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

LONGMORN 1968 40YO 7.55 'LIQUID HEAVEN' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Longmorn has long been a favourite with many  malt heads, incl. myself...
Why? it just has a bit of everything and it seems to be very consistent, making it a whisky blenders favourite. It also matures very well, both in ex-bourbon and sherry casks.The production is clearly minded for blended whisky and the main part of the production ends up in owners Chivas Bros. (Pernod Ricard) blends such as Chivas Regal and Royal Salute. This, of course also reflects on the availability of Longmorn as a Single Malt.

In 2012 the distillery was expanded to a capacity of 4,5 million liter annually but it still remains to be seen if we're to be blessed with more official bottlings from Chivas Bros. At this moment you can get a NAS Distillers Choice, a 16yo and a 50cl Cask Strength version, available at the Chivas Distilleries that has a visitors center, e.g. Glenlivet, Aberlour and Strathisla.

There does seem to be escaping a fair number of casks to the indie bottlers so it shouldn't be all that hard to track down one down, indie or official bottling, if you browse the big online whisky retailers... and speaking of indie bottlers - lets move ahead to this review...

The Longmorn Still House, picture with permission from Gorm N. Jensen

Longmorn 1968 7.55 40yo 'Liquid Heaven' 54,9%, 1st fill sherry butt, 451 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is mahogany

Nose:
Super nice, lots of old school sherry notes, cocoa/bitter chocolates, espresso, cool chocolate sponge cake, tangerines soaked in alcohol, brown sugar, strawberry and kirsch and old polished book shelves.

Taste:
Lots of malt wrapped in sulphur free old school sherry. There's crunchy chocolate orange sweets, roasted coffee beans and brown caramels. There's a wood presence here, yes, but everything is perfectly wrapped in layers of other stuff like figs and cinnamon, figs, nutmeg - sometimes its like sipping orange liquer spiced up with a dark old rhum. The whole thing ends with a tiny hint of woods spice and mint - Brilliant, just brilliant!

This is some of the best whisky I've had in a long time!

93/100!

BOWMORE 1996 19YO 3.256 - HEBRIDIAN HOLIDAY TINGLE - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Its been a while... In fact its been close to 2 months since my last post.
Why? Kinda ended up in a whisky existential crisis combined with a bit of a writers block, I think...

Anyways, I'm back and will be kicking off with a review of a Bowmore from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. It's funny really, that I pick up again here as I often struggle a bit with Bowmore. Often, I steer clear of Bowmores, especially those dreaded perfumy ones from the 80's. I know some love that profile lavender profile in the 80's bottlings, but I just can't stand it. Now, I'm perfectly aware that the more recent ones from the early to mid-90's and onwards has almost completely shed that style but its still not that often I go there - so tastings and launches, like the ones done by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society are perfect opportunities to get ones Bowmore tasting library refreshed.

The latest Society outturn here in Denmark had the 3.256 as one of its Islay whiskies. The Caol Ila (53.234) was heavily promoted, but not at all what it was made out to be - well, according to my taste anyway, so instead I ventured to Bowmore for a bit more moderately smoky profile - and I was not to be disappointed. I took a full bottle home right then and there!

Here's a more in-depth look...

Bowmore Distillery on a quiet summer evening, 13th June 2007 © The Malt Desk

Bowmore 1996 3.256 (27.03.1996/xx.xx.2015) 19yo 'Hebridian Holiday Tingle' 57,4%, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 258 bottles, The Scotch malt Whisky Society

Colour is full gold

Nose:
Distinctly Bowmore but at the same time, very subdued. Its quite delicate, there's the fresh floral Bowmore note, yes... but its wrapped in modest measure of peat, vanilla, honey melon, a coastal salt water note - burning seaweed and shellfish cooked directly on the shore. Add to that healthy amount of alcohol as a delivery agent of the above notes and everything just hits the spot! Delicate and sophisticated!

Taste:
Quite mellow for a 57%+ whisky on the first arrival, but then WHAM !! You get an explosion of flavours. A BBQ curry sauce, Sweet peat smoke, loads of sweet honey, brown sugar glaze, burnt spiced chicken skins, quite a bit of burnt smoked apple, a garden fire - burning flowers, foliage, honey and sweet charred mustard and wood.

Brilliant - just brilliant, I keep wanting to top up my glass!

As of 26 April 2016 its still available at the Danish branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society at around €120/£94 at today's exchange rate.

No half point here, so this goes all the way up to...

91/100!

BENRINNES 2002 36.81 - 'A MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Benrinnes Distillery was up until 2007 one of the more odd ones in the family of distilleries. Why? Because it used partial triple distillation of its spirit - a practise only still used at Mortlach and Springbank distilleries. A complete triple distillation, however is still done at the Auchentoshan Distillery on the outskirts of Glasgow and, of course, with the Springbanks Hazelburn.

