Review
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SMWS 73.69 Dark side eclipsed by sweet joys
Good ex-sherry influence, not too strong but masks most of the spirit character. That Aultmore grassy/apple/malt flavour is missing. With a little water this whisky falls apart, it becomes a little more vanilla and creamier but with an over-stretched elastic… Continue reading
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SMWS 73.71 A scene from Madeira
Great honeyed sweetness to this one and lots of distillery character/spirit nature in here too but comes with a lot of extra spice this one. Manages to carry the spices well due to the depth of sweetness, a drop or… Continue reading
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Smith’s Glenlivet 1974 Rare Vintage
Christmasy, woody and a somewhat crystalline or purified essential oil flavours with tannic red fruits. Definitely one for red wine lovers! 86/100 Continue reading
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Glen Grant 1954 Rare Vintage
An astonishingly good dram from Gordon & MacPhail. There is a very nice balance to this dram that makes it all so sublime. At first it is a little closed and overpolished wood or toffee but starts to melt in… Continue reading
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Kininvie 17 Years Old 1996 Batch 1
Like Monkey Shoulder with the good bits taken out, there is something really quite disappointing about this expression and I think it is complete lack of character. Even the attempted cask maturation to create balance has just rendered this a… Continue reading
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Benriach 42 Year Old 1971 Single Cask
An interesting expression but perhaps a little over-oaked. A nice depth of fruits can be found but there is a lot of oak wood and herbality to it that for me didn’t complement the fruit but rather overshadowed the sweeter… Continue reading
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Glenfarclas 40 Years Old
Slightly over-oaked and verging on the extreme side of chocolate even for a chocaholic like myself. Gone were the honeyed notes and zestiness of the oranges and in come coffee grounds and the herbality of advanced oak wood ageing. Still… Continue reading
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Glenfarclas 30 Years Old
As a sherry-fan (and even sherry-bomb fan) I have to admit this comes pretty close to perfection. Wickedly indulgent in flavours and beautifully presented I find it difficult to find flaw in this expression. Easy to see how this won… Continue reading
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Glenfarclas 25 Years Old
Starting with the 25 year old I noticed a pronounced aged/oaky wood character over say the 15 or 17 year old versions (though perhaps not the 21 – I may need to revisit). A beautiful creamy milk chocolate was the… Continue reading
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Benromach 35 Years Old
This expression is still surprisingly fresh considering its age. There is a depth of wood and fruit here belying its long time in a first fill sherry cask yet the orange oil tastes like it is fresh out of the… Continue reading
The Whiskyphiles 