Ardnahoe Infinite Loch

Ardnahoe Infinite Loch

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Buttercups
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanut butter, driftwood smoke, peat, tobacco leaf, fresh cut grass, hints of cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peanut butter, peat, driftwood smoke, cloves, chocolate, butter, hints of red grapes. 
Finish: Short. Smoke, leather, peat, peanut butter, honey. 

Comments: 

Smoky and herbal, lots of nutty notes in the background. Cloves make an appearance, but it’s not easy to discern under all that smoke. A complex, layered dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Floki 3yo Single Cask Barrel 20

Floki 3yo Single Cask Barrel 20

Official bottling
Single malt - Capital Region
Yellow gold 
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, cream, photocopy paper, parchment, leather, white grapes, malted grains, hints of cinder toffee.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, volatile. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Cinder toffee, smoke, white grapes, yoghurt, parchment, malted grains, diesel exhaust, hints of lemon juice. 
Finish: Long. Soot, yoghurt, cream, diesel exhaust. 

Comments: 

Barrel 20. Quite smoky, lots of bittersweet toffee notes. There’s that parchment and photocopy paper again. Also a lot of hydrocarbon smoke, sweetish on the nose.

Verdict:

I like this.

Floki 3yo Double Wood Reserve 2019

Floki 3yo Double Wood Reserve 2019

Official bottling 
Single malt - Capital Region
Dark gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, pencil erasers, white pepper, gooseberries, leather, parchment. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour. Pencil erasers, gooseberries, parchment, photocopy paper, rye bread, malted grains, hints of leather. 
Finish: Short. Parchment, green tea, leather, pencil erasers. 

Comments: 

Cask Floki SM2 and Cask Birch 2. Very feinty and odd, lots of slightly sulphurous notes and a lot of parchment and penci erasers. Sour and slightly tannic too. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Mhor 10yo 1978/1989

Glen Mhor 10yo 1978/1989

Intertrade
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
65.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: White pepper, fresh cut grass, pear drops, lemon juice, sandalwood, white grapes, gooseberries. With water, oats, farmyard, sandalwood, pear drops, magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, hot, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Magic marker, pear drops, marmalade, lemon juice, malted grains, farmyard, white pepper, hints of white grapes. With water, magic marker, pear drops, white pepper, lemon juice. 
Finish: Long. Magic marker, pear drops, lemon juice, farmyard. 

Comments: 

Very estery, lots of pear drop and magic marker notes. The acetone soon morphs into gooseberries and sandalwood. Water brings out some cereal and even some farmyard notes.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

The Matsui Sakura Cask

The Matsui Sakura Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu 
Very pale gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, malted grains, honey, cream, white pepper, orange peel, hints of cherry blossom. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cinder toffee, honey, malted grains, orange peel, cherry blossom, white grapes, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, honey, white pepper, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Slightly lactic at the beginning on the nose, but it soon changes to cream, honey, white pepper and cherry blossom. Very Japanese, very delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenburgie 36yo 1980/2017

Glenburgie 36yo 1980/2017

Old and Rare Platinum, Hunter Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Yellow gold
47.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, white grapes, gooseberries, dark chocolate, pencil lead, hints of coconut cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, gooseberries, peaches, pencil lead, leather, white pepper, hints of coconut cream. 
Finish: Short. Chocolate, coconut cream, gooseberries, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Feinty and sweet, with tangy side notes of gooseberries and sour peaches. It’s a little flat on the finish, but that’s after a lot of fireworks going on in the mouth. A very, very nice dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenburgie 45yo 1975/2020

Glenburgie 45yo 1975/2020

Dalswinton Series, Claxton’s 
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
44.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconut cream, mint, sultanas, lemon zest, sea salt, chalk, peaches, pencil lead. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Leather, celery salt, coconut cream, sea salt, chalk, raisins, white pepper, hints of pencil lead. 
Finish: Medium. Sultanas, white pepper, pencil lead, coconut cream. 

Comments: 

Very, very coconutty, lots of savoury and feinty notes underneath that layer. It’s got some spice and fruity notes, and a little chalk, but the coconut is predominant. Excellent dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 49 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 49 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Official bottling
Single malt - British Columbia
Copper amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, black tea, raisins, damson jam, peanuts, chocolate, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, thickens, turns syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, raisins, oak chips, coffee, chocolate, black pepper. 
Finish: Short. Oak chips, raisins, black pepper, aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

Quite sharp, I don’t think red wine finishes work well with all whiskies, and I think here it obscures the maltiness of the distillate. Still, there are some interesting metallic and pepper notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Pelter 5yo Batch 2

Pelter 5yo Batch 2

Official bottling
Single malt - Northern District
Dark gold 
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, lemon zest, sour cream, watermelon rind, milk powder, hints of butterscotch. With water, cream, cotton candy, vanilla, butterscotch. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Lemon zest, sour cream, honey, cinder toffee, butterscotch, white grapes, hints of tyre rubber. With water, cinder toffee, tyre rubber, cream, hints of white grapes. 
Finish: Long. Cinder toffee, white grapes, watermelon rind, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Estery and fruity at the beginning, but with some time in the glass, it turns a little malty and lactic. Needs a bit more time in the cask. The finish is long, but harsh at first. Reasonable dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Chichibu London Edition 2024

Chichibu London Edition 2024

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Golden bronze
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, cherry blossom, orange peel, lemon zest, vanilla, apricots, pears. With water, chocolate, vanilla, cream, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Vanilla, malted grains, white grapes, lemon zest, cherry blossom, apricots, pears. With water, starfruit, vanilla, malted grains, cherry blossom. 
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, lemon zest, white grapes, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

Sweet, fruity and light, but layered and complex. Lots of different white fruits vie for dominance on the tongue. Water brings out more creaminess and maltiness, especially on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.