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September 7, 2024 |
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Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland
Old bottles and new(ish) distilleries
It's the Whisky Show in London this weekend, and both the French and Scottish divisions of Whiskyfun will be in attendance (although, I am technically working). |
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Once again I've added an old and rare bottle selection to my stand again this year (woohoo!) and as such I've opened quite a few tasty old bottles these past months in preparation. I've also, rather typically, neglected to publish any notes for most of these bottles as yet. Hopefully there will be time to catch up on that in the next couple of months. For now, and as this is usually a great weekend, a few celebratory older bottlings, preceded by a few, also celebratory, more recent bottlings from relatively new distilleries. Do Daftmill and Ardnamurchan still count as 'new cats', Serge? |
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Ardnamurchan 2018/2024 (59.1%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, cask #1058, 1st fill sherry butt, 702 bottles) 
Colour: amber. Nose: salty game meats, bacon jam, pork scratchings, caraway, salted liquorice, cigar humidor and resinous fir wood. Also some rather prickly spiciness with pink peppercorns, paprika and clove oil. Big whisky! With water: loads of caraway, toasted fennel seed, ground ginger, black pepper, curry leaf - you could probably add this to a curry! Mouth: very good, excellent arrival with syrupy sherry and a great sense of thickness and texture, underlying that a lot of cupboard spices, dark beers, spicy dark grained breads, dark honey and a slightly smoky chocolatey note, like dark chocolate with chilli. With water: evolves nicely towards a more leathery and gentle profile, back towards rich bready and beery notes, drier earthy and tobacco qualities and notes of cedar wood, pinecones and dried herbs. Finish: long, spicy, slightly jammy and with a nice herbal, resinous quality. Comments: excellent modern malt whisky, in the very best sense. A big, assertive cask, but the Ardnamurchan distillate meets it squarely and the result is pretty delicious. Just come armed with some water and a pipette! It's one of those drams that I suspect you could tease several different profiles out of.
SGP: 571 - 87 points. |
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Ardnamurchan 2017/2023 (59.7%, Berry Brothers & Rudd 'The Pioneers', cask #374, sherry hogshead, 302 bottles) 
Colour: deep gold. Nose: excellently salty, tarry and full of cured meats, smoky bacon crisps, smoked dark beers, rye bread, iodine and camphor. Really superb, concentrated nose with the sherry and peat seemingly very well integrated. Love this peppery and tarry combination. With water: feels even more concentrated around herbal bitters, medicines, tarry peat and pine wood now. Great singular and very powerful profile. Mouth: excellent arrival, again a feeling of concentration, with a lot of thick, tarry smokiness, more dark beers, smoked meats, paprika, iodine drops and some hints of salted liquorice and eucalyptus. Also quite a few smoked teas and cough medicines. With water: again a sense of increased concentration and cohesion with water. Wonderful notes of pine wood, smoked olive oil, pure tar extracts, iodine, camphor and caraway. Finish: long, some fresh espresso, then wood smoke, more pepper, tar, cured game meats and hessian. All tinged with a rich, tangy peat smoke. Comments: An awesome cask! I feel that the peated Ardnamurchans are leading the charge at this age, but the unpeated ones, like the 2018 we tasted before this one, will likely catch them up by around 10 years of age.
SGP: 477 - 90 points. |
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Daftmill 15 yo 2007/2023 ‘Fife Strength’ (56.3%, OB for UK Independent Whisky Retailers, 1st fill bourbon barrel) 
Francis has told me before what Fife Strength means, but I can’t recall just now I’m afraid. Colour: bright straw. Nose: hyper clean and full of sweet, buttery cereals, cut grass, lemon rind, crushed parsley, olive oil and wee touches of strop leather and barley water. Immaculate! With water: the same but slightly brighter, more floral, a feeling that it becomes ever so slightly drier and more peppery and with some wonderful notes of soda bread and flower honey. Mouth: the same, but with added juiciness in the form of ripe pineapple chunks, jellybeans, lemon curd and custard. You feel the wood closing in a bit but there’s a definite feeling this has been bottled well in time. More lemons, lemon barley water, cream soda and more subtle green herbal notes. With water: cider apples, yellow plums, myrtle, heather honey and impressions of youthful calvados, freshly milled malt and more lovely grassy olive oil notes. Finish: good length, a nice tension between these peppery notes, green grassy qualities and softer floral aspects. Comments: really excellent, rather the epitome of what I think of as the ‘Daftmill house style’, which is bright, sweet, grassy, citric and honeyed.
SGP: 641 - 89 points. |
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Daftmill 15 yo 2007/2023 (56.4%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, #009, bourbon barrel with PX sherry finish, 171 bottles)
Apparently a bourbon barrel, then into PX for just two months before being put back into the same barrel, how many residual litres of PX were in that cask? Colour: reddish amber. Nose: there’s a definite PX sticky quality, but it’s also toned everything down slightly compared to the bourbon 15yo. Some black coffee sweetened with brown sugar, ruby ales, cloves, chai tea. With water: a little more cohesive and ‘deeper’ with freshly baked brown bread, darjeeling tea leaves and some elegant floral notes emerging. Mouth: sweet raisins, sugary black tea, birch beer and spiced dark winter beers. It’s good but I can’t get away from this feeling that it has been somewhat flattened by the PX. With water: indeed, it’s much better with water, you feel the Daftmill sitting behind the sherry a little more clearly. Some grassy notes, plums stewed in Armagnac, spiced pumpernickel bread and more beers and slightly sour ales. Finish: quite long, on rye bread spice, cloves, aniseed sweets and toasted fennel seed. A re-appearance of sweetened coffee in the aftertaste. Comments: I find this one a little more challenging if I’m honest. On one hand the sherry is surprisingly well-integrated at only two months, on the other hand, you can kind of see the joins and they aren’t always totally balanced or cohesive. I’d also add that I find it much, much better with water, but I definitely prefer the excellent ‘Fife Strength’ 15yo.
SGP: 561 - 85 points. |
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Now for the older stuff, this one seems like a suitable way to pivot into the older bottlings... |
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Glen Grant 24 yo 1998/2023 (51.2%, Club Qing, cask #13087, sherry hogshead, 224 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: it begins on rich notes of marmalade, stem ginger in syrup and fresh brown bread. Also herbal teas, wormwood and chamomile. A very lovely and nicely robust sherry profile. With water: very charming and slightly more old school with these notes of hessian, light camphor, beeswax and herbal tonic wines (Buckfast, let's be honest!) Mouth: quite a grapey profile, with lots of sultan and raisin sweetness, that even goes into blackcurrants, Ribena and cassis. It's still a little bready though which brings this impression of treacle cake and candied walnuts. With water: still pretty sweet, but with herbal bitters, caraway and eucalyptus notes adding complexity. Finish: good length, a lovely balance between sweeter dark fruits and richer, spicier bready tones. Comments: great modern Glen Grant from a sherry cask, one which shows that this was still a rather fuller and more characterful distillate during these years.
SGP: 561 - 88 points. |
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Glen Grant 1972/1993 'The Dark Side of the Moon' (56.1%, Signatory for Velier Import, casks #6024-6025, sherry)
Colour: amber. Nose: holy moly! Immensely concentrated dark fruits! Damsons, figs, dates, prunes and sultanas all soaked in very old Armagnac. Also aged mead, cough medicine, salted dark chocolate and heather flower honey. A stunning tension between these richly honeyed beehive vibes and a perfectly salty, earthy and rich sherry character. With water: rather unbelievably it becomes even more honeyed and full of nectars, exotic fruit pulps, hardwood resins and tropical fruit teas. The sherry is still there but the way it evolves rapidly towards the underlying Glen Grant distillate is amazing. Mouth: magnificent! Again this amazing balance and interplay between earthy, gamey, leathery and salty sherry with this rather ancient bodega style funk, and then honeys galore, loads of beeswax, pollens, old crystalised dark honeys and hessian. Amazing, singular and stunningly complex profile. With water: just magnificent! Camphor, old leather, rolling tobacco, linseed oil, herbal cough syrups, old Drambuie, spiced marmalade and yellow Chartreuse. Finish: very long, circling back onto the saltier and drier sherry aspects now, a stunning tension still on display between all these various influences. Comments: I had it around 91-92 but when you add water it just explodes! Totally stunning old Glen Grant that treads the most sublime tightrope between distillate character and some totally amazing sherry cask influence. Bottlings such as are why I love Glen Grant so much.
SGP: 661 - 93 points. |
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Glen Grant 25 yo (86 US proof, Stuart MacNair for USA, stopper cork, bottled early 1960s)
It may have been a mistake to place this after that ridiculous 1972, but we'll see. This is a bottle I opened just the other week for the show. Colour: very pale gold. Nose: what's amazing is that you can really spot the share DNA between this and the 1972, which is to say: honeybomb! It's really a stunning combination of flower honeys with sea salt, pure honeycomb, beeswax, linseed oils, hessian and camphor. Rather like the pure refill 1972s but with added subtle peat influence, that manifests more as herbs, roots and medicines, and a bigger and more vivid waxiness. Mouth: We needn't have worried too much. It's a beautiful arrival full of herbal liqueurs, many more medicinal and herbal qualities, the honey character is there, but it feels older, saltier, drier, more like some very well aged mead. Then there's also this beautiful coconut note, which feels reminiscent of some older G&M malts from the late 1930s, so potentially coming from old American oak ex-sherry casks? Continues with many dried fruits, pressed flowers, mineral oils, bouillon, dried tarragon and suet. Still heavily on waxes and camphor in the background. Amazing complexity while also possessing an incredible elegance and almost fragility, but without actually being fragile, if you see what I mean. Finish: long, perfectly drying, lightly salty, full of herbal medicinal notes, furniture polish and mineral oils again. Comments: stunning old style Glen Grant, between this and the 1972 I would say you have the two most important profiles of this distillery from its greatest era.
SGP: 562 - 92 points. |
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Glendronach 1970/1992 'Reserve Cantarelli' (43%, Signatory for Velier, casks #546-547, sherry hogsheads, 1200 bottles)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: such a different profile to those Glen Grants. This is a much leaner, drier, more powerful and earthier profile of sherry. Full of freshly brewed espresso, toasted walnuts, bone dry VORS oloroso, salted liquorice and stewed prunes. Given time it begins to show a little more of this darkly fruity aspect which adds balance and suggests sweeter qualities too, but it remains a big, chunky beast. Mouth: fantastic arrival on pure chocolate. Bitter, expensive, very dark chocolate flecked with sea salt and chipotle chilli. Then game and beef stocks, bouillon, camphor, tar extracts and bone barrow. Some boozy Tiramisu and salted treacle. Finish: long, deeply earthy, very gamey, dark fruit chutneys, very old balsamic and pickled walnuts. Comments: hard to argue with this. Teeters on the brink of being 'too much' at points but it always manages to pull back with little fruity notes that come out of the blue at the perfect moment. One for anyone seeking pure, old style sherried malt whisky.
SGP: 662 - 91 points. |
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Glendronach (56.02%, OB, 1950s)
A bottle I opened a few months ago and was delighted to discover - thanks to my electric hydrometer - was actually a full proof version of this famous and rather influential old official label. The level was just in the top of the shoulder of the bottle, so I would imagine this was probably originally bottled at 100 proof (57.1%). I opened a 75 proof version just under ten years ago for my 30th birthday and it was good but not as stellar as we might have hoped for. This on the other hand... Colour: pale gold. Nose: what's most impressive is the freshness and sharpness, many green and citrus fruit qualities, grassiness, grapefruit, olive oil, chalk, fennel seed and waxed hessian. Also petrolic vibes, mineral oils, sea salt and this slowly unfurling, bone dry peat smoke note. A deep but almost crystalline smokiness. With water: animal fats, coal dust, cooking oils, sheep wool! Emphatic old-style territory and bursting with the impression of texture and fatness. Mouth: a stunning arrival, again on bone dry, crisp peat smoke, sea salt, camphor, tiny hints of pickling brine, mineral oils, toolbox grease, waxes, old dried out herbal liqueurs, wee hints of mustard powder and again some aniseed and fennel notes. Amazing sharpness, power and freshness, a sense of control about it which is very compelling. With water: it's funny how the peat sort of disappears and leaves instead this wonderfully pure, saline and citrus combination, the sharpness of fruit acids, grapefruit, more chalk, aniseed, clay, camphor, lemon rind and shoe polish. Stunning distillate that carries flavour and texture in a totally thrilling and cohesive way. Finish: long, drying, very mineral, chalky and sooty with the peat smoke coming back in the aftertaste. Comments: hard not to get carried away but it's a brilliant example of how older style malts such as this were just so much fatter and more textural complex distillates, something we especially see when they're captured at higher strengths like this.
SGP: 563 - 93 points. |
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Lagavulin 16 yo (43%, OB 'White Horse', 1 litre, early 1990s)
Another bottle I've cracked for the show, I always try to have one of these open where possible these days. Colour: gold. Nose: dried out seaweed, waxes, iodine, paraffin, seawater and hessian. With time gets a little fruitier, which I don't usually find with Lagavulin, some grapefruit and smoked teas. Rather stunning as expected. Mouth: just superb. Oily, camphory, full of natural tar extracts, smoked sea salt, more iodine, TCP, dried kelp and old rope. Really a feeling of the seashore and early dunnage warehouses about it. Finish: long, full of deep, drying peat smoke, warming peppery notes, old medicines, herbal liqueur vibes and more camphor and hessian. Comments: we do these old Laga 16s ever so often on WF and it's always the same story. Totally brilliant and rather indisputable whiskies. Maybe not quite as mesmeric as the very early 75cl 16 year olds, but that's not saying much is it.
SGP: 566 - 92 points. |
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Lagavulin 12 yo (43%, OB 'White Horse', Montenegro import, green glass, dark vatting, mid-1980s)
This one seems to carry a bit of a mixed reputation, Serge tackled it twice in the past (WF89 and WF90) but there's also different versions it would seem. My experience with pretty much all the old Lagavulin 12s is that they seem generally brilliant. But let's see... Colour: amber. Nose: it's certainly earthier and more sherry-driven than the 16yo. I'd also add there's more dark and dried exotic fruits in the mix. Some wonderful coastal dryness, umami seasonings, soy sauce, dried seaweed, wormwood, heather ales and some beautiful tarry notes. The peat is perhaps more subdued in the mix that some other old 12s, but it still has this wonderfully deep, thick, dry peat smoke character for sure. Undeniably pretty awesome. Mouth: definitely less peaty than you might have expected, and more driven by thick, syrupy sherry with a touch of sweetness, like some very high-class old cream sherry perhaps. Notes of balsamic, tar, salted caramel, old hessian cloth, very tiny flecks of iodine and more subtle impressions of dried seaweed and Maggi. I can see why Serge perhaps didn't go too high on this one, but I think it's still pretty excellent old Lagavulin. Finish: good length, getting drier, earthier, saltier and more directly peaty now. Comments: I would agree this perhaps doesn't hold up to some of the 16s that came immediately after it, but as a standalone, old school sherried Lagavulin I still find it pretty excellent. There's a syrupy character to the palate that makes it more of a tumbler dram than a copita dram, but that's only an asset in my view.
