Dear Whisky Customers
Well it’s been an interesting few weeks; a period of dilemmas to say the least. Firstly I received around 30 odd Speyside samples to taste and score for this year’s Independent Bottlers Challenge, and only a couple of weeks to do it in! I have to say that there wasn’t as many sherry casks bottlings as there were the last time I tasted Speyside for the Challenge, and thankfully of those sherry matured samples that were submitted there was only one that I can recall was sulphur tainted. I’ll have more news and my reviews in the next newsletter, when the winners have been announced and I get to find out just exactly what I had tasted.
It made me wonder whether the Indies were becoming more aware of tainted sherry casks and not bottling them, or whether there was a dearth of sherry casks coming on to the secondary market. Maybe I’ll have to do some further investigation.
Dilemma number two was old grain whisky. In September Douglas Laing had decided to release five new bottlings! Oh, my god! As you know I have a weakness for old grains and I really couldn’t buy them all could I?! So a tough decision would have to be made. More on that later. Also coming up in this edition of the newsletter is the lastest releases from Dewar Rattray, both August and Septembers releases from Douglas Laing, a tasting of Glencadam, Tomintoul and Glenglassaugh, some new and not so new releases from James MacArthur, and…………. The Octomore returns!
Anyway before all of that. I had to laugh the other day whilst reading the Whisky Intelligence website, which amongst other things reproduces my newsletter. They had prefaced the August newsletter with the following comment.
“Whisky Intelligence has reproduced (with permission) The Gauntleys Whisky Newsletter for August 2011, the author, Chris Goodrum, has some excellent insights of whisky, which makes for excellent reading on a Sunday. However W.I. has carefully excised any mention of r*m, c*gn*c, sh*rry or V*dk*.”
So, I can confirm that there will be no reviews of r*m, g*n, c*gn*c, or v*dk* in this months newsletter!!!! Oh and by the way, it’s definitely worth taking a look at www.whiskyintelligence.com as it is crammed full of information on all things whisky related.
As you know I have started to reuse the Gauntleys wordpress blog as a home for my database of tasting notes. I’m currently up to S in the whisky tasting notes, so hopefully it will be completed in the next week or so. If you have had a look I would like to say thank you for doing so, and please feel free to leave a comment or two. I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised with the amount of ‘hits’ that it’s receiving. I mean last Saturday (10th September) it had 102 views! Now obviously it’s not going to receive that number of ‘hits’ everyday but it’s consistently getting views every day. So if you haven’t taken a look then wander over to www.gauntleys.wordpress.com and let me know what you think.
The next project that I’m kicking about in the back of my mind is to start doing video whisky reviews and uploading them to youtube as the only other guy posting reviews on there is someone called ralfy, and although his videos look quite professionally done, good grief he waffles on, and no offense but he bores me stupid! Can I do any better? Well that’s a good question! I’ll have to put in some practice first, so we’ll see!
Obviously I’ll let you know if or when I do my first posting!
Right enough of that waffle, let’s do some drinking……………………..
August Dewar Rattray bottlings
Now as you know I have a bit of a love/ hate relationship with Auchtentoshan (see October 2009’s Newsletter) and it seems to me that every time I taste it I’m disappointed. Not this month as both Dewar Rattray, James MacArthur and Douglas Laing have all released some cracking bottlings. The pick of them is the Rattray bottling, which is just a perfect example of a bourbon matured aged Lowland. Other highlights include the 18 year old Glenlossie and the 16 year old Mortlach. But the ‘must buy’ Dewar Rattray bottling of the month is the 21 year old Linkwood, which has a gorgeous maturity and a sublime complexity and balance..
Oh and it’s good to see that they have bottled another cask of Cooley. Back in October 2007 they bottled a sensational 15 year old, but followed it up in July 2009 with an over confected and slightly sickly 10 year old. This bottling of 10 year old is considerably better and a must have for you Irish Whiskey lovers!
Dewar Rattray Cooley 2000 (10 year old) 46% (website price £45.40)
Bourbon Cask 3240 - Sample at 58.8%
Dist: 2000 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A soft citrus infused nose. Slightly floral and grassy with plenty of subservient vanilla oak. Superb depth of soft fruit with the oak giving it a lovely sheen and a late spice note.
The palate is very much like the nose with the soft grassy, citrus fruit supported by the oak. Slightly floral when the alcohol passes, and finishing with the grass and herbal notes
With water (an approximation of what it will be like at 46%) the nose becomes even softer. Very elegant now with juicy apricot and citrus fruit again supported by the oak. The palate is very expressive now, quite full bodied with a slight oily sheen to the apricot and citrus. Lovely lemony length with hints of barley and spice in the finish. Extremely good.
Dewar Rattray Bunnahabhain 1997 (13 year old) 46%
Bourbon Cask 8374 - Sample at 57.4%
Dist: 1997 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A fairly phenolic and astringently coastal nose. Full of briny, gentle peat along with some barley and burnt wood. Seems a lot younger.
The palate is quite full and displays a good balance, opening with the smoky peat followed by some soft, pleasantly sweet barley fruit. Good length with an oily/ sooty finish.
With water (an approximation of what it will be like at 46%) the nose has become quite grassy and seaweedy, the rampant coastalness has now disappeared as has the oak. It’s still quite fleshy with the citrus the predominant theme. The palate has become rather sweet and almost confected. It’s also become a touch watery too. The intensity has definitely lessened and it’s only vaguely sooty now, but there is a pleasant sweetness to the peat.
Dewar Rattray Auchentoshan 1990 (20 year old) 55.9% (website price £50.54)
Bourbon Cask 17287
Dist: 1990 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose is quite aromatic and grassy with plenty of up front citrus aromas. Beneath sits some lovely, maturing honey. With time it becomes very peppery with some heavy oils now noticeable along with hints of rose petals and butter. A lovely complex old Lowland.
The palate is very oily – rose oil in fact with plenty of lightly mentholated flowers. The piquant alcohol does mask the palate a tad but there are some delightful Turkish delight (oily of course) moments in the finish.
A drop of water emphasises the oils on the nose, adding weight and density. Also a light tangerine note appears. On the palate it has the opposite effect. It’s less oily now and displaying a greater degree of maturity – dried citrus fruit sprinkled with castor sugar and some old wood. It has a lovely delicacy and length with a touch of liquorice, malt and coffee in the finish.
Dewar Rattray Glenlossie 1992 (18 year old) 56.1% (website price £52.56)
Bourbon Cask 3441
Dist: 1992 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
Quite a heavy and oily nose for a ‘lossie with no shortage of vanillins and toasted oak. This is by no means an oak monster as a beautiful floral perfume emerges with some musky notes. With time the fruit really starts to emerge – macerated apricots, lemon and orange fruit along with some light but mature honey.
The palate is oily and a touch on the tannic side. The alcohol emphasises that dryness but there’s a depth of honeyed fruit along with grassy and mineral notes. A slightly tart lemon finish with a slight minty/ menthol after taste.
