DEANSTON 1997 - ARCHIVES

Not a favourtite malt of mine, Deanston... actually one of the worst whiskies I've ever tried was a Deanston 12, but that is almost 10 years ago now.

In the meantime, things have certainly picked up at the old cotton mill in the town of Doune. Malts are now bottled at 46,3% or higher and are no longer chill filtered or coloured by e150a. A huge step in the right direction... a step that has also applied to the other malts, Bunnahabhain and Tobermory/Ledaig under the Burn Stewart ownership. In 2013 Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd. was sold to South African company 'Distill' which now pretty much operates the distilleries as before the sale.

Deanston also got some exposure in the 2012 Ken Loach film 'The Angels' Share' which is also very nice to see. If you get a chance to see it, do spend the around 100mins on it - personally I liked it.

Now onto the review...



Deanston Distillery, May 8th 2013 © The Malt Desk

Deanston 1997 15yo (10.12.1997/28.10.2013) 55,8%, Hogshead#1959, 327 bottles, Archives - The Fishes of Samoa

Colour is white wine

Nose:
Floral and honeyed, some yeastyness too - baked bread/dough, apple, hint of something metallic, almond oil and a little sawdust. A very freaky combination if you ask me :-O

Taste:
Red cocktail berries, pepper, has a very malty side, that gives away to lemon, herbs, ginger, grass and a somewhat ashy finish without being peated/smoky in any way. Again the finish is on delicius malt - add to that a little dusty cellar.

Not a beginners dram, IMO... and one to take you time with as it develops quite a lot from when its first poured.

Thanks to RM for the sample

84/100!

HAPPY NEW YEAR + LAGAVULIN 1985 21YO - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

It's been a week long break for me - something I really didn't intend for to happen this year, but it did... The period around Xmas and New Years this year has -more than other years- set some thoughts for the future on a more personal level in motion, and this is the reason why I haven't updated for 1 week now.

As many others have done, I've also looked back at the whisky year and realised that tasting wise it has been another great year - as has it with an excellent Spirit of Speyside Festival in May 2013 - an event where I also had some of the whiskies that stood out for me in 2013... and 3 of these were from the same bottler and the same new series - well done!

These were (in no particular order):

• Highland Park 1988 25yo, Cadenhead Small Batch
• Glenlivet 1970 43yo, Cadenhead Small Batch
• Glenfarclas 1973 Family Cask Release VIII, Distillery bottling
• Bunnahabhain 1973 40yo, Archives
• Caperdonich 1977 35yo, Cadenhead Small Batch
• Glendronach 1972 cask sample at the distillery

The above is certainly owed to Mark Watt, now at Cadenheads!

Best distillery tour/tasting at the Spirit of Speyside Festival 2013 is a tie, I'm afraid...

• Glendronach Connoisseurs Tour - available all year, btw...
• Glenfarclas Family Cask Tasting (Every decade starting 1953, 63, 73, etc.)

Sadly, 2013 has also been the year where prices have really taken off, skyrocketed, one might even argue. Now I can start a huge rant on pricing, but I won't (I'll just make it short, haha).

Instead, I'll post a plea to the producers - let the prices match what you put in the bottles and don't expect us to pay a premium for whiskies with no age on, when you've always 'tought' us that 'older is better'...

That said, new whisky drinkers won't mind, 'cause they don't know better, but if you also want continued support from more discerning whisky drinkers, do not overdo this, please... I acknowledge that we're not you main target group for your product, but we're the reason you're still here - carrying you through the years when whisky wasn't the favourite tipple.