Like the other distilleries using this method, Benrinnes has been known to put out a slightly heavier and natural slight sulphury style of spirit which has often been used as a backbone in owner, Diageo's blends. Benrinnes also used worm tub spirit condensers, which is also said to add to a heavier spirit character.

Its not often we see an official bottling of Benrinnes, so if you want to try this you'll most likely have to turn to the independent bottlers like the one I'll be reviewing below...

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

Benrinnnes 2002 36.81 (14.08.2002/xx.xx.2014) 11yo 'A Mad Hatter's Tea Party' 60,1%, 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel, 203 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is pale gold

Nose:
Quite full, vanilla, hay, lemons, grist/draff, hints of raspberry and ginger and cooked sweet vegetable notes, oils and hints of mint and wet rocks

Taste:
Be careful with this - its over 60%! It's on stewed and candied fruit (citrus and apple) followed by a rush of barley, vanilla custard creme and waxy/oily feel to it. Added water brings out a white winey edge and also some floral notes.

Quite the dram with some of heavier notes coming through - one that'll grow on you!

86/100!

GLENFARCLAS 1970 1.134 'INDESCRIBABLE BLISS' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Glenfarclas Distillery requires no further introduction to most people.

The distillery is what I'd classify as a Speyside landmark and a distillery you just have to get yourself acquainted with - otherwise your whisky journey will incomplete. When visiting the distillery and looking around their warehouses, you'll still find casks from yesteryear and some of those casks gets bottles as the distiller's highly accalaimed 'Family Cask'-series.

You also don't see many independent bottling from Glenfarclas, so when I come across some I usually make an effort to get to try them. This one, I tried at recently a deluxe SMWS tasting in the local club. Quite some goodies were had that evening, so expect more review from that tasting over the course of the next month or 2...

Casks, casks, casks... @Glenfarclas Distillery, May 4th 2013 © The Malt Desk

Glenfarclas 1970 1.134 (xx.01.1970/xx.12.2006) 36yo 'Indescribable bliss' 53%, ex-sherry cask, 233 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is dark amber

Nose:
Very closed at first, but this one has been trapped in a bottle for almost 10 years - it needs to breathe... Oh, wow... this is really old school sherry. Dusty bookshelves, bags of mushrooms and nutmeg. It has a sweet yet still spicy Oloroso style of sherry that you only find in casks from that era. Its like the wine is still fermenting here, vague yeasty notes and a nutty liqueur and dark chocolates. There's an underlying herbal notes in here as well along with hint of raspberries.

Taste:
Dark berries, some vague elderberry and blackcurrant, more nuts and chocolates, mulled wine and lots of malt. Some overripe oranges comes through mid palate along with a streak of bitter oak throwing it a bit off balance. The finish is bitter/spicy (peppery) with some cloves as well. Be careful if you want to add water to this one... it literally only takes a few drops and when it does, it puts the oak and wine in the background and brings out its heavy malty side.

This is truly a malt of yesteryear, lots of notes only associated with old whisky in here and its a privilege to try this, even if it has a slight flaw. This bottle will certainly appeal to the romantic in you...

90/100!

A STREAK OF IRISH WHISKEY - VARIOUS BOTTLERS

Tuesday this week the Irish (and lots of others, for that matter...) celebrate St. Patrick's Day. By now the hangovers should have lifted from those who participated - a hangover mainly caused by many pints of Guinness and also, in some, Irish Whiskey.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of hosting an Irish Whiskey tasting in the local club and thankfully, they've started bottling more of their whiskey at cask strength which makes the whole thing a lot more fun.

Here's some quick notes on all the whiskeys from that tasting in one post (left to right)

7 drams from The Emerald Isle, January 22nd 2015 © The Malt Desk

Tullamore Dew 12yo Special Reserve, 40%, Distillery bottling

Colour is light amber

Nose:
Fruity at first, then spicy grains and some honey

Taste:
Very easy arrival, banana, vanillas, gentle and sweet, more honey, crisp grains evident, pleasant drinker, slight bitterness on the finish

Actually much better than expected!

77/100!


Jameson Select Reserve, 40%, Distillery bottling

Colour is amber

Nose:
Burnt caramel, spicy, not much grain evident at first, , toast, honey and hints of coffee

Taste:
Creamy, a burnt bitterness, medium mouthfeel, notes of rum and candied apple

78/100!


Distilled in Ireland 26yo, 51,6%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams

Colour is golden straw

Nose:
A little vinegar and varnish at first, then vanilla, sweet malt, resin, wet oak

Taste:
Almost waxy, melon, fruits, oak spices, lots of ginger, gets very tropical fruity in style with time along with mustard seeds and cumin - lovely!

85/100!