Diluted the nose is beautiful. Still perfumed but the orange fruit has become very silky and liquor-like. It displays a wonderful maturity but there is still a lovely crystalline edge. The palate has become soft and a touch milky, maybe a touch less intense but the depth of mouth-filling apricot fruit is a joy. Very long with the alcohol drying the finish out a smidge, but all in all a lovely mature Spey.
Dewar Rattray Mortlach 1995 (16 year old) 51.1% (website price £52.35)
Bourbon Cask 2436
Dist: 1995 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A lovely mature nose, redolent of perfumed honey (lehua and white sage) sawdusty oak and barley. Robust and full aromas (as you would expect) with hints of satsuma, tangerine, banana and some bolstering oak vanillins.
The palate is lightly oily and sumptuously fruity – apricot, tangerine with a touch of old straw and mature honey. A short burst of piquant alcohol leads into a perfumed finish with hints of barley and a lovely dry, but sweet spice after taste. Another lovely, mature Spey.
Dewar Rattray Glenrothes 1990 (20 year old) 52.8%
Bourbon Cask 19022
Dist: 1990 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose displays an awful lot of burnt caramel and some surprisingly youthful cereal spirit notes. There is a touch of light perfume but it seems a bit disconnected. That burnt caramel note is to be honest brief and is replaced by some sawdusty oak notes.
The palate is quite light and taught with that burnt caramel note lingering in the background. It does seems to lack the usual ‘rothes honey and for its age it lacks real complexity although it does have a pleasant grassy, mineral, citrus finish.
Water emphasises the sawdusty oak and bring out a touch of light orange. The palate is even lighter now and lacks focus. Not bad, but not great either. And the finish is a bit too sugary as well.
Dewar Rattray Linkwood 1989 (21 year old) 55.8% (website price £63.94)
Bourbon Cask 7322
Dist: 1989 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
Oooh this is a bit of a herbal monster! A very leafy nose of old grass, flax and hemp with no shortage of mature, yet restrained honey and old wood notes. In fact you can almost smell the wood grain! There is also some Armagnac-esque dried fruit, which adds to the aged rancio. Very complex with hints of earth, malt and demarara sugar. Ooh that honey is expanding wonderfully, but it is showing its age with an almost grainy like spirit note in the background and one feels it has been bottled in the nick of time – Good!
The palate is oily and soft opening with some lactose wood notes and honey. The alcohol and tannins build, depositing a multitude of wood flavours – lactones, lignin and bark. A mouth-watering middle leads into a very herbal/ old grass finish with again an almost grainy spirit note. Highly entertaining and wonderfully mature.
August Old Malt Cask bottlings
Ah another month rolls by and another box of samples arrives from Douglas Laing! I wish I had more space in the shop. I mean the Douglas Laing selection now takes up an entire shelf, and that doesn’t include the double barrel and big peat bottlings! So even though I thought the 15 year old Arran, and the 15 year old Laphroaig were excellent, it was the 21 year old Laphroaig that was a must buy. Dense, complex and wonderfully mature. Sometime there is nothing like an old ‘Phroaig!
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Ord 1997 (14 year old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC2069
Dist: Apr 1997 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A gristy and peppery nose with white liquorice, brittle honey, grassy fruit and granity notes. The palate is quite oily and full, but less granity. Quite fruity with some creamy oak and gentle spices. Good length with some granity citrus and gristy notes on the finish. Lovely sweet Satsuma note in the after taste.
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Arran 1996 (15 year Old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC2073
Dist: Sept 1996 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A lovely nose, full of sweet, soft apricot, apple, banana along with a slight coastal edge and a touch of white grape. The oak supports the full and fruity aromas really well.
The palate mirrors the nose with regard to it’s immense fruitiness. Maybe a touch less coastal but it shows more honey and the fruit is pleasantly tropical in character. Seriously mouth-filling with a good balancing citrus thread. Very long with the citrus lingering along with a late salty flourish.
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Tamnavulin 1989 (21 year old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC2072
Dist: Oct 1989 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose is just plain old with no shortage of old wood notes. Rather industrial and spirity. To be honest its lacking in fruit and the aromas are rather hard and waxy. A bit Dufftown-esque!
The palate is very much the same. Amongst the old wood notes there is some late leafy old tobacco and dried stalky notes, but frankly a bit charmless and hard going.
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Laphroaig 1996 (15 year old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC2070
Dist: Jul 1996 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose is quite mature but it still possesses a lovely freshness. Spicy peppery peat aromas mingle with some burnt wood and fish, later to be joined by some rubbery notes. The spirit itself is pretty robust with some barley sweetness beneath.
The palate is quite sweet, opening with the sugar coated fruit, followed by the gentle, sooty peat on the middle and finishing with just a slight coastal nuance (mainland matured?). Good length with some herbal notes in the after taste.
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Laphroaig 1990 (21 year old) 50% (website price £92.95)
Bourbon
Code: OMC2064
Dist: Mar 1990 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
Now this is a lovely and mature ‘phroaig! Dense, complex and inviting with hints of iodine, wicker fish baskets and gentle peat. Very earthy and wonderfully deep with some sweet barley fruit beneath. A stunning mature Islay nose!
The palate is gentle and mature with hints of fish, brine and sugar coated fruit. Gentle, soft peat rolls on by along with a touch of camphor, iodine, bog myrtle and burnt coastal wood. A lovely depth and length with a distinct warming feel. A superb, mature, gentle Islay.
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Glenlivet 1977 (34 year old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC2057
Dist: Jun 1977 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A superb nose. Delicate and delightfully citrus (lemon, lime) in character with a touch of rind along with hints of earth, white flowers and a suggestion of phenolic peat. The lovely fruit sweetness builds wonderfully and is joined by some late oak vanillins. Wonderfully deep and mature.
The palate is ultra-smooth, opening with some softly spied honey which gently coats the mouth. Some granity hard notes appear on the middle along with some mature wood notes. This leads into a softly perfumed finish. Wonderfully long, the fruit is quite unassuming and delicate but it really lingers, as does the sweet spices.
August Provenance bottlings
I have found that the Provenance bottlings can be quite hit and miss. On the one hand the Caol Ila was beautiful and definitely worth forking out £46 for. The Aultmore and the Blair Athol were perfectly good and pleasant malts, well worth the £35 price tag, but the Highland Park was awful.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Aultmore 2000 (10 year old)
Bourbon
Code: PRV0717
Dist: Nov 2000 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A fresh nose of high toned, youthful cereal and grass with hints of apple and pear. The aromas are reminiscent of a cloudy/ traditional cider. The palate is quite sweet and gristy. A touch confected with grass and fresh citrus. Good length with some youthful cereal on the finish. Pleasant.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Blair Athol 1999 (11 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0720
Dist: Dec 1999 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
The aromas are exceedingly citrus in nature and a touch alcoholic, although some lovely musky perfumed white fruit emerge along with hints grass, barley, pepper and gentle oak. Fuller bodied in the mouth with plenty of malty-barley sweet fruit. A touch on the straightforward side but with a gorgeous depth. Good length with an oily, slightly candied orange finish. Very pleasant.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Craigellachie 1999 (12 year old) 46%
Refill-Sherry
Code: PRV0719
Dist: Jul 1999 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
Quite a subtle nose with hints of raisins and died plum along with some nutty sherry oak. Slightly hard in style with a sort of sub-industrial character. The palate is fuller with some sweet barley and subtle sherry notes giving a touch of dried fruit. Quite a dry and spicy finish again with an underlying sub-industrial note. Pleasant enough through.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Highland Park 1998 (13 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0718
Dist: Sept 1998 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
Serious off notes on the nose. It really smells like drains with burnt caramel and spirity notes. Very unpleasant. The palate is sickly sweet, almost butyric with burnt caramel/ toffee and decaying vegetation. It’s also a bit fizzy on the finish too!
