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Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 12 (8/11/2023) – The latest Cask strength offering from Glendronach which I found myself diluting to enjoy. Typical flavours but I found this one lacking in that ‘wow’ factor befitting its delivery at cask strength. If nothing else this represents value for money, full of sherry cask and some distillery character neither of which get lost when diluting with water. 84/100
Aberlour 9 Years Old Batch 7 (3/17/2023) – Typical Aberlour, punchy fresh apples and pears, soft cereals and some woody oak, what more could you want? 83/100
SMWS 65.5 Old School Speyside (3/17/2023) – A fantastic old Imperial with lots of dusty and woody sugars and oodles of fruit sweetness in this one. Befitting its age this becomes drying and leathery with some great tannins too. I suspect the rechar HH was a finish here as it would have been unusual to have been the initial cask but it has worked wonders on rejuvenating this spirit. 91/100
Evan Williams White Label (3/9/2023) – Presented at a higher ABV I enjoyed this much more than Evan Williams Black Label, there is plenty of peppery nature to it and a depth of sweetness to keep it interesting. 83/100
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked (3/8/2023) – A very enjoyable and easy-drinking Bourbon expression sweetness somewhat tempered by toasty oak and the flavours it imbues. 84/100
Crabbie 22 Years Old Orkney (2/26/2023) – Lovely oily, fruity, gently smoky and coastal with plenty of sweetness from the bourbon and sherry cask influences that work well with this distillery’s characteristic heathery smoke. 86/100
Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2013 (2/26/2023) – Smoky and coastal exactly as I expected, quite mealy and herbal in places and some sweetness and nutty nature, perhaps from the finishing? 86/100
Highland Park 12 Years Old Viking Honour (2/26/2023) – Rich, malty and complex, there is a lovely sprinkle of sea salt which accentuates the flavours here, spiced heather honey adds to the thick malty backbone, the result is well-structured. 84/100
Tamdhu 12 Years Old (2/2/2023) – Light and silky Tamdhu spirit reveals it’s fruitiness whilst being well balanced with sherry cask maturation. Really quite moreish. 84/100
Casks of Lindores STR Wine Barrique (1/31/2023) – Careful STR treatment hasn’t stripped away all the good wine influence back to cardboard. Plenty of Lindores spirit notes present also with more than a little tannic and chewy wood. Definitely improving. 83/100
Lindores New Make (1/31/2023) – Once again I’m impressed with the quality of Lindores new make with it’s lovely mixture of fruit and cereal and nutty aromas and flavours.
Balvenie 12 Years Old Doublewood (1/27/2023) – Smooth and honeyed, a very well put together expression from The Balvenie. I feel I picked out more of the sherry component more clearly possibly due to age or experience or perhaps this batch the sherry influence is more defined. A real pleasure to revisit and simply enjoy. 84/100
Nc’nean Quiet Rebels Annabel (1/18/2023) – Fairly well structured, displays some youthful spirit as you would expect for 3-4 year old whisky. There was more than a hint of cardboard I associate with STR casks added to the woody element here. This has clearly been well put together from the cask selection to final product. I’d be interested to see how Nc’nean improves with age. 83/100
Lindores MCDXCIV (1/16/2023) – Pleasant with some presence of distillery character and plenty of oak wood influence. The cask variety adds to a multitude of flavours and aromas also. 82/100
Banditti Club Smoky Rogues Rum (12/16/2022) – Perfect for a smokey cokey Cuba Libre! 85/100
Banditti Club Rum (12/16/2022) – Despite the initial hit on the nose this is a pretty solid spiced rum and though I didn’t try it I can imagine this mixes well also. Plenty of festive spices to be found. 80/100
Glasgow 1770 Golden Beer Cask Finish (12/16/2022) – Really loving this one, there is still hints of sherry influence but also plenty of beer notes too coming through. This has added some depth and variety to Glasgow’s fruity spirit nature. 88/100