Limerick Malt 2001 11yo, 57%, cask#9929, 235 bottles, Adelphi

Colour is straw

Nose:
Discreet at first, then apples and pears, grist, hint of strawberry, vanilla and fresh dough

Taste:
Think of a sweet Speyside whisky - the style is very fruity/floral with apple crumble and white chocolate and a peppery finish - Very good and incredibly drinkable even at full strength

86/100!


Writer's Tears Cask Strength 53%, Walsh's Whiskey

Colour is pale straw

Nose:
Slightly soapy note at first and quite some alcohol as well. Vanilla, some fruit, feinty notes (dairy) quite a young-ish profile

Taste:
More feinty notes - I'm guessing this is quite young, slightly herbal, sweet and carries a very distinct style. The pot still-style whiskey comes through to save this one...

81/100!


Redbreast 12 Cask Strength, 58,6%, batch B1/12, Distillery bottling

Colour is dark amber

Nose:
Lots of sherry and a fat pot still nose, very spicy, fruit cake, dates, candies fruit peel

Taste:
A little cardboard at first, sadly, but quickly gives away to candied apple, wood spices, cinnamon and cloves. Thick barley/grains gives this quite an oily mouthfeel - it's really excellent in spite of the cardboardy start!

87/100!


Cooley's (peated) Connemara 118.3 (14.10.1991) 22yo 'Self-assured, buxom and rewarding' 57,9%, 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel, 206 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is full gold

Nose:

Sweet, instantly typical Irish whiskey notes hit your nose, with at times, almost a grain whisky style to it. There's wild flowers and Geranium and lavender, honey, slight hint of high quality tequila, vanilla, red berries (raspberry?). Have you tried the Knappogue Castle 1993? take that and add 15 years of maturation and add a good measure of smoke to it as well. Hugely expressive!

Taste:

Full force floral and perfumy front, then malt, more honey, fresh pear and smoke. Also vanilla, cough mints, licorice, and musty white wine. After a while the whole experience gets alot more fruity, with added banana and melon notes. Water brings out a bit more smoke and a few darker notes, more oak and spices.

I've tried this a few times now and it has grown a bit on me... sadly, a price tag of £270 here in Denmark will keep me from getting one.

A fun and interesting dram, though...

87/100!

Reviewed earlier -  full post here

GLEN MORAY 2001 35.121 'YOU MAKE ME FEEL (MIGHTY REAL)' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

You know your Disco? I barely remember it myself, but apparently a few on The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's tasting panel do remember (or at least know) the Sylvester hit 'you make me fee mighty real' from 1979.

The whisky in this review, however, will not take us that far back - just back to 2001 when the spirit ran off the still at Glen Moray Distillery in Elgin.

It's also boom times at Glen Moray and by the end of 2015 they'll be able to put out 6,5 million liters of spirit annually from 6 pairs of stills :-O quite a bit!

The Visitor centre at Glen Moray Distillery (larger than it looks) October 17th 2014 © The Malt Desk

Glen Moray 2001 (11.12.2001) 12yo 'You make me fee (mighty real)' 57,9%, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 235 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is full straw

Similar bottle is shown

Nose:
Heavy on the vanilla from the 1st fill bourbon barrel. Haribo wine gums, mint and loads of barley/malt, overripe cherries, hints of a toasted wood and fresh ginger too - but that's all very faint. The main theme here is the massive sweetness.

Taste:
Very spice on arrival, pepper, a little fresh ginger notes, cumin and nutmeg before another rush of sweetness sets in. Lots of malt, sucrose and artificial sweetener and more vanilla and also some honey to easy off the spicy attack. On the finish this whisky develops some raspberry, caramel and more of that oaky/peppery nip.

Quite a dram! Lots of things happening but it seems like there's just a bit too much oak influence... maybe a year or 2 less in the cask for this one would have done wonders? still not a bad dram though.

82/100!

MORTLACH 1995 76.115 'GLAMPING IN A YURT' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Having review 12 different Mortlachs already here on The Malt Desk, its one of the high-jumpers if you look at the distilleries I've reviewed so far in the 31 months that this little blog has been running.

I've covered many things Mortlach in my previous reviews to I'm skipping right to this next one...

Mortlach warehouses behind the distillery, May 4th 2014 © The Malt Desk

Mortlach 1995 76.115 (19.07.1995/xx.xx.2013) 'Glamping in a Yurt' 18yo, 56,5%, refill sherry butt, 535 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is Full gold

Nose:
Sweet and full, mint (toothpaste), fresh, sports drink but settling down after a while offering classic dried fruit notes, milk chocolate and lovely balanced oak once it has been allowed to breathe a bit in the glass

Taste:
Huge on overripe banana, ginger in a sherry cask (American Oak sherry cask) ??, an ozone feel, more fruit - oranges and candied apple turning slightly bitter at the end, spices, honey and wood sap. Very full flavoured but producing only a little of that well know Mortlach 'meatyness'

Not the best of Mortlachs but far from bad either. Still a good experience :-)

84/100!

