Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 The Whisky Agency 52.7%
Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 The Whisky Agency 52.7%As expected there’s a lot going on. Sour and ripe fruit evenly pace the dry woodspice, its fruitiness matching the dry … Continue reading
Jura 30yo 1991 / 2021 Thompson Bros 46.5%
Jura 30yo 1991 / 2021 Thompson Bros 46.5% An evident maturity. The old wood sits here as a polished frame of delicious soft spices, drops of caramel on the best … Continue reading
Highland Park 23yo 1978 / 2001 SMWS 4.83 58%
Highland Park 23yo 1978 / 2001 SMWS 4.83 58% One of the most peaty yet also most simple Highland Parks I’ve come across. The formula goes like this, focus on … Continue reading
Glenburgie 25yo 1998 Young Spirits #00-0055 for Friends With Drams and The 1980s Bar 54.7%
I may have ignore this site a little longer than normal, but that’s life. Glenburgie 25yo 1998 Young Spirits #00-0055 for Friends With Drams and The 1980s Bar 54.7% A … Continue reading
Highland 27 yo 1994 Thompson Bros 47.9%
Highland 27 yo 1994 Thompson Bros 47.9% Another unnamed Highlander. This time it seems we’ve stepped away from that little village of Brora. I find dust and ozone, and plenty … Continue reading
Clynelish 1992 / 2007 Die Abfullung #17243 58.2%
Clynelish 1992 / 2007 Die Abfullung #17243 58.2% Where did December go? As aggressive at it gets with Clynelish – Heady petrol fumes and the razor edged sharpness of acerbic … Continue reading
Highland 27 yo 1994 / 2021 Gleann Mor for Royal Mile Whiskies 50.1%
Highland 27 yo 1994 / 2021 Gleann Mor for Royal Mile Whiskies 50.1% This was represented to be from Clynelish by a well known auction house. Essentially they say they … Continue reading
Glenugie 27 yo 1966 / 1993 The Bottlers #GU838 61.4%
Glenugie 27 yo 1966 / 1993 The Bottlers #GU838 61.4% Here comes the fruit and its warm, dripping oranges and oozing yellows, full ripe technicolour in between. Passionfruit, blood orange, … Continue reading
Coleburn 47 yo 1972 / 2020 Gordon &Macphail #3511 62.4%
Coleburn 47 yo 1972 / 2020 Gordon &Macphail #3511 62.4% Who has had more than 3 Coleburns, raise your hand. The whisky though: Well! The product of great age and … Continue reading
Glen Garioch 32 yo 1988 / 2021 Whisky Mew ‘Masked Rider’ #1598 47.6%
Glen Garioch 32 yo 1988 / 2021 Whisky Mew ‘Masked Rider’ #1598 47.6%Dry sandy loam and crushed fern, violet leaf and coumarin. Aromatic-earthy. The old oak wakes with plenty of … Continue reading
Kanosuke 2020 Owners club for 61 Monarchy #OC2020025
Kanosuke 2020 Owners club for 61 Monarchy #OC2020025 Turn the darkness up to 10 – unlit tobacco, black tea no milk, pine panelling rubbed with dark oil stain, camphor, dry … Continue reading
Ord ‘bouquet’ 22 yo 1962 / 1984 Samaroli 58%
Ord ‘bouquet’ 22 yo 1962 / 1984 Samaroli 58% A stunning array of hardwood oils! Pine, cedar, blackwood, all aromatic and sharp, dry but sappy. Dark and resinous. Flecks of … Continue reading
Longmorn 39 yo 1969 / 2009 Gordon & Macphail Book of Kells Mash Tun Kask JIS #5298 58.9%
Longmorn 39 yo 1969 / 2009 Gordon & Macphail Book of Kells Mash Tun Kask JIS #5298 58.9% The product of marrying an excellent dry sherry with a top class … Continue reading
Springbank 18yo 1986 Fauchon Centenaire 1886 – 1986 46%
Springbank 18yo 1986 Fauchon Centenaire 1886 – 1986 46% Oh my, an exciting one. This is the ripe and earthy side of Springbank that’s been somewhat less of a thing … Continue reading
Bowmore 14yo 1971 Sestante 57.7%
Bowmore 14yo 1971 Sestante 57.7% Opened cans of dark wood oil stain, shellac, old cedar boxes and teak furniture. Dry dry dry. Not quite cold firepits and fresh ash in … Continue reading
Glen Keith 23 yo 1997 / 2021 Signatory #72593+72594 52.7% vs Mortlach 16 yo 1970 / 1986 Intertrade 58.7%
Glen Keith 23 yo 1997 / 2021 Signatory #72593+72594 52.7%This will be brief. Upfront and boisterous with a cacophony of freshly crushed leaves, broken branches, chalk on cement floors, sunflower … Continue reading
Miltonhaugh (Balmenach) 28 yo 1966 Whisky Connoisseur #3154 63.5%
Miltonhaugh (Balmenach) 28 yo 1966 Whisky Connoisseur #3154 63.5% I was excited to try this, and happy that I did not leave disappointed. Here is the old Highlands phenolic and … Continue reading
