Tag: 24 years | MaltKlaus' Daily Drams

January 18, 2020January 18, 2020

Tasting: Benrinnes 1995 24yo by Cadenhead’s

Is it just me or is there really quite a bit of Indie-bottled Benrinnes floating around on the shelves these days? At least Cadenhead’s seem to have bottled quite a few of them recently. I’m certainly not complaining as I’m usually quite partial to a drop from the stills of the distillery nestled at the foot of the mountain it was named after (well, more of a pimple to us Austrians…). During the 2016 Speyside Whisky Festival I had booked an event that was supposed to contain a tour of this distillery – sadly this never happened because apparently Diageo was unable to find anyone to do the tour, which seemed really strange at the time and was a pity, but hey…
Anyway, this is about the whisky – at 24 years this was made back in the day when they still did a somewhat whacky partial triple distillation. Yeah, you read that right. Don’t ask me to explain it…

Dram data:
Distillery: Benrinnes
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: November 2019
Age: 24
Limitation: 216 bottles
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead
Alcohol: 49,4%
uncoloured / not chill filtered
Whiskybase link

August 14, 2019August 13, 2019

Tasting: Springbank 1994-2019 24-year-old by Cadenhead’s

Every year, independent bottler Cadenhead’s gets to select one cask of Springbank whisky to bottle under their own name – and they have to pay their parent company, which owns Springbank distillery, for it. This year, the winner out of apparently 37 casks was a 24-year old Springbank, distilled back in 1994 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. Must’ve been one heck of a barrel with an outturn of 312 bottles. Maybe it was married and re-racked at some point?
This whisky was featured as one of the drams in the “Director’s Cut” tasting at the Campbeltown Malts Festival this year as a preview and I brought the drample back home with me for a proper assessment.
So, what do you expect from this whisky? Nothing but the best, right? Let’s verify that…

Dram data:
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1994
Bottled: 2019
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 312 bottles
Cask: refill barrel
Alcohol: 50,8%
no colouring added / not chill filtered
Whiskybase link

December 12, 2016December 12, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #12: Teeling Vintage Reserve Collection 24 yo

Dram data:
Distillery: not stated (most likely Cooley)
Bottler: Teeling
Distilled: –
Bottled: August 2016
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 5000 bottles
Casks: Ex-bourbon and Sauterne finish
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Oh, another Irish Whiskey! 20+ year-old Irish malts are a rare thing! Teeling seem to have a few very nice casks from back when their family owned the Cooley distillery – let’s find out how these casks performed!

Tasting notes:
Colour: dark red-gold
The nose opens on a slightly alcoholic top note, which disappears a few minutes in. On the light side, but not super-light as other Irish whiskeys (this is, after all, a single malt, not a single pot-still whiskey!). Do I detect an ever so slight hint of peat smoke behind the red apples, yellow apples, pears, blood oranges and sweet grapes? I think so, and Cooley did make peated whiskey… The background notes are dominated by malt, a hint of oak and a floral aspect. Light-ish, yet it does feel aged and deep, the Sauterne finish worked well and is in no way overwhelming. The nose is worth waiting for – it gets better and better as time goes on! On to the palate! Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #12: Teeling Vintage Reserve Collection 24 yo”

December 24, 2015October 7, 2016

24 drams till Christmas tasting #24: Bunnahabhain 1988 24 yo by Signatory Vintage

Dram data:
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Distilled: 10.10.1988
Bottled: 30.07.2013
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 588 bottles
Casks: refill Sherry Butt
Alcohol: 55,9%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
How fitting! A 24 yo single malt whisky to conclude the 24 drams till Christmas series! This better be a good one for a great finish or I’ll have to extend it to 25 days… The nose starts off slightly alcoholic but there’s greatness underneath! Classic European oak sherry cask matured whisky – post Paxarette! Spices up front – cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg. The cask is strong with this one (excuse the Star Wars pun…), no oaky notes, just letting the spices talk. Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #24: Bunnahabhain 1988 24 yo by Signatory Vintage”

August 16, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Littlemill 24 yo 1990 – 2015 by Cadenhead’s

Dram data:
Distillery: Littlemill
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1990
Bottled: 2015
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 582 Bottles
Casks: Bourbon hogsheads
Alcohol: 53,7%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: light gold
The nose is prototypical Littlemill. Lots of fruit skins – apples, grapes, pears. Also notes of citrus, white peaches, apple juice, diluted grape juice, rhubarb, grapefruit, milled stone dust and a light sweet white wine note in the background. Continue reading “Tasting: Littlemill 24 yo 1990 – 2015 by Cadenhead’s”

April 29, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Strathmill 24y 1990 Strohwein Finish by C&S

Dram data:
Distillery: Strathmill
Bottler: C&S
Distilled: 04.05.1990
Bottled: 08.09.2014
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 282 bottles
Casks: Nr. 2251 (Ex-Sherry with Stohwein Finish)
Alcohol: 54,8%
unchillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: light gold
The nose opens very “green” and herbal. Fresh garden herbs, fermented tea, beeswax, propolis, eucalyptus, wormwood. As time progresses notes of vanilla, malt and pear start to appear, but they don’t make it a fruity or sweet nose, it stays herbal. Continue reading “Tasting: Strathmill 24y 1990 Strohwein Finish by C&S”

April 12, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Auchroisk 1989 24y by Cadenhead’s

Dram data:
Distillery: Auchroisk
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1989
Bottled: 10.2014
Age: 24
Limitation: –
Casks: Sherry Cask
Alcohol: 56,5%
Unchillfiltered, natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: Bright gold
The nose is light and a wee bit shy with the alcohol dominating slightly over the delicate notes. Dried summer flowers mixed with hay. Violets, roses and the faintest hint of lilac. Continue reading “Tasting: Auchroisk 1989 24y by Cadenhead’s”

December 24, 2014October 7, 2016

Tasting: Littlemill 1989 24y by Archives

Dram data:
Distillery: Littlemill
Bottler: Archives
Distilled: 10.1989
Bottled: 02.2014
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 178 bottles
Price at the time of purchasing: – (sample)
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead #42
Alcohol: 53%
Unchillfiltered, uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: pale gold.
The nose is alive and kicking, it doesn’t seem like a 24-year-old dram at the first glance. Definitely not a first-fill cask, which emphasises the distillery’s character. A wee bit spirity, freshly mown grass, hay, clove, white pepper, real bourbon vanilla pods, hints of citrus, apples, malt and a slightly dusty note in the background. Continue reading “Tasting: Littlemill 1989 24y by Archives”