MACALLAN 1985 24.128 'POSH LADIES ON THE PROM' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

This distillery needs no introduction, so I'm not going to bore you with one.... and instead of a rant about the 1824-series and the descision Macallan to remove the age statement from its core range, let's have a look at what Macallan actually will do for the area around the village of Craigellachie when the huge expansion of the distillery is taking place.

Due for opening in Spring 2017, the expansion of The Macallan distillery will see its production heading very much in a green direction with a bio mass plant in Craigellachie producing of the steam energy needed on site from bio fuel sourced from forests locally. Not an entire new idea as Ardnamurchan GlenBeg Distillery started doing this already this year, but its going to be on much large scale in Speyside.

Here are a few facts released so far:

• Up to 90% of the energy need for production will be produced at the new plant
• 120+ new jobs will be created temporarily as a result of the expansion
• New jobs will be created on site too after the expansion is completed
• 20.000 homes is said to be supplied with energy as well
• Changing from natural gas to bio fuel will save as much energy as taking the equivalent of 18.000 cars of the road

Source: The Spirits Business

But let's return to the whisky... a Macallan distilled almost 30 years ago...

Easter Elchies House at Macallan Distillery, after midnight on June 13th 2013 © The Malt Desk

Macallan 1985 29yo 24.128 (25.04.1985) 'Posh ladies on the prom!' 51,1%, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 209 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is full straw

Nose:
Very concentrated of thick malt, vanilla, ginger, floral/perfumy, slightly soapy notes (in a good way!) Tangerines, honey, wax and carries overall a lovely balance oak profile thats not at all invasive at 51,1%. The nose turn more fruity as we go along, mainly on heavy banana, apple and nectarines and thick, almost ale-like maltiness

Taste:
2 soft seconds on arrival, then a hot and oaky attack which can be remedied by a few drops of water. When those are added sweet oranges, Haribo apricot winegums and raspberry meringue is immediately revealed to your palate. Also some sweet cookie dough in there.

This goes into über fruity overdrive if you give it time and a few drops of water... but it also doesn't go all over the place or displays huge complexity. It instead shows a more narrow (and very good!) profile and carries much of the same tropical fruitiness as Edrington's Orkney distillery Highland Park when matured for a long time on an ex-bourbon cask... minus the added smoky profile of the Highland Park, though :)

Nice dram indeed, but the initial hot attack on the palate makes this one come in a couple of points short...
and as you might imagine, being Macallan, this carries quite a heft price tag... £400 in the UK and around £300 in Denmark

87/100!

HAKUSHU 120.7 'SWEET, FRAGRANT AND SATISFYING' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

I'll continue with the Japanese and sherry bomb theme in this next review...

Just like Yamazaki, the Hakushu distillery is owned by big player Suntory, who together with the other major player Nikka really has put Japan on the whiskymap these past few years. Before that, there were still Japanese whisky, of course, but drams from the Land of the Rising Sun is no longer a well kept secret and it shows... especially on the prices of even off the shelf No-Age-Statement (NAS) bottles. If you look at the price increase in percentage % I've spotted between a 15-20% (I may be wrong here, this was just a quick glance and comparison!) bigger increase on Japanese whisky compared Scottish ones of the same style. But again, let this not be about the pricing of whisky as there's really little we can do about it...

This next review will feature the Hakushu Distillery and a dram very much in the same style as the previous review, yet still different... I'll come to that in the review. Both were matured in a Bota Corta sherry butt, single cask and bottled by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Hakushu Distillery Stillhouse - picture from Suntory.com

Hakushu 2003 14yo 120.7 (30.09.1999) 'Sweet, Fragrant and Satisfying' 55,5%, 1st fill Bota Corta sherry butt, 517 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is Mahogany

Nose:
Gluewein (Glögg) and old Port, chocolate ice cream and soy sauce and sweet sun burnt grapes about to turn raisin and a very distinct underlying floral note. Also in there are hint of cinnamon, cooked mushrooms and hints of fresh ginger and honey Chai

Taste:
Not at all as drying as its Yamazaki companion... Think lukewarm Lumumba and/or the style of an old cognac. Very sweet, so sweet I could easily be convinced this was matured in a Pedro Ximenez cask and the Yamazaki in an Oloroso cask. Also hints of strong/fortified plum wine and marinated dark fruits, figs in particular...

What this one does, it does great and its difficult to say which one is best. My guess is that this is very much about what mood you're in and what you fancy at the time... sweet or dry - just like when drinking wine!

I'm really splitting hairs here but I still end up, also awarding this one an excellent score of...

90/100!

