full of malty goodness – since 2014
Dram data:
Distillery: Highland Park
Bottler: Cadenhead
Distilled: 1985
Bottled: 2013
Age: 28 years
Limitation: 242
Price at the time of purchasing: – (official price: about 220€)
Casks: Bourbon Hogshead
Alcohol: 48,3%
Unchillfiltered, no added colouring
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
Colour: Straw. On the nose I’m immediately greeted by a warm, sweet load of peat smoke. Continue reading “Tasting: Highland Park 1985 / 28y Cadenhead”
Dram data:
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2009 (lot: L9 231)
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: 57€
Casks: french oak + ex-bourbon
Alcohol: 57,1%
Unchillfiltered & natural color
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
The dram has a very nice amber/red-gold colour. On the nose I get an immediate hit of alcohol paired with the very typical, phenolic, punchy Ardbeg peat which people tend to either love or hate – I happen to like it very, very much. Continue reading “Tasting: Ardbeg Corryvreckan”
Dram data:
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: 18.07.2001
Bottled: 27.07.2009
Age: 8 years
Limitation: 30.000
Price at the time of purchasing: 79€
Casks: American Oak?
Alcohol: 60,8%
Unchillfiltered, no added colouring
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
The first sniff is very peat-smoky – no doubt about it, this is what many people associate with Islay whiskies. Continue reading “Tasting: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC8”
Dram data:
Distillery: Glengoyne
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 03.12.2012 (lot-nr)
Age: 21 years
Limitation: unknown
Price at the time of purchasing: 93€
Cask: 100% Ex-Oloroso according to the Whiskybase
Alcohol: 46%
Chill filtered? (doesn’t say) & natural color
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
The rich, dark, uncoloured appearance of the dram screams of the casks, the distillery’s known for: Sherry, sherry and sherry. Continue reading “Tasting: Glengoyne 21y”
Dram data:
Distillery: Strathisla
Bottler: Official Bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 24.09.2013 – code LGS1373
Age: 12 years
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: 32€
Casks: –
Alcohol: 40%
Most likely chillfiltered due to the strength / no colouring added (?)
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
The colour is a reddish copper – I bought this in Germany so the addition of colourant should be noted (not to be found). The nose is fruity fresh (think summer fruit basket), I get fresh vanilla, lemon rind, lemon juice, orange oil, banana, fresh figs, hints of tropical fruits like mango and a slight maltiness. Continue reading “Tasting: Strathisla 12”
Dram data:
Distillery: Macduff
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseurs Choice
Distilled: February 1989
Bottled: April 2007
Age: 18 years
Limitation: small batch
Price at the time of purchasing: 54€
Casks: Refill Sherry
Alcohol: 43%
Possibly Chillfiltered / no colouring added
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
The colour is straw indicating the refill sherry casks were probably (at least partly) third-fill or had seen quite a long first-fill maturation. Continue reading “Tasting: Macduff 1989/2007 GM”
Dram data:
Distillery: Tomatin
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: around 2010? (bottle code 10/9453
Age: 18 years
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: 52€
Casks: Ex-bourbon / Oloroso Finish
Alcohol: 46%
Unchillfiltered / no colouring added
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
On the nose I get vanilla sweetness, cinnamon, cardamom, orange zest, ginger, light honey, ripe white grapes, some spiciness from the oak coming through. Continue reading “Tasting: Tomatin 18”
Dram data:
Distillery: BenRiach
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: n/a
Bottled: 17: 28/03/2013 21: 27.06.2011
Age: 17/21 years
Limitation: unknown
Price at the time of purchasing: – (Miniatures)
Cask: –
Alcohol: 46% each
Unchillfiltered & natural color
Whiskybase link 17
Whiskybase link 21
A head to head tasting with my brother of the two peated Speysiders from the same distillery. 4 years of age difference and bottled 2 years apart – sounds fun! Continue reading “Tasting: Benriach 17 Septendecim vs. 21 Authenticus”
Dram data:
Distillery: Isle of Jura distillery
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: around 2010 (older golden label)
Age: 16 years
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: 45€ / 1l bottle
Casks: 14 years ex-bourbon / 2 years Amoroso Oloroso Finish
Alcohol: 40%
Chill Filtered? Artificial colouring added
Whiskybase link
Blind tasting notes:
A dark, reddish colour and long legs promise an oily, sherried dram. The nose is very fresh, zesty, green apples, white pepper, tangerine, ginger, vanilla, some background sweetness, even a whiff of cereals which seems to come and go. Continue reading “Tasting: Jura Diurach’s Own”
Dram data:
Distillery: Bladnoch
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: 31.08.1990
Bottled: 07.06.2013
Age: 22 years
Limitation: unknown
Price at the time of purchasing: 62€
Cask: Single bourbon cask #4644
Alcohol: 52.4%
Unchillfiltered & natural color
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:*
For a 22 year old whisky the color is very light (might have been a refill cask), but this dram is a prime example of color being a poor indicator of quality. At 52,4% alcohol you get a fresh, clean, vanilla-honey sweetness as the first impression but the alcohol note fades quickly, even without adding any water. Continue reading “Tasting: Bladnoch 1990 cask# 4644”