Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1%
Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1% It beggars belief how good these ‘local barleys’ were. Here a seamless ball of dark engine oil, white smoke, deep layers of … Continue reading
Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% vs Glenburgie 40 yo 1963 / 2003 Signatory #4751 56.4%
Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% Thick! Old vegetable oil and greasy grills on which cut asparagus and bittergourds slowly cook, oozing vegetal sap. Clear resin … Continue reading
Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% vs A Speyside Distillery 32 yo 1989 / 2022 Thompson Bros 51.4%
Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% Fruity for a Ben Nevis, sweet with golden syrup tinned yellow peaches and mango … Continue reading
Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% vs Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 58.7%
Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% Huge, as expected, maximum octane, outrageous even, but it’s a kind of peat that is not so much to do with … Continue reading
Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9%Lovely old sea-driven nose, immediately evocative with brine, pulled up shellfish in nets, loose seaweed, rubber boots, lemon balm, oiled … Continue reading
Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 30 yo 1979 / 2010 Berry Bros #4604/5 55.6%
Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% Muddy seawater mixed with oxidized lemon oil, chest rub, kelp, spilt petrol, oozingly oily black peat and old nets. A perfect … Continue reading
Clynelish 29 yo 1965 Whyte & Whyte 52.1%
Clynelish 29 yo 1965 Whyte & Whyte 52.1% One of the unicorns. How many 60s Clynelish single casks are there? The nose floors you. Old resin and cold engine lubricants, … Continue reading
Brora 21 yo 1982 / 2003 Signatory #416 58.4% vs Clynelish 27 yo 1982 / 2009 Synch Eli Daily Dram 46%
Brora 21 yo 1982 / 2003 Signatory #416 58.4% Cold candles, dried up lime zest, plenty of dirty mineral notes like sand and gravel mixed with a teaspooon of coal … Continue reading
Dornoch 5 yo 2017 / 2023 #46 ‘Jasper Broers’ 57.9% vs Shizuoka ‘private cask’ 2017 / 2022 #2017-108 61%
Dornoch 5 yo 2017 / 2023 #46 ‘Jasper Broers’ 57.9% This is of course from the small first distillery and not the larger being planned. If you believe the proof … Continue reading
Clynelish 26 yo 1993 / 2020 Carn Mor #11215 52.7% vs Bowmore 17 yo 2004 /2021 SMWS 3.327 ‘Siren’s Song’ 57.1%
Clynelish 26 yo 1993 / 2020 Carn Mor #11215 52.7% Absolutely my sort of whisky. Its sharp as a blade, forged of blazing minerals, lime rind and steel, quenched in … Continue reading
Talisker 25 yo ‘Bottle TA25 3987’ 45.8% ~ bottle code L0296CM004 bottled 2020 vs Ledaig 11 yo 2008 / 2019 The Swan Song & 1BRD #700104 58.7%
Talisker 25 yo ‘Bottle TA25 3987’ 45.8% bottle code L0296CM004 bottled 2020From after when the 25s went from high proof batch releases to the generic 45.8%, but before the ugly … Continue reading
‘Single’ Port Ellen 12 yo Samaroli 57% ~ distilled 1970 vs Port Ellen 17 yo 1970 / 1987 Intertrade 62.4%
‘Single’ Port Ellen 12 yo Samaroli 57% ~ distilled 1970Knowing that the privilege of trying this whisky necessarily means the end of one of four known remaining bottles worldwide puts … Continue reading
Springbank 26 yo 1993 ‘Japonism’ Sansibar for Shinanoya 51.4% vs Springbank 14 yo 2002 / 2016 Cadenhead 47.7%
Springbank 26 yo 1993 ‘Japonism’ Sansibar for Shinanoya 51.4% A lean sort of Springbank, with less of that hot and dirty plus funky fruit character and instead more akin to … Continue reading
