Islay #3 13 Years Old Batch 4 whisky review: A fantastic Islay expression with plenty of milk chocolate / peanut butter and salt that combine perfectly into Reeses peanut butter cups and lots of herbal thyme thrown in for good measure, awesome! 89/100
Caol Ila 1984 Connoisseurs Choice whisky review: Tropical fruits on a bbq, a rich and deep fruity profile for this aged example then a dash of salt like seared scallops in butter, plenty of woody and charred notes too. A fantastic Caol Ila! 91/100
Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2009 Bass whisky review: Slightly less well rounded and full bodied than the younger sample we tried, evidence of a slightly under-active or over-aerated cask perhaps? 83/100
Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2012 Claxton’s whisky review: Very drinkable, quite simple and clean on the palate but all the better for it. Sweet vanilla with a hint of citrus meets peat smoke and wood. 83/100
Lagavulin 2001 Distillers Edition whisky review: Despite overall revealing similar flavours this one seems different again, a little less well integrated, cracks are beginning to show here, the smoke is muted and also a little more menthol crystal accompaniment makes it less well suited to what is essentially less sweet, more dry nut and saltier – if any malt is present it is more in the Custard cream biscuit range than the thick, heavy malt extract I’m used to from Lagavulin. 83/100
Lagavulin 2000 Distillers Edition whisky review: Softer and less smoky both on the nose and palate than the 1999 vintage. More fruity in nature and much more vanilla influence. Slightly more sugary and nutty too. It is hard to ascribe why this is distinctly less smoky and slightly lighter in texture, however differences in the maturation/finishing casks more than justify the alterations in flavour profile, more fruit and nut than chocolate and tobacco. Still very pleasant. 84/100
Lagavulin 1999 Distillers Edition whisky review: A very “Classic” Lagavulin Distillers Edition with a great balance between hugely smoky Lagavulin and sweet dried sherry fruits and cocoa from the PX casks. Plenty of depth on the nose and palate and a finish that persists. 85/100
Lagavulin 8 Years Old 200th Anniversary Limited Edition whisky review: It has taken me some time to finally get on board with this expression. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed but whenever I sat to formulate some notes I seem to get stuck after the nose and hard to ascribe anything in particular. Perhaps sampling this side-by-side with the 9yo GOT edition really highlighted the differences. There is a freshness in here quite unlike anything else I have sampled from Lagavulin, perhaps it is New Make (I have some somewhere to test this theory) or I am more inclined to think it is the result of underactive (3rd/4th fill casks)? 85/100
House Lannister Lagavulin 9 Years Old whisky review: Much more of a classic Lagavulin than I found the 8 Year Old anniversary edition. Sweet and meaty with a dusty smoke, a nice bitterness to it that presents as chocolate. I suspect the colour is e150 – confirmed by the packaging. Compared to the 8 Year Old I suspect a few more refill barrels or older barrels have gone into this mix to shift the flavour-profile in a very positive way more towards the distillery character. Quite moreish. I like this a lot more than I like Lannister’s – except Tyrion – I like this just as much as Tyrion. 86/100
Octomore 08.3 whisky review: A mixture of sweet and bitter make for quite a complex dram permanently backed by peat influences but never overpowered by it. Lots of delicious woody herbal influence and a little earthen too in places, there is soft and tropical fruits and coconut in here also. 87/100
