CLYNELISH 2008 10YO - SIGNATORY FOR TWE

There was a time when this distillery flew quietly under the radar - a time when malts like this one were only drunk by the whisky anorak, a time when what was in the bottle mattered but those days are over...

Today, the contents still matters to some, of course, but we also now see Clynelish being snapped up for investment purposes, sadly... This has created a surge in prices both on the primary but also secondary markets over the past couple of years.

Another whisky drinkers whisky this has happened to, is Springbank - a distillery that will have a harder time than Clynelish keeping up with demand and an ever growing fan base.

The first real sign of this, was the ever growing number of participants for the Campbeltown Malt Whisky Festival these past 4 years (not counting 2020, of course) Also now, for the first time ever there will be a ballot for the bottles for the Springbank Society Fan Club - a club that should have stopped signing up new members when it was clear that Springbank couldn't keep up the same level of service to existing members as previously. A controversial statement, I know - but rather that than risk loosing hard-core returning customers down the line...
They are, after all, the customers they must rely on when times gets hard again - and it will, eventually... 

A sign of the times, I'm afraid - a time where I truly feel sorry for people just starting their whisky journey. A journey that will be both more expensive and poorer in quality than even just a few years ago.

Let's return to the whisky in question, though...
This whisky was selected and bottled for the 20th anniversary of that London heavyweight, The Whisky Exchange along with a small handful of other bottlings.
Signatory has a pretty good reputatation surrounding them as has the cask pickers at The Whisky Exchange so I just straight in and bought a bottle back when it came out in 2019  - Check below for the verdict

Clynelish Distillery, October 10th 2014 - © The Malt Desk

Clynelish 2008 10yo (06.06.2008/01.04.2019) 57,4%, 1st fill ex-bourbon cask#800139, 237 bottles, Signatory Vintage for TWE's 20th Anniversary

Nose:

Upon first approach, the smells you get when you open the spice cabinet. Both with regular spices and ones used in baking, vanilla, all spice, white pepper, icing sugar, licorice root.

Also in there are a hint of camphor drops, delicious oak notes, a slight floral note and green malt mixed in with a mineral note (chalk/flint ??)
Also initially got a hint of fresh onions (Imagine that! :-O ) though it disappeared again when the other notes came through. All in all quite fresh and lively...

Taste:

Not really finding much the usual Clynelish waxy style here, though hints of it do seem to come through. My thoughts are that this might need a few more years to have the notes we know so well come through? I certainly see why they're bottling the standard expression at 14yo.

There seems to be a rumor floating around that a few of the production years during the 00's didn't quite deliver the style of spirit they were aiming for - maybe this is one of them? Then maybe not as I am picking up a slight note of that
recognizeable Clynelish style :-)

Anyway, the cask generally seems to be of good quality allowing a good amount of malt/barley sugars to shine, natural oils, bags of white fruit, quite a floral honey note and some lemony notes dominating along with the malt

All in all, this is quite nice, but I prefer my Clynelish with a bit more age to them... Still, this has potential

86/100!

BENRINNES 2000 19YO - CADENHEAD IN THE COURTYARD

Time flies - its been 2 weeks since the last post :-O  - also keeping this a short one...

I recently opened the bottle which I'm about to review and I thought I'd let it breathe a bit before giving my opinion on it.... and yes, I know - it's another Benrinnes - but it's a good one!

This bottle was one a little more than a handful of expression available at the Cadenhead in the Courtyard event in September 2019 - a sort of a Cadenhead Open Day outside the one they usually share with Kilkerran during the Campbeltown Malt Festival in May

We were lucky with the weather too for this event back then and the Courtyard event itself combined with a few upstairs tastings and warehouse tasting made this a perfect day out! Add to that the opportunity to take away some bottlings exclusive to this event - what a treat!

Draff being dumped from Benrinnes on 3rd May 2010 © The Malt Desk

Benrinnes 2000 19yo 56,5%, 2 sherry hogsheads + 1 bourbon hogshead, 56,5%, Cadenhead in the Courtyard

Nose:
A slight alcohol nip at first, but then a clean fresh sherry style with rum raisins, cold coffee, milk chocolate, cough sweets, licorice root, and candied apple slices.
I do recognize this as a malt, but the moe inexperienced nose could easily mistake this for a rum, IMO

Taste:
For a second there, on arrival, this just gives an alcohol burn
This is chocolate and praline, a bit earthy style sherry here but still clean as a
whistle in its style, maybe a bit of that cough style camphor in here too?

Quite syrupy, but also a hint of some orangy notes peeping through mixed with coffee and strong tea. Somehow, I'm also getting the impression that this how a whisky/coffee/dark honey mix would taste like if not at cask strength like this one.

Great stuff, especially on the nose!
A real Winter Warmer!

89/100!

BENRINNES 1997 21YO 36.163 'A BLISS MOMENT' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

As promised in this review, I'll be review a bourbon cask Benrinnes - this one from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)

Now, like many other indie bottlers out there, the SMWS has also struggled to keep up with demand. I remember when the SMWS was first introduced in Denmark and old bottlings at a fair price just kept coming in and draining my wallet at the time.

As whisky became more and more popular these now very exclusive whiskies are gone and have been replaced with something less - both in age and quality.
Sad, but that's how things go - and not just for the SMWS, but for all bottlers.
They can only bottle from the stock they have access to... and the hard facts are that the distillers can sell almost all that they produce themselves and this shows in their pricing too... and all we can now just sit back and reminisce.

Then sometimes, and this is already 2 years ago, bottlings like this one and other Benrinnes' from indie bottlers pops up - gets spotted by the experienced whisky drinker that recognizes a quality bottling, puts it on Social Media, and *puf* GONE !

You now have to chase these ones down almost as hard as you would a bottle of Glendronach, Clynelish or Macallan (not that I understand why with the latter anymore - their whisky just isn't that good anymore - it's only for collectors and for those that want whisky that has been branded a luxury item, but just, in fact, isn't one anymore in terms of quality! - rant over!) 

