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Hi, you're in the Archives, December 2009 - Part 1 |
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December
14, 2009 |
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TASTING
THREE GLENDULLAN (with sixteen-year gaps – weird idea, innit!) |
Glendullan
12 yo 1997/2009 (56.1%, James MacArthur, bourbon, cask #5059)  Colour: white wine. Nose: typical young Speysider with an added
flintiness. Apples and mild honey, a little porridge, then quite
some wet chalk and hints of ink and linseed oil. A bit shy-ish but
water may do wonders here. With water: well, it got rather younger,
all on pear drops and soaked grains. Not exactly new-make-ish, having
said that. Mouth (neat): very sweet, creamy, thick and fruity (white
peaches, watermelon, gooseberries). Develops more on lemon syrup
and hints of kiwis. It’s almost a fruit liqueur actually,
well matured but without any obvious oakiness. Little vanilla here.
With water: good, round, sweet, simple but flawless. Finish: medium
long, very fruity. Comments: perfect young ‘simple’
Speysider from refill wood I guess. Not mindboggling but one may
down litres of this (humble) baby. SGP:531 – 83 points. |
Glendullan
28 yo 1981/2009 (49.6%, The Whisky Agency, Bourbon Hogshead, 247
bottles)  Colour: straw. Nose: more or less the same profile as the 1997’s,
only with more obvious age and more oak as well as a little mint
and fresh putty. Very, very clean whisky. With water: gets beautifully
vegetal, with whiffs of ‘the forest after the rain’,
moss, fern, pine needles, even some fresh mint… Very nice
and certainly unexpected. Mouth (neat): once again, we’re
rather close to the youngster when undiluted but with more spices
and ‘oriental’ flavours such as orange blossom water
and crystallised ginger. Also a little cinnamon, oriental pastries
(don’t we get hints of rosewater?) and more sweet oak and
marzipan. With water: a huge fruitiness coated with quite some ginger
and cinnamon. Lemon and plums pie, zwetschke… All that is
very fresh and clean. Notes of café latte. Finish: long,
half fruity, half spicy. Baklava? Comments: a very good, fresh yet
mature Glendullan, that takes water particularly well. SGP:541
- 87 points. |
Glendullan-Glenlivet
25 yo 1965/1991 (52.4%, Cadenhead's)  Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather more metallic and dry than the youngsters,
with more wet paper, old books, slightly stale tea and then various
herbs and a little rhubarb or even sorrel. Quite some lemon too.
With water: waah! Tons of shoe polish and ink, plastic cleaner,
linoleum, washing powder, brand new electronics… Bad news
for the palate, if you ask me. Mouth (neat): weirdo… ‘Chemical’
lemon juice, ink (?), metal, olive oil and, well, plastic. With
water: woof. Cheese, old wood, vinegar, more metal. Finish: curiously
long and rather cleaner, with rather nice citrusy notes replacing
the vinegar. A bit late… Comments: close to being flawed but
of course, it may also be a bottle problem. Cadenhead’s had
some much, much (much) better Glendullans, including recently. SGP:371
- 65 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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Thanks to Patrick the tall Swiss guy. |
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December
11, 2009 |
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TASTING
THREE RECENT TOBERMORY |
| Tobermory 15 yo (46.3%, OB, +/- 2009) Colour: gold. Nose: nice waxy and vegetal nose, starting on fresh
walnuts, cut grass and paraffin, with hints of diesel oil and brown
coal (or old oven). A meatiness in the background (cured ham), waxed
paper and touches of dry white wine (sauvignon). A little sherry
in the vatting? Mouth: round and sweet yet nervous, with quite some
modern style oak, a lot of ginger and many soft spices on top of
notes of apple liqueur and a little candy sugar. Very clean globally,
despite a very faint dustiness. Some pepper. Gets grassier and grassier.
Finish: long, with more pepper and even hints of chillies, with
a greenness in the aftertaste. Strong green tea. Comments: a good
official Tobermory, big bodied and grassy. SGP:261 - 83
points. |
Tobermory
14 yo 1995/2009 (50.2%, Alambic Classique, cask #9410, 142 bottles)  Colour: gold.
Nose: we’re very close to the 15yo OB here, extremely close
in fact. Maybe a little more fresh butter as well as ‘a sherriness’,
but there’s also something faintly soapy, sulphury and butyric.
Nice smokiness, though. With water: huge notes of gunpowder, metal,
used matches and ham. Hints of horse dung. Wild! Mouth (neat): good,
rich, flinty and leathery. More rubber after a while, lemon squash,
chlorophyll and plain grass. With water: indeed, it’s much
more to my liking on the palate. Demerara sugar, rum, speculoos,
gingerbread… Finish: long, very candied, really close to some
rhum agricole. Some grass and pepper in the aftertaste. Comments:
a tad whacky and wobbly, but it really has its moments. Worth trying. SGP:361 - 78 points. |
| Tobermory
13 yo 1995/2009 (59.1%, The Clydesdale, cask ref 0281/1173, 273
bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: this one is much sharper, more austere
as well as grassier than the others but that ay come from the higher
degree. Flints, wet rocks, paraffin and lemon skin. With water:
it got extremely farmy. Farmyard after the rain, cow stable, ‘clean’
manure, soaked barley… Spectacular in its own genre. Roasted
peanuts. Mouth (neat): big, zesty and pleasantly sharp, all on lemon
and pepper at first sipping. Gets then sharper and even more nervous,
a tad mineral and always very lemony. Not very ‘Tobermory’
in fact. With water: oh, the lemony notes disappeared while it got
very farmy, just like the Alambic. Extremely organic in fact, quite
spectacular. Finish: long, very grassy. Notes of over-infused green
tea. Comments: not a sexy whisky, but I do like its ‘no compromise’
style very much. SGP:261 - 86 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: Jacques Higelin aka Le Grand Jacques does La fille au coeur d'acier (from his great 1976 album Irradié), with excellent slide guitar by future Téléphone member Louis Bertignac.Please buy Jacques Higelin's music. |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too long for Twitter! ;-)) |
| The other day a friend of mine told me that he used to favour a 10-scale over a 100-scale for scoring whisky. I just saw that he scored a Laphroaig 8.7 points. Beats me. (And reminds me of the 5-star scale that ended up with halves and quarters ;-)). |
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December
10, 2009 |
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| TASTING
FOUR 1998 LAPHROAIG |
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| There are many 1998
Laphroaigs in the market these days, and I must say I haven’t
tried a bad one yet. Big, uncompromising drams. |
| Laphroaig
1998/2008 (43%, Jean Boyer Best Casks, 1300 bottles) Colour: white wine.