SGP: 656 - 91 points. |
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Lagavulin 31 yo 1991/2022 (49.2%, OB 'Casks of Distinction' for the 50th anniversary of Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh's family business, cask #P5D4, 1st fill PX sherry hogshead, 264 bottles)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: creosote, old tarred rope, the very same dried kelp and seaweed we found in the 16yo and wonderfully rich, slightly salty, slightly earthy and nicely rancio-accented underlying sherry influence. Very singular, cohesive and 'old Lagavulin' in style. Easy to see why they would select such a cask. Mouth: excellent tension between the savoury peat smoke, earthier aspects, big gamey and salty notes and then those slightly sweeter, raisiny PX characteristics - although it never tips over into cloying. Finish: long, tarry, back on iodine, dried seaweed, camphor, rancio and a rather emphatic and wonderful peaty note. Comments: a great, very singular and cohesive old Lagavulin, perfect fusion between sherry and peat that elevates distillery character front and centre.
SGP: 666 - 92 points. |
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Big, slightly too long hugs for Iain, Carsten and Enrico for their contributions to this extremely enjoyable session! |
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September 6, 2024 |
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Two Royal Lochnagar and Their Blend
There’s still very little Lochnagar around, and none at all from independent bottlers, for a good fifteen years now. As an aperitif, we'll start with the distillery's famous signature blend, ta-dah, John Begg! Incidentally, that's also the name of the distillery's founder, back in 1845.
(Magazine ad, USA, 1968)
You may read or re-read Manager Mike Nicolson's old interview on WF.
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John Begg 'Blue Cap' (43%, OB, blend, +/-1955) 
The neck label bears the inscription ‘By Appointment to the late Majesty King George V’, making it quite straightforward to date. It’s our first time tasting an expression from this era, but we remember the pre-war ‘gold cap’ was rather very good. Colour: gold. Nose: a wonderfully old-school blend, somewhat in the vein of White Horse but less smoky, more medicinal with a hint of camphor, and just as earthy with pronounced hydrocarbon notes. A rather magnificent nose, evoking memories of old Islay Mist as well. I nearly forgot to mention the ubiquitous polish found in many of these robust old blends (we avoid the word ‘virile’). Mouth: absolutely magnificent—oily, lemony, salty, and much more coastal than your usual Lochnagar. You’ll even find oysters here, along with citron liqueur, pink peppercorns, and, of course, that familiar polish. This venerable blend hasn’t lost an ounce of power. Finish: long, salty, peppery, with that typical broth-like character of old blends, but virtually no metallic notes. Comments: very, very impressive, this old John Begg—almost reminiscent of an old Islay. Or as one might say, an old Islay Mist.
SGP:463 - 89 points. |
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Royal Lochnagar 12 yo (40%, OB, +/-2023) 
I have the impression that it is becoming a rarer sight on the shelves, but we still revisit it every couple of years. It’s a very good malt, though it’s always lacked a bit of oomph, probably due to a slightly stingy ABV. Colour: pale gold. Nose: paraffin and soap are present as usual, along with a hint of shampoo, candle wax, mashed turnip, vegetable soup, fruit peels, damp cardboard… and finally, apples that are not particularly fruity or aromatic, more like those from a very old apple tree. A handful of barley grains as well. Mouth: this is truly an old-school malt, somewhat austere, much in the style of its neighbour at Balmoral (in its day). Paraffin and polish again, a touch of leather and tobacco, ashes, but also some very high-quality orange marmalade and heather honey. It seems a bit better than I remember. Lovely oily texture. Finish: there are hints of the John Begg, particularly the curiously maritime side. Very nice pepper. Comments: I find this recent batch to be noticeably superior to its recent predecessors, even including the famous 'Game of Thrones' edition, a series that gave malt whisky enthusiasts quite a chuckle.
SGP:451 - 83 points. |
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Royal Lochnagar 10 yo ‘The Manager’s Dram’ (57.2%, OB, European oak, 2006) 
I’m not sure who the manager was at the time, as the signature on the label doesn’t seem to match either Mike Nicolson or Donald Renwick. I do love the delightful mention of ‘European oak’—what a relief! It brings back fond memories of the days when managers only spoke of two types of casks, ‘European’ or ‘American’. The rest? Well, we couldn’t have cared less. Colour: gold. Nose: quintessential Lochnagar, packed with polish and old papers, but also orange zest and grilled polenta. One can’t help but applaud this refreshingly ‘different’ character. With water: a return of the medicinal notes (a mix of various pills) and even a touch of Fanta. Mouth (neat): superbly different indeed. Peppery lemon, slightly industrial oils, grass juice, polish, green walnuts, Chinese mushrooms (those large black ones), pipe tobacco, mead, with a certain lightly mouldy note that’s not unpleasant at all, and even a few feints. With water: this unleashes the citrus, which is splendid. The whole becomes much livelier and fruitier, also ‘cleaner’. Oranges, as well as apples and yellow peaches. Finish: long, oily, textured. Bitter oranges, leather, tobacco, lemon, and green pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s easy to see why a manager would have selected this cask—it’s brimming with personality. Almost 88/100.
SGP:662 - 87 points. |
We want more Lochnagar! Perhaps there will be some in the upcoming Prima & Ultima or Special Releases? |
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September 5, 2024 |
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A few independent Royal Brackla
That’s become better in order to get as close as possible to the distillate, no? However, note that people really like, for example, the official 12-year-old finished in sherry and so do I.
Wine in whisky: check the Leerdam theory below… |
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Royal Brackla 11 yo 2006/2018 (55.2%, North Star Spirits, refill bourbon hogshead, 296 bottles)
Colour: Chardonnay. Nose: Chardonnay indeed. Seriously, there's no wine in this wee dram (triple hooray!), but it comes across like a rather lovely white from the Côte de Beaune, with just the right amount of damp chalk, limestone, honeysuckle, apples, a wee touch of grapefruit, a smidgen of fresh butter and roasted hazelnuts... With water: slate and fresh wool join the party, which we rather enjoy. Mouth (neat): bright, taut, and almost aggressive with that herbaceous character and lemon peel, but we do like that. With water: white and yellow fruits now cheerfully spread across the palate, with white mulberries, white currants, then apple and just plain lemon. A very, very light saline tension in the background. Finish: long, very lively, and beautifully herbal. A couple of pine needles in the aftertaste. Comments: a very, very charming young Brackla, which didn’t need any sherry.
SGP: 461 - 85 points. |
Couldn't one say that with malt whisky, the less wine there is in it, the more it resembles wine? It's a bit like the Dutch Leerdam theory, you know: the more cheese there is, the more holes there are, and the more holes there are, the less cheese there is. Right, anyway, let's move on… |
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Royal Brackla 15 yo 2008/2024 (54.9%, Lady of the Glen, refill barrel, cask #6787, 232 bottles)
Colour: Chardonnay. Here we go again. Nose: we're extremely close to the previous one. If we mixed the glasses on the table, we'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart this time around. That said, there’s a bit more sweetness here – think jelly babies, limoncello... But other than that, we’re in the same territory. With water: a bit of nail polish, pear, and yes, even a touch of Sprite (sorry!). Mouth (neat): even closer now. Chalk, gooseberries, lemon, green tea, white currants, orange pastilles, and just a tiny hint of honey. Really vibrant. With water: almost identical, perhaps with a tad more cereal and a sliver of underripe banana. Finish: long, a bit oilier than the 2006, but once again, we may be splitting hairs here. Comments: more like a Chardonnay from the Mâconnais. A young Pouilly, for example. Anyway, moving on…
SGP: 461 - 85 points. |
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Royal Brackla 2009/2023 (57.2%, Or Sileis, hogshead, cask #WG884, 280 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Here we go again. Nose: just the same. Gooseberries, chalk, fresh wool, lemon, white and green apples, honeysuckle, white wine, more gooseberries… With water: once again, we get some chalk, slate, grist, and muesli… It’s perfect. Mouth (neat): superb, fresh, lemony, vibrant, yet also quite fat (we used to say “as fat as a monk” in the old days), with rhubarb liqueur and limoncello. Nothing more to add, it’s excellent. With water: just like the others, really, though there’s perhaps a bit more yellow melon here. Finish: the same. Slightly fruitier, slightly less herbal. Comments: honestly, it's impossible to say if one is better than the others at this point, that would be total nonsense.
SGP: 551 – 85 points. |
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Royal Brackla 2008/2024 (50.5%, The Whisky Jury, 10 years of Wine4You, refill hogshead, cask #6784, 58 bottles)
That’s the entire outturn, as the cask has been leaking (sounds like a Tom Waits song, no?). Colour: white wine. Nose: I wouldn’t say you can smell the leakage, but it does come across as a bit fruitier, more tropical – bananas, oranges, and papayas, for instance. You really can’t help but notice that this is a style that suits The Whisky Jury, and frankly, it suits us too. With water: indeed, it’s a touch more aromatic than the others, leaning a bit more towards southern grape varieties rather than Chardonnay, if you prefer. Think Viognier, Manseng, Marsanne, and the like. Mouth (neat): once again, we’re close to the others. Muesli, grapefruit, white wine, chalk, rhubarb, limoncello, and all that. With water: acacia honey, honeysuckle (and herbal tea), orange, banana, pear, melon, papaya, and even a hint of mango. Finish: fairly long, fruity but less showy at this point, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Comments: an extra point for the mango.
SGP: 651 - 86 points. |
It feels a bit like you could taste dozens of Bracklas of similar ages and ex-refills and end up with as many drams that are almost identical. This no doubt ‘may’ explain why the owners feel the ‘need’ to do some finishing – not necessarily because the whiskies are bad, but because otherwise they may all be... the same |
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September 4, 2024 |
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Three little Glen Moray (two with wine)
There's quite a lot of Glen Moray at the independent bottlers, which can only be excellent for the 'brand', especially as they're generally very good. There's also a lot of finishes across the board, but that's the fate of many distilleries these days. I know we're repeating ourselves a bit. |
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Glen Moray 13 yo 2010/2024 (56%, Dràm Mor, first fill Tokaji finish, cask #800597, 229 bottles)
Yes, I know we’ve said some rather dreadful things about Tokaji cask finishes before, but then again, hope is an essential part of whisky, isn't it? Colour: gold. Nose: a finishing done with a bit of tact, it seems—thankfully, not too much pineapple, sultanas, or... Tokaji. Instead, we’ve got orange blossom, candles, some granola, and even a hint of Fruit Loops. With water: moving towards peanut and sunflower oils, as well as some grist. Good news all around. Mouth (neat): the Tokaji makes a more pronounced appearance here. Grape skin, syrups, pineapple liqueur, a touch of rose jelly, tinned lychees, white clover honey, and pink peppercorns... But it’s not the most extroverted of drams. With water: yes, it softens up, but without becoming vulgar. Rose macarons, more orange blossom, and some white table grapes... Finish: of medium length, well-balanced, and still quite fruity. Not too much ‘eszencia,’ though I doubt they used an eszencia cask anyway. Some orange juice in the aftertaste. Comments: phew, well done Dràm Mor.
SGP:641 - 83 points. |
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Glen Moray 11 yo 2012/2023 (58.8%, OB, Warehouse 1, peated rioja cask finish) 
If I understand correctly, Warehouse #1 is where they store the really strange casks. Red Rioja and peat, sounds like mustard and coffee to me, and to be quite honest, that combination is very, very alarming. Did they do this on purpose, or is it the result of some rogue ERP algorithm? Colour: old gold. Nose: very good news, the peat takes charge, and the Tempranillo seems to be kept in check. A few smoked almonds, smoked ham, cigar ash, and a hint of curry... So far, we're holding on. With water: slightly medicinal and not too overrun with red fruits. The Rioja still holds its ground and remains fairly discreet, phew. Mouth (neat): things get a bit more improbable here, with those ultra-ripe strawberries and all that green pepper now challenging a slightly harsh peat. It’s quite strange. With water: a fair amount of bay leaves, chlorophyll, very ripe cherries, and peach leaves as herbal tea… Not off-putting at all, just rather adventurous. Finish: quite long, peppery. Strawberries with pepper and a hint of rubber. Comments: it’s much better than the absolute disaster we expected, but good luck recognising the lovely Glen Moray in this context.
SGP:563 - 80 points. |
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Glen Moray 1988/2021 (53.7%, Malts of Scotland, Rare Casks, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 21048, 98 bottles) 
A small batch, but for some reason, it feels just right… Wasn’t Stuart Thomson the distillery manager back in 1988? Colour: straw. Nose: we’ve tasted a few MoS bottlings from this Rare Casks range, and it seems they share a certain elegance, a kind of old-fashioned restraint, if you will. Overripe apples, mirabelles, fresh pollen, fresh vanilla, followed by clafoutis, nougat, and a large plum tarte dusted with ground cinnamon. That’s quite something special. With water: mirabelle jam takes control. Mouth (neat): it kicks off straight away with that plum tarte, but also with apple brandy, then we find stewed rhubarb mixed with honey and orange juice. Well, something along those lines, and it’s very lovely. With water: the very ripe mirabelles persist. A touch of oak, very well-behaved. Finish: medium length, leaning more towards herbal teas, chamomile, and indeed, cinnamon. Comments: another old MoS Rare Cask with an almost retro refinement, featuring some of the most delicate and discreet oak. Superb, but beware, it goes down rather easily.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
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September 3, 2024 |
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Old Tigers: A Farewell or a Celebration? |
To be honest, I’m not sure. We have these four old malts, all from distilleries that have been closed for forty years, and they’re all alone in our stocks, with no sparring partners from the same distilleries available to organise a proper comparative session as we like to do. Does this mean we’ve lost hope of finding any more? |
Glenugie Distillery, 1958 (Wiki) |
Certainly not, and I’m sure we’ll acquire others from the same distilleries before long (the taster’s version of Murphy’s Law), but still, nothing is certain. challenging. Let’s see...So today, we’re going to compare a Banff (1863-1983), a Dallas Dhu (1899-1983), a Glenugie (1831-1983), and a Millburn (1807-1985), something that’s highly unusual for WF. In essence, this is the counterpart to our ‘New Cats’ tastings, which is why we’re calling this session ‘Old Tigers’, even if it does sound a bit like Indian whisky stuff. Perhaps we’ll have more ‘Old Tigers’ sessions like this in the future, who knows… In any case, today we’re expecting two potential fruit bombs, and two likely malts that are, let’s say, more |
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Glenugie 18 yo 1959/1977 (80° UK proof, Cadenhead, black dumpy, 26 2/3 Fl.Ozs)
By W.M. Cadenhead of Aberdeen and their old lady. Just to remind you, 80° UK proof equals 46% vol. (well, 45.7%). No, this bottling strength is hardly a recent innovation, despite what some might suggest. Glenugie often reminds us of Lochside, further down the East Coast, when in our glass. In other words, we adore its fruitiness. By the way, we've tasted this marvel before, but that was in 2006, and of course, it was a different bottle. Let’s keep this brief… Colour: straw. Nose: those coppery and chalky touches so typical of these bottles, followed by a cascade of stewed or compotéed fruits, accented with resinous and camphor notes. It’s extraordinarily compact yet complex, reminiscent of a grand vintage Meursault by a Spitzen winemaker. Mouth: one hardly knows where to begin. There’s a medicinal side, a hint of metal, quite a salty broth, then all the oranges, small berries, apples, and odd fruits from lands still unknown to Man (and Donlad J.). It’s important to remain seated while tasting this kind of glory. Finish: long, quite medicinal and waxy, yet all those fruits remain. It’s magnificent. Extraordinary aftertaste of chutneys and sweet-and-sour fruits. Peaches? Comments: I’m not entirely sure, but it’s the first time I’ve noted similarities with old Laphroaig bottles. I gave it 93 in 2006, but I was still hoping to find quite a few even better whiskies. Thus…
SGP:652 - 94 points. |
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Banff 15 yo 1964/1979 (80° UK proof, Cadenhead, black dumpy, 26 2/3 Fl.Ozs)
Another one from the Aberdeen era. I believe this is the first time I’m tasting a 1964 Banff. I’ve always found this distillery to be more renowned for its misadventures (fires, bombings) than for its malt, which, however, could be magical when not too weakened by low strengths and overly exaggerated caramel. Colour: straw. Nose: a bit more tired than the Glenugie, with notes of tinplate, old metal box, but then it’s aged white wines that take the lead. Simple Sylvaners or Pinot Blancs come to mind, but from good producers. Ripe apples, white raisins, a slight chalky note... and a touch of polish. Light polish, mind you. Mouth: it’s fresher, livelier, with more citrus and orchard fruits, which brings it closer to the Glenugie. Some old raisins too, the ones that lingered in that famous tin box from the nose. The background remains ‘old dumpy’, with metal, wax, and chalk. Finish: quite long, a bit more herbaceous. A touch of green pepper. Comments: we’ve tasted more recent Banff vintages that were more stellar, but I was pleased to taste this 1964, that’s for sure. Very good old whisky, perhaps a bit outshone by the Glenugie.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Millburn 1974 (56.3%, The Classic Whisky Guild, +/-2002)
Both Cadenhead and G&M have had some of these 1974s. To be honest, I’ve never heard of The Classic Whisky Guild, and I wonder whether it’s the whisky or the guild that was considered classic. Hmm. Anyway, among the three Inverness distilleries – the others being Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn, as you know – Millburn was perhaps the least known. But I recall a 1974 from the mid-2000s by Cadenhead that was rather magical (WF 92). Agreed, let’s skip the chatter… Colour: pale gold. Nose: ah! Beeswax and old apples from the cellar, wildflower honey, pollen, old champagne, apricot cream… honestly, it smells fantastic, unless water ruins it all. With water: not at all, of course. Honey, peach cream, bellini, beeswax. Mouth (neat): it’s perfect. There’s even smoked ham (the quirky side of Inverness malts), otherwise all those marvellous things from a beehive, plus pink pepper and the famous mirabelle + quince duo that’s adorned, even decorated, many great malts. Like old Balvenies or certain HPs. Finish: game, set, and match. Top-notch... and guess what, that smoked ham is still there. Incredible. Comments: Cadenhead?