You see where this is going, right?
It's hard facts for you, I know - but that's the state of the whisky world with all those investors and bottle flippers out there...

Approaching the not so flattering looking Benrinnes Distillery on an overcast day, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk 

Benrinnnes 1997 36.163 (15.08.1997/xx.xx.2018) 21yo 'A Bliss Moment' 59,5%, 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel, 179 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Nose:
Fresh fruit and vanilla carried in on a veil of barley sugar. The fruit, being much of the citrus kind gives hints of Cointreau liqueur, dusty hardwood in the attic, and a slight fresh gingery note along with the faintest hint of a metal workshop

Taste:
Big fruity arrival and then a rush of malt and slightly burnt pastry notes and apples.
The finish produces some peppery cask spices but also a slight paint thinner note peeping through on the finish with added water. This was not there before adding the water...

All in all, this is a very nice Benrinnes and there seem to be quite a few of them out there over these past couple of years. This is a very pleasant middle of the road whisky that's not overly complex, but what it does, it does sooo well - just don't add that water!

87/100!

Thanks to GNJ for the generous sample

MACALLAN 1989 31YO - CADENHEAD SHOP RELEASE 2020

Every year, these past few years, indie bottler Cadenheads has released bottlings chosen for each of their UK and Continental retail shops - and 2020 was no different - even with the Corona still raging...

The bottlings for released in Dec 2020 were:

Benriach 2010, 10yo
Bunnahabhain 2013, 7yo

Glenallachie 2007, 12yo

Glenburgie 2010, 10yo

Glendronach 1990, 30yo

Glenfarclas 2003, 17yo

Highland Park 1992, 28yo

Miltonduff 2008, 12yo

Macallan 1989, 31yo

Below, I'll pass on my initial impressions on the latter Macallan and I will also be slapping an initial score on it, but it will not get a full-on review with extensive notes due to the sample size. 

Visiting in September 2019, a period where the distillery should be packed with visitors, the ones there were what also the ones I feared fiding there...
Most visitors were from markets that see Macallan more like a luxury brand rather than a whisky.

Also, the decline in cask quality over the years are now showing.
The fabled old sulphur-free sherry casks of yesteryear are gone and I find that the new style, slightly sour sherry cask style/note that I also find in Highland Park has crept into Macallan. This makes perfect sense really, as Highland Park and Macallan are owned by the same parent company, Edrington and cask source is the same.

This bottling, however, comes from an ex-bourbon barrel, so we'll not be dealing with sherry off-notes here - and yes, Macallan does mature some of their spirit in ex-bourbon casks as opposed to general belief. This claim is also made by other distilleries that matures their whisky in sherry casks, but this is purely a marketing scheme.

This though is still not a guarantee of good wood as even bourbon casks go bad or infuse too much wood into the spirit. This being a Cadenhead bottling though, I do not expect this to be the case...

The small Macallan sample tasted below was made at the old Macallan distillery and not at the new shiny one pictured below. However impressive the new Macallan is, however carbon-neutral or 'green' they are its sadly also a monument over what the brand has become.

Let's try it

The new Macallan Distillery, September 17th 2019 © The Malt Desk

Macallan 1989 31yo 45,3%, ex-bourbon barrel, 108 bottles - Selected by the Cadenhead Odense Shop

Nose:

Loads of cask spices, a hint of resin, and pleasant vanilla and malt notes
Do I even detect a hint of ginger and hops in here?

Taste:

Good arrival with vanilla, juicy garden fruits, and a finish very much on crisp malt and oak in a good but not overly measure.

89/100!

Thanks to my friend JGJ for the sample

GLENFARCLAS-GLENLIVET 1973 41YO - CADENHEAD AUTHENTIC COLLECTION

After my last post, I thought it would be fitting to do a post where, as I mentioned here, some Cadenhead bottling actually do carry the Glenfarclas name - and this one of them. Bottled back in 2014, this is not one you'll come across every day, but if you do and want to treat yourself to a little extra, go for it

This family-owned distillery -one of the last in Scotland- is one of my favorite distilleries, certainly in my top 3. Why? Because they still do things the way they want to - and not to satisfy a large number of shareholders demanding a return on their stock every year. And you know what? It works for Glenfarclas!

Glenfarclas seems to make consistently good whisky which is very important and also seems to be able to still source some very good casks - especially their sherry casks! Long-standing contracts with sherry producers have secured a steady flow of good sherry casks and we just have to cross our fingers that this will last.

Glenfarclas Distillery Visitors Centre, September 15th 2019 © The Malt Desk

Glenfarclas-Glenlivet 1973 41yo 40,7%, bottled July 2014, ex-bourbon hogshead, 186 bottles, Cadenhead Authentic Collection

Nose:
Very laid back, quite possibly because of the low abv
It has dusty wood, vanilla, loads of sugary notes, the artificial strawberry scent from the strawberry cream caramels. Also vanilla, a little wood sap, and fruits in there, loads of them! Sweet mandarins, mango juice, peaches, and banana. Very tropical but also with that little touch of wood to keep it all in place - Very nice and I like this dignified old-style bourbon cask that still manages to deliver in spite of its very long time in the cask. 

Taste:
Gentle, yet expressive arrival...

This is candied fruits galore, turning into a nice malty finish.
We're all over the fruit range here, from apple notes, apricot, lemons, and honeydew melon covered in vanilla and a sprinkle of icing sugar.
All this turns into a slightly drying gingery note and some dusty greenish wood along with a dominant malty note that eventually has to give away to a little
drying oak and a slight herbal note.

This is a delicate malt and bottled just in time at 40,7%.
Also, more time in the cask will probably have tipped this OTT and introduced far more drying and bitter notes.

But at this stage - lovely old stuff! and since I don't do ½ points

91/100!