Nose: archetypical medicinal Laphroaig, with tons of iodine, sea
breeze, antiseptic and bags of seashells (oysters of course). Just
hints of barley sugar. Mouth: excellently big at 43% abv, salty,
phenolic, medicinal, peaty, smoky and, once again, slightly candied
(candy sugar). Finish: long, lemony and salty. Comments: more body
and more presence than the official 10 at same strength. But another
warning has to be issued: this is too drinkable. SGP:358
- 86 points. |
| Laphroaig
1998/2008 (46%, Berry Bros & Rudd, Boisdale, hogshead, cask
#700213, 370 bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: a tad rounder and more vanilled than the
Jean Boyer but otherwise rather close. A tad smokier as well. From
a more active cask, probably. A little more mint as well. Mouth:
same as the Jean Boyer, only a tad bigger and more peppery. A little
more salt as well. Superb limey notes. Finish: loooong. Comments:
classically big and good. SGP:358 - 87 points. |
Laphroaig
10 yo 1998/2009 (58.5%, The Whisky Agency, Liquid Library)  Colour: straw. Nose:
in the same vein as the BB&R, only more powerful and shy at
the same time. Cask strength, baby… With water: wow, so much
wet sheep, cow stable, soaked malt, seawater and cough syrup! One
of these Islayers that really smell like the island. Mouth (neat):
hammering. Extremely powerful, immensely medicinal and hugely peaty.
With water: perfect. A lot of salt, liquorice, oysters, lime and
spearmint. Finish: endless. Comments: the kind of bottle that one
may keep in his cellar… for twenty years. And then, the magic… SGP:358 - 89 points. |
| Laphroaig
10yo 1998/2008 (62.2%, Blackadder Raw Cask, Cask ref 700214, 272
bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: powerhouse. Nuclear plant. Grinderman. With
water: exceptionally sharp and flinty, all on coal, freshly broken
rocks, flints and then eucalyptus leaves, mint and a bit of leather.
Ziiiing. Mouth (neat): cough, cough… With water: absolutely
loveable. A tad more classical than the Whisky Agency, more straightly
peaty and, well, ‘Laphroaig’. Medicine, peat, smoke,
lemon, apples and salt. Finish: very long, with more black pepper.
Comments: not for the fainthearted. In other words, water’s
best friend. SGP:258 - 89 points. |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too long for Twitter! ;-)) |
| Not that it matters
too much but yesterday we had our three millionth visit since this
humble website became kind of a 'blog' (say a tasting diary) in
January 2004. The growth got faster since a few months, both
October and November saw +/- 130,000 visits, despite our reluctance
to use tools such as FB or Twitter to increase traffic - Because
only quality counts! Thanks! |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: another grand master of
Brazil and WF favourite, Egberto
Gismonti, playing a feisty Lôro (it's on his album Em Família). Please buy all of Egberto
Gismonti's music! |
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December
9, 2009 |
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| TASTING
AN OLD OFFICIAL BLADNOCH + THREE 1992s |
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| Bladnoch
NAS (70°proof, OB, Co.Import Torino, early 1970s) Colour:
gold. Nose: rather unusual, quite metallic at first
nosing but there are also traces of peat smoke and
various herbs plus obvious notes of sherry. It’s
also rather more tarry, leathery and smoky than
more modern Bladnochs. Very nice whiffs of marzipan
and walnuts, a little metal polish and very, very
little fresh fruits if any. Only apple peelings.
Putty. The whole is very, very nice and, of course,
‘old style’. Mouth: excellent attack,
complex, fresh, fruity and rather phenolic. Very
good body at 40% and after almost 40 years in a
bottle. A little liquorice, marzipan, green apples,
more marzipan, almond oil, crystallised lemon zests
and even more marzipan. Just excellent. Finish:
medium long, a little more on green apples and something
just a little resinous. Comments: utterly drinkable.
That may be the problem… Funny how these faint
resinous notes in the finish remind me of some ripe
old Ardbegs. SGP:552 - 89 points. |
| Bladnoch
16 yo 1992/2009 (48%, Chieftain's, cask #4258, 324
bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: typical ‘modern’
Bladnoch, all on a mix of fresh grains and lemons.
Seriously porridgy but nicely so, there are even
hints of ‘clean’ baby vomit (not a bunch
of Hell’s Angels’). Gets then more and
more farmy and ‘organic’, before it
switches to flintier and zestier notes again. Very
interesting to follow. Mouth (neat): perfect bladnoch,
much straighter, rounder and ‘cleaner’
than on the nose. Lemon cake, hints of marshmallows
and barley sugar, just a little icing sugar that
plays with your lips. Finish: long and perfectly
lemony. Comments: blimey, another Bladnoch that’s
utterly sippable. Very good selection by Chieftain’s
for their new livery and a perfect strength. Having
said that, I liked the palate better than the nose. SGP:551 - 86 points. |
| Bladnoch
17 yo 1992/2009 (55.1%, Cadenhead, bourbon hogshead,
277 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: an ultra-clean, almondy and
citrusy Bladnoch on the nose this time. Also chalk,
clay, more almonds and then even more fresh almonds.
Wet rocks. With water: all the farmy elements show
up, wet hay, clean cow stable, even our beloved
wet dogs (no comment)… When all that settles
down it’s rather lemon and grapefruit galore,
with notes of wet grains in the background and a
little mint. Mouth (neat): ultra-lemony and zesty,
sharp, extremely nervous and… delightful.
Extremely ‘Bladnoch’. With water: same,
only more drinkable. Spectacularly lemony. Finish:
long, all on lemon (no kiddin’) and something
that resembles peat. But it can’t be peat,
can it? Comments: a great dram, recommended (as
the old NAS is unobtainable anyway). SGP:652
- 88 points. |
| Bladnoch
1992/2004 (56.1%, James MacArthur, cask #744) Colour: white wine. Nose: this one is much grassier,
rawer and… even more almondy than the Cadenhead.
