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June 3, 2025 |
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A mini verticale of Glen Grant from the 1930s up to 1998, in no particular order
We'll start by tasting a well-aged Glen Grant, entirely natural, from a top indie bottler (official bottlings, whichever they may be, always tend to ‘enhance’ their malts more). Then we’ll move on to a few old vintages, that’s the main aim today, after all, and finally the new G&M, which is the real reason for this little session. |
Mr George Urquhart (G&M) |
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Glen Grant 26 yo 1998/2024 (53.5%, The Whisky Agency, hogshead, 150 bottles) 
Rumour has it that the people on the label are Mr & Mrs Carsten Ehrlich on holiday in Monte Carlo. But you know we don’t put much stock in rumours, don’t you… Colour: white wine (bingo) Nose: splendid tension, bursting with lime and green apple, then hints of damp chalk, followed by that classic rhubarb and gooseberry duet. Luminous and utterly decisive. With water: fresh barley, then grist and wort in full swing. One could scarcely be closer to the raw material, and that's after 26 years. Mouth (neat): totally coherent, grapefruit, limestone, wee berries, rowan… It's nearly a young Chablis. With water: cracking ale, flawless maltiness, fresh bread, and apple cake drizzled with lemon juice. Finish: long and piercingly vertical. A touch of aniseed in the aftertaste. Comments: indeed, a radiant malt with not a jot of cosmetic fluff. We’re on the same page.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
Here we are, ready for the old legends... |
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Glen Grant 8 yo (70° Proof, Gordon Graham & Co. Aberdeen, 1930s)
Gordon Graham & Co. is a merchant firm best known for their Black Bottle blend. The bottle itself clearly points to a pre-WWII edition. Colour: white wine Nose: this is where it gets rather unsettling, and why I picked this wee chap—we’re strikingly close to the 1998, same profile, same tension, same minerality at first, before it goes all fractal and veers off in several directions, notably towards stewed fruits (quince, medlar), unguents (camphor, eucalyptus, mint essence), and absolutely bonkers levels of aromatic herbs. Tarragon, chervil, watercress, oyster leaf, coriander, basil, lemongrass, and heaps of others. An utterly mind-blowing nose—so complex yet so pure. Mouth: terrifyingly powerful, mineral, and textured—practically barley oil. There's a very medicinal streak again, all things chalky and broadly earthy, lemon zest, and those herbal essences and reductions all the top chefs are so fond of nowadays. Including goutweed, which I stumbled upon at the Burehiesel in Strasbourg just last Saturday. Warmly recommended, by the way! Finish: long, with a perfect balance of medicinal notes, citrus, and chalkiness. Only the aftertaste is ever so slightly soapy, as sometimes happens with very old bottles. Comments: bonkers, this little 8-year-old—nearly hypnotic.
SGP:562 - 92 points. |
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Glen Grant-Glenlivet 23 yo 1964/1988 (46%, Cadenhead, Aberdeen)
The final years of those famous ‘black dumpies’ (no, that’s not the name of some forgotten yet dazzling RnB outfit). Full-on sherry here, it would seem. Colour: mahogany Nose: oh indeed, total sherry, with an old Malaga vibe supercharged by vintage crème de menthe, prune juice, and morels stewed in vin jaune. Implausible? Hardly—it’s marvellous, especially with those classic metal polish touches so typical of this legendary series. Mouth: ooh, this is magnificent, far more so than other GG 1964s that may have been more erratic according to my notes, though some were wonderful. Sublime combo of broths, chocolate, coffee, and minty liquorice, before we drift into old citrus liqueurs from Sicily or Sardinia (or perhaps Corsica). These 46%/80°proof bottlings really hit the sweet spot. Finish: long, almost thick, with a slightly tardy but very welcome arrival of sun-dried muscat grapes, origin irrelevant. Comments: the perfect foil to the old 8-year-old. For the record, this baby was distilled in November 1964 and bottled in February 1988.
SGP:661 - 93 points. |
Let’s head over to Berry Bros…. |
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Glen Grant 1948/1960 (70°proof, Berry Bros. & Rudd, 3, St. James’s St.)
Remember, Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, and this bottle (filled the year someone (guess who) was born) certainly looks properly antique. For this vintage, it’s said that coal and coke were scarcer in the immediate post-war years, so peat was sometimes reused for malting. That’s why, generally speaking, post-war malts were often ‘smokier’, as at Macallan for instance, at least in my humble experience. Anyway, always a pleasure to revisit these antique marvels… Colour: gold Nose: believe it or not, this feels like a blend of the previous two, capturing the tension of the old 8-year-old and the majestic heft of the 1964, which, after all, was only distilled 16 years later. Sublime damp earth, mushrooms and mosses, citrus liqueurs, very old sweet wines, then honeys of every persuasion, furniture waxes, ancient beeswax (proper old hive stuff), and even the scent of old books. Books about whisky, of course—or better yet, old philosophical tomes. Mouth: bone marrow and honey broth, vintage Cointreau, sultanas, aged fermented teas, earthy pipe tobacco… It’s beginning to lose a bit of steam, but that’s totally expected. Well, I’ve made a blunder, I should have tasted this baby before the Cadenhead (what a muppet, S.!). Finish: slightly short, but of unfathomable complexity. A touch of Iberian ham, assorted honeys, ancient meads, and venerable pear ciders… Comments: astounding for this strength and after 65 years in a bottle.
SGP:551 - 91 points. |
Let’s finish with the new (and final) Mr George Legacy from G&M, if you don’t mind… |
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Glen Grant 70 yo 1954/2025 'Mr George Legacy Final Edition' (50.5%, Gordon & MacPhail, first fill sherry puncheon, cask #1823, 130 bottles)
This likely little marvel certainly pays homage once more to George Urquhart, but it also marks the 130th anniversary of the famous house. I believe that, following the already historic vintages we’ve just tasted, we are now fully ready to appreciate this 70-year-old at its true worth. May I remind you that we consider context and, above all, comparison to be very important in tasting. Colour: dark amber. Nose: as almost always with these old G&Ms, what’s most striking is the combination of an almost unnatural freshness with all the complexity that only such ages can truly deliver. I’m not sure if that’s entirely clear (smile). What really stands out here is also just how close we are to a very old Cognac or a very old rum, or indeed a very old sherry of course, which once again lends weight to the theory of convergence among old spirits. We find all the dried grapes imaginable (chenin, muscats, PX and all the others), then an incredible trio of blood orange and peaches + honeys + mints and old cumin liqueur. With water: we delve into the depths of a spice cellar, discovering peppers, cinnamons, vanillas, and also tobaccos. A touch of varnish too. Mouth (neat): what power! Fir honey blended with cinnamon, mint, myrtle and caraway, then tobacco and, brace yourselves, tiny touches of old Moutai, of Nuits-St.-Georges (George <–> Georges, naturally) and of very dark chocolate. With water: the oak becomes just slightly more evident (ginseng, black teas, nutmeg, cinnamon, cocoa) but everything remains perfectly in order, we’re still in heaven. Finish: the little herbs emerge, rather like in the old 8-year-olds from the 1930s. Sorrel, wild garlic, woodruff… It’s always magical when extra dimensions appear in the finish, which is firmer, yet also more beautiful without water, incidentally. Very dark chocolate, mint and fir buds in the aftertaste. Comments: Gordon & MacPhail are truly the kings of long maturations that succeed brilliantly. I wonder whether we oughtn’t call them the Clint Eastwoods of whisky (I do hope I’m not ruffling any feathers by saying so, at least not in Scotland).
SGP:561 - 93 points. |
At the risk of sounding a bit crude (as usual, S.), I’ve put together a quick overview of my thoughts on the previous Glen Grant ‘Mr George’ editions, and the final ranking would be as follows: |
The 1958/2023 4th Ed., 95 points
The 1953/2021 1st Ed., 94 points
The 1954/2025 Final Ed., 93 points
The 1959/2023 3rd Ed., 93 points
The 1956/2019 Cent. Ed., 93 points
The 1957/2021 2nd Ed., 92 points |
As you can see, it’s all rather rock and roll. Thanks, and well done to Gordon & MacPhail. |
(Merci Angus, merci Patrick) |
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June 2, 2025 |
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WF’s Little Duos, today Strathisla |
The distillery itself is perhaps the most famous of all whisky distilleries in the world, thanks to its traditional charm – undeniable and frequently photographed. However, it's equally undeniable that its single malt production is becoming increasingly rare, or at least that’s the impression one gets. |
Strathisla Distillery (Chivas Brothers) |
It’s rather a pity, if you ask me. Fortunately, G&M are keeping a close eye on things, so to speak... |
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Strathisla 2009/2024 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Distillery Label) 
I believe the foundation of this label, with its inimitable Victorian lettering, is better known than any official version, although it’s true it has always remained, shall we say, ‘semi-official’. In the past, we used to call them ‘licensed bottlings’. Colour: gold. Nose: bruised apples with a touch of wax polish, which seems fairly typical to me. Very pretty notes of fresh barley, some very, very lightly smoked tea, and rhubarb compote sweetened with honey. A rather charming antique side, one must admit. Mouth: lovely power, still on apples with a dash of lemon juice, then fig appears, both fresh and dried, along with very malt-rich beer, followed by heaps of multi-floral honey, with a clear dose of fir. In essence, mountain honey. Then some spiced touches, though nothing excessive, cinnamon rolls, clove-studded oranges, a trace of ginger... Finish: fairly long, remaining fresh, on oranges and honeyed apples then vanilla cream. Comments: very classic, with a ‘super-Chivas’ side that probably won’t surprise anyone.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Strathisla 22 yo 2001/2023 (50.4%, The Whisky Blues, STR barrel, cask #28944, 191 bottles)
It is ex-STR but fear not! Lovely neo-naive label by Shingo Iwasa. Colour: light gold. Nose: well, it’s the same whisky as the G&M, just with a few extra watts! The STR may have brought in some very light touches of redcurrant, but that’s truly the only thing that might set it apart in terms of profile. Of course, there’s absolutely no reason to complain. With water: brioche dough, honeyed muesli, delicate notes of stewed peaches preserved in vanilla syrup... Mouth (neat): still that gentle malt, those apple, banana and orange compotes with cinnamon and honey... Hard to imagine anything more classical than this. With water: soft, fruity and malty, even more classical if that’s possible. Nougat, apple compote, cinnamon, figs, sandalwood and a very light blond tobacco, mullein syrup and woodruff... Finish: fairly long, fruity and malty, rather on stewed fruits and always those mullein nectars. Slight paraffin in the aftertaste. Comments: I insist, one probably couldn’t get more traditional than this. The STR? What STR?
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
We're wondering whether G&M's decision, made around two years ago, to eventually exit the independent bottling market will also affect the 'Distillery Labels'. We certainly hope not! |
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June 1, 2025 |
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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! |
Eight rums for this lovely first Sunday in June
Just a few rums, chosen a little at random, with a free spirit and the wind in your face. After all, summer is nearly here…
(Poster: most sadly only AI slop)
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J.Bally 7 yo (45%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2024) 
The famous triangular bottle, or rather pyramidal, which we had tasted—and adored (WF 88)—last time from a 2018 batch. Since 1996, Bally has been produced at Saint James. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a rum with tension, an earthy mentholated edge, somewhat austere but to us that's a virtue. A little leather, undergrowth, black tea, tobacco, fresh sugarcane, and a generous bundle of salted liquorice straight from Schiphol. Mouth: the palate is very coherent, always marked by that salted liquorice, with a fairly thick texture, then evolving into kirsch and bitter orange, walnut, and a mere droplet of pastis. The 45% works flawlessly. A faint touch of cane honey. Finish: long, slightly more oaky, with dark honey, liquorice, and mint. Aftertaste once more rather austere, more on dry wood. Comments: still magnificent. We always greatly enjoy what comes out of Saint James.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Dominican Republic 11 yo (55%, Jean Boyer, Rum Bullion, 2025) 
The Dominican rum on its natural side, without a massive dose of added sugar or other slightly dubious concoctions. We tasted a rather good one from Bristol the other day. Colour: gold. Nose: this is very close to sugarcane, even straw and hay, with a slightly alcoholic edge but also a lovely elegance, just a little diaphanous. A tiny note of Nutella (sorry). With water: little change. Mouth (neat): it’s gentler now but all of this feels natural, with orange liqueur, banana, aniseed, tea and even some praline, though it keeps a slightly alcoholic, high-column side. With water: a hint of coconut liqueur joins in. Finish: fairly long, a touch of fruit brandy and wood. Comments: for something from the Dominican Republic, I find this great despite the lightness of structure that’s inherent in this very rectified style of rum.