'A SPEYSIDE DISTILLERY' 2001 18YO - CADENHEAD VIRTUAL OPEN DAY 2020

In September 2019, independent bottler Wm. Cadenhead did their first dedicated Open Day event - just for them called Cadenhead in the Courtyard.
This was a new type of event to make up for them having to share the Kilkerran Open Day during the Campbeltown Malts Festival in May. This day also gave Cadenheads the opportunity to feature only their bottlings and tastings and also release some bottlings only for this day, also. It was great fun and an event to look out for in the future.

This year the Campbeltown Malt Festival was, of course, canceled due to Covid - and so was the planned Cadenhead in the Courtyard even for September 2020.

Instead, a virtual festival was arranged, which each brand having its own virtual Open Day and a release of a virtual festival bottle.

The one offered on the Cadenhead Virtual Open Day was the bottle featured in the review below... it's only named 'A Speyside Distillery' which, with Cadenhead, usually means the family-owned distillery in the Valley of the Green Grass - and I'll go out on a limb here and go along with that.

It's not that Cadenheads never bottle anything with this particular distillery name on - but due to legal reasons, they can only bottle 2 or 3 a year if I remember correctly. I'll shortly be reviewing one that carries the GF name.

It's also not only Cadenhead that is limited to this and this distillery that imposes restrictions on names. Its widely seen across the whisky industry.
Other examples are names like Williamson & Leapfrog for Laphroaig and when the label says 'An Orkney Malt', you have a Highland Park.

On to the review...

Glenfarclas Distillery Visitors Center, September 23rd 2016 © The Malt Desk

'A Speyside Distillery' 2001 18yo 52,3% (dist. xx.10.2001 - bott xx.10.2020) 1 ex-bourbon + 1 ex-sherry cask, 552 bottles, Cadenhead Virtual Open Day 2020

Nose:

OK, I'm guessing that if you get this straight out of a newly open bottle you'll wrinkle your nose...
My bottle has now been open for a couple of weeks and the nose has certainly come to life with notes of malt barns, damp slightly bitter/sweet wood notes, brown sugar, cracked peppercorns and a slight sour note.
Various wood spices start to dominate a bit along with more dry and sweet sherry influence and a hint of milk chocolate bars.

All quite well - even though it doesn't seem to swim well

Taste:
Much better (without water, that is)

The sherry notes are coming through very clearly - though, I'm having a hard time determining if the wood spices that follow are from the bourbon or the sherry cask used.

I'm getting quite an active bourbon cask in the background (I might be wrong) then sweet and spicy, nutmeg, caramel, dark honey, a hint of dark chili-infused chocolate, drying cinnamon, powdered ginger, and hint of orange peel.

It's all very pleasant, but it's like it wants to allow both the bourbon and sherry cask to have their say but it's not allowing either or both to shine - it's like it has not had time to marry properly before being bottled.

This is not -by any account- a bad whisky scoring an 85/100
I just expected a bit more of this - especially given the circumstances surrounding this release.

85/100!

HAZELBURN 2007 12YO - CADENHEAD AUTHENTIC COLLECTION

It's time to review another recent release from the good folks in Campbeltown, Wm. Cadenheads. Released late in Autumn 2020, this triple distilled unpeated Springbank carries the name Hazelburn.

The triple distilled unpeated style was introduced by then Manager Franck McHardy, who'd returned to manage Springbank after a stay in Northern Ireland and a job at Bushmills Distillery, where whisky is also triple distilled. The new Hazelburn spirit was first produced by the Springbank Distillery again back in 1997. 

The name Hazelburn originally comes from another distillery in Campbeltown (Early 18th Century - 1925/26) and was at the time, one of the biggest distilleries in Campbeltown. 

This particular edition comes from a single re-charred bourbon hogshead. Something that previously has worked very well with the Springbank spirit

Casks in the Springbank courtyard May 22nd 2019 © The Malt Desk

Hazelburn 2007 12yo 51,9%, re-charred bourbon hogshead, 234 bottles, Cadenheads Authentic Collection

Nose:

Quite heavy - that re-charred bourbon hogshead certainly has a say here...
Also quite creamy, loads of sweetness from vanilla and a strawberry note, hints of oregano and orange peel, a touch of ginger, custard and crisp slight burnt butter dough with the cask char also showing itself. A few drops of water brings out some flour/freshly made baking dough

Taste:

Thick and creamy arrival. If you've tasted whisky from a re-charred cask before you know where this style comes from. Dark honey, overripe banana, loads of caramel notes - that Créme Brûlée again. There are hints of cloves in there too, along with some fair bit of delicious but, to me, unrecognizable fruity notes.

At first, this came across as slightly peated to me, but this quickly receded and I found that it was probably the cask char speaking loudly on the first approach and at this point, I think I was right... This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love this as opposed to another re-charred oak matured whisky, I've reviewed lately...

89/100!

Sample was bought via my whisky network

BENRINNES 2000 20YO - CADENHEAD WOOD RANGE

It's quite nice to be trying some Benrinnes again... and I just recently had the opportunity to try both the below bottling as well as a very nice bourbon cask expression from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The SMWS expression will be reviewed at a later time... 

Anyway, there was quite a buzz surrounding this Cadenhead release as everyone wanted to get their hands on this heavily sherried expression.
Why? Dark whisky sells - that's just a fact! Is it better?
Well, depends both on your taste - darker and spicier vs. lighter and fruitier? 
Personally, I like both - but it also comes very much down to my mood which one I prefer on that specific day! What's your preference?

When you, in this case, combine the sherry maturation with the amount of buzz that has been created by some independent bottlers around Benrinnes Distillery - especially from Cadenheads- as to how good whisky from this distillery can be - you got your whisky frenzy with bottle flippers and whisky anoraks competing for the same bottles.

My only fear when buying a sherry cask bottling today (both a cask finish or fully matured) is sulfur. That, or getting a bottle that has been in one of those new very modern sherry infused style casks. Hello, Whisky Industry - they're just not very good casks! (rant over!)

