Teeling Blackpitts Big Smoke Cask Strength

Teeling Blackpitts Big Smoke Cask Strength

Official bottling
Single malt - Leinster
Dark gold, hints of orange
56.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, smoke, orange blossom, dark chocolate, soot, strawberry jam. With water, autumn leaves, peat, soot. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Orange blossom, lemon zest, smoke, peat, rubber bands, soot, diesel exhaust. With water, peat, rubber bands, lemon zest. 
Finish: Medium. Diesel exhaust, dark chocolate, coffee, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Sooty and intense, but also floral. The orange blossom note merges quite with the diesel exhaust note, and overlays a not unpleasant, rubbery, slightly sulphurous flavour. Complex and interesting.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Keith 23yo 1997/2021

Glen Keith 23yo 1997/2021

15 Years, The Nectar
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
49.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Photocopy paper, lemon sweets, wet stones, magic marker, malted grains, hints of sour cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sour. Malted grains, lemon sweets, wet stones, magic marker, membrillo, barley sugar, hints of cinnamon. 

Finish: Long. Lemon sweets, wet stones, barley sugar, hints of membrillo, hints of sour cream. 

Comments: 

Feinty and malty, and a little bit lactic. That last bit spoils it slightly for me - clashes with the deep jammy fruit notes that characterise this whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Keith 28yo Special Aged Release

Glen Keith 28yo Special Aged Release

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Light copper
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, hoppy beer, bananas, honey, cloves, hints of sarsaparilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Malted grains, hoppy beer, sarsaparilla, coffee, cloves, barley sugar, hints of dark chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Cherries, cough syrup, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Bottled 2019. Very rich and intense, malty, chocolatey, and herbal, almost everything I want in a Speyside of this age. Absolutely delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ardnahoe 5yo Feis Isle 2024

Ardnahoe 5yo Feis Isle 2024

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Pale green gold
59.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, lemon sweets, sea salt, peat, green tea, fresh cut grass, hints of white grapes. With water, white grapes, magic marker, autumn leaves. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Lemon sweets, white grapes, peat, smoke, green tea, leather, apricot jam, photocopy paper. With water, white grapes, apricot jam, honey, peat. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, peat, autumn leaves, leather, hints of apricot jam. 

Comments: 

Excellent Islay whisky. There’s sweetness underneath the smoke and peat, and also more than a little apricot jamminess. Water brings that fruitiness to the fore, but it doesn’t need very much.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Wilderness Trail 4yo Family Reserve, for the British Bourbon Society

Wilderness Trail 4yo Family Reserve, for the British Bourbon Society

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber brown
56.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, bananas, cinnamon, persimmons, caramel, raisins, milk powder. With water, cream, prunes, cinnamon, brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Milk powder, cream, cinnamon, icing sugar, raisins, prunes, hints of sea salt. With water, raisins, blackberries, prunes, milk powder. 
Finish: Short. Milk powder, cream, prunes, cinnamon, raisins. 

Comments: 

Barrel 15D07. Fruity, milky, a hint of sea salt - this is what I always look for in a bourbon! Trust the British Bourbon Society to pick something that appeals massively to Scotch drinkers. Brilliant whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Overeem Sherry Cask Matured Cask Strength (Cask OHD-94)

Overeem Sherry Cask Matured Cask Strength (Cask OHD-94)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tasmania
Amber
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cotton sheets, photocopy paper, blueberries, black tea, raisins, driftwood smoke, hints of malted grains. With water, peanuts, lohan fruit, coffee, blueberries. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Sea salt, wheat beer, blueberries, malted grains, raisins, peanuts, driftwood smoke, hints of gooseberries. With water, black tea, driftwood smoke, blueberries, coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Wheat beer, sea salt, black tea, blueberries. 

Comments: 

Cask OHD-94. Very fruity, lots of feinty and malty notes still break through the sherry cask influence. It’s also surprisingly smoky, lots of savoury umami as well. Highly complex, needs a bit more time in wood I’d say.

Verdict:

I like this.

Cooper King First Edition Expedition Series

Cooper King First Edition Expedition Series

Official bottling
Single malt - Yorkshire
Yellow gold
48.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, malted grains, raisins, lemon juice, soor ploom sweets, black pepper. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, mouth coating, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Toffee, blackberries, raisins, fresh baked bread, lemon juice, soor plooms, malted grains. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, lemon juice, fresh baked bread, black pepper, blackberries. 

Comments: 

Estery, quite funky, but also sweet and reasonably well balanced. Underneath the cask influence there’s a good deal of cereally malt. Decent and distinctive.

Verdict:

I like this.

Rosemullion Batch WHY2

Rosemullion Batch WHY2

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cornwall
Sunshine yellow
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, watermelons, pear drops, white grapes, cucumbers, cotton sheets, hints of apple skins. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, mouth coating, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour. Watermelons, apple skins, lemon juice, magic marker, vanilla, barley sugar, cucumbers. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, lemon juice, watermelons, magic marker, hints of bananas. 

Comments: 

Batch WHY2. Quite unusual, and distinctive. It mainly tastes like cucumber and watermelons, with some very estery pear drops notes. The finish is surprisingly sweet given how tart it is on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this.

Aber Falls 2021 Release

Aber Falls 2021 Release

Official bottling
Single malt - North Wales
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, lemon sweets, green tea, white grapes, vanilla, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, oily, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Green tea, lemon sweets, malted grains, vanilla, cream, lemon zest, barley sugar. 

Finish: Medium. Pencil erasers, cream, vanilla, lemon sweets. 

Comments: 

Fruity, quite citrusy, lots of tannins (but fragrant ones). It’s got an oily mouth feel that is very pleasant indeed. Not hugely complex, but tasty and satisfying.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Aberfeldy 18yo Tuscan Red Wine Cask Finish

Aberfeldy 18yo Tuscan Red Wine Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber pink
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, raspberries, cream, white grapes, Demerara sugar, milk, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Cinnamon, molasses, raspberries, cream, golden syrup, gooseberries, photocopy paper. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, coffee, molasses, raspberries, golden syrup. 

Comments: 

Batch 2922/A. The red wine finish is relatively well integrated here, giving a creamy raspberry jam sort of vibe. There’s other fruits as well, and some gently feinty notes too. Decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.