Spirit Hound Straight Malt Whiskey 2yo (bottled 2021)

Spirit Hound Straight Malt Whiskey 2yo (bottled 2021)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Colorado
Dark yellow gold 
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, cloves, pineapples, cinnamon, honey, rye bread, red grapes, hints of bubble gum. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Pineapples, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, honey, red grapes, peaches, cloves, black pepper, clay dust. 
Finish: Short. Peaches, black pepper, bubble gum, sarsaparilla, clay dust. 

Comments: 

Cask 35. This is really good young whiskey, lots of fruity peach notes, with spicy, deep herbal sweetness, and a little bit of black pepper on the edge of the tongue. It also has a dusty, slightly bitter taste, which I tend to associate with age. Delicious stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

The Legendary Dark Silkie Cask Strength

The Legendary Dark Silkie Cask Strength

Silkie, Sliabh Lagh Distillers
Single blend - Leinster
Dark gold 
64.39% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, camphor, raisins, roast chicken, leather, magic marker, lemon zest, lemon sweets. With water, raisins, dark chocolate, cinnamon, cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Raisins, brown paper, roast chicken, leather, strawberry jam, cinnamon, fresh baked bread. With water, leather, cloves, dark chocolate, raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, coffee, roast chicken, strawberry jam. 

Comments: 

Batch 1/20. Highly sherried, extremely alcoholic blended whisky, distilled on contract by Great Northern. It’s spicy and meaty, heaping with chocolate and strawberry. Utterly delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Strathearn 3yo 2014/2018 Ex Sherry Cask

Strathearn 3yo 2014/2018 Ex Sherry Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dark chocolate, raisins, Chinese angelica, figs, damson jam, dunnage, brown paper. With water, fresh baked bread, cooked rice, strawberry jam, cloves, dunnage. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberry jam, damson jam, raisins, dark chocolate, bubble gum, fresh baked bread, figs, vanilla sponge. With water, fresh baked bread, bubble gum, damson jam, cooked rice. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, vanilla sponge, raisins, cinnamon, figs. 

Comments: 

Cask 66. Hugely complex and jammy, even if it’s only 3 years old.  Lots of fruity estery notes, over a big bold cereally core. Water brings our further notes of cereal and bubble gum (pleasant in this case).

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Waterford Peated Ballybannon 1.1

Waterford Peated Ballybannon 1.1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Orange gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Farmyard, peat, hay, fresh cut grass, fresh baked bread, apple juice, hints of caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, mouth coating, airy, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Apple juice, farmyard, blue cheese, peat, dunnage, caramel, smoke, fresh baked bread.
Finish: Short. Dark chocolate, dunnage, apple juice, peat, smoke. 

Comments: 

Peated Waterford is new in my experience. It’s rather funky and farmyardy, with a good sweet core of apple juice and dunnage. The smoke is gentle and restrained.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lagg Corriecravie

Lagg Corriecravie

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber brown
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, raisins, camphor, driftwood smoke, passionfruit, orange peel, creosote, hints of persimmons. With water, raisins, white pepper, camphor, brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, mouth coating, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, persimmons, smoke, peat, menthol, leather, creosote, white pepper, hints of camphor. With water, autumn leaves, peat, camphor, persimmons. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, menthol, camphor, persimmons, raisins. 

Comments: 

Oily, peaty, chemical whisky, and I love it. It’s got an underlying sweetness, and water opens it up, turning it earthy and fruity. Really good young whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenturret 10yo Peat Smoked 2023

Glenturret 10yo Peat Smoked 2023

Official bottling 
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, leather, roast beef, damson jam, honey, malted grains, pencil lead, black pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Smoke, peat, leather, mint, orange peel, damson jam, malted grains, pencil lead, vanilla, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, black pepper, leather, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Technically this is Ruadh Mor, but it’s an OB peated Glenturret. There’s plenty of jammy orange peel, but there’s a feinty, slightly sulphurous note of pencil leaned lifts this dram and keeps it interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teaninich 2010 Firkin Rare

Teaninich 2010 Firkin Rare

Firkin Rare, The Firkin Whisky Co
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber, hints of red
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, strawberry jam, cloves, malted grains, damson jam, caramel, hints of dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slippery, mouth coating.
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Brown paper, malted grains, rhubarb and custard sweets, damson jam, malted grains, black tea, cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, brown paper. 

Comments: 

Cask SC65. Highly sherried, lots of very jammy things, and some bready cereal and cinnamon. It’s not got very much distillery character anymore, but it’s rather good.

Verdict:

I like this.

Wolfburn Isa

Wolfburn Isa

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Yellow 
53.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Molasses, raisins, dark chocolate, farmyard, sea salt, toffee, fresh baked bread, petrichor. With water, raisins, farmyard, brass polish, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, sea salt, damson jam, toffee, farmyard, petrichor, dark chocolate, acacia honey, hints of vanilla. With water, damson jam, honey, raisins, hints of molasses. 
Finish: Short. Cocoa nibs, acacia honey, raisins, damson jam. 

Comments: 

Sweet and juicy, but with a salty, funky farmyard note. Lots of chocolate and honey predominate, but the savoury notes underpinning them are unmistakeable. Very interesting, unbalanced and quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Wireworks Alter Ego

Wireworks Alter Ego

Official bottling
Single malt - Derbyshire
Yellow gold
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, lemon sweets, lemon zest, smoke, leather, new plastic, dates. With water, raisins, malted grains, honey, dates. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, smoke, peat, butterscotch, raisins, apricots, dates, white pepper. With water, raisins, leather, apricots, peat. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, mint, peat, malted grains, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Young, peppery, slightly plasticky, but there’s a deep sweetness somewhere that complements the peat and smoke. Decent and interesting dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Debt Collector Moonshine 1yo

Debt Collector Moonshine 1yo

Official bottling
Single malt - London
Amber 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, raisins, orange peel, burnt sugar, cinnamon, strawberry jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expanss, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberry jam, malted grains, caramel, cream, raisins, orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Brown paper, burnt sugar, orange peel, raisins. 

Comments: 

Not sure about this - I get that distilleries need cash flow and release stuff that’s not quite whisky, but this is decidedly odd. It’s jammy and sweet, but there’s an unbalanced, artificial note. It’s ok.

Verdict:

I like this.