Speyside 26 yo 1994/2020 (48.1%, WhiskyNerds, cask #30, hogshead, 324 bottles)
Colour: light gold. Nose: super easy and barley fresh! Again this wonderful combination of natural barley sweetness, light sunflower oil and rather luscious green fruits. Also wee touches of grass, gooseberry, pineapple jelly and hand cream. A light profile but extremely expressive and ‘generous’. Mouth: a little more punchy on arrival with a white pepper-tinged attack, dry cereals, dusty malt, lemon barley water, iced vanilla sponge cake and a wee scatter of pollens and dried flowers. Drier than the nose suggested but no worse off for it. Finish: medium and full of crunchy breakfast cereals, runny honey, soda bread and things like lime cordial and lemon curd. Comments: Quite simply another super easy mature Speysider. Goes down with almost embarrassing ease.
SGP: 641 - 87 points.

Secret Speyside 25 yo 1994/2019 (51.9%, The Good Spirits ‘Celebrating the friendship of Casky and The Good Spirits’, puncheon)
Bottled by/for our friends in Hong Kong. Love and solidarity to all our friends over there in HK. Colour: deep gold. Nose: what’s fun is that you do get a wee leathery touch of sherry at first which makes for a nice variation on this style. Biscuity, slightly earthy and mulchy with elegant notes of darjeeling tea, old leather, hints of miso and bouillon stock. Some dried bundles of flowers, talcum powder and pollen. Very elegant and subtle. With water: greener, leafier and with this nice petrichor forest freshness that would imply mosses and ferns. Also hints of lemon peel in green tea and sweet malt extracts. Mouth: that soft sherry side carries through nicely. Rather nutty, almondy, olive oil, dried orange peel, herbal teas, pollens, tea tree oil and matcha. Bitter lemon and some hints of caraway. With water: indeed it gets a few notches sweeter with these biscuity tones, lemon barley water, light sooty touches and hazelnut spread. Finish: good length and gently drying with rolling tobacco leaf, hops, vegetable stock, fresh barley and a light earthiness. Comments: The sherry integrated itself with tiptoes here and the result is a very enjoyable variation on a theme.
SGP: 551 - 88 points.

Speyside Region 28 yo 1992/2020 (45.6%, Lonely Mountain Studio, bourbon barrel, 278 bottles)
This from our friend and cigar chomper in chief Edward Zeng. He’s put a picture of one of his dad’s chairs on the label which I find quite funny. Colour: straw. Nose: the one exhibition this much more direct grassy and luscious green fruit style again. It’s also got this super zingy mix of nettles, gooseberry, chalk and lime which inevitably brings to mind some crisp Loire sauvignon. Behind that you have tiny touches of pollens, lemon zest and light cereals. I just adore this profile. Mouth: wonderful tension on arrival between these sharper green fruits and acidity on one hand, and straightforward cereals, flowers, butter and grassy olive oil on the other. You even get these wee touches of hessian and peppery wax in the background too. Finish: medium and getting very peppery and punchy, full of buttery cereals, white pepper, lemon zest and a few herbal teas. Comments: I have it on high authority that this is in fact Glenlivet. I have to say, this one really shows the perfect balance of fruits, freshness, cereals and just the right amount of power to carry everything through loud and clear. Just pure pleasure.
SGP: 641 - 89 points.

Aberlour 19 yo 1974 (46%, First Cask, cask #11024)
These First Cask bottlings for Direct Wines all came from Signatory and the series actually shelters many fine drams in my experience. Colour: bright straw. Nose: very typical ‘light’ Speyside, so honeys, pollens, heather flowers, bailed hay, lighter notes of hessian, lemon peel. Overall on the drier and leaner side too I’d add. Attractive but somewhat simple. Mouth: cereals, a little mead, very faint waxes, some linseed oil, some freshly laundered fabrics, perhaps some grassy rapeseed oil. It’s very pleasant but it’s not setting my world on fire I’m afraid. Finish: short, buttery, cereal slight sweetness of condensed milk. Comments: Ok, so this perhaps wasn’t one of the best First Casks out there. There are many better Aberlours about.
SGP: 541 - 80 points.

Aberlour 25 yo 1993/2019 (54.1%, The Whisky Exchange ‘Single Casks’, cask #7366, 162 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: much better! Although you do spot similarities with these big bright notes of honey, natural vanilla, a very easy green fruitiness, sunflower oil, starched canvass, buttered toast and rather a lot of greenery like mosses and ferns. Very lovely natural Aberlour profile. With water: feels a little richer and more complete with some nice biscuity notes, lemon shortbread, breakfast cereals sweetened with icing sugar, honeyed porridge. All very easy and elegant. Mouth: wears its strength very lightly, this is soft and focused on sweet cereals, light honeys,  some lightly hopped pale ale, lemon peel, mint tea and more soft greenery and buttery notes. Extremely easy, if not the most complex. With water: again water has really worked a treat here. It’s more peppery, more waxy and a notch more dusty in a good way. Baking parchment, wool, lanolin, starch, dry cereals etc. Some yellow flowers and light honey notes persisting still. Finish: medium and with more pepper, vanilla, lemon peel, light easy fruits and various cooking oils. Comments: I suppose it’s similar to the 1974 in that it’s generally on the lighter side of ‘Speyness’ and perhaps not too complex, but only this time it’s also better as well.
SGP: 651 - 86 points.