Bowmore 1964 / 1987 Moon Import The Birds #1546 46%
Bowmore 1964 / 1987 Moon Import The Birds #1546 46% As classic as the best Bowmores. A parade of brightly tropical fruit march past, garbed in clear salinity, sharp smoke … Continue reading
Macallan 50 yo 1928 / 1983 Anniversary Malt 38.6%
Macallan 50 yo 1928 / 1983 Anniversary Malt 38.6% Noting the proof you’d expect this to feel limp but no, it’s off to a brilliant start – balanced and deeply … Continue reading
Ledaig 26 yo 1995 / 2021 Oxhead #148 48.6%
Ledaig 26 yo 1995 / 2021 Oxhead #148 48.6% Not the monstrous sort of Ledaig. In fact it’s not obviously heavy peat either. The peat does express itself through the … Continue reading
Lagavulin 18 yo Feis Ile 2016 49.5%
Lagavulin 18 yo Feis Ile 2016 49.5% Ex bodega casks, meaning Diageo’s version of sherry seasoning. Also note it does not give a vintage year, meaning there could be older … Continue reading
Springbank 15 yo for The Gallipoli Association 52.8% distilled circa 1999 vs Askaig (Caol Ila) 13 yo 1983 for Master of Malt 43%
A pair of interesting independents from corners of the world when whisky didn’t take itself so seriously. Springbank 15 yo for The Gallipoli Association 52.8% distilled circa 1999Young, feisty but … Continue reading
Islay 31 yo 1990 / 2021 Thompson Bros 49.3% vs Islay 32 yo 1990 / 2022 Thompson Bros 49.3%
Islay 31 yo 1990 / 2021 Thompson Bros 49.3% Lovely. Soft Laphroaig, worn smooth into a sphere of gentle iodine, glowing peatfire, soft medicinal ointments and rubs, ripe earthy loam … Continue reading
Mortlach 15 yo SMWS 1989 / 2005 76.44 59.3%
Mortlach 15 yo SMWS 1989 / 2005 76.44 59.3% Meat like hung game or hams plus a deep dark sherry, a classic duo for Mortlach. Roasted nuts, lit charcoal, wisp … Continue reading
Ardbeg 14 yo Cadenhead 52.2% 18.75cl bottle
Ardbeg 14 yo Cadenhead 52.2% 18.75cl Classic 70s Ardbeg. Salty sharp and awash in sparkling and yet very exact coastal elements, like pin points of light thrown by a polished … Continue reading
Springbank 27 yo 1994 / 2022 Spheric Spirits #95 47.1%
Springbank 27 yo 1994 / 2022 #95 Spheric Spirits 47.1% About as petrol-ly and green as it gets in Springbank. Spilt petrol in engine rooms on a hot day, white … Continue reading
Highland Park 19yo 1970 / 1989 Gordon & Macphail 52.9%
Highland Park 19yo 1970 / 1989 Gordon & Macphail 52.9% You gorgeous old Orcadian. And a beautiful old label. Find here a seamless integration of cask, peat and spirit, polished … Continue reading
Caol Ila 15 yo 1988 Shieldaig Collection 43%
Caol Ila 15 yo 1988 Shieldaig Collection 43% It is that precise sort of Caol Ila I enjoy most, a style which holds up a mirror to 70s Ardbeg. … Continue reading
Glen Grant 30 yo 1982 / 2012 Clydesdale #CO681 51.9%
Glen Grant 30 yo 1982 / 2012 Clydesdale #CO681 51.9% Strange nose! A touch cheesy, or perhaps lactic is a better word. It must be the sheer amount of oak … Continue reading
Ardbeg 32 yo 1967 / 1999 Douglas Laing 47.5% 185 bottles
Ardbeg 32 yo 1967 / 1999 Douglas Laing 47.5% 185 bottles First thing to note is that the whisky is a disturbing greenish brown. Cast any fears aside though because … Continue reading
Highland Park 18 yo 1960 / 1978 Ferraretto 43% ~ dark vatting
Highland Park 18 yo 1960 / 1978 Ferraretto 43% ~ dark vatting An astounding sherry nose, exactly what you are after when looking at these old sherried Highland Parks. Sweet … Continue reading
Fettercairn 26yo 1995 / 2022 for The Highlander Inn #2826 60.2%
Fettercairn 26yo 1995 / 2022 for The Highlander Inn #2826 60.2% Quite a quiet kick this one. Plenty of barley sugar, butter and malt character, and something like burnt mint … Continue reading
Craigellachie 19 yo 1983 / 2002 Samaroli #2606 45%
Craigellachie 19 yo 1983 / 2002 Samaroli #2606 45% Great one! Sunny, honeyed, yellow-fruity and yet quite some brawn beneath. There is no doubt in my mind that Craigellachie is … Continue reading
Rosebank 30 yo 1975 / 2005 Silver Seal 54.8%
Rosebank 30 yo 1975 / 2005 Silver Seal 54.8% A Rosebank after the older style, not a direct lemon filled freshie, but one look at the vintage and it makes … Continue reading
Benrinnes 17 yo 1985 / 2003 The Bottlers #1852 60.2%