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Caol Ila 2001 (10 year old 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0711
Dist: Jan 2001 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A lovely nose of high toned white fruits and phenolic briny, seaweedy notes, underpinned by a good barley sweetness and unassuming oak. With time a hint of perfume appears. A lovely, fresh Caol Ila! The palate is a touch on the sweeter side and slightly gristy to begin with. Gentle, spicy peat and perfumed white flowers leads into a fresh spicy, tarry and sooty finish.
August Double Barrel bottling
Douglas Laing ‘Double Barrel’ Mortlach/ Laphroaig 10 year old 46%
Bourbon
Code: DBS0028
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose takes awhile to get going as the rich Mortlach initially dampens the enthusiasm of the young Laphroaig, but give it time and the classic seaweed, peat, bog mrtyle and coastal nuances arrive. The palate is quite oily and dense, opening with the Mortlach fruit and building sugars, followed by a gentle peat note along with hints of burnt wood, soot and salt. Like the best ‘vattings’ the Mortlach forms a bedrock for the for the Islay characteristics to shine. Even though it’s all Laphroaig on the finish the rich, fruitiness is still there as well.
August Premier Barrel bottling
Douglas Laing Premier Barrel Glen Grant 1998 (12 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PBR0102
Dist: Sept 1998 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
Quite a perfumed nose with a slight muskiness along with hints of wood shavings and crisp citrus fruit. The palate is pretty much all oak – light nutty, toffee’d caramel and alcohol. Not much of a mid palate or a finish to be honest. The nose was pretty enough but the oak had a strangle hold of the palate.
August Clan Denny bottling
Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Cambus 1975 (36 year old) 52.1%
Bourbon
Code: DEN0069
Dist: Jul 1975 Btl: Aug 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A gorgeously sweet and demerara sugar coated nose. The rum like dried fruit aromas mingle with some edgy rye like notes and wonderfully soft and succulent honey. The oak vanillins are pretty robust and bring some violet and cream notes. A stunning nose with a late hint of earth.
An expansive and gorgeous palate. Off sweet and spicy! The oak is less ‘in yer face’ and a lot more subtler, almost delicate in character, which gives full rein to the juicy honeyed grains and dark, fruit cake. Lovely length with hints of rum like dried fruits, tobacco, spice and a touch of smoke before the oak returns and slightly bitters out the finish. Yet another wonderful old grain!
Glencadam tasting
I had a visit a few weeks ago from the new rep from Angus Dundee Distillers, the owners of both Glencadam and Tomintoul. He said would like some samples of our new stuff? Now there was an offer I couldn’t turn down. I love the exuberantly tropical character of Glencadam and I was keen to see if the 21 year would be a bit over powering in the oak department, as that was my impression of the 15 year old the first time I tasted it in 2008, although by the time I re-tasted it last year I felt that there was a lot better balance between oak and spirit.
I had absolutely no issues with the 21 year old, it was superb and retailing for around £52, it is an absolute steal. I do have issues with the 12 year old Port finish though. The finishing cask has stripped this beautiful malt of any semblance of complexity, and it left me wondering why they bothered.
Glencadam 14 year old ‘Oloroso Sherry Finish’ 46%
Tasted: Aug 2011
Obviously this has been given a relatively short (6 months?) finishing as the sherry aromas are quite delicate and they blend well with the rich, tropical fruit adding a very pleasant demerara sugar coating. Very polished with hints of earth, liquorice, honey and perfumed Satsuma.
The palate is full and soft; however the finishing has muted the usually exuberant tropical character. In fact it’s all a bit simple with quite a tart citrus and mineral middle. The finish is a bit non-existent but quite mouth watering.
Glencadam 21 year old 46% (website price £52.27)
Bourbon
Tasted: Aug 2011
A seriously deep and gorgeous nose of mature tropical fruit – guava, kiwi, apricot, mandarin and a touch of pineapple and pure honeycomb. Some cereal and edgy citrus balance the mature honey and sawdusty oak, which with time becomes slightly buttery.
The palate is super smooth and decadently honeyed. Gentle, mature, macerated tropical fruit fills the mouth. Not as perfumed as the nose but wonderfully dense. This density is balanced superbly by the crisp, granity citrus and alcohol. Lovely length with some malty cereal, white liquorice and light coffee wood notes and tannins coming through on the finish. Quite a herbal aftertaste too!
Glencadam 12 year old ‘Port Finish’ 46%
Tasted: Aug 2011
I would assume that this has seen 1 to 2 years finishing as the winey port notes really subdues the tropical character. There are some pleasant earthy/ manure notes from the finishing cask and a lovely orange aroma tries to emerge, but one has to wonder why such a beautiful malt needed this?
The palate is soft and simple, again the finishing cask has removed any complexity and has left the middle somewhat hollow, although it is not overtly tannic, the oak grips and dries the palate, thus like the sherry finish it has a non-existent finish.
Tomintoul tasting
So is the Tomintoul 12 year old Port finish as much of a disaster as the Glencadam? Yes and no. As you can see from my notes a semblance of distillery character has been left in tact, well on the nose at least, but the palate has been swamped, so I’m afraid that I’m going to have to pass on that one. The 14 year old is ok, but it’s well and truly eclipsed by the 16 year old, but the 21 year old is a real gem, which hopefully will be added to the list once I an find out how much it’ll cost us.
Tomintoul 14 year old 46%
Bourbon
Tasted: Aug 2011
A seriously lemony nose, reminiscent of lemon curd with grassy notes. With time there is a hint of perfumed white flowers.
The palate is soft, yet crisp and like the nose full of castor sugar sprinkled lemon curd. A good intensity if somewhat linear. Reasonably palate cleansing finish. Pleasant, but lacks the depth of the 16 year old.
Tomintoul 21 year old 40% (price to be confirmed)
Bourbon
Tasted: Aug 2011
A lovely, sub-tropical, crystallised nose with hints of grass and barley sugar. Some lovely mature honey drifts in along with some creamy oak. Lovely complexity with a hint of hessian and Colombian coffee. With time a beautiful liquid orange aroma appears.