I'll now do a review of a proper New Years Dram ;-)



Lagavulin Distillery, an Islay icon, May 6th 2011 © The Malt Desk

Lagavulin 1985/2007 21yo 56,5%, Ex-European oak sherry casks, Distillery bottling

Colour is dark amber

Nose:
Farmyard and medium strength peat meets your nose. Then oils, heavy stuff, burnt engine oil comes to mind, burnt oranges, a hint of matches in the background, getting minty and salty. This one is changing all the time... amazing stuff! The sherry oak shows itself even more with quite a vinous side after a while, but settling down again only  to produce a sweet nutty side along with hints of herbs and cold meats

Taste:
Heavy Lagavulin oil, like the 16yo on steroids, peat and lovely sherry in measures just tipping to the vinous side. Also a hint of matches here, but adding to the whole very powerful experience. Also huge amounts of peppery spices in there, reduced vinegar, that dirty engine oil again, the peat is much more present that one would expect - excellent cask influence giving tobacco, a dash of oak, salty meats. Orange marmalade on burned toast. A winter warmer for sure!

91/100!

GLENTAUCHERS 2005 - ARCHIVES

Located on the northern part (as in past Craigellachie) on the A95 running through central Speyside, Glentauchers is a significant contributor to the blends by Pernod Ricard/Chivas Bros puts out, but Glentauchers mainly goes in to the Ballantine's blend.

Being literally on the road, you won't get much out of stopping there, though, as the place is not open to the public - but go across the road and a bit up the hill - the have a look down at the distillery and see how big it is! over 4mill. liters of spirit is produced there every year and the place runs 7 days/week - though that is not a rare sight these days.

A rare sight on the other hand is finding a bottle of Glentauchers. There's only ever been a few official releases, so you have to look to the independent bottlers to find some... and IMO its worth seeking out :-)

And speaking of indie bottlers - here's todays review of the recent Archives Glentauchers

Glentauchers Distillery between Mulben & Keith, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk

Glentauchers 2005 (xx.09.2005/xx.06.2013) 7yo 52,5%, sherrybutt#900392, 167 bottles, Archives - The Fishes of Samoa

Colour is amber

Nose:
At first this gives off a whiff of oven friend potatoes and black pepper :-O Funny :-)
Then nest is a gristy/yeasty note as you often get in younger malts. Then its on to cornflakes but then it settles on herbs, oranges, melon and barley sugar (wort). The sherry butt shows itself by giving off another fortified wine note - Madeira!

Taste:
Hint of younger spirit on its way to integrate with the cask very well. Malt and dried herbs, cough syrup, some light honey, stewed fruits and draff notes.

This is not bad, but I wonder why it was bottled now - I'm sure 2-3 more years would make this one a real cracker :-) Thanks to RM for the sample!

84/100!

BUNNAHABHAIN 1987 - ARCHIVES

Yes, another Bunnahabhain - sorry folks, but I really like Bunna ;-) and I've really wanted to try this release since it was first announced. Why? 'cause most of the previous releases in the Archives series have been anywhere from good to fantastic. To those of you that don't know the 'Archives'-series, its bottlings done by the boys who run Whiskybase.com - the, by far, the biggest online whisky database there is.

This bottling has gotten great reviews already and I had hoped to reviews this sooner, but thats what I get for previously tasted stuff first ;-) oh, well...

Here's my review:



Bunnahabhain - The spiritual home of Black Bottle, October 8th 2008 © The Malt Desk 

Bunnahabhain 1987 26yo (xx.11.1987/xx.10.2013) 50,2%, cask#2557, 233 bottles, Archives - 'The Fishes of Samoa'

Colour is nutty brown

Nose:
Quite aggressive on the alcohol, IMO... but once it gets a chance to settle down, it gives off a bit of mint, wet tobacco, brown sugar, fresh prunes, burnt caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, wood shavings and tangerines

Taste:
A very spicy sherry edge to it, so dry my lips keep smacking to produce more saliva. Very drying, but in a funny way that first makes your mouth water, then dry, then water and dry again. Kinda like when you at a young age did the obligatory dare with your friends to eat a spoonful of cinnamon - the taste of which can also be found in this whisky. Also herbs, spices, malt, dark Toblerone chocolate, nutmeg again along with coffee and nuts. A little bit of sulphur of the matchstick kind mid/end palate gives this one a mightier kick.

This is great sherried whisky, no doubt that would have reached a magical level have it had a little less oak/drying effect in there... The whisky can be found at the whiskybase online shop.