Glen Elgin 11 yo 2008/2019 (56.8%, Lady Of The Glen, cask 800180, bourbon hogshead/tawny port, 252 bottles)
This is from a local Edinburgh bottler. I have to say, the colour makes me tremble in my wee booties. Colour: neon rosé! Nose: if you could smell in colours then this one certainly smells pink. Hard not to think of things like rosewater, pomegranate syrup and cranberry jelly. It isn’t particularly cloying though, just brimming with red fruits and sweet strawberry jam. With water: riddled with port now. Cloying red fruits, strawberry laces, red liquorice and, indeed, some kind of summery rosé wine. Mouth: seriously, this is some kind of mixed red fruit jam. Strawberry granita drenched in red kola and raspberry liqueur. Grenadine, peach schnapps, lime cordial, cassis mixed with crémant. Madness. With water: at first you think the Glen Elgin might be having the temerity to fight back but someone upends several punnets of pureed red berries on top of it. Blackcurrant liqueur, bramble jam, strawberry wine. Madness! Finish: medium and getting quite tart and sharp. Comments: As you might have guessed, this is entirely not my cup of tea. But, I’ve had worse finishes and, while this is total madness, it’s also quite a bit of fun - I mean, you could literally make some kind of thermonuclear Kir Royales with this, probably a suitable Brexit cocktail. Just don’t expect to taste any Glen Elgin.
SGP: 731 - 73 points. (PS: I just checked my sample bottle and it has actual port crust at the bottom - I fear this tasting glass may be facing ‘early retirement’.)

Glen Elgin 23 yo 1995/2019 (50.6%, Cadenhead Small Batch, two bourbon hogsheads, 486 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: gentle honeys, apple tarts, leafy tobacco, mineral oil and a few sooty touches. I also get some rather elegant custard made with sweet wines, pears poached in calvados and things like muesli with dried apple rings. Gentle, easy, elegant and very open. With water: drier and earthier now. More pollens, oatmeal, grass and tobacco leaf in a leather pouch. Mouth: terrific richness on arrival. Thick notes of heather honey, wildflowers heavy with pollen, custard creams, soft waxes, more of these light sooty touches and things like bracken, hessian and olive oil. With water: fruity muesli, porridge sweetened with honey, lemon barley water and again these gentle, background waxy tones. Finish: long, lightly leathery, peppery, earthy and with quite a few sweet and fresh cereal notes. Comments: Straightforward and extremely good. I liked the slight wrong-footing of the nose and the subsequent surprising richness of the palate. Glen Elgin was always supposed to be a pretty full bodied malt and this one does nothing to dissuade me of that impression.
SGP: 661 - 88 points.

Glen Moray 2008/2019 (52.8%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary, cask #613, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 186 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: sweet and juicy with many orchard fruits, stewed apples drizzled with custard, young sweet wines, barley sugars and wee touches of herbal jellies and ointments. Also some drier things like tobacco leaf and sunflower oil. Pitch perfect, modern Glen Moray. With water: slightly drier and more subtle, some dried sage, water crackers and oatcakes spread with butter. Also heather flowers and modern IPA. Mouth: the sweetness is pretty upfront along with all these wee spicy tones, however I wouldn’t say the cask has dominated or been too brutal. It rather gives the impression of very good quality wood speaking clearly with the distillate. Some notes of banana syrup, pollen, vanilla cake and pineapple. With water: lime, putty, sweet cereals, sun cream, rapeseed oil, bitter lemon and tonic water. Finish: good length and super fresh. Lots of sweet barley, natural vanilla, cloves, malt extract and pumpkin seed oil. Comments: Excellent young Glen Moray from an active but top quality cask. Another of these modern malts that feels technically excellent even if it is perhaps lacking a little soul. But then again you also get that rather impossible to define Glen Moray charm about it too.
SGP: 641 - 87 points.