Highland Park 25 yo 1990 / 2015 Cadenhead 50.6% vs Glen Moray 30 yo 1991 / 2022 Hidden Spirits #GLM9122 50.1%
Highland Park 25 yo 1990 / 2015 Cadenhead 50.6% Right these Highland Parks needs to be left uncorked for a full day and night when opened, and eventually it will … Continue reading
Highland Park 30 yo 1987 2017 Mackillop’s #1532 46.3% vs Bowmore 17 yo 2004 / 2021 SMWS 3.327 Siren’s Song 57.1%
Been a while since my last. Plenty of things have kept me occupied but look its late March already! Highland Park 30 yo 1987 2017 Mackillop’s #1532 46.3% Another blazingly … Continue reading
Glen Ord 28 yo 1992 / 2020 SMWS 77.65 49.3% vs Caol Ila 27 yo 1983 / 2010 Spirit of Caledonia 51.5%
Glen Ord 28 yo 1992 / 2020 SMWS 77.65 49.3% Well aged Ord, but it doesn’t nose as a particularly mature whisky. Still we get a fair dose of butter, … Continue reading
Craigellachie 20 yo 1972 / 1992 Cadenhead 53.3% vs Craigellachie 22 yo 1973 / 1995 Rare Malts 60.2%
Craigellachie 20 yo 1972 / 1992 Cadenhead 53.3% These old Craigellachies could lean phenolic. Here its lamp oil, coils of rope and greasy garage floors. Plenty of leaf litter too, … Continue reading
TTomatin 40 yo 1962 / 2002 Douglas Laing 44% vs Tomatin 19 yo 1976 / 1996 Cadenhead 55.9%
Tomatin 40 yo 1962 / 2002 Douglas Laing 44% An old malt, elegant and understated. We have a fanfare of little polished nuggets like cold cream, half a digestive, old … Continue reading
Benrinnes 20 yo 1995 / 2018 La Maison du Whisky #6093 49.4% vs Benrinnes 20 yo 1997 / 2017 Cadenhead for Shinanoya #912 57.4%
Benrinnes 20 yo 1995 / 2018 La Maison du Whisky #6093 49.4% Lots of wonderful yellow hues, warm honey, fresh hay, baked apples and apricots with cream, golden syrup, toffee … Continue reading
Ireland 27 yo 1988 / 2015 Nectar of the Daily Drams for La Maison 49.5% vs Secret Highlands 24 yo 1996 / 2020 Batch no.7 Finest Whisky Berlin 54.8%
Ireland 27 yo 1988 / 2015 Nectar of the Daily Drams for La Maison 49.5% Part of a rather famous set of Irish done for La Maison du Whisky before … Continue reading
Single Malt Irish Whiskey 30 yo 1989 / 2019 The Whisky Cask Company #16044/16258 48.1% vs Single Malt Irish Whiskey 24 yo 1991 / 2016 The Whisky Cask Company #6847 55.8%
Single Malt Irish Whiskey 30 yo 1989 / 2019 The Whisky Cask Company #16044/16258 48.1%Certainly fruity, with a warm and musky peach juice and guava, yet again not explosively fruity … Continue reading
Teaninich 12 yo 2007 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland #301262 57.5% vs Secret Orkney 15 yo 2005 / 2021 Cooper’s Choice #121 56%
Teaninich 12 yo 2007 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland #301262 57.5% Well its young and hot. 12 years is just way too little for Teaninich. And too little for … Continue reading
Bunnahabhain 30 1989 / 2020 “Kinship” Hunter Laing 45.5% vs Laphroaig 24 1990 / 2014 Hunter Laing #HL14111 51.9%
Bunnahabhain 30 1989 / 2020 “Kinship” Hunter Laing 45.5% A subtle nose but a charming one. Quiet seaside and lapping waves. sun warmed sand and salty rocks, driftwood and fine … Continue reading
The Malt Affair: Michiel Wigman Masterclass tasting
Welcome Michiel and Jan to Singapore! We hope you’ve enjoyed our food and hospitality, and that you were never short of something to drink. Notes from the engaging Masterclass: Ardbeg … Continue reading
Longmorn 22 yo 1969 / 1991 Intertrade 61% vs Longmorn 23 yo 1969 / 1993 Gordon & Macphail #3721 and 5297 61.2%
Longmorn 22 yo 1969 / 1991 Intertrade 61% Liquefied summer dreams. Honey, apricots, sweet cinnamon and warm nutmeg. The ripest oranges in the sun, cantaloupe, golden raisins, so wondrously fruity … Continue reading