SGP:662 - 93 points. |
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Dallas Dhu 31 yo 1980/2012 (60.2%, Signatory Vintage, hogshead, cask #2106, 196 bottles)
Signatory had quite a few Dallas Dhus. Now, whether Dallas Dhu is a dead and buried distillery or if those famous revitalisation projects we’ve heard about are still on the cards remains uncertain. At the time of writing, it seems Aceo (Murray McDavid) is determined to restart production as early as next year, which is excellent news, confirmed by their partners, Historic Environment Scotland (aka Historic Scotland). In the meantime… Colour: gold. Nose: perhaps the most discreet of the four, but at over 60% ABV, that’s almost expected. Some overripe apples, prunes, honeyed touches, panettone, hints of fresh cement, and gauze… With water: oddly, not much change. A bit of putty, propolis, hints of rubber… Mouth (neat): quite explosive, a bit chaotic (from lemon to cement) but really intriguing. Big citrusy power. With water: it’s really something. Propolis dissolved in lime juice, with outright new make notes. Incredible and, ultimately, rather intellectual. Plum brandy. Finish: very long, once again with honey, or rather mead, mixed with that famous plum brandy, and again that cement in the aftertaste. Comments: quite the adventure, this Dallas Dhu. I really like it, but it has an ‘art house’ vibe, I’d say. I’ll try to track down some more old ‘licensed’ Dallas Dhu from G&M, as I don’t really know Dallas Dhu very well. It’s good to have goals, they say.
SGP:562 - 89 points. |
(Thanks Billy, Geert and other friends) |
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September 2, 2024 |
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Just three Glenkinchie
Finally, one Glenkinchie for sure, and two 'secret' independents that are indeed Glenkinchie and, by the way, don’t try to make you believe that "it could possibly be Daftmill or Rosebank." Thanks to them! And besides, Glenkinchie is nice. |
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Lowland Distillery 9 yo 2014/2024 (48%, Hogshead Imports, refill hogshead, 442 bottles)
Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: it bursts with gooseberries and fresh pear juice, as well as white table grapes (small muscat). Then we find a fine slice of lemon tarte, another of rhubarb tarte, and finally just a tiny touch of grist. Impeccable in its perfect nudity. Right, nakedness. Mouth: it’s a bit firmer than expected, but otherwise, you get that nervy and almost refreshing fruitiness—pears, gooseberry, rhubarb, with a few drops of lime liqueur poured into white beer... Well, you see the mix. It’s very good, very fresh. Finish: fairly long, more herbaceous as usual. Apple peelings and a few grape seeds, plus a touch of liquorice. Comments: this is a very joyful young malt, almost empathetic. It was such a good idea to leave it in its natural state!
SGP:651 - 86 points. |
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Lowland Distillery 11 yo 2012/2023 (58.8%, The Whisky Exchange, The Seasons, refill hogshead, cask #3478)
You see how disciplined we are; this little gem was bottled in winter, yet we’ve restrained ourselves to taste it in the summer. Colour: straw. Nose: the cask has been rather active here, though let’s not go overboard – it’s not a double-PX after all. Lovely grapefruit, a pinhead of miso paste, fruit leaning towards apricots and peaches, with a hint of fennel and dill. It’s very, very, and I mean very lovely and precise. With water: grated lemon zest, fresh hay, elderflower liqueur – just needs a splash of prosecco and Perrier. Mouth (neat): leaning closer to the 9-year-old, but still, you’re talking about a summery malt, and I’m getting a touch of pastis! Also, lemongrass, grapefruit, and fresh turmeric. With water: it falls back in line a bit, but remains excellent, almost invigorating. Superb citrus and vineyard peaches. Finish: fairly long, still with apricot. Comments: one might almost prefer this without water but also over one of those massive round ice cubes that the Japanese masters like Mr Glen Kin Chi are so skilled at carving (that was even more pitiful than usual, S. Utterly shameful. -Ed.)
SGP: 651 – 86 points. |
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Glenkinchie 15 yo ‘The Manager’s Dram’ (60.1%, OB, 2010)
I get the impression that these series, which were quite sought after back in the day, are flying a bit under the radar lately. Yet, they were genuinely selected by the distillery managers, with little to no interference from Diageo’s marketing department, or so it seems. Not to be confused with the ‘Manager’s Choice’, also from Diageo. Colour: gold. Nose: much more cask influence here, with candy sugar, vanilla cream, fudge, praline, and especially heaps of nougat and turrón, perhaps even some sesame halva. With water: spiced praline, crème brûlée, a touch of green walnut, and a hint of fino sherry. Mouth (neat): massive, with nougat and café latte at the forefront. Grilled almonds, candied chestnuts, then some mild curry and a bit of citrus peel. That’s the cask talking. With water: not much evolution. Finish: quite long, still coherent, with nougat, a bit of biscuit, and a drop of pepper liqueur... Comments: pretty cask-driven, could it be that the warehouse managers or even the coopers lent a helping hand during the selection?
SGP: 561 – 86 points. |
Three styles, each charmingly different, with a lovely gradation depending on the influence of the casks. I liked all three equally, though I perhaps have a slight preference for the first, the freshest one. |
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September 1, 2024 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
A few more rums for this Sunday |
The end of summer is gently approaching, a few leaves are already turning yellow, French civil servants are getting ready to go on strike, students are preparing banners for the upcoming protests, and most organised groups are demanding more resources and threatening to join the students between Bastille and République... In short, autumn is on its way in la douce France, as it does every year. And we, we're going to enjoy a few rums. |
At Papa Rouyo in Guadeloupe
(Papa Rouyo) |
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Jamaican Rum 2023/2024 ‘>1,200 esters gr/hlpa’ (64.3%, The Spirit Traveller, 1st fill Austrian red wine, 1,347 bottles)
A blend from two distilleries. At 1,200+ esters, your choices are naturally limited to Hampden, Long Pond, or New Yarmouth. Of course, you might blend a 1,700gr-ester rum with one almost devoid of them, if you can find a small batch of the latter, that is. But let’s skip the rule of threes… As for the Austrian red wine cask, I’d wager it doesn’t bring much to the table in this context, but let’s see… Colour: rosé/partridge eye. Indeed. Nose: the aroma hits you even before the cork is fully out. Really. There’s a faint whiff of a wine cellar at harvest time, but I’m likely imagining that – the rest is all about massive esters, though leaning more towards black olives than petrol and tar. Not that we’re complaining; we love it. And naturally, there’s a hefty dose of liquorice too. With water: herbal teas, cedarwood, cherry stems, and, yes, more olives. Mouth (neat): simply explosive. Tar, seawater, every black olive from the Iberian Peninsula, and, let’s say, pink grapefruit. Just so. With water: the usual cavalcade of super-esters typical of Jamaican rum. Olives, salt, tar, liquorice, lemon juice, and a touch of vinegar… Finish: exceedingly long. Comments: given the colour, the wine cask must have had some impact, though pinpointing it is beyond me. I adore these very young rums. What’s more, the price is quite gentle.
SGP:474 - 88 points. |
Well, that might not have been the ideal opener, but what's done is done. |
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Papa Rouyo 1 yo 2022/2023 (56.7%, Habitation Velier, Guadeloupe)
Papa Rouyo, the top release of last year. 430 gr/hlpa this time, which is rather decent for Guadeloupe. Oh, and it's pot still, not from a creole column, and made from red cane. Aged in old Cognac casks, but no worries, I’m certain it’s not quite an in-cask blend. Colour: gold. Nose: ah yes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, fresh mastic and lanolin, paraffin, white truffles, and distilled holly berry… it’s very distinctive, refined, elegant… With water: you get much closer to sugarcane and fresh acacia wood. Mouth (neat): absolutely top-tier Guadeloupean. I believe the production is quite small, but if you come across it, do not hesitate. A beautiful blend of waxes, white and yellow fruits, with a hint of plantain. A touch of salt that’s very well-placed. With water: I get the faint impression that a bit of Cognac shines through here, along with peaches and sultanas. Let’s just say we didn’t notice. Finish: not overly long but fresh, saline, coastal (anchovies), with those lovely notes of fresh sugarcane lingering. A very lightly sweet aftertaste. Comments: perhaps not quite on the level of the formidable young ‘Vibrasyon’ of 2023 (WF 87), but it certainly speaks well.
SGP:552 - 85 points. |
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Papalin 10 yo ‘Réunion’ (50%, Velier, La Réunion, 3,608 bottles, 2023)
A blend of four rums from La Réunion, each from a different distillery. In my humble opinion, there’s a bit of everything to be had in La Réunion, but I have complete faith in our Italian friends’ blending skills. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it feels like the top tier of Savanna is doing some of the work here. A very spectacular, highly unusual nose, strangely medicinal, with camphor and menthol, followed by fruits on the verge of rot and some tobacco. It’s really odd, but I love it. A bit of bear garlic and black garlic (no connection). With water: brand-new plastic straight from Temu or AliExpress, one of those unboxings you instantly regret. Here, though, it’s superb. Mouth (neat): how amusing! Toothpaste, orange juice, pine sap, thyme oil, caraway liqueur, and wormwood… With water: and here comes a touch of rosewater, with even more thyme. A touch of salt. Finish: long, saline, resinous, tarry, and very deviant. Comments: you can really sense a master blender behind this wonderfully bizarre creation. We adore this kind of weirdness. Is this Savanna?
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Worthy Park 7 yo 2016/2024 (55%, Rum of The World, for Whisky Milano, Jamaica, cask #WP16JD02)
We always say that the Italians are very, very particular about what they put in their mouths, and that’s undoubtedly even truer in Milan. And in Bologna, Genoa, Florence, Palermo, Rome... Colour: gold. Nose: WP is always more compact and softer than H, yet still retains that oilcloth, tar, crushed olives, Barbour grease, diesel, and motor oil character, along with some nicely ripe bananas. This is a prime example. With water: a pencil sharpener in action and freshly sawn fir wood. Mouth (neat): yes, it’s clean, with an obvious, almost easy-going side, yet there’s major liquorice and tar coming at you from all angles. There’s a binary aspect we love, and we must admit we’re rather binary ourselves. Lovely salinity, Dutch liquorice, and so forth. With water: what balance! That’s truly WP’s strong point. Finish: the same, with seawater, liquorice, bergamot, oysters, and seaweed. A certain sweetness lingers. Comments: very much in the same lineage.
SGP:553 - 87 points. |
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Hampden 2023/2024 ‘Rum Love Festival Edition 2024’ (64.4%, The Colours of Rum, new American oak)
Love at 64.4% vol.? 400-600 gr esters/hlpa, so I suppose it’s an HLCF marque. My favourite. Let’s check all this love, love, love, love… Colour: gold. Nose: linoleum, tar, acetone, green apples and pears, varnish, vinegar, carbon… Some rums really don’t need to wait for years to show their value, and that’s the superiority of rum over all other aged spirits. With water: rust remover, polish, new leather, and turnips… Mouth (neat): superbly chiselled punch, quite acidic, very salty, and frankly loaded with acetone. And pickled turnips (turnip sauerkraut). With water: that industrial chemical vibe that we love, probably because of our slightly perverted tastes. Finish: long, more on aged apple, shoe polish, brine, and olives… Very salty aftertaste. Comments: love, and peace.
SGP:463 - 88 points. |
Let's move on to an aged rum and see if we can get past 90... |
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Caroni 25 yo 1998/2023 (63.4%, Milano Whisky Company, Trinidad, 230 bottles)
10 years in the tropics, the rest in Europe. That’s like the fate of a well-heeled European retiree who knows how to live. Colour: dark amber. Nose: polish and chocolate. I repeat, polish and chocolate. Also, new trainers from some ridiculous DNVB straight from Facebook, and pencil shavings. A touch of strawberry. It’s very lovely, not a ‘heavy’. With water: very Ikea-like. Varnish, fresh plywood, cheap paint, seawater, a hint of cider vinegar. Mouth: it hits a bit, a touch acidic, very lemony, borderline ammonia-like. But since we’re all a bit masochistic when it comes to spirits, we quite enjoy it. With water: we’ve cracked it, it’s become elegant, salty, even very salty, in fact, extremely salty, but it’s perfect. Finish: very long, acidic and briny, highly pickled. Comments: absolutely not an easy rum, but one gives in, one surrenders—life’s too short (S., I believe it’s bedtime).
SGP: 372 - 90 points. |
Let's finish with an old Guyanese tale... |
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Diamond 26 yo 1996/2022 ‘SVC’ (47.3%, The Taste of Rum, 190 bottles)
I believe SVC might be a label for one of the two Coffey stills at Diamond (SV), with the C perhaps standing for ‘Coloured’. Quite the labyrinth of marques indeed. Colour: mahogany. Nose: it’s really rich, with even some vinous touches alongside molasses, currants, gravy, dates, and above all, Armagnac and caramel. A hint of mint as well. Mouth: liquorice and a Moscatel-like note, still plenty of molasses, corn syrup, a touch of tar, anise, pipe tobacco, and then loads of Christmas cake and plum pudding… The texture is very thick, oily. Finish: long, still thick, syrupy, caramelised, with honey and liquorice. Comments: you do get the impression that something was added to this old rum, perhaps right when the cask was filled. Really reminiscent of some older El Dorado expressions, it seems, or certain batches of ‘Black Tot’ for the British navy. A slightly retro style, which I like very much despite a touch of ‘stuffiness’.