Some smoke as well but otherwise it’s quite
simple. I guess water is needed again. With water:
same kind of development as with the Cadenhead ,
only a tad less farmy and more on apple peelings
and fresh walnuts. Mouth (neat): we’re very
close to the Cadenhead’s. Maybe even zestier
and more lemony. Lemon juice at cask strength? With
water: indeed we’re close but this one is
a tad more ‘new-makish’, and bubblegummy
when diluted. I guess five more years in wood would
have lifted it to another category. Finish: long
and clean but once again, a little more bubblegummy
(right, estery) than the Cadenhead’s. Comments:
very good distillate, bottled a tad too early if
you ask me (but who am I?) SGP:641 - 83
points. |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too long
for Twitter! ;-)) |
| We
very rarely talk about new whiskies without trying
them on Whiskyfun but this time it’s different.
It’s fun! Indeed, Full Proof have issued new
Hanyus bearing very funny and smartly provocative
labels by the excellent Dutch artiste Hans Dillesse. |
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I’ve
heard the whiskies were excellent and you may read
(much) more about them over at Chris’ very
great blog Nonjatta.
Now, what we found even funnier was to spot two
characters disguised as sumotori on the ‘Big
Butt’s’ label… These buggers ring
a bell, who can they be? |
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Links:
Full Proof Europe
Hans Dillesse |
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December
8, 2009 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK... Campaigning! |
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| A
similar campaign there. |
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TASTING
THREE INCHGOWER |
| Inchgower
1974/2009 (57.1%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, cask
#7763, 188 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: punchy, with big notes of wine,
both white and red, right at first nosing. Then
more flinty and even metallic notes but the whole
remains very vinous and even a tad acetic for a
good two minutes, just before everything vanishes
as if by magic. What remains is a rather beautiful
smokiness, with quite some flints, notes of old
coal oven and a little vanilla. With water: no winey
notes, rather a lot of lemon and tangerines. It
became fresher and fruitier for sure. Whiffs of
grains and a little porridge and malt. Mouth (neat):
extremely powerful, very citrusy. Lemon zests and
even lime juice, lemon drops, grass… Kind
of acidic but that’s pretty nice here. With
water: simply more of the same. Tangerine juice
and ginger. Excellent mouth feel. Finish: long,
fresh, citrusy, very clean. Notes of green tea.
Comments: very good and more citrusy than other
Inchgowers – not that I tried hundreds. But
where have these winey notes gone? Did I dream? SGP:552 - 87 points. |
| Inchgower
35 yo 1974/2009 (57.3%, The Whisky Agency, bourbon
hogshead, 195 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: we’re in the same ballpark
here, except that there’s no winey notes upfront.
Maybe a bigger grassiness and even some peat smoke,
as well as hints of damp wood and a little mint.
With water: more different from the SSMC with water,
with more vanilla and nutmeg from the oak. More
polished, so to speak. Soft curry. Mouth (neat):
we’re extremely close to the SSMC but it seems
that it’s a tad rounder and more vanilled.
Other than that, it’s just a lemony storm
when undiluted. With water: sweet, lemon drops,
barley sugar and a few tannins in the background.
Finish: long, on… lemon wood? Anyway, a rather
perfect combination of oak and lemon. Comments:
same quality as the SSMC. I’ve been thinking
that this one and the previous one came from a shared
cask but I’m not too sure anymore, except
if one of them has been re-racked for a wee while. SGP:552 - 87 points. |
Inchgower
1977 (59.2%, Cadenhead, white label, cask #9718,
+/-1993)  Colour: gold. Nose: this one is just as punchy as
the 1974s but rather more on coffee and burnt cake.
Water is needed. With water: it got rather strange,
a little cheesy and very tarry and smoky. Freshly
roasted coffee beans, coal, leather, damp earth,
dark toffee… Spectacular and unusual. Mouth
(neat): once again, a lot of lemon but also nice
notes of precious wood and marshmallows. As for
the power, it’s a beast. So, with water: as
tarry, citrusy and liquoricy as whisky can get.
Truly excellent now. A lot of black pepper. Finish:
very long, with added notes of lemon balm and even
more smoky tar. A tad resinous as well. Comments:
spectacular whisky, not easy-easy but thrilling
if you like to play with water (and a pipette). SGP:463 - 90 points. (and thank
you, Franco and Patrick) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: a bit
of R'n'B today with NYC's Ava
Andrews singing Movin'
on. Please buy Ava Andrews' music. |
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December
7, 2009 |
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TASTING
TWO OFFICIAL 15yo HIGHLAND PARK |
| Highland Park 15 yo
'St Magnus Edition One' (52.6%, OB, 5,976 bottles,
2009). As you may know, St Magnus is the name of Kirkwall's
cathedral. This is no antique bottling, it’s
a brand new replica bottle but the whisky inside
is not intended to be a replica of these magnificent
old Highland Parks (whether official or G&M)
that used to bear the St Magnus label, so the Distillery
isn’t following the Macallan route here (who
said good news?) If you check our HP index you’ll
find quite few reviews of those older St Magnus
bottlings. Colour: straw. Nose: a very natural,
almost ‘naked’ Highland Park, without
any sherry influence but with big flinty and grassy
notes at first nosing, then more yellow flowers,
light honey, sour apple juice and just a little
lemon. There’s quite some smoke as well, as
well as a little rubber (new tyres). Hints of bacon
and liquorice. With water: gets a tad farmier as
often, rather smokier as well, with added whiffs
of menthol. Funny how it goes back to raw barley
after a moment – natural indeed. Mouth (neat):
sweet, nervous, citrusy, playful, very fresh. A
wee touch of paraffin, almond oil. Then quite some
grapefruits and that faint smokiness that’s
often to be found in ‘natural’ HPs.
Butter pears. A tad austere but very good. With
water: perfect ‘natural’ HP indeed (we
insist! as Max Roach would say), with more honey
and beautiful notes of tangerines, orange zests,
wax, vanilla and fresh almonds. Finish: long, a
tad bitterer now (grapefruits, lemon zests, green
tea). Clean, slightly resinous aftertaste. Comments:
a little rounder and more polished on the palate
than on the nose, except at the finish. Flintier
and less sherried (but maybe also a tad less complex)
than all the old original ‘St Magnus’
I could try. The overall quality is very high, though,
and there aren’t that many fully ‘naked’
official HPs in the market. Not sure about the price
but if it’s fair, well… SGP:362
- 90 points. |
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Park 15 yo 1990/2006 (56.3%, OB for Grape Vine Market,
USA, cask #10132, 750ml) Colour: amber. Nose: it’s the sherry that
plays first parts here, with some toffee and plums,
quite some gunpowder and hints of coffee and chocolate.