Finally, thanks to RM for the sample.

89/100!

TORMORE 1984 29YO - ARCHIVES

Tormore is one of those distilleries that lives a pretty anonymous life.

The distillery is owned by Pernod Ricard/Chivas Group (since 2005) and built in 1958, its a 'new' distillery in historical terms. Its location right on the A95 running through the heart of Speyside and its white buildings makes it a very impressive sight. But that's about all you get!

There's no visitor's centre there so the place - although very picturesque with its white buildings and still shaped bushes in the garden - you'll just have to settle for an outside look. Inside they have 4 sets of stills producing roughly 4.000.000 liters of spirit annually, most of it of course going into the Chivas Brothers blends.

It will suit the Chivas Brothers to open this distillery to the public, maybe during the Spirit of Speyside Festival to give us anoraks a look inside this huge almost cathedral-like building.

 Tormore Distillery, 11th October 2008 © The Malt Desk

Tormore 1984 29yo (xx.02.1984/xx.03.2013) 51%, barrel#3669, 90 bottles, Archives 'The Fishes of Samoa'

Colour is pale gold

Nose:
Initially bursts of oak, 'Lux' hand soap, vanilla, confectioners sugar/candy canes and also hint of paint and mint.

Taste:
Cooked apple and orange peel, Walker's ginger shortbread and peppery spices. A firm malt and citrus style sherbet finish along with peppery oak and hints of nutmeg.

A good dram this one and by far the best Tormore I've ever tasted!
Again I see a certain style in fruitiness in these 3 bottlings picked by Menno and CJ.

88/100! ...and still available here

SPEYSIDE REGION 1995 17YO - ARCHIVES

Phew, what can this be? As you all probably know, Speyside is the single largest whisky producing region on Scotland making it almost impossible to guess the distillery behind this whisky.

When tasting this I of course had my suspicion about where in Speyside to venture, but since its a single cask it can come across as something not even close to a distillery's normal style.

Where this one originates from, I can only guess... which I will do after the review...

Thomas Telford Bridge across the Spey River (wideangle & HDR), 26th September 2010 © The Malt Desk

Speyside Region 1995 17yo (xx.09.1995/xx.11.2012) 48,2%, Butt#56, 54 bottles, Archives 'The Fishes of Samoa'

Colour is straw

Nose:
Vanilla, then very fruity on apples, tuning more tropical as we go along with peach and mango. I'm thinking alot like those tropical fruit juices you buy in large cartons in the supermarket. Also a faint dairy note, so the whole thing to me is like nosing a mellow smoothie in dram-form

Taste:
This is lovely, Initially fruit of the tropical kind, also melon, honey and a hint of something floral. Very nice integration of the malt and oak here. Finishes on oranges marmalade and slight peppery edge.

Anyway, this is also a very more-ish dram... and I do see some similarities between the fruitiness in this one and the Bunnahabhain I just reviewed.

My guess is... Benriach? Why? Because I had a very similar, although older (1975) expression straight from the cask at Benriach distillery during the Speyside festival in May this year...

But apparently its not - sources tell me (and also a post on whiskybase.com) that this is a Glenfarclas... but a Glenfarclas very far from their usual style, IMO...

This doesn't change the fact that this is very good whisky!

88/100! ...and still available here

BUNNAHABHAIN 1973 40YO - ARCHIVES

I love old Bunnahabhains... so I poured this sample with much anticipation - someone had whispered in my ear that its good stuff! Heck! - even great!

It's a bottling from the Dutch boys at whiskybase.com in their well named series 'Archives'
I've previously reviewed some of their bottlings - you can read about that here.

Actually they've put out 3 new bottlings this time and along with a redesigned bottle label - this time featuring tropical fish and very aptly named 'The fishes of Samoa' - very pretty indeed! It reminds me a bit of a certain German bottler with very colourful labels and I think that one cannot help be inspired by such.

Are you making these collectible now, guys? ;-)

Picture with permission from Whiskybase shop

But never mind pretty labels, you say... are the whisky any good?