YAMAZAKI 2003 119.14 'RASPBERRY IMPERIAL STOUT' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

I'll be surprised if the news about the Yamazaki Sherry Cask Distillery Edition 2013 being named 'The Worlds best whisky' this year has escaped any whisky drinkers ears. Prices have gone through the roof... all thanks to JM. We all saw the same effect last year when the Old Pulteney 21yo Distillery edition received the title, with bottle flying off the shelves, but this year its really gone crazy

Why? JM (James Moriarty) has not only made Sherlock Holmes state that it's by far the biggest and dirtiest trick yet pulled off by JM, to reveal the secret of good whisky to the world. JM has now also made the rest of the worlds whisky drinkers go completely bonkers this year, paying prices up £1000+ for a bottle of no-age-statement whisky at under cask strength and, at the same time, displaying behaviour which can only be The Whisky Worlds equivalent to Black Friday. Luckily, most purchases were done online, so only a few 1's and 0's were hurt in the stampede for this 18.000 bottles release...

Oh, well... enough nonsense about Arch Villains and Super Detectives!

I did a little detecting myself last night and tried another Yamazaki. Not the much fabled bottling mentioned above, but instead a single cask Yamazaki bottled by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Yamazaki Distillery, outside Osaka, Japan - picture from Wikipedia

Yamazaki 2003 11yo 119.14 (30.04.2003) 'Raspberry Imperial Stout' 53,9%, 1st fill Bota Corta sherry butt, 538 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is Mahogany

Nose:
Ultra clean and drying sherry nose immediately showing dark fruits - plums, figs and raisins. Also in there are burnt caramel, pibe tobacco (you remember the Sweet Dublin blend?) old dark rum, bung cloth and earthy notes gets to have a say too... I also found lots of dark chocolate, candied and burnt apple and loads of sweet licorice in there.

Taste:
Quite drying, chocolate again - filled ones, cherries, marzipan plums, the drying taste and effect of cocoa powder and spices - nutmeg and allspice. Also in there are baked/overripe brown banana, blackcurrant and a black olive saltiness.

This is just lovely if you adore the heavily sherried whisky style! Some might argue this is sherry broken, I'd dare say some distillery fruitiness still peaks through here...

90/100!

OLD PULTENEY 1997 52.19 'FLAPPING SAILS AND SHIP'S TIMBERS' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

When North of Inverness on October I actually made it all the way up to John O'Groats on the very top of Scottish mainland. Going there also meant passing the town of Wick where Pulteney Distillery is located and making a stop there was already planned, even before heading north from our accommodation in Inverness.

Pulteney is one of those distillery that had, until last year, lived in relative anonymity until a certain whisky writer, know for wearing a panama hat, out of the blue declared the 21yo expression from Pulteney the 'world's best whisky'...Pulteney does make good whisky and there's more than a handful of expression out there to prove that, and especially some good ones from indie bottler Gordon & MacPhail.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, who provides a wide range of excellent single cask bottlings (and at a decent price here in Denmark, I might add) has bottled the expression I'm about to review. It was a bottling I very much looked forward to try already when I read about it in the SMWS newsletter. Eventually, I also ended up buying a bottle of it...

Warehouse at Pulteney Distillery, October 20th 2014 © The Malt Desk

Old Pulteney 1997 52.19 (21.11.1997) 16yo 'Flapping sails and ship's timbers' 54,6%, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 269 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is pale straw

Nose:
Wow, really coastal - this must be what its all about when they say you can smell the sea in a whisky, I was quite surprised here :-O Lots of salt, brine, vanilla, grist, wet wood chips, stale white fruits, pot ale, freshly picked peas and white pepper.

Taste:
Vanilla freshness, lots of malt/barley sugar, sweet licorice, a little coconut and quite a citrussy edge. Also honey, pepper, salted nuts and a note of what I think it would be like licking a sea shell. More brine also and an undefined herbal note in there.

This expression really opens up with water, multiplying the already existing notes.
This is a great Pulteney!

89/100!

GLENFARCLAS 1965 1.183 'A VIBRANT ENIGMA' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Once upon a time there was a bottling of Glenfarclas that wanted to be an American Bourbon...

That could certainly be the case with this particular bottling released by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has since it started, been one of the few independent bottlers regularly releasing casks of Glenfarclas, many of them ex-bourbon casks, which is not a part of the Glenfarclas Distillery normal sherry profile. This, however, could easily be mistaken for just that, at least judging by the colour of it the whisky. 

Glenfarclas is one of those whiskies that is held very much in high esteem with both whisky professionals and drinkers and IMO one of those Speyside whiskies that can stand the test of time (read: long term maturation), along with Glen Grant but just looking at it, I wonder if this one will fall through... ?

Glenfarclas Distillery, May 2nd 2014 © The Malt Desk

Glenfarclas 1965 1.183 (07.07.1965) 48yo ' A vibrant Enigma' 48%, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 127 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is deep golden mahogany

Nose:

Like a US bourbon with a slight malty edge? sun dried tomatoes, dominant oak, spice and herbs - lots of it, pepper, cumin, myrica, hints of oregano and a floral note. Mint, herb liqueurs, handful of warm raisins.