Benrinnes 17 yo 1985 / 2003 The Bottlers #1852 60.2%Big whisky. Totally old school sherry here with more than a teaspoon of that famous meatiness a la bullion cubes, broth … Continue reading
Auchroisk 1993 Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice 43% ~ bottled 2008 vs Cadenhead’s Speyside (Auchroisk) 8 yo Cadenhead 61.4% ~ bottled late 90s
Two humble malts with much to be humble for. Auchroisk 1993 Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice 43% ~ bottled 2008 Unfortunately time and wood hasn’t dealt with the feints at … Continue reading
Highland Park 26 yo 1986 / 2012 Malts of Scotland #12052 54.1% vs Glencraig 38 yo 1976 / 2014 Signatory #4254 44.3%
Highland Park 26 yo 1986 / 2012 Malts of Scotland #12052 54.1% Earthy! But its all clean earth plus associated phenols. Clean, ozonic and mineralic. With petrichor, violet leaf, gentian … Continue reading
Rosebank 15 yo ceramic Zenith Italia 50%
Rosebank 15 yo ceramic Zenith Italia 50% Tasted at Limburg but I’ve neglected to take a photo. No surprises, its a lemony and oily Rosebank, full of cereals, cold butter … Continue reading
Springbank 28 yo 1965 / 1993 Adelphi 50.6%
Springbank 28 yo 1965 / 1993 Adelphi 50.6% Ancient wood deeply polished with teak oil so that it’s bronzed and gleaming, but dry and aromatic. Let us place lumps of … Continue reading
Longmorn 16 yo 1972 / 1988 Intertrade 58.8%
Longmorn 16 yo 1972 / 1988 Intertrade 58.8%Quality check is complete. A tight and dense bouquet of unmistakable depth, a closed fist of sharp oranges and yellow citric fruitiness. Full … Continue reading
Old Pulteney 15 yo 1974 / 1989 Intertrade 57.6%
Old Pulteney 15 yo 1974 / 1989 Intertrade 57.6% Certainly a tangy sea air and subtle mineral sharpness fills the nose, matching a crispness to a rising wet earthiness brought … Continue reading
Ben Nevis 41 yo 1967 / 2009 #1281 49.4%
Ben Nevis 41 yo 1967 / 2009 #1281 49.4% Of course its big whisky and heavy sherry. You know how on one hand sherry maturation can be aromatic and dry … Continue reading
Irish 33 yo 1988 / 2022 for Hong Kong #10506 54.8%
Irish 33 yo 1988 / 2022 for Hong Kong #10506 54.8% This comes from @whisky.wiki. Many thanks! Lovely, lovely nose, led by blackcurrents and red stone fruit, but really its … Continue reading
Imperial 25 yo 1995 / 2021 Single Malts of Scotland #7861 54% vs Bruichladdich 23 yo 1978 / 2001 John Armit Wines 51%
Imperial 25 yo 1995 / 2021 Single Malts of Scotland #7861 54% Cold pastry cream, vanilla pods, new white wood and plenty of warm wax, which lean more towards paraffin … Continue reading
Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1%
Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1% It beggars belief how good these ‘local barleys’ were. Here a seamless ball of dark engine oil, white smoke, deep layers of … Continue reading
Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% vs Glenburgie 40 yo 1963 / 2003 Signatory #4751 56.4%
Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% Thick! Old vegetable oil and greasy grills on which cut asparagus and bittergourds slowly cook, oozing vegetal sap. Clear resin … Continue reading
Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% vs A Speyside Distillery 32 yo 1989 / 2022 Thompson Bros 51.4%
Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% Fruity for a Ben Nevis, sweet with golden syrup tinned yellow peaches and mango … Continue reading
Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% vs Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 58.7%
Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% Huge, as expected, maximum octane, outrageous even, but it’s a kind of peat that is not so much to do with … Continue reading
Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9%Lovely old sea-driven nose, immediately evocative with brine, pulled up shellfish in nets, loose seaweed, rubber boots, lemon balm, oiled … Continue reading
Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 30 yo 1979 / 2010 Berry Bros #4604/5 55.6%
Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% Muddy seawater mixed with oxidized lemon oil, chest rub, kelp, spilt petrol, oozingly oily black peat and old nets. A perfect … Continue reading
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