Now, I know that sherry isn't fashionable anymore, so there's bound to be fewer casks, and especially good casks, out there for the whisky industry to snap up - but these new ones? They're but a shadow of previous casks.

Then there's the price of sherry casks, costing about x10 as much as a bourbon cask - but all this warrants a post of its own.

But back to the review...

Benrinnes Distillery from the road, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk

Benrinnes 2000 20yo 54,7%, Oloroso sherry cask finish, 336 bottles, Cadenhead Wood Range

Nose:

Luckily, it seems this cask has escaped the sulfur candles of Jerez unharmed.

Bl**dy hell, how much sherry was left in this cask when it was re-reracked into this cask? Right away you get that heavy sherry influence you also imagined that would approach you when looking at the color of this whisky. 

Loads of dark fruits, raisins, figs, and alcohol-soaked plums. Also in there, there's cinnamon, cooked apple, and some lovely spicy wood notes - all well-integrated and delivered by the alcohol

Taste:

Again, this is a cask finish! This means that this has been matured in a (probably) ex-bourbon cask before being moved to its finishing cask, an ex-oloroso sherry hogshead in August 2019... It's showing a lot of sherry influence, for sure -but I'm also getting quite a bit of delicious wood spices, possibly a combination of its previous cask and the sherry cask? Also there, is nutmeg in abundance, some milk chocolate, a slight hint of warming paprika, and Danish 'krydderkage' (look it up!)

I get if someone wants to call this one a one-tracked whisky as it takes experience to pick out the more subtle underlying notes in this one.

It has certainly turned into what many whisky anoraks refer to as 'sherry bomb' but I still feel there's a bit more to this... In any case, it's a whisky that, for sure, is in tune with the Xmas Holiday season.

88/100!

Sample was bought from via my whisky network

GLEN MORAY 2004 15YO - DISTILLERY EDITION OB

This will be the last Glen Moray, I'll be reviewing for now...

While I feel the other expressions have been somewhat underpowered - its certainly not the case for this one. More of this, please Glen Moray... or at at least bottle at 46% and don't chill filter - it just takes away too many natural oils and flavors

This one doesn't suffer from either of the above, this is pretty much as close as you get to get your whisky straight from the cask, except for some rough barrier filtering and this is how whisky is supposed to be, IMO

A conclusion of the reviews I've made must be that Glen Moray is whisky very well made - but I knew that already. But as with many of the bigger producers they still fail to see that 40% and chill-filtration just kills off their whisky - with the exception of the one below

Different casks at Glen Moray incl a wine cask. You can recognize a wine cask by its extra hoops around the cask © Glen Moray

Glen Moray 2004 15yo 60,1% Burgundy Cask#213 - Distillery Edition

Nose:
initially a lot of wood, but that was to be expected coming from a wine cask - let's leave it for a bit...

Coming back 10mins later it's now it's bursting with sweetness - marzipan, sweet crushed blackberries, sweet mandarins, and icing sugar, concentrated garden roses and candies apples. After a while, hints of milk chocolate comes through as well.

Taste:
Lovely malty sweet arrival with much of the above mirroring itself on the palate after that. In addition, I get a little more wood than expected from the nose, but nothing invasive.

The wine notes are more dominant now, adding a distinct drying edge to this whisky. If you're a wine drinker it'll not feel invasive, but again, it is distinct. Finally, the alcohol delivery is significant but I do recommend not adding water to this if you can handle the abv% as water brings out more bitter notes, which some might not find desirable.

This sure is a whisky if you have a sweet tooth - and want your flavour delivered with a punch

86/100!

Official sample provided by the Danish importer

GLEN MORAY 10YO 'FIRED OAK' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

We're on to the next Glen Moray review - this time I'll be reviewing the 10yo 'Fired oak' which is a combination of ex-bourbon and heavily charred fresh American oak casks.

So what does heavily charred oak add to the whisky, I hear you ask?
In this case, the good folk at Glen Moray have chosen to get American oak casks that have never been used before, charred, or burnt of you like, on the inside of the casks to a degreed where the casks produce a layer of charred oak, much like a piece of charcoal - on the outer layer of the oak staves.

This degree of charring brings out a more heavy cask influence than regular oak staves will, as the charring will have brought out more flavor compounds from the oak. The charring will also remove unwanted, usually natural sulphury notes from the maturing spirit - much like charcoal filtering normally do.

However, there is a fine balance to keep when using charred oak for maturation.
Some spirits lighter in character, like e.g. Glen Moray can easily be overpowered by charred oak, IMO - and this is probably why they have chosen to mix it with regular oak cask matured Glen Moray... A wise choice if you ask me!

Let's take a closer look:

Cask rows at a Glen Moray Warehouse © Glen Moray

Glen Moray 10yo 'Fired Oak' - Distillery Bottling

Nose:
Fresh warm baking, hints of orange peel, dark honey and overripe banana.
It's all carried forward by candied apples on a stick. After a while, a strong vanilla note comes through.

Taste:
Quite laid back and very much driven by the fired oak casks, making up what I would think is a large portion of this. A hint of burnt toast, thick malt, burnt caramel and some vanilla notes. The finish continues with quite some wood influence, turning it slightly bitter.

I like the nose on this and flavor-wise this is a notch heavier compared to the Elgin Classic edition. If you're new to whisky you'll either love or hate this as it introduces some new flavors that might need some getting used to. On the other hand, this also produces some more candy, burnt caramel-like notes that might appeal to some.

I actually felt more a sense of original Glen Moray whisky, drinking the 'Elgin Classic' than I do this. Also, I would also be more inclined to pick up the regular 12yo instead if this after comparing (UK) prices.

77/100!

Official sample provided by the Danish Importer

GLEN MORAY 'PORT CASK FINISH' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

After a short break, I'm back with another Glen Moray review.