Then more straight wine, a little rubber here as
well and finally rather huge notes of raspberry
jam and mead. A lot of mead… Oh, and quite
some parsley and lovage. With water: it gets really
restless, with a lot of game, ham, bacon, herbs
and leather. The sherry is loud and good old HP
never really has the floor but the end result is
rather beautiful once you’ve added water.
Mouth (neat): once again, there’s a lot of
sherry at the attack, a lot of oranges and a lot
of honey (various kinds, maybe orange blossom first).
Quite some toffee too, sweetened coffee, caramel,
crystallised ginger… The whole is rather thick,
coating and maybe a tad brutal when undiluted. With
water: very, very good, rounder, easier, very honeyed
and extremely jammy but not thick anymore. A lot
of dates, dried pears, figs and touches of liquorice.
Classic middle-aged sherried Highland Park. Finish:
long, typical fruity sherry monster, with quite
some liquorice and just wee hints of rubber again
in the aftertaste. Also a wee pinch of salt. Comments:
water is obligatory here, or it’ll be maybe
a tad too thick, but quality is undeniably high.
Clean, thick, liquoricy sherry. SGP:451
- 87 points. (many thanks, Bryan). |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: Brazilian
musical genius Hermeto
Pascoal plays Desencontro
Certo (from his 1984 album Lagoa da Canoa,
Município de Arapiraca). Please buy Hermeto
Pascoal's music. |
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December
6, 2009 |
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TASTING
THREE OFFICIAL TULLIBARDINE |
| Tullibardine 1993/2009 (46%, OB, PX sherry butt
finish) Colour: full gold. Nose: very unusual, very ‘Tullibardine’.
Vegetal and ‘oily’, with big whiffs
of lamp oil, paraffin, French beans and tons of
cut grass. Faint whiffs of manure behind all that,
walnut skin, shoe polish and rubber. Unusual indeed,
some personality indeed. Mouth: rather difficult,
oddly vinous and not quite clean. Cured ham, grenadine,
overripe oranges and quite some cardboard, then
some wax and quite some pepper. Finish: long, similar
in style. A dustiness in the aftertaste, some pepper.
Comments: pretty nice nose but the palate isn’t
easy-easy in my opinion. SGP:351 - 78 points. |
| Tullibardine
1988/2009 (56%, OB, hogshead, cask #540, 317 bottles) Colour: full gold. Nose: once again, a malt that’s
unlike any other but this expression is a tad cleaner
and maybe a little more ‘mainstream’.
Flints, scented wax, walnuts and a little vanilla
custard. With water: smoke, damp wood, damp clothes
and old wine cellar. Salpeter, mushrooms. Mouth
(neat): round, creamy, nervous, sweet, honeyed and
citrusy. Peppered orange juice, vanilla, ginger,
cinchona… Some aspects of the modern Tullibardines
indeed. With water: good development on modern style
oak, that is to say vanilla, ginger and nutmeg.
Finish: medium long, balanced, all on vanilla and
spices. Comments: the wood has a lot to say here.
Rejuvenated? It’s good. SGP:352 -
83 points. |
| Tullibardine
25 yo (45%, OB, Stillman's Dram, 1800 bottles, +/-2000) Colour: gold. Nose: much, much more fruity, floral
and honeyed. Acacia honey, dandelions, a little
wood smoke, bananas flambéed and apricot
jam. Much closer to some Speysiders in style, reminiscent
of Balblair, Benriach or even Balvenie. A beautiful
nose. Mouth: very fruity, soft, rich, kind of silky…
Orange cake, Turkish delights, wild strawberries,
bananas and many soft spices. Hints of kiwis. Top
notch old Tullibardine that, once again, has its
eyes on Blablair. Finish: long, beautifully fruity
and finely spicy. Extremely well balanced. Comments:
hard to recognise Tullibardine here. A great dram,
worth chasing at auctions. SGP:641 - 89
points. (and thanks, Konstantin) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: a bit
of good Texan americana with Jonathan
Byrd and his Houston
Window Blues (from The Law and the Lonesome).
Please buy Jonathan Byrd's music. |
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December
4, 2009 |
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| TASTING
SIX GOOD YOUNG BOWMORE |
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| Bowmore
8 yo 2000 (46%, A.D. Rattray for Single & Single) Colour:
white wine. Nose: peat smoke, flints and seawater.
Sea breeze. Just hints of almond milk and tiny-wee
touches of lavender, which were unexpected in a
2000 Bowmore. Some vanilla. Mouth: sweet and peaty
attack, rather more candied and rounded than expected.
Smoked vanilla? A little coffee, cake, cane sugar…
Finish: medium long, leafy, smoky and vanilled.
Comments: a rounded and curiously vanilled version
of a young Bowmore, some first fill bourbon wood
must have been involved. Works well, I must say. SGP:526 - 84 points. |
| Bowmore
10 yo 1998/2008 (46%, The Whisky Agency's Liquid
Library, refill sherry wood) Colour: white wine. Nose: starts on an unusual combination
of clean maritime and smoky tones with ‘a
sherriness’, the whole giving this one notes
of flinty white wine, maybe Pouilly-Fumé
or something. Having said that, the spirit is soon
to defeat the wine, so to speak. Gets pretty medicinal,
maybe ala Laphroaig. Mouth: classic young Bowmore
this time, the sherry bringing only what seems to
be added sweetness. A little salt, liquorice, quite
some peat, gentian, other roots (maybe)… It’s
big at 46% abv. Finish: long, dry, with more pepper
and even a little horseradish. Something medicinal
again in the aftertaste. Comments: a very potent
young Bowmore that has its eyes on the south shore. SGP:357 - 86 points. |
| Bowmore
11 yo 1998/2009 (46%, Duncan Taylor, NC2) Colour:
pale gold. Nose: cleaner and grassier than the others.