Glen Moray 22 yo 1996/2019 (52.7%, Archives ‘The Fishes Of Samoa’, cask #7840, bourbon barrel, 189 bottles)
Has the Samoan government actually been informed about this? Colour: gold. Nose: richly malty and well honeyed with these notes of flower honey, sweetened porridge and yellow wildflowers. Also hints of things like canvass, hessian, oatcakes and even some orange marmalade. With water: some unusual hints of white mushroom and mustard power. More tobacco leaf and soft, peppery, earthiness. Mouth: powerful arrival full of oils and light mechanical touches. Metal polish, sooty notes, old toolboxes, oily hessian cloth and rapeseed oil. At times it would almost point in the direction of older style Irish pure pot whiskeys. Evolves to become a little drier with these rich and savoury notes of rye bread and tobacco leaf. Charismatic, spicy and impressive. With water: more spices, light peppery tones, lanolin, camphor, wood resins and rice pudding with nutmeg. Finish: long, spicy, warming, leathery and even slightly medical and herbal. Comments: Really quite big, spicy and punchy for a Glen Moray I think. One to have some fun with when pouring blind for pals I would say.
SGP: 561 - 88 points.

Dailuaine 12 yo 2008/2020 (56.3%, Lady Of The Glen, cask #300741, bourbon/PX hogshead, 270 bottles)
This one was finished for at least 18 months in a PX sherry hoggie. Colour: light gold. Nose: I don’t immediately detect too much in the way of PX influence, this is rather dominated by buoyant citrus, light cereal notes, buttered toast and flowers in vase water. Various pollens, cooking oils and a slightly leathery side. Pretty gentle and elegant really. With water: more orangey with orange juice, more flowers, putty, lime pith and barley sugars. Mouth: ok, here the spices of the cask chomp down on you slightly but it’s not aggressive. Some blood orange, young calvados and cider apple. Then juicy malt extract, mirabelle and light treacle notes. With water: gets creamier and more fudgey. And you do start to feel the PX voice a little louder now. Some sultanas and green pepper and the tannins become grippier and tougher. Finish: long and rather peppery with ginger, green pepper, bitter lemon and some orange bitters. Comments: I remain unconvinced by all this PX use that’s so ubiquitous these days, but I think this one has worked just fine by virtue of being left for a decent length of time so you get a sense of integration. A tad simple but it’s very quaffable and the wood never quite dominates.
SGP: 661 - 83 points. 

Dailuaine 37 yo 1980/2018 (51.4%, OB ‘Casks Of Distinction’, cask #9003, European Oak)
The label doesn’t say what the actual cask type was, just the wood type, so a butt or a hogshead most likely. Also, I think this series is technically called ‘Select Cask’; to get ‘Casks Of Distinction’ you need at least 10 supercars and to have access to an upper tier member of the Chinese Communist Party. Anyway… Colour: deep gold. Nose: stunningly fragrant and full of precious honeys, nectars, dried heather flowers, old school shilling ales and then these wonderful, even so slight leathery and gamey touches. Iberico ham, bouillon stock, umami and an emerging and growing waxiness. Just superb! With water: a wonderful mix of dried herbs, vegetal and game stocks, umami, mushroom powder, miso, coal scuttles, honeycomb and waxed canvass. Mouth: terrific arrival, all on long aged dessert wines, heather honey, long-aged mead, dried out waxes, hessian cloth, toasted walnuts and herbal cough medicines. This beautiful fusion of umami verging on salty, herbal, waxy and this complex floral aspect. Like a 1972 Clynelish mated with a 1974 Glen Grant. With water: gets drier, saltier, leaner and the waxiness grows but becomes more brittle. Many notes of white pepper, soy sauce, tarragon, camphor, vapour rubs, liquorice and more mead. Finish: long, beautifully drying, floral, honeyed, delicately salty, gamey, leathery and complex. Comments: It’s easy to make jokes about these private bottlings, but this series shelters some incredible whiskies, and this is undeniably one of them. Terrific selection!
SGP: 562 - 92 points.

Old Elgin 8 yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, mini, 1980s)
I’ve heard various assertions about Old Elgin over the years, that it has sheltered any number of covert Speyside malts. But I couldn’t tell you anything with absolute certainty. This one looks as though it could easily be a blended malt. Colour: orangey gold (caramel?) Nose: indeed this has a kind of ‘flatness’ that many old G&M concoctions at 40% display after years in glass. Mashed veg, damp grains, cereals, some sunflower oil, shoe polish and hints of orange peel. Fine, nice, simple and a bit plain. Mouth: indeed, flat is very much the word here. Cardboard, milky tea, cafe latte, mashed potato, plain porridge. Pretty mundane really. Finish: vanishingly short and with a rather unpleasant bitterness in the aftertaste. Comments: I’m sure part of the problem is that it’s an old mini, a full size bottle would probably show better. But the overall impression I’m left with is that these sorts of drams are decent, older style single malts that just get totally gutted by the bottling process: colour, brute filtration and crash dilution to 40%. Very few whiskies survive such violent treatment.
SGP: 431 - 68 points. 