Now, I've always liked Port cask matured whisky - 'cause I'm also a Port Wine drinker. However, it comes very much down to if it has spent all its years in a port cask or if it has only been finished.
The latter is the case here... and as always it comes down to a combination of the original casks but especially the quality of the port casks, in my opinion.
I mean, like with whisky there's 'your run off the mill' and there are great quality casks - the same goes for port - There's what your Granny likes for Xmas and then there's the Prime Douro Valley stuff

But let's try this one...

A peak inside a Glen Moray Warehouse © Glen Moray

Glen Moray 'Port Cask Finish' 40% Distillery Bottling

Nose:
As expressive as the 'Egin Classic' was, this is its absolute counterpart - it definitely needs time to open up... zzzZZZzzz and we're back, now picking up some obvious vinous notes, wet cask staves, bung cloth, mint, and whiffs of strawberries

I feel like it's really being held back by either the quality of its initial maturation rather than the Port casks that have imposed a pinkish-orange hue to the whisky.

Taste:

More expressive on the palate for sure. Lovely cask spices, slight orange zest, alcohol-soaked blackberries, and generally quite earthy in style. The oak is very active and drying, especially on the finish, which this whisky sadly cannot withstand.

Now,  as I mentioned I normally like port cask matured whiskies but this one seems a bit rushed. Maybe a year or 2 more in the port casks to smooth out the rough edges? and would think Glen Moray could do better with a Port Cask whisky than this?

72/100!

Official sample provided by the Danish Importer

DIAGEO SPECIAL RELEASES 2020 - REVIEWS

The 8 Special Releases for 2020 © Diageo Press Kit

Very recently an invitation to join a virtual tasting of the Diageo Special Releases 2020 found its way into my mailbox - an invite hard to ignore and meaning a very nicely packaged tasting kit was received and an online link was provided.

How did I approach this tasting?

The tasting kit contained 8 x 3cl of each whisky.
The first 1-1½cl were tasted and preliminary notes were taken during the online event itself - mainly nosing notes were taken along with a few tasting notes.
Then 2 hours after the tasting and a thorough palate-cleansing, more serious work was put into the notes, on both smell and taste and I'll let you know right away - this changed my first perception quite a bit on more than a couple of the whiskies.

Before you scroll down and try to find scores on each of the bottles, then I have to disappoint you this time. I have not scored these, but reading my notes and finishing comments should still give you an idea of what I think of each whisky.

Cardhu 2008 11yo 56% Refill and new ex-bourbon hogsheads

Nose:

A good sweet malty edge with some white garden fruit and juice from mixed tinned fruits

Palate:
The palate shows quite some active wood, very much citrussy notes, honey and
malt

Water brings out more vanilla on the nose but increases the spiciness on the palate. A very refreshing and nice Cardhu but lacking a bit compared to the Special Release from 2019

Singleton of Dufftown 2002 17yo 55,1% Refill American Oak Hogsheads

Nose:

Lovely fresh and grassy, some vanilla and citrus ripe honey melon. also a dusty note in there...

Taste:
Quite sweet and honeyed, still... some garden fruit and fresh ginger coming through

Almost too sweet in the long run but a nice surprise in this otherwise impressive lineup. 

Dalwhinnie 1989 30yo 51,9% Refill ex-bourbon hogsheads

Nose:
Lovely old bourbon cask style nose, Lots of honey, boiled fruits and oak spice. Also in there a slight mineral and olive oil note along with a slight hint of wet newspaper

Taste:
I may be a bit sentimental here as Dalwhinnie 15 was one of my first single malts 20 years ago, but I was instantly taken back to that time. Honeyed, a slight mineral note, good spirit feel - citrus and pears

Do I even detect a slight hint of smoke on the very long finish of this?

A lovely, lovely dram! Yes, I'm a bit sentimental about Dalwhinnie since it was one of my first malts but this is indeed a very nice dram. I'd rush out and buy a bottle if it wasn't for its very high price tag.

Pittyvaich 1989 30yo 50,8% Refill casks finished in 1st fill ex-bourbon casks

Very different to begin with - will probably need time

Nose:
Initially some mint, herb garden, very malty
Returning to pour the rest this after a good 4 hours the nose has now shed all its distinctiveness and returned to more classic old whisky notes
Mellow and wet oak, lightly scented candle wax, tinned peaches and malt

Taste:
The palate carries a huge malty profile, along with overripe banana wet hops turning into a very ale-like on the finish

This is one of those drams that are really hard to decode but I do know I've really enjoyed this. And it's certainly better than the old 2009 Special Release...

Mortlach 1999 21yo 56,9% finished in toasted PX and Oloroso sherry casks

Nose:
Nice and characterful nose not drowned entirely in sherry.
Also, no sulfur from the sherry cask finishing - a big plus!

Quite a heavy nose, in fact, as one would expect from a Mortlach but the sherry is pretty much kept in the background. Instead, it's promoting a lovely array of fruity notes.

Taste:
Lovely heavy arrival, thick and rich - and quite waxy - is this a Clynelish? (Just Joking)

The sherry is more pronounced on the palate but in no way invasive - only a slight drying and bitter note on the finish reveals its presence.

As pleasant as this is, I can't help feel that this is also a bit one-dimensional as it never strays from a very fine line of fruity notes and some oak spice.
This is also a dram I think many people would take a liking to but sadly this also carries quite a hefty price tag.

Cragganmore 1999 20yo 55,8% Refill and new freshly charred ex-bourbon hogsheads

Nose:
A heavier than normal style for Cragganmore if you ask me - Are the re-charred casks speaking quite loud here?

Getting a hint of red berries but with burnt orange notes taking over and delivering something resembling sherry cask influence even though the official cask make-up says otherwise. (those re-charred casks again?) 

Think dark honey, slightly burnt caramel - think creme brulee. Also getting very sweet dessert wine notes. Very expressive!

Taste:
Quite a traditional Speyside whisky arrival turning towards darker notes straight away. I feel that this is very much cask driven and not so much letting the Cragganmore spirit shine. This is like going half-way with caramel Macchiato maybe? Also licorice root and added walnut for extra bitterness.