Smoked walnuts? I should try that one day. Wet wool,
wet rocks, seawater and just hints of almonds. Nice
nose! Mouth: smoother than the Whisky Agency, more
on marzipan and gingerbread. Smoked honey? Gets
bigger after that, peatier and grassier. Finish:
a tad saltier and, just like its twin, peatier than
other Bowmores in the finish. A lot of green tea
in the aftertaste. Comments: another good one, ‘of
course’. Classy and flawless new style Bowmore
– were they using peatier malt in 1998? SGP:457
- 85 points. |
| Bowmore
1995/2009 (46%, Wilson & Morgan Barrel Selection,
Sherry finish) Colour:
white wine. Nose: the sherry is more obvious than
in the Whisky agency version, somewhat fruitier
and sweeter. Develops on marzipan, oranges and sweet
spices getting then more organic again. Hints of
wet newspaper, ink, leather and leaves… Mouth:
a tad rounder than the 1998s but, quite curiously,
a tad drier as well. Saltier too. Fresh almonds,
lime juice, straight peat, pepper… Finish:
long, pleasantly sharp and even saltier. Comments:
globally smoother and rounder than the younger ones
but the ‘profile behind’ is perfect. SGP:346 - 86 points. |
| Bowmore
19 yo 1990/2009 (46%, Signatory, UCF, hogshead,
casks #649+650, 719 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: yes! A superbly austere Bowmore,
all on oysters, seawater, coal smoke, green tea
and ‘wet animals’ (yup, I’ve heard
dogs were fed up). Mouth: perfection. Peat, lemon
juice, lime juice, quince eau de vie, salt, oysters
and black pepper. Epitomical (will you cut the crap
one day, S.?) Finish: as long as a Fidel speech,
extremely zingy, mineral, smoky and lemony. Comments:
brilliant, just brilliant (and cheap!) Bang for
your buck! SGP:357 - 90 points. |
| Bowmore
1994/2008 (56.3%, Berry Bros & Rudd, cask #1681) Colour:
white wine. Nose: more spirity at first nosing,
closer to new make and fruit eaux de vies, with
some coffee from the high abv (as often). Coal smoke.
Quick, water. With water: rather organic, with some
grass, wet wool, seashells and wet hay. Barley.
Gets closer and closer to the ‘original peated
malt’. Some kind of rebirth? Mouth (neat):
very punchy, half sweet, half peaty. Peated kirsch?
With water: just perfect now. Salt, lemon, peat
smoke, green apples… Finish: long, on the
same flavours. Quite some salt in the aftertaste,
as well as a little liquorice. Right, salted liquorice.
Comments: unsurprisingly good, like all bottlings
by BB&R. SGP:356 - 88 points. |
| |
December
3, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE BENRINNES |
Benrinnes
1988/2009 (46.3%, Malts of Scotland, cask #888,
175 bottles)  From a bourbon hogshead. Colour: white wine. Nose:
starts slightly estery but gets then very malty
and slightly smoky and flinty, with whiffs of cut
grass and hints of white rum. Even a little unaged
tequila, in a certain way. Do they grow blue agaves
in Speyside? Goes on with a little more fruits (apples,
almond milk) and some vanilla from the wood. Not
overly expressive globally but its ‘straightness’
is much pleasant. Mouth: sweet, malty, very ‘natural’,
with a moderate oak/vanilla influence. Also big
notes of pear drops, tinned pineapples, apples and
a little honey. Also hints of lemon pie. Gets then
rather grassier but it’s still quite zesty
and fruity, very ‘natural Speyside’
so to speak. Finish: medium long, on the same flavours,
with a slight chalkiness in the aftertaste. Flour.
Comments: this one tastes much younger than its
age, but the spirit is rather flawless. Very good
malt whisky altogether, just a little too ‘middle
of the road’ for my taste. SGP:442
- 80 points. |
| Benrinnes
13 yo 1996/2009 (57%, A.D. Rattray, Cask Collection,
Sherry Hogshead #6461, 315 bottles) This
one did very well at the MM Awards 2009 and won
a very solid silver medal, with an average of 88.
Colour: mahogany/coffee. Nose: extreme sherry, starting
on loads of prunes, chocolate and roasted chestnuts.
There’s also a little tar and quite some gunpowder,
and just hints of redcurrant jam. With water: more
of the same. The tar and the gunpowder get louder
but it swims excellently. Quite some lovage and
parsley growing bigger and bigger. Mouth (neat):
rich and thick as a syrup, extremely chocolaty.
Maple syrup, Armagnac, treacle toffee, strong honey,
liquorice and chestnut purée. Heavy stuff
but not unbalanced at all. With water: more oak,
with quite some ginger, nutmeg and paprika making
the whole rather drier than when undiluted, but
it remains very clean. Finish: long, thick and rich,
mainly on coffee, with some liquorice in the aftertaste.
Comments: a very rich and spectacular dram, which
I may like a tad better than when I tried it blind
(semi-blind, actually). No off notes whatsoever. SGP:452 - 85 points. |
| Benrinnes
23 yo 1985/2009 (58.8%, OB) Colour: amber. Nose: there’s a lot of sherry
again but this one is less extreme than the 1996,
and a tad more polished. Yet, there’s quite
some gunpowder, shoe polish, dried herbs, mushrooms,
leather and chocolate. The driest side of sherry
maturing. With water: more beefy and hammy notes.
A full plate of ham with some nice boletus and quite
some black pepper. Whiffs of old Barbour grease
(not in the plate) and more gunpowder. Mouth (neat):
rich and heavy, albeit not as heavy as the 1996.
Prunes, toffee, liquorice and kirsch at still strength
mixed with a few spoonfuls of mustard. Sounds terrible
but it’s not, at all! With water: everything
is amplified, with also more oranges and tangerines.
Gets seriously fruitier. Hints of cardamom and,
once again, mustard. Finish: long and rich, with
many more spices now. Pepper first, then a bag of
cloves and cinnamon. Comments: very good, a tad
less ‘compact’ than the very sherried
1996, but a tad more complex. SGP:452 -
87 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: the great
boppy saxist (and alto madman) Richie
Cole doing a bouncy and humourous
Latin version of Hi-fly sometime in the 1970s. Hear him blow and blow
and blow, that'll put you in a good mood as sure
as 1+1=2. Please buy Richie Cole's music. |
 |
| |
December
2, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE NEW FETTERCAIRN |
| Three
brand new Fettercairns (previously known as Old
Fettercairn) from the official ‘Vintage Collection’,
that should be out this month unless I’m mistaken.