SGP:631 - 82 points. |
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El Salvador 17 yo 2006/2024 (54.9%, Valinch & Mallet, The Spirit of Art) 
Probably from Cihuatán. We’ve had very mixed results with these juices, so let’s see… Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re in a world extremely close to that of the Dominican, with a light texture even on the nose, though featuring some lovely honeyed touches, cane, banana and coconut, though never overdone. A slight note of maple syrup aged in oak casks. With water: the expected vanilla turns up, otherwise not much change. Mouth (neat): very fruity, reminiscent of candyfloss, again maple syrup, coconut liqueur, and roasted peanuts coated in caramel. With water: it’s almost the same rum as the Dominican, just a tad sweeter. Finish: a touch more complex, with a lovely note of pink pepper. Comments: a rather amusing arrival of pepper on the finish, with something of an Indonesian side, whatever that means. In short, very good considering the profile, though not quite a darling at WF HQ.
SGP:740 - 83 points. |
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Isautier 16 yo 2005/2022 (65%, Velier, La Réunion, rhum traditionnel, 546 bottles)
Traditional, so molasses-based. We tried its agricole counterpart last year and rather loved it (WF 87). Colour: reddish amber. Nose: this is incredibly agricole for something traditional, loaded with liquorice, fresh sawdust, varnish… and ethanol. So, with water: it doesn’t budge an inch, virtually immovable, though some praline and roasted hazelnuts do manage to show up. Mouth (neat): very thick, sweet, full of varnish and fruit-flavoured liquorice, plus a note of incense liqueur—if such a thing existed. With water: it retains all that, but a little pineapple eau-de-vie, black soap and clove appear as well. The oak is pronounced. Old-style genever. Finish: long, still thick, slightly medicinal but one gets the impression that all of this comes from the wood. Comments: not so easy, this little monster. I believe we preferred the agricole version, which will probably surprise no one.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
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Very Fine Old Caribbean Rum distilled in Cuba 56 yo 1968/2024 (49.7%, The Whisky Agency, Cuba, barrel, 145 bottles)
This little beauty was of course distilled, but also aged in Cuba, most likely in one of the distilleries nationalised by Fidel, perhaps at Bacardi’s, who had begun producing… Havana Club after 1960. Oh, it’s complicated. The 1967 we tasted not long ago was superb (WF 93). Colour: red amber. Nose: sublime mocha, roasted hazelnuts, orange zest, pistachio praline and, above all, maple syrup reigning supreme. Nothing to add. Mouth: oh, how beautiful this is! More praline, but now bathed in honey and maple syrup, rose liqueur and 19th century Grand Marnier. Okay, early 20th. If anything, it’s a little simple, but in the most perfect way. Finish: long, slightly sweet but, as so often, led by liquorice. Soft liquorice and gentle pepper. Comments: it’s hard to tell whether there haven’t been a few ‘additions’ over time—something like honey, perhaps—but it hardly matters, this is magnificent, a true ode to the… revolution.
SGP:751 - 92 points. |
Let’s stay in Cuba, since we were just talking about Havana Club… |
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Cuban Rum 76 yo 1948/2025 (48.9%, Chapter 7 Ltd, Spirit Library for Figee Fine Goods Switzerland, 108 bottles)
The original Havana Club distillery, aka Vizcaya, was located in Cárdenas, close to Varadero on the north coast. Following the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro's government nationalised it, closed the distillery in 1960, and moved the production to ex-Bacardi facilities that had just been nationalised too, before transferring it to a new plant in Santa Cruz del Norte in 1977. Worth noting, the Vizcaya brand is now produced in the Dominican Republic, where it is marketed as a ‘Cuban Formula’, but what we’ve tasted hasn’t convinced us. Bear in mind, what I’m telling you here is purely anecdotal, it absolutely does not mean that what we are about to taste now is necessarily from the original Vizcaya or Havana Club, of course not. Even if, oddly enough, the dates line up… Colour: dark amber. Nose: what a surprise to find olive oil and even black olives, very old balsamic from Modena (inevitably), the most precious old varnishes and the most exquisite oil paintings, then an incredible array of glacé cherries, pipe tobacco and chocolate truffles. Totally mind-blowing, with a varnish-and-olive tandem that’s truly superlative and absolutely no fatigue on the nose whatsoever, despite the 76 years. Mouth: are we absolutely sure this isn’t a very old amontillado instead? That striking character really highlights the Spanish influence on old Cuban rums, which were often in the hands of families of Spanish origin, such as, in this particular case, the Arechabala family. Or so we assume. So then, we’ve got ancient walnuts from an old hessian bag, liquorice, dark tobacco, coffee, olives, a touch of seawater, sherry vinegar, and even a faintly mustardy note. Quite extraordinary, let’s say it plainly, and once again, not a jot of tiredness in any of it. Bonkers. Finish: unbelievably fresh, as interminable as one of Fidel’s speeches, salty, still on amontillado, walnut wine, morels, rare vinegars, then a very faint trace of wood glue. Comments: this splendour leaves you speechless, and that’s probably not the least of its virtues. And let’s be honest, what a coup from Chapter 7! I tip my hat to them.
SGP:462 - 95 points. |
Right then, just as a nightcap, let’s find the exact opposite of that incredible aged Cuban… |
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Worthy Park 8 yo 2015/2023 (64%, OB for the Whisky Exchange, Jamaica, calvados finish)
To be honest, one isn’t quite sure what a Calvados cask is doing in Jamaica, but then again, Willie Nelson did release a reggae album too (Countryman, 2005). Right, fair enough, all comparisons have their limits… Colour: gold. Nose: well bravo, here comes that vinegary tang of old Cuban rum, with seawater, and yes, cider vinegar too. And quite a lot of ethanol to boot. With water: this rather goes off-piste now, with notes of scallops flambéed in calvados, some possible king scallops as well, and even a most unlikely hint of Noilly Prat. But we do adore Noilly. Mouth (neat): I find it rather worrying that I like this, especially the sharpness of the apple slicing right through the young rum. Surprising stuff. With water: it’s doing windscreen-wiper things between petrol and sharp apple, a curious feeling, not unpleasant but enough to send your taste buds into a bit of a flap. Finish: similar and lasting rather a good while. Comments: I’m not quite sure what to make of this. But of course, we love Worthy Park, The Whisky Exchange, and Calvados in general. Just perhaps not all together…
SGP:663 - 84 points. |
So, let’s quickly find something else to wrap things up — we’re never going to top that old Cuban anyway… |
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Jamaican Rum 18 yo 2007/2025 ‘WP’ (56%, Liquid Treasures, Love & Peace Series)
Let’s see if this wee Worthy Park leans more, shall we say, orthodox. They do state, after all, that ‘The new bottling series is dedicated to more peace, love, awareness, more together and against dictators, haters, populists, splitters and warmongers.’ One can hardly disagree, especially if that includes anyone harming children, regardless of their 'excuses',. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a rounder WP, more civilised, more peaceable in a word, with some very pretty maritime notes, smoked anchovies, oysters, a hint of diesel and a lovely vanilla that gently smooths it all out. With water: here come the olives in full force, with seawater and a touch of carbon. Mouth (neat): ah, very good, with that typical WP clarity, grilled sesame, citron and lemons, smoked fish, a touch of camphor… With water: marvellous maritime and tarry purity. Finish: similar, with some rather bitter lemon peel that neatly ties everything together. Comments: a true blade, utterly beautiful. We’re wholeheartedly behind this most peaceful series; if you agree with them as much as we do, you simply must support them and buy up all their stock im-me-di-ate-ly.
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
They are bl**dy right, let’s make Peace & Love! |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted so far
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May 2025 |
Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Port Ellen 39 yo 1982/2022 (53.9%, Douglas Laing for DH Global Wine, China, Xtra Old Particular, The Black Series, refill butt, cask #DL16283, 120 bottles) - WF 93
Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Clynelish 27 yo 1965 (51%, Scotch Malt Sales, Japan, 500ml, +/-1992) - WF 95
Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Jean-Luc Pasquet 8 yo 2015/2024 (57.8%, C. Dully Selection, Grande Champagne, folle blanche, cask #338, 214 bottles) - WF 89
Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Skeldon 27 yo 1978/2005 ‘SWR’ (60.4%, Velier, Guyana, 3 barrels, 688 bottles) - WF 93
Serge's thumbs up this month:
Glentauchers 33 yo 1993/2024 (51.9%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, Lost in Time, refill American oak barrels, cask #5218, 108 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
None in May |
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May 31, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Ardbeg
It’s always been an absolute nightmare, we've never managed to attend Ardbeg’s Open Day because I’ve always had to leave the island either on the day itself or the day before, for various reasons. But of course, there were private parties in the week leading up to it... Right then, we’ll taste two legends, and then we’ll head towards ‘Kildaltons’ if we’ve got the time and the inclination… |
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Ardbeg 1974/2006 (48%, OB, bourbon, cask #4547, 133 bottles)
We’ve never tasted this little 1974 before! At least not formally. What’s more, there were only 133 bottles, and back then, some enthusiasts had rather odd relationships with their bottles: they were drinking them! Right then, we’ll try not to go overboard… Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s utterly mad how this smells like ‘home’. Brand new rubber boots, fresh trainers, low tide on a Hebridean shore, turpentine, engine oil, whelks, preserved lemons, camphor, cough syrup, hints of retsina… These vintages were the most beautiful ever known on Islay, and perhaps even in Scotland. Mouth: such remarkable compactness, coherence and pedigree. Let’s say preserved lemon smoked with rubber, augmented by coal tar, seawater, wakame and tar liqueur. It’s simply exceptional and we rather expected that. Finish: long, with the proverbial lapsang souchong and ever that majestic rubber, with a marmalade curiously salty and camphory, and smoked almonds. Comments: only the very slight lack of beefiness keeps me from going even higher. But what splendour!
SGP:566 - 94 points. |
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Ardbeg 13 yo 1975/1988 (54.2%, Gordon & MacPhail, Special Selection, Intertrade, 543 bottles)
Bit of a cheat, this one—we’ve already tasted this baby, the last time being in March 2007. Will you grant us, in your boundless generosity, the indulgence of revisiting it? Note, there were two versions, 54.2 and 54.8%, but no worries, both were rather special. Colour: full gold. Nose: the G&M style is quite evident, with a cask influence slightly more assertive yet highly elegant, leading to greater austerity, rigour, perhaps even a whiff of intellectualism (what?). Seaweed, beach bonfire, grapefruit peel, iodine tincture, ink, mint, eucalyptus, Islay soil post-rainfall (so, always), fresh concrete… With water: wet dogs, Provençal herbs, that old tweed jacket that’s weathered many a Scottish winter, those unbelievable little citrus fruits… Might be time to summon the AMB? That’s it, the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade. Mouth (neat): of utterly astonishing compactness. Citron, smoke, salt, myrtle, tar. With water: we’ll say no more, other than to caution you about diluting these peaty drams. Water, yes of course, but in moderation, lest they collapse. Seriously. Finish: unforgettable. Comments: just a hair below the OB, which was ultimately more compact and coherent, while also more immediate. In any case, it’s absolutely splendid.
SGP:466 - 93 points. |
We're now going to have a few independent Kildaltons, while avoiding any pointless comparisons with the two stars we've just tasted. Rest assured, we won’t be adding any modern official NAS bottles, let’s keep this classy. |
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Secret Islay 2009/2023 (52.5%, The Roots, hogshead, 179 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: you can clearly sense the difference from the mid-1970s—this is more acetic, medicinal, taut, fermentative, smoky, also greener, and less compact, less rubbery. Truth be told, it’s absolutely lovely too. With water: one edges closer to peated malt, sourdough, metal polish, and seawater. Mouth (neat): believe it or not, we’re not so far from the 1975, which was roughly the same age, give or take, except here we’ve far more olives, mezcal, earth, and a slightly simpler profile—salty, lemony, with ashes. No complaints whatsoever, we’re thoroughly enjoying it. With water: how delicious! Salty rubber, lemon zest, wild thyme, and an entire crate of oysters. Finish: long, saline, taut, increasingly maritime. Seawater with plenty of old ship diesel. Comments: one can’t really say we weren’t expecting this, but honestly, this un-doctored ‘beg is simply superb. Bravo, The Roots.