Well, as I started by saying - I love old Bunnas... and of course there a cask duds out there, but they're yet to pick a bad one (so don't you dare, guys!)

Bunnahabhain 1973 40yo (xx.03.1973/xx.04.2013) 50,6%, Butt#3463, 156 bottles, Archives 'The Fishes of Samoa'

Colour is straw

Nose:
Starts on varnish/furniture polish but after a short while it heads in the direction of a winey, tropical fruit punch (mango, pineapple and nectarines) and white rum drinks. Very Caribbean! In time the fruits become heavier and more stale and the nose also takes on a more mineral note.

Taste:
Lovely creamy arrival even at a full 50,6%. Yellow fruits, ginger and that heavy ale'd malt style I love so much in older Bunnas although its tucked away a bit in the marzipan,vanilla and wood spice finish. Do I detect a little bit of of smoke in the aftertaste as well?

This is just one of those malts you want to keep sipping to keep the taste in your mouth!
IMO, this never gets overly oaky or tired, but carries a pleasant full flavoured heavy fruit and malt style very, very well.

91/100!

BUNNAHABHAIN 2006 - ARCHIVES

When Caol Ila was closed for expansion in Spring 2011, Bunnahabhain was tasked with producing peated spirit for them while the work was carried out, which meant at least a couple of months of production for them... But being produced at Bunnahabhain, Diageo who owns Caol Ila, can't sell the spirit produced there as Caol Ila single malt - so it probably all went to maturation for later blending.

But Bunnahabhain also does its own runs of peated spirit, nicknamed 'Moiné' and the one reviewed below is one such. They started doing peated runs back in 1997 and since we've seen batches appear - mostly from independent bottlers - but also a couple from the distillery itself.

Right, lets give this one a try!

Bunnahabhain 2006 5yo (xx.12.2006/xx.09.2012) 61,1%, ex-bourbon hogshead#800041, 264 bottles, Archives

Colour is almost of white spirit with a greenish hue

Nose:
Sweet smoked bacon, dairy notes, toilet cleaner, wet newspaper, very antiseptic really.
I could mistake this for a Laphroaig, I think. Also getting freshly peeled onion and new make spirit.

Taste:
This would have been rough on a clean palate, but I've warmed up with another dram.
Palate straight away is peat, garden fruits, very earthy, wet fields and walking into a barn on a farm. Finish is again on peat, wet grains and cardboard.

This is a young malt and the other Islays, mainly Kilchomans at this age, seems to have matured better than this one so far.

This is not what I'd recommend you go out and get for a nice relaxing evening at home. It should stand as an example of what it is... a young peated malt from a distillery that, IMO, does its best work doing its regular runs, but also to show what a peated run from this distillery is like...

That said, its not bad whisky, but its mainly just good fun! You can get one here

79/100!

LAPHROAIG 1998 - ARCHIVES

As with the previous Archives bottling, I'm not going to to a long intro on this one, other than its not your usual powerful style of Laphroaig  - just like the previous review not was your usual powerful Caol Ila... but its always like that with single casks - and that's the beauty of it.

My rant on recent Laphroaig distillery bottlings can be found in my January 2nd review ;-)

Laphroaig 1998 14yo (xx.05.1998/xx.11.2012) 53,8%, ex-bourbon hogshead#5619, 156 bottles, Archives

Colour is very pale yellow

Nose:
Burning fresh leaves, pineapple and banana, über sweet peat smoke, more fruity and some flowery notes - like a laundry detergent

Taste:
Vague arrival at first, then a rush of fireplace smoke, ginger and citrus and quite some porridge. Finish is medium on spicy oak and that sweet peat smoke.

A bit one dimensional and the vague arrival does not do this one any credit - but still enjoyable... still available here

83/100!

CAOL ILA 1990 - ARCHIVES

Following my short streak of recent Archive bottlings by the Whiskybase-team, here's a look at their recent Caol Ila which is an entirely different creature than most CI's.