I’m afraid I couldn’t spot any vintages
on the labels but if they call them ‘Vintage’,
I guess these three malts must come from three single
vintages. But enough nitpicking, let’s try
them… |
| Fettercairn
24 yo (44.4%, OB, 2009) Colour: gold. Nose: definitely old style, even kind
of antique, starting on roasted nuts, caramelised
cereals and Seville oranges but soon to get much
waxier, flintier and even leathery, rather ‘old
Highlands’ in style. Some cooked ham and whiffs
of beef stock and old walnuts that hint at sherry.
It’s complex yet rather delicate globally,
kind of old style once again. Just a little gunpowder.
Mouth: the unusual beefiness strikes first, as well
as notes of orange zests and quite some bitter chocolate.
Goes on with kind of a waxy fruitiness, lemon zests,
liquorice, rosehip tea and just tiny wee hints of
cardboard and bitter wood. A wee smokiness too.
Finish: medium long, a little more on malt and smoky
toffee. Marmalade too. Comments: an old Highlander
in velvet gloves. It’s very good. SGP:452
- 86 points. |
Fettercairn
30 yo (43.3%, OB, 2009)  Colour: gold. Nose: very unusual! Starts much more
on various herbs, spearmint, beeswax, rather huge
whiffs of linseed oil, more wax, turpentine, even
huger notes of fir needles (Christmas must be around
the corner) and only then more mainstream notes
of Seville oranges, leather, malt, honey and chocolate.
And once again a slight beefiness. A lot of personality,
it doesn’t nose like any other old malt. Mouth:
errmnlmnr… No, this is too bizarre for my
taste. Dry, cardboardy, tea-ish, too peppery and
even a little rubbery… What happened? It cannot
be my sample, the nose was flawless (albeit unusual).
Finish: nah, it’s long but with a lot of wood
extracts, heavily resinous, bitter… Comments:
a very strange one on the palate, almost flawed.
I’ll try to put my hands on another sample. SGP:171 - 70 points (conservative
– and because of the very, very nice nose). |
| Fettercairn
40 yo (40%, OB, 2009) Colour: apricoty. Nose: frankly, had I nosed it
blind, I would have said it’s an old Dalmore,
with these very obvious notes of oranges, both fresh
and as marmalade or even liqueur, and of chocolate.
I must say it’s fantastic, extremely elegant.
Then a wee smokiness and the same kind of resinous
notes as in the 30yo, plus many fresh and tinned
fruits somewhat ala old Benriach, fresh bananas,
papayas, hints of mangos... Also superb hints of
cumin, tobacco, cashews, sandalwood… What
an exceptional nose! Mouth: phew! I was afraid the
same kind of misfortune as with the 30 would happen
but not at all. Sure there’s a lot of oak
but it’s fantastically polished and ‘silky’,
with notes of kummel, green pepper and black Russian
tea, all that being lifted by beautiful notes of
grapefruits and oranges. Globally quite dry but
very alive! Finish: medium long, all on ‘good’
oak, bitter chocolate and tea. Comments: I don’t
know what the price for this baby will be but if
it’s fair, let’s all rush out and buy
a bottle because old ‘old’ Fettercairns
are rare – unless you really hate oak in your
malt, because oaky it is. SGP:461 - 89 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: Sweden's
young wonder of pop Peter
von Poehl (he lives in Paris) sings
his cleverly crafted and very catchy Broken
skeliton key. Please buy Peter von Poehl's
music. |
 |
| |
December
1, 2009 |
|
|
 |
 |
LAST
MINUTE - MALT MANIACS AWARDS 2009, THE RESULTS ARE THERE
Please be patient, it seems that the MM server is
severely hit... It can be down at times |
| |
| IN
CASE MM's SERVER IS DOWN, HERE'S THE BEST: |
THE SEVEN GOLD
Glen Grant 36yo 1972/2009 (56.3%, Duncan Taylor
for The Whisky Fair, Sherry, 209 Bts.)
Karuizawa 1972/2008 (65%, The Number One Drinks
Company, Sherry cask#7290, 528 Bts.)
Glendronach 37yo 1972/2009 (53.3%, OB for LMW,
Oloroso Sherry Butt, Cask#705, 275 Bts.)
Bunnahabhain 35yo 1974/2009 (56.6%, Adelphi, 200
Bts.)
Yoichi 1991/2009 'Single Cask' (58%, OB, Imported
by LMdW, Cask#129374, 453 Bts.)
Hakushu 1989/2009 (62%, OB, TWE 10th anniversary,
Sherry Butt #9O 50021)
Macallan 1970/2009 (46%, G&M Speymalt for
LMdW, First Fill sherry cask #8326)
AWARDS - ULTRA PREMIUM
CATEGORY
Non-Plus-Ultra Award 2009 (Ultra Premium)
(Overall top scoring 'ultra premium' whisky out
of all 2009 MM Awards entries)
Karuizawa 1972/2008 (65%, # One Drinks, Sherry
cask #7290, 528 Bts.)
Best Natural Cask Award 2009 (Ultra Premium)
(Best whisky matured exclusively in 'untreated',
regular cask(s)
Benriach 33yo 1976/2009 (47.4%, OB for TWF, cask#3558,
162 Bts.)
Best Sherry Cask Award 2009 (Ultra Premium)
(Best whisky matured exclusively in sherry cask(s)
Glendronach 37yo 1972/2009 (53.3%, OB for LMdW,
Cask#705, 275 Bts.)
Best Cask Innovation Award 2009 (Ultra Premium)
(Best whisky matured or finished in 'special'
or unusual cask(s)
Yamazaki 1984 (48%, OB, matured in Japanese Mizunara
oak, +/- 2009)
Best Peated Malt Award 2009 (Ultra Premium)
(Best whisky distilled from - relatively - peated
malt)
Bowmore 36yo 1972/2008 (45.4%, Signatory, Sherry
C#3890, 540 Bts.)
Thumbs Up Award 2009 (Ultra Premium)
(Most exciting new release in this price category)
Bunnahabhain 35yo 1974/2009 (56.6%, Adelphi, 200
Bts.)
AWARDS - PREMIUM CATEGORY
Non-Plus-Ultra Award 2009 (Premium)
(Overall top scoring 'premium' whisky out of all
2009 MM Awards entries)
Glen Grant 36yo 1972/2009 (56.3%, Duncan Taylor
for TWF, 209 Bts.)
