Caol Ila 38yo 1984/2023

Caol Ila 38yo 1984/2023

Connoisseur’s Choice Cask Strength, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Islay
Bright gold
53.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Photocopy paper, sandalwood, smoke, peat, green apples, raisins, cloves, nutmeg. With water, green apples, soy sauce, cloves, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Sandalwood, photocopy paper, soy sauce, autumn leaves, smoke, cloves, raisins, hints of honey. With water, peat, smoke, soy sauce, raisins, cloves. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, smoke, soy sauce, honey. 

Comments: 

Cask 3122. ‘The best whisky released in 2023’ it was said. I can believe it. It’s Caol Ila like I’ve never had (and it’s always a pretty decent dram). Intense and complex, waves of peat and smoke roll off a fruity, earthy, even floral base. The glass still smelled amazing the next morning

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Highland Park 26yo Søren Solkjaer Photography

Highland Park 26yo Søren Solkjaer Photography

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber gold
40.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Aluminium foil, raisins, cinnamon, lemon juice, honeydew melons, nutmeg, hints of wet stones. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Honey, sultanas, white grapes, cinnamon, nutmeg, hints of bananas, hints of fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Long. Bananas, white grapes, green tea, fresh cut grass, hints of white pepper. 

Comments: 

A cask that the angels took a lot from, and bottled not a moment too soon. It’s quite spicy, but in a gentle, restrained way, almost as if the cask was tired. Quite a delicious dram. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

The Hearach Batch 1.1

The Hearach Batch 1.1

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Bright gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black olives, olive oil, sea salt, green apples, raisins, hints of basil. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Black olives, olive oil, lemon juice, nutmeg, sultanas, basil, peat, hints of autumn leaves. 
Finish: Short. Autumn leaves, peat, green tea, olive oil, black olives, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Quite a savoury dram, reminds me of a great pizza. Olives are a slightly sulphurous flavour profile, and it’s not very common. The two Harris whiskies I’ve tried have heaps of it though. .

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Jura 34yo 1977/2012 Juar, The Yew Tree

Jura 34yo 1977/2012 Juar, The Yew Tree

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apricots, gooseberries, sour cream, peaches, creme fraiche, fresh cut grass, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Gooseberries, raisins, blackcurrant cordial, creme fraiche, cream, hints of palm sugar. 
Finish: Long. Palm sugar, cream, creme fraiche, blackcurrant cordial. 

Comments: 

A very restrained and gentle Jura. The butyric note, often described as ‘baby sick’ 😂 is not as obvious, it’s more like sour cream or creme fraiche. The floral sweet notes that are in Jura get a chance to come to the fore.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Talisker Distillery Exclusive #2

Talisker Distillery Exclusive #2

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Silvery gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, fresh cut grass, autumn leaves, sea salt, lemon juice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, expands, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Smoke, fresh cut grass, sea salt, green peppers, lemon juice. 
Finish: Long. Lemon juice, green apples, green peppers, sea salt, smoke. 

Comments: 

Quite a stripped back, straightforward Talisker, plenty of sea brine and interesting vegetal notes. It’s laden with earthy peat, prevalent on the nose more than anywhere else. Interesting dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Isle of Skye 18yo (bottled 1980s)

Isle of Skye 18yo (bottled 1980s)

Ian Macleod Distillers
Blended malt - Islands
Bronze
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, desiccated coconut, lemon juice, cucumbers, peat, autumn leaves, hints of malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Desiccated coconut, white chocolate, autumn leaves, peaches, peat, lemon juice, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Long. Lemon juice, peaches, white chocolate, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Great blend, contains a lot of ‘60s Talisker. Less complicated than I thought it would be, also a lot less smoky. It’s still quite earthy and peaty though, and delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenlivet 42yo 1974/2017

Glenlivet 42yo 1974/2017

Exceptional Casks, Berry Bros & Rudd
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
53.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, eucalyptus, wet stones, leather, cloves, sultanas, apricot jam. With water, menthol, eucalyptus, pears, apricot jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, expands, cool. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Wet stones, leather, gooseberries, orange juice, menthol, eucalyptus, sea salt, clay dust. With water, wet stones, apricot jam, gooseberries, leather. 

Finish: Medium. Orange juice, gooseberries, menthol, wet stones, sea salt. 

Comments: 

Cask 8170. Lovely old Glenlivet, rather citrusy and herbal. Quite unlike the Glenlivet of today, which tends to be more apple than orange. Unusual and definitely an ‘experience’ whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Santa Fe Spirits 5yo Batch 1

Santa Fe Spirits 5yo Batch 1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - New Mexico
Amber red 
65.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Camphor, sandalwood, vanilla, pears, black tea, cream, hints of nutmeg. With water, cream, vanilla, aluminium foil, hints of marzipan. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Sandalwood, cream, vanilla, black tea, butter, pears, pear drops, sea salt, hints of milk chocolate. With water, pear drops, cream, vanilla, brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Pears, milk chocolate, cream, butter. 

Comments: 

Floral and woody, lots of esters as well. Water opens it up, and the whisky becomes fruity and feinty. Very promising, takes a lot of water very well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Corowa 4yo Batch 2

Corowa 4yo Batch 2

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - New South Wales
Amber
46.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, blueberry jam, honey, brown paper, cloves, cocoa nibs, hints of black pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Blueberry jam, honey, salt caramel, cocoa nibs, black pepper, hints of matches. 
Finish: Short. Matches, cocoa nibs, salt caramel, raisins. 

Comments: 

Sweet, clearly from a wine cask of some sort. Very jammy but there’s a little sulphur peeking through. It’s a little young, perhaps a little age would integrate the flavours more.

Verdict:

I like this.

Linlithgow 26yo 1975/2001

Linlithgow 26yo 1975/2001

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Lowlands
Golden yellow
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, lemon zest, vanilla ice cream, malted grains, pears, cough syrup, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands slightly, mouth coating, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Malted grains, hoppy beer, vanilla ice cream, peaches, cough syrup, honey, pears, hints of celery salt. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, malted grains, pears, peaches, honey. 

Comments: 

Beautiful old St Magdalene, lots of malted, stripped back fruit, exactly the style I love. There’s just a hint of old bottle effect, which offsets the maltiness and sweetness. Delicious.  

Verdict:

I like this a lot.