Burnside 27 yo 1989/2016 (46.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, two bourbon barrels, 288 bottles)
Burnside is of course Balvenie ‘teaspooned’ with Glenfiddich to make it technically (legally) a blended malt. Although, how much ‘teaspooning’ actually goes on versus it being a brand protective move by William Grant is up for debate. Colour: gold. Nose: you really do just get a sense of pure Balvenie I’m afraid, lots of tinned fruits such as pineapples in their syrups and runny honey. Luscious, expressive and elegant with some malty, cereal backbone providing a sense of firmness and structure. Wee hints of waxed canvass too. Mouth: indeed, soft waxes, pollens, dried flowers, cereals, olive oil, mashed banana and fruit salad juices. A wonderfully ‘fleshy’ quality to the fruits that feels both fresh and textural. Finish: medium and all on this same mix of sweet fruits, lightly honeyed tones and dried notes of flowers and natural barley. Comments: It’s hard not to be swept off your feet by the easy charm and class of these Burnsides. It’s probably a good thing this whole ‘teaspooning’ nonsense exists because this is basically a wonderfully mature, 27yo Balvenie.
SGP: 641 - 89 points.

Burnside 28 yo 1989/2018 (46.2%, Archives ‘The Fishes of Samoa’, cask #4556, hogshead, 84 bottles)
I hope the Whiskybase team have a suitably shrewd accountant able to convincingly write off all these extensive ‘research’ trips to Samoa… Colour: white wine. Nose: pretty different, not nearly as much wood influence so you don’t have the same ‘syrupy’ density as the Cadenhead displayed. Rather this is lighter, softer and more ethereal in its aromas. All on soft cereals, fabrics, linens, pollens and dried flowers. There’s also a slightly dustier edge and hints of cupboard spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric. Some slightly greener notes such as vase water too. Mouth: unusual, it’s all rather drying and again quite a sense of dustiness. Cracked white pepper, canvass, baking parchment, ink, crunched newspaper. More these dried flower notes and chamomile tea. Some sunflower oil and soda bread notes too. Finish: not the longest, dries out rather swiftly and you’re left with these wee notes of dried honey, oatcakes, water crackers and green tea. Comments: A bit unlikely, maybe just a case of resting a bit too long in the cask and the cask itself not offering too much. It’s very fine, but I preferred the opulence of the Cadenhead.
SGP: 451 - 85 points.

Burnside 28 yo 1991/2020 (45%, C Dully Selection, cask #7367, bourbon barrel, 199 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: a perfect halfway house between the two styles. Pears poached in honey, baked green apples, sweet cider, custard made with dessert wines (Tokaji I suspect) and these wee hints of tobacco leaf and some rather elegant mossy and leafy qualities. Petrichor and rainwater. You also have these slightly firmer notes of plain cereals and simple breads again - once again just feels like very good, mature Balvenie. Mouth: an easy and immediate sweetness which is also rather creamy. Chantilly cream, vanilla soda and then some rather punchy herbal notes intruding on proceedings. Freshly muddled herbs, mint julep, wee touches of mead, putty and furniture polish. Very good. Finish: good length, some slightly prickly green fruits, sandalwood, leather, honey, white pepper, plush cereals. Comments: Classical, easy and very well balanced between the sweetness, fruits and drier complexities.
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Speyside Malt 26 yo 1992/2018 (51.6%, Liquid Treasures ‘Snakes’, bourbon barrel, 270 bottles)
I’ve heard whispers this one could be ‘pure’ Balvenie, but no idea if that’s the case. Colour: pale gold. Nose: these sorts of whiskies are really a collision of ‘good quality’ and ‘homogenisation’, in the sense that this could really hail from any number of Speyside distilleries. A lovely mix of gentle bread and honey tones, sunflower oil, breakfast cereals dusted with icing sugar, pollen heavy flowers, cider apples and various fruit liqueurs. Sweet, weighted, balanced and elegant. With water: forest freshness after the rain, leafy tobacco notes, light mulchy qualities and mineral oil. Mouth: a few notches drier on arrival than the nose suggested, but with quite a bit of pure and ripe fruitiness. Green banana, melon, guava - hints of some of these mature Irish whiskeys coming through with these further notes of grassiness, pink grapefruit and gooseberry acidity. A little malt extract and milky sweet tea. With water: crystallised fruit peels, soft waxes, citronella and a few muddled herbs such as bay, parsley and marjoram. Finish: good length, still this elegant see-saw between sweet fruits and drier earthy and cereal tones. A light dusting of white pepper ads an edge in the aftertaste. Comments: The very epitome of easy, fruity, quaffable Speyside malt. I feel it’s impossible for any whisky drinker not to enjoy this style. However, it’s also impossible to get too excited about it either. Tumbler juice!
SGP: 551 - 86 points.