SGP:467 - 91 points. |
We’ll say it again, if we were the distillery, we’d be proud to have our name on such a bottle. What a waste. |
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Kildalton 15 yo 2009/2024 (52.2%, The Whisky Cask, sherry cask)
What could possibly go wrong—sherry, perhaps? Colour: amber. Nose: how amusing this is! Concentrated chicken stock, fir needles, all-purpose balm, kumquats, and, well, Marlboros. The worst part? It’s lovely. With water: and here comes the proverbial rubber, new boots and all that. Mouth (neat): a magnificent little monster, with zest, Jägermeister, leather, mentholated tobacco, baijiu, seawater, and leather again. It’s explosive and we love it, even if it’s a touch lacking in finesse. Who cares. With water: another bottle to cellar for twenty or thirty years (a note to younger whisky enthusiasts). Finish: long, though a bit more rustic. Leaves, leather, and slightly bitter nuts. Comments: the sherry probably posed a slight handicap here, but it’s still very lovely indeed, no doubt about it, despite a rather bitter finish.
SGP:477 - 88 points. |
Let’s return to the pale crowd… |
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Secret Islay 14 yo 2009/2023 (49.3%, DramCatcher, hogshead, cask #1201)
What’s this old double-kiln on the label? Rings a bell... Colour: white wine. Nose: a stroll through a meadow thick with wildflowers, with a campfire smouldering in one corner while a few ageing millionaire hippies in brand-new wellies puff away on… You get the picture—it’s simple, but it works. Mouth: very simple, very lovely, very compact. Paraffin and smoked sesame oil, lemon, seawater, oysters… Finish: just the same, with an extra twist of pepper. Comments: perhaps not the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but it’s got its charm. A fine simplicity.
SGP:466 - 88 points. |
Let’s bring back the sherry… |
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Islay Single Malt 15 yo 2009/2024 ‘Supernova’ (57.5%, Connoisseurs Dram, 1st fill oloroso sherry, cask #200000114, 422 bottles)
There’s little doubt as to the origin of this wee dram. But shall we survive yet another Supernova? Colour: gold. Nose: ultra-precise, mentholated, lemony, with green apple and the proverbial rubber, and an oloroso that only manifests through green walnut, which we find most pleasing. You get the drift. With water: virgin wool, sourdough, old tweed and suchlike. Mouth (neat): immaculate, compact, on smoked marmalade, seawater and tarred rubber. Or rubbery tar, whichever you prefer. Arrival of bitter liquorice wood, essential mint oil and salt. With water: I wouldn’t say it’s been tamed, but we’re edging closer to lemon and grapefruit zest. Finish: long, more medicinal, and frankly rather uncompromising. Notes of green walnut and eucalyptus in the aftertaste. Comments: when you give something like this to beginners and tell them all of it was in the malt from the start, they usually don’t believe you. A fine beast.
SGP:467 - 90 points. |
There’ll be more to come soon. Adios Fèis Ìle 2025 — see you next year, hopefully in person and not virtually. |
(Merci to Fuji, KC, Thierry and The Golden Promise) |
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May 30, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Bunnahabhain
It's Friday – it's Bunnahabhain day! We'll try to steer clear of the peated ones for now; there'll be time for those later, promise – Moine, Staoisha and so on… As for Jura, which also has its day today, we'll skip it this time as we only had some a few days ago. |
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Bunnahabhain 21 yo ‘Port Wood Finish’ (48.1%, OB, 272 bottles, 2013)
We’ve never tasted this intriguing finishing from twelve years ago, so let’s say it’s about time... Colour: dark amber. Nose: this was probably quite a long finishing, with loads of chocolate and dried raisins, placing it much more in the style of a fine PX (assuming such a thing exists) than a Port. Some notes of orange liqueur and even Fanta, with tobacco and leather... All this is fairly classic on the nose. Mouth: powerful, rather peppery, with leather and still plenty of tobacco, then black nougat and a rather woody and austere side. These 48% feel more like 58! Finish: long, still on pepper, tobacco and leather, with a good deal of very black tea suggesting marked oakiness. Aftertaste on burnt walnuts and clove. Comments: not the easiest creature, the Port cask must have been hyperactive, in the Elon M. vein. But of course, it’s good.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
In a style probably quite similar… |
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Bunnahabhain 20 yo 2004/2024 (61%, Signatory Vintage for LMDW, Foundations, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, cask 800190, 510 bottles)
Colour: coffee. Nose: now this is amusing, it’s fruitier, less of a ‘dry sherry’ style than the official Port-matured version, yet remains thoroughly classic, on walnut cake, dark chocolate, a touch of candied cherry and orange zest… and quite a bit of ethanol. So then… With water: struck flint, a little charcoal, shoe polish, and mountains of walnuts. We do love walnuts. Mouth (neat): very rich, spicy, creamy, on ginger, clove, cumin, espresso and cracked pepper. With water: a few mineral touches (cement), then a superb combo of green pepper, black pepper, very dark chocolate and Turkish coffee. Finish: long, dry, rather herbal, with walnuts still calling the shots. Mint chocolate in the aftertaste (After Eights). Comments: this is really very oloroso, very dry, very classic, flawlessly executed.
SGP:361 - 88 points. |
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Bunnahabhain 31 yo 1991/2023 (45.4%, Casky, Finest Selection Series I, 5th Anniversary, hogshead, cask #5400)
Colour: amber. Nose: oh lovely, the fruitiest of the lot at this stage, with a beautiful combination of honey, maple syrup, milk chocolate and dried goji, plus the faintest touch of wood varnish in the background. The whole thing just clicks perfectly. Mouth: we’re edging towards the Signatory style, but with added sweetness, raisins, assorted fruit liqueurs, orange and cherry liqueur, then back to maple syrup and honey as on the nose. It all comes together quite effortlessly, which of course is a virtue in itself. Finish: fairly long, drier, slightly saline, chocolatey, with black tea, but the orange and raisins (and goji) set things back on track. Spot on. Comments: stunning sherry, no question, all the more so as it’s been quite some time since I last tasted one of these splendid 1991s. Perfect, meaning...
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
A little fourth to finish off… square. |
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Bunnahabhain 15 yo 2008/2024 (54.6%, Duncan Taylor, Single Cask Collection, sherry, cask #38551198, 711 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: a lighter style of sherry, and thus more Bunnahabhain character, on citrus, honey and a discreet coastal breeze. Plenty of praline and blond turrón. With water: malt, ale, oranges, honey – what more could one ask for? Mouth (neat): very, very good, distinguished, on citrus and honey, with those maritime touches returning. No need for literary flourishes (literary?), this is just excellent. With water: superb, with very subtle salty and coastal nuances, not far from tinned sardines. After all, there is a fisherman on the official label, isn’t there? We agree, perhaps he’s not a fisherman but rather any sailor ‘westering home’... Finish: long, even saltier, quite remarkable. Comments: to be honest, it also feels like there’s a wee touch of peat, though I wouldn’t bet the house on it. In any case, an excellent selection by Duncan Taylor.
SGP:552 - 89 points. |
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May 29, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Kilchoman
We closely followed Kilchoman at the beginning — we were there for the distillery’s inauguration and so on — but since then, I’m afraid we’ve rather lost track. Are they doing well? Anyway, it's become another great Islayer... |
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Kilchoman 11 yo 2012/2024 ‘Legacy’ (54.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, bourbon barrel, cask #623)
Colour: straw. Nose: precise, smoky and rooty. Celery, carrots, even turnips, with added honeysuckle and acacia honey. Frankly, it’s oddly gentle at this stage. A touch of iodine tincture. With water: the water nearly wipes the nose clean, which is most surprising. Let’s say there are whispers of lemon and seaweed. Mouth (neat): light yet very precise indeed, sweet roots, cassava, mezcal, and rowan. With water: it gathers itself somewhat, revealing a rather medicinal peat that finally decides to make an entrance. Finish: of medium length for a super-peated dram, rather dry, yet marked by a distinct saline signature. Comments: playing a bit of hide and seek, this sweet, lovely baby.
SGP:445 - 85 points. |
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Kilchoman 10 yo 2013/2023 ‘100% Islay’ (55.5%, OB, Kensington Wine Market, ScotchGuy’s 20th Anniversary, bourbon, 243 bottles)
Angus already tried this baby. Colour: white wine. Nose: iodine tincture, sea water, coconut and vanilla. The cask speaks! With water: once again, the water simplifies things, which is rather surprising. Still, it remains lovely, clean, smoky and vanilla-laced. Green banana. Mouth (neat): sharp as a blade, though the cask makes itself known rather forcefully here, with pineapple, grapefruit and mango. The thing is, we just love it – pure high-end wood teknohlôgy. With water: splendid now, saline, lemony without excess, with oysters in… oh well, let’s say mango vinegar. Finish: long, straightforward and effective. A cracking cask, that’s for sure. Comments: a strikingly good match between a very active distillate and an equally vigorous cask.
SGP:656 - 88 points. |
Three Kilchomans — that’s good. |
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Kilchoman 14 yo 2006/2021 (59.1%, OB, for Mikhail Selivanov, bourbon, cask #123, 209 bottles)
This one ought to be very good, as Mikhail is a well-known and particularly exacting connoisseur. Colour: gold; Nose: wonderfully fresh, all on pink grapefruit and smaller citrus fruits, with bursts of banana, guava and papaya that are typical of a fine cask, lending the whole affair a faint touch of early 1970s Bowmore. I swear. With water: boot polish and brass polish emerge. Mouth (neat): fairly creamy, a little more herbaceous (dill, chervil), though still heavily citrus-driven, the palate coming across as slightly rougher than the nose. Some green tannins and a hint of mint. With water: no real change, except for a green tea note sneaking in. Finish: long, saline, slightly austere, but we do enjoy a dry finish. Comments: I find these young Kilchomans a bit tricky to reduce, perhaps an AI-powered pipette (European, of course) would be needed. Alright then, time to put out a call for tenders...
SGP:566 - 88 points. |
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May 28, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Bowmore
This is Wednesday. We're keeping things reasonable, due to bottleneck issues at WF HQ. But we'll start with the obligatory wineskies… We could have called this session BB. Bizarre Bowmore. BTW It’s also Ardnahoe Day but alas! we’ve nothing new to hand. Next time. |
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Bowmore 14 yo ‘Bordeaux cask Finish’ (43%, OB, travel exclusive, 2024)
Mon Dieu, not Bowmore! Don’t tell me they’ve done that dreadful ‘Claret’ thing from twenty-five years ago all over again! Colour: gold – no pinkish hues, thank goodness. Nose: pata negra ham with redcurrant jelly, patchouli, bay leaf, and the usual saline Bowmore peat. In any case, it's not the calamity we had feared so far, at least for the moment. Mouth: they’ve shown a bit of tact here, it doesn’t burst into red fruit jelly sweets, and even the blackcurrants and cherries have been kept in check. No real clashes to speak of, just that odd sweet-and-savoury pudding note which remains a little baffling. Increasing amounts of crushed peppercorns too. Finish: fairly long, teetering on that tightrope between saline peat and the red fruits from Bordeaux – assuming it really is red Bordeaux, of course... Comments: at this rate, one wouldn’t mind knowing which vintage went into the wine casks, since in Bordeaux, vintages can be wildly different from one another. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? Anyway, this is far from a disaster.
SGP:554 - 83 points. |
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Bowmore 16 yo ‘Ruby Port cask Finish’ (43%, OB, travel exclusive, 2024)
In a way, we have to admire the sheer nerve it takes to lob 16-year-old Bowmore into Ruby Port. I daresay that requires a certain leap of faith. Colour: ripe apricot. Nose: well now, this isn’t half bad either; this time we’re veering more towards PX territory. Black pepper and plump black grapes, geranium, sandalwood, lonzo sausage, and very dark potting soil... Mouth: naturally it’s been crafted with great care, the cherry, blackcurrant and blackberry are all present and accounted for, though they’re nicely woven into that beloved salty and smoky malt base. Still, it does lean rather sweet... Finish: fairly long but the red fruits begin to take over, veering into smoked cherry jam with hints of fir wood. Or something along those lines. Comments: this one gave us a chuckle, which is quite the thing in these times. It’s a bit like the Eurovision Song Contest.
SGP:654 - 82 points. |
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Bowmore 19 yo ‘Pinot Noir cask Finish’ (43%, OB, travel exclusive, 2024)
Take cover, it’s Pinot Noir! We adore great Pinot Noirs, especially here in Burgundy – though they rarely belong in whisky, do they... Colour: reddish amber. Nose: oh well I’ll be, this is my favourite of the trio. That dirty, tertiary side of Pinot Noir actually seems to be working this time, I’d say the person behind this vatting’s done a cracking job given the odds. Cherry and blackcurrant, naturally, but in jam form with cane sugar, laced with faint touches of ferns and mushrooms. No hare pâté or ‘old priest’ to be found, we understand each other, don’t we. Mouth: this has been put together very neatly indeed, there’s none of that ‘Fiat Multipla’ or ‘Tesla Cybertruck’ feeling. This is squarely vinous with morello cherries, herbal infusions, prunes, crème de cassis... Yet the ‘Bowmore’ distillate still manages to rise to the surface, which is quite the achievement in this sort of get-up. Finish: lovely length and almost balanced, even if there’s a note of blood orange and cask-aged guignolet. Guignolet = cherry liqueur. Comments: I rather like this baby, even if I wouldn’t quite spring for a double-magnum. If they made double-magnums...