SGP:751 – 87 points. |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted so far
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August 2024 |
Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Springbank 26 yo 1998/2024 (56.8%, Decadent Drinks, WhiskyLand, Chapter One, first fill sherry butt, 550 bottles) - WF 94
Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Domaine de Gaube 1929 (45%, Francis Darroze, Bas Armagnac, +/-1980) - WF 92
Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Sodade 'Cana Rocca Ouro Blanco' (43.1%, OB, Cape Verde, grogue, +/-2023) - WF 88
Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Trinidad Distillers Limited 14 yo 2009/2024 'Edition N°1' (62.9%, The Colours of Rum, Up Spirits Club, bourbon cask, cask #106, 259 bottles)- WF 92
Serge's thumbs up this month:
Heritage Distilling Co. 6 years old 2016/2023 (63.25%, American Single Cask, 100% rye, USA, new oak heavy char, cask #0004, 239 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Sweden Rock Spirits (44.7%, OB, USA, Kentucky bourbon, +/-2023) - WF 49 |
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August 31, 2024 |
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Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland
Stoking the Whiskyfun Caol Ila pages!
Serge said on Whiskyfun just this past week that he is arranging and funding a special trip to Islay where we’ll formally taste Whiskyfun’s 1000th Caol Ila. Now, I may be paraphrasing slightly, but let’s see if we can’t nudge that process along slightly. As good an excuse as any to tackle the Caol Ila stash, which has grown arms and legs once again. Having said that, I’m pretty sure Serge has written notes for most of these already, so this is really just my two cents… |
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Caol Ila 11 yo 2012/2023 (48%, Elixir Distillers ‘The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks’, four refill butts)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: petrol, mineral salts and a rather salty, green and grassy quality that does suggest some sherry casks deep in the mix. Pure peat, mercurochrome and seawater. Pretty exemplary! Mouth: lemons and limes and peat ashes galore! Also cornichons in brine, capers and other pickling juice vibes. There’s still a very nicely salty, chiselled and slightly earthy sherry ‘feeling’ about it, but it still shows abundant distillate DNA front and centre. Finish: medium, back on salted almonds, wood ashes, kelp and tarry smoke. Comments: I’d simply add that it’s a rather fat and punchy wee Caol Ila, despite the rather clever reduced strength.
SGP: 467 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 9 yo 2013 (57.2%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 53.457 ‘Coal shards on clotted cream’, Oloroso sherry finish)
457 casks of Caol Ila by the SMWS alone! At this rate they will get to 1000 before Whiskyfun! Colour: grubby gold. Nose: a richer and more gingery sherry influence in this one. Rather a lot of spicy, dark grained breads, smoked German dark beers, salted liquorice, camphor and anchovy paste. Big, thick, chunky whisky! With water: camphor, tar liqueur, pine needles and cough syrup - it works well! Mouth: very punchy arrival! Malt vinegar, charred wood, iodine and tarry rope. Also some black peppercorns and feelings of roof pitch and kerosine. The relative activeness of the oak is evident but it feels reasonably well in check by this pretty monstrously peaty distillate. With water: very nicely salty, earthy and with a restrained gamey note too now. Also tons of seawater, cayenne pepper, aniseed and horseradish. A total beast that would headbutt any Octomore under the table! Finish: long, very tarry, petrolic, peaty and medicinal, also extremely salty and drying now too. Comments: an uncomplicated, no holds barred Caol Ila that is really quite extreme in places. It feels like the sherry casks was pretty active but that it simply got relentlessly beaten down by this massive Caol Ila distillate. Seems like they upped the peat level a bit in these vintages?
SGP: 468 - 85 points. |
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Caol Ila 9 yo 2013/2022 (57.3%, The Whisky Exchange for The Whisky Show, cask #316159, refill hogshead)
I’m laughably late with this, not that we aim to always try bottlings at the point of release mind you. Colour: gold. Nose: rounder, oilier with a more complex interplay of peat and medicinal aspects, a richer smokiness and subtler notes of sandalwood, gorse and beach pebbles. So different from the SMWS. With water: a tad simpler now, with pure seawater, green olive and wood ashes. Mouth: creamy and mouth-filling arrival, lots of pine wood, camphor, pure peat smoke, black olives in brine, BBQ-charred shellfish and various umami, salty and briny impressions. Nicely tight and cohesive Caol Ila. With water: again this feeling of roundness and cohesiveness, creamy texture, with pure peat smoke, dry phenolics, tar and lots of vigorous salty notes. Finish: quite long, very coastal and powerfully salty, dry smoke, anchovy paste and antiseptic. Comments: I think I preferred this one neat, but overall another very good one with a nicely direct and singular profile.
SGP: 366 - 86 points. |
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Caol Ila 9 yo 2013/2023 (59.6%, Watt Whisky, hogshead, 306 bottles)
Let’s see what the Watts have been up to… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very close to the raw distillate now, really on petrol, puffer smoke, seawater, freshly kilned malt and wet linens. In time a building medicinal profile full of iodine and TCP. With water: a slightly broader smokiness which adds some complexity, more feelings of pure kiln air, umami seasonings and beach sand. Mouth: very pure, sharp, chiselled and centred around seawater, pickling brine, lemon juice and wood ashes. Lots of beach stuff too, such as crushed seashells, rock pool vibes and wet seaweed. With water: cider apple, more briny things, still hugely salty, some traces of fennel seed and smoked olive oil. Superb! Finish: long, sharp, full of mineral salts, lemon juice, olive brine and a tar-flecked smokiness. Comments: It’s raw and even a tad brutal in places, but this feels like this sort of rather clever bottle that will become really brilliant if left to sit in a dark cupboard for a few decades. Extremely classy Caol Ila.
SGP: 467 - 88 points. |
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Ok, let’s jump up in age… |
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Caol Ila 35 yo 1984/2020 (47.5%, The Golden Cask, #CM260, bourbon barrel, 204 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: one of those totally gorgeous and really idiosyncratic old Caol Ilas that reek of gently smoked green teas, honey, eucalyptus oils, tiger balm and tar liqueurs. Indestructible whisky! Develops even more intricately along these lines of honey and subtle medicinal balms and herbs, also a very tiny farmyard aspect emerges with time. Bergamot, wormwood and woodruff! Mouth: peated honey if such a thing existed. Great arrival, very tarry, peppery and surprisingly still very peaty with good power and attack. Also preserved lemons, lapsing souchong tea, more eucalyptus and tea tree oil vibes and more matcha and even wee tropical elements. Finish: long, beautifully elegant peat smoke notes, bound up with crystallised, dried out old honeys, pressed flowers and more smoked herbs and teas. Comments: quite amazing freshness, brightness and power, while also very evidently being an older whisky in the very best sense. Caol Ila from these vintages seems to have some kind of immutable stamina.
SGP: 566 - 91 points. |
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Caol Ila 36 yo 1984/2020 (53.1%, Kingsbury's for Auld Alliance and Club Qing, sherry butt, cask #2752)
Colour: deep tawny amber. Nose: raisins, tar liqueur, dark honeys, plum sauce, very weighted with camphor and salted treacle. A real sense of texture, like nosing molasses with many additional and complex impressions of salted liquorice, aniseed liqueur, walnut wine and smoked artichokes. Heavy but also a little playful at the same time, which makes it very entertaining. With water: full of bitter herbs and old school medicinal qualities, strong herbal teas, cloves, cheng pi orange peels and pure tar extract. Mouth: very tarry, phenolic and drying, with an amazingly salty and umami savoury side. Also a lot of very beefy and gamey sherry qualities. Old leather, camphor, fir wood resins, beeswax, celery salty, cocktail bitters and artichoke liqueur. An old spirit that also converges with old rum in some ways as well, with these almost funky qualities. With water: get simpler now, really into herbal bitters, salt-baked vegetables, medicinal roots and tinctures and a very peppery, drying herbal peat. Finish: long, herbal bitters again, more artichoke, tar and herbal liqueurs and about a litre of Maggi! Comments: -
SGP: 376 - 89 points. |
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Caol Ila 40 yo 1982/2022 (49.5%, The Whisky Exchange ‘The Decades’, two hogsheads, 286 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: similar ballpark to the Golden Cask, but more accented by sandalwood, olive oils, boot polish and cedar wood. It’s also showing this superb combination of waxes, citrus and honey that you find in Clynelish of similar pedigree. Also still some wonderful coastal freshness in the form of crushed seashells, beach pebbles and impressions of white coastal flowers. Undimmed and irrefutable! Mouth: superb arrival, medicines galore, along with aged mead, citrus liqueurs, lanolin, grassy olive oil, pine wood resins and more of these assertive and wonderful notes of matcha and green tea with lemon. It’s also got this stunning and wonderfully tense interplay between coastal notes that go towards umami and savoury with these salty qualities, think Maggi, soy sauce and nori. But also a fruitiness that veers between green and yellow and exotic variously. One of those very old peated malts that makes you really think almost philosophically about peat as an ingredient. Finish: wonderfully long, salty, honeyed, waxy and full of peat phenolics, old medical tinctures, crystallised citrus rinds and dried herbs. Comments: a whisky that is simultaneously humbling, complex, fresh and vital, old and decadent and outrageously quaffable. Many boxes ticked here!
SGP: 665 - 92 points. |
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This is a tricky session, which will involve a couple of ‘re-sets’. Starting with this one, where we’ll go back to young and high octane, but an earlier vintage… |
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Caol Ila 13 yo 1977/1990 (63.8%, Gordon & MacPhail for Turatello, Italy)
An old rarity from the warehouses of G&M for those ahead of the curve Italians… Colour: deep gold. Nose: very petrolic and ‘greasy’ in the best of senses. It has some of these terrific briny and seawater qualities that the more recent vintages possess, only there’s this added feeling of fatness here. Sheep wool oils, tarry rope, gherkins, anchovy paste, tiny hints of salted honey and TCP! With water: deeply into anchovy, sardines in smoked olive oil, capers mashed into a salsa verde with malt vinegar and pure seawater and lemon juice. Mouth: probably some sherry influence at play as there’s this stunning salted almond and smoked kipper combination, along with an earthiness and a rather rich peppery streak as well. More of these wonderful vegetable stock, Maggi and smoked artichoke vibes that we often find in these older Caol Ilas. Lashings of tar, medical embrocations and old herbal ointments. With water: terrifically rounded, whole and singular now! Fat, thick peat smoke, tar, black pepper, salted liquorice and big, hearty, briny notes. Finish: very long, with germoline, which feels like very textbook Caol Ila. Also loads more controlled and pin-sharp coastal freshness, salinity and then kippers and smoked olive oil in the aftertaste. Comments: a fascinating glimpse into those later 1970s vintages. Huge whisky, but showing great fatness, control and even a level of ease and drinkability that you don’t always find with peated, high ABV malts.
SGP: 477 - 91 points. |
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Caol Ila 25 yo 1976/2001 (59.9%, Signatory Vintage for LMDW, Straight From The Cask, hogshead, cask #8087, 423 bottles)
There are some stunning casks by Signatory from 1974 and some excellent ones from 1975 but I’m not too sure about 1976, let’s see… Colour: pale gold. Nose: beautiful, bone-dry peat smoke and coastal freshness, very focussed on sea air, beach pebbles, sand, ink, rock pools etc. Also some green olives, dried seaweed, nori and very umami things like Maggi, squid ink and anchovy paste. With water: pristinely salty, briny, drying, coastal, superbly fresh and chiselled. On pink sea salt, crushed aspirin, seawater and olive tapenades. Mouth: excellent arrival, recalls some of the great 1974s with this very oily and petrolic peat profile, while also looking ahead to the 1979s with hints of green tea with lemon, pure matcha and bone-dry smokiness. Probably a style that would inspire Serge to begin mentioning many expensive dry white wines… with water: gains some breadth of peat flavour, becoming a little thicker and deeper with black pepper, smoked olive oil, peppered and smoked mackerels, sardines in oil, pure tar and mercurochrome. Whoever said Caol Ila was a ‘medium’ peated Islay? Finish: wonderfully long, with a brittle, crystalline peat smoke, also more tar, wood ashes, TCP, smoked beers and many more softer coastal impressions that retain freshness. Comments: watch these ‘in between’ vintages, they can be pretty stunning, as is the case here. A different whisky from the 1972, but no less impactful, and almost as brilliant in my wee book. I love the way it simultaneously looks forwards and backwards in terms of distillery character.
SGP: 466 - 91 points. |
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Another short interlude I think… |
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Caol Ila 24 yo 1974/1998 (46%, Wilson & Morgan)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: pure, coastal and highly mineral. Wonderfully on crushed seashells, white flowers, chalk, sheep wool and seawater with hints of grapefruit and cider apple. Also some familiar notes of smoked and herbal teas. Charming, fresh and beautifully detailed. Mouth: excellent arrival, on petrol, seawater, green fruits and herbal teas with lemon. Recalls some younger 1979s in some ways. Continues with more grapefruit, lime, smoked cereals and a rather ‘woolly’ smokiness. Gentler than quite a few other 1974s I’ve tasted, but no less charming, perhaps a more sophisticated profile. Finish: long, getting a little heavier and fatter now, some fermentary notes, more cider apple and tarry vibes. Comments: humble, subtle but uber classy and highly pleasurable Caol Ila. 1974 seems to be an almost bullet proof vintage for Caol Ila.
SGP: 565 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 21 yo 1974/1995 (58.2%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, 75cl)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: yes! This is emblematic of what comes to mind when I think of Caol Ila 1974. Pure, fatty, petrolic power! A big, textural impression of raw, almost grubby peat smoke, oily sheep wool, creosoted fence posts, green peppercorns in brine, wet plaster and beach bonfire ashes. With water: very sharp, chiselled saltiness, pure lemon juice, seawater, gherkins and crushed sardines. Mouth: fantastic, immensely peppery, peaty and tarry arrival that recalls Ardbeg of similar pedigree. Also squid ink, seawater, a waxy quality and lots of smoked olive oil, fresh oysters, tar and iodine. Becoming ashier, drier, brinier and with some big ‘salt and vinegar on chips’ vibes. With water: magnificent oiliness and fatness, terrific and assertive peat flavour, with big flavours of kelp, soy sauce, dried seaweed, iodine and many things such as capers, more gherkins and green olives in brine. Finish: very long, pristinely salty, drying, tarry and with a pure, brilliant, blade-like smokiness. Comments: it’s tempting to draw comparisons with other Islay makes of the era, but these 1974s really do carve their own path. Yet another jewel in the Islay crown from this production era.