I was initially impressed with this, especially with its nose but the palate lets this one down a bit after a re-taste. Just too bitter and out of balance for me. Is it bad? no - just not my kinda preferred profile.

Talisker 2011 8yo 57,9% Refill casks finished in Caribbean Rum Casks

Nose:
Drying smoke, seaside salt, bbq flavored crisps with a hint of vanilla and cracked white peppers. Also a hint of white wine downwind from a garden bonfire.

Taste:
Very drying on arrival - is this distillate driven? If yes, I would like some more cask influence, please... sweet peat, notes of white rum indeed along with some vanilla influence. Salty green olives and rocket salad bitterness.

A bit disappointed to be honest having tried a few young Taliskers over the years.
I so much more prefer the excellent Special Release 2018 8yo over this any day!

Lagavulin 2007 12 56,4% Refill hogsheads and butts

Nose:
A more delicate Laga12 than some of the previous years' releases? Certainly less smoky/peaty and 'in your face'. Notes on bbq'ed burnt lemon slices, smoked mustard glazed ham, peat bog after the rain and wet gravel

Taste:
Great arrival on peat, olives in seawater, some mineral note (chalk?) More lemony notes coming through as well - all finishing on a smoked paprika note

A Laga12 a bit out of the ordinary style - quite refreshing, IMO

Conclusion:
There are no bad whiskies here. All range from good to excellent.
Sadly, some of these whiskies carry a price tag higher than your average whisky drinker is willing to spend- but maybe that's why they're bottled in the Special Release series. All are bottled in limited numbers - but still in the several 1000s.

I hope you've enjoyed my review of the DSRs for 2020

Official samples were provided by Diageo Denmark. All pictures from the official Diageo Press Kit

GLEN MORAY 'ELGIN CLASSIC' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

It's time to review a small handful of more commonly available whiskies - 4 to be exact - all from Glen Moray Distillery in Elgin, Speyside.

I'll start off with what Glen Moray themselves also call 'Elgin Classic' which pretty much sums up what this is - Straight forward easy drinkable whisky from this giant hidden in a residential neighborhood in Elgin.

The last time I visited was in September 2019 and would like to go back - and quite possibly pick up one of the very nice hand-bottlings offered there.
Since circumstances currently prevent travel, I'll have to settle for a virtual trip down Bruceland Road

Glen Moray Distillery at the end of Bruceland Rd. in Elgin © Glen Moray

 

Glen Moray 'Elgin Classic' 40%, Distillery Bottling

Nose:
Very expressive, much more than expected - promising...
I expect a lot of 1st fill ex-bourbon casks at work here.
Lots of grassy notes, a floral hint, and then green apples and malty notes and sugary lemony sponge case fresh from the oven.
After a while, some wood chip notes and a hint of wet newspaper peeps through

A nose that would appeal to many first-time whisky drinkers, I expect

Taste:
Quite warming for 40% as if the casks have a bit too much to say here? Slightly off-balance, maybe... The palate is very much an echo of the nose with warm apple, some citrus, and grassy notes, and a quite surprisingly long finish

I do not recommend you add water to this one - doing so kills it off and brings out an unwanted note of varnish/paint thinner on the palate.

Do I like it? yes, I do... Will I drink if offered, yes, I will...
I would have loved to try this at 43% or even 46% where I think this would be much better as the delivery still leaves a few things to be desired.

All in all a good starter whisky for new malt drinkers as well as fairly inexpensive compared to other entry-level whiskies.

77/100!

Official sample provided by the Danish Importer

SPRINGBANK 1993 26YO - VIRTUAL OPEN DAY 2020 DISTILLERY BOTTLING

Due to Covid19 this year, lots of festivals and whisky gathering have been cancelled. However, quite a few have also moved online and the Campbeltown Malt Festival 2020 that was originally scheduled for May 2020 was also moved online - placed in the last week of October.

The festival gave us a tasting each night from Monday - Friday, each tasting having at least a couple of star drams. One of those and one highly anticipated was the Springbank 1993 26yo Open Day bottle - a vatting of 2 bourbon casks. This was included in the Springbank Tasting Kit for the Friday night tasting along with 5 other drams, incl. a preview tasting of the next Local Barley - don't try and chase it down, folks - it will not be released until sometime in 2021.

Anyways, the purpose of this writeup was to review the Springbank 26yo - a, for some, a bit had to interpret dram. At least that was my impression from the comments during the tasting which left me thinking that the people giving this a not so good review, maybe didn't give this dram the time it deserved?
However, I did... I poured it a good 45min before I even approached it except for an initial sniff thinking it seems very closed up.

So what did I get from it once I went back to it? My notes are below the picture...

The Springbank 1993 26yo Virtual Open Day 2020 Bottling

Springbank 1993 26yo 51,1%, 2 Refill Bourbon Hogsheads, 432 bottles, Springbank Virtual Open Day 2020

Nose:
The Open Day has a cracking nose, initially dusty and notes of wet sand.
A bit closed but opens up nicely showing a slightly peaty side before going fruity. Quite some brine in there as well. The fruits, some tropical and citrus ones are struggling a bit to come through but give this time and you will be rewarded. All in all quite vibrant for a 25yo+ whisky

Taste:

Quite potent on arrival, peat, overripe apples and pears, honey, cask spices... Ginger and pepper, a little salty, the peat linger along with a nice malty finish. A few drops of water brings out more tropical style fruit notes but never leaving its Springbank DNA behind.

As with the 24yo Springbank from Cadenhead released in 2019, this needs time.
Time to breathe in the glass and time on the palate. It cannot, or I'd rather say, it must not be rushed. Give it time and you will be rewarded. A cracker!

91/100!

CLYNELISH 1995 23YO - SIGNATORY VINTAGE

Tonights single malt indulgence...

Clynelish 1995 23yo bottled at 56,4% from a single sherry butt#11242. Opened little over a week ago. Back then gave off some undesireable sulphury notes. A huge disappointment then...