Soft and juicy with a pithy quality. Opening with a lovely melange of sub-tropical melon, lemon and apricot. Seriously succulent and mouth filling with globs of mature honey on the middle, leading into a grassy, mineral finish. A very gentle dram with a gorgeous depth.
Tomintoul 12 year old ‘Port Finish’ 46%
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose is pretty much all winey, red fruits (redcurrant jelly) with a slight hint of grassiness and lemon.
The palate is swamped by the finish. There is a sensation of some honeyed fruit beneath but the peppery port fruit puts paid to it coming through. Like the Glencadam 12 year old Port finish it’s not overly tannic but unlike the Glencadam, the spirit is more robust and stops the wood drying out the finish. This at least gives it some length but sadly no distillery character.
New James MacArthur bottlings
So as I said at the beginning of the newsletter, one of the highlights of my recent tastings is the MacArthur 12 year old Auchentoshan. I must admit when I saw that the sample was at 62.9%, my first thoughts were that it was going to taste like dirty rose petal infused paint stripper! However I was way, way off the mark. In fact I was stunned. This is just how young ‘Tosahn should be. Yes it’s always going to be a bit sort of Dufftown-esque with regard to its character but that should be balanced by a fresh rose petally character, which this bottling definitely does.
Other highlights include a lovely 12 year old Linkwood, a superb 13 year old Clynelish and a gorgeously honeyed 19 year old Glen Grant. We’ll forget about the Benriach and Bruichladdich and instead wallow in the butch and briny 12 year old ‘Phroaig!
Old Masters Clynelish 1997 (13 year old) 52.1% (website price £51.35)
Bourbon Cask 4643
Dist: 1997 Btl: 2010
Tasted: Aug 2011
A fresh and quite fruity nose. A lovely burst of mature honey along with hints of grass. There is plenty of American oak, but it is wonderfully balanced. The aromas seem older than 13 years.
The palate opens with some sweet barley and soft fruits. After the alcohol bites the middle shows some lovely granity hard honey, accented by some grassy notes. Good length and finish. The palate is more representative of its age.
With water the nose becomes wonderfully perfumed, now showing hints of liquorice, orange and some light coffee. Very polished and succulent. The palate is softer and grassier, still quite sweet with banana and fleshy fruit now showing. Very mouth-filling with a slight smoked bacon note on the finish.
Old Masters Benriach 1996 (14 year old) 54%
Bourbon Cask 43219
Dist: 1996 Btl: 2010
Tasted: Aug 2011
Quite an oily nose with plenty of youthful cereal, grist and malt. The aromas are tinged with a sort of molasses aroma, which is quite unusual for Benriach. There is a let hint of peat which grows stronger with time, along with some manurey elements.
The palate is like the nose, oily and youthful with a peppery Tequila-esque character. It’s a bit simple and straightforward but it has a good length and an earthy finish.
A drop of water brings out the typicity off the nose. Very grassy and Sauvignon-esque now. Some nascent orange fruit lurks in the background as do some oak notes. Quite a change! The palate is still quite oily and a tad muted now. It is a lot less complex than the nose and there is an off putting cardboard note which clamps down on the grassy fruit, although said grassiness does put in an appearance on the finish.
Old Masters Auchentoshan 1998 (12 year old) 62.9% (website price £53.20)
Bourbon Cask 102338
Dist: 1998 Btl: 2010
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose is quite dense and woody, heavy on the coffee and wood spices, although not unpleasant. In fact it is quite complex with hints of pepper and boiled sweets along with some perfumed rose petal notes. I have to say that I’m impressed with the cleanliness of the aromas, as young-ish ‘toshan can be quite dirty. With time the peppery notes really come to the fore.
I’d have to describe the palate as sub-industrial, although that is not a criticism. Often ‘toshan can be quite hard going but these sub-industrial notes are countered by the sweet rose petal notes and mingles well with the boiled sweet, pepper and wood spices. The alcohol although pretty high is impeccably behaved, although it does strip the sweetness away and I have to say it is very well integrated. Very good length with some unsweetened Turkish delight notes and a touch of perfume.
A drop of water emphasises the peppery notes on the nose and makes the palate softer and less confected and slightly oilier with some barley sweetness emerging now the alcohol has been tamed. Actually this is rather enjoyable and beats the distillery bottling hands down!
Old Masters Linkwood 1998 (12 year old) 54.6% (website price £51.35)
Bourbon Cask 11650
Dist: 1998 Btl: 2010
Tasted: Aug 2011
A crisp, fresh nose of brittle honey with a touch of heavy oils. Quite alcoholic with some lovely perfumed barley moments. Unusually there is a hint of something phenolic in the background.
The palate opens like the nose with the brittle honey followed by some lovely barley sweetness and gentle oily spices, which build with the alcohol, ending in a mouth-watering, slightly grassy finish.
Water makes the nose gorgeously soft with more of the typical Speyside citrus and grass notes showing. It seems a tad older now with the heavy oils and wood notes relegated to the background. The palate is softer has an icing sugar dénouement. The latent vanilla arrives and it has become quite fleshy and mouth-filling. A beautifully gentle length. Very enjoyable!
Old Masters Bruichladdich 1991 (20 year old) 51.5%
Bourbon Cask 2493
Dist: 1991 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
A lovely perfumed, musky acacia nose with some light honey and plenty of coastal accented fruit. Very fresh with a beautiful maturity. With time some heavy camphor notes appear and the coastal notes increase with intensity. To complete the nose some late distant smoke and wood spices drifts in.
The palate is gentle and honeyed with hints of salt and white flowers. The rather mouth watering alcohol masks the palate, but the finish is pleasantly briny and fishy. I’m hoping that a drop of water opens it up.
Water brings out a gorgeously sensual tangerine/ Satsuma note along with some fish oils, but………. On the palate it is a different story. It really feels old now and the spirit has metaphorically rolled over with its legs in the air and surrendered to the oak. It’s dry, distinctly lacking in the fruit department and all that is really left is some confected fish oils. This is a real tale of two halves as they say!
Old Masters Laphroaig 1998 (12 year old) 57.2% (website price £59.52)
Bourbon Cask 700233
Dist: 1998 Btl: 2010
Tasted: Aug 2011
A full, butch, briny and phenolic nose with coal tar and creosote. A lovely substantial depth of coastal fruit and just a touch of medicinalness! With time it becomes more manurey. Classic!
The palate is lightly oily with the peat carry a slight coffee inge. Quite sugary and violety, this makes the peat wonderfully sweet but the sooty, coal tar and rubber notes soon barrel in on a wave of fish oils. Really robust and full and even though the alcohol is imposing it is sublimely balanced. Good length with a violety/ sooty finish.
A drop of water mellows the nose a tad, the sugar has become quite crystalline in form and there is a slight grassiness now. The peat intensity has dropped off a bit, but it’s still wonderfully manurey though! The palate follows the same theme and has become a lovely sooty mouthful. Seriously long leaving the mouth coated in a slightly oily, rubbery coal dust!