SGP:654 - 84 points. |
We’re in agreement, we can’t just leave it at that. But anyway, let’s stick with the probably bizarre... |
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Bowmore 16 yo 1985 (50%, Silver Seal, sherry wood, 480 bottles)
This is Silver Seal from the Sestante era, and a vintage we’ve been taught to approach with caution. Colour: white wine. Nose: tells us one thing, not all batches were cursed with that infamous ‘FWP’ profile that once spilled oceans of ink and kilobytes across the whisky world. This is clean, fresh, highly briny, with elegant maritime peat, oysters, black rye bread, and… champagne. With water: even more champagne, veering toward Bollinger. Right, pinot noir again, in a way. Mouth (neat): sheer perfection, taut yet oily, earthy and smoky, with a good dose of currants from the sherry, blood oranges and pink grapefruit, all very reminiscent of certain vintages from two decades prior. With water: I must admit, there are a few subtle lavender and violet sweet notes, but we’re mercifully miles away from the old over-the-top disasters of the past. Finish: same story, that facet becomes a touch more obvious now, but all remains calm. Yay. Sea water in the aftertaste. Comments: a miracle bottle.
SGP:564 - 88 points. |
We’re in agreement, we can’t just leave it at that. But anyway, let’s stick with the probably bizarre... |
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May 27, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Laphroaig
and Port Ellen
Because Tuesday is Laphroaig and Port Ellen day, believe it or not... It's worth remembering, by the way, that until around the late 1960s, Laphroaig was the only Islay whisky that was fairly widely available as a single malt. |
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Laphroaig 10 yo (43%, OB, ‘Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky’, cork, 1l, +/-1990)
A pre-royal warrant 1l bottle, UK version, cardboard tube. Remember the Royal Warrant was granted in 1994. These bottles aren't rare, but since they're excellent, they're highly sought after (makes sense, doesn't it, S. ?) Colour: gold with an orange tinge (caramel). Nose: good grief, we’re off to a roaring start. New tyres, passion fruit, mangoes, almond milk and smoked oysters, all in flawless synchrony. Worth noting, a medicinal side much more restrained than usual, and a peat that's been beautifully 'digested'. Or 'transmuted', as was occasionally said. Mouth: this time, the peat arrives both bright and bold, the saltiness as well, and we move even further away from the overtly tropical style of the 1960s and 1970s. A faint Sauvignon Blanc edge, chalk, pink grapefruit and, this time again, a wee touch of mercurochrome mingled with seawater. Finish: rather long for 43% vol., downright salty, even to the point of playing with your lips, as in… a salty kiss. Ahem. Comments: still extremely, extremely grand. And it was a full litre. No wonder Prince Charles granted a Royal Warrant a few years later.
SGP:555 - 92 points. |
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Laphroaig 10 yo ‘Càirdeas Cask Favourites’ (52.4%, OB, 2024) 
Apparently, it’s a mix of ex-PX and ‘Triple Wood’, which frankly sounds a little alarming. But it’s meant to celebrate 30 years of the F.O.L., and I really ought to go and pick up the miniatures waiting for me at the distillery—it’s been ten solid years since I last went, alas! Just a reminder: a proper sweet PX carries around 500g of sugar per litre of wine. Yes, really. Colour: deep gold. Nose: the casks are very present—ginger, curry, cinnamon, fir wood, raisins… But not to the point of making the nose unpleasant, not at all. With water: eucalyptus wood, thuja, pine, fir bud liqueur, chartreuse… You get the picture. Mouth: the casks speak loudly, it’s nearly sweet, very spicy, practically jammy. With water: much the same, almost like ras-el-hanout in a bottle. Also some fir honey. Finish: again, similar notes, with a few Laphroaig markers finally turning up—peat, seaweed, iodine… Comments: of course it was going to be hard to follow the old 10-year-old, but still, this is very, well, botoxed. Not bad, though… I much preferred the 2023 (WF 85).
SGP:456 - 79 points. |
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Laphroaig 10 yo 'Cask Strength Batch 17' (58.3%, OB, Nov 23)
Always ahead of the curve, S. Right. In any case, we’d quite liked Batch 16 (WF 88). Colour: gold. Nose: this one buries the Càirdeas straight off, it’s much cleaner, more focused, firmly on the distillery’s DNA—sea spray, surgical bandages, ointments, campfire smoke on the beach, and the like. With water: a few touches of fresh wood plank but it’s nothing, we’re not in a Swedish flat-pack emporium either. Mouth (neat): superb, flawless, don’t touch a thing. A bit on the brutal side perhaps, yet there’s a cracking acidity, loads of lemon, oysters, ashes, plaster… With water: and as always, it loves water, with blood oranges and even a sliver of underripe mango, which nicely links it to the glorious days of yore. Finish: long, lemony, smoky, peppery, with a lovely acidulous bitterness. Kirsch-soaked marzipan. Comments: a touch hot and maybe just a tad too oaky, but that’s the fate of many a modern dram. Twenty years in the cellar ought to sort it out.
SGP:557 - 87 points. |
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Laphroaig ‘Elements L 2.0’ (59.6%, OB, 2024)
A longer fermentation here, supposedly ‘up to 115 hours’. It’s only a NAS, but the price is steep. Colour: white wine. Nose: no, this is rather nice, more on farm cider, iodine tincture, oysters as ever, perhaps a hint of wasabi, plasticine, pine sap and a touch of turpentine. Fair enough, if it’s fermenting in Oregon pine, after 115 hours you’d expect to smell something. Just joking! With water: laundry detergent, new jumper, plaster, fresh plastic. Mouth (neat): fruitier on the palate than usual, mostly citrus. Throw in some limoncello, tinned gherkins and samphire. Lovely salinity. With water: plasticine again, but it pairs well with the seawater and lemon showing up here. Finish: long, with a more prominent peatiness emerging. Comments: no, I haven’t checked whether Laphroaig really use Oregon pine washbacks. Very charming Laphroaig, not too far off the 10 C/S.
SGP:656 - 87 points. |
While we're on the subject of the young ones... |
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Laphroaig 10 yo 2013/2024 (61.9%, LMDW Artist#14, Rothes Glen, bourbon, cask #132162, 237 bottles)
Very pretty label, a bit Wilfredo Lam-esque. Frankly, if I were to start a whisky bottle collection anew, I’d go with the ‘artistic’ labels—none of those hideous crystal decanters in faux-rosewood or mahogany that still pop up here and there. Colour: white wine. Nose: now why do the indies manage their casks better? I ask you! Perfect young Laphroaig, full of chalk and seaweed, damp ashes, lime and fresh olive oil grissini. With water: iodine tincture, oysters, ashes, Muscadet. Mouth (neat): sheer power, ultra-lemony and crammed with chalk and mercurochrome. Surely it cures everything. With water: it softens, showing pistachio and marzipan. Mozart Kugeln. Finish: back to sourdough, ashes and all things smoky. Comments: racy. Exactly what one modestly expects from a young Laphroaig.
SGP:567 - 89 points. |
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Laphroaig 11 yo (53.8%, Dràm Mor, Fifth Anniversary, refill bourbon barrel, cask #26976, 300 bottles, 2024)
Ah, Ibiscos! And in theory, this profile should absolutely work… Colour: white wine. Nose: a slightly more fermentary version, yeasty, closer to the barley, but also more medicinal still—camphory, even a touch ‘kiln-esque’ (yes, yes) … I admit, I adore this, it smells exactly like ‘the distillery’. With water: fresh concrete, paint, brine and engine oil. Mouth (neat): there we go, it splits you cleanly in two, samurai-style (in the ways of Uma Thurman). Lime, chalk, ashes, sea water, shells, and basta cosi. With water: spot on. Finish: long, with just a hint more softness, with orgeat and lemony vanilla, smoked fish and fir ash. Comments: a little gem, better get it into the cellar quickly if there’s any left.
SGP:467 - 90 points. |
To finish, let’s move on to a blatant attempted murder… |
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Laphroaig 8 yo 2015/2024 (66%, The Whisky Exchange, The Seasons, Winter, hogshead)
Of course we love The Whisky Exchange, and these labels are awesome, but between us, if they’re finding cherries, raspberries and blackberries in winter (as per the label), they’re absolute wizards. Short of blowing a fortune at Borough Market, that is. Colour: deep gold. Nose: there might be nougat, fudge and marzipan, but at this strength, honestly, nothing makes much sense. With water: fresh plywood, bitter almonds, sauna oil, maraschino, glue, cherry liqueur, and finally a bit of soil and peat. Phew. Mouth (neat): burns like young, undiluted Jamaican rum. Still a long week ahead… With water: now that’s better, a lovely texture, very oily, on toasted sesame, whelks, farmhouse bread, and buckets of ashes of every kind. Finish (with water): ashes, pickled gherkins, kirsch, sake, sea water, lemon. Comments: I don’t say this often, but honestly, don’t even bother tasting this one neat. Dilute it straight down by 30%. Two-thirds spirit, one-third water. You’re welcome.
SGP:457 - 86 points. |
Right, let’s carry on with two Port Ellens. There have been a lot of new ‘old’ Port Ellens over the past three or four years, but now that the distillery has been rebuilt and is speaking again, it seems to me that there are hardly any left. Unless some are slipping under our radar, which is quite possible. So we’ll start with an older version we haven’t yet tasted, if that’s alright with you… |
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Port Ellen 1970/1986 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for Meregali Import, Italy, Celtic label)
We already tasted a very superlative 1970/1987 from the same series (WF 94) some fifteen years ago (good heavens!) but never this 1986 edition. Don’t be afraid of the 40%, Port Ellen remains Port Ellen… Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is embarrassingly beautiful, immaculate, on tar and clams, then lemon juice and oysters. There’s nothing more to say, really, we may as well move on to the palate… Mouth: infinite, poetic, resinous, tarry, the kind of thing that could induce an aesthetic shock and instant hospitalisation. We’re approaching Stendhal syndrome here, I fear, as we’re somewhere between Botticelli and Caravaggio, had they been distillers instead of painters, that is. Incredible soft salinity, oils, paraffins, petrol, engine oil, tiny candied citrus fruits… and on and on and on. Finish: like a little comet with a very long tail, if you see what I mean. Comments: in a way, we’re glad this baby was bottled at 40% vol., because anything higher might have been too much. Sublime early vintages of Port Ellen following the previous reopening, some facets even remind me of the ‘Queen’s Visit’ version.
SGP:466 - 95 points. |
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Port Ellen 39 yo 1982/2022 (53.9%, Douglas Laing for DH Global Wine, China, Xtra Old Particular, The Black Series, refill butt, cask #DL16283, 120 bottles)
We’d previously tasted a sublimely magnificent sister cask (#DL17554) for Christmas 2023. Colour: mahogany. Nose: oh, oil paint, game, fresh coal tar, strawberry eau-de-vie, myrtle and chestnut liqueurs, figs smoked over pinewood, pipe tobacco, you name it, it’s here, and better. With water: smells like an old hearth, plus truffled chicken stock and old Armagnac. Mouth (neat): the finest sulphury style imaginable in a whisky, a bit like some venerable Mortlachs (you’re right, some young ones too). In short, it’s the opposite of a flaw in this context. The rest splits itself between black pepper, Scandinavian fir tar liqueur, bitter oranges and cigar tobacco. With water: a shift in direction, as citrus arrives, then all things medicinal, cough syrup, liquorice and tar, mentholated and camphory notes, followed by dates; mustn’t forget the dates. Finish: very long, with coffee, ashes, marrons glacés, and the curious return of oil paint, dark chocolate and truffle. Comments: what can I even say!
SGP:566 - 93 points. |
(Merci to Fuji, KC, Thierry and The Golden Promise) |
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May 26, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Caol Ila, including our 900th
We have plenty of Caol Ila to sample, but on this occasion, we’ll only have a few — just enough to mark our 900th CI in style. |
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Caol Ila 2013 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Very Cloudy, La Maison du Whisky, Navigate World Whisky, two hogsheads, 710 bottles)
Not quite sure when this baby was bottled, we’ll mention it as soon as we find out. This rather amusing series is usually bottled at 40% vol, but here we are at 43. Colour: white wine. Nose: textbook linseed oil, seawater, crabs and prawns, seaweed and mentholated smoke. Nothing to quibble about, it’s precise and very charming. Mouth: soft and rounded for a Caol Ila, but how we do enjoy those extra 3%! It’s like acacia honey smoked over fir and beechwood, to which one might have added a splash of lemon juice, a touch of oyster brine and bits of smoked salmon (with beechwood again, naturally). Finish: lovely length, excellent freshness, and above all these distinctly coastal notes. The smoked honey makes a welcome comeback in the aftertaste. Comments: very fine bottle for South Africa.
