Benromach 15yo

Benromach 15yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple juice, raisins, black pepper, blackberries, orange peel, sandalwood, hints of smoke. 

Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, white wine, black pepper, blackberries, marmalade, chocolate, coffee, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Blackberries, raisins, white wine, cloves, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Fruity and jammy, lots of chocolate and something bitter - probably coffee. There’s spicy notes too, of the sort I normally associate with rye, so that’s black pepper. It’s excellent whisky, certainly one of the best 15yo whiskies I’ve had in a while.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cotswolds 5yo 2018/2023

Cotswolds 5yo 2018/2023

#06, The Heart Cut
Single malt - Warwickshire 
Amber red 
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple juice, caramel, strawberry laces, oatcakes, aluminium foil, pears. With water, strawberry laces, apple juice, pears. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Apple juice, caramel, oatcakes, cola nuts, red grapes, butterscotch, hints of aluminium foil. With water, black pepper, oatcakes, cocoa nibs, apple juice. 
Finish: Medium. Black pepper, cola nuts, oatcakes, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

Intense and fruity, lots of sweet notes but also a tartness that you get from malic acid and red grapes. It’s feinty too, and complex. Water dissolves some of the tart notes and brings out even more fruitiness. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Convalmore 36yo 1977/2013 (2013 Special Releases)

Convalmore 36yo 1977/2013 (2013 Special Releases)

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Light amber 
58% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, malted grains, camphor, aluminium foil, mangoes, papayas, hints of passionfruit. With water, raisins, passionfruit, oatcakes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, volatile, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, camphor, papayas, honey, mangoes, peaches, ginseng, hints of black tea. With water, malted grains, peaches, honey, black tea. 
Finish: Long. Black pepper, pencil lead, oatcakes, raisins, photocopy paper. 

Comments: 

Lots of tropical fruit, but also a tart floral note that I identify as passionfruit. Again that herbaceous bitter note underneath, but this time the finish is flinty and feinty rather that fruity and fragrant.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Convalmore 32yo 1984/2017 (2017 Special Releases)

Convalmore 32yo 1984/2017 (2017 Special Releases)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mangoes, peaches, malted grains, honey, vanilla ice cream, white pepper, hints of camphor. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, turns syrupy, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Vanilla ice cream, mangoes, peaches, camphor, ginseng, malted grains, cream, hints of condensed milk. 
Finish: Long. Honeydew melons, cream, peaches, malted grains, hints of camphor. 

Comments: 

More old Convalmore, lots of tropical fruit and a deep, intense, bitter and herbaceous note. A long fruity finish of melons and peaches, but overlaid on a big malty spine. Very good indeed .

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 35.247 (Glen Moray 11yo 2008/2019)

SMWS 35.247 (Glen Moray 11yo 2008/2019)

2019, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Amber bronze

65% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, almonds, walnut skins, cinnamon, cloves, apple juice, dates, toffee. With water, raisins, white pepper, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cream, raisins, walnut skins, cedar, toffee, white pepper, dates, cocoa nibs. With water, raisins, cream, brown paper, honey. 
Finish: Long. Cream, cocoa nibs, cloves, raisins, dates. 

Comments: 

Sherried Speyside, very classic, very high in ABV. Lots of bitter notes offset the sweet, and there’s a good sherried nuttiness that pervades the whole dram. Stands out among a crowded pack.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Belgrove Rye 3yo

Belgrove Rye 3yo

Bonded International Series, Killowen bottler 
Single rye - Tasmania
Amber, hints of red
60.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ume, oatcakes, new plastic, white pepper, cumin, photocopy paper, aluminium foil. With water, sea salt, damson jam, aluminium foil, ume.  
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, mouth coating, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Aluminium foil, camphor, mace, cumin, photocopy paper, damson jam, ume. With water, leather, aluminium foil, Chinese angelica, sea salt. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, cumin, damson jam, ume, mace. 

Comments: 

Sweet, peppery and feinty. This is the Tasmanian whisky dried with sheep dung. It’s not as farmyardy as the previous Belgrove I had, but it’s quite spicy and savoury. Unusual and highly enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Braeval 9yo Batch 5

Braeval 9yo Batch 5

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Speyside
Dark amber
57.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dark chocolate, honey, vanilla, molasses, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon. With water, honey, molasses, dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Molasses, dark chocolate, honey, vanilla, roast pork, black pepper, cocoa nibs, black tea, hints of sea salt. With water, raisins, cream, damson jam, molasses, dark chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Mint, black pepper, dark chocolate, sea salt, hints of roast pork. 

Comments: 

Sherried Braeval, lots of spicy sweet notes. Particularly molasses, deep, dark and a little bitter. Water brings in more jammy notes, and a little cream. Enjoyable dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Daftmill 12yo 2011/2023 Summer Batch Release

Daftmill 12yo 2011/2023 Summer Batch Release

Official bottling

Single malt - Lowlands
Amber pink
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Tea tree oil, peaches, pineapples, passionfruit, mangoes, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens slightly, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Green tea, white pepper, peaches, passionfruit, white pepper, cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, peaches, tea tree oil, mangoes. 

Comments: 

Very fruity, slightly grassy Daftmill. The herbal character of earlier releases isn’t there so much anymore, it’s been replaced by gentle, restrained fruit. It’s more stone fruit than tropical fruit now too.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Garioch 25yo 1990/2015

Glen Garioch 25yo 1990/2015

25th Anniversary, Usquebaugh Society
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden, hints of copper
56.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, winter melons, white chocolate, orange juice, honeydew melons, hints of cough syrup. With water, milk chocolate, orange juice, lemon zest, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, winter melons, celery salt, fresh cut grass, raisins, honeydew melons, milk chocolate, hints of cough syrup. With water, leather, orange juice, honeydew melons. 
Finish: Medium. Milk chocolate, cough syrup, leather, raisins, cloves. 

Comments: 

Cask 7937. Milky and chocolatey Glen Garioch, with some old bottle effect and lots of fruit. The peppery distillate seems to have been toned down a bit, but there’s still some funk present.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Mortlach 36yo 1986/2022

Mortlach 36yo 1986/2022

Limited, Adelphi
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
51.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, blueberry jam, cough syrup, pear drops, cocoa nibs, cloves. With water, pear drops, winter melons, blueberry jam. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Butter, vanilla, cloves, blueberry jam, raisins, pear drops, hints of leather, hints of smoke. With water, cocoa nibs, winter melons, pear drops. 
Finish: Long. Pear drops, blueberry jam, cloves, cinnamon, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Cask 2040. Superb old Mortlach, lots of fruity notes, with the robust meaty notes toned down to unctuous butter. With water the twist of smoke is even more apparent. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.