Old Masters Glen Grant 1992 (19 year old) 59.4% (website price £65.81)
Bourbon Cask 35955
Dist: 1992 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose opens with some beautiful floral honey. Said honey has a lovely brittle, crunchy and edgy character, showing a touch of maturity. Some high toned botanical spirit notes appear along with some late creamy oak and earthy nuances.
Wonderfully soft and fruity – crushed apricots and a touch of orange along with some straw, earth, brittle honey and sweet malt. The middle is very earthy with hints of white flowers and cream. Lovely length with the sweetness carrying right through to the death, where it finishes with a Sauvignon-esque, cut grass after taste.
With water the nose becomes fresher and grassier. It seems younger now, with the creamy oak more prevalent, adding a touch of toffee. The palate is soft and unctuous, with the malt and barley now coming to the fore. Very full, wonderfully soft and polished. Great length.
Will the real Peat Monster, please stand up!
80, 131, 140, 152 and now peated to 167 part per million. As Jim Murray said “Great whisky is not about numbers; it’s about excellent distillation and careful maturation.”
Bruichladdich Octomore 04.1 (5 year old) 62.5% (website price £89.99)
Bourbon
Peated to 167ppm
Limited to 15,000 bottles worldwide
Dist: 2006 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose, as expected is extremely phenolic with a lovely density of peat aromas, bog myrtle, heather and mint. Beautifully robust with some cerealy-barley, seaweed, mint, and seriously crisp, briny white fruit. With time some perfumed white flower (lily) aromas appear along with an earthy/dunnagey note.
The palate is robust with a slight sweet entry. Although it’s very heavily peated the peat flavours are surprisingly gentle, but they do build into a dusty alcoholic mouthful, and when the full force of the slightly medicinal, bog myrtley peat and alcohol hit, you really know about it! The nascent oak character sits beneath, adding body and the finish is exceptionally long for such a young spirit.
With water the nose becomes more oilier and shows more of its youthful cereal side. The peat has now taken on a wonderful sweetness with some hints of manure and rubber. The palate likewise is sweeter and oilier with more emphasis on the lovely soft fruits. The peat has taken on a more woody dénouement, but it is still pretty intense, leaving an oily/ briny coating to the mouth and finishing with a dry salty twang. Seriously good stuff!
September Clan Denny bottlings
Damn, they must know by now that I have a weakness for old grains! So like I said in my introduction, due to the constraints of space I had to be ruthless in my selection criteria. So, even though the Dumbarton is stunning I do have some bottles of the 45 year old bottled in April this year left, so that’s one down. The Cameronbridge was far too young, in grain terms, so that’s two down.
I couldn’t pass up the Port Dundas. I mean a 33 year old spirit for less than £80 is a real bargain, plus the fact it is lovely too is a real bonus. As for the other two, well I just couldn’t resist them!
Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Port Dundas 1978 (33 year old) 54.2% (website price £77.95)
Bourbon
Code: DEN0077
Dist: Jan 1978 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A lovely, deep, richly oaked nose, accented with some delightfully crumbly spices. A serious hit of sweet oak vanillins but balanced by hints of barley sweetness and lithe, slightly rum-like dried fruits.
The palate is soft, yet intense with a distinct rum-like dried fruit rancio. The oak is really well behaved and sits in the background as some beautiful spice, alcohol and vanilla notes build. Stunning depth and length with a delicate oiliness to the fruit.
A drop of water makes the nose subtler and less intense but it brings out the oaks toasty character and the grain takes on a wonderful rye bite. The palate like the nose is subtler and softer. More mouth-filling and with less of the oak character, the dried fruits show wonderfully. Maybe it lacks the punch of taking it neat but either way it’s yet another stunning grain cask. And at this price a real bargain.
Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Carsebridge 1965 (45 year old) 44.7% (website price £130.95)
Bourbon
Code: DEN0072
Dist: Oct 1965 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A grainy and very earthy nose. In fact it is almost peated with some edgy, toffee’d American oak followed by a lovely burst of perfumed orange. The grains are beautifully crisp and fragrant. Later a touch of light coffee and herbs appears.
The palate is lovely and soft. Slightly grainy with gentle dried fruit and a very subtle touch of oak. Quite oily, but the grains nip and keep it vibrant. Ooh the middle displays a wonderful Guyana-esque dried fruit combination, which mellows into a long spicy and subtle citrus finish.
Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Cameronbridge 1990 (21 year old) 58.2%
Bourbon
Code: DEN0076
Dist: Jun 1990 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A very grainy and youthful nose with no shortage of alcohol, grated citrus rind, a touch of apricot, barley, candyfloss and subtle toffee’d oak, which builds with time.
The palate is quite sweet and sugary as well as being pretty oily. A distinct apricots/ peaches soaked in syrup character. However the crisp grain and alcohol wade in on the middle, cleansing the palate but it does shorten the finish somewhat. In saying that it has a wonderful intensity and displays a slight spice note in the finish.
Water has a tendency to mute the nose and palate, emphasising the heavy oils and the oak blankets with a distinct toffee character.
Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Caledonian 1965 (45 year old) 47.3% (website price £128.95)
Bourbon
Code: DEN0073
Dist: Aug 1965 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose is pure, liquid butterscotch, warm toffee and buckets of oak vanillins. It’s big, bold and bourbon-esque with some lovely, sweet and spicy grains shooting the through the oak morass. With time some slightly floral aromas appear as do hints of burnt toffee and popcorn.
The palate is quite dry and tannic, but it quickly moves into soft toffee and almonds. The oak is no where near as obtrusive and overblown as the nose would suggest and thus the palate displays a greater degree of graininess. Wonderfully soft and succulent on the middle with some gentle rum-like dried fruit. Stunning length with hints of mocha and burnt toffee on the finish.
Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Dumbarton 1964 (46 year old) 47.4%
Bourbon
Code: DEN0075
Dist: Dec 1964 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A huge, beastie of a nose! A nuclear blast of spicy oak is followed by some brown sugar coated, almost savoury macerated brambly fruits. Astonishingly intense with a hint of toffee ice-cream. The gentle grain, are just about detectable through the morass. Stunning complexity!
The palate is expansive and envelops the mouth. It opens with the gentle but serious oak, dried fruit, black toffee, dark coconut and brown sugar building wonderfully. The middle is shot through with some tartly citrus grains, which balances the oak wonderfully well. Extremely long with a slightly earthy, botanical grain finish and a mocha/ dark chocolate after-taste. Absolutely stunning!
September Old Malt Cask bottlings
Now what was I saying about Auchentoshan. After the Dewar Rattray and MacArthur bottlings I was amazed to taste yet another reasonably good bottling. ‘Tosahn has never been a fully paid up member of the Axis of Evil, but it’s sort of teetered on the brink, however on the strength of these bottlings I think it has possibly saved itself!!!!
As you can see from my notes, Douglas Laing does seem to bottle some odd Blair Athol’s, and to be honest with you it would have been a really hard sell. On the other hand the two Bunnah’s will definitely not be a hard sell. Take note please Burn Stewart – Your distillery produces a lovely characterful spirit that deserves better than being swamped in sherry, and sulphurous sherry at that!