Glasgow 1770 Tokaji Cask Finish (12/16/2022) – Glasgow 1770 Tokaji cask finish I’m enjoying this one much more with a healthy sploosh of water which this one takes very well 😉 84/100
Glasgow 1770 The Original (12/16/2022) – As described Fresh and Fruity, lovely distillate notes shine through with just a hint of perhaps too much virgin oak (pencil shavings) but otherwise a very enjoyable dram. 82/100
Spey Fumare (12/9/2022) – Fumare is delicious and shows some of the more delicate aspects of peat-influence. This will change over time in the glass so worth taking some time over this one. 85/100
Beinn Dubh (12/9/2022) – Enjoyable but perhaps doesn’t quite deliver what you would expect from the colour. This still has that classic Speyside distillery medium-light spirit style. Plenty of fruit and chocolate from the cask maturation and later some tannins and pleasant spices keep things interesting. 84/100
Blair Athol 11 Years Old 2002 Hepburn’s Choice (11/4/2022) – Full of fresh fruit flavours and aromas, quite green and spirit driven – I suspected a refill cask and confirmed by the bottling details. Pleasant, a good base whisky and nice insight into Blair Athol spirit. 82/100
Shirakawa 1958 (11/2/2022) – A truly delicious combination of tropical fruit, nuts and exotic oak wood influence full of earthy and woody spices and chocolate. It is hard to compare this unique piece of liquid history other than to say it is on par with some of the oldest Scotch single malts invariably derived from Speyside thanks to their careful maturation over many decades. 93/100
Borders Malt & Rye (10/19/2022) – A robust and entertaining blended scotch whisky using both malt and rye derived components in great balance. I suspect a portion of the sweetness here derives from the fresh bourbon cask too but this whisky hasn’t been in these casks long enough to become overtly vanillic. 83/100
Rebel 10 Years Old Single Barrel Bourbon (10/13/2022) – At 10 years old and 50% ABV / 100 proof this is a robust Bourbon offering from Rebel, sweet and cereal spirit from the Wheated mashbill is infused with plenty of wood influences, produced in batches which may vary but will retain this essential nature I suspect. 84/100
Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve (9/27/2022) – Drinkable and well-textured (light & silky or smooth) as expected from The Glenlivet. Filled with plenty of fruit, some tropical, with a touch of syrup and spice to help it along. A refreshing alternative to The Glenlivet’s classic 12 Year old expression for example and in similar price bracket. 83/100
The Irishman Single Malt (9/9/2022) – Of similar quality to The Irishman The Harvest expression but quite a different character, lacking that Pot Still spice and also complexity from both malt and mixed cask maturation resulting in something very enjoyable. 84/100
The Irishman The Harvest (8/29/2022) – Robust thanks to the Pot Still spices bestowed by green barley, vanilla from the Bourbon oak and biscuity malt notes also lead to an entertaining and complex dram for an entry-level price. 84/100
Yellowstone Select (6/14/2022) – An easygoing Bourbon with plenty of expected sweetness and some rather herbal spice notes keeps this one interesting and entertaining. 84/100
Four Roses Small Batch Select (5/23/2022) – Intense sweet fruit and spice plus plenty of wood influence, well put-together CS Bourbon from the Four Roses stable. 85/100
Kyrö 4 Year Old Batch 1 (5/23/2022) – A spicy rye expression with some really wild flavours but quite enjoyable once it relaxes in the glass a little. 83/100
Slyrs 3 Years Old Batch 3 (5/23/2022) – Quite oaky and tannic a touch like sherry or a good red wine, plenty of woody sugars and quite fragrant too. 85/100
HighGlen 3 Years Old Batch 1 (5/23/2022) – Quite delicate nose and palate on this expression, biscuity and lemon-infused with the addition of ginger and thyme in places. Quite dessert-like and syrupy. Surprised this doesn’t feel like it is only 3 years old this one is more mature than its years. 85/100
Broger 6 Years Old Batch 1 (4/28/2022) – Oddly solventy, but past that this was really quite interesting and it took some time before I realised the underlying Rauchbier similarity and connection (I do like a rauchbier!) 85/100