Caol Ila 1990 22yo (xx.11.1990/xx.11.2012) 56,3%, ex-bourbon hogshead#13121, 130 bottles, Archives

Colour is white wine

Nose:
Fresh, coastal, salt and beaches, citrus, some faint farmyard notes, 'green' peat/fresh wood burning.

Taste:
Lovely arrival, first on citrus and gooseberries, then a wave of sweet peat and heathery notes. A very mellow Caol Ila and not at all what you'd expect from an Islay giant like Caol Ila... and certainly not one at 56,3%

Again a good pick by CJ and Menno at Whiskybase, though it's different, in form of a more laid back style of Caol Ila... Still available here

86/100!

LITTLEMILL 1992 - ARCHIVES

The boys at Whiskybase.com have a few new bottlings out. I'll be giving them a try over the next short while...

First up is another Littlemill - their third! Good job, boys - getting a closed lowlander out to us!

I'm not going to linger on the intro here, instead I'll get right to it.

Littlemill 1992 20yo (xx.02.1992/xx.11.2012) 54,8%, ex-bourbon hogshead#44, 339 bottles, Archives

Colour is full straw

Nose:
First a few mashy notes then overripe tropical fruits - mango, honey melon and peach. Newly sawed wood, lemons and sugary malt and a vague hint of varnish.

Taste:
Heavy and creamy malt, citrus fruits, vanilla and honey - more melon...
Water brings out peppery oak along with even more vanilla. Pretty fresh and lively when its also this heavy on the malt!

Great stuff, I think! Best Littlemill I've had.
Oh, and if you're interested in getting one, it's still available here

90/100!

CAOL ILA 1982 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

Like Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila Distillery on Islay has views to the Sound of Islay and Jura.
Unlike Bunnahabhain, the still house at Caol Ila has huge windows facing the Sound and the impressive Paps of Jura.

We've seen loads of Caol Ila's recently in the age category around 30 years - and almost all have been good - and some even better, so lets see how this one is...

This Caol Ila review also concludes the series of Archives batch#4 - I hope you've enjoyed it!

Caol Ila 1982 (2012) 30yo 51,2%, ex-bourbon hogshead#758, 207 bottles, Archives

Golden straw in colour

Nose:
Very multi-layered! In no particular order: oak, lightly scented soap, drain cleaner (yes, I know!! weird, huh?) citrus and salted almonds, tarry ropes, wet sand and toasted oak, almost no peat and an almost Bowmore-ish flowery note to it...

Taste:
Sweet boiled fruits, then spicy oak and camp fire style smoky layer fading on honey, citrus, tar and ash. Nuts and oils in here too...Then a coastal note I can only identify as being on the pier as a kid, fishing...  the long finish sends signals to me of white rum maybe?

This certainly is a great Caol Ila! One that evokes memories long forgotten...

90/100!

GLEN ORD 1997 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

Glen Ord, along with Teaninich and Clynelish are the 3 Diageo representatives for the North Highland region north of Inverness. Clynelish is by far, IMO atleast, the best of the 3 distilleries.

Teaninich goes mainly into blends though some get bottled by the independent bottlers.
Glen Ord also have some of its whisky sold off to the independents, but also not in great quantities. Most I've seen have been bottled by Signatory, Cadenhead and SMWS.

Distillery bottling Glen Ord has previously also been sold as 'The Singleton' which was sold mainly in the US, but also some was released onto the UK market.
Best Glen Ords I've tried have been the 28yo and 30yo Distillery bottlings, which carried a beautiful style all the way through.

Here's one from 'Archives'

Glen Ord 1997 15yo xx.04.1997/xx.04.2012, Hogshead#800083, 54,2%, 64 bottles, Archives

Colour is white whine

Nose:
Fresh and spirity, light grassy and lemon citrussy, barley sugars and washing up liquid.
Also getting some sweetness that could suggest a very well used sherry hogshead, maybe a 3rd fill?