Wardhead 21 yo 1997/2018 (55.5%, Liquid Treasures ‘Entomology’, bourbon hogshead)
Another ‘blended malt’, this time it’s tea-bagged Glenfiddich… sorry, ‘teaspooned’! Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather fresh, green and dominated by stuff like crisp green apple, cider apple and crisp cereals. Putty, canvass, a few pollens, darjeeling tea and soda bread. Very nice. With water: swims well! A lovely lift of greenery, freshness and things like wildflowers, damp ferns, more pollens, vase water and geraniums in a hot greenhouse. A little leathery note too. Mouth: rather punchy with these notes of rapeseed oil, grass, parsley, green pepper, white balsamic and mineral oil. There’s still sweetness too in the form of mead and barley sugars. With water: a tad straighter and perhaps a bit more ‘down the line Speyside’. More of these apple peelings, some gooseberry sharpness, steel wool, white pepper, English Breakfast tea and olive oil. Finish: good length, nicely drying, peppery, wee notes of lemon pith, thyme and freshly baked white bread. Comments: All very fine, but I think it’s the kind of whisky that struggles to hold your attention after a while. It does work well with water though.
SGP: 551 - 84 points.

Speyside #3 8 yo ‘Batch 1’ (50.7%, That Boutique-y Whisky Co)
Not much info on this one except to note that it’s a single malt rather than a blended. Colour: white wine. Nose: cut grass, cider apples, farmhouse ale, hops, vanilla cream, freshly churned butter and chopped parsley. Classic, easy and rather direct. A nice punchy quality to these various pronounced aromas. With water: rather a lot of scattered, dry cereals, crushed oatcakes, soda bread and things like sun cream. Mouth: very lemony and quite sweet on arrival. Lemon sherbet sweets, young dessert wines, custard creams, pineapple cake, icing sugar on cornflakes and cream soda. With water: very easy, sweet, cereal and with a natural vanilla quality. Still a little pineapple and these impressions of sun lotion. Finish: medium, a little peppery, nutmeg, rice pudding, more vanilla cream and icing sugar. Comments: The very epitome of easy, simple, young, modern, fresh malt whisky. It’s rather plain and a tad ‘basic’, but it’s also clean and technically pretty good too. The kind of thing you can chuck an ice cube in and sip absentmindedly on a warm afternoon. If that’s your thing.
SGP: 541 - 82 points.

Artis Secretum 2011/2018 (67.1%, Whisky Illuminati ‘Solaria Series’, cask #900284, sherry butt, 150 bottles)
Not sure about the distillery for this one but I would suspect something from the town of Rothes that starts with Glen. Colour: amber. Nose: sweet fudge, chocolate cake, stewed prunes, Irish coffee and rum n’ raisin ice cream. Dense, sweet, sticky and rather opulent. With water: orange oils, marmalade with coriander seed, limoncello, freshly baked brown breads and coffee cake. Nicely complex with dilution. Mouth: rather drier than the nose suggested, lots of hessian, bitter chocolate, herbal medicines, earthy bitter notes, cooking oils, tobaccos, lemon marmalade and green walnut liqueur. Like all the bottling in this series, it’s impressive for its age but simultaneously feels rather challenging and boisterous. With water: a tad more straightforward now - olive oil cake, almonds, marzipan, meaty broths, light sootiness and dark fruits. Finish: medium and rather lumpy with big notes of dark chocolate, coffee, walnut oils and herbal bitters. Comments: started well and rather distinctively but as things progressed there was a definite sense of youthful imbalance coming through. However, there’s still plenty to enjoy if you like big, direct, gutsy sherry.
SGP: 471 - 82 points.

The Old Speysider 27 yo 1992/2019 (46.3%, Svenska Eldvatten, bourbon hogshead, 257 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: lovely! A deeply syrupy and bright fruitiness. Green and garden fruits all over the place: pear cordial, green apples, gooseberry jam, pineapple juice, lemon barley water, waxed canvass, green tea with lemon slices, bergamot - extremely fresh, bright, attractive and enticing. Wee threads of honey, dry cider and heather flowers dotted throughout. Hyper-easy and indulgent. Mouth: what’s great here is that these green fruit notes are so luscious they really begin to morph into tropical fruit syrups. Pineapple cordial, guava jam, nectarine, mashed banana - could be a 1988 Bushmills almost. Some lighter tertiary notes of breads, sunflower seeds and exotic fruit teas. An almost superlative fruitiness. In time you get this wee crushed nettle note and touches of lime, like a Kiwi sauvignon blanc almost. Finish: good length, warming, glowing with fruits, a little tobacco, mead, camphor, olive oil and lemon curd. Comments: Dizzyingly juicy and satisfying. The fruitiness is immediate, ripe, dense and brimming from the glass in a hugely satisfying way. Just a little extra oomph would have propelled it to 90 I think. I would say this level of juicy fruit already sets it apart from some of these more ‘simplistic’ Speysiders though. Would love to know the distillery or origin here though.
SGP: 741 - 89 points.