This could be anything after a while... Cognac, Bourbon, Rum, Malt Whisky - take your pick

Certainly a great nose!

Taste:

Dry as the Kalahari :-O not any distillery no. 1.xxx left in this one... this one, as I suspected, tastes a bit more like an American bourbon than a malt. Syrup, molasses, dark rums, cinnamon, bit of mint, cloves, bit of marzipan and orange peel and white inner skin, fresh pine and wood sap, burnt caramel and bitter oak.

Sadly, I suspected this - finally a Glenfarclas over the edge, having spent just too much time in the cask - at least to my taste. It's not a bad whisk(e)y... it just spent a little too much time in the cask.  I'm thinking that if you like Bourbon you'll like this one too - its certainly closer to that in style than a 'Farclas.

Thanks to TK for the generous sample!

80/100!

Retasted on 6. november 2014... Now 82/100!

ISLE OF JURA 1988 31.25 'BANQUET FOR THE WICKER MAN' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Often, when people go to Islay they forget that there's an island right next to it... Jura!...and that they make whisky there too. Now, the Jura whisky has often been bashed for being feinty and generally carry a rather impure style, but still, that style must appeal to some punters since they're still producing.

I've often found that Jura whisky carries a certain peaty  and also distinct vegetable style not often found elsewhere... but I guess that's just what makes up the Jura style :-) and even if you don't like the whisky, go anyway - it's incredibly beautiful on Jura and its a great place to watch heard of deer roaming about... which by the way is also how the island got its name - from the old Norse 'Djur' which mean 'animal' or 'deer' which then later came to be the Jura we know today.

Now, on to the review...

The Jura Distillery stills, May 9th 2011 © The Malt Desk

Isle of Jura 1988 31.25 (27.09.1988) 24yo 'Banquet for The Wicker Man' 53,4%, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 255 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is straw

Nose:
Herbal, marsh/swapy notes, decaying vegetation, wet leaves, peat - the lighter stuff, not the black 'n' heavy deep cut peat. An underlying gristy note, like barley straight off the mill. Also getting a strange soapy note popping up from time to time, maybe like a floral washing up liquid. Boiled vegetables, light toasted bread and apple, hint of eucalyptus and then going back to its malty source.

Taste:
Slightly soapy again in a good way, barley rich, bit of veggie/cabbage notes, wholegrain biscuits, muesli, salty stale water, tobacco ash, burnt rice pudding, sweet apple and medium style peatiness.

A much more expressive nose than palate... a strange one indeed, but it works in its own crazy way!

85/100!

Finally, thanks to MBO for the sample!

ROSEBANK 1991 25.67 'DAME NELLIE MELBA SINGING SUMMER SONGS' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Yesterday, drinks giant Diageo annouced which whiskies will be a part of their annual special releases and with that followed the (also) annual outcry by the whisky public regarding the prices of this years releases, this years Port Ellen release reaching a staggering £2200/€2800/$3500 :-O

There's also a Brora and Rosebank, who, like Port Ellen, are a part of Diageo's closed distilleries portfolio with the Rosebank being the 'cheapest' one at 'only £300/€380/$475 and somewhat surprising to me - guess even a closed lowland distillery aren't praised that much by Diageo.
This year, Diageo has also managed to squeeze in a NAS Clynelish at an eye-watering £500/€635/$800 !! Oh, what happy whisky madness we're seeing again this year!! (irony intended).

At the other end of range we're seeing a Caol Ila 15yo unpeated and a Lagavulin 12yo at £75/€95/$120 and £80/€100/$125 which is probably what whisky like this costs these days, so not much argument.

The sad thing is that even the high end bottles will most likely sell out in a flash and I'm betting retailers are already getting their inboxes swamped with people wanting to reserve bottles. These bottles, except for a couple of them, are now aimed completely at the collectors market, which is a shame as, as much as I hate to admit it, most Diageo distilleries make some very good whisky...

Have I bought expensive whiskies before? yes, I have... but can I be tempted to empty my bank account and buy the whisky equivalent of an Etruscan vase? No! Would I maybe buy the Caol Ila or Lagavulin? yes, for a tasting maybe... but that's it!

Bottom line is that this is just getting ridiculous and the prices are certainly amounting to much more than production costs, maturation/storage, bottling and a healthy profit on top of that.

After the rant above let's try some whisky from one of the distilleries that's a part of the annual special release range. Even though this wasn't cheap, it's still only about 2/3rds of the cost of the annual release...

