Whiskyfun's No-Awards 2016


December 30, 2016

Whiskyfun's No-Awards 2016

Strictly no awards, just a list of the whiskies and malternatives I liked best each month this year, for the record.


Favourite recent bottling of the month
January 2016	93	Glenglassaugh 41 yo 1972/2014 'Rare Cask release' (50.6%, OB, refill sherry butt, cask #2114, 582 bottles)
Feb. 2016	92	Mortlach 25 yo 1989/2015 (52.4%, Silver Seal, cask #3911, 480 bottles)
March 2016	92	Benriach 35 yo (42.5%, OB, +/-2015)
April 2016	90	Springbank 12 yo 'Cask Strength' (54.1%, OB, batch #12, 2016)
May 2016	93	Caol Ila 31 yo 1984/2015 (54%, Malt Barn, bourbon, 68 bottles)
June 2016	93	Glenlochy 35 yo 1980/2015 (51.1%, Signatory Vintage, hogshead, cask #3232, 218 bottles)
July 2016	92	Benrinnes 30 yo 1984/2015 (56.6%, Silver Seal, cask #2268, 480 bottles)
August 2016	93	Speyside Region 40 yo 1975/2016 (55%, The Whisky Agency, fino butt, 389 bottles)
Sept. 2016	91	Ardbeg 21 yo ‘Twenty One’ (46%, OB, bourbon casks, 2016)
October 2016	95	Brora 38 yo 1977/2016 (48.6%, OB, Special Release, 2,984 bottles) Also Favourite of the Year 2016
Nov. 2016	93	Rare Cask Reserves 37 yo 1978/2015 ‘Paradise 1’ (55.4%, OB, William Grant, sherry wood, cask #5856, 276 bottles)
Dec. 2016	92	Springbank 14 yo 2002/2016 (47.7%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon barrel, 168 bottles)

Favourite older bottling of the month
January 2016	94	Springbank 12 yo (80° proof, Cadenhead's, 1960s)
Feb. 2016	93	Highland Park 15 yo (105° proof, Private bottling by the Orkney Hotel, bottled July 1967)
March 2016	93	Highland Park 27 yo 1968 (43%, Hart Brothers, Finest Collection, +/-1995)
April 2016	93	Rosebank 28 yo 1965/1993 (53.4%, Signatory Vintage, sherry, cask #2498, 180 bottles)
May 2016	94	Yamazaki ‘Age Unknown’ (43%, OB, 1989)
June 2016	93	Glenfarclas 26 yo 1970/1997 (56.7%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #1.77)
July 2016	94	Tamdhu 23 yo 1950/1973 (83° proof, OB, Highland Distillers)
August 2016	92	Longmorn 21 yo 1964 (86 US proof, Duthie for Corti Bros, Sacramento, USA)
Sept. 2016	97	Double OO ‘Old Orkney’ (no ABV stated, OB, Real Liqueur Whisky, McConnell’s, Stromness Distillery, +/-1930) Also Favourite of the Year 2016
October 2016	91	Port Ellen 24 yo 1979/2004 (56.8%, Signatory Vintage, cask #6773, 541 bottles)
Nov. 2016	94	Bowmore 30 yo (51.4%, OB, 30th Anniversary of Scottish Licensed Trade News, 3 bottles, 1994)
Dec. 2016	96	Clynelish 20 yo 1965/1985 (46%, Cadenhead, black dumpy)

Favourite bang for your buck bottling of the month
January 2016	91	Springbank 10 yo (46%, OB, +/-2015)
Feb. 2016	87	Benromach 10 yo '100° proof' (57%, OB, +/-2015)
March 2016	90	Lagavulin 8 yo (48%, OB, 200th Anniversary, 2016)
April 2016	87	Glenrothes 8 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, The MacPhail's Collection, +/-2015)
May 2016	90	Clan Denny Islay (46.5%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, +/-2015)
June 2016	90	Clynelish 17 yo 1997/2015 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-chillfiltered Collection, casks #4624-4625, 607 bottles)
July 2016	90	Caol Ila 8 yo 2007/2016 (46%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange, bourbon barrel, cask #315325, 320 bottles)
August 2016	90	Kilkerran 12 yo (46%, OB, 2016)
Sept. 2016	91	Timorous Beastie 40 yo (54.7%, Douglas Laing, blended Highland malt, 1,080 bottles)
October 2016	92	Lagavulin 12 yo 'Special Release 2016' (57.7%, OB) Also Favourite of the Year 2016
Nov. 2016	87	Ben Nevis 10 yo (46%, OB, +/-2016)
Dec. 2016	89	Caol Ila 2005/2016 (57.3%, Gordon & MacPhail, Cask Strength, casks #301521, 301523, 301524, 301527)

Favourite malternative of the month
January 2016	91	Port Mourant 13 yo 2002/2015 (59%, Compagnie des Indes, Guyana, cask #WPM36, 239 bottles)
Feb. 2016	90	Clairin Casimir ‘Batch 2’ (54%, OB, Haiti, +/-2014)
March 2016	84	Kill Devil (40%, Hunter Laing, Caribbean blended rum, +/-2016)
April 2016	89	Foursquare 2 yo 2013/2015 (64%, Habitation Velier, Barbados)
May 2016	90	Caroni 17 yo 1998/2015 ‘Extra Strong’ (55%, Velier, Trinidad)
June 2016	91	Diamond 10 yo 2005/2015 (46%, Hunter Laing, Kill Devil, 310 bottles)
July 2016	91	Uitvlugt 18 yo 1997/2016 (45%, Compagnie des Indes, Guyana, cask #MGA4, 637 bottles)
August 2016	89	Vale Verde 12 yo ‘Edição Especial’ (40%, OB, cachaça, +/-2012)
Sept. 2016	92	Hampden 6 yo 2010/2016 ‘HLCF’ (68.5%, Habitation Velier, Jamaica)
October 2016	92	Hampden 2000/2016 (54.9%, La Maison du Whisky, Jamaica, Transcontinental Rum Line)
Nov. 2016	93	Vallein-Tercinier ‘Lot 65’ (46%, OB, Cognac, Grande Champagne, +/-2015) Also Favourite of the Year 2016
Dec. 2016	92	Fine Champagne 50 yo (70% proof, Hedges & Butler, 1950s)