Speyside #5 23 yo ‘Batch 4’ (49.1%, That Boutique-y Whisky Co for Hanshe, 451 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: fruit salad juices, tinned peaches, some light waxiness, cereals, shortbread, a little buttery and some background greenery like parsley, grass and then sunflower oil. Easy, elegant, simple and pretty direct. Mouth: rather prickly and spicier than expected, which I quite enjoy. Pollens, wood spices, cinnamon, aniseed and pot pourri. Some hops, heather honey and cloves. Almost feels rather bourbon-esque at times with these notes of orange cocktail bitters and touches of liquorice. You could make a pretty tasty old fashioned with this I suspect Finish: good length with quite a bit of warming green pepper, cloves, anise, herbal extracts, juniper and juicy fruit chewing gum. Comments: Rather punchy, straightforward and a tad simple, but undeniably very good. You can feel the wood had quite a bit to say here, but it says it very well. 
SGP: 561 - 86 points.

Speyside Blended Malt 45 yo 1973/2019 (45.1%, The Whisky Exchange ‘Magic of the cask’ for The Whisky Show, cask #6, sherry butt, 549 bottles)
I know, I’m late. Colour: amber. Nose: a wonderful vortex of sumptuous and rich dark fruits like figs, dates, prunes and sultanas. Fruit loaf, Dundee cake, walnut liqueur, coffee and walnut cake, pipe tobacco and many layers of rancio and chocolate sauce. The kind of aroma that kindled many love affairs with whisky I suspect. Given time it evolves some drier edges with more notes of pastries, fresh breads, aged mead, pollen and a slight gamey edge. Extremely good I think. Mouth: what’s good is that there’s no obvious or immediate tiredness, it stands up very well to the promise of the nose. Lots of sticky dark fruits, Irish coffee liqueur, sultana and fig stewed in Armagnac, treacle cake, walnut oil, chocolate sauce and slated caramel fudge. Treads that perfect line between sweet, fruity, earthy and dry. I wouldn’t say it’s the most complex old dram but it is certainly precise, eloquent and very beautiful. Finish: medium and full of tobacco leaf, bitter chocolate, rancio, balsamic, green walnut wine, orange liqueur and wee touches of miso and umami paste. A little polished hardwood and its resin too. Comments: What’s quite cool is that you feel this is very much the epitome of this style of whisky. Simple but direct, beautiful and everything in its place. Maybe one or two years past its peak but still hugely pleasurable.
SGP: 561 - 89 points.

W5 Scotch Whisky (70 proof, Aird Blenders, 1970s) 
A blend I couldn’t tell you much about I’m afraid. Colour: gold. Nose: not bad, grainy but brightly so, some lactic notes, damp cereals, porridge. Getting a tad cardboardy in time, some fabrics, clay and vase water. Wee bits and pieces of OBE but not excessively so. Mouth: here’s where it falls down a bit. Weak, milky cold tea, cardboard, mashed turnip and something like sour soot. Finish: brief, slightly sour with concrete and more cold tea. Comments: there must be oceans of such old blends still kicking around out there. Not undrinkable and I don’t think flawed particularly, just somewhat bruised and battered by time in bottle. Would make a serviceable highball.
SGP: 331 - 60 points.

Inverdice Blended Scotch ‘The Whisky of Whiskies - Private stock 1st class’ (75 proof, Inverdice Scotch Whisky Co, 1960s)
‘The whisky of whiskies’? Is Bowmore Bouquet about to get a run for its money…? Colour: deep gold. Nose: a world of difference from the W5, this is all on expensive furniture and metal polishes, dusty wax, herbal toothpaste and things like mentholated rolling tobacco, rapeseed oil and putty. Quality is pretty high so far I have to say. Mouth: falls a little flatter on arrival in the mouth, feels like there is some caramel at play which has flattened everything out and made it a bit more ‘soggy’ with these damp grain and cardboard vibes. Wood glue, lime pith, mineral oil and wee touches of camphor. Does actually improve slowly. Gets a little fuller with some nice notes of linseed oil and shoe polish. Although, there’s certainly a little OBE here too. Finish: short, a little peppery, more tobacco, some baked vegetables and canvass. Comments: All very fine, but once again I feel this is a good example of a whisky which is starting to feel the weight of years in bottle. I think many of these blends with a higher ratio of grain struggle with OBE. You can easily still find and taste earlier versions of famous names from the 50s and 40s which are far fresher and punchier due to higher malt contents. Now, this was still a very fine wee blend.
SGP: 451 - 70 points.