SGP:556 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 9 yo 2014/2023 (59.9%, The Whisky Exchange, Seasons: Spring, first-fill bourbon barrel, cask #831)
Supposed to be ‘refreshing’, though at nearly 60%, one had better tread carefully, no? Colour: white wine. Nose: a touch of sunflower oil laced with iodine tincture and green apple juice, clearly calling for a dash of water. With water: there, we’re greeted by a fresh, fruity, fairly easy-going Caol Ila, faintly medicinal, very pleasant, with bandages and embrocations. The only situation where bandages are actually enjoyable, ha. Mouth (neat): extremely powerful, very oily, concentrated, truth be told a tad aggressive. With water: everything softens, even drifts towards something a little sweet. A whiff of white tequila, quince and green pear. Then it grows ever more saline. Finish: long, taut, very pretty, no fuss. Comments: here’s one that did the job perfectly but do ready your pipette.
SGP:556 – 85 points. |
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Caol Ila ‘Smoking Sherry’ (55.5, The Cooper’s Choice, oloroso sherry butt finish, vat #233, 762 bottles, 2021)
No vintage stated, so presumably a multi-vintage batch. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: this works a treat, orange marmalade and currants holding a smoky peat conference, resulting in one of the finest cough syrups I know. Figs in the background, leather, pipe tobacco, liquorice allsorts… With water: a few soapy notes appear; the saponification is fairly pronounced here. Paraffin, polish, modelling clay… Mouth (neat): pure polish mingled with honey, salt and tar. It’s not uncommon, though not guaranteed, that oloroso should dance quite so gracefully with big peat. With water: pepper, tobacco, triple sec, old white wine, olives, pickled samphire… Finish: long, very much in continuity. Lovely green pepper. Comments: a slightly enigmatic composition, but it worked a charm, just as expected.
SGP:566 - 87 points. |
Let’s head to the other extreme for our 899th CI… |
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Caol Ila 11 yo 2013/2025 (56.6%, Lady of the Glen, refill hogshead, cask #319952, 123 bottles)
Word has it this hoggie was leaking, which the bottle count seems to confirm, so let’s see what came of it. Colour: white wine. Nose: perhaps a touch softer and more civilised, though that could just be the mind playing tricks. Blind, you wouldn’t have shouted ‘ah, a leaking cask!’ Classic mercurochrome, iodine, lemon and green apple, seawater, shellfish, seaweed… With water: plasticine and clams. Mouth (neat): a textbook Caol Ila, rounded and lemony, not complex at this stage but utterly charming in its smoky, taut salinity. You get the idea. With water: water performs miracles here, ushering in a flood of seafood, seaweed, lemon and a drop of Tabasco. Finish: long, with our old friends sardines and anchovies in brine turning up, while the aftertaste is loaded with peppered lemon. Comments: it loves water. Toss it into the pool during the Paris Olympics and it would’ve nabbed a gold medal. Superb CI, well done Hannah W.M. But does this mean we should start prioritising leaky casks?
SGP:566 - 88 points. |
Right, it’s time to choose our 900th… I suggest we go with an older version, okay? |
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Caol Ila 15 yo 1980 (40%, Sestante, +/-1995)
The 15yo Caol Ilas from Sestante in the 1980s are often sought after, especially when drawn from pre-1974 distillate—but that’s not the case here. What is certain, though, is that at 40% vol and after thirty years in bottle, it’ll need some substance to hold up. Colour: straw. Nose: it whispers rather than shouts, but it’s elegant; off we go with rose petals, dried orange peel, Sicilian pistachio syrup, night cream from Dior (or whatever), and those tiny flat oysters you find at the ends of the earth. I mean the Finisterre. The peat has likely been fully digested. Mouth: wait, it still has plenty to say—naturally saline and resinous, with hints of ink, furniture polish, curious shellfish (cockles, razors), a slightly petrolic side along with something faintly cardboardy, and a soft, resinous brine. Finish: not eternal of course, but it keeps spinning tales. It reminds us that in 1980, times were hard in Scotland and on Islay... Comments: this really is like an old white wine, to be honest.
SGP:454 - 90 points. |
Might as well have our 901st to wrap things up… |
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Caol Ila 21 yo 1974/1996 (43%, Dunn Eideann, Signatory Vintage for Donato, Italy)
This baby was distilled on 27 December 1974, smack between Christmas and New Year. You could imagine that, owing to the holiday lull, fermentation times might’ve stretched a little—say, three good days from the 23rd to the 27th—but that’s pure speculation, of course. At any rate, this was already from the ‘new’ Caol Ila, just built or rebuilt. Colour: Sylvaner white. Ha. Nose: smoked rhubarb, cider apples, crème de menthe, aniseed, genepy and seaweed, plus a wee sachet of Gummi Bears. Incredibly precise, razor-sharp, unstoppable. Mouth: a quick note that not all 1974s were glorious—some bottlings were quite debatable. That said, here we have very nice purity, almonds, marzipan, sesame oil, and what one might fairly call a salty peat… Finish: medium length, touches of boot polish, apple, lemon and seawater. It trails off a little, shall we say… Comments: the nose is superb, the palate very lovely though perhaps a touch imprecise and, above all, extremely salty. But after all these years, who really minds? Still, I find the Sestante superior, if you ask me.
SGP:455 - 85 points. |
(Gracias a bunch, Aaron and Boris) |
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May 25, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Bruichladdich
It's Sunday, let’s try to find some melon and a touch of sea spray today… |
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Bruichladdich 2003/2025 (56.7%, Caora, refill barrel, cask #132, 273 bottles)
No doubt already an unpeated Laddie, although let us not forget that the very first batches post-2000 had been lightly peated, around 5ppm if memory serves, under the influence of one Mr Jim McEwan. Colour: straw. Nose: these batches tend to be rather fat on the nose after more than twenty years, with plenty of candied citrus, cassata and limoncello... Yet the whole remains very clean, almost fresh. With water: I do seem to detect a little melon indeed, a wee chalky side with aspirin tablet and a few drops of yellow Chartreuse. Mouth (neat): citrus and linden infusion, and again this very textured, oily feel throughout. Perhaps even a faint saline touch. With water: eminently Bruichladdich. Melon, salt, mandarin, lime blossom, a tiny oyster and some lemon. You know what other malt it brings to mind? Pulteney! Finish: long, citrusy, waxy, with a splash of sea water. Comments: one does not so often encounter such coastal character in B, despite past mantras, if you see what I mean. At any rate, these refill barrels handily beat any other cask combination, in my view.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Bruichladdich 33 yo 1991/2024 (41.5%, Sansibar, Fazzino series, bourbon hogshead, 233 bottles)
Caution here, this may well have turned fragile, even though they were mostly filling into ‘very refill’ casks back then. Colour: very pale white wine. You see! Nose: it whispers, it speaks softly, sending you little apples, a touch of acacia honey, quince paste, a hint of damp earth, some dried flowers, potpourri... Mouth: a young lady Laddie (?!). Light, delicate, not tired in the slightest, mostly on apple and light beer, cedar wood, tiny plums, wild cherries, tisanes... One might almost call this an afternoon whisky. It is most lovely, very delicate, refined... Finish: not very long but firmer, fruity, mostly on yellow fruits, with quince returning for an encore – nature’s little wonder. You’ll tell me you’ve never seen a quince tree on Islay, not even in the wooded bit in the middle of the island. Comments: zero fatigue here, but this is truly delicate and quite beautiful, though you’d perhaps do well to wear sunglasses when reading the very shiny label. No, love you Sansibar.
SGP:541 - 89 points. |
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Bruichladdich 22 yo 1965 (48.8%, OB, Riserva Veronelli, Rinaldi import, Italy, 2400 bottles)
A fairly well-known official bottling from the golden vintages of the 1960s. Not to be confused with the superb 1966 Riserva Veronelli imported by Moon (WF 91). Colour: gold. Nose: Bruichladdich, like Bunnahabhain, was still peated up until the very early 1960s, and one would swear there’s a touch of peat here too, a bit of ash, whiffs of campfire smoke... It’s also rather earthy, with humus, old stumps, mushrooms, an old tin of mint tea, and even a good helping of pine nuts. Old herbal liqueurs, Bénédictine, Verveine du Velay... Mouth: yes, still some peaty notes, earthy, metallic, with ham, marrow, orchard leaves, Italian bitters (naturally), smoked ham, ashes... This is absolutely not your usual fruity old Bruichladdich. Finish: long, still on those old herbal liqueurs, salt, pepper, ashes... Comments: it may not be sexy as such, but these damp earthy tones are of great beauty and the saline notes are rather stunning. Perhaps a wee touch of OBE.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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May 24, 2025 |
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Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Lagavulin
This year, we're getting back into the good habit of organising our own little Islay Festival at Château Whiskyfun, tasting the malts on the very day of their open days. But it's still a symbolic gesture—we're a bit behind schedule, so no lengthy sessions this year, just duos and trios. Well, we’ll see… Today, we thought it would be fun to feature just two very young independent Lagavulin, so naturally, not labelled as ‘Lagavulin’, but their origin is unmistakable. Watch out, things could get lively as we're heading to Taiwan and Germany… |
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Secret Islay 9 yo 2013/2023 (53.9%, Whisky Picnic Bar and Cuckoo, hogshead, cask #13000581)
Here we are back in Taiwan. Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re firmly in the world of the 12 official C/S bottlings, though this one’s a tad drier, leaning more towards ashes, charcoal, dried seaweed, smoked ham, and even a hefty ashtray brimming with lit cigars. In the background, a hint of vanilla and a splash of cough syrup. With water: conifers in all their forms, pine and fir needles, wood smoke, buds, balms, sauna oil… we’ve drifted from an Islay beach to a Finnish forest. Mouth (neat): it’s charmingly austere, salty, smoky, loaded with ashes, with a touch of heather honey bringing just enough sweetness to round it out. With water: what class in this distillate! A burst of small citrus fruits, fresh herbs and spices, rosemary, and a suggestion of ground cumin… Finish: long, coming across as richer by this stage. Fabulous bitterness and pepper. Comments: an incredible little hogshead au naturel, the best style for Lagavulin, naturally.
SGP:477 - 90 points. |
In theory, since the next one has been mixed with wine (in one way or another), things might not turn out as hoped… |
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Steel Cookers Railway 6 yo ‘Tripple Cask’ (62.1%, Jack Wiebers Whisky World, bourbon, sherry and wine, 2025)
A most improbable, yet thoroughly entertaining bottling involving 3D printing, some sort of glass sandblasting, and a 1938 steam locomotive. And wine! I do find the whole affair has a faint whiff of Mad Max about it, but come on now, let’s be brave and hold on tight… Of course I jest, the wee Lagavulins from JWWW can be superb… Colour: amber. Nose: well, this is massive, no doubt about that, yet curiously elegant too, very compact, packed with massage balms, thyme oil, bay leaf, leather, black olives in brine, and bitter oranges. I’d almost call it balanced, yes really. With water: it turns much more medicinal, deeply camphory, to the point where you wonder whether it’s not better suited for external application. Mouth (neat): extremely powerful, very salty, full of salted liquorice and tobacco, with a thick glob of tar that insists on taking centre stage. A lovely wee monster! With water: some fruity glimmers now, Lagavulin is often fruity, especially with strawberry eau-de-vie, though here you’ve also got cherry. The worst part is that it works. The rest remains very salty, and of course very peaty. Finish: long, still compact, massive, with a touch of ouzo. I assure you, you can dilute this down to 1/3 whisky, 2/3 water. Comments: there’s a comic edge to this formidable and explosive ultra-young Islay that, as they say, takes no prisoners. Highly recommended, it’s pure fun.
