New Town Blends – The Surgeons Ball whisky review: A bit of a Jekyll & Hyde (apt?) dram, quite mobile on the palate but generally pleasing. Doesn’t hide its youth very well. 77/100
New Town Blends – The Surgeons Ball (46%, Edinburgh Whisky, 2016)
The Scalasaig Island Hopper Maiden Voyage (43%, Colonsay Beverages Ltd, 3000 bottles, 2020)
The Scalasaig Island Hopper Maiden Voyage whisky review: A well constructed blend I’m assuming from all island Malts? Good balance of peat & sherry – not too sweet almost classical ‘Highland’ style in fact. Well done 83/100
Nectar Grove Batch Strength Batch No. 001 (54%, Wemyss Malts, 8100 Bottles, 2019)
Nectar Grove Batch Strength Batch No. 001 whisky review: A rich and syrupy sweet expression, unfortunately I haven’t tried the standard version to compare or make comment on the increased ABV presentation here in the batch strength. Very drinkable without water and reminiscent of other Madeira cask finished whiskies with lots of stone fruit influence. 82/100
Flaming Feast (46%, Wemyss Malts, 6000 Bottles, 2018)
Flaming Feast blended malt whisky review: A great smoked and maritime blend, complex and shifting much like the smoke rising from a beach bonfire. 85/100
Blooming Gorse (46%, Wemyss Malts, 6000 Bottles, 2018)
Blooming Gorse blended malt whisky review: A creamy and sweet blended malt with plenty of coconut influence as the name suggests. This borders on becoming soapy on occasion due to the florality but has a touch of citrus zest and plenty of sweet vanilla to keep it enjoyable. 83/100
Speyside Region Blend 43 Years Old 1973 (47.4%, Whisky Agency, 568 Bottles, 2017)
Speyside Region Blend 43 Years Old 1973 review: Massively fruity, zingy and fresh for its age, but also with that oiled wooden counter in a sweet shop feel about it and some old smoky notes not commonly found anymore. 90/100
MacNair’s Lum Reek Peated 21 Years Old (48%, OB, 2018)
MacNair’s Lum Reek Peated 21 Year Old blended malt whisky review: A deliciously well-aged blend, just enough peat smoke to make me think of older style single malts and also robust but subtle or rather soft sherry influences too – well integrated and comfortable. I suspect this blend has been constructed to reminisce some older Speyside examples when peat smoke and sherry maturation were the norm. Works beautifully. 89/100
MacNair’s Lum Reek Peated 12 Years Old (46%, OB, 2018)
MacNair’s Lum Reek Peated 12 Year Old blended malt whisky review: A very different blend, lighter on the palate and more wood influence. It feels to me like they have shifted the balance much in favour of the Speyside malt(s) here as it is much lighter and more vaporous and the peat influence feels diluted by more than age alone. 84/100
MacNair’s Lum Reek Peated (46%, OB, 2018)
MacNair’s Lum Reek Peated blended malt whisky review: A great blended malt, a little youthful but this brings power to the Islay smoke, some nice floral and herbal elements in here but difficult to assign much specific cask influences. The result is very drinkable and unsurprisingly a complexity that you could easily believe this was a single malt. Reminds me a little of some early Kilchoman’s but with much less power in the peat influence. 83/100
The Naked Grouse (40%, OB, 2018)
The Naked Grouse whisky review: I’m still not convinced by this blend, it is very pleasing and all but just too polished/smooth/blendy in places that I see it as a detraction from the whole. 75/100