SGP: 366 - 92 points. |
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We’ll have another short break before finishing with some examples that all hail from the old Caol Ila distillery. Always worth remembering, Caol Ila was closed in 1972, renovated and modernised quite extensively and re-opened in 1974. The original distillery was properly old school, with floor maltings, directly coal fired stills and worm tubs. So, arguably the one that started production in 1974 was almost an entirely new distillery. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo (43%, OB, Zenith import, early 1980s)
Colour: white wine. Nose: superbly fresh and medicinal, all on bandages, wet rocks, oysters and citrus juices, matched by green olives and sharper notes of gooseberry and sour Gueuze beers. I also find a lovely heathery smokiness and more medicinal embrocations and sea air. Pristine and beautiful old school Caol Ila. Mouth: amazing richness of peat smoke flavour, really like they’ve captured this ‘head in a kiln’ vibe in distillate form. Superbly silky in texture, wonderfully crisp coastal freshness and then many thicker medicinal things like mercurochrome and TCP. Those green and sharper citrus fruit notes still remain in the background. Finish: good length, back on medicinal notes, coal smoke, a nicely tarry quality and more things like black pepper, iodine and smoked olive oil. Comments: impossible to argue with this, a beautiful and rather less ‘technological’ expression of Caol Ila that displays a deeper and more captivating peat profile than contemporary Caol Ila often does with its rather more ashy and brutalist character. Also, love the tension between medicines and seashore.
SGP: 456 - 91 points. |
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Caol Ila 1972/1987 (40%, JAS Gordon & Co, Auxil import)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: such a different profile of peat than would come later in 1974, this is just much fatter, dirtier, oilier and far more organic with thick notes of dried herbs, hessian cloth, petrol and resinous fir wood. One of those aromas that really implies an impression of texture and breadth in the distillate. There’s also many marine influences with suggestions of coastal air, creel nets, tarred rope and black olives in brine. Wonderful, very old style and very particularly ‘old Caol Ila’ aroma. Mouth: as so often with these batches, even at 40% and over three decades in glass, this remains huge whisky. Extremely tarry and oily, with a peat profile that manages to be both drying and extremely gelatinous at the same time. Old herbal cough medicines and liqueurs alongside salted liquorice and pure tar extract. I also find some dried exotic fruits and soy sauce. A rather majestic fusion of umami, smoky, medicinal and fruity. Finish: long, deep and drying peat smoke, with more dried fruits, salt cured fish, tar, black olive and old herbal medicines. Comments: simple in some ways with the sheer directness of its character, but complex in others in the wonderful way these peat and coastal influences entangle and manifest. A style that no longer exists on Islay, or anywhere for that matter.
SGP: 555 - 92 points. |
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Caol Ila 15 yo (65.3%, Sestante, 1980s)
As is well known, this juice would have been distilled in the ‘old’ Caol Ila distillery and sourced from Gordon & MacPhail. Colour: straw. Nose: really blurring the boundaries between petrol and whisky. It’s obviously a fat and intensely powerful distillate, yet it also manages to be an absolute blade of razor-sharp precision. The alcohol doesn’t really even register, rather it just takes a bit of breathing time and then a slow avalanche of coastal elements, shellfish vibes and citrus fruits begin to come through. With water: broadens out incredibly, a deep, rustic and muscular smokiness emerges. Also some green herbs, more seawater, but it rather defies description, it’s just an incredibly direct, pure and dominating profile that you can only follow along and gawp at. Mouth: I can’t help but think of some very excellent and probably expensive Montrachet upon first sipping. It has that extremely classy ‘white wine’ vibe in terms of precision, purity and class. Ashes, wood smoke, seawater, citrus acids, mineral salts, more petrolic qualities - rather mesmerising and totally dominating whisky. With water: citrus rinds galore, waxes, pink sea salt, the very best preserved lemons, pure tar extracts, smoked cooking oils, camphor and huge medicinal embrocations. Hard to say more, except maybe call that anti-maltoporn brigade, for all the use they ever are. Finish: extremely long, peat flavour with the texture of treacle while also retaining a brilliant and utterly pin sharp salinity. Comments: one of those whiskies that is really more a physical experience than a drink. An immense and totally dominating spirit.
SGP: 467 - 94 points. |
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Big, giant, sweaty Scottish hugs to KC, Enrico and the team at the Golden Promise bar! |
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August 30, 2024 |
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Just a few more New Cats
Some, like Ardnamurchan or Daftmill, will increasingly be the focus of specific sessions on WF, which is entirely normal. Others still produce relatively few different expressions, so we'll keep them in this slightly odd category of 'New Cats', if you're in agreement. |
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Isle of Harris 'The Hearach' (46%, OB, batch 15, 2024)
The Hearach has turned quite a few heads at the Edinburgh Whisky Fringe. Can you believe it, we're already on batch #15! You might argue these could be rather small batches, but in any case, we absolutely adored the first one (WF 86). Colour: white wine. Nose: I absolutely love this smoky aroma entwined with mashed turnips, slag, ashes, apple juice, fresh concrete, barley, rye beer, and aubergine… There’s certainly a lot going on in this glass. Mouth: lively, taut, with a hint of Ben N. paraffin, followed by lemon, chalk, green apple, salty smoke (if that’s even a thing), yeast, and mustard… Truly a malt with a style all its own. Finish: rather long and complex, with that faint touch of cologne and polish you sometimes find in Ben N. and Spring B. Comments: goodness, it seems Batch 16 is already out! We’ll never keep up, but it’s singular, and it’s delightful
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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Kingsbarns ‘Coaltown’ (46%, OB, 2024)
An in-cask blend of Kingsbarn and a touch of peater from said cask. I’m not opposed to this sort of thing as long as they’re upfront about it, as they are here. It’s a different story when it’s done without so much as a mention, trying to pass off a distillery’s malt as peated when it isn’t—less ideal, if you ask me. Sadly, there are plenty of examples around us. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s rather nice, fresh, and cheerful, with pear, apple, nail varnish, and cigarette smoke. You could even throw in some whelks if you like. Mouth: yes, it’s good, nothing to complain about. I even think it could be a great substitute for gin in certain cocktails, though I’m no cocktail expert. Finish: long, with lemon, apple, and ash. Comments: one can’t help but wonder if there aren’t some barrel brokers or overzealous coopers who ‘season’ casks specifically for this kind of flavouring, using very young peated whiskies, much like the bodegas do with sherry in Jerez, for example. That said, it’s really quite good—though I’ll stick with my Kingsbarns ‘Bell Rock Cask Strength’ (WF 86), thank you.
SGP:454 - 80 points. |
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Lochlea ‘Sowing Edition Third Crop’ (46%, OB, 1st fill bourbon, 2024)
A proper estate whisky, using its own crop and thankfully no strange casks that have been too heavily ‘borrowed’—that’s a relief. Our favourite Lochlea so far has been the impeccable 5 yo from 2018 (WF 85). Colour: white wine. Nose: pure chalk, mud, slate, and green apple, with tiny touches of pineapple and mango. Not what you’d typically expect from a first fill bourbon, but I think that’s a positive here. A lovely, fresh, and lively nose. Mouth: much more influence from the fresh oak, but still very much in fruity territory, especially with exotic fruits like papaya. There’s a fair bit of honey and liqueur as well, alongside that ever-present wet chalky note. Finish: fairly long, almost sweet, with hints of pear liqueur. Comments: the texture is quite oily, and the fruits really come forward on the palate, giving it a slight Irish character. I really do like this one. The first fill’s impact was much more pronounced on the palate than on the nose.
SGP:641 - 84 points. |
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Holyrood ‘New Make Japanese Sake Yeast’ (60%, OB, spirit drink, World Whisky Day 2022)
We’d previously enjoyed other new makes from Holyrood, including the ‘Bub’, and perhaps had set our expectations a bit too high for their ‘Arrival’. Patience will be required, but in the meantime, let’s enjoy this new make for… World Whisky Day? What’s that about? Colour: white. Nose: very much a new make, but the fruits are delicate, with notes of sorb, jujube, and wild strawberries (peat?). A few touches of apricot liqueur. With water: I’d swear there’s a sake-like note here. Some pears as well. Mouth (neat): a fruity, smoky, fermentative, and liqueur-like punch, with wild strawberries making a reappearance. With water: even better, moving more towards candied citrus, and there’s also a touch of Comté or summer Gruyère, very fruity. Finish: lovely, long, smoky, and citrusy. Comments: the great thing about new make is that you can add plenty of water without the risk of bringing out the wood and its tannins. I promise. It’s an absolute treat and very, very good.
SGP:632 - 86 points. |
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Glasgow 1770 6 yo ‘Tokaji Cask Finish Batch 02’ (54.8%, OB, 2024) 
Ah, Tokaji… we approach it with the same caution as the bubonic plague. Not in our wine glasses, of course, but in our whisky. That said, this is an unpeated version, so it should clash much less, unlike those Laphroaigs finished in Tokaji 20 years ago that sent you straight to the emergency room with little hope of return. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s still not easy, with notes of earth and mould mixed with gunpowder, buttercream, vanillin, and roasted pineapple. With water: like a box of spent matches. Mouth (neat): ultra-sweet, ultra-liqueur-like. Tangerinecello, Williams pear liqueur, and sugar cane syrup. And pepper, too. With water: it gets a bit better. The more water you add, the more it becomes tolerable. Finish: long, very sweet. Comments: this isn’t the whisky’s fault at all; it’s the Tokaji casks. They should never, ever leave Hungary. Love other expressions of Glasgow Distillery.
SGP:743 - 59 points. |
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Glasgow 1770 2018/2024 (62%, OB, Kirsch Import, virgin oak + oloroso, cask #18/1192, 318 bottles)
Colour: red amber. Nose: campfire smoke, V8 exhaust fumes, charcoal smoke, bitter chocolate, cigar boxes, coffee, and concrete. We’re ready for this. With water: lovely leather (what we used to call Russian leather) and horse saddle. Mouth (neat): monstrous, and we love it. Candied ginger, burnt fir wood, eucalyptus, ashes, candied lemon, and liquorice wood. Jägermeister is child’s play in comparison. With water: ah, here comes the oloroso, bringing marmalade and megatons of candied fruits of all sorts. Almost on the edge of moscatel, or at least, ‘cream’. Finish: very long, tauter, with more focus on candied citrus, and that bitter chocolate always lingering in the background. The peat seals the deal. Comments: I’m really fond of this big beast that buries the ‘Tokaji’ once and for all. Phew.
SGP:654 - 86 points. |
Well, we said we'd do 'pure Ardnamurchan' sessions from now on, but we didn’t make any promises, and in this case of self-assessment by Adelphi/Ardnamurchan, we don’t want to wait too long. |
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Ardnamurchan 10 yo 2014/2024 (56.8%, OB, 1st fill bourbon barrel, for Whisky Fringe 2024, cask #10, 252 bottles)
It’s good that Whiskyfun Inc. just invested in a 32-inch computer screen, purely to read Adelphi’s labels. Anyway, I reckon the folks at Adelphi didn’t have much trouble getting hold of a good cask from Ardnamurchan (that was a bit weak, S.). Colour: straw. Nose: you know what else we love about Ardnamurchan? It’s that Japanese touch. If you’d said Chichibu or Shizuoka ex-bourbon, I’d have nodded and said ‘absolutely’. White beer, chalk, wort, kerosene, mashed potatoes (50% potatoes, 50% butter, 50% olive oil). I know. With water: it’s all about that mash now, and what a lovely mash it is! Mouth (neat): it’s so good (sing it in French, c’est si bon). Porridge, licking stones, gravel, green apples, white beer, tiny apples and plums… With water: a fruity, yeasty affair, with peach compote, mixed prunes, fine beers, and especially those marvellous yeasts, cakes, and breads… Finish: the same but drier, more vegetal. Yet still fermentary. Comments: nothing to add.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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August 29, 2024 |
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Five Deanston on WF, or OB vs. IB
We still love Deanston just as much, even though they now tend to ‘enhance’ everything using casks that are either very distinct in their newness or influenced by the various liquids, whether spirits or wines, that they previously contained, even if only for a short period. Perhaps we should now turn to independent bottlers to taste a Deanston closer to the distillate, as has become the case with many distilleries nowadays. I also propose the creation of a new association, the SWA2 (or Scotch Winesky Association). |
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Deanston ‘Heritage Sherry Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, 2018) 
A slightly older release, one we've not encountered before. It’s NAS and 40%, so let’s get on with it. Colour: full gold. Nose: quite pleasant, fruity and malty, with a slight IPA-like note, some praline, treacle toffee, and slightly bruised apples. Yes, bruised apples, again. Pleasant enough, nothing flawed, and not too much on the pear or overly youthful with kirsch notes. Mouth: this is where things take a bit of a turn, with a certain bitterness from the wood, cherry stalk tea, some bitter walnuts, and those rather rustic apples. The structure is on the lighter side. Finish: rather short, still a touch bitter, herbal, and not the easiest. Walnut skin. Comments: it's decent enough, with a nose that was enjoyable, but the palate proved somewhat challenging for me. Perhaps better suited in a cocktail, like a Deanston Minimus?
SGP:361 - 75 points. |
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Deanston ‘Pioneer #1’ (46.3%, OB, Transformation Series, sherry and first-fill bourbon, +/-2024)
I believe this one's for Taiwan. Not entirely sure what's so ‘pioneering’ about it, but you know, names are essential, especially when you're dealing with NAS. Colour: gold. Nose: much fresher and, shall we say, more vibrant than the modest ‘Heritage’, with grapefruit and citron, lemongrass, some little Italian lemon biscuits (can’t quite remember the name), then Golden Delicious apples and fresh barley. Not very complex, but it’s honest and straightforward, which is always appreciated. Mouth: really taut, with citrus fruits and their peels, green walnut, herbal notes, then some wheat beer, tisanes, and green pepper. You can sense the fresh oak, but it stays well within the limits. Finish: fairly long, more herbal, with a distinctly Italian bitterness (amaro, bitters). Comments: the profile is actually quite similar to the ‘Heritage’, but the dials have been turned up a notch, and that seems to have worked.
SGP:361 - 81 points. |
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Deanston 12 yo 2010/2023 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask #DL17759, 313 bottles)
We’re rather fond of Douglas Laing bottlings because, like here, the years are always ‘glorious’ (as in ‘12 glorious years’). Just like it is at WF Towers, did you know? Colour: white wine. Nose: it kicks off a bit like the Pioneer, with lovely lemon, but then it swiftly expands with more apples, flowers, and herbs, especially wormwood and woodruff. We absolutely adore this. There are even some hints of wild garlic and definitely a touch of beeswax. The much lighter impact of the cask lets the delightful distillate sing, much to our pleasure. Mouth: you get that slight waxy, oily, and sooty note that even somewhat evokes a certain famous distillery in Campbeltown, then there’s a massive and unexpected (and spectacular) arrival of cocoa powder and Ovaltine. The citrus and green apples provide the backbone, and it all works very well. Finish: fairly long, fresh, with citrus, a touch of green pepper, and turmeric. Very good. Comments: and apparently, the barley was even organic.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Deanston 14 yo 2008/2023 (55.8%, Simply Good Whisky, Kirsch Import, refill bourbon barrel, cask #KI-0011)
Simply Good Whisky with a simply clean label, so let’s have a go at crafting a simply honest tasting note. Colour: straw. Nose: a touch greasier and seemingly fuller, with more jams, marmalades, and a hint of wax. In short, there's a definite Clynelish character here, and one simply cannot complain about that. With water: it's magic! Deanston through and through! Mouth (neat): frankly, it’s very much in the vein of Clynelish, only slightly 'dirtier' and with a bit of that Campbeltown vibe, like the previous one. Charcoal, slag, and so on. Very pretty citrus notes, led by pink grapefruit and a dash of Szechuan pepper. With water: i suspect a mistake with the stencil—or perhaps the barcode. Citrus, beeswax, pollen, tangerines, olive oil… Finish: same. Perfect peppery aftertaste. Comments: tsk-tsk, they've made a mistake here; this isn’t ‘Simply Good Whisky’, it’s ‘Simply Fabulous Whisky’.