SGP:567 - 89 points. |
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May 23, 2025 |
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Two Dalwhinnie, vintage vs. NAS
Not the most useful of sessions, I’m afraid, especially as it will feature two ‘finished’ versions, but we’re rather fond of Dalwhinnie. In fact, we warmly recommend the ‘chocolate + whisky’ tastings they organise at the distillery. |
Dalwhinnie's 'Whisky & Chocolate
Tasting Experience' (Diageo) |
One mustn’t forget either the crucial role Dalwhinnie played in educating budding malt enthusiasts, being one of the key players in the early days of the very, very – and I mean very – seminal ‘Classic Malts of Scotland’. I say they should restart the consumer club too and resend their lovely, very educational printed newsletters, especially since there's a significant revival in the popularity of print magazines. And remember that it is largely paper that helps maintain (you can see just how important this is) and replant forests, as well as store much more carbon as long as it is recycled. But we digress once again... |
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Dalwhinnie 2004/2019 'Distiller's Edition' (43%, OB, D.SA.313)
Finished in ‘oloroso-seasoned casks’. One appreciates Diageo’s honesty in not trying to make you believe, by omission, that these are genuine oloroso casks from authentic bodegas. Others could take note, we think. Colour: gold. Nose: lovely, soft, chocolatey indeed, malty, with hints of stout, roasted nuts, and caramelised apples. There’s a certain freshness. Mouth: it’s good, showing walnut wine and coffee, then orange marmalade before moving further into toasted malt, Ovaltine, and praline. To be honest, I find it superb, especially with the malty side so much to the fore. Finish: not immensely long, but still beautifully malty. A dry aftertaste of earth, nuts, and oloroso, with a very faint touch of wood smoke. Comments: there you have it. Perhaps the best of the Distiller’s Editions when compared to their non-finished counterparts (think recent Lagavulin DE vs. Lagavulin 16).
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Dalwhinnie 'Distiller's Edition' (43%, OB, 2022)
Adieu to vintages and thus to age statements. Remember, NAS doesn’t mean there’s no age, it means the age is concealed. Every whisky has an age. One imagines that in this case, the age has been reduced. Colour: gold. Nose: it does indeed feel younger, more straightforwardly fruity, with less pronounced oloroso influence, and a slightly more herbal and yeasty edge. Frankly, it’s still rather good, but definitely simpler. Mouth: closer to the 2004/2019 edition, but a bit rougher and less complex. There’s less development, with a touch more toffee, less toasted malt, Ovaltine, and the like. Finish: leaning more towards coffee, though the nuts remain present. No surprise to find a hint of Guinness here too, I’d imagine. Comments: the differences are quite notable when comparing the two versions, though it’s doubtful they’d stand out as much if tasted only days or weeks apart.
SGP:551 - 83 points. |
Starting tomorrow, we're holding our own Remote Islay Festival here on WF, get ready! |
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May 22, 2025 |
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Tastings de la Muerte: Glentauchers part 2
Shall we carry on at random, moving along fairly quickly, if that’s alright with you…? |
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Glentauchers 10 yo 2010/2020 (46%, Hepburn’s Choice, Hunter Laing, wine barrels, 581 bottles)
Wine casks, always a tad alarming. Colour: gold. Nose: malt, bread, banana and strawberry jam. Fairly laden with stewed red berries and assorted confitures. Mouth: it’s cheerful and fruity, still very much on strawberries, rose jelly and raspberry sorbet, yet the malt keeps a firm hold of the reins and prevents the whole thing from veering too far into ‘Beaujolais’ territory. Finish: medium in length, now with more cherry, ham and leafy touches. Comments: not bad at all, we’re far from the disaster we feared, strawberries notwithstanding.
SGP:641 - 80 points. |
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Glentauchers 2005/2019 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, Distillery labels)
We’d really enjoyed the 2008/2023 but that one had been bottled at 46% vol. Colour: white wine. Nose: pears and apples, gooseberries, sourdough bread. Nothing much to complain about at this stage. Mouth: nice profile, though less precise than the nose, with cherry stems, apples, sour cherries, witbier and a touch of fresh ginger. Finish: medium length, same aromas, turning a little more herbal. Then green tea. Comments: nothing to add really, a good, clean malt whisky with no major faults. Just a little… yawn…
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
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Glentauchers 21 yo 1992/2014 (52.7%, Duncan Taylor, Dimensions, cask #6045, 283 bottles)
Not sure this series is still active at DT. Colour: white wine. Nose: taut, on green pears, apples, grass and grapefruit zest. With water: the barley emerges beautifully. Beeswax, orgeat, and a faintly earthy honey. Mouth (neat): lovely, with demerara sugar, lemon tart and orangecello. With water: back to barley, limoncello and orgeat syrup. Hints of plaster. Finish: medium length, wax still hanging around, discreet hint of aniseed. Orange marmalade and a saline note in the aftertaste. Comments: it was a lovely bottle, but that was over… ten years ago. My apologies.
SGP:651 - 84 points. |
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Glentauchers 22 yo 1997/2020 (48.1%, The Whisky Baron, Renaissance, bourbon barrel, cask #3884, 124 bottles)
A cracking series, these Whisky Barons. Colour: greenish white wine. Some nails? Patches? Nose: no metallic notes in sight, rather peaches and apples, greengage jam, quince jelly, mirabelles, fougasse, patchouli and maple syrup… All very, very charming. Mouth: excellent, taut, mineral and mentholated, then back to those splendid greengages and some fir honey. Unexpected and very good indeed. Finish: medium length but with complex spices, then heaps of fir sap and black pepper. Comments: that green hue was a little unsettling, but the whisky far less so. A very pretty bottle, and something to have fun with in good company, thanks to its rather striking verdant robe.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Glentauchers 8 yo 2013/2021 (62.6%, Franco Gasparri, The Art Collection, refill bourbon, Caol Ila finish, cask #800550, 221 bottles)
Warning, this little monster spent 36 months (they write ‘mounts’, but let’s assume they meant ‘months’) in ex-Caol Ila wood. Colour: white wine. Nose: mercurochrome, ashes, lime juice and green apples. Nothing to criticise, really. With water: same again. Fresh, peaty, coastal and citrusy. Mouth (neat): very explosive and to be honest, it’s much more Caol Ila than Glentauchers. With water: even more so, it’s a lovely Caol Ila. Finish: long, peaty, lemony, herbal and medicinal. Comments: one assumes the cask was still very ‘wet’ before its final fill. All in all, a very charming in-cask-blended malt.
SGP:464 – 85 points. |
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Glentauchers 6 yo 2014/2020 (53.9%, Boogieman Import, Scottish Warrior, 199 bottles)
A rather frightening bottle, but our soul is pure and our heart brave, so let’s go. Colour: full gold. Nose: metal polish and… metal polish, then cumin, menthol and walnut liqueur. With water: waxed fir wood, beeswax polish, even a touch of solvent. Mouth (neat): rich, thick, modern, spicy and heavily cask-driven. Ginger and cinnamon at 300 miles per hour. With water: everything calms down, almost turns gentle. Hints of paint and paraffin, plus service tree berries and holly eau-de-vie. If you’ve never tasted anything like this, you really should. Finish: long, slightly drying, on speculoos, black tea and aubergine. Quite a bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. Comments: ultra-dry, a bit loco-loco, but we rather like it.
SGP:272 - 84 points. |
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Glentauchers 8 yo 2012/2021 (61.3%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #63.75, 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, ‘Ett Tropiskt Party I Svenskt Norrsken’, 238 bottles)
An exclusive bottling for Sweden, hence the utterly incomprehensible name—unless you’re thoroughly sloshed, or a distinguished Swede, naturally. Even Ikea wouldn’t have dared. Colour: white wine. Nose: cold coffee, and not much else. With water: small apples, jujubes, service berries—not terribly expressive, but elegant nonetheless. Mouth (neat): hits hard, like uncut tutti-frutti straight off the still. Quick, quick… With water: still a bit brutal and rustic, but there are some lovely honeyed notes too. Finish: long, simple, robust, on green and white fruits. Comments: you’d be speaking near-fluent Swedish after two or three drams of this little monster, which could also double as antifreeze for your Volvo or that old Saab convertible (with leather seats, mind). But honestly, we quite like it.
SGP:461 - 82 points. |
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Glentauchers-Glenlivet 12 yo 2007/2019 (60.0%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, hogshead, 252 bottles)
Is this baby also going to try and rip our heads off? Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very simple, on apple spirit and green bananas. Pleasant enough, but nothing that’s going to win a prize in San Francisco at this stage. With water: frankly, these batches are tricky—we’re not far off antifreeze here. Mouth (neat): well now, this is nice, if simple, all on limoncello and apple spirit. With water: indeed, it’s fruity, very simple, clearly defined. Apple and lemon, with a pinch of salt. Finish: long but a bit more rustic. Comments: probably not the most dazzling single malt ever bottled by humankind, but not without its uses. Could serve nicely as a muscular decongestant or in a cocktail with exotic fruit juices.
SGP:361 - 77 points. |
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Glentauchers 21 yo 1997/2019 (54.5%, The Whisky Exchange, barrel, cask #402, 182 bottles)
Here we have a kind of positive premonition. Colour: light gold. Nose: this one’s far oilier, more austere, more on sunflower oil and grape seed oil. It’s also more elegant, one might say. With water: ink, slag, fruit peelings—heavens, how charmingly austere! Mouth (neat): linseed oil, grapefruit zest, grass juice. With water: modelling clay and those bitter herbs, with an austerity verging on the Spanish Inquisition. Finish: long, entirely herbal. Comments: rare to find a profile this herbal and austere that remains so compelling; next to it, Stockhausen was Céline Dion (what?)
SGP:261 - 85 points. |
One last one for today (cross my heart, there won’t be another this time, I mean not today) … |
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Glentauchers 27 yo 1996/2024 (51.1%, The Antelope Macau & Kanpakai Japan, refill barrel, cask #8003966, 181 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: we’re landing squarely in old fruity Speyside territory, with bananas, fully ripe Williams pears, orange cake and mead, then quite a bit of custard. With water: not much change, just a few extra herbs and even more custard. Mouth (neat): this is simply excellent, the influence of time is clear, with white pepper, honey and black tea, though the tannicity is steadily creeping up. In short, not a done deal yet. With water: veers into dried fruit territory—longans, jujubes, dried mulberries, goji berries… But there’s also quite a bit of rather drying wood. It all feels a tad undecided in the end. Finish: medium in length, herbal, fairly dry and a little drying. Comments: not the easiest customer in the end, unless we’ve somehow missed the point (though I doubt it). Still, this remains a very, very good, properly dry old Speysider.
SGP:351 - 85 points. |
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May 21, 2025 |
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Tastings de la Muerte: Glentauchers |
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| Glentauchers Distillery (Anne Burgess / geograph.org.uk) |
The principle is simple: one single distillery, loads of versions, chosen entirely at random, over several days, not necessarily in a row, until we throw in the towel or move on to something else.
Actually, I ought to explain the situation: you may already know that we make a point of regularly tasting malts from all Scottish distilleries, though of course the number of expressions of each we receive varies wildly. This means that for the more ‘abundant’ distilleries—especially from the indies—like Glentauchers in this case, the stocks tend to pile up much faster than our tasting pace can keep up with. Which is why, from time to time, we have to do a bit of a ‘clear-out’ with some of them. But alas, we’ll never manage to taste everything, very sadly… |
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Glentauchers 15 yo 2008/2023 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Distillery Label)
G&M really have done a great deal to raise the notoriety of Glentauchers, they ought to be awarded a medal for their efforts! Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s gentle, on garden apples and pears, groundnut oil, a little white nougat and some baker’s yeast. This may not be of extraordinary complexity, but yes, it’s genuinely charming. Mouth: it’s good, actually rather rich in the end, with a touch of sherry, some orange, still those apples and pears, and a wee note of liquorice. Finish: fairly long, fairly soft, malty, very fruity, apples and oranges, with cinnamon and pink pepper. Comments: bang in its lane, very, very pleasant, flawless, really.
SGP:641 - 85 points. |
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Glentauchers 7 yo 2014/2021 (51.7%, SingleMalt.pl, PX sherry octave, cask #142)
Colour: gold. Nose: oily to the nose, also chalky, yeasty and mineral. Lovely notes of turrón, PX (but of course). With water: a little malt extract, onion jam, fig preserve, a touch of Nescafé. Mouth (neat): big PX, in a cappuccino and toasted hazelnut style, which works very, very well. With water: slight meaty hints, orange marmalade, cracked pepper, sultanas, young rancio. Finish: long, spices rolling in, tamed by the dried fruit. Comments: cracking little creature from Poland. We’re just a bit late to the party, yet again.
SGP:641 - 86 points. |
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Glentauchers 16 yo 2008/2024 (46%, Royal Mile Whiskies, sherry butt, cask #900255, 885 bottles)
Even reduced to 46%, nearly 900 bottles from a single butt, that’s not bad at all. Colour: gold. Nose: a wee marvel of pecan pie drizzled with honey sauce, alongside a glass of Sauternes and a few Turkish delights. Mouth: same story, we’re very, very close to the G&M style, tarte Tatin, crema catalana, peanut butter and baked apples. Finish: long, on orange zest and a sauce of caramel and honey. Comments: this feels very ‘Elgin’, it’s really very good, nothing to complain about.