Fary Lochan 6 Years Old Batch 1 (4/28/2022) – Powerful at cask strength, the PX cask has worked wonders here with lots of dried fruit, nut and fruit cake however a little of the malt spirit comes through and some menthol/ herbal smoke appears in the finish. Plenty of wood influence when reduced. 86/100
Eddu 14 Years Old Batch 1 (4/28/2022) – Delicious, redolent of cereal and husks from the Buckwheat this also has some sweet and mineralic nature, perhaps a trace of something metallic later on but doesn’t detract. 87/100
Westland Garryana 2020 (4/20/2022) – Complex with plenty of wood influence but also fruity, spicy and chocolate notes abound. Lifted by presentation at 50% ABV this has much more depth and presence than the heritage collection. 86/100
Westland Peated (4/20/2022) – My favourite of the Heritage range expressions which have grown slowly over the range. Plenty of peat influence and smoke but also some estery fruits which complement well. 84/100
Westland Sherry Wood (4/20/2022) – Plenty of fruit and spice delivered from the sherry wood, perhaps a touch medicated tasting with cherry cough drops. European oak wood flavours dominate the palate. 83/100
Westland American Oak (3/30/2022) – Oak heavy and perhaps a touch bourbon-esque in terms of wood influence with an added cereal depth from the malt. Ginger and orange predominate, a classic taste combination but with added complexity from both spirit and wood. Yes easily the equal of scotch single malt but with it’s own unique Westland or North-Pacific DNA very present here. 82/100
Black Bottle (3/30/2022) – Black Bottle offers a characterful blended scotch with good structure and strong flavours. A delight amongst insipid vanilla & lemon blends that let far to much youthful grain spirit shine. An easy equal to many a single malt and much more chewy and substantial than JW Black Label (for example). This has rapidly become my ‘go to’ Blended scotch. 83/100
Tullibardine 500 (3/30/2022) – My favourite of the tasting – I guess no surprises there! I guess like the whole range I felt this was a bit safe and unchallenging. I’d prefer a bit more strength or depth to some of the finishing flavours – but perhaps that’s just my palate and predilections. The whole range is quite polished and well put together, meaning accessibility and joy for newcomers. Thankfully Tullibardine have extended their signature and other ranges greatly since these were released in 2013 and I guess I should be exploring these more myself. 83/100
Tullibardine 228 (3/29/2022) – Revisiting the Tullibardine 228, albeit in it’s revised packaging I was slightly underwhelmed with this expression compared to my first experience. Perhaps it was due to following the sweetness of the 225? I didn’t feel this had quite as much of the red wine influence as tasted prior and my fear was whilst the overall quality of Tullibardine’s releases has been normalised and raised slightly it has dulled the extremes which made them fun and interesting. Maybe in a different line-up or pairing this one will shine differently? 79/100
Tullibardine 225 (3/29/2022) – from Tullibardine’s spirit. This one seems quite light on the impact of the finishing cask and I found myself wishing it went a little further, the end result is a sweeter and fruitier dram with a touch more woody spices too. 81/100
Tullibardine Sovereign (3/29/2022) – Good texture and rounded with a good balance between fruit and oak wood before drier and spicier elements add interest. Perhaps a shade of spirit nature belies the youthfulness on the palate. 80/100
Domaine d’Aurensan 20 Ans (3/28/2022) – Woody but so drinkable, I hadn’t appreciated when sampling this that it wasn’t all 20 years old! Some soft floral notes but this is mostly wood and dried herbs and fruits with a generous nutty and chocolate component too, superb! 86/100
Oxford Rye Whisky Batch 5 Red Red Rye (3/28/2022) – Another rich and cereal led expression as I’ve come to expect from TOAD’s Rye expressions. This is up there with the best of them (possibly Batch 1). The cask combination delivers ginger beer and jammy black fruits and of course that superb colour. I’m still not convinced about the pricing of this expression though there are certainly no complaints about what is inside the bottle. 85/100
