Bushmills The Original

Bushmills The Original

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ulster
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pencil erasers, honey, orange peel, green tea, cucumbers, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, pencil erasers, fresh baked bread, orange peel, golden syrup, vanilla, white pepper. 
Finish: Long. Malted grains, golden syrup, vanilla, white pepper, hints of cucumbers. 

Comments: 

The new entry level Bushmills (or new-ish? Not sure). It’s decent - some flinty, malty notes in a sea of sweet stuff. Enjoyable and a session dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Convalmore 38yo 1982/2020

Convalmore 38yo 1982/2020

Prívate Collection, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale amber, hints of copper 
54.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, black tea, raisins, camphor, dark chocolate, greengages, orange peel. With water, cream, magic marker, pear drops, greengages. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, camphor, leather, raisins, honey, dark chocolate, orange peel, magic marker. With water, dark chocolate, leather, greengages, honey. 
Finish: Long. Magic marker, dark chocolate, white grapes, greengages. 

Comments: 

Old whisky but not the old bottle effect! Sweet and creamy, but with a slightly bitter undertone of camphor and black tea. A lovely pleasure to drink.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Convalmore 28yo 1977/2005 (2005 Special Releases)

Convalmore 28yo 1977/2005 (2005 Special Releases)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale amber
57.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mint, leather, black tea, fresh cut grass, white grapes, black pepper, ginger, hints of vanilla. With water, leather, white grapes, mint. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, jasmine, ginger, camphor, black pepper, raisins, orange peel, hints of white grapes. With water, greengages, white grapes, fresh cut grass, leather. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, black pepper, ginger, white grapes, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

Sweet and herbal, very complex and fruity. It opens up a lot with water, but the layers are quite hard to discern dril each other. It takes time to enjoy this whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenury Royal 22yo 1984/2006

Glenury Royal 22yo 1984/2006

Rarest of the Rare, Duncan Taylor
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale gold
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, roast chicken, barley sugar, fresh baked bread, sea salt, apples, chalk, soy sauce. With water, pears, lemon zest, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh baked bread, chalk, hints of lemon zest. With water, lemon zest, white grapes, pears, hints of lavender. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, white grapes, barley sugar, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Cask 3046. Floral and light, with a little bit of old bottle effect, this Josh is spectacular. Lots of underlying, slightly feinty and sulphurous notes, but these are gentle and complement the floral fruit. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenlochy 31yo 1980/2011

Glenlochy 31yo 1980/2011

Cask Strength Collection, Signatory
Single malt - Western Highlands
Golden
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roast pork, white grapes, rhubarb and custard sweets, magic marker, fresh baked bread, nutmeg. With water, peaches, magic marker, pears, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, leather, peaches, nutmeg, cloves, roast pork, chalk, hints of smoke. With water, leather, white grapes, cloves, violets. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, leather, white pepper, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

Cask 2825. Extremely complex and layered whisky. There’s plenty of everything for everyone. It’s mostly floral, but not the pungent florality of ginger or turmeric, instead it’s gentle flowers and perhaps some acetone-like notes. Lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenlochy 24yo 1980/2005

Glenlochy 24yo 1980/2005

Rarest of the Rare, Duncan Taylor 
Single malt - Western Highlands
Copper gold 
61.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: White chocolate, white pepper, galangal, leather, roast pork, lemon zest, magic marker, sea salt. With water, magic marker, fresh baked bread, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, hot, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, nectarines, galangal, white pepper, vanilla, fresh baked bread, magic marker. With water, fresh baked bread, vanilla, nectarines, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, leather, white chocolate, nectarines, hints of roast pork. 

Comments: 

A meaty herbal, sweet and fruity Glenlochy. Very complex, it needs time to open up, nearly 30 minutes, to develop to its full range of flavours. Lots of floral notes as well, plenty of galangal.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dallas Dhu 32yo 1975/2007

Dallas Dhu 32yo 1975/2007

Cask Strength Collection, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale gold
47.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rhubarb and custard sweets, soor ploom sweets, toffee, honey, vanilla, green apples, lime zest. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Soor ploom sweets, leather, celery salt, toffee, honey, lime zest, lemon curd, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. Peat, leather, lime zest, cinnamon, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Very sweet and tangy whisky, but with a dark smoky edge. The smoke is very faint, and only really appears on the finish. Plenty of bright sweet notes that I did not expect in a whisky that’s been in the bottle a while.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 59.48 (Teaninich 30yo 1983/2013)

SMWS 59.48 (Teaninich 30yo 1983/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber, hints of gold
51.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, photocopy paper, pineapples, green tea, sandalwood, hints of pear drops. With water, magic marker, pineapples, photocopy paper. 

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, oily, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Green tea, malted grains, yoghurt, white pepper, sandalwood, peaches, hints of wet stones. With water, smoke, leather, pineapples, green tea. 
Finish: Long. Wet stones, yoghurt, fresh baked bread, peaches, hints of green tea. 

Comments: 

Complex and minerally, this whisky still tastes bright and vibrant despite its age. Plenty of tannic, feinty notes dominate some mild fruit and spice. Very good indeed, excellent old highland whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Teaninich 1975 (bottled 1989)

Teaninich 1975 (bottled 1989)

Connoisseurs Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, leather, sultanas, pineapples, honey, clay dust, peaches, sandalwood, hints of roast beef. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, expands, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, black tea, camphor, Chinese angelica, honey, sultanas, peaches, hints of golden syrup. 
Finish: Long. Camphor, honey, peaches, leather, hints of sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Sweet and meaty, lots of tropical fruit notes, but it’s buried under a lot of old bottle effect. It turns the whisky herbal and savoury. Normally I would really enjoy that effect, but I think in this case, it’s obscured some of the more interesting flavours.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Millburn 18yo 1977/1996

Millburn 18yo 1977/1996

Cooper’s Choice, Vintage Malt Whisky Co
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, leather, cinder toffee, applesauce, papayas, lemon zest, Chinese angelica, hints of candied oranges. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, slippery, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, applesauce, leather, honey, cinder toffee, passionfruit, hints of papayas, hints of charcoal ash. 
Finish: Medium. Charcoal ash, cinder toffee, leather, passionfruit, hints of papayas. 

Comments: 

Well, this Millburn is much less smoke-forward than some others, instead there’s a faint ashy flavour, underneath all that fruit. It’s very gentle and mild.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.