Taste:
Perfumy, then raw spirit with grape fruits and a dusty coal-like feeling.
Water brings out some pear and soft malt notes, it then turns into fruit schnaps.

Strange creature, this one, but still an ok dram.

83/100!

ARDMORE 1992 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

Ardmore is one of those distilleries that still lives in relative anonymity in the East Highlands, some 15miles south of Huntly. Still very much a traditional Highland Distillery, they insist on peating all of their malt to retain the old highland style.

Its more of an aromatic style of peat used at Ardmore and this also show in their whisky, which is far from as pungent as e.g. Islay whiskies.

Its been a while since I've had an Ardmore, so looking forward to this one...

Ardmore 1992 20yo xx.06.1992/xx.06.2012, ex-bourbon barrel#4764, 48,6%, 90 bottles, Archives

Straw coloured

Nose:
This is just one of those noses... Incredibly complex, warm vanilla and pear/apple crumble, rosehip for sure too along with a layer of smoke and a beautiful measure of oak.

Taste:
Spices first, then a dash of smoke giving away to fruit and honey - melon even?
The finish supply a sooty chimney smoke feeling, then getting very citrussy + peaches and pineapple too. Tannins follows this delicious dram to the end...

This is great stuff!

89/100!

NORTH BRITISH 1962 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

Now, as I've mentioned before, I'm not that much into grain whiskies - I simply find them too sweet. After exploring my options a bit I then found, that North British carries a style that is still sweet, of course - but also a bit more on the spicy side, which for me, certainly does things to the otherwise sometime cloying sweetness that some grain whiskies have.

Its all a matter of personal taste, of course - I know people that lap up grain whiskies fast, but not here... usually 1 dram - and I'm good for the night!

Here's a cask of North British from 'The Beatles'-years...

North British 1962 50yo 31.05.1962/24.07.2012, Hogshead#29, 45,2%, 168 bottles, Archives

Light amber in colour

Nose:
Not getting the fruity impact here as you often do with these old grain whiskies. To get some you really need to take a deep whiff of this. Instead, I get a dusty felling and an (olive?) oily feeling on the nose. Aslo getting a guacamole/avocado greenish note and some licorice and tobacco leaves.

Taste:
Not as spicy (oaky) as expected for having spent ½ a century in a cask.
Very smooth, in fact... Now getting some of the tropical fruits I expected on the nose to begin with, especially the all-present (in grain whisky) coconut note - also getting banana and tinned pineapple. On the finish, spices show themselves along with some mint.


This North British remains a little dusty with traces of dunnage and old furniture... and definately not an overly sweet one - I like it!

88/100! ...and I'm not that keen on grains - so pretty good IMO!

GLEN SCOTIA 1992 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

Malts from the Glen Scotia Distillery have long had a reputation for being 'not the best out of Campbeltown', though apparently a few good ones have appeared from the SMWS lately. GS often had a reputation for being metallic on the palate and generally not very pleasant, but maybe I'm certainly up for a try on this one...

Rumours says this one is good, so I'm diving right in...

Glen Scotia 1992 20yo xx.02.1992/xx.05.2012, hogshead#08/71, 50,4%, 80 bottles, Archives

Light gold in colour

Nose:
Salty licorice, slightly medicinal, cough syrup style and crushed mint leaves and cinnamon sprinkled apples + a vague metallic and peaty note. Also a little freshly grounded black pepper.

Taste:
Spicy arrival, then a malt avalanche sets in only to be replaced by some sea freshness/briny notes mid palate. Also finding roasted nuts, herbs and oil in here as well. Also maybe a hint of rum in here? Finishes off with more sweet barley and a little peat.

Best G'Scotia I've come across... 85/100!

BUNNAHABHAIN 1990 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

This hidden gem of an Islay distillery has for a long time been a favorite of mine...

And not only is the whisky good, its location looking out over the Sound of Islay towards Jura makes for an absolutely stunning location. Add in visiting the place on a sunny summers day and you'll feel yourself swept away to a place far more tropical in nature as the blue and green waters around the bay caresses your eyes and mind.

