Very polished and smooth, Highland toffee, buttery caramel and creamy vanilla, some fruit and woody notes make this one a very easy drinker. 85/100
Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak
Fettercairn 12 Years Old 2009 Bourbon Cask
Soft fruity and vanillic, actually really good, I think I like this single cask more than the standard Fettercairn 12 Years Old – I suspect Greg picked out one of the best of the bunch? 84/100
Fettercairn Warehouse 2 Batch No.002
Considering I find the standard 12 a little spicy in the tail I was a little apprehensive of the Rye maturation used here. It really accentuates other facets of Fettercairn’s spirit but surreptitious use of sweet and vanillic ex-Bourbon casks brings plenty of coconut and chocolate along for the ride making this one a real journey. Actually the more I tasted the more welcoming the spicy Rye elements were. Bravo! 85/100
Fettercairn 12 Years Old
Relatively easy going, everything is quite soft and smooth initially. There is that characteristic leafy green note to Fettercairn that seems much more integrated here than I remember previously, gets a little too spicy and drying at the end for me. 80/100
Glen Grant 10 Years Old
Again light, fresh and zesty with a touch of florality, this aged expression seems much more mealy with cereal and husk notes, another very well presented single malt from Glen Grant.
Glen Grant The Major’s Reserve
Light, creamy and buttery, full of fresh apples, lemon, vanilla and hazelnut – does exactly what it says on the tin. A delicious light Speyside single malt at a bargain price.
Torabhaig Allt Gleann
A little sweeter with more fruit and a touch more spirity perhaps than the Legacy release, plenty of flavour here with sweet barley, smoky & peppery peat and salty coastal influences.
Mackmyra 12 Years Old (Chorlton Whisky)
A lovely fresh Mackmyra, initially a little closed but given time and air and possibly a drop of water too this opens up and reveals plenty.
Bruichladdich Feis Ile 2021 Masterclass 6
Having been filled into the cask at 84%+ ABV this has had much more of a cask/cask char extract effect rather than mellowing/maturation. That said this whisky is still remarkably smooth at 69.3% ABV!
Bruichladdich Feis Ile 2021 Masterclass 5
Noticeably younger and much more buttery, more woody/caramel notes come through on the nose and the cereal and slightly grassy/stalky/herbal quality is left until the finish here.