Best Natural Cask Award 2009 (Premium)
(Best whisky matured exclusively in 'untreated',
regular cask(s)
Bunnahabhain 18yo (43%, OB, +/- 2009)
Best Sherry Cask Award 2009 (Premium)
(Best whisky matured exclusively in sherry cask(s)
Yamazaki 18yo (43%, OB, +/- 2009)
Best Cask Innovation Award 2009 (Premium)
(Best whisky matured or finished in 'special'
or unusual cask(s)
Lagavulin DE 1991/2008 (43%, OB, ref 4/496)
Best Peated Malt Award 2009 (Premium)
(Best whisky distilled from - relatively - peated
malt)
Laphroaig 20yo 1989/2009 (57.1%, Douglas Laing
for LMdW, 219 Bts.)
Thumbs Up Award 2009 (Premium)
(Most exciting new release in this price category)
Ardbeg NAS 'Corryvreckan' (57.1%, OB, +/- 2009)
AWARDS - DAILY DRAMS CATEGORY
Non-Plus-Ultra Award 2009 (Daily Drams)
(Overall top scoring whisky in this price category)
Glendronach 15yo 'Revival' (46%, OB, Oloroso cask
matured, +/- 2009)
Best Natural Cask Award 2009 (Daily Drams)
(Best whisky matured exclusively in 'untreated',
regular cask(s)
Amrut NAS 'Fusion' Batch#1 (50%, OB, Bottled March
2009)
Best Sherry Cask Award 2009 (Daily Drams)
(Best whisky matured exclusively in sherry cask(s)
Benrinnes 13yo 1996/2009 (57%, A. D. Rattray,
C#6461, 315 Bts.)
Best Cask Innovation Award 2009 (Daily Drams)
(Best whisky matured or finished in 'special'
or unusual cask(s)
Clynelish 12yo 1996/2008 (58.6%, Wilson &
Morgan, Marsala finish)
Best Peated Malt Award 2009 (Daily Drams)
(Best whisky distilled from - relatively - peated
malt)
Douglas Laing NAS 'Islay Blended / Big Peat' (46%,
DL)
Thumbs Up Award 2009 (Daily Drams)
(Most exciting new release in this price category)
Adelphi's 12yo Laudale 'Batch #1' (46%, Adelphi)
|
| |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
TASTING
FIVE OLD GLEN GRANT TO CELEBRATE
THE MALT
MANIACS AWARDS 2009 |
 |
| Maybe
you already saw that the ‘best of the best’
whisky at our Malt Maniacs Awards 2009 was an old
Glen Grant, the Glen Grant 36 yo 1972/2009 (56.3%,
Duncan Taylor for The Whisky Fair, 209 bottles)
to be precise. When I first tried that baby back
in august I scored it 92 points and called it ‘candy
for grown men and women’. Right, right…
Anyway, I won’t try it again today –
not that that wouldn’t be con mucho pleasure
– but rather taste a bunch of other brand
new old Glen Grants, including three by Duncan Taylor,
to celebrate the end of the MM Awards 2009 with
a bit of panache. I always tell friends who ask
me what the best bargains are these days that those
old Glen Grants (or Strathislas, or Longmorns) by
the best bottlers are all sure choices, especially
when they come from the best vintages… Let’s
check whether that’s still true or not… |
| Glen
Grant 39 yo 1970/2009 (49.1%, Duncan Taylor, Rare
Auld, cask #3492) Colour: gold. Probably bourbon cask. Nose: starts
bold, a tad varnishy and estery at very first sniffs,
but the expected fruitiness is soon to unfold, with
melons and peaches first, and mirabelle plums and
gooseberries second. Also a little pineapple and
even pears, signs of youth. Youthful indeed at almost
40 years of age! Then more vanilla and a little
mint. With water: a little more oak, banana skin
and apple peelings but everything is under control.
Mouth (neat): well, there sure is much more oak
and tannins than on the nose. Quite some green tea,
bitter oranges and then many spices such as cloves,
white pepper and paprika (something dry). Nutmeg.
A tad too oaky for my taste just now. With water:
works well, the tannins got tamed and replaced with
notes of marzipan, orange cake and vanilla cake.
Finish: medium long, with good balance between the
oak and the spirit. Quite some cinnamon in the aftertaste.
Comments: a very good one but one that needs quite
some playing with water. Funny how H2O either blocks
or unleashes the woodiness, depending on the number
of drops you add. SGP:361 - 89 points. |
| Glen
Grant 39 yo 1970/2009 (51.6%, Duncan Taylor, Rare
Auld, cask #844, 143 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: more sherry it seems but in
no way a ‘sticky’ sherriness, with a
huge amount of coffee and precious wood, ‘good’
varnish, thuja wood, then a little camphor, pine
resin, eucalyptus and liquorice (you may male all
that cough syrup). Roasted nuts, chestnut honey
(I’m often told that quoting specific kinds
of honey is pure showing off, or at least useless.
I say compare, say acacia and chestnut and then
get back to me). Very, very discreet winey notes.
Top notch. With water: superb notes of rancio, mushrooms,
old wine cellar, wine barrel and ham. Hints of gunpowder.
Mouth (neat): I don’t know whether there’s
less oak than in #3492 or if it’s better integrated
but what’s sure is that the ‘oaky feeling’
is much lower here. Rather some roasted nuts, orange
marmalade, bitter chocolate and prunes, with the
oak’s spices more in the background for a
while, before they start to come more and more to
the front after a while. With water: not much development
this time, only more cinnamon. A tad oakier globally.
Finish: long, dry, tannic and clean. Comments: fantastic
nose, the palate is maybe a tad more difficult/oaky
– and that’s why we cannot go to 90+. SGP:261 - 89 points. |
| Glen
Grant 39 yo 1970/2009 (51.9%, Duncan Taylor, Rare
Auld, cask #4195, 126 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: a tad more closed than #844
at first nosing, a little more spirity and certainly
less resinous/camphory, although there is quite
some pine resin. A tad jammier and a little more
candied and fruity. Apricot jam. Obvious notes of
tinned pineapples developing, even a little tinned
litchis. A tad rougher and less focused globally,
but still great. With water: very close to #844
now. Nice notes of old style leather polish and
once again a little gunpowder. Mouth (neat): we’re
rather close to #844, but the oak is bigger again,
almost trumpeting. So, a big spicy oakiness, with
quite some strong tea, pepper and cloves. In the
background: orange marmalade, strawberry jam and
prunes, with something Armagnac-ky. A few grains
of salt as well. With water: once again, the oak
comes out but some assertive fruits (?!) keep the
whole balanced. Strong tea, apricots and prunes.