Caol Ila 19 yo 1974 / 1994 Signatory #12459 61.1% vs Caol Ila 1981 / 1996 Gordon & Macphail #2081-2086 63.4%
Caol Ila 19 yo 1974 / 1994 Signatory #12459 61.1%As expected, it’s one of those Caol Ilas, a potion of pristine power, crystal clear, diamond edged, narrow and incisive but … Continue reading
Clynelish 24 yo 1988 / 2013 Hepburn’s Resolution 48.8% vs Clynelish 12 yo 1989 / 2001 Gordon & Macphail #3248 57.9%
Clynelish 24 yo 1988 / 2013 Hepburn’s Resolution 48.8% An interesting Japan only bottle. Well Japan dreams of Clynelish it seems, with molten wax and hot cream slathered over bare … Continue reading
Bowmore 25 yo Blackadder 1973 / 1998 Blackadder #3174 51.2% vs Bowmore 20yo 1976 / 1996 Signatory 3548/49 52.6%
Bowmore 25 yo Blackadder 1973 / 1998 Blackadder #3174 51.2% Well it’s certainly not fruity. But it’s got hot engine room, blackened rags heavy with grime and salt spray on … Continue reading
Balblair 1975 / 2012 2nd Release 46% vs Balblair 10 yo Gordon & Macphail 100 proof
Balblair 1975 / 2012 2nd Release 46%Not quite the fruit explosion I hoped for, but wait a minute, it speaks like an old time highlander. Austere, with cold paraffin, chalk … Continue reading
Convalmore 24 yo 1978 /2003 Rare Malts 59.4% vs Convalmore 40 yo 1977 / 2017 Cadenhead 56.8%
Convalmore 24 yo 1978 /2003 Rare Malts 59.4% Bitter orange peels, zesty vibrant and aromatic. Tart yellow fruit, acidic juice and honey mixed in a tall glass. Bright mimosa and … Continue reading
Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 The Perfect Dram 51.1% vs Lochside 31 yo 1966 / 1998 Silent Stills #3910 57.7%
Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 The Perfect Dram 51.1% Yes yes and yes. It swirls languidly like a unctuous reduction of olive oil, chalk and tropical fruit puree. While … Continue reading
Royal Brackla 16 yo Zenith 57% vs Royal Brackla 17 yo Intertrade 63.9%~bottled 1987
Royal Brackla 16 yo Zenith 57%As much wax as a Clynelish, colour me enthralled. Gritty gravel and granny’s old sewing machines. Plenty of poached yellow fruit in honey water on … Continue reading
Laphroaig 30 yo 43% ~ early 2000s vs Lagavulin 30 yo 1976 / 2006 52.6%
Laphroaig 30 yo 43% ~ early 2000s Yes, as deeply tarry and anaerobic as peat comes, with a real old earthy funk. Old workbenches with a veneer of saturated grease … Continue reading
Highland Park 13 yo 2006 for Simplywhisky Singapore #1646 64.7% vs Highland Park 30 yo 1989 / 2019 Gordon & Macphail 19/003 51.1%
Highland Park 13 yo 2006 for Simplywhisky Singapore #1646 64.7% Great news, it’s a moderately sherried Highland Park, with just about enough of everything to be an all round pleaser, … Continue reading
Pulteney 13 yo 1967 / 1980 Cadenhead 46% vs Laphroaig 21 yo Cadenhead for Sestante 52.1% ‘White Label’
Pulteney 13 yo 1967 / 1980 Cadenhead 46% Might have said it before but Pulteney is great. Here we have dry earth, some hot coals and also an overripe fruitiness … Continue reading
Ben Nevis 21 yo 1996 / 2018 Whisky Doris #2028 52.2% vs Ben Nevis 21 yo Private Bottling #1407 48.8%
Ben Nevis 21 yo 1996 / 2018 Whisky Doris #2028 52.2%Full of culinary aromas that border on mustiness. Cold fry pans sitting unwashed on stained hobs sticky with grease. Firewood … Continue reading
Glen Ord 40 yo 1965 Royal Mile Whiskies 40.1% vs Glenury Royal 24 yo 1973 / 1997 Signatory #6851 53.7%
Glen Ord 40 yo 1965 Royal Mile Whiskies 40.1%The kind of magic one looks for in these old ones. Old lumps of beeswax, dusty pollen, a bit of amaretto and … Continue reading
Lagavulin 12yo Special Release 2019 56.5% vs Pulteney 12yo 2008 / 2020 Nectar 57.5%
In memory of those who went before their time. Pulteney 12yo 2008 / 2020 Nectar 57.5% I have questions on where the production of this unspeakably underrated malt goes, seeing … Continue reading