I do love Clynelish, but it can be a bit hit and miss. Certainly the last time I tasted any of the distillery bottlings they were definitely ones to forget about, as have been a few private bottlings. This 28 year old is however seriously good. Unfortunately the same thing couldn’t be said about ‘Possibly Speysides Finest’.
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Auchentoshan 1997 (13 year old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC1985
Dist: Dec 1997 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose comes as a complete shock. It’s very sweet, honeyed and almost tropical. Most unusual!! This is followed by hints of cider apples and malt vinegar, which is not entirely unpleasant. Although the aromas are quite sweet there is a balancing citrus freshness and a slight earthiness to it.
The palate is soft and rounded, slightly honeyed with some gently oiled, slightly floral yellow fruits. Again this is most unusual for ‘Toshan, but the spell is kind of broken as it shows it’s industrial side toward the end – I mean it’s still ‘Toshan after all! Good length with hints of rose petals in the finish. On the balance of things it’s not bad – really!
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 1997 (14 year old) 50% (website price £58.95)
Bourbon
Code: OMC2052
Dist: Aug 1997 Btl Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose is pleasantly tropical, almost Aran-esque in character with hints of mulch, wet leaves, peat and a touch of burnt wood and a building coastal intensity. All too often bourbon casked Bunnah can be quite disappointing – this definitely isn’t!
The palate opens with some soft barley, and sugar coated, gently tropical fruit. Wisps of developing smoke and some gentle peat waft in. The middle has a lovely mouth-watering intensity of earthy, spicy malt and alcohol. Wonderfully complex finish with burnt wood, leather, citrus and brine coming through on the finish
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Blair Athol 1990 (21 year old) 50%
Bourbon
Code: OMC2080
Dist: Aug 1990 Btl Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A fresh, citrus (lime) infused honeyed nose with a Ben Nevis like doughy character. There are some high toned, peppery marc/ rose petal notes and some edgy ripe, sherberty fruit notes too. Hmm, all quite odd it has to be said.
The palate is reasonably sweet and syrupy with hints of honey. Overall it does feel a bit flat though and bordering on the industrial. The out of left field one is hit by a plethora of pure cracked black pepper notes, which linger through to the finish. It’s a rather unusual to say the least but Douglas Laing do seem to bottle some unusual Blair Athol (see June’s Premier Barrel bottling for example!)
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 1990 (21 year old) 50% (website price £82.95)
Bourbon
Code: OMC2082
Dist: Feb 1990 Btl Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
Ooooh, this is stunningly deep and veritably dripping in succulent, mature honey, floor polish and beeswax – It reminds me of some of the old bottlings of Glenrothes by Duncan Taylor. Seriously complex with hints of sawdust, earth, violets and menthol. I would assume that it has spent many years maturing on the mainland as there is only a slight coastal note (that’s not a criticism by the way!)
The palate is velvety soft and rich. Wonderfully complex with mature honey, earthy spices, old macerated orange, which is almost liqueur-like given time rolling around the tongue. This is punctuated by some heavy dark chocolatey wood notes but a piquantly alcoholic middle and peppery spice finish stop the wood from dominating. Lovely length with hints of old, leafy herbs on the finish
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask ‘Possibly Speysides Finest’ 1991 (18 year old) 50%
Bourbon – Red Wine finished
Code: OMC1889
Dist: Nov 1991 Btl Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A sweet yet granity, slightly estery nose with some hard red berry fruit. Later some gentle malty, honey and marzipan tries to soften the proceedings but the hardness of the wine finish wins out.
Soft and spicy on the palate. Full of almost fortified dried, sweet red fruits and malt. Very full bodied and quite chewy in texture with a tartly alcoholic middle. Add to that a fair dollop of wood tannins and the finish is painfully dry.
A drop of water sort of mutes the nose, maybe emphasising the marzipan notes. The palate has become exceedingly confected, simple and short. It may have been Speysides finest once upon a time until the wine finish kicked it in the nads!
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Clynelish 1982 (28 year old) 50% (website price £106.95)
Bourbon
Code: OMC2078
Dist: Dec 1982 Btl Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A beautifully fresh, elegant and citrusy nose. Quite bready in a Ben Nevisy sort of way and boisterously honeyed. The citrus keeps the afore mentioned honey under control rather well, but the depth is phenomenal. It’s definitely not one-dimensional though and just to prove it, it offers up a lovely flourish of warming spices and a touch of late butter-toffee emerging as the oak starts to grip.
Elegant and soft on the palate, opening with the juicy citrus and fleshy apricot, all liberally sprinkled with dusty spices and castor sugar. It opens into a serious mouthful of brittle, mature honey and oak, but like the nose a beautiful thread of fresh lemon keeps the balance. Very long with hints of spiced orange on the finish. Another seriously good bottling of Clynelish!
September Provenance bottlings
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Ardmore 2003 (7 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0690
Dist: Sept 2003 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
As expected the nose is high toned and botanical, reeking of ‘off the still’ cereal along with a slightly damp/ wet leaves note. It’s a baby really! The palate pretty much follows the same course opening with some sweet cereal and a touch of nascent peat/ soot, but not much else. The finish is tart and alcoholic
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Braeval 1999 (11 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0730
Dist: Sept 1999 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A slightly honeyed nose with plenty of toffee’d/ caramel oak and hints of high toned floral notes and a touch of cereal. The palate is relatively sweet with an abundance of pure, liquid caramel, hints of peppery spices, youthful cereal and a touch of honey. Pleasant if rather non descript.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Tormore 1999 (11 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0686
Dist: 1999 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
Another high toned nose, but the aromas are rather murky and a touch industrial. Yes there are some floral and honey notes but they fail to really escape the murkiness. The palate is young and unsurprisingly a tad industrial with latent honey, cereal overlaid by some toffee’d oak. Quite peppery on the middle with a tartly citrus and alcoholic finish.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Bunnahabhain 2001 (9 year old) 46%
Sherry
Code: PRV0721
Dist: Oct 2001 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A brief waft of nutty, slightly peppery sherry is followed by a truck load of very sweet oak vanillins, marzipan and butter (American sherry cask?). Distinctly lacking in distillery character. The palate is lightly sherried too – chocolate, dried fruit and tannins. Then the oak stops dead leaving the quite peppery and youthfully spirit showing. To be honest it’s really light years away from being ready to be bottled.
Douglas McGibbon Provenance Laphroaig 2001 (10 year old) 46%
Bourbon
Code: PRV0722
Dist: Feb 2001 Btl: Sept 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
Initially the nose is rather muted and oily but given some time the youthful peat gets going. The sweetness builds as do some sweet, malty, biscuity aromas. Lightly phenolic and smoky, and I would imagine mainland matured judging by the lack of coastal character.