SGP:641 – 86 points. |
Since we’ve come this far… |
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Glentauchers 23 yo 2000/2023 (55.8%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice for Kensington Wine Market, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #16602001, 329 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: lovely sherry, with a little gunpowder to begin, then bags of black nougat, very dry currants, a touch of crème de menthe, proper old oloroso, and hand-sliced pata negra—never machine-cut, heavens no! With water: whoof, gas, truffle, charcoal… Mouth (neat): that modelling clay quality returns alongside the gunpowder, clearly a touch of sulphur, then fig marmalade of the interstellar kind. The presence of this sort of sulphur can trigger debates of galactic proportions, as we know. With water: water only boosts the sulphuric side. It’s like with some mineral waters, some love the sulphur, others loathe it. Finish: long and even more sulphury. The worst part is, it’s all terribly coherent. Leather and bitter almonds in the aftertaste. Comments: very hard to score, it really is a sulphur story.
SGP:362 - 83 points. |
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Glentauchers 33 yo 1993/2024 (51.9%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, Lost in Time, refill American oak barrels, cask #5218, 108 bottles)
Chivas and TWE at the helm here. Colour: pale gold. Nose: we’re in complex territory here, poetic even, bordering on nostalgic—old meads, honeys, farmhouse ciders… It’s truly very, very beautiful, delicate, almost Proustian (is it not?). With water: oh yes, almond milk, honeys, precious green teas, tanning oil, blond tobacco... Mouth (neat): it’s reminiscent of the 1972s. But why does 1993 so often echo 1972, across all Speyside distilleries? Honeys and waxes, bruised apples, tiny floral and herbal notes, hay, borage, pansies… With water: an unexpected arrival of faint maritime touches. Finish: not very long but outrageously elegant, with a woodiness more discreet than a cat stalking a mouse. Comments: an ode to time. And 33 years—the age of you-know-who!
SGP:551 - 91 points. |
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Glentauchers-Glenlivet 14 yo 2009/2023 (50%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 264 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s immaculate, the cask was probably as idle as a particularly militant French railway worker, but there’s a lovely lemon nougat drizzled with honey and scattered with bits of toasted pistachio, atop the usual apple and pear combo. With water: lovely—let’s forget about French railway workers, they’re a bit too demoralising. Mouth (neat): it’s very good, fresh, close to barley, green apples, lemon, meringue and stewed rhubarb… With water: not much need for it on the palate, it gets a bit too grassy, nearly lawn-like. Best skip the water. Finish: medium length, taut, herbaceous indeed. Comments: better to shelter these babies from water, though that may not be the orthodox approach.
SGP:451 - 82 points. |
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Glentauchers 11 yo 2011/2023 (51.5%, Club Qing, Kraken Go with the Flow, fino hogshead, cask #800436, 179 bottles)
Now then, Hong Kong. Colour: deep gold. Nose: slightly metallic, with tobacco, medlars, frozen sorbs, bread dough, a few ashes and green walnuts… The fino must be the culprit behind all this. It’s forgiven at once. With water: a hint of compost, paraffin oil, a bit of papier-mâché… Unusual but charming. Mouth (neat): quirky combo—leather, resinous oil, pepper, bitter chocolate, walnut liqueur, nocino, pumpkin seed oil… With water: same again. Slight touches of damp cardboard. Finish: medium length, rather earthy, really lovely but the fino leaves an unusual footprint. Comments: great finos are mythical beasts, but their influence on our whiskies might be, pure speculation of course, a bit uncontrollable. We saw the same with some Ardbegs, a good twenty years ago.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
By the way, loads of Ardbeg coming up soon on WF, as we should be doing our usual remote Feis Ile sessions, but in the meantime, there’s still plenty of Glentauchers to come, so stay tuned. |
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May 20, 2025 |
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A Germanic little trio of new Braeval
One of those distilleries that’s rarely talked about, but which we make a point of tasting as often as possible – for the glory, indeed, but also because they can be excellent. And Braeval handles wine well; its kind of profile doesn’t clash as often as others in my view. |
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Braeval 10 yo 2014/2025 (65.4%, Alambic Classique, Bordeaux red wine barrel, cask #25012, 266 bottles)
The invasion of red Bordeaux casks continues in Scotland. Colour: gold with a faint orangey hue. Nose: the wine is immediate, as are the wood spices and the high-dose ethanol. With water: we head into cherry cake territory, clafoutis, stone fruit spirit with a touch of soap… We’re drifting a little into the land of old plum eau-de-vie from a rough still. We’re quite far from malt here, but it’s by no means unpleasant. Mouth (neat): it’s all right, though the strawberry yoghurt spiced with pepper and kirsch is rather overwhelming. With water: back come the ‘trans’ notes—peppery, stony, with fruit tree leaves and a faint hint of shampoo... Finish: very long, salty and peppery, very much eau-de-vie aged in wood. Comments: more of an adventure than a malt, really. I do think we could create a special category for these transgenre/premix malts. We don’t dislike them, actually.
SGP:471 - 80 points. |
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Braeval 16 yo 2009/2025 (50.9%, The Whisky Agency, tawny Port barrique, 280 bottles)
Are we heading in the same direction? It’s not Bordeaux, but it’s still a red wine cask... Colour: partridge eye, or onion skin. Nose: Port on very classic, fairly neutral malts can work nicely—as seen here, this nose isn’t nearly as alarming as the colour might have suggested. Notes of strawberry cake, watermelon syrup… and young Port, quite simply. With water: the malt wakes up a little—bread dough, brown ale... Mouth (neat): clearly more vinous. Cherry, pepper, blood orange, cherry stalks, rosehip… With water: pink pepper, soapy touches, kirsch, trail mix. Finish: long, fairly vinous and peppery. A little touch of rancio. Comments: this little winesky also goes down very nicely. As far as red wine cask malts go, it’s well done.
SGP:561 - 80 points. |
Careful, the next one’s going to shake things up… |
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Braes of Glenlivet 30 yo 1994/2024 (48.9%, Maltbarn, ‘The 26’, bourbon cask, 51 bottles)
Beginner 101: Braeval and Braes of Glenlivet are the same distillery. Colour: gold. Nose: almost shy after the winey ones, with whispers of mint and anise, fennel, dill, celery stalks—all set on a bed of chalk and brioche dough sprinkled with shards of pear and orange sweets. Ite Missa est. Mouth: very consistent with the nose, just a bit more on the sweets and the grist, baker’s yeast, scones and muffins. A lovely green tea note in the background, the whole continuing to display a rather charming fragility. Finish: medium length, more malty, with a touch of bitterness, and even a hint of cherry stem herbal tea. Comments: let’s admit it—we knew this would be a dead cert.
SGP:451 - 88 points. |
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May 19, 2025 |
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The Time Warp Sessions,
today Macallan 2 x NAS + 1961
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This isn’t the first time we’ve done this with Macallan, and it’s probably not the last either. The idea here isn’t to determine which period is the best — that would be too obvious, even a bit far-fetched — but rather to try and trace a kind of lineage in the style of the famous Speysider. You’ll note that the idea came to me as I was walking past the unmissable Macallan shop at Shanghai airport last week, with its striking candy-pink neon lights… |
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Macallan ‘Green Meadow’ (40.2%, OB, The Harmony Collection, travel retail, +/-2023)
A little NAS in collaboration with Stella and Mary McCartney. These collaborations sometimes make about as much sense as a tomato with wheels, as Lord Blackadder might have said, but let’s be honest, we’ve a soft spot for the whole McCartney clan and there is, indeed a 'story'. Oh, and if you thought all the meadows were necessarily green, think again—there was also an ‘Amber Meadow’ we rather liked back in the day (WF 85). Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is discreet, rather elegant, on nougat, praline and herbal tea, say chamomile, then fresh hay and a touch of sherry, with walnuts and raisins. It’s truly elegant, and the very low strength isn’t bothersome (even though that extra 0.2% does make us chuckle). Mouth: this is where it turns a bit thin, grassy—but we can’t really fault it, as it’s called Green Meadow—and lightly dusty. Unsweetened herbal tea, no honey, a little tobacco, marzipan, orange zest, pink grapefruit peel, but all this merely whispers. Finish: a little short, with a few raisins and still those herbal teas. Comments: it’s not bad at all, there is a certain elegance, but everything comes in little dabs, which is a tad frustrating, especially north of €200.
SGP:441 - 83 points. |
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Macallan ‘Vibrant Oak’ (44.2%, OB, The Harmony Collection, 200th Anniversary, 2024)
Another rather unlikely collaboration, this time with Cirque du Soleil, though I’ve heard very favourable opinions about this baby raised in sherry. Colour: gold. Nose: this is lovely, with polish, beeswax, black tea with vanilla and wafts of liquorice and violet, then a pack of menthol cigarettes. Truly a lovely nose, rather complex, very well put together. I fear it casts quite a long shadow over poor little Green Meadow. Mouth: good presence, less precise than the nose but still well built, rather on green peppercorns, grape pips, dark chocolate and very oaky tisanes, quite marked by cinnamon. A few bits of walnut, then it turns more herbal, a touch bitter but in a good way. Raw cocoa powder. Finish: medium length, still rather dry. Liquorice wood, black tea, cinnamon, fir honey, lemon marmalade and green pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: I think this is a very successful composition this time.
SGP:451 - 87 points. |
So, let’s now take a leap back more than 50 years… |
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Macallan-Glenlivet 15 yo 1961 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, Pure Highland Malt, Co. Import, Italy)
We did, of course, rather adore the 1960 and 1962 versions by Campbell, Hope & King for Rinaldi, but this wee 1961 from G&M doesn’t immediately ring a bell. For now... Mind you, these bottles can be heavily forged, but this one’s entirely authentic—we’ve our ways of telling, you see. Colour: pale gold. Nose: best remain seated! We’re immediately greeted by that grandeur—those delicate smokes, citrus jams, every kind of honey one could dream of, this nose of bee pollen, then the fractal development, on camphor, furniture polish, a hint of tar and natural rubber, overripe apples, sultanas, dried figs, and old Sauternes... Must have been pure golden promise. Mouth: menthol, praline, sultanas and honey, then all the variations and developments of those four major flavour groups. We’ll stop there, if you don’t mind, even though the 43% vol. pose no issue here, as it’s the ‘congeners’, not the ethanol, that brings the power. Finish: almost long, on tobacco, mint, maple syrup and honey, then it dries out with elegant restraint in the aftertaste, with returning hints of polish, that famous chamomile, and even verbena and white pepper. Comments: always a joy to taste these Macallan vintages that helped make the name what it’s become.
SGP:551 - 93 points. |
In conclusion, the Vibrant Oak really held its own next to the 1961 and was far from looking out of place. We’ll be doing more Time-Warp Sessions with Macallan very soon, that’s a promise. |
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May 18, 2025 |
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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 wee Cognac verticale spanning 50 years, from 2015 to 1965
Starting with a ‘petit’ apéritif before we tackle the little big cognacs – or big little cognacs – from the F1 teams currently leading the race to the World Championship. Hope you see what I mean. |
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'It's Hine! It's dry!
A lovely twilight. The setting sun. A dry air filled with memories. For truly unforgettable moments, that rare and precious taste that warms the heart. Hine Cognac — acclaimed as the finest Cognac by connoisseurs the world over, because it is… dry.'
(Magazine ad, USA, early 1960s). |
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Hine ‘Homage to Thomas Hine’ (40%, OB, Grade Champagne, +/-2025)
Here we have a rather top-tier XO (100€+) The ‘Antique’ version didn’t quite win us over a few years ago, but this Homage has a fine reputation… It’s a blend of cognacs aged in England—thus early landed—and very old cognacs matured in Jarnac. Let's see if it§'s 'sec'... Colour: amber. Nose: rather light, fairly dry, with a touch of sandalwood and hints of incense and eucalyptus lending it a distinctly Far Eastern character. Mouth: more assertive on the palate despite the low strength, with fruit peels, hints of lightly burnt caramel, liquorice, pistachio cream, then a touch of triple sec, candied zest, lemon liqueur, melon, peach… All of it becomes increasingly lively and fresh, it’s really very pleasant. Finish: nice length considering the strength, with those citrus elements still present, a touch of menthol, and a slight hint of green tea and fresh hay. Comments: I really like this Hine, it’s a fine house in any case. One might note the English spelling ‘Homage’ rather than the French ‘Hommage’. But then, Thomas Hine was indeed English…
SGP:551 – 85 points. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet 8 yo 2015/2024 (57.8%, C. Dully Selection, Grande Champagne, folle blanche, cask #338, 214 bottles)
From a few rows of folle blanche planted by the Pasquet family in the 1970s. Cognacs made exclusively from folle blanche remain rare—though they were of course far more common before phylloxera. Colour: gold. Nose: now this is distinctly off the beaten track, more textured right from the start, heavily camphory, marked by eucalyptus and massage balms, then we move into more classical notes—maple syrup, natural vanilla, oranges and peach. Lovely aniseed notes bide their time in the background, along with hints of white and yellow flowers. With water: a few earthy touches, otherwise it stays the course—it swims like a champion. Mouth (neat): that same firmness and tension on the attack, liquorice with menthol, almost a whiff of smoke (let’s say something Ben Nevis-ish), even a saline edge. Citrus zest. With water: we dive into the heart of the grape, though if one yields to it, one is swept off to both Scotland and Martinique. Finish: long, with a cavalry charge of candied citrus. Liquorice and fir bud in the aftertaste. Comments: I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but it’s not often that such young cognacs come across as this ‘complete’, if you see what I mean. We’re already brushing up against perfection, proof that the finest cognacs, too, don't necessarily need long ageing.