White Horse (70 proof, OB, UK 1970s)
An old stalwart. Colour: gold. Nose: what’s nice is that this still feels rather ‘White Horsey’ with these notes of resinous peat, metal polish and soot. Camphor, polished grains, herbal cough medicines. All good in the hood! Mouth: you feel the grain but there’s still a kind of smoky/sooty freshness which you associate with this brand. Mineral oil, gravel, ointments, soot, putty. Perhaps a tad too grainy after a while, there’s this green acidity and slight harshness which emerges. Finish: medium, camphory, sooty, mineral and lightly oily. Comments: Similar to the Inverdice regarding grain proportions and bottle ageing, but here you do feel there are some peated malts in the depths doing some heavy lifting.
SGP: 453 - 72 points.

Pantheon Old Liqueur Highland Whisky (no ABV, ‘bottled and guaranteed by H & A Guilby (can’t be sure?) small bottle, circa 1920s)
An ancient wee mini bottle that looks about 8cl in size. I cannot for the life of me make out the actual company name of the label, so if anyone has a big bottle and can correct my dwindling eyesight? Colour: deep gold. Nose: oh dear! We are in seriously old school territories here. This really could just be malt. The most ancient and concentrated yellow Chartreuse, alongside pure heather peat, salted honey, ancient mead, herbal extracts, dried pollens and all manner of soots, minerals, polishes and dried flowers. Really is one of those examples of ancient peat where it has broken down into a spectrum of tertiary complexities. Mouth: Ok, it’s lost some power but it’s still showing well, probably not 100% malt as you do get some grainier aspects coming through but it’s still full of soft, rooty, herbal peat, mineral oils, soot coal scuttles, metal polish, light natural tarry notes, mustard powder and camphor. Finish: good length, camphor, olive oil mixed with slaty honey, herbal cough medicines, more soot, hessian and heather ales. Comments: Marvellous and extremely old school whisky. A full bottle with a decent level of this could well sail past the 90 mark. But what’s great is that so much of the character and beauty is still well-preserved here despite a slight loss of ABV. It also makes you wonder whether some of these very old bottlings using the phrase ‘liqueur whisky’ shouldn’t be taken more literally. If you told me, blind, that this had rested in an old Benedictine cask or some such thing I would believe you.
SGP: 564 - 85 points (but the nose was more like 91)

Glen Calder Blended Scotch Whisky (100 proof, Grant Bonding Co, miniature, 1970s)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather hot and grainy but the grain is sweet and nicely creamy. Things like buttery popcorn and coconut coming through. I also find gorse, some dried yellow flowers, wet tea leaves and some hints of sherry with this rather elegant gingery warmth. Can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be powerful or restrained. In time the sherry and sweeter tones really start to sing beautifully. With water: much grainier and more youthful with cereal sweetness, barley sugar and heather honey. Mouth: nicely warming, peppery, spicy, gingery and again with this creamy coconut and buttery popcorn combo on display. Some cooking oils and things like ink and bouillon stock. With water: thick, creamy, gingery sherry, olive oil, brown bread and various vegetable stocks and broths. Even a hint of soy sauce. Finish: long, peppery, slightly drying, salty, leathery and umami. Comments: I’d bet anything there has been some pretty top notch G&M sherry casks at play in the mix here. I would call this the epitome of an excellent blend in that you feel both the grain and malt components but they intertwine commendably and with great entertainment. I enjoyed how water elevated the grain on the nose and the malt on the palate.
SGP: 651 - 84 points.

Avonside Scotch Whisky (100 proof, JAS Gordon & Co, miniature, 1970s)
Like Grant Bonding, JAS Gordon & Co was another Gordon & MacPhail subsidiary. There are versions of this Avonside which are pure malt and some which are blends. Not sure which this one is… Colour: deep gold. Nose: much fatter, oilier and more malty. Hessian, sheep wool, olive oil, dried flowers, white bread, fruit scone mix, some pollens and slightly salty honey notes. With water:  the bread qualities deepen and get richer. Rye spice, soda bread, salted butter, cooking oils. Not the easiest as it’s rather brutal and austere, but it’s pretty fascinating stuff. Mouth: if this is a blend, I suspect the grain proportion must be pretty miniscule. This is full of newspaper ink, dried herbs, brown bread, barley sugar, mineral oil, clay, ointments and soot. Also some Scotch broth and bouillon. With water: suet, mutton stock, bay leaf, sheep wool, camphor, starched linen, olive oil. Still impossible to decide whether this is a blend or not. Would love to know. Finish: long, honeyed, herbal, grassy, olive oil, soot, chalky notes, pebbles, green pepper. Powerful stuff! Comments: It’s a pretty tough brute if I’m honest, but as a historical artefact it’s fascinating. Feels like a pure malt to me, but I couldn’t tell you for certain.
SGP: 461 - 82 points. 