The palate opens with sweet, malt biscuits and burnt toast, followed by some sweet, sooty peat. Quite full and rounded with the peat, although relatively subtle lingering, with the addition of some late liquorice and rubber. Again distinctly un-coastal, well, maybe there is a bit of salinity in the finish.
I suppose if this was retailing for say around £35, I would say that it’s not to bad value for money, but with a price tag of around £50, I’m not convinced.
And finally from Douglas Laing
As we are now out of the Ardbeg/ Glenrothes I asked for a sample of the current bottling, which is just as good as the previous one, so that will be arriving in the shop in November priced at £46.95, and so will the Big Peat@Christmas, which will retail for £43.95.
Douglas Laing ‘Double Barrel’ Ardbeg/ Glenrothes 10 year old (?) 46%
Bourbon
Bottling Code DBS0030
Tasted: Sept 2011
Like the previous bottling, the nose is dominated by the Ardbeg with its phenolic and gently peated, burnt wood, rubber, violet and fishy notes. The Glenrothes sits in the background giving richness to the nose. Seems younger than the previous bottling with some high toned floral notes.
The palate is dense oilier than the nose would suggest and subtly honeyed. The Glenrothes initially blunts the Ardbeg until it bursts through on the mid palate with the phenolic fruit, peat and rubber. Great length with the Ardbeg lingering and adding hints of burnt wood and a coastal salinity.
Douglas Laing Big Peat@Christmas 57.8%
Bourbon
Tasted: Sept 2011
A vatting of Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Bowmore and Port Ellen
An astringent and briny nose (more briny than the standard Big Peat) with a gentle sweetness followed by plenty of manuery peat. Quite heavy on the Caol Ila but one gets the feeling the Ardbeg and Bowmore add weight to the aromas as well as a touch of violets.
The palate displays plenty of youthful cerealy/ peaty Caol Ila, brine and mouth puckering alcohol. The Caol Ila is still predominate on the middle with leafy herbs and bog myrtle-peat. The Ardbeg adds some burnt wood notes whilst the Bowmore adds some sweet depth and a late rubbery note. Good length with the sweetness lingering.
With water the nose becomes a lot more youthful and maybe emphasises the manurey-peat. On the palate it has become a lot sweeter with a seriously sooty mouth coating. It’s definitely big peat but the Ardbeg and Bowmore add a lovely sweet oiliness. Very long and a tad less youthful.
Glenglassaugh tasting
I had a pleasant phone call from Ronnie Routlege, who looks after the sales of Glenglassaugh to say thanks for stocking their products and in turn he kindly sent me some samples of the rest of their range. I have probably said before, but the only way to really understand the part that wood maturation plays in whisky production is to taste new make spirit. However new make spirit by its very nature can be quite hard going but I have always loved the Glenglassaugh Spirit drink because it has a lovely innate sweetness. See https://gauntleys.wordpress.com/category/scotch-whisky-a-g/glenglassaugh/ for all my Glenglassaugh tasting notes.
Of the other samples I have to say that I wasn’t exactly over enamoured by the 26 year but the 34 year old and especially the 45 year old were absolutely stunning. So I would like to say a big thank you to Ronnie for allowing me the opportunity to taste those two amazing, venerable bottlings.
Glenglassaugh ‘The Spirit Drink – Fledgling XB’ 50%
12 months ageing in ex-Bourbon casks
Tasted: Sept 2011
Quite sweet on the nose with plenty of bourbon oak influence – toffee, butter and vanilla. However there is a crisp green fruit note which to me had a sort of celery –like quality? With time it becomes more herbal with some cider vinegar notes and hints of barley and citrus.
The palate is soft and barley sweet with the toffee’d oak less dominant. Intense, malty and cerealy on the middle with a touch of rose petals. Good length with a tart citrus finish.
Glenglassaugh ‘The Spirit Drink – Blushes’ 50%
6 months ageing in ex-Californian wine casks
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose is pure redcurrant/ raspberry in syrup. Very liqueur like with hints of straw and subdued new make notes. The palate is a bit peculiar as the red fruits sit rather oddly with the new make cereal notes. However it does have a lovely spicy, citrus finish with some tannins mingling with the syrup.
I think it would make a good mixer, so in a heretical manner I added a drop of lemonade! And….. It gave the nose a slightly confected but distinctly redcurrant jelly like character, whilst taking the edge of its new make character. Actually my girlfriend rather liked it, so there you have it another one for the girlies!
Glenglassaugh 1983 (26 year old) 46%
Sherry
Dist: 1983 Btl: 2009
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose is quite reserved, almost astringent with sub-industrial brittle honey followed by mature oak, dried fruit, walnuts and malt. I feel the aromas are at odds with itself – one minute there is a hint of sweet perfume the next some slightly murky linseed oil.
The palate is hard and almost industrial in character. Subdued and low key with a bit of a murky character. It also seems old and the wood is a tad tired.
Glenglassaugh Aged Over 30 years 52.3%
Single cask bottling (270 bottles) – 34 years old
Approximately 33 years in refill hogshead/ 15 months in ex-Sauternes cask
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose opens with a beautiful intensity of mature tropical fruit, dried grape and lovely mature sawdusty oak, which moves into creamy butterscotch. The complexity of the honey aromas is stunning, deftly melding sweetness and brittleness. With time some Armagnac-esque dried fruit and citrus oils emerge. It does have some sub-industrial moments but the weight of honey never lets them dominate.
The palate opens with some gentle mature honey and the Armagnac-esque dried fruit, followed by hints of demarara sugar, dried grape, walnuts and no shortage of wood notes. The honey takes on a brittle, edgy character and fights back against the wood and with some aplomb holds out until the death even though some chocolate and coffee notes seep through. Eventually the oak does bitter out the finish but in saying that the lovely natural oils balance it out. A wonderfully venerable and entertaining dram.
Glenglassaugh Aged Over 40 years 49.2%
Single cask bottling (202 Bottles) – 45 years old
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose reeks of maturity, as one would expect. The oak presence is stunning, sometimes cedery, sometimes a bit bourbon, sometimes a bit fir like with buckets of dried spices. However the palate is not all about the wood there’s a lovely depth of honeyed dried fruit, which displays a molasses/ rum-like dénouement before becoming reminiscent of an old grain. Hints of smoke and burnt wood drift in and out just to add to the complexity.
The palate is impressively fruity, opening with mature cherries in light syrup before the rum-like dried fruit and spices arrive. A sensationally beautiful melange of extremely mature, earthy honey, sweet spices, bitter oak and dried fruit caress the tongue. The melding of spirit and wood is mind bogglingly good. Superb length with some serious coffee/ mocha moments, finishing with some luscious juicy date and prunes. A truly stunning dram that almost defies a tasting note!
Cooley tasting
It’s been a long time since I have tasted the Tyrconnell. It must be a good 9 or 10 years ago and unfortunately those tasting notes have become lost in the mists of time, along with a number of others. However I remember being relatively unimpressed by it and I’m afraid to say that even after this tasting I have not changed my opinion of it.