Rosebank 1991 25.67 (01.07.1991) 22yo 'Dame Nellie Melba singing summer songs' 53,4%, Refill ex-bourbon barrel, 190 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is pale straw

Nose:
Vanilla, floral (lilies and carnations, maybe?) wet grains/malt, grassy oranges and grapefruit and hints of yeast and some herbal notes I'm not able to identify

Taste:
Grassy arrival turning on to honey, barley sugar, raspberry, apple, a good hit of ginger and some pear and apple, the finish gives a good leafy and vanilla notes but turns into a bit bitter and spicy oak - especially with water...

A nice Rosebank, but must admit I've had better... think this has been in a relatively inactive cask which managed to produce a fairly straight forward dram after 22 years... still feeling the spirit's maybe a little hot too? Anyway, it's far from a bad dram and it still deserves a very respectable

85/100!

COOLEY'S (PEATED) CONNEMARA 1991 118.3 'SELF-ASSURED, BUXOM AND REWARDING' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Hmm where to start? Don't really know... This is only the 2nd Irish Whiskey I'm reviewing here on The Malt Desk... Why? don't really know, other than I usually only drink Irish whiskey at the pub as I find most whiskeys from The Emerald Isle best for that purpose as they're easy drinkers and that's what you'd (or at least I want) usually when out...

Then sometimes like this next whisky comes along and knocks about all your usual perceptions about a certain style of whisky - and in this case, its really a lot of fun :-)

Distillery 118 from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is Cooley's from Northern Ireland, located on the peninsula of the same name. They produce several of the Irish brands on the market, names like 'Kilbeggan', 'Tyrconnel' and a grain 'Greenore' and have also contributed with a couple of malts to the acclaimed 'Knappogue Castle' series. They also produce Connemara, a peated malt expression, something rarely seen in Irish whiskey.

The 118.3 is one such... This one is also only double distilled, unlike many other Irish whiskies, which goes through x3 distillation...

Cooley pot stills - picture from Wikimedia

Cooley's (peated) Connemara 118.3 (14.10.1991) 22yo 'Self-assured, buxom and rewarding' 57,9%, 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel, 206 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is full gold

No bottle picture available, but it comes in the standard SMWS bottle

Nose:

Sweet, instantly typical Irish whiskey notes hit your nose, with at times, almost a grain whisky style to it. There's wild flowers and Geranium and lavender, honey, slight hint of high quality tequila, vanilla, red berries (raspberry?). Have you tried the Knappogue Castle 1993? take that and add 15 years of maturation and add a good measure of smoke to it as well. Hugely expressive!

Taste:

Full force floral and perfumy front, then malt, more honey, fresh pear and smoke. Also vanilla, cough mints, licorice, and musty white wine. After a while the whole experience gets alot more fruity, with added banana and melon notes. Water brings out a bit more smoke and a few darker notes, more oak and spices.

I've tried this a few times now and it has grown a bit on me... sadly, a price tag of £270 here in Denmark will keep me from getting one.

A fun and interesting dram, though...

87/100!

BALMENACH 2001 48.44 'ROSE PETAL CUPCAKES' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

If you read my previous post, you'll see that I mentioned a red chimney as being kind of a landmark outside the village of Aberlour in Speyside.... but its not the only red chimney in Speyside... The now demolished Imperial Distillery had one too and so does Balmenach Distillery near the village of Cromdale - also on the A95 road.

Balmenach is owned by Inverhouse Distillers who also ownes the Pulteney, Balblair, AnCnoc and Speyburn distilleries. Balmenach is one of those few distilleries that uses wormtubs for cooling their spirit which usually makes for a slightly heavier style whisky which I also found signs of in this Balmenach from the SMWS...

The distillery is not normally open to the public, but I had a chance to tour the place during the 2011 Spirit of Speyside Spring Festival - a chance that also allowed us to see their gin production (Caorunn - and its excellent!) located in a small annex to the still house.

Now, on to the review...

Picture of Balmenach Distillery from the year before I toured it, May 3rd 2010 © The Malt Desk 

Balmenach 2001 48.44 (11.10.2001) 12yo 'Rose Petal Cupcakes' 52,5%, Refill ex-bourbon barrel, 88 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is pale straw

Similar bottle is shown

Nose:

Marcipan, slight floral notes along with fruits (pears, mainly) honey - a full creamy nose, vanillas, some mint and industrial disinfectant!

Taste:

Nice arrival on honey'ed malt, really a think and oily mouth feel, this time some artificial fruit flavours (like the ones you use for cake) that quickly fades and leaves some alcohol and spices, cooked apple, hint of raspberry and white pepper.

The nose is a bit off putting with the disinfectant coming through there and even though the taste is ok and the flavour components are ok, they don't really come together in this one, I'm afraid - it's lacking balance...

I'd try this again, if I get a chance but for now, it'll have to do with...

80/100!

GLENBURGIE 1985 - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

As with the previous whisky I reviewed here, the Miltonduff by Adelphi, Glenburgie is also a large contributor to the Ballantines blend. So far, I've only reviewed one other Glenburgie here on The Malt Desk and you can read that review here.