Blended Whisky #2 22 yo ‘Batch 3’ (41.8%, That Boutique-y Whisky Co, 1650 bottles)
The label for this one appears to depict a white glove stroking a hairy space testicle. Hopefully not a visual tasting note. Colour: deep gold. Nose: creamy vanilla, cinnamon swirls, nutmeg, rice pudding, fudge. Not much ‘blendy-ness’ so far, rather just some top quality American oak sweetness, with suggestions of ‘Speyside’ flavour underneath. Mouth: easy, apple peelings, rhubarb and custard boiled sweets, young dessert wines, mint julep, young demerara rums, corn syrup. All more direct and straightforward ‘decent blend’ territory. Some nice vibes of spiced custard and caramel. Finish: medium and on wet grains, metal polish, sunflower oil, Scotch broth soups, pollens and a little camphor. Comments: It’s a trixy one this, starts deceptively ‘malt driven’ then gets more classical blend-y, before finishing up not unlike some of these old 1970s era blends with these slightly metallic touches. Still, at least not a testicle in sight.
SGP: 541 - 78 points.

Strathclyde 26 yo 1993/2019 (54.1%, Whisky Illuminati ‘The Alba Series’, cask #243370, bourbon barrel, 202 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: the epitome of easy, light grain at first nosing. Candy floss, condensed milk, popcorn, coconut water. Also a touch of varnish too but it remains within tolerance. Some white pepper and touches of wood glue. With water: disappears a bit, some hints of fabric, vase water, linen and scrunched newspaper. Very light. Mouth: again the sweetness is what keeps things in check here, there are moments where you can feel the more rawer, more spiritous aspects gaining traction but the sweetness always pulls it back on course. Probably a pretty good quality barrel. Lots of popcorn, caramel syrup, those caramel waffles, some sunflower oil and something like sweetened chamomile tea. Gets a bit tough after a while though as the alcohol gains power. With water: not sure water works here. On one hand it provides some necessary cooling of the alcohol, on the other we’re more into typical grainy, solvent territories with these notes of nail varnish remover and turps. Finish: short, sharp and a little harsh. Comments: I think you can dispense with water for this one. It has its charms and the sweeter aspects throughout were pleasing with their lightness of touch, but we’re really coming up against the limits of these kinds of grains I think.
SGP: 530 - 76 points.

North British 31 yo 1988/2019 (44.4%, Whisky Illuminati ‘The Alba Series’, cask #216435, bourbon barrel, 150 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: sweet and light, not unlike the Strathclyde, only here this is more about jellied sweets. Like white, pineapple flavoured jelly beans and then hints of those familiar foam banana sweets we’re so often finding in grain whiskies. There’s also a little more class and elegance going on here with a clearer background note of fresh fabrics and canvass which is pleasant. Mouth: rum! Seriously, some light white rum with wee touches of coconut water, elastoplast, green banana, fabric, brown sugar and cinnamon buns. I’m sure a clever person could make some interesting cocktails with this. Finish: medium, a little bready, sappy and plenty more rum notes. Comments: Easy, straightforward and a little bit fun. Not sure you can ask much more of a grain whisky at this age.
SGP: 441 - 79 points.

Strathclyde 31 yo ‘Batch 4’ (45%, That Boutique-y Whisky Co, 2626 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: a wee touch of custardy sweetness to begin, some cheap dessert wine, vanilla cream soda, condensed milk, coconut water, more of these popcorn vibes. Also a wee canvas note adding a tiny seam of dryness to proceedings. Quite attractive really and not particular spiritous - probably helped by the lower abv. Mouth: cooking oils - notably rapeseed - bitter lemon, citrus piths, dry cereals, white toast, plain popcorn, baking soda - a little tough perhaps. Finish: short but leaves a rather acrid and drying mouthfeel afterwards. Comments: There were some attractive parts to the nose but overall I’m not a huge fan of this one I’m afraid. I just find many grains at this age actually too young and too clunky.
SGP: 530 - 74 points.

Invergordon 46 yo 1974/2020 (48.4%, Thompson Brothers for 20th anniversary Dornoch Castle Whisky Bar, refill barrel, 136 bottles)
This one with a beautiful label by Hans Dillesse. Colour: deep gold. Nose: freshly varnished old furniture, dusty old curtains, the feeling of poking about your grandparent’s house as a kid. I also get some lovely notes of yellow fruits, runny honey, toasted hazelnuts, melon, flambeed banana and custard made with sweet marsala. In time you also start to get pure pina colada. Mouth: sweet and full of fruit cordials and syrups. A lovely ‘textural’ sweetness along with some slightly grassy olive oil, hardwood resins and a little camphor. Finish: medium and with notes of orange oil, brown bread, sugar syrups and lemon cough drops. Comments: quite simply, some very good old grain whisky. I really feel that they need a lot of time to become something more natural and elegant, just as has happened here.
SGP: 641 - 86 points.