Monkey Shoulder

Monkey Shoulder

William Grant & Sons
Vatted malt - Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Kininvie
Amber gold
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Oak and sherry. Pear beer, plum brandy, oranges and cinnamon. Buttery notes underneath.
Mouthfeel: Medium body. Watery around the edges.
Taste: Tangy at the edges. Slightly salty. Coconut, raspberries, heather honey, bananas. Citrus notes.
Finish: Long. Lemons and oranges. Turns iodine and medicinal at the end.

Comments:

Vatted from Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Kininvie. The orange is the Balvenie, pear beer the Glenfiddich. Maybe the Kininvie is the plums (or bananas?). Anyhow, it's quite funny that monkeys would like to drink banana flavoured whisky (actually, it's named after a condition that distillery workers used to get after turning the malted barley one time too many). Pretty tasty, although the whisky is meant for making cocktails...

Verdict:

I like this.

Scapa 12 yo

Scapa 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands (Orkney)
Straw gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Citrus, grapefruit, coconut, chocolate, fresh cut grass, hint of pineapple.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick. Sits in a little ball on the tongue.
Tasting: Salty. Tangy, coconut, chocolate, Bounty Bar, raisins, apricots, hint of peat.
Finish: Long. Chocolate, oranges, pomeloes, grapefruit, lemon.

Comments:

Great mouthfeel, very pleasantly fruity finish. Shame this distillery didn't really produce whisky for years. The younger official expression is very much like a cross between a Bounty Bar and a Cadbury Fruit and Nut on steroids.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glengoyne 17 yo

Glengoyne 17 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - South Highlands
Orange honey gold
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Chocolate covered raisins, dark chocolate and oak. Grapes and apricots. Some faint minty, grassy notes.
Mouthfeel: Thick and viscous. Heavy body.
Taste: Sweet, winey and rich. Chocolate and grappa. Sweet, juicy California raisins.
Finish: Medium length, salty and sweet. Coffee and toast. Chocolate bonbons.

Comments:

Excellent whisky - the oak influence has combined well with the chocolate flavours. Reminds me of Christmas. This is a dessert whisky in any case, best had with something sweet. And Maltesers won't do either. It's got to be Christmas pudding.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Balvenie 12 yo DoubleWood

Balvenie 12 yo DoubleWood

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber, tinge of pink
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Oak, sherry, then lots and lots of oranges (peel, marmalade, juice etc).

Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands in the mouth, turns watery.
Taste: Sweet sour. Vanilla, toffee, honey, lavender and something very like raspberries.
Finish: Medium to long in length, faint but lingering, peanuts and burnt sugar.

Comments:

This whisky has been matured for most of its 12 years in bourbon casks, then transferred into sherry casks for about 2 years after that. I found this quite pleasant drinking, although there was almost too much orange in the nose. In the mouth there were more things to enjoy, and I liked the caramelly finish. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teacher's Highland Cream

Teacher's Highland Cream

Fortune Brands
Blended malt
Amber
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Medicinal antiseptic, iodine, listerine, smoke, hint of pear drops, hint of magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, syrupy, milky, rollable.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peat, bread, cereal, buttered rye toast.
Finish: Short. Bitter, malty, oak.

Comments:

Great fun with the mouthfeel - each mouthful can be rolled around the tongue for ages. Excellent buttery, bready, cereally notes in the tasting, but the finish is something of a letdown. Nice to play with, but drinking is just okay.

Verdict:

I like this.

Edradour 10 yo

Edradour 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Straw
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Chocolate covered raisins, minty Kendal cake, hint of coffee, blackcurrant underneath.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly syrupy.
Tasting: Sour. Tangy, lemon, mint, grassy.
Finish: Short. Raisins, blackcurrant, dark chocolate.

Comments:

Oddly refreshing - it's like having a mint and a lemon sweet together. The whisky freshens the mouth, despite not being as light as say a Lowlands would be. Quite happy with this, and I wish the independent bottlings were cheaper.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lagavulin 16 yo

Lagavulin 16 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islay
Amber gold
43% ABV
Mini

Nose: Smoke, peat, heather honey, salt, iodine, hint of apricots.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, watery around the edges.
Tasting: Salty sour. Intense smoke, intense peat, lemon, hints of sherry, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Long. Sherry, vanilla, fades to smoke.

Comments:

Lovely smoke. I can taste a glimmer of Port Ellen in this (without the fish of course), but it stands on its own feet. Sweet fruity notes in the taste and finish add to the fun. Great, great flagship bottling. The Scandinavians like this, and so do I.

Verdict:

I like this.

Chivas Regal 12 yo

Chivas Regal 12 yo

Pernod Ricard
Blended malt
Straw
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Prunes, toffee, armagnac, raisins, heather honey, hint of peat.
Mouthfeel: Thin, light body, wetting.
Tasting: Bitter. Coffee, raisins, chocolate, malt, oats, honey.
Finish: Medium. Tabasco sauce, bitter, malty, slightly sour.

Comments:

Pretty tasty blend - I especially like the way it has a tang of brandy, something I associate with decent armagnac, in the nose. Nice oaky raisins in the tasting, and a surprising spicy finish. Definitely a decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera Reserve

Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Dark honey
40% ABV
Mini

Nose: Cherry blossom, pears, apples, hint of orange, vanilla underneath.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium body, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Pears, cheddar, malted barley, hint of honey.
Finish: Short Sweet, grapefruit, sour and bitter at the end.

Comments:

Aged for 15 years in oak then transferred to a solera aging system (a series of barrels where the spirit is transferred along to the next sequential barrel every time some is bottled). Lots of pear flavour, but I think the solera system have resulted in this spirit being much older than the age statement. There's almost too much oak in it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Maker's Mark (Burks')

Maker's Mark (Burks')

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple sours, coffee, chocolate, caramel.
Mouthfeel: Light body. Watery, smooth, thin around the edges.
Tasting: Sour bitter. Bubble gum, corn mash, coffee cake, smoke, iodine.
Finish: Medium. Coffee, seaweed.

Comments:

No rye in this (according to legend, the recipe was decided by baking loaves of bread and using the grains for malting and distillation). Just corn, barley and wheat. That enhances the bourbon bubble gum trademark a lot. The other interesting note is coffee. There's a lot of it! Small hints of smoke too.

Verdict:

I like this.