Cu Bocan Signature (3/17/2022) – A soft and accessible as befitting a peated Tomatin. A touch woody in places from the Virgin Oak casks perhaps but well constructed with an array of flavours complimenting this soft Highland Malt with a smoky edge. 83/100
Spearhead (3/10/2022) – As you would expect this has all the diversity and flavour of a single malt whisky, if anything the Coffey distillation has allowed the extraction of cask flavours to come through even more in the final whisky. 84/100
Glasgow 1770 Sauternes Cask Finish (3/9/2022) – My favourite of the tasting, the perfect combination of sweet and peat. I’ve long had a fascination with Sauternes-cask finished whiskies and this one really hits the mark with youthful peaty exuberance and leathery, stone-fruit skin sweetness in perfect harmony. 92/100
Glasgow 1770 Ruby Port Cask Finish (3/8/2022) – There are some who rave about any whisky matured in Port casks as being excellent, however in my experience some have been either a hit or a miss. Don’t let the colour fool you as the palate doesn’t always back it up. Here however Glasgow have matured this one to perfection. Lots of juicy red fruits, touch jammy and some chocolate. 89/100
Glasgow 1770 Tokaji Cask Finish (3/7/2022) – Building on the light and floral Triple distilled base the Tokaji cask has added more stone fruit and rather a lot of tannin and oak wood spice. The addition of a little drop of water relaxed this one quite a lot and really adjusted the balance on the palate and finish. 84/100
Fettercairn 16 Years Old 2nd Release 2021 (3/2/2022) – Classic combination of citrus and ginger with spice and zest in harmony. 84/100
Fettercairn 12 Years Old (3/1/2022) – A pleasant single malt with plenty of fruity and grassy cereal influences and a touch of tropicality. 80/100
Writers Tears Seaweed IPA Cask (2/24/2022) – Another rather unique expression, definitely a cut above the standard Writers Tears expressions available. A touch overtly hoppy in places which I certainly enjoyed but really shines in the finish. 84/100
Writers Tears Japanese Cask (2/23/2022) – Not as favoured as the sweeter Icewine cask, this had a slighty more savoury and dare I say Umami feel about it following the Mizunara oak finish. More elegant in presentation and worthwhile spending longer with this one, this is a sip and savour dram, especially when you consider the unusual and rare nature of its construction. 84/100
Writers Tears Inniskillen Icewine Cask (2/22/2022) – more floral, fruity and fragrant expression and some great herbal influences in here too. Stone fruits play the lead here with some tropical nature later. 85/100
Writers Tears Single Pot Still (2/21/2022) – A more complex expression thanks both to the use of only triple-distilled single pot still style whisky and the cask maturation combination. More developed flavours are presented from the PX and Marsala casks. 83/100
Glen Moray Warehouse 1 2008 Manzanilla Finish (2/8/2022) – Sweet and fruity from the Manzanilla sherry finish ads to the cereal and malt rich Glen Moray core flavours, very enjoyable. 86/100
Samuel Gelston’s Blended Irish Whiskey (2/3/2022) – A fairly basic and very pleasant blended Irish whiskey. There are hints of youth and some solventy spirit nature, triple distilled for smoothness and bourbon matured there’s not much to hide behind and this does develop some interesting & more complex flavours. 77/100
anCnoc 2009 Vintage (2/2/2022) – A delightful vintage expression from anCnoc, full of their classic honey character. The Spanish oak has imparted some leather and chocolate notes too. A worthy addition to anCnoc’s fine vintage range. 84/100
Apogee XII 12 Years Old (1/31/2022) – Intense, some slightly vaporous and very spicy and tannic nature. Lacks a little structure and body for me and I needed a little water to tame the spice and tannins to make this enjoyable, personally I’m hoping this breathes a little in the bottle and calms down before I return to it. 83/100
Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire 10 Years Old (1/31/2022) – Good balance and approachable sherried Islay malt. Pleasant but could be so much more! At 40% this is a bit soft and a bit safe for me I’d like a touch more intensity to these flavours and experience.