As for the blended Kilbeggan, it was ok, but a bit vague on the palate. Personally I prefer the slightly more grippy Clontarf Black Label blend. And finally I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to re-taste the Connemara. Although my preference is for the cask strength bottling, the 40% bottling is definitely no slouch in the flavour department. This particular bottling would go down with my Sunday morning plate of bacon and beans rather well I think!
Kilbeggan 40%
Tasted: Sept 2011
The nose is initially quite grainy but there is some lovely balancing honey notes and caramel oak. Good depth with a touch of citrus and sweet peat.
The palate is soft, maybe a bit vague with the caramel oak up first followed by some juicy malt. There is a big hit of citrus grain and spice on the middle but the intensity is a bit brief. Reasonable length with a slightly honeyed finish.
The Tyrconnell 40%
Tasted: Sept 2011
A robust and oily nose with a slight perfumed note. Plenty of honey with some assertive sooty peat and earth. The palate is soft and gentle, veering a shade towards homogeny and less assertive than the nose would suggest. There are some lovely honeyed moments and a big, spicy finish, but I’m not going wild about it.
Connemara No Age Statement 40% (website price £29.62)
Tasted: Sept 2011
A soft and quite meaty nose, redolent of smoked bacon – Hmm, a good breakfast malt! It still has its trademark crisp citrus character and the gentle sooty peat becomes quite enveloping, however there is a good depth of malty fruit beneath.
Full and rounded in the mouth. Again delicately peated with no shortage of slightly oily soot. Like the nose there is plenty of supporting malt. Excellent length with a spicy, kippery finish, exiting with a delicious mouth-coating oiliness.
The General round up
Going back to the Axis of Evil for a moment. It would appear that the MacDuff distillery is putting in an audition to become a member of that fraternity! I mean the old bottling of Glendeveron was ok and had an odd aroma reminiscent of boiled sweets and rum toffees, with a trace of diesel oil, violets and a whiff of smoke. Yes I know not everybody’s cup of tea, but interesting nevertheless. This bottling however is pretty dreadful to say the least.
Glendeveron 10 year old 40%
Sherry
Tasted: Aug 2011
The nose is a tad acerbic and industrial along with some sweet nutty sherry and unfortunately a light sulphur blemish as well. This is really hard going with a late touch of rubber and engine oil.
Quite full and like the nose, industrial and hard with thankfully only just a suggestion of the dreaded sulphur. Soft and slightly flabby on the middle with an overwhelming oiliness and a dry, old, woody finish. Hmm, that’s my taste buds knackered!
Suntory Hibiki 12 year old 43%
Tasted: Aug 2011
The Hibiki is a blend comprising of malts from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries along with a variety of grain whiskies. It was aged in what I would imagine was new American white oak casks (given the large amount of oak character, and finished in casks that once held plum liqueur. Finally it is filtered through bamboo charcoal.
A soft and pungently aromatic nose with plenty of fresh oak, giving it quite a Bourbon-esque character. The gentle grain component sit just below the surface. With time some oily spices and a definitely plumminess appear. This is a beautifully crafted nose.
The palate is super smooth, given the filtration. Opening with the juicy barley, vanilla oak and plum notes. There is a lovely grainy/ spicy bite on the middle. The oak flavour drop off quite quickly, leaving the oily grain on its own, but it’s still wonderfully long. The exuberant spices return on the finish along with a gentle perfumed note.
Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 year old 43% (website price £77.35)
Tasted: Sept 2011
A big, full on nose of dried fruit, walnuts, orange oil, crushed fruit, malt and a touch of sweet peat. Seriously complex and monumental with hints of aged honey. In saying that it does have some lighter moments but it truly is a monstrous nose, especially when the oak gets going adding a bourbon-esque violet note.
The palate is soft and full with a superb depth of malty, dark, semi-dried fruit, mature honey and walnuts. Then all of a sudden it lightens up on the middle, mind the alcohol kicking in does help and it cleanses the palate leaving a slightly grainy note in the finish. I would guess that there is a proportion of Coffey Still malt in this vatting. Lovely length with some gorgeous spicy moments and a touch of toasty oak, which bitters out the finish. The after-taste is quite smoky, meaty and savoury. Stunning stuff!
Caol Ila 18 year old 43% (website price £62.45)
Tasted: Aug 2011
A very leafy opening – bog myrtle and mint followed by briny peat. Quite phenolic but just delicately peated with a serious weight of rich, oily, rubbery fruit along with a brief, stinky, manure note. A touch of citrus just about balances the oiliness.
On the palate it is full and weighty. Very oily and herbal. It’s a veritable sweet mouthful of butch, malty almost savoury fruit. Some gentle sooty peat wafts in on the middle and tries it’s best to force away through the oils, but that oily, rubbery character hangs on in there! Just like the nose a vein of briny citrus accented by shellfish notes runs through it and balances it – just! Good length with a long, sooty finish.
Benromach Burgundy Finish 45%
4 yrs in sherry/ 7 yrs in Pinot Noir casks
Dist: 2000 Btl: 2011
Tasted: Sept 2011
A rich and spicy red fruit nose mingling rather pleasantly with some dense, nutty sherry aromas. Reasonably mature with a touch of peat and a slight perfumed note.
The palate is soft and delicately winey. Like the nose, spicy red fruits are given weight and sweetness by the sherry influence. Very smooth, warming with some gently peated dried fruit in the finish. There is minimal distillery character but both casks have blended together in a balanced way.
And finally…………..
No not Springbank this time but Bruichladdich. As is their way you here nothing from them in ages and then all of a sudden a whole raft of new bottlings are being prepared for release next month. Hopefully the guys there will be sending me some samples to review for the next newsletter.
First up is a brand new 10 year old, which will replace the old 12 year old. Now back in October 2009 I tasted the Laddie ‘classic’ and I remember being incredibly impressed by its overwhelming fruitiness, but not by the way the oak clamped down on the palate, and I wondered what it would be like when it reached 10 years of age. Hopefully the oak will have integrated better, and if that is the case it should be a cracking good dram.
Also being released will be PC9, although after releasing PC8 and then creating a ‘multi-vintage’ bottling it looked like that would be it for the Port Charlotte series, but no as plans are afoot for a 10 year old release in 2012, presumably to be called PC10 then they couldn’t not release a PC9 now could they? There will only be 6000 bottles produced of which just 960 are for the UK market, so if you would like one please let me know as soon as possible.
Also being released is the inaugural bottling of their ‘Islay Barley Series’. There are only 600 bottles for the UK of this 7 year old, distilled in December 2004 from Chalice barley, grown on Kentraw farm, just a mile from the distillery. This range could be as interesting as the Benromach origins series, that’s assuming that they stick to American oak maturation.
And lastly is the third release in the DNA series. Jim McEwan has made a selection from the last of their mid 1980’s sherry butts for this 25 year old. It’ll be bottled at its natural cask strength of 50.1% and there will only be 1665 bottles released, of which only 300 are for the UK.
Right that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed the read.
Regards
Chris Goodrum