Bunnahabhain 16yo 2004/2021

Bunnahabhain 16yo 2004/2021

Carn Mor
Single malt - Islay
Amber, hints of bronze
56.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, leather, peat, raisins, lemon zest, toffee, cocoa nibs, hints of cinnamon. With water, apple juice, leather, cocoa nibs, peat. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, airy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, leather, pears, cinnamon, smoke, cocoa nibs, coffee, oak chips, hints of vanilla. With water, cocoa nibs, peat, smoke, apple juice. 
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, leather, raisins, apple juice. 

Comments: 

Sweet and smoky, lots of bitter fragrant notes. The smoke is very gentle, almost a lick rather than clouds. But the wood predominates, and reduces the complexity.

Verdict:

I like this.

Penderyn Rich Oak

Penderyn Rich Oak

Official bottling 
Single malt - South Wales
Dark gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, red grapes, vanilla, oak chips, hints of cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, slippery, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, oak chips, toffee, red grapes, vanilla, coffee, hints of butterscotch. 
Finish: Long. Oak chips, raisins, red grapes, coffee. 

Comments: 

Rich and sweet, although very woody. They weren’t kidding about the oak. I’ve always liked Penderyn, and I’m very interested to see whether the whisky ages well. It won’t be long now.

Verdict:

I like this.

Royal Brackla 9yo 2013/2023

Royal Brackla 9yo 2013/2023

James Eadie
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold

46% ABV

Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, lemon sweets, raspberries, peaches, apricots, honey, hints of white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon sweets, apricots, coffee, nutmeg, green tea, malted grains, hints of cinder toffee. 
Finish: Short. Nutmeg, cinder toffee, malted grains, yoghurt. 

Comments: 

Casks 1596, 302353 and 302355. Quite tart and citrusy, but also with a slightly caramelised smoky edge. Bright and refreshing, and characteristic of youngish whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nassif Family Reserve Batch 13

Nassif Family Reserve Batch 13

Nassif Family
Single bourbon - Indiana
Amber
53.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mangoes, coconut, brown paper, vanilla, kiwifruit, rhubarb and custard sweets, lemon zest. With water, coconut, vanilla, mangoes, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Mangoes, kiwifruit, bananas, vanilla, coffee, lemon zest, hints of ginseng. With water, malted grains, coffee, bananas, kiwifruit. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, mangoes, kiwifruit, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Bottled by bourbon enthusiast Gene Nassif ‘for his personal stash’. It’s not bad - not over sweet, lots of other complex, slightly bitter notes. But it’s a little under-aged if you ask me, although that’s how I generally find bourbon. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Carpathian Chianti Cask (bottled 2023)

Carpathian Chianti Cask (bottled 2023)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Sud-Muntenia
Amber copper 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, mushrooms, strawberry jam, honey, cloves, overripe peaches, hints of roast chicken. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Mushrooms, lemon sweets, strawberry jam, overripe peaches, black tea, cocoa nibs, hints of malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon sweets, vitamin C tablets, malted grains, cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

Cask 3761. Lots of earthy mushrooms with citrus goodness, somehow refreshing yet substantial. It’s unusual certainly, and I’m starting to get an idea of the distillery style. Definitely not scotch.

Verdict:

I like this.

Shizuoka Prologue K

Shizuoka Prologue K

Single malt - West Honshu
Dark dusty gold
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, chestnuts, white grapes, white pepper, green tea, lemon zest, hints of vanilla. With water, white pepper, peaches, apricots. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon zest, peaches, nashi pears, apricots, green tea, hints of rose water. With water, apricots, pears, rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, green tea, lemon zest, white grapes, hints of peaches. 

Comments: 

Ooh. Fragrant and fruity, lots of peach and apricot, and a nice oily, mouth feel. This is delicious, and it will get better as it grows older. This is what I imagine young Karuizawa would have tasted like, and of course it’s from the same still. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Shizuoka Prologue W

Shizuoka Prologue W

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu

Bright gold 
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cucumbers, kiwifruit, greengages, white grapes, green tea, chestnuts, hints of honey. With water, greengages, nashi pears, chestnuts. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Malted grains, sandalwood, white grapes, fresh baked bread, black pepper, green tea. With water, black pepper, chestnuts, sandalwood. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, black pepper, white grapes, hints of green tea. 

Comments: 

Earthy whisky, young of course, but also complex and fragrant. It’s not as fruity as I thought, instead it’s malty and has some savoury notes. Those are some interesting things that Shizuoka are doing with the various stills they have.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Overeem 5yo Batch 3

Overeem 5yo Batch 3

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Tasmania
Dusty dark gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, red grapes, roast chicken, black tea, chamomile, nutmeg, brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, raisins, toffee, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, golden syrup, brown paper. 
Finish: Long. Toffee, black tea, raisins, chamomile. 

Comments: 

Sweet and meaty, with some herbal notes. I remember Overeem being sweet, but the complexity is welcome. Don’t often get to try stuff from this distillery, so this was very welcome.

Verdict:

I like this.

Laphroaig 25yo 1997/2023

Laphroaig 25yo 1997/2023

Symington’s Choice, Signatory
Single malt - Islay

Amber
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cooked rice, yoghurt, peat, leather, raisins, honey, hints of germolene. With water, raspberries, peat, sea salt, smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, airy, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Leather, peat, yoghurt, orange peel, sea salt, germolene, driftwood smoke, hints of wasabi. With water, raspberries, peat, sea salt, germolene. 
Finish: Long. Wasabi, yoghurt, leather, honey, cooked rice. 

Comments: 

Cask 3372. Leather and medicine, but with a tangy raspberry hit. Some slightly mustardy notes on the finish. Good stuff, but perhaps a tad unbalanced. And it’s not the good sort of unbalanced either, although it’s almost perfect.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lagavulin 27yo 1991/2018 Casks of Distinction

Lagavulin 27yo 1991/2018 Casks of Distinction

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay
Amber gold 
54.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Driftwood smoke, green apples, sandalwood, camphor, cinnamon, raisins, five spice powder, peat. With water, honey, apricots, five spice powder, driftwood smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, expands, tingly, turns watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Green apples, driftwood smoke, camphor, five spice powder, white pepper, raisins, hints of apricots. With water, menthol, driftwood smoke, peat, apricot jam. 
Finish: Medium. Camphor, mint, five spice powder, driftwood smoke. 

Comments: 

Cask 1515. Brilliant stuff, spicy and sweet but unmistakably Lagavulin. Definitely a cask of distinction. Would that this stuff was more widely available and I had more of it.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.