It has now in the past 9 days been sitting with the cork off for a few hours and left to breathe (cork in) for this past week and has developed nicely. It still has a little trace of sulphur on the palate but this can be drowned out with water without hurting the overall experience.

What your experience with letting sulphury drams breathe for a periode of time?

And do you like your Clynelish better fra bourbon casks rather than sherry casks? I think I do...    

Clynelish 1995 23yo Dist. 21.11.1995 Bott. 16.06.2019, Refill sherry butt#11242, 592 bottles, Sigantory Vintage series Nose: The nose is now on stewed overripe fruits, heavy on dark honey with a hint of something herbal and camphor.

Taste: The palate has a slight hint of the sulphury still, even after adding 2 teaspoons of water, but its heavy on dark fruits and slight burnt caramel. Think the top of your Creme Brulee.

Its thick and oily and fruity, but maybe not as waxy as we normally see from Clynelish. Here, I'm sensing the sherry cask masking it somewhat.

Still, a great dram once its been allowed to breathe and with water added it definitely moves up a class!

What your experience with letting sulphury drams breathe for a period of time?

And do you like your Clynelish better fra bourbon casks rather than sherry casks? I think I do...    

82/100! ... and thats with added water to drown out the sulphur

'AN IRISH' 2006 10YO (13YO) - CADENHEAD

Tonights tipple is 'An Irish' from Indie bottler, Cadenheads

Effectively a 13yo whiskey, but since it left Ireland for Scotland at the age of 10, it also say 10 on the label. It then spent a further 3 years in the cask in Scotland, the last 17 months in an Ex-Guyana rum barrel.

Most likely an unpeated Cooley, it carries that light Irish style beautifully but still has a little kick due to the 47,1% abv.

'An Irish' 2006 10yo (13yo) 47,1%, Ex.Guyana Rum Barrel since April 2018

Nose:

Those nose reveals loads of malty sweetness in the traditional Irish style with noticeably apple and pear notes - but also dosed with influence from the rum cask, but in no overwhelming influence.

Taste:
The taste comes across slightly hot to begin with but mellows out as its also gets your mouth watering. It all comes across quite tropical with the sweet malt, fruit, vanilla and rum cask influence. Not a huge star of a whiskey, but thoroughly enjoyable whisky from 'The Emerald Isle' - via Scotland and Guyana

86/100

HIGHLAND PARK 1989 29YO - GORDON & MACPHAIL CONNOISSEURS CHOICE

After a detour to Speyside during my last review, we're now back on Orkney with that very highly marketed Viking Pride/Honour/Raven/Axe wielding distillery, Highland Park.

For this review we're staying with Gordon & MacPhails revamped Connoisseurs Choice series, relaunched as a part of the 50th anniversary of the first release of the series.

Highland Park has long been a favourite of mine and was one of the first whisky with just a little peat I started drinking back in my baby whisky years just after the turn of the Millenia. The distillery's got a very dedicated following on Facebook in the group 'Highland Park Appreciation Society' and now seems to be releasing single cask expression every other week. - How dare you? Think of how you're ruining the economy of those poor collectors!!??!! ;-)

Releasing single casks on a regular basis is one thing that has changed, but I also think something else has changed, sadly... and thats the casks they're using at HP - and probably also at Macallan, another Edrington great that uses predominantly sherry casks.

Now, I'm very sensitive to sulphur and seem to, in all the single casks I've tried since they started to come out, detected a variating degree of sulphury notes as well an vinegary edge to the sherry and to be honest I'm very sad to see this. This is probably due to a shortage of proper sherry casks these days, but still I feel its taking a wrong turn...

I know Edrington has long term contracts with a cooperage in Spain and promotes their wood policy (Highland Park - Spanish Wood Story on Youtube) and this is just me (and a few other critical voices) and many others doesn't seem to pick up on this. Whether they just can't taste it or they don't want to alienate themselves with the brand. I think the question here is if the cooperage is cutting corners with the quality of the sherry used for the maturation or if the sherry used for seasoning doesn't manage to draw out the unwanted very woody notes that comes from the fresh cask?? Certainly, the HP devotees in the before mentioned Facebook group doesn't seem to either mind or be able to taste this - some even praises this style :-O

Now, before you flame me for this statement, mind you, this is my taste (and a few others I've seen mentions of online) so lets leave it at that - I just feel sad that HP as I know it has pretty much disappeared over the last decade or so - as even the 12 and 18 standard bottlings are now showing traces of this, IMO...

In February 2019, I'll be revisiting Highland Park after a tasting I've put together with Distillery bottlings vs. Independent bottling, much more on how I think Highland Park is doing after that.

Right, rant over...

Let's get back to speaking of independent Highland Parks and this one from Gordon & MacPhail, who by the way, usually supply their own casks to be filled with new make spirit.

Stills at Highland Park, August 6th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 1989 29yo 57% (07.03.1989/18.09.2018) Refill sherry butt#1087, 611 bottles, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice

Nose:
Quite a sweet sherry coating dominates this, I think... Underneath though, there's plenty of charred oak, some mushroom earthy notes, honey glazed meat, dark overripe fruit and a floral note trying to come through... Pretty much standard Highland Park, right? Maybe expect for the heavily charred oak.

Taste:
The no-water experience on the palate was a bit of a let-down! However... Just Add Water!

This one comes alive indeed with water. I getting into the territory of the old Original Bottling of HP 25, just amplified a bit due to the higher alcohol strength - We are, however, not quite there...

I get most of the classic HP traits as we did on the nose - the honey, the floral and dark fruit notes, charred and peaty notes, but the cask both the sherry and oak here is taking this one over a bit - especially the charred note reminds me a bit much of a BBQ event where the BBQ master is more busy drinking beer than tending to the grill ;-)

Like I said, give this one a teaspoon of water if you've poured yourself a 25-30ml dram and watch a little magic happen! Everything is amplified and your sherried Highland Park comes out - proper sherry - not the vinegar sherry style the newer Original Highland Parks carry these days! it'll lift not only the spirit in the glass but also your own experience of this HP!