Black Gate 3 Years Old Batch 2 (1/24/2022) – Luscious, thick and voluminous on the palate, some odd rummy and woody dunnage warehouse feel and plenty of spices. Adding water moves the spice more into the finish, plenty of thick black fruits and sugars throughout. 85/100
Auchroisk 18 Years Old 1994 Old Particular (1/20/2022) – An accomplished Auchroisk from a refill bourbon cask. Vanilla and cereals lead with touch of fruit and plenty of white chocolate, delicious! 84/100
A beginner’s guide to whisky styles (1/13/2022) – A beginner’s guide to whisky styles
Miltonduff 25 Years Old 1988 Carn Mor (1/11/2022) – Oddly salted but good, butterscotch and fruit flavours, plenty of tropicality and a really good body/structure or malty backbone to this one. 86/100
Glen Keith 20 Years Old 1995 Old Particular (1/11/2022) – Fruity, solventy and woody. A clever mix which stays entertaining but becomes a touch spicy and vaporous towards the end. 84/100
Chateau de Lacquy VSOP (12/22/2021) – Quite neutral despite its obvious fruity nature the sweetness has been tempered by plenty of wood talking here and saying good things. I really enjoyed this one. 85/100
Drouin Reserve Des Fiefs (12/22/2021) – Superb, creamy textured and vibrantly fruity this has something of a curd or yoghurty nature and the youth comes through as banana milkshake (estery and creamy). A great insight into Drouin’s base spirit nature. 84/100
Whiskymetrics is dead. (12/22/2021) – A statement on the cessation of the monthly Whisky Blog Rankings.
J.G. Thomson Smoky (12/20/2021) – Long, sweet and smoky and medicinal and meaty. Overall Another superb blended malt from J.G. Thomson redolent of classic Islay notes, smoke, phenols, meaty, coastal and sherried to boot. 85/100
J.G. Thomson Rich (12/20/2021) – A superb festive expression, full of the flavours of Christmas or in other words a bit of a well-balanced sherry bomb. 85/100
J.G. Thomson Sweet (12/20/2021) – A sweet blended malt with plenty of fruit and also quite defined oak cask influence. 83/100
J.G. Thomson Bold Jamaican Rum (12/20/2021) – Again another very pleasant spirit, perhaps a little affected by the gin sample previously but this gave me a real swimming pool/chlorine vibe on the nose. Other than that slightly off note and some solventy spirit on the palate this is pretty delicious oak aged rum. Plenty of sweet sugars and tropical fruits and some nice chocolate notes from the cask. 80/100
J.G. Thomson Citrus Dry Gin (12/20/2021) – Pleasant but still not converting me to like Gin. Drinkable as is, but reduced with a lot of water (or Tonic if you prefer, I simply didn’t have any to hand) this retains quite a lot of its sweeter citrus nature and entertaining herbality.
Cambus 23 Years Old 1991 Cask 55890 (12/15/2021) – A well aged grain, quite solventy and woody but also plenty of sugars and fruit apparent in the spirit. 83/100
Islay #1 10 Years Old Batch 3 (12/15/2021) – Basic but delicious Islay malt, an oddly unsalted sweet and smoky combo. 84/100
Jura 20 Years Old Batch 5 (12/10/2021) – A rather relaxed old Jura, I’m thinking refill casks here as the spirit still shines through with lime zest, lime pickle and soft coffee notes, coastal salts and barley cereals, Yum yum. 86/100
James E. Pepper 4 Years Old Rye Batch 3 (12/10/2021) – Quite spicy Rye as you’d expect but also a nice cake-y sweet & malty feel to it, I was surprised to discover this was ale-cask finished after tasting it – so very well integrated cask-finish here. 83/100
Teaninich 10 Years Old Batch 3 (12/10/2021) – A very sweet and dessert-like expression from Teaninich, still a touch spirity and feisty but this adds a little interest to the palate and to the overall enjoyment. 82/100
Hinch Craft & Casks Imperial Stout Finish (12/9/2021) – My favourite from the tasting. The Imperial Stout casks have generated not only chocolate and coffee notes but also fruit and some herbal notes too. 84/100
Hinch Craft & Casks Rye Export Stout Finish (12/9/2021) – Another interesting and very different beer-cask finish from Hinch. The Rye Export Stout has imbued some earthy dark chocolate and coffee notes. 82/100
Hinch Craft & Casks Irish Red Rye Finish (12/9/2021) – Another interesting and very different beer-cask finish from Hinch. The Red Rye casks introduce some zesty and spicy elements but also highlight plenty of cereal nature of the base blend. 83/100
Hinch New Make Spirit (12/9/2021) – Plenty of character and a well structured new make. A promising base spirit for experimenting with maturation and beer cask finishing.