Enough romanticising :-)

How's this particular 'Bunna'?

Bunnahabhain 1990 21yo xx.12.1990/xx.03.2012, fresh sherry cask#14, 52,3%, 62 bottles, Archives

Mahogany in colour

Nose:
Spicy European sherry oak for sure. Pretty clean too...
Fairly light in style with raisins, menthol, coffee, a little furniture polish and dusty earthen floors.

Taste:
Burnt sugar, leather, more spicy oak, prune juice, dry and bit of dark chocolate, nuts? Caledonia tobacco blend.... A little 'dirty' feel to the sherry now, compared to the nose. Some sulphury style notes appear on the finish, but its maybe really more of a salty/meaty and not sulphur as such. It certainly adds am extra heavy dimension to the finish on this one...

Another good Bunna, fur sure!     87/100!

MACDUFF 2000 - ARCHIVES BATCH 4

The Dutch boys from Whiskybase.com have been at it again by picking out some whiskies for us - and again they've come up with some good ones. This time too, they bottled stuff from all over Scotland and certainly, this time, around in a huge age-span - from 11yo to 50yo!

Lets start with the first one and see how it fares...

Macduff 2000 11yo xx.11.2000/xx05.2012, refill sherry cask#5803, 48,2%, 90 bottles, Archives

Full straw in colour

Nose:
Some initial sweetness with a hint of yeast to begin with. Then some melon, honey and pineapple. Also in here are a little mint and wet lawn, as in grass and dirt and also maybe a little hint of farmyard.

Taste:
Light and delicious arrival. Then it gives away to some more heavy notes of malt and coating oils that carries a spicy sweetness with them. Also more fruit comes into play here. Finishes off with a bit of bitter oak, but is saved again by fruits, before fading out.

I find it maybe a bit straight forward (and certainly nothing wrong with that!)
A very enjoyable malt, still...

85/100!

GLENROTHES 1988 - ARCHIVES BATCH 3

From the village of Rothes in central Speyside, the Glenrothes Distillery with its cathedral like stillhouse often lives a life in bit of anonymity - a shame really because it does put out some very good bottlings on its own.

I might add that the distillery is not normally open to the public, so if you want to visit you need to e.g. attend the Speyside Festival... I certainly think its worth a vist for the still house alone...

We see a good handfull of single cask bottling from indepenent bottlers from time to time and the Archives one is one of those... This review also concludes the 6 part 'Archives - Batch 3'-series.


Glenrothes 1988 23yo 06.06.1988/04.01.2012 refill sherry hogshead#7318, 53,4%, Archives

Straw coloured

Nose:
A baked gristy note, slight alcohol burn on the nose. Some spicy winey sweetness carries through, probably the sherry cask speaking here. Freshly cut grape fruits. After a few minutes the citrus notes become more dominant as does wet oak.

Taste:
Apples and sugar jarred and shelved for a winter. Fermented garden fruits. Hints of crushed rosehip and that baked spice note from the nose again. Peppery and a dash of oriental spice mix. Finished on a little too much oak in the back of the mouth to really get this taster going...

...a very pleasant dram, nonetheless! :-)

86/100!

IMPERIAL 1995 - ARCHIVES BATCH 3

Not long ago, I did a review of another Imperial from 1995 - a Signatory bottling exclusively for Denmark, which was an excellent dram!

Now, I get to compare it with another 1995 single cask, which I think is very interesting.
If you want to compare notes on the 2, you can find the other one here

Imperial 1995 16yo xx.95.1995/xx.04.2012 ex-bourbon cask#50035, 51,7%, Archives

Full straw in colour

Nose:
Initially a heavy sweet note that leads the thoughts towards Rum. Then melon skins and damp cold storage fruits and a hint of red berries in the background. Freshly squeezed lemons...

Taste:
Spices, fruits, hints of mint and some natural caramel. A relative short finish on nice gentle oak and malt. After some time I get those freshly squeezed lemons again this time also with grassy notes wrapped in grist. Very nice!

87/100!