SGP:662 – 89 points. |
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Domaine du Chêne ‘XXO d’avant 1992’ (48.4%, Art Malts, Bons Bois, Series of Art 6, L’Or de Jo, barrique, casks #7100–7108, 2024)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: cider apple and wood varnish, then natural rubber and myrtle, the whole thing wrapped in a fine marmalade of orange and grapefruit, then misted with vineyard peach liqueur. Very handsome woodiness, slightly resinous, very elegant. Mouth: all this translates onto the palate in a most charmingly rustic fashion, almost ‘non-commercial’ if you see what I mean, with constant nods towards its Armagnac cousins. I hope I’m not offending anyone by saying that. Fir, black tea, fennel, lime, liquorice wood etc. Finish: long, with these rather green tannins and still plenty of lime. It just tickles a bit. Comments: a Domaine du Chêne version with a slightly more country-house style than others we’ve already tried, yet still obviously of very high calibre. The young folle blanche may have overshadowed it a touch, I shall have words with whoever assembled this line-up. Right.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Voyer ‘Lot 85’ (53.7%, Grape of the Art, Grande Champagne, 295 bottles)
A nice example of a very fine house that used to offer some truly charming cognacs, though they could have lacked a bit of oomph, simply due to the customary 40% vol. One imagines the thirsty horde of indies (love you guys) must have encouraged them to release higher-strength bottlings, with results that now seem quite self-evident. Colour: full gold. Nose: a magnificent lemony cavalcade, very lively, almost acidic on the nose, though swiftly rescued by chalk and a touch of honey. Lovely. With water: candle wax, damp earth, shoe polish. Mouth (neat): very, very compact. Mint, liquorice, lemon, chalk, basta cosi. With water: the water draws out even more citrus, we find blood orange, bergamot and so on. Finish: long, slightly earthier, with a touch of ‘dunnage’. Comments: nothing to add, it’s singular, so it’s perfect (what?)
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘L.53.y Le Cognac de Limburg Whisky Fair 2025’ (51.4%, OB, Confluences, Fine Champagne, 1 bottle)
Don’t bother reading this tasting note, it’s entirely pointless since there was only one bottle. You’ve been warned. Right, we’ll be quick about it… Colour: amber. Nose: it’s a dialogue between vineyard peaches stewed in honey and fir liqueur enriched with a touch of liquorice. With water: mint tea wraps it all up. Mouth (neat): sandalwood, cinnamon stick, bergamot, sultanas, a whisper of muscat. With water: orange salad dressed with honey, olive oil and mint. Killer stuff. Finish: this is the worst bit, it’s the bottom of the bottle, and now not a single drop remains. In the entire world! Comments: one really shouldn’t score such a unique flask, but let’s say somewhere bang between 90 and 92.
SGP:661 - /points. |
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Héritage ‘Lot 74’ (44.7%, Authentic Spirits, Grande Champagne, 2024)
Pure ugni blanc, single-origin though undisclosed. That’s quite all right. Colour: amber. Nose: we’re in slightly old-school territory here, with caramel, toffee, buttercream, tobacco, then a lovely burst of peppermint and a few puffs of lavender, all with fine elegance. We’re now rather curious about the palate… Mouth: it opens with something almost medicinal, yet also saline, then shifts towards mint, orange and eucalyptus, with a touch of black tea providing the tannic backbone. After all, this baby is fifty years old! Finish: medium in length, earthier, with touches of mushroom, peppermint, cedarwood… and still that… let’s say darjeeling tea. Comments: my grandfathers and my father would have absolutely adored this magnificent slightly old-skool cognac and I’m certainly not going to contradict them.
SGP:451 - 88 points. |
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La Prenellerie ‘Lot 73’ (52.6%, Authentic Spirits, Bons Bois, 2025)
Here we are at the mouth of the Gironde, then, in a setting that’s almost maritime. Colour: amber. Nose: oh, the honeys! And fudge with touches of pink pepper and mint chocolate. With water: mint tea with a mocha spoonful of fir honey, and a hint of sauna oil. Mouth (neat): very fine tension, on citron, eucalyptus and myrtle. We wonder whether this baby wasn’t in fact distilled in Corsica. We love Corsica at WF – Bons Bois too, of course. With water: a very lovely fruity simplicity, heading towards all kinds of plums, the whole sprinkled with a bit of ground cinnamon. Finish: not eternal but certain aspects do recall old agricole rums. Comments: let’s not forget that old spirits tend to converge – and tannicity to become a bit more talkative.
SGP:451 – 89 points. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet 52 yo 1972/2025 (54.5%, Maltbarn, Grande Champagne)
1972, that’s so rock and roll! Colour: dark red amber. Nose: it’s almost brutal, a bit blurry, not terribly orderly, a touch ‘cooked’, stewed, with rubber… And it ends up being dominated by damson, vieille prune from Souillac and the like. This is really one of those cases where you tell yourself you ought to add a few drops of water straight away. With water: total old bachelor’s jam and vintage mint liqueur. And I swear there’s an old Bunnahabhain vibe in there (with my profuse apologies). Mouth (neat): the opposite of the nose, precise from the outset, old bourbon, varnish, tinned peaches, overripe apples, hints of natural tar. With water: it slips the leash so to speak, heading into fern, vintage orange liqueur, blond tobacco, hay… Finish: long, with rising tannicity, but as it veers towards liquorice wood, everything remains just perfectly fine. Comments: who said rock and roll? We’re bordering on Captain Beefheart here, nothing in particular makes sense, yet the whole exudes undeniable, immense charm. In other words, a bit of organised chaos – love it.
SGP:561 – 90 points. |
A last one, from another discreet house we’re very fond of… |
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Rémi Landier ‘Lot 72-73-74 Les Champs Fruités’ (50.13%, Malternative Belgium, Fins Bois, 350 bottles, 2025)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: the exact opposite of the previous one, because even if this baby is multi-vintage, we’re in the realm of precision here, of near-simplicity – this is almost Bauhaus cognac. Chamomile, very ripe vineyard peaches, heather honey, and that’s it. All right then, let’s say these are different heather honeys, especially white and ling. In short, it’s magnificently compact, I’m almost afraid. With water: arrival of balms and ointments, camphor and the like. Mouth (neat): cedar and balsa, then oranges and honey, followed by a light maritime oloroso side and a touch of Iberian ham. Indeed, that’s also the oak ‘rising’. With water: it’s even more noticeable once you’ve added water, as almost always. That familiar mint tea and bitter chocolate note. Finish: it’s an amusing sensation, the tannicity slightly closes in on the spirit, almost like a door. Doesn’t stop a few classic touches of peach, orange and sultanas from continuing their patrol, but the whole becomes dry if not drying. Comments: one wonders whether there’s any real point in declaring the ABV to the hundredth of a degree, but maybe it makes it even more ‘distinctive’. A magnificent ‘seco’ cognac, at any rate.
SGP:461 – 89 points. |
But who said the previous one was going to be the last, who?... |
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Les Grandes Jouberteries ‘Lot 65’ (49.6%, Authentic Spirits, Fins Bois, 2025)
Ugni blanc and full maturation in wood. We tasted a sister bottling last year and it was sublime (WF 91). Colour: amber. Nose: this is pure fudge, mixed with pistachio nougat, the whole bound with toasted sesame oil laced with a touch of orange peel essential oil. So, what are we listening to from 1965? Why, of course, The Zombies and Rod Argent with ‘She’s Not There’. Or Santana’s version, on Moonflower. Right then, let’s press on… Mouth: splendid fir honey, and to be fair there’s very nearly only that, in the end, the question is whether or not you like fir honey. I agree, who doesn’t. All right, that’s an exaggeration, there are apples and oranges too, then peaches and dried apricots, and quite a bit of cinnamon. It’s splendid and it’s… 60 years old, give or take. Finish: long, with inevitably more marked tannins, black tea, dark chocolate and mint, thyme tisane, tobacco, a few Corinth raisins and black pepper in the aftertaste… The finish may not be the most dazzling aspect of such an old spirit, but the whole ‘holds up’ perfectly. Comments: a mighty beast!
SGP:461 – 91 points. |
Another fine selection today, or a real little treasure trove of cognacs. Au revoir, CU. |
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May 16, 2025 |
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We're back
Back from a short but truly dazzling trip to Sichuan, which combined whisky (remarkable The Chuan), people of disarming kindness and elegance, and a few giant pandas. More on that later, tasting glass(es) in hand, but in the meantime and while we get our thoughts together, it’s back to business as usual. |
It's one of those distilleries that tend to fly a little under the radar and which, as a result, we enjoy tasting from time to time. There is an official range available at the moment, but the main brand, Singleton, somewhat sidelines the distillery's name. One day, perhaps, we'll understand the thinking behind this strategy, which has now been going on for—what—twenty years? |
Danse de St Guy (manie dansante, dancing mania)
in France, early 19th century (France Pittoresque) |
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Singleton of Glendullan ‘Classic’ (40%, OB, Sweet Vibrancy, 1l, +/-2024)
I believe there aren’t many NAS versions, apart perhaps from a ‘Master’s Art’ that wasn’t half bad at all, nearly twenty years ago. This ‘Classic’ has appeared under various different outfits, though it’s not certain the profiles were ever the same. Colour: gold. Nose: very much on lemon and tart apple, concentrated lemonade, then hints of plaster and flintstone. Almost feels like an old-school Lowland, at least on the nose—it’s a style you don’t encounter very often these days. A touch of honey and stewed fruit then come in to add a little softness. Mouth: youthful, slightly bitter, especially on apple peel, with a few raisins making a late appearance. Considerably less distinctive on the palate than on the nose. Some bitter orange. Finish: medium length, still quite bitter, it could almost stand in for the bitter liquid in a Spritz. Comments: it’s genuinely decent.
SGP:461 - 78 points. |
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Glendullan 11 yo 2012/2024 ‘100 Proof Edition #32’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 1st fill oloroso butt)
One gets the sense that Signatory has turned this successful series into something of their own A'bunadh, in a way. Imagine—batch #32! We had rather enjoyed some Glendullans from the Signatory UCF series. Colour: amber. Nose: well then, metal polish, dark chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, tar, toffee, instant coffee, burnt raisins... In short, textbook sherry. With water: the arrival of unsurprising old walnuts. Mouth (neat): remarkable how much this brings to mind that other series we mentioned a few lines above. Bitter marmalade, chocolate, tobacco, leather and a pepper note that grows increasingly assertive. With water: there we go, it loosens up, though there’s even more spice—juniper, cloves, burnt sugar, pipe tobacco... Finish: very long, still on similar notes, with added pumpernickel. Comments: bone-dry oloroso, marching in step, just a little on the forceful side. No, this is very good...
SGP:461 - 86 points. |
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Glendullan 12 yo 2011/2024 (59.8%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Glens & Valleys, hogshead, cask #310542, 292 bottles)
Always a pleasure to see that little detail on the label— ‘Finish: none’. Though it’s quite mad that this now needs to be stated, given how finishing has crept into nearly every corner of Whiskydom, becoming almost the norm. Colour: pale white wine (yay). Nose: there we are—paraffin, green apple, gooseberry, slate and sourdough. Perfect. With water: lime kicks in forcefully, along with freshly mown grass. No messing about here (in the best sense of the phrase). Mouth (neat): creamy texture, a lemony and herbal arrival balanced out by barley syrup and mountain honey. Wax and plasticine in the background. Perfect. With water: all manner of pepper varieties doing a mad little jig (dancing mania, perhaps?) Finish: long, with properly lovely bitterness. Green Chartreuse, but without all the sugar. Comments: really excellent, this very austere yet highly expressive young Glendullan from BB&R.
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
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