Millburn 18 yo 1978 / 1997 Gordon & MacPhail #3166 65.6%
Millburn 18 yo 1978 / 1997 Gordon & MacPhail #3166 65.6%I can count the number of Millburn experts with all the fingers on my feet. I know pitifully little myself, … Continue reading
Craigduff 40 yo 1973 / 2013 Signatory #2516 49.6% vs Ardmore 1991 / 2006 Gordon & Macphail #6158/59/60 57.9%
Craigduff 40 yo 1973 / 2013 Signatory #2516 49.6% What you get when you lightly peat an otherwise funky fruity malt. Warm honey and hay, spilt beer and wet cement, … Continue reading
Ledaig ‘Limited Edition for the Year 2000’ 42% vs Ledaig 1975 / 1995 Blackadder #65 56.5%
Ledaig ‘Limited Edition for the Year 2000’ 42% An unusual one. Zippy salt air, fresh seawater complete with seaweed. Newly pulled nets, fresh catch and fennel. Very seagoing. Now smoking … Continue reading
Laphroaig 1994 / 2016 Malts of Scotland #16032 49.6% vs Laphroaig 10 yo Cask Strength Red Stripe 55.7%
Laphroaig 1994 / 2016 Malts of Scotland #16032 49.6% Right on the money for 90s Laphroaig, I suppose we could call it a classic style now. Hefty proportions, with a … Continue reading
Glenugie 31 yo 1966 / 1998 Signatory #5082 53.9% vs Emerald Isle 26 yo 1989 Specialty Drinks #16244 59.2%
Glenugie 31 yo 1966 / 1998 Signatory #5082 53.9% A viscous salve vivid with glints of machine oil, industrial putty, factory floor, turpenic resins, dry bark, cough syrup and jujubes. … Continue reading
Mortlach 22 yo 1997 / 2019 ‘Dedicate to G.D’Ambrosio’ My Name is Whisky Selection 56.9% vs Ardmore 22 yo 1998 / 2020 Catawiki #7508092 49.2%
Mortlach 22 yo 1997 / 2019 ‘Dedicate to G.D’Ambrosio’ My Name is Whisky Selection 56.9% A gift from Signor D’Ambrosio, thank you Sir! Here we find a perfect example of … Continue reading
Springbank 10 yo 1977 / 1987 Sutti Import 57% 75 cl vs Springbank 33 yo 1970 / 2004 The Whisky Fair #2964 47.9%
Springbank 10 yo 1977 / 1987 Sutti Import 57% 75 cl Tense with a measured golden power. Nose it for an immediate bullseye: A woody, barky petitgrain followed by hot … Continue reading
Nanyang Peninsula Collection: Orkney Single Malt 22 yo 1999 / 2022 Nanyang Whisky 52.6% vs Ben Nevis 23 yo 1998 / 2022 Nanyang Whisky 54.1% Islay Single Malt 30 yo 1990 / 2022 51.3%
Orkney Single Malt 22 yo 1999 / 2022 Nanyang Whisky 52.6% Quite a dominant malty-cereal chord despite the advanced wood. It smells like hulled grains and toasted oatcakes with plenty … Continue reading
Ardbeg 15 yo 1973 / 1989 Signatory #4902 46% vs Ardbeg 16 yo 1974 / 1991 SMWS 33.11 56%
Ardbeg 15 yo 1973 / 1989 Signatory #4902 46% Hear, hear. Glorious whisky is glorious, even if watered down to 46%. And this Ardbeg is one of them. A particularly … Continue reading
Pittyvaich 14 yo James Macarthur’s bottled 1991 54.4% vs Highland Park 18 yo 1972 / 1991 Signatory #9017 56%
Pittyvaich 14 yo James Macarthur’s bottled 1991 54.4% So distilled circa 1977. Right so.. it’s quite an extreme one. Concentrated with a pungent and thick oil, vegetal and sour, like … Continue reading
Glenlivet 8 yo Gordon & Macphail 100 proof vs Glen Calder 100 proof / 57% ‘From The Glenlivet District’
Glenlivet 8 yo Gordon & Macphail 100 proofThere are many iterations of this particular label, and in varying shades of red. From what I can tell this appears to be … Continue reading
Talisker 16 yo 1979 / 1995 Cadenhead 62.8% vs Talisker 13 yo 1979 James MacArthur’s 64.9%
Talisker 16 yo 1979 / 1995 Cadenhead 62.8% Very few malts approach this sort of purity. This is as pristine and seagoing as it gets. A scalpel of cold salt, … Continue reading
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