins, oak chips, cloves, creme de marron. 

Comments: 

Teak casked whisky. It’s chestnutty and woody, with a big wheaty cereal spine. Quite delicious for a world whisky, unusual and interesting. New year, new distillery, new wood finish. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glencadam 11yo 2011/2022 Parcel No 10

Glencadam 11yo 2011/2022 Parcel No 10

Reserve Casks, Single Malts of Scotland
Single malt - East Highlands
Silvery gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, yogurt, lemon juice, fresh cut grass, sultanas, hints of cinder toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, astringent, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Yoghurt, wet stones, cinder toffee, cinnamon, fresh cut grass, malted grains, hints of toast. 
Finish: Short. Wet stones, cinder toffee, cinnamon, clay dust, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Malty and light, some grassy notes, but in the main it’s flinty and slightly toasty. Somewhat low on the complexity front. Very much a session dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

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.