Macallan 30 1963 / 1993 Cadenhead 54.7% vs Macallan 13 yo 1973 / 1987 SMWS 24.6 61.7%
More proof that vintage whisky (and a big name) is not automatically good whisky. Macallan 30 1963 / 1993 Cadenhead 54.7% Old books, dried up glue, even a little cardboard. … Continue reading
Highland Park 33 yo 1977 / 2010 Perfect Dram 52.3% vs Highland Park 10 yo 1973 /1984 SMWS 4.2 57% ~ destroyed label
Highland Park 33 yo 1977 / 2010 Perfect Dram 52.3% Camphor, thin waxes and vitreous resins spread thin and translucent, with a brittle quality to it. Wispy strands of white … Continue reading
Crown Vat 20 yo Blended 27th May 1966 Rotation 66/27 L.W. Cos 169 40% vs Macphail’s 10 yo Pure Malt Scotch Whisky Gold 106 60.5% Meregalli
Crown Vat 20 yo 61% Malt 39% Grain Blended 27th May 1966 Rotation 66/27 Sykes and Co. L.W. Cos 169 40% Retained its freshness despite the age and low abv. … Continue reading
Macduff 21 yo (1970) James MacArthur’s 55.5% bottled Aug 1991 vs Macduff 13 yo 1974 / 1987 SMWS 6.5 58.2%
Macduff 21 yo (1970) James MacArthur’s 55.5% bottled Aug 1991 Almost all the whiskies in this little pocket rocket mini collection have been pure rocket fuel, and this is no … Continue reading
Springbank 15 yo black label 46% vs Springbank 25 yo parchment label 46%
Springbank 15 yo black label 46% One of the cleaner Springbanks. This time some obvious waxy notes, clean sackcloth, a tiny bit of fermenting fruit, fried banana chips, honey, maybe … Continue reading
Bruichladdich 25 yo 1958 Cadenhead, Macallan 15 yo 1946 Securo, Macallan 1962, Springbank 1965 Moon Import The Birds #367, Glenfiddich 29 yo 1956 Intertrade, Clynelish 1974 Modern Masters, Caol Ila 21 yo 1968 for Intertrade, Glen moray 25 yo 1959 Samaroli, Glen Grant 21 yo 1972 Whyte & Whyte, Talisker 1979 Whyte & Whyte
Sample night! So short notes only. Bruichladdich 25 yo 1958 / 1984 Cadenhead Peated yes, but not hugely so. The sort of phenols that’s been transmuted to a secondary level. … Continue reading
Laphroaig 40 yo 1960 / 2001 42.4% vs Laphroaig 28 yo 44.4% (2018)
Laphroaig 40 yo 1960 / 2001 42.4% I avoid using the word smooth, but in this case it seems especially apt. Long age has weathered this whisky into a gentle … Continue reading
West Indies Dark Rum 1948 Samaroli 49% vs Lapalun Rhum Petit-Bourg Vieux Rhum dela Martinique 1952 / 1972 50%
West Indies Dark Rum 1948 / 1991 Samaroli 49% Probably the most nuanced rum I have had the pleasure to taste. In quick succession: molasses, licorice, cedar wood, sweet seaweed, … Continue reading
Dornoch New Make August 2019 60% vs Dornoch New Make 63.5% ~ circa April 2018
Dornoch New Make August 2019 60% ~ from Organic floor malted Plummage Archer, using spent brewers yeast, fermented in open top oak vats 7 – 10 days Thick and oily-sweet, … Continue reading
Tobermory 32 yo 1972 / 2005 49.5% vs Tormore 16 yo 1966 / 1982 Samaroli 57%
Tobermory 32 yo 1972 / 2005 49.5% At first I was taken aback to see that this was an oloroso cask finish, so comprehensively rich was the nose I had … Continue reading
Macallan 17 yo 1965 43% ~ bottled 1983 vs Macallan 29 yo 1965 / 1994 Signatory #1058 49%
Macallan 17 yo 1965 43% ~ bottled 1983 Right. So if you’ve had one of those old sherry matured whiskies where the balance between the sherry and spirit is seamless, … Continue reading
St. Magdalene 26 yo Cadenhead 1982 / 2008 52.7% vs St. Magdalene 32 yo Cadenhead 1982 / 2015 58.1%
St. Magdalene 26 yo Cadenhead 1982 / 2008 52.7% Later period St. Magdalene have this peculiar gasoline note and this is no exception. Linseed oil, dried grass, gasoline and new … Continue reading
Aultmore 2005 / 2018 Gordon & Macphail #15601007 for Whiskywarehouse Exclusive 54.1% vs Aultmore 25 yo 46% ~ 2014 bottling