SGP: 562 - 89 points. |
The world of Scotch whisky really needs the independents, it's just obvious. Veritas in Acetabulo Whiski est. I swear to you, that's classical Latin. Go on, one more... |
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Deanston 12 yo 2012/2024 (56.9%, Whisky Sponge, Decadent Drinks, Web exclusive, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 101 bottles)
Ha-ha, seems WF is 'Web exclusive' too these days, though we did toy with the idea of going print about twenty years back. Colour: straw. Nose: well, more of the same, though there's a touch more Manzanilla or vin jaune about it. With water: softer now, with vanilla, barley, and a hint of polish... Mouth (neat): painfully excellent. Citrusy tension, wax, fino (indeed, I did notice it was ex-bourbon). With water: we shan't even mention it. Oranges, wax, sesame oil, walnut wine, a touch of curry and mustard... essentially, Château-Chalon in a glass. Finish: much the same. Comments: I’m aware it might seem like I’m biased whenever I taste one of Angus’s whiskies. Perhaps it’s not even worth swearing to you that this doesn’t affect my judgment (and yet it probably does, but maybe in the opposite direction). So, I hereby officially suggest that Decadent Drinks release a (very) small batch of very bad whisky, and then you'll see what happens here on WF. Should be doable, no?
SGP:562 - 90 points. |
By the way, we’ve just received a press release from a major distillery in the Highlands (not Deanston!), which we won’t name. They were loudly proclaiming the release of three new expressions as part of their supposed 'innovations': an Amarone Wine Cask Finish, a Madeira Cask Finish, and a Tempranillo Wine Cask Finish. And this happens almost every day at Château WF. |
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August 28, 2024 |
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Three Glenfarclas,
one OB, one secret, one IB |
Glenfarclas whiskies have never struck us as particularly summery, but still, it's hard to go several months without tasting them. For years now, they've provided us with plenty of laughs thanks to the ‘secret’ releases from independent bottlers, often sprinkled with more or less hidden clues about their origin. |
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Of course, these days, as so many other distilleries have also adopted this miserable and, to my mind, rather demeaning practice of prohibiting the display of the origin, ‘The Best Malt There Is in Speyside’ no longer means anything. It’s a bit of a shame, because these days, across Scotland, we find ‘secret’ expressions that are sometimes far superior in quality (though not in price) to those proudly bearing the distillery's name. It’s quite ironic, really. Come on, let’s have, say, three little GFs... |
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Glenfarclas 2013/2023 (59.8%, OB for The Taste of Whisky 10th Anniversary, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #768, 290 bottles)
Some whisky for lovely Poland, what could go wrong? Colour: pale amber. Nose: one of those youthful sherry casks that come with touches of young bourbon, surrounded by varnish and fresh vanilla, which then evolves into walnut wine, toffee, metal polish, sour cherries, potpourri, hawthorn, and Aperol. With water: chocolate, pipe tobacco, and new leather. Mouth (neat): it's powerful, bringing back that rather peppery and caramelised style reminiscent of certain vintages when they reached this age, the 1989s, the 1990s... And, while we're at it, let's mention three big boxes of Mon Chéri chocolates. With water: an unexpected saline touch joins the cracked pepper and chilli chocolate. That, my friends, is excellent. Finish: the sour cherries make a grand return, lingering for quite a while. Add three more boxes of Mon Chéri and a dash of black pepper in the aftertaste. There's also marmalade, which balances the whole affair. Comments: a rather lovely little beast, quite fascinating, and it reveals itself to be more complex than it first appears.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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Censored Speyside Distillery 16 yo ‘Adventures in the Meadow’ (54.7%, Brave New Spirits, The WhiskyHeroes, bourbon hogshead, 308 bottles, 2024)
Right. Colour: white wine. Nose: it's rather immaculate. White tea box, peanut oil, hay, vanilla, mandarins, blood oranges. With water: not many changes, though you do get a few fresh mint leaves and a touch of lemon balm mingling with fresh barley. I find it very elegant. Mouth (neat): all sorts of citrus liqueurs and sweets, and above all, a heap of raw carrots. I do love carrots. Just a hint of celery stalk as well. With water: the rooty side comes out more, with ginseng, radish, carrot, even beetroot. Perhaps the finest vegetable soup of the moment, ha. Finish: lemon returns to add a bit of zing, particularly towards the end. Comments: incredibly different from the ‘sherry’ and yet of the same very high quality. Both are very interesting malts.
SGP:661 - 87 points. |
Perhaps an old glory as #3… |
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Glenfarclas 24 yo 1969/1993 (58.2%, Signatory Vintage, sherry, cask #67, 350 bottles)
I have tried several 1968s but only one 1969 within the official family jewels, perhaps a tad disappointing given the pedigree (WF 87), but that was in 2007, as it was just coming out. Signatory’s 1969 #52-54 was excellent but not utterly stellar either in my book (WF 88). Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re never extremely far from a little gunpowder with these, but on the other hand, these white truffles and the kilotons of precious raisins and hectolitres of high-end sweet wines are just magical. No worries, I won’t list them, but shall add some dark honeys for good measure. With water: moderate meatiness, a touch of mouldiness, and just an old Sauternes from a great vintage, 1967, 1988… Mouth (neat): it’s like a very old sweet Madeira now, a Bual like the one we tasted the other day in Scotland. The usual walnuts are there, but also honey-soy glazed pecans. An absolute killer – I mean those honey-soy pecans. This GF isn’t bad either. With water: a very slight soapy/gin note once water is added. I think water is unnecessary. It also becomes much drier, a tad too bitter and woody. Finish: rather long with plenty of chocolate-covered raisins. Comments: you must always add your water drop by drop with these old whiskies, so you don’t break them. It’s a double-edged sword, and when in doubt, abstain, if I may say so.
SGP:661 - 89 points. |
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August 27, 2024 |
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A buncha
Caol Ila
Well, yes, we're trying to do the American thing now that Miss Knowles has her own US whisky brand, backed by LVMH, Dr Bill, and, uh, some PX, and whose bottle looks like some kind of White Horse or Logan special duty-free decanter, circa 1970. Although its name, SirDavis, sounds more like '1980'. In any case, we’re quietly heading towards our 900th Caol Ila. We’ll try to enjoy the 1000th one on-site, on Islay.
(Advert 1970) |
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Caol Ila 25 yo (43%, OB, +/-2024)
It's been quite a while since we've properly tasted this expression, though Angus has sampled several 'vintages' over the years. These 43% ABV whiskies might seem a tad old-fashioned nowadays, but isn't there a certain charm in that? If my grandmother, born in 1901, were still with us, this would be the whisky she'd pick, solely because of the gentler strength. Perhaps there's still a market for that, after all. Colour: gold. Nose: they say Caol Ila never ages, and even the oldest ones stay fresh and vibrant, which is certainly the case here. There's rapeseed oil, almonds, marzipan, and then shellfish like clams and mussels, with a faint hint of engine oil. The peat is outrageously elegant, with a whiff of mentholated Kool cigarette smoke. Mouth: almost like a smoked wine, reminiscent of Manzanilla sherry. It's not much stronger, either—a grand wine at 15% ABV could have more body than a whisky at 43%. But it's undeniably delicious and very ‘Manzanilla’. I might need to start sending invoices to the Consejo Regulador. Finish: not eternal but pure, saline, and smoky. Sardines, langoustines, and… Manzanilla. Comments: the epitome of Islay elegance, better than a Peaky Blinders cap made of Harris Tweed.
SGP:355 - 89 points. |
By the way, future whisky enthusiasts, in twenty years, will have no trouble dating these bottles, since every year now, or nearly every year, the makers have to add new nonsense legal mentions on the back labels. |
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Caol Ila 8 yo 2015/2023 (40%, Signatory Vintage, Very Cloudy, The Un-chillfiltered Collection, LMDW, hogshead)
As it hasn’t been chill-filtered and was bottled at 40%, it may turn slightly cloudy if exposed to the cold, hence the name. Clever, isn’t it? Rest assured, we didn’t stick it in the fridge to test that out. Colour: straw. Nose: the word that immediately springs to mind is ‘purity’. Lemon, candle smoke, sea water, a light vinegary touch, an oyster, and a dash of Sauvignon Blanc—there you have it. Mouth: more fruit-forward (pineapple, pear, lemon) but still wonderfully maritime, with oysters and cockles aplenty. The proverbial ashes follow. No complaints. Finish: curiously long, peaty, taut, and somehow reassuring (what?). Comments: does the job rather splendidly. I reckon this would sit well on the table with fish, seafood, and… caviar.
SGP:556 - 85 points. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo ‘The Haunting Songs’ (51.6%, Brave New Spirits, The Whisky Heroes, 1st fill Oloroso sherry hogshead finish, cask #2310708 + 2310707, 694 bottles)
The label cheekily sings ‘I will peat you away’, and one can only hope we’re not in for another round of Beyoncé. There’s a fair bit of fun and a clear sense of second-degree humour in the presentation. It seems that most Scottish indies have chosen this kind of approach in recent years, and it’s rather enjoyable. Colour: gold. Nose: oh yes, used fondue oil, graphite, walnuts, thyme, tar, ashes, and a hint of seashells. The sherry, although 1st fill, has remained in check for now. With water: almond milk and just a touch of malted barley. Mouth (neat): very good, rich, with notes of rosemary, limoncello, caramel, walnut liqueur, olive brine, and a hint of St Germain. And it’s all in sync. With water: the herbal notes challenge the mix a bit (thyme, pine needles) but it still works. In any case, Caol Ila is like an old diesel Mercedes; it just keeps going. Finish: long, a bit thick, salty, and with caramel. A touch of honey follows, and a whisper of sea water. Comments: a lovely beast, slightly oily and muscular. The opposite of the SigV in this regard.
SGP:666 - 86 points. |
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Caol Ila 13 yo 2009+2010/2024 (53%, Decadent Drinks, Islay Sponge, refill and 1st fill sherry hogsheads, 273 bottles)
The former Sponge, now an entire Land, enjoys blending vintages and cask types. As always with Caol Ila, the question isn’t “is it good?” but rather “how good is it?” Colour: gold. Nose: we’re back to pickles, olives, capers, then salted liquorice and seaweed. The smoke is rather light, which is surprising given my usual impression that CI has ramped up the ppms in recent years. With water: old clothes in a wardrobe (but no mothballs), wool, a touch of mud, yeast, seashells, and oil paint. Mouth (neat): powerful and almost sweet, it’s nearly a ‘Caol Ila liqueur’ akin to a Chartreuse elixir. Massive! Smoke, herbs, cactus, cloves, caraway, and the like. With water: we remain in a universe akin to Brave New Spirits’, quite muscular and rich, but lime comes in to balance things in the background. Finish: long, with cedarwood and that slightly oily, somewhat thick character. A hint of smoked pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: very good, though not exactly a ‘dandy’ Caol Ila, if you catch my drift.
SGP:666 - 86 points. |
We had agreed on just 5 CI today, hadn’t we. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo 2008/2021 (57.8%, Whiskyjace & Flickenschild, Art Edition No. 3, refill hogshead and sherry octave cask finish, 107 bottles)
The nearly Murnau-like label is absolutely sublime. Moreover, when it comes to octaves, they're much more agreeable when they're refill casks—new ones can be a bit tricky, although all our friends seem to be taming these unruly little beasts better and better. Colour: white wine. That's promising news. Nose: forget about the octave (so to speak), this Caol Ila is as fresh as a daisy, almost nervy, with seawater, fresh seaweed, lemon, oysters, and all sorts of ashes (mostly peat). With water: Caol Ila precision. Magnificent chalk. Mouth (neat): superb, lemony, fresh, with a magnificent smokiness. And oysters, of course. Splendid. With water: perfect. Bitter almonds, lemon, Muscadet, oysters, 'zero' dosage champagne, ashes... Finish: similar, perhaps a touch oilier. Notes of apple and lemon liqueur, then some freshly ground pepper and a fairly massive smokiness. Comments: at this rate, they might as well toss in Brora 1972 into octaves. A magnificent young Caol Ila.
SGP:567 - 88 points. |
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August 26, 2024 |
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Strathmill too is back on WF |
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Part of an old advertisement for Gilbey's Strathmill that is often reproduced
in posters and the like. We're not sure if it's genuinely authentic,
but we find it pretty amusing. |
And we have a really old one, which we'll start with since its alcohol content is relatively low. |
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Strathmill 1988/2023 (43.2%, Malts of Scotland, Rare Casks, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 23024, 162 bottles)
That’s more or less 35 years if my calculations are correct. These old Strathmills are indeed a rare find. Colour: straw. Nose: a beautifully aged cask that has held up wonderfully, with ripe banana, vanilla cake, light honey, pollen, a hint of chamomile tea, and a touch of papaya. There’s not a hint of harshness, just pure elegance. After a few moments, a note of pink grapefruit emerges. Mouth: the same delicate profile, with banana, honey, ripe apples, fresh grapes, syrupy peaches, and a touch of woodruff syrup and mullein. Finish: medium length, but sweet and delightfully fruity, with muesli, a bit of nougat, and fresh pineapple. Comments: a lot of sweetness but no weakness in this lovely old Strathmill, which at times can evoke an old cognac.
SGP:541 - 89 points. |
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Strathmill 12 yo 2011/2024 (51%, Asta Morris, bourbon, cask #AM159)
I’ve heard that the addition of frogs on the labels by our Belgian friends is a sort of hidden tribute to the French football team, though I haven’t the faintest proof. Colour: white wine. Nose: deeply rooted in barley, barley sugar, and brown sugar, with overripe apples, shortbread, and those irresistible, butter-laden Breton biscuits that you simply can’t put down. Pack opened; pack emptied. Rather like this delightful young Strathmill—bottle opened; bottle emptied. With water: even more of those biscuits, oatcakes, and madeleines… Mouth (neat): a touch rustic this time, with green wood, leafy notes, green tea, and Breton cider apples, there. Water should soften it. With water: indeed, baked apples, oranges, Earl Grey, and vanilla cake all come together to mellow it out. Finish: of medium length, with tea and liquorice wood. Comments: very pleasant, very natural, purely focused on barley and malt.
SGP: 551 - 86 points. |
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Strathmill 12 yo 2011/2024 (58.38%, James Eadie, first fill European oak oloroso butt finish, cask #367496, 725 bottles)
A 23-month finish in oloroso casks here. 725 bottles, cask strength from a single butt—that’s rather impressive! It’s over 500 litres, more or less the full capacity of a butt, so I imagine the angels were a bit lazy and didn’t really take their share over those 23 months. Colour: full gold. Nose: lots of shoe polish, chocolate, and ground coffee remnants, followed by juniper, orange marmalade, black tea, and just the tiniest hint of soy sauce. I’m looking for flaws (as one does), but I can’t find any. I adore the polish notes. With water: no significant changes, though a much-anticipated walnut cake emerges. Mouth (neat): excellent. Black pepper, chocolate, coffee liqueur, cloves, and a few prunes. With water: more dried fruits—figs, dates, raisins, and a touch of coriander seed. Finish: long, very clean, with a streamlined sherry profile. Comments: very good, the perfect companion to the AM.
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
It would be rather nice to have these three Strathmills in your bar, to demonstrate to your guests the precise effects of both sherry and extended ageing on a very classic malt distillate with no particularly sharp edges – or asperities. |
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August 25, 2024 |
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The Armagnacs
are back on WF
For this first post-Olympics and heatwave brandy session, we'll allow ourselves to taste around ten Armagnacs. And we'll approach it somewhat at random... Or perhaps vertically, depending on what we come across...