Finish: very close to #844. Comments: a third one
that’s wonderful on the nose and ‘very
good’ on the palate because of an oakiness
that starts to be a wee tad too talkative. Now,
the aftertaste is rather fruitier and fresher here,
so let’s go for 90. Very good sherry! SGP:361
- 90 points. (and thank you, Herbert) |
| Glen
Grant 1972/2009 (51.8%, Berry Bros & Rudd, cask
#744/9) Colour: full gold. Nose: this one is definitely
more austere (but it’s no austere whisky!),
grassier as well (but it’s no grassy whisky!)
and a tad more roasted (but it’s no…)
Develops on various honeys (did I already tell you
that different honeys can smell and taste wildly
different?) and quite some vanilla crème,
nougat and, yes, a little mint. Beautiful again
even if a little less emphatic than the 1970s. With
water: ha-ha, exactly the contrary now, it got rather
fuitier and more lively than the 1970s. Funny notes
of Vicks, eucalyptus, camphor… Water makes
wonders with this one. Mouth (neat): there’s
less oak than in all the 1970s, and rather more
fruits instead. Notes of bananas, sweet curry, crystallised
orange zests and apricot pie, getting more citrusy
after that. Very good. With water: indeed! There
is some oak of course but it’s all under control.
Bananas flambéed and vanilla plus chestnuts.
Finish: long, fruity/oaky, balanced. Comments: the
nose was a tad less complex and ‘tertiary’
than the 1970s’, but the palate is rather
fresher and less tannic. Another perfect example
of a 90 points malt in my book. SGP:451
– 90 points. |
| Glen
Grant 50 yo 1954/2009 (42.2%, Ian McLeod, cask #3612,
100 bottles) The bottlers didn’t even bother stating that
it’s actually 54 or 55 years old. Yes, ‘over
50yo’ is enough ;-). Colour: pale amber. Nose:
what, more than 50 years? This is actually as fresh
as a morning sunrise over Speyside in May and as
fruity as… The fruits department at Fortnum
and Mason’s. Incredible avalanche of ripe
bananas, apricots, peaches, papayas and even ripe
strawberries, all that coated with whiffs of pinewood
smoke and a little liquorice. Very, very wee beefiness
floating over the fruits and just hints of dried
flowers, patchouli and fresh mint. Truly exceptional
but hey, we all know that the truth lies on the
palate with these very old whiskies. Will it be
tired and drying?... Mouth: no! Amazingly rich,
fruity, jammy, coating, ‘freshly’ spicy
and polished. Bananas flambéed, honey, chocolate
cake, café latte, apricot jam, then liquorice,
mint, Demerara sugar, extra-old rum, old Sauternes…
At the spices department there’s wee touches
of paprika and white pepper, just a little ginger,
cinnamon and then liquorice again. Totally flawless
at such old age. Finish: long, creamy, jammy, fruity,
with just a wee chalkiness from the wood –
I guess - in the aftertaste. Comments: this is a
rare, expensive bottling (£3,000 while G&M
would sell a Glen Grant 1954 at £250) and
okay, the presentation is a tad GlenWonka-ish, but
what’s inside the bottle is stupendously heavenly
indeed. SGP:551 - 94 points. |
 |
BONUS: this has nothing to do with the Malt Maniacs
Awards, although I seem to recall that the Brora
30yo 2003 edition won our Awards in 2004. No, in
fact, I already got hundreds (okay, dozens) of requests
for tasting notes for the 2007 edition of the Brora
30. It’s true that I never published those
notes, which is a shame, agreed. So, after another
friendly – but firm - request from our friend
Bill last night, here we go…
Brora 30 yo 2007 Edition
(55.7%, OB, 2,958 bottles) I take this opportunity to remind all the retailers
who add vintages to these Brora 30s that they’re
actually no-vintage bottlings, that is to say possibly
vattings of different vintages. |
| Colour:
gold. Nose: what’s striking at first nosing
is the rather perfect combination of straight raw
peat with soft and rounded nougatty notes. Highland
shortbread and coal smoke, then the expected farmy
notes (cow stable, wet dogs, farmyard), notes of
apple peeling and fresh walnut, then a little linseed
oil and damp earth (and chalk)… Plus just
hints of horseradish or mustard. A tad less ‘wild’
than earlier batches in my opinion, but not quite
a transition between the 30s and the 25 that was
to follow this one. In other words, a true 30. With
water: totally Brora. More farmy notes and this
superb kind of camphory/antiseptic notes that only
old peated glories can display. Mouth (neat): hugely
huge, extremely powerful, sharp and pretty zesty,
much less polished than on the nose when neat. Some
lemon, mustard, a lot of raw ginger, green apples,
cardamom, liquorice, tar… It’s not exactly
brutal but it’s no philosophical malt, if
you will. Maybe something of Port Ellen. With water:
lemon cake, sweet mustard, quince jelly, smoked
tea, civilised kippers ;-) and marzipan. Finish:
long, with more ‘peated lemon’ and a
little mint. Tar. Notes of lemon sprinkled oysters
in the aftertaste. Comments: a Brora that takes
water extremely well. In fact, water is de rigueur
here or you may miss the best part. I had thought
it would be rounder when I nosed it undiluted but
no, it’s a genuine, punchy, early-70s style
Brora. There. SGP:267 - 93 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: somewhere
between Weather Report and Lambert Hendricks and
Ross, here's Clare
Fischer and one of his Latin patterns
called Thru
the ages. Please buy Clare Fischer's music. |
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
|
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Bowmore 19 yo 1990/2009 (46%, Signatory, UCF, hogshead, casks #649+650, 719 bottles)
Brora 30 yo 2007 Edition (55.7%, OB, 2,958 bottles)
Glen Grant 39 yo 1970/2009 (51.9%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #4195, 126 bottles)
Glen Grant 1972/2009 (51.8%, Berry Bros & Rudd, cask #744/9)
Glen Grant 50 yo 1954/2009 (42.2%, Ian McLeod, cask #3612, 100 bottles)
Highland Park 15 yo 'St Magnus Edition One' (52.6%, OB, 5,976 bottles, 2009)
Inchgower 1977 (59.2%, Cadenhead, white label, cask #9718, +/-1993)
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