It's straight on to the review...

Glenburgie Distillery hiding behind the trees - picture from WikiMedia

Glenburgie 1985 71.36 (28.05.1985/xx.09.2012) 27yo 'Two seasons in a dram' 58,1%, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 206 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is dark amber

Nose:
Very nice, bakery shop, vanilla, hint of chocolate, marmalade - full blown Danish pastry. Underneath there's some very subtle spices and dark wood notes and strong tea along with some musty notes.

Taste:
What happened here? Immediate wood arrival, wet planks, sawdust, cardboard and wet newspaper and very drying. Mid palate it gives off some tropical fruit mango/multi fruit juice style and some nutmeg, but the wood quickly rushes back in, leaving an impression of too much time in the wood and some overly oaky American bourbon...

This is close to oak juice, IMO - you need to drown this one in water to drink it...

A rare miss by the SMWS

70/100! ... very much credited to the good nose on this one

BLADNOCH 1990 50.54 'JAM SESSION' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

This is the first Bladnoch I'll be reviewing here, which is quite odd really, as I've had a few over the past couple of years of running The Malt Desk...

Bladnoch is the southern most distillery in Scotland, all the way down to the south west in Galloway just outside Wigtown. Getting there is quite a drive as its mostly smaller roads leading there, but once there you get that its really quite a tranquil place.

Most will have picked up on the Bladnoch Distillery chatter going around at the moment, a chatter concerning sales of the place, but nothing finite at this moment and AFAIK its still open for offers...

The whisky at Bladnoch is sometimes a tad more oily in style (in my book, at least) than the rest of the Lowland distilleries up near Edinburg, Falkirk (Rosebank, Littlemill, St. Magdalene) and Glasgow and some great bottling have come out of there over the past few years even though its from the old stock, from before the current owner(s) was distilling.

As the distillery is currently up for sale, its still unsure what will happen to the place but I do hope it'll not be lost/mothballed...

Let's try a bottling from the old regime when United Distillers (now Diageo) owned the place...

Bladnoch Distillery, May 6th 2010 © The Malt Desk

Bladnoch 1990 50.54 (10.07.1990) 23yo 'Jam Session' 50%, Refill ex-bourbon barrel, 104 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is straw

Nose:
Some varnish/paint thinner notes, grape fruit, honey, hay, fresh cut grass, overripe banana, passion fruits and white rum

Taste:
Medium light in style, crisp malt arrival turning into tropical fruits, again passion fruits and banana, but also pineapple and mango - all running well into the finish. Varnish sometimes pops up on the finish, but a little water kills it off, including on the nose, bringing out a hint of sour instead.

It's one of those whiskies with very little cask influence - a trait I've seen in a few bottles lately.
I love this Bladnoch, but I'm not sure its a whisky for everyone...

88/100!

KARUIZAWA 1996 132.4 'RICH, BROODING AND SUGGESTIVE' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

After a little over 3 weeks of travelling in Scotland, tastings and private whisky parties, its now time to pick up the reviews again... and why not start with a belated Malt Desk birthday dram.

On May 22nd 2012, I decided to start this blog and now 2 years have passed and readers, according to selected blog tools, are steadily growing. Therefore, I'd like to express my thanks to you out there for supporting my writing and for sending me emails and comments.. - Thank you! - (but please remember to comment on the website too ;-))

As a Malt Desk birthday dram, I've chosen to review one of those cult distilleries - you all know them - Port Ellen, Ardbeg, Brora... and from Japan, certainly Karuizawa... a whisky that has increased more in price than percentage wise than its Scottish counterparts this past year... but that's the way things are going with more and more people (sadly) investing in whisky instead of drinking it.

I've reviewed a few Karuizawas before and they've all been either very, very good or excellent. So lets see how this next one fares...

Karuizawa 1996 132.4 (08.07.1996) 17yo 'Rich, brooding and suggestive' 61,7%, Refill sherry butt, 346 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is amber

Nose:
Sweet sugared/fruits dipped in syrup and in the background a little sulphur is showing. After a short while Danish winegums, especially green ones comes out along with some herbal notes (tea and thyme) and also a little mint, farmyard and overcooked meat. Very warming also, partly due to the abv%

Taste:
Medium light sweet sherry coating, like warm sugar/making caramelised potatoes for Xmas and it also carries a spicy and sometimes bitter note on the edge of your mouth. Think this has a profile that's a little too nice, if you know what I mean - no edge to it, no real fun - just an easy drinking sherry whisky with the usual dried & dark fruits. What I really do like on this is the finish which is very malty and also has some a bit of honey/sugar/mustard glace you sometimes use for your ham.

This is in no way a bad dram - its very good, in fact... but not nearly as fun as other Karuizawas I've had

86/100!