In 1310, Maître Vital Dufour, prior of Eauze (Gers, France), wrote his 'Very Useful Book for Maintaining Health and Staying in Good Shape' that listed forty benefits of Aygue Ardente, which later took the name of the land where it was produced: Armagnac (Picture 1531 edition, Gutenberg, Mainz, kept in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana; Rome. Via BNIA).
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Château de Laubade 21 yo (45.3%, OB, Bas Armagnac, 1,812 bottles, 2023)
A rather curious Armagnac, presented somewhat like a malt whisky, sans vintage but with an age statement, which is rather unusual, and bottled at a precise ABV ‘with decimal’. It even nabbed a top medal in San Francisco, much like all the Scots (I’m barely exaggerating). Colour: full gold. Nose: the only problem is that it’s simply stunning, brimming with peach, honeysuckle, and liquorice, with tiny touches of star anise and a hint of icy mint, plus a wisp of fireplace smoke. It’s utterly unassailable, as we say. Mouth: oh, but this is marvellous! Soft curry fudge with saffron—is that even a thing? Plus, nougat, sultanas, roasted figs, apricot, and a dash of elderflower liqueur… Finish: medium in length but still wonderfully sweet, with a touch more honey now. Comments: be warned, this goes down far too easily, you might not even notice. And the price is very much ‘new 2024’.
SGP:641 - 89 points. |
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Château Lassalle Baqué 1995/2023 (48.9%, OB, Ténarèze, cask #4)
100% ugni blanc and straight from Montréal. Montréal-du-Gers, that is. Colour: full gold. Nose: a tad more rustic, but this is a Ténarèze. Touches of varnish and plasticine to start, then a superb combination of oranges, pears, and peaches, both dialled up to eleven. It all blends perfectly with the varnish, with a remarkable firmness. There’s even a bit of fresh paint and equally fresh putty. Mouth: the same rustic feeling, with a touch of Calvados at first, always that varnish note, then peach and apple skins, plums, hay, liquorice wood, herbal teas, greengages, and mirabelles… Finish: rather long, perhaps a bit fruitier, but the aftertaste is quite herbaceous. Comments: a Ténarèze from the fields after a Bas Armagnac from the towns, how amusing. We love them both.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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Garreau 29 yo 1994/2023 (50.6%, Liquid Treasures, 15th Anniversary, cask #31)
Gascon oak cask. Château Garreau should be a Bas Armagnac. Colour: deep gold. Nose: varnish notes and even a hint of wood glue, then a slight acetic touch, with a bit of coconut, coffee, apple compote, and notes of… pousse-rapière. Are you familiar with pousse-rapière? With water: rather woody. Hay, tea, cocoa powder, and dark tobacco. Gauloises, like what the rooster on the label seems to be smoking. Mouth (neat): totally a rustic Armagnac. Dark chocolate, rocket, cedar wood, with cherries and prunes in the background. A sweet touch on top. With water: truly a village Armagnac, if you catch my drift. Very authentic, not modern in the slightest. Finish: rather long, still with a slight syrupy note, then prunes and apricot jam. Comments: I fear the previous two might have put a lot of pressure on this lovely baby.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
Whoops, we skipped a 1996... |
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Domaine de Charron 1996/2024 (48.3%, Swell de Spirits, Flashback #8, Bas Armagnac, 200 bottles)
Made from 100% Baco. Rather interestingly, this Armagnac was rested for 6 months in a demijohn before being bottled, much like we do with our own 'family' eaux-de-vie (though we let ours sit for several years). One can't help but wonder if the Scots might eventually adopt this method to further justify their lofty prices. I must add that the last time we tasted the excellent Domaine de Charron, it was still somewhat less intense than the Godzilla-like label here would suggest. Ha. Colour: deep gold. Nose: yes, quite American in style, we’d say—polished wood and natural vanilla, then melons, peaches, apricots, and liquorice. Nothing sticks out; it’s perfect, precise, seductive, yet authentic (don’t overdo it, S.). With water: more herbs, leaves, fruit peelings, green peaches, and even a curious note of fennel. Mouth (neat): excellent, unmistakably Armagnac now. Wild apples (or russets), sorb, a touch of varnish again, even a drop of acetone, a bit of cider, and perhaps a small glass of Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh. With water: the same profile, little change. Finish: rather long, but careful not to add too much water. Liquorice again. Comments: the best of both worlds, city and country. Super good, though the finish made me knock off a point or two, but as you’ll tell me, the Gascons finish their Armagnacs long before the finale (nice oxymoron, S.).
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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Armagnac Secret! 'Lot 16 The Bourbony' (55%, Authentic Spirits, Bas Armagnac, 2024)
At €50 for 50cl, it’s probably not from 1916, though Armagnac still remains scandalously under-priced overall. Colour: deep gold. Nose: I can see why they named it 'The Bourbony'—it's packed with honey, maple syrup, pineapple liqueur, coconut milk, vanilla, and once again, there’s that hint of varnish. They might as well have called it 'The Pina Colada', ha. With water: not much change, just a touch of green apple. Mouth (neat): yes, bourbon. Are we sure this isn’t George Dickel? Can we check the papers? Coconut, vanilla, amaretti, macarons, a hint of lavender... With water: even with water, it's still bourbon, with added notes of candied ginger. Quite the mystery. Finish: fairly long, and similar, though I even find some rye notes beyond the maple syrup. Comments: the worst part is, it’s a very good bourbon. Ah, the power of the mind!
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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St Martin 1992/2024 (54.7%, Le Passeur, Bas Armagnac, cask #90)
A baco from Réans nestled in the fauve sands part of the Gers. We've previously encountered some stellar Armagnacs from Le Passeur, and we're quite taken by this notion of a 'passeur,' so much more admirable than the 'profiteer' one sometimes sees in the spirits world. I was informed that this little number needed some breathing time, so we'll let it air out while we enjoy the complete Brandenburg Concertos under Harnoncourt. Colour: deep gold. Nose: amusingly, it opens with a touch of meat reduction and charcoal, quite reminiscent of a barbecue. Then come notes of matches, cigarettes, Spanish cured ham, mastic, and even a hint of miso. We are far, far from the typical honey and peach duo, that's for sure. With water: a sharp U-turn, here comes heather honey and cane sugar syrup, with the water nearly obliterating everything else. How amusing. Mouth (neat): is this truly the same spirit? It's taut, full of citrus, lemon, white pepper, sloe berries, cherry, and then some marmalade... Astonishing. With water: am I dreaming? The meaty extracts return, along with the ham, pepper, and miso... Yet everything is balanced to perfection by the heather and apricot jams. Finish: long, with notes of small raisins and other dried fruits. Goji. Comments: it’s like watching a film. Alain Delon would have adored this multifaceted and slightly – and wonderfully - offbeat Armagnac. At least, I suppose.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
How about we get ourselves a young, strong one? |
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Castarède 8 yo 2006 ‘Folle Blanche Brut de Fût’ (52%, OB, +/-2023)
An ancestral house from the Gers, bottling its lots by tirages I believe, which means you never really know when your bottles were filled, nor if they’re identical to the others. At any rate, we’ve tasted previous batches of this 8-year-old. More traditional than this, you’d be hard-pressed to find. Of course, it’s possibly not really 8 years old, rather older, but we’re not going to reprint the labels, are we? That costs a pretty penny. Colour: light amber (the previous batch I tried was deep gold). Nose: just obvious, with honey, mango, apples, peaches, nougat, maple syrup, demerara sugar, and more honey still. With water: fresh herbs, dew, sweet mint, gentian... Pure bliss. Mouth (neat): oh, perfect. Peaches and apples, peppery and honeyed, with a subtle herbal tension that keeps it fresh. A touch of cumin. With water: ripe plums arrive, with forest notes, mosses, mushrooms… Finish: earthy touches. Comments: this would be magical with ceps-and-garlic. Just saying.
SGP:661 - 87 points. |
Let's get back to our vintages… |
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Aurian 1979/2022 (41.7%, OB for Whiskyjace, Armagnac, 130 bottles)
A charming vintage, born in the era of Debbie Harry, Television, and Talking Heads—what could possibly go wrong? Colour: amber. Nose: a splendid convergence of fine spirits, primarily armagnac, bourbon, and calvados. This symphony presents itself with varnish, fresh cider, prunes, and a heap of slightly overripe apples. And it works marvellously, offering a nose that’s both soft and complex—one might even call it ‘fusion’. Mouth: initially mirrors the nose, but soon the armagnac takes the lead, as it rightly should. It's like a walk through a Gers forest, with pine needles, ferns, those iconic mushrooms (ceps and caesar's mushrooms!), and a bounty of little plums, some from wild trees. Finish: the calvados makes a comeback, with apples, old farmhouse cider, pepper, green plums, and a hint of mint in the aftertaste. Comments: quite extraordinary that the wood has maintained such elegance and restraint after about 43 years. In any case, this is an Armagnac that would greatly please the old folks of Gers, perhaps enjoyed on a bistro terrace in Condom.
SGP:461 - 90 points. |
The next one will be interesting, as it could highlight the value of independent bottlers. For instance, a few years ago, Château Garreau released a whole series of vintage bottles at 40%, some good but not all great. That was until some smart independent bottlers began to take an interest in them... Here's another example: |
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Garreau 50 years old 1974/2024 (51.2%, C. Dully Selection, Bas Armagnac, cask #7499, 144 bottles)
A blend of Baco and Ugni Blanc. Fifty years old and 260 Swiss francs—enough to shame countless whisky brands that can’t boast a tenth of the prestige of these old Armagnacs, and who, by the way, are increasingly starting to feel it. But let’s move on... Colour: dark amber. Nose: just extraordinary. Coffee, cigars, peonies, Corinthian raisins, fig liqueur, old Meursault, blackberry jam, Ethiopian coffee. With water: beeswax, milk chocolate, wild strawberry jam. Mouth (neat): magical. Honestly, who could bring themselves to reduce/ruin a spirit like this to 40% ABV? Chocolate, ganache, prunes, old red wine (Pomerol, naturally), and chestnut honey. With water: the return of raisins, salinity, liquorice, and very old sweet wines… Finish: not that long, but this unexpected salinity works brilliantly. A touch of onion soup (yes, really). Comments: in reality, there are plenty of tiny flaws in these old Armagnacs, but that’s undeniably part of their charm. Who would still want a fifteen-year-old Speysider ‘Triple Cask’ sold at an even higher price than this 50-year-old Armagnac? Daylight robbery, and we all know it.
SGP: 651 - 90 points. |
Since we must conclude... |
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Domaine de Gaube 1929 (45%, Francis Darroze, Bas Armagnac, +/-1980)
We’re in Le Frèche in the Landes, which could be considered the Kildalton shore of Armagnac. There’s a prominent ‘D’ on the label, which in France implies it should have been bottled in or before 1982. But curiously, this is a 70cl bottle, not the usual 75cl, which adds a layer of intrigue since the shift from 75cl to 70cl didn’t occur until around 1992, if I’m not mistaken. They’ve been practising ‘tirages’, so you encounter various bottling dates from the same cask/batch. Colour: amber. Nose: it’s akin to an old amontillado, truly. Melted butter, toffee, walnut liqueur, mushrooms, caraway, a hint of vin jaune, mustard, very aromatic hay, fudge… This one goes beyond mere organoleptic analysis, venturing into poetic philosophy. Mouth: good Lord! Raisins, saffron, Cuban tobacco, black nougat, morels, and yes, let’s go for it, lobster bisque. Don’t worry, I won’t mention Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi again. Finish: long, incredible, more akin to old wines than to spirits. It reminds one of an aged Château-Châlon, for instance. We might even go further, to a Vigne-aux-Dames from Marius Perron. OK, now I’ve lost everyone. Comments: a spirit in the universe of wine, or perhaps the other way around. And remember to factor in the years, we’re far from any vulgar contemporary aromatisation. You see what I mean.
SGP: 562 - 92 points. |
Monday update! Actually, in France, French spirits like Armagnacs or Cognacs have always been bottled in 70cl bottles, whereas imported spirits, like whiskies, were in 75cl bottles—hence my grave mistake. Perhaps this 5cl difference also partly explains the immense success of Scotch in France, ha. To make things even more complicated, Cognacs, for example, could be exported in 75cl bottles or other sizes, like 72 or 73cl. Everything is always very straightforward in France. Moreover, as was the case with various tax strips in Italy, for example, labels featuring a large ‘D’ were allowed to be used by small producers for several years after their official discontinuation (with our heartfelt thanks to Emile) |
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August 24, 2024 |
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Alcohol Consumption: Our Favourite Old Chestnut on Facebook again (!) |
In France, the official recommendations regarding alcohol consumption are: 'no more than ten standard drinks per week; no more than two drinks per day; alcohol-free days each week.' That said, the WHO has warned about the risks even of 'minimal' or 'moderate' alcohol consumption (less than 1.5 litres of wine or less than 3.5 litres of beer or less than 450 ml of spirits per week). Which also suggests that 450 ml of whisky per week, which amounts to 3 bottles per month, is considered 'minimal' or ‘moderate’ consumption. |
| In any case, once again, there are articles citing a study suggesting that any alcohol consumption, even very minimal, is dangerous for health and would shorten our life expectancy. By simple deduction, this would make all winemakers, brewers, or distillers murderers, and us zealous bloggers mere accomplices. In some countries, this would likely earn us the death penalty or a life sentence, while in others, we would be left in peace simply because we collectively contribute a substantial amount of tax revenue. |
| That said, some of the same movements that push the ‘zero alcohol’ line seem to advocate for global degrowth, including a reduction in the world population, and urgently so. In this case, a mere decline in birth rates would not suffice; we would also need to shorten the life expectancy that continues to rise for both women and men, including healthy life expectancy. In France, 11% of babies born in the year 2000 will live to be centenarians. |
| In short, if we want to reduce the consumption of resources on an already depleted planet, we’re going to need a great deal of alcohol to once again and drastically cut down a life expectancy that has become collectively unsustainable. Moreover, when reading the rants of the anti-alcohol crusaders, one wonders if we even want these selfish killjoys to live longer, continuing to pollute us with their presence and imposing themselves on our societies and resources. |
| That said, we do not deny the dangers of alcohol, and we bear in mind the chilling Tuareg proverb, “The eye never sees what blinds it.” |
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August 23, 2024 |
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The return of three Speyburn on little Whiskyfun
Yes, it's an event, almost on par with the possible return of Stromness or Malt Mill. I'm hardly exaggerating. We'll start with a rum finish, though we can no longer escape these little no-age-statement premixes anyway, I mean globally. Don't worry, we'll get through it quickly, like ripping off a plaster... |
Speyburn Distillery (Speyburn Distillery) |
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Speyburn ‘Rum Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, +/-2024)
Colour: gold. Nose: ginger, speculoos, caramel, and a hint of masala. It edges closer to a small American rye than a traditional Scottish malt, which makes it all the more intriguing. The palate, as always, will be the decider. Mouth: it's well-crafted, to be fair, just a touch weak due to the low ABV. Lovely honeyed notes, with cane syrup, maple syrup, triple sec, nutmeg, and sweet paprika all making an appearance. Finish: much the same, pleasantly fruity with oranges and soft spices, though it does lack a bit of punch. Comments: to be honest, this is far from the worst rum finish we’ve ever had to discreetly discard. Quite the contrary, the technique seems rather spot-on. I must say, the honeyed aspect is excellent.