Balblair 7 Years Old Batch 1 (12/8/2021) – Entertaining, nice sweet and herbal quality, very volatile in the glass, phenolic – that touch of peat is very present and prominent. Green fruits and waxy pine and herb leaves. 83/100
Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2011 (12/8/2021) – Quite smooth, fruity and vanilla led, perhaps the cask influence at 10 years is just starting to make its presence felt against that thick and unctuous mealy cereal nature from the Bere. 85/100
Willowbank 18 Years Old Batch 2 (12/3/2021) – Lots of old wood and fruit influence as you’d expect for its age and ex-red wine cask, hints of eucalyptus in places but overall a superb woody old whisky! 85/100
Whitlaw 15 Years Old Batch 1 (12/3/2021) – Yum, classic HP, very light initially. This one is all about the subtleties, wisps of heathery smoke and a sprinkle of smoked sea salt crystals! 85/100
Teerenpeeli 5 Years Old Batch 1 (12/3/2021) – Another great wine cask example from TBWC, I’ve no feeling for the original spirit but this felt like mostly sherry cask and perhaps not too much original spirit nature – certainly for a 5yo. The result is a very enjoyable sherried whisky. 84/100
Whisky Blog Rankings December 2021 (12/1/2021) – Whisky Blog Rankings December 2021
Armorik 5 Years Old Batch 2 (12/1/2021) – Very sweet on the nose but very balanced on the palate and eminently drinkable. Some sharp French oak tannins give a good edge or foil to the fruity Sauternes sweetness. 84/100
Crabbies Yardhead (12/1/2021) – On its own this is a fairly basic single malt. Perfect for mixing but also drinkable in its own right. Their are traces of youthful spirit and a touch of sulphur but also a lovely minerality proving a distinct character that does carry though into longer mixed drinks or cocktails. By no means a neutral base spirit. 78/100
Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 4 (12/1/2021) – Very peaty as expected, I felt this one was much better when reduced with water as lots of flavours were masked or locked away behind the wall of peat smoke. 87/100
Croftengea 14 Years Old Batch 3 (11/30/2021) – A touch light in body and malt, perhaps I’m expecting more from comparison to similar smoky Islay whisky? Minimal cask influence suggestive of refill ex-Bourbon, just about tempers the smoke here plus a lovely fresh apple nature. 83/100
Paul John Oloroso (11/30/2021) – Good work from the Oloroso casks here with classic dried fruit and chocolate to the fore. 84/100
Irish Single Malt #2 15 Years Old Batch 6 (11/29/2021) – Sweet and clean, creamy and with plenty of fruit suggestive of mostly spirit and ex-Bourbon maturation keeping things fairly straightforward and enjoyingly simple. A touch odd in the finish – perhaps indicative of the distillate source? 85/100
Paul John Brilliance (11/29/2021) – Solid, sweet and malty and some good fruity and floral notes too. Not too spirity and a touch spicy and drying at the end to keep it interesting. 82/100
Mackmyra Bjorksav (11/29/2021) – Very sweet and with plenty of range and intensity of flavours. Perhaps a little too sweet for my palate? 82/100
Octomore 10.2 (11/24/2021) – Sweeter and smokier than 10.1 and a nice addition of both tropical and stone fruits, I don’t think I’d have picked out the Sauternes influence here but in my defence Octomore’s are pretty robust spirit to begin with! 88/100