Aultmore 2005 / 2018 Gordon & Macphail #15601007 for Whiskywarehouse Exclusive 54.1% Young ready whisky. Drinkable now or after another 20 years in the cask. Toasty. Fresh malty flavours full … Continue reading
Longrow 16 yo 1974 46% ~ mini, J & A Mitchell & Co Ltdvs Longrow 21 yo 1974 #1550 46%
Longrow 16 yo 1974 46% ~ mini, J & A Mitchell & Co Ltd Shoe polish, black grease, old camphor boxes stained with incense implements. Soot, old newspapers, gooped up … Continue reading
Lochside 21 yo 1979 / 2001 Silver Seal 50% vs Lochside 37 yo 1981 / 2018 The Whisky Agency 48.6%
The loss of this distillery is heartbreak without mend. Lochside 21 yo 1979 / 2001 Silver Seal 50% Not a common vintage, we know the 1981s. But are these fruity? … Continue reading
Lagavulin 10 yo 1988 / 1998 Horae Solaris Moon Import 50% vs Lagavulin 1988 Samaroli 56%
Lagavulin 10 yo 1988 / 1998 Horae Solaris Moon Import 50% I know the thing about Lagavulin and its consistent style, but there is so very little in this nose … Continue reading
Tomatin 23 yo 1981 / 2005 Whisky Wizard #18244 46% vs Tomatin 34 yo 1976 / 2010 The Whisky Agency & 3Rivers 51.1%
A Japanese owned behemoth that was once the largest producer of whisky with 23 stills, today it just has 12. Tomatin 23 yo 1981 / 2005 Whisky Wizard #18244 46% … Continue reading
Bunnahabhain 26 yo 1987 Highland Laird 51.1% vs Bunnahabhain 25 yo 1988 / 2013 La Maison du Whisky Artist 3 #18745 56.3%
Bunnahabhain 26 yo 1987 Highland Laird 51.1% Bunnahabhain usually comes across as having good weight, and it is evident here with these cold vegetable and nut oils, and congealed fat … Continue reading
Glen Garioch 1993 / 2014 Spirit & Cask Range #1794 52.9% vs Glen Garioch 25 yo 1990 Old Particular Douglas Laing #10989 56.9%
Glen Garioch 1993 / 2014 Spirit & Cask Range #1794 52.9% Very typical of these years. Austere and sharp, yet the wood’s given it sugar, vanilla pods and cream. Charcoal … Continue reading
Laphroaig 9 yo 2004 / 2013 Hunter Laing ‘Advance Sample’ #10054 50% vs Laphroaig 12 yo 2002 / 2014 Distillery only self fill cask #6930 57%
Laphroaig 9 yo 2004 / 2013 Hunter Laing ‘Advance Sample’ #10054 50% An onrush of medicinal iodine, bandages, brine, sea muck, salt crusted clothing, intense peat and raw smoked malt. … Continue reading
Glenfiddich 18 yo 40% vs Glenfiddich 37 yo 1964 / 2001 Ian Macleod #10791 58.7%
Yes, it’s a blatantly uneven match: Glenfiddich 18 yo 40% ~ 2016 bottling Light, supple and clearly well put together. It’s sherry garb colours it fruity with fresh plums, baked … Continue reading
Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold 43% vs Dalwhinnie Lizzie’s Dram 48% vs Dalwhinnie distillery only 2008 / 2019 American Oak Single Cask 63.4% vs Dalwhinnie distillery only 2008 / 2019 Bodega Sherry Single Cask 63%
It was unseasonably warm in Scotland last week, and the highest, coldest distillery in Scotland was rather baking on a Thursday afternoon. Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold 43% Exactly what winter’s gold … Continue reading
Domaine Dupont Millésime 1977 Calvados 42%
Domaine Dupont Millésime 1977 Calvados 42% Whiskyrific enjoys Rums and Mezcals on the side – What’s life without a pinch of variety? Calvados however is entirely new to me, and … Continue reading
Benrinnes 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Old & Rare Hunter Laing 49.8% vs Benrinnes 16 yo 1980 / 1996 Blackadder #1350 61.2%
Benrinnes 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Old & Rare Hunter Laing 49.8% It serves well to be reminded that Benrinnes had an atypical double-plus distillation regime till 2007, and one … Continue reading
Teaninich 34 yo 1983 / 2018 Berry Bros for Shinanoya #6729 46.2% vs Teaninich 18 yo James MacArthur (bottled 1991 ~ distilled circa 1973) 58.4% vs Teaninich SMWS 59.5
Teaninich 34 yo 1983 / 2018 Berry Bros for Shinanoya #6729 46.2% Huh! Flaking wax and brittle dried out resins. Bakelite, and something that resembles chemical ambergris (Creed Aventus is … Continue reading
Ben Nevis 19 yo 1996 / 2015 Fighting Fish 52.3% vs Ben Nevis 18 yo 1996 / 2014 The Whisky Agency 53.2%
Old, tatty and honest to goodness Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis 19 yo 1996 / 2015 Fighting Fish 52.3% I am late to the wonders of these 90s Ben Nevis. Wonderfully … Continue reading
Ardbeg 21 yo 1992 / 2013 Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask 15th Anniv. 50.2% vs Ardbeg 21 yo 1993 / 2014 Mackillop’s Choice #1289 54.3%
So there’s going to be a new core range 19 yo Official Bottling? Ardbeg 21 yo 1992 / 2013 Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask 15th Anniv. 50.2% It’s a perfectly … Continue reading
Crabbie 30 yo John Crabbie 48.6% (allegedly Macallan) vs Glengoyne 40 yo Single Malts of Scotland 56.8%
I am sure I am not alone in preferring this shot of the old Macallan to the shrine to commercialism that is the new distillery. Crabbie 30 yo John Crabbie … Continue reading
Glenugie 32 yo 1965 / 1997 SMWS 99.7 55.1% vs Glenugie 32 yo 1965 / 1997 SMWS 99.6 56.6%
Glenugie 32 yo 1965 / 1997 SMWS 99.7 55.1% An oily medium bodied malt that’s fairly complex with viscous oils of various sorts both vegetal and industrial, pine resin and … Continue reading
Clynelish 30 yo 1970 / 2000 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 312 bottles 42% vs Clynelish 31 yo 1970 / 2001 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 186 bottles 48.4%
Clynelish 30 yo 1970 / 2000 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 312 bottles 42% Uncommon vintage and one of the earliest available from the new Clynelish post construction. Honey and … Continue reading
Rosebank 34 yo 1994 (distilled ~1960) James MacArthur 55% vs Rosebank 30 yo 1975 / 2005 Silver Seal 55.8%
Rosebank 34 yo 1994 (distilled ~1960) James MacArthur 55% Yes it’s an older style of Rosebank markedly different from the zesty and fresh of later years. This one reminds me … Continue reading
Clynelish 21 yo 1995 Signatory #8672 55.5% vs Clynelish 22 yo 1995 Signatory #8673 56.3%
Clynelish 21 yo 1995 Signatory #8672 55.5% Immediate. Rubbed wax, grated grapefruit peel, limestone, wet clay, dewy branches. liquid paraffin. A tiny bit of wet ropes, and just a touch … Continue reading
Ledaig 17 yo 1997 Carn Mor #643080 49.7% vs Ledaig 18 yo 1997 Carn Mor #643023 55.6%
Ledaig 17 yo 1997 Carn Mor #643080 49.7% These late 90s Ledaigs could be very good, and this one proves the point. It is uncomplicated but effective: Big peat, big … Continue reading
Ardmore 12 yo 1986 / 1999 100th Anniversary 40% vs Ardmore 20 yo Signatory bottled for the 50th Anniversary of the Forty-Nine Wine & Spirit Club in 2009 54%
Ardmore 12 yo 1986 / 1999 100th Anniversary 40% The peat used for Ardmore’s malt, being of a different composition than Islay peat, gives this Ardmore a muddy earth and … Continue reading
Glenlivet 26 yo 1968 / 1994 Signatory #2821 51.2% vs Glen Grant 25 yo 1976 / 2001 Signatory #2889 58.2%
Glenlivet 26 yo 1968 / 1994 Signatory #2821 51.2% A gentle and soothing old Glenlivet. Warm waxes softened into an oily pliability, elegant with light honeyed touches, poached syrup and … Continue reading
‘Hakushu’ Hakushu 43% vs Yoichi ‘Peaty and Salty’ 55%
‘Hakushu’ Hakushu 43% Slightly oily in a cold crushed kernel sort of way. Reserved and somewhat distant. Tiny bit of tobacco leaf, hints of dried bark and brown leaves, the … Continue reading
Bowmore 1957 / 1990 Moon Import 40% vs Bowmore Jug 1955 / 1974 ‘Specially bottled for 12th September 1974’ ceramic decanter
Bowmore 1957 / 1990 Moon Import 40% Any doubts can be put to rest, this is one of the finest Bowmores anyone can be fortunate enough to try, nevermind the … Continue reading
Wardhead 19 yo 1997 Impressive Cask Whisky-e Ltd 51.1% vs Wardhead 19 yo 1997 Big Fish Whisk-e Ltd 51.3%
Wardhead is of course teaspooned Glenfiddich. Wardhead 19 yo 1997 Impressive Cask Whisky-e Ltd 51.1% What’s impressive is the freshness and crisp malty nose, with entirely natural ‘naked’ scents of … Continue reading
Brora 37 yo 2016 Special Release 48.6% vs Brora 37 yo 2015 Special Release 50.4%
Brora 38 yo 1977 / 2016 Special Release 48.6% Early 70s Broras are known to be peated powerhouses more so than late period Broras, but this is a 1977, and … Continue reading
Bunnahabhain 1968 / 2010 Malts of Scotland #12291 40% vs Bunnahabhain 25 yo 1964 / 1990 Master of Malts #4852-4856 46%
Bunnahabhain 1968 / 2010 Malts of Scotland #12291 40% A profile that is perfect even at 40%, which makes this a breeze right from the pour: almond oil, thin resins … Continue reading
Glen Grant 8 yo Securo Cap 100 proof vs Glen Grant 15 yo Securo Cap 70 proof
Glen Grant 8 yo Securo Cap 100 proof An old nose – slightly dirty with grimey surfaces, mineral oil flecked with bits of carbonised something or other, and (wonderfully) no … Continue reading
Bellevue 17 yo 1998 Duncan Taylor #94 52.2% vs Bellevue 18 yo 1998 Kill Devil Hunter Laing 58.2%
Bellevue 17 yo 1998 Duncan Taylor #94 52.2% Papery dry bark, moist spongecake, and sugar glaze with hints of acerbic lemon zest. A lot more shows up on the tongue, … Continue reading
Oban 27 yo 1963 James MacArthur 56% vs Oban 32 yo 1969 / 2002 55.1%
Oban 27 yo 1963 James MacArthur 56% My chequered experience with unique minis like this tells me they should be handled with caution as the risk of off notes seem … Continue reading
Longmorn 21 yo 1973 / 1994 Signatory #9279 54.9% vs Longmorn 31 yo 1964 / 1996 Kingsbury #52 59%
Longmorn 21 yo 1973 / 1994 Signatory #9279 54.9% A deep yellow fruitiness blends beautifully with wet wool and rubbed granite. Aromatic earthen notes too in the shape of petrichor, … Continue reading
Ardbeg 12 yo 80 proof, white label bottled for the French Market in 1966 vs Ardbeg 18 yo 1975 / 1993 Signatory #2461-2463 43%
Ardbeg 12 yo 80 proof, white label bottled for the French Market in 1966 Tarry and phenolic in a primordially pure and achingly beautiful way, streaked with jagged salinity and … Continue reading
Springbank 21 yo 1995 / 2017 #470 Copper Monument vs Springbank 15 yo 1992 / 2007 The Whisky Society 52.6%
Springbank 21 yo 1995 / 2017 #470 Copper Monument 45.8% Quite rich and rounded without jagged edges. The sherry presents itself with overtones of blackcurrant jam, moist leather but also … Continue reading
Dalmore 30 yo 1963 / 1993 Cadenhead 54.5% vs Dalmore 1977 Glenscoma #12147 ’20 Year Anniversary of SCOMA GmbH’ 60.4%
This is a new format designed to be efficient with Instagram. Some changes are afoot. Dalmore 30 yo 1963 / 1993 Cadenhead 54.5% Uncommonly old Dalmore. It’s an oily one … Continue reading
Clément 1976 Très Vieux Rhum Agricole 44% vs Rhum Vieux du Pere Labat 1997 42%
Clément 1976 Très Vieux Rhum Agricole 44% A deep and burnished rhum that is, though I hate to use the word, totally smooth without any of the salty or phenolic … Continue reading
Bowmore 35 yo 1968 / 2003 Duncan Taylor #1426 vs Bowmore 40 yo 1968 / 2008 Duncan Taylor #3824 42.3%
And with this post, I will begin transitioning posts to Instagram, under the handle ‘whiskyrific’. Thank you all who have checked back on this blog through facebook now and then. … Continue reading
Monymusk ‘Sugar Estates of Jamaica’ Rhum Agricol Moon Import 46% vs Monymusk 12 yo Berry Brothers for La Maison du Whisky 55.4%
Monymusk ‘Sugar Estates of Jamaica’ Rhum Agricol Moon Import 46% Note this is a Rhum Agricole.. distilled in Jamaica… very odd because Jamaican rum is traditionally molasses based. Light almost … Continue reading
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