SGP:641 - 85 points. |
Will this return of Speyburn be sensational? |
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Speyburn 16 yo (43%, OB, travel exclusive, bourbon barrel, +/- 2022)
The term ‘travel exclusive’ or ‘travel retail’ has somewhat become a red flag in recent years across the spirits industry (30% more in price instead of 30% less), but on the other hand, this version of Speyburn is a full maturation in bourbon barrels. You can't have it all, can you? Colour: light gold. Nose: lovely malt, charming wax, delightful paraffin, pretty vanilla, ripe bananas, and slightly bruised apples... All of this is complemented by subtle touches of mustard and watercress, adding some aromatic depth. So, all is well at this stage. Mouth: the watercress is back—we’re big fans of watercress—and there's a generally elegant form of austere bitterness that blends nicely with lemon zest and a hint of gentle horseradish. We’re far from a fruity and flattering bourbon barrel here, but it’s classy. Finish: long, bitter, even acidic, with grape seeds and apple peel. The mustard and pepper come back to tickle you at the very end, with even a hint of ashes. Comments: a surprising style to say the least, the exact opposite of the very seductive ‘Rum Cask’. It takes all sorts to make a world, even at Speyburn.
SGP:462 - 85 points. |
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Speyburn 2004/2024 ‘Spirit of Speyside Exclusive’ (58.6%, OB, cask #215, 546 bottles)
Could we please stop with the gold and silver labels? They no longer work at all online, not even on those very ‘low-tech-low-graphics’ sites like WF. Colour: dark amber. Nose: a distinctly chocolaty and slightly soapy character, heavily marked by paraffin and, let’s be honest, a touch of shampoo. It’s a hit or miss, as they say; water will be the ultimate judge. With water: the shampoo fades away (as expected), but the chocolate becomes even more pronounced. We’re practically inside a chocolate shop now. Mouth (neat): pretty woody, with strong notes of resin, fir bud syrup, walnut husk, bitter oranges, and menthol… Water is definitely needed here. With water: softer, of course, but still quite marked by bitterness, amaro, cinchona, and all that. I like those things rather a lot, but I’m not sure I need a 20-year-old Scotch malt to appreciate these flavours. Finish: long. Wood, resins, chocolate, bitters, and green walnuts. Comments: spectacular in terms of style, but I’m much more a fan of the ‘Rum’ and the ‘16’. Maybe a tad over-oloroso-ed.
SGP:371 - 80 points. |
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August 22, 2024 |
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Just a small batch of new Ardbeg |
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Imagine that we took this photo of Ardbeg's backyard
during Feis Ile. Busy-busy, was it not. (WF Archive, 2005) |
Some official ones and some independent ones. Are you familiar with Ardbeg? |
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Ardbeg 14 yo ‘Anthology The Unicorn’s Tale’ (46%, OB, refill bourbon and Madeira, 2024)
No, no, no, enough of these far-fetched tales! And why is everyone so enamoured with ex-Madeira casks these days? Colour: straw. Nose: rather fresh and quite simple, with lovely notes of smoked almonds, followed by putty and tar. It appears that the Madeira has mellowed this Ardbeg into something rather gentle and polite. A few hints of new rubber boots as well. Mouth: fairly light, with a touch of sweetness (white clover) and a bit of tar liqueur. A slight medicinal edge, then tinned peaches and almond milk. Finish: of medium length, soft, gentle, and saline. Some periwinkles and white wine. Touches of mercurochrome and ashes in the background. Comments: the softer side of Ardbeg peat. An easy, agreeable Ardbeg, perfect for sharing with guests who aren't whisky geeks. Perhaps they will become so after this? I did slightly prefer the 13 yo Harpy’s Tale, though. Yet more Tales.
SGP:556 - 86 points. |
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Ardbeg 19 yo 2005/2024 'Traigh Bhan Batch 6' (46.2%, OB, American oak & oloroso, batch #TB/06-04.04.2005/24.GM)
The new batch. I was quite taken with last year’s (WF 89). Colour: white wine. Nose: pure, crystalline Ardbeg peat, with sauvignon blanc, seawater, green apples and limes, rubber, almonds, pistachios, ashes, and a touch of light tar. Mouth: sweeter and gentler, yet again. There’s a sensation of smoked apples, a hint of oysters, marzipan, and more ashes. Finish: medium length, a bit fruity, fairly easy-going. Lemons, ashes, and smoked almonds linger in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing much to add; it's very much in line with the 2023 batch, though it feels slightly softer, perhaps. No need to pen a novel each time, I like it a lot, there.
SGP:556 - 89 points. |
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Ardbeg 2011/2024 (58.2%, OB, for Sweden, 1st fill manzanilla, cask #2464, 624 bottles)
Ardbeg and Manzanilla, it’s like Jagger and Richards for me, though a bit rarer. Just a reminder, Manzanilla is a fino sherry aged in Sanlúcar, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the grapes come from that part of the ‘sherry triangle’. Generally, Manzanilla is a bit lighter but slightly saltier (just a touch). Colour: dark gold. Nose: grand elegance. Green walnuts, seawater, seaweed, fresh tar, cement, and lemon peel oil. The combination seems perfect. With water: a touch of Savoyard fondue and fresh hay bale, which is rather amusing. Mouth (neat): yes, perfect, powerful, uncomplicated, with bitter orange, seawater, and salted liquorice. Then a bit of mint and those famous green walnuts. Millimetric, as they say in... Sweden. With water: that Sauvignon Blanc note previously mentioned. A lovely Pouilly-Fumé and green pepper. Finish: long, with the same notes of green pepper, walnuts, mustard, seawater, and tar... A strong charcoal note in the aftertaste. Comments: I find this young Ardbeg rather exceptional, though it is slightly aggressive. The Swedes are lucky; they’ve got a top pole vaulter and now they’ve got this Ardbeg too. A shame for dear Mackmyra, though; that’s rather sad.
SGP:567 - 90 points. |
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Secret Islay 13 yo 2009/2023 (58.7%, Archives, for China, ‘Birds from the Orient’, refill hogshead, cask #200000125, 300 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: utterly Ardbeggian, with rubber boots at least size EU43 (if you will) and plenty of tar, followed by camphor, bandages, and used engine oil, then loads of green olives, which we absolutely adore. With water: that old tweed jacket battered by salty maritime winds. You get the idea... Mouth (neat): our friends in China have excellent taste. Superb notes of lime juice, then candy sugar, smoked fish, olive oil again, and a touch of ink… Wow. With water: it’s almost like being transported back to the 1970s. Superb oily and maritime lemon. Finish: long, precise, assertive (why not?) and full of olives. Comments: it’s a shame that this magnificent whisky doesn’t boldly carry the Distillery’s name; it could have done wonders for the brand. We’ll be talking about this one in a few years, I’m sure of it. I love it as much as the aforementioned Swede.
SGP:567 - 90 points. |
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Kildalton 15 yo 2008/2023 (61.5%, The Whisky Jury for Lucky Choice, China, refill butt, cask #5080, 132 bottles)
Calling an Islay single malt ‘Kildalton’ that isn’t from Ardbeg would surely be an act of ultimate perversion, utterly condemned by all moral standards, wouldn’t you agree? Colour: golden. Nose: rather softer, but loaded with salted liquorice and seaweed, iodine tincture, paint and varnish, cider apples, and putty. Magnificently soft and complex on the nose, with a few pink olives and a hint of fresh fibreglass. With water: there was also a slight hint of cologne, which has now disappeared. Raw wool, rainwater, lanolin. Ardbeg. Mouth (neat): more massive on the palate, more robust, almost brutal, but that’s what one seeks from this side of the island. Then it becomes increasingly saline, taut, sharp, lemony, very fresh, chiselled, with bitter almonds, even very bitter almonds. Very lovely. With water: even saltier. Olive brine, rollmops, stalks and leaves, lapsang souchong, and a sensation of engine grease (though we’ve never tasted that, of course). Finish: long, oily, putty, paint, olives, plasticine… Comments: these spirits don’t yet have the complexity of age, but heading towards twenty years, I’m absolutely certain they’ll gain a point or two.
SGP:467 - 90 points. |
Lucky Sweden, lucky China. |
(Thank you mucho, Boris and Gene) |
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August 21, 2024 |
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A little barrow of five Springbank |
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Casks of all sizes and origins waiting to be refilled in the distillery's courtyard
(WF Archive, 2005) |
It’s been a few months since we’ve officially enjoyed any Springbank, which is, we all agree, an absolute scandal. It was high time we rectified this terrible situation. |
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Springbank 18 yo ‘2024 Edition’ (46%, OB, bourbon)
A freshly bottled edition, August 2024. A sign of the times, you’ll currently find Springbank 18 priced anywhere between €350 and €750 from online retailers, or from €250 on eBay. Of course, this doesn’t change the quality of the liquid one bit. The last one we tasted was the 2020 edition, very good (WF 86) but a far cry from our favourite, the 10-year-old (WF 91 last time) or the younger Local Barleys (also 91). And it's far superior to the ‘Red’, about which we’ll remain silent. Colour: straw. Nose: surprising, heading in the direction of the 10-year-old, with plenty of wet chalk, raw wool, sourdough, aspirin tablets, even bandages, followed by lemon zest, paraffin, a hint of seawater, and traces of tar. This is riiiight up my alley. Mouth: oilier and saltier on the palate, with peat, ashes, a touch of green apple liqueur, and that persistent wet chalk that’s a bit reminiscent of ‘natural’ champagnes. A lovely green pepper then appears, accompanied by small bits of candied lemon, which I find particularly ‘Springbank’. Finish: long, saline, peppery, with fine bitterness and ash, and then paraffined lemon in the aftertaste. Comments: well, either Springbank 18 is evolving, or it’s me. Or, well, perhaps both.
SGP:562 – 90 points. |
We're already too high, but the heart remains valiant (nonsense, S.) |
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The Springbank 'Cuvée' 1965 & 1993/2004 (46%, Murray McDavid, sherry and bourbon, MM 0406, 1224 bottles)
We first sampled this intriguing expression two decades ago, albeit from a different bottle, and, well, any excuse is a good excuse when it comes to whisky. In any case, what we have here is a ten-year-old, for which a cask of 1965 was sacrificed—likely one that had dipped below the fateful 40% ABV mark. A different time, indeed... Colour: pale gold. Nose: I had thought that the additional time in the bottle might have further harmonised the two vintages, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. It’s rather disjointed, with that medicinal and metallic edge typical of those early 1993 vintages when they were young, alongside a subtle older Springbank showing hints of coconut and chamomile. Not exactly a Springbank one would 'nose' with enthusiasm. Mouth: a bit closer to the 18-year-old but still retaining that slightly sulphurous and overly waxy character (yes, it’s possible) of the young distillate. Plenty of lemon juice and even a touch of Sprite (apologies). Of course, it’s a very good whisky, but it’s kept a slightly off-kilter, metallic quality. Finish: much the same. Comments: slightly disappointed. I had expected it to improve over twenty years, but quite the opposite seems to have happened. In any case, it’s all rather anecdotal.
SGP: 363 - 81 points. |
And 1993, 20 years later... |
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Springbank 30 yo 1993/2023 (52.2%, Royal Mile Whiskies, cask #159, 178 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: a tale of a chrysalis blossoming into a butterfly, thanks to the grace of a very fine cask. There’s still that powdered sulphur (not burnt), chalk, even a bit of lime, paraffin, but also citrus fruits and their peels, with a touch of beeswax mixed with propolis, much like one finds in a beehive. Rather adore it, I must say. With water: wax paper, a hint of lapsang souchong—not too much—and a stack of old magazines stored in an ancient cellar. Rather like the wedding of Charles and Lady Di, or that scuffle between the Stranglers and the Clash. Mouth (neat): superb, very compact and coherent, with smoked lemons and minty seaweed, plus some wax and that’s all. But that’s already quite a lot. With water: everything falls into place perfectly, one of the most idiosyncratic malt whiskies in the world, showing a particularly emblematic version of this distillate’s style, which isn’t always the case. Wax, carbon, lemon zest, roots, petrol. Finish: long but gentler, a bit buttery, with peanut butter, peat smoke, and... a tiny sardine. The lemons hold their ground in the aftertaste. Comments: these 1993s clearly needed some time to come into their own. Brilliant drop.
SGP:562 - 93 points. |
Wait, shouldn't we also set aside a 1965 to be thorough? |
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Springbank 1965/2004 (46%, Lombard, Jewels of Scotland, USA release, 75cl)
‘Aged in oakwood casks’, as the label proudly proclaims. Quite refreshing to see a time before we started to be endlessly bombarded with improbable stories about casks and wine, wouldn’t you say? But imagine, this baby is nearly 40 years old. Lombard had several different Springbank 1965s, but we’d never had the pleasure of trying this one... Colour: bright gold. Nose: a perfect lineage, more evident in casks that aren’t too active like this one, even though the Distillery filled plenty of active sherry casks in those vintages. Here we find seawater, putty, old paint pots, ashes, wax, chalk, citrus peels, paraffin, old papers, and even sardines and anchovies... Mouth: it’s crazy, you’d swear it was a 1993, I assure you. Has anything ever changed at Springbank? Paint, tar, paraffin, metallic touches (copper), lemon, petrol, seawater, shellfish (our friends, the whelks) ... Then the expected citrus and just plain apples. Plain but very good apples. Finish: of medium length but very consistent, with tar and hints of brine. The putty lingers even into the aftertaste. Comments: I do think 30 years is better, all the same. I also believe that’s what we already noticed when tasting the famous ‘Millennium’ series, albeit informally.
SGP:552 - 90 points. |
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Springbank 26 yo 1998/2024 (56.8%, Decadent Drinks, WhiskyLand, Chapter One, first fill sherry butt, 550 bottles)
It’s a bit awkward, I already know it’s good since I had a taste at the official launch of WhiskyLand (and the funeral of WhiskySponge) in Glasgow earlier this month. But never mind, we’ll taste this baby again anyway... Colour: amber. Nose: at first, there are those little resinous touches, pine bud liqueur, burnt firwood, and so forth, then a sudden burst of mango accompanied by a few raisins, a pinch of pipe tobacco, followed by a cigar box and a splendid tar laced with liquorice. I could mention some rancio, but I fear that could be the influence of the Cognac-style bottle. With water: those usual touches of natural rubber, artichoke liqueur, tar, Lapsang Souchong... The water seems to add a smoky edge. Tarmac. Mouth (neat): oily texture. Beware, it’s more potent than it seems. A peppery side, leather, amontillado, cigar, another touch of salt, salted butter caramel, and let’s say it straight away, a bit of that Samaroli character, claro que si (but that’s Spanish, S.!). With water: splendid orange liqueurs, caramel, milk chocolate, a hint of coriander adding freshness, Dutch salted liquorice (for instance) ... It’s another dimension, tauter. Finish: very long, saltier. Salted caramel, tobacco, a touch of leather, and blood orange. Frankly smoky aftertaste, almost astringent. Magnificently astringent. Comments: seriously, I even considered going up to 94, then I re-tasted the Westie Sponge Ed3 and found them on par, although they’re very different. If half-points were a thing—God forbid—I’d give it 93.5. Sublime bottle. Oh, and to hell with it, it’s a perfect marriage between a stubborn distillate and an equally stubborn cask…
SGP:563 - 94 points. |
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