87/100!

INVERLEVEN 1985 33YO - GORDON & MACPHAIL PRIVATE COLLECTION

I've must not have tried much more about a handful of Inverlevens in the 20 years, I been drinking whisky. This means that my references for Inverleven is stretched thin by far. On the other hand, its pretty much like discovering a new whisky which isn't that bad, is it? :-)

Inverleven, however, are rarer than hens' teeth these days and the chance to try the below expression is a welcome opportunity to expand ones whisky knowledge - and with a rather exclusive bottling too.

Inverlevens scarcity these days are very much a result it being decommissioned in 1991, but up until then there were bottlings to be had - notably again from indie bottlers such as Gordon & MacPhail but also Duncan Taylor and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Gordon & MacPhail Sample Room - © G&M Media Library

Inverleven 1985 33yo 57,4% (22.01.1985/06.07.2018) Refill bourbon barrel#33, 130 bottles, Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection


Nose:
Delicate, sweet with vanilla, apples, honey and grassy notes. There's also some gingery and hint of something flowery in there. Some Muscato dessert wine peaks through giving this its hint of old as it rightly should. Very well chiseled but its also very straight forward and doesn't stray far from its path.


Taste:
Love sweet arrival on stewed pears, candies lemons, fresh grass and vanilla. Its then taken over by a little oak, baked and flinty notes but the fruit is ever still present. Its again very delicate Only downside is that the finish comes across short for such an old whisky, IMO

Like I mentioned above, I've not had that many Inverlevens and this is, by memory, one of, if not the best of them... and even though its good, I still feel its missing something a little something - the short finish maybe?

Also, this was a very small sample and I would have loved to spend more time with this, but sadly this wasn't the case this time around...

88/100!

Official sample provided by Gordon&MacPhail

GLENROTHES 1974 43YO - GORDON & MACPHAIL PRIVATE COLLECTION

I've always had a bit of a strange relationship with Glenrothes up through my whisky drinking year and its actually not that many years ago that I started to understand  the distillery and its often very, to me at the time, kind of 'middle-of-the-road' where you had to go to the indies to get something a bit of of the ordinary.

Working my way through more than bit of indie bottlings, many from Cadenheads and the SMWS, I started to see why this seemingly 'boring' (again, at least to me) distillery might just appeal to someone, still...

Its just a great base spirit and I certainly see why it has been a part of blending recipies. Its also a malt that takes time to mature, IMO - so grabbing a bottle of the Select Reserve disappointed me greatly. However, this indie release also a part of Gordon & MacPhails revamping of their bottling series - this time the Private Collection series - does carry quite a bit of age so I am expecting this one to deliver a nice experience.

Approaching Glenrothes distillery, May 5th 2012 © The Malt Desk

Glenrothes 1974 43yo 49,5% (02.12.1974/06.07.2018) refill sherry puncheon#18440, 276 bottles Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection

Nose:
Bit of sweet/sour note at first pour it its gone after just under 1 minute.

The sherry cask comes through immediately, not at all accompanies by invasive oak of any kind, but just mellow honey and gingerbread, dried fruit and hints of polished leather upholstery, 'Old Dublin' sweet pipe tobacco and faint eucalyptus.


Taste:
Ultra clean sherry sherry influence here - you seldom see sherry cask quality like this today unless it contains old whisky like this. This is just about the right drinking strength, IMO although maybe 1-2% more might have taken this even further... There's alcohol soaked fruits, plum cake, cinnamon and and orange peel and brown sugar. On the finish, some Haribo sweet licorices comes through with a
bit of nuts and mint.

Quite a lovely old dram, but I can't help thinking its missing a little something...

88/100!

Official sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail

SCAPA 1988 30YO - GORDON & MACPHAIL CONNOISSEURS CHOICE

As a part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the 'Connoisseurs Choice'-range, Gordon & MacPhail has during 2018 released some bottlings out of the ordinary. I'm about to review another below - stay tuned!

The Connoisseurs Choice-series has had different looks over the years, but if you're an experienced whisky drinker -and probably also if you're not- there's a good chance you will have come across these bottlings at some point.

© G&M Media Kit

I've already reviewed some recent bottlings released as a part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, their reviews can be found here and here.

For this next review we'll head up to the Orkney Islands just off the north coast of Scotland.

Now, Scapa distillery has long been living in the shadow of that more prominent Orkney Distillery - you know the one branding Norse Mythology and Vikings Galore (read: Highland Park) but I remember when visiting the Islands almost 10 years ago, locals telling me that they actually drank Scapa - not Highland Park... or they probably just collect Highland Park, but still drink Scapa ;-) 

This may have changed, of course, but I also have to admit I enjoy a good Scapa... There's not a lot of it out there - especially mature Scapa like the one I'm about to review...

Scapa Distillery seen from across the Scapa Flow, August 5th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Scapa 1988 30yo 53,8% (02.09.1988/13.09.2018) Refill bourbon barrel#10585, 148 bottles, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice

Nose:
Quite an oily feel to this one...
Butter cream caramel and loads of vanilla, a dash of wet chipped wood, mineral notes, bit of chalk maybe? buttercups and freshly squeezed olive oil and a bit of salt/ozone as well. A couple of drops of water reveals oranges, sweet melon and a very honeyed side to this. Love this nose!

Taste:
Thick creamy malt vanilla custard on a sweet bread sponge bed with lemons and orange marmelade on top and raspberries on top. A malt for The Great Bake Off! The malt is a driving force here, yes, but it comes along with a just a little oak influence to keep all the sweetness at bay.

It also still maintains its salty and mineral traits through to the palate as well.

I have a serious week spot for well balanced bourbon cask matured whiskies like this one and this really hits the spot for me!

Finally, before I'm flooded with questions on where to get this magnificent beast then -to the best of my knowledge- this hasn't been released yet.

90/100!

Official sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail