Clynelish 12 yo for Whiskyteca Edward & Edward long cap 56.9% vs Clynelish 12 yo for Whiskyteca Edward & Edward bicolour 56.9%
A lazy sunday afternoon revisit of: Clynelish 12 yo for Whiskyteca Edward & Edward long cap 56.9% As austere and phenolic as ever. Cold air, dried heather, tree moss, brittle … Continue reading
Talisker 30 yo 1953 Gordon & Macphail 40% vs Talisker 1957 Gordon & Macphail 53.5%
Talisker 30 yo 1953 Gordon & Macphail 40% Surprisingly rather smoky and peaty despite its 30 years. Dry crumbled peat dust, and smoke coaxed from a fire of dried branches. … Continue reading
Brodgar (Highland Park) 17 yo 1978 The Whisky Connoisseur 56.8% vs Highland Park 16 yo 1974 / 1991 Signatory #7137 57%
Brodgar (Highland Park) 17 yo 1978 The Whisky Connoisseur 56.8% Never know what to expect. Wet earth and light sappy smoke as if from burnt grass, withered weeds and branches. … Continue reading
Ardbeg 29 yo 1967 / 1996 Kingsbury #923 52% vs Ardbeg 28 yo 1967 / 1995 Signatory #574 dark oloroso 53.2%
Ardbeg 29 yo 1967 / 1996 Kingsbury #923 52% This is a thick soup of flavour. Bags of richness next to mountains of smoking peat. Dry and tannic, and frankly … Continue reading
Rosebank 21 yo The Whisky Exchange 48% vs Rosebank 25 61.4%
Rosebank 21 yo The Whisky Exchange 48% A fresh and light sort of Rosebank from the later years. Sweet and gently malty, rolling in rock candy, vanilla pods, barley sugar … Continue reading
Ledaig 20 yo Douglas Murdoch 40% vs Ledaig 21 yo 1973 Hart Brothers 43%
Ledaig 20 yo Douglas Murdoch 40% ~70s distillate An old school peat cut from the same multicoloured cloth as that spun in Islay circa 1970. Dry dusty peat with black … Continue reading
Ardbeg 25 yo Lord of the Isles 46% ~early 2000s vs Ardbeg Supernova Committee 2014 55%
Ardbeg 25 yo Lord of the Isles 46% ~early 2000s bottling A rightly lauded bottle. I remember when this was 800 sgd at the duty free. Ardbeg, style: classic, era: … Continue reading
Royal Brackla Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice ‘Map Label’ 1991 / 2011 46% vs Royal Brackla 23 yo 1975 / 1998 Signatory #5456 58.6%
Royal Brackla Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice ‘Map Label’ 1991 / 2011 46% Very nice actually, toasted cereals and lightly nutty with buttery creamy overtones, a bit like toasted Macadamias. … Continue reading
Brora 20 yo 1982 Whisky Connoisseur 58.6% vs Brora 12 yo 1976 / 1989 SMWS 61.1 63.6%
Brora 20 yo 1982 Whisky Connoisseur 58.6% Like its sister distillery,here are soft minerals and waxy notes. Honey, hay and buttered pears. Fat ambrette seeds. Completely different from a 72 … Continue reading
Jura 30 yo 44% ~ 2012 bottling vs Jura 25 yo 1989 / 2015 Signatory #30729 60.9%
Jura 30 yo 44% ~ 2012 bottling This one wants to be a sherry forward whisky but the veneer is so thin its a little underwhelming. Feels incomplete. Buttered and … Continue reading
Glen Garioch 18 yo 1975 / 1994 Cadenhead 54.9% vs Glen Garioch 13 yo 1975 / 1988 Samaroli 57%
Glen Garioch 13 yo 1975 / 1988 Samaroli 57% This is not the sort of heavy peat that’s thick on medicinal or coastal elements. It is a kind of immense … Continue reading
Glencadam 15 yo 46% ~ 2012 bottling vs ‘East Highland’ Glencadam 13 yo Cadenhead 59.4%
Glencadam 15 yo 46% ~ 2012 bottling Natural and naked malt. This will be straightforward: Clean, malty, toasted cereal, butter and breakfast honey. Grain dust, white pepper, hot stones. Some … Continue reading
Glen Grant 50 yo 1955 / 2005 Gordon &Macphail 40% vs Glenfarclas 50 yo issued 2015 41.1%
Glen Grant 50 yo 1955 / 2005 Gordon &Macphail 40% Naturally an immense sherry component is evident though Glen Grant dons this heavy robe well. Thick jammy purples and rich … Continue reading
Bowmore Bicentenary ‘Distilled in 1964’ Soffiantino import 43% vs Bowmore Bicentenary multi-vintage NAS UK issue 43%
Bowmore Bicentenary ‘Distilled in 1964’ Soffiantino import 43% A nose to swoon over, firstly deeply fruity in ways so tropical and juicy that it beggars belief. That’s one of three … Continue reading
Glendullan-Glenlivet 25 yo 1965 / 1991 Cadenhead 51.1% vs Glenturret 25 yo 1965 / 1991 Cadenhead 52.4%
Glendullan-Glenlivet 25 yo 1965 / 1991 Cadenhead 51.1% These old miniatures are not always great but always entertaining. Fry oil, a green bite sort of like oxalic acid and celery, … Continue reading
Clynelish 5 yo di Chiano 43% ~ mid 70s vs Highland New Spirit, distilled June 2008 at Clynelish Rochdale 62.8% ~ bottled 2010
Clynelish 5 yo di Chiano 43% ~ mid 70s A winning profile. Fatty ambrette seed which is a thick waxy scent with animalic touches, thin clear minerals, turpenic waxes and, … Continue reading
Highland Park 21 yo 1961 / 1983 Broadwell Vintners by R.W Duthie 46% vs Highland Park 27 yo 1968 Hart Brothers 43%
Highland Park 21 yo 1961 / 1983 Broadwell Vintners by R.W Duthie 46% A surprisingly peaty Highland Park. With an oozing boggy heart, black and dripping, greasy smoke and burning … Continue reading
Laphroaig 1968 Sestante Pinerolo Import 40% ~triangular bottle vs Laphroaig 1968 Gordon & MacPhail for Donini 55.3%
Laphroaig 1968 Sestante Pinerolo Import 40% ~triangular bottle Old bottle effect is present with some obvious glass and chrysanthemum tea but it’s not too loud here. Sharp seaweed-laced sea breeze, … Continue reading
Port Ellen 1969 Gordon & MacPhail for Donini 63.1%
Port Ellen 1969 Gordon & MacPhail for Donini 63.1% Unequivocally superb. A massive Port Ellen of monumental power, no matter how you define the word. I recall this was my … Continue reading
Caol Ila 1969 Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail ‘brown label’ 40% vs Caol Ila 1969 Gordon & Macphail for Donini 58.1%
Caol Ila 1969 Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail ‘brown label’ 40% Fresh! Classic Caol Ila profile, remember this is not the same Caol Ila as we have today. Zippy, zingy … Continue reading
Mortlach 1969 Gordon & Macphail for Donini 56.3%
Mortlach 1969 Gordon & Macphail for Donini 56.3% This whisky is elegance liquefied. Universally dry, but a nose full of heady woody aromatics, bringing to mind a variety of polished … Continue reading
Irish Single Malt 24 yo 1991 / 2016 Formosa Whisky Society #12019 48.2% vs Irish Single Malt 28 yo 1989 / 2018 The Perfect Dram 49.9%
Irish Single Malt 24 yo 1991 / 2016 Formosa Whisky Society #12019 48.2% Not explosively fruity though enough fruit, in the shape of blackcurrants, kyoho grape and mango on oily … Continue reading
Longmorn 1964 James MacArthur 57.5% vs Longmorn 1976 James MacArthur 54.7%
Longmorn 1964 James MacArthur 57.5% Old Longmorn is usually fabulous, but I haven’t had much luck with this bottler’s minis. So, disappointing again. A musty sort of whisky with cooking … Continue reading
Lochside 20 yo 1981 / 2001 Blackadder #615 58.4% vs Lochside 20 yo 1981 / 2001 SMWS 92.10 61%
Lochside 20 yo 1981 / 2001 Blackadder #615 58.4% Sunny, fruity and joyous. A style that sets a high water mark for all whisky. Tart-sweet red berries, blackcurrants and sliced … Continue reading
Ardbeg 24 yo Cadenhead for Sestante 54.4% ~ attributed 1965
Ardbeg 24 yo Cadenhead for Sestante 54.4% ~ attributed 1965 This seems like the right day to have an old Sestante. A nose to make you sigh and check its … Continue reading
Craigellachie 1991 / 2010 Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail 43% vs Craigellachie 44.115 12 yo 2007 / 2019 SMWS 60.8%
Craigellachie 1991 / 2010 Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail 43% A distillery which I am late to. Wow this is excellent for a regular old Connoisseurs Choice. Full of meditative … Continue reading
Ardbeg 25 yo 1975 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 702 bottles 50% vs Ardbeg 24 yo 1975 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 234 bottles 50%
Ardbeg 25 yo 1975 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 702 bottles 50% Firmly in the 70s Ardbeg style. A precise peat, bullets of oily earth, a thin blade of sodium … Continue reading
‘Tactical’ (Talisker) 20 yo 1980 / 2000 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask MC 359 bottles 50% vs Hebrides (Talisker) 30 yo 1970 Kingsbury 53.2%
‘Tactical’ (Talisker) 20 yo 1980 / 2000 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask MC 359 bottles 50% The sea with all it’s briny salty sharpness is evident here. And warm lemon … Continue reading
Linkwood 13 yo 1999 Berry Bros #11969 56.8% vs Linkwood 21 yo 1969 / 1991 Cadenhead 55.8%
Linkwood 13 yo 1999 Berry Bros #11969 56.8% Barley sugar and molten candy at hard ball stage. Dusty grains, malt and museli. So its a young, fresh faced malt that … Continue reading
Glen Mhor 10 yo Finest Old Highland Malt Moccia Import 43% vs Jura 8 yo Pure Malt Charles MacKinlay 43%
Both were owned by Charles MacKinlay Co Ltd. during in the 70s: Glen Mhor 10 yo Finest Old Highland Malt Moccia Import 43% ~ early 70s This one has dried banana … Continue reading
Banff 1976 James MacArthur 57.1% vs Banff 37 yo 1971 / 2008 Dead Whisky Society #633 53.3% vs Banff Malts of Scotland 1975 / 2013 Malts of Scotland #13056 43.7%
Banff 1976 James MacArthur 57.1% Musty oil, composting leaves, wet leather and metal polish. It might have been more interesting to study further but for the sip I ventured to … Continue reading
Mortlach 14 yo 1973 / 1987 Intertrade 54.6% vs Mortlach 21 yo 1970 / 1991 Turatello 56.7%
Mortlach 14 yo 1973 / 1987 Intertrade 54.6% Beef bouillon and sticky jammy black-purples. Burnt gravy, oily pans in a hot oven, cooked wine and unsweetened cocoa. Big whisky. Savoury … Continue reading
Highland Park 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Douglas Laing #DL9968 48.5% vs Highland Park 22 yo 1981 Kingsbury #6047 52.9% vs Highland Park 1987 / 1997 Gordon & Macphail #15474-15477, 15490-15492 63.7%
Highland Park 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Douglas Laing #DL9968 48.5% Mild sherry influence showing notes of sweet jam, neroli, blackcurrants and black tea. Phenolics check in as well with … Continue reading
Highlander Inn x Friends With Drams In support of Highlander Inn: Daftmill 11 yo 2008 / 2019 Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland #068/2008 55.5% vs Highland Park 14 yo 2005 / 2019 Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland #2390 57.8% vs Ballechin 15 yo 2004 / 2018 Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland #74+76 52% vs Glenallachie 13 yo 2005 / 2020 Distillery Handfill #901037 59.8%
Daftmill 11 yo 2008 / 2019 Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland #068/2008 55.5% Green fruit, sweet barley sugar, cut grass and clear oil. So far so good. Slight metallic touches … Continue reading
Glendronach 40 yo 1972 / 2012 #713 50.2% vs Glendronach 38 yo 1972 / 2010 #718 51.5% vs Glendronach 37 yo 1972 / 2009 #719 54.8%
Glendronach 40 yo 1972 / 2012 #713 50.2% Frankly, a perfect sherry nose. A monument of dry richness, stuffed to the ears in jammy shrivelled fruit of various shades of … Continue reading
Benriach 36 yo 1976 / 2012 #3031 for Usquebaugh Society 43.1% vs Benriach 35 yo 1975 / 2011 #7227 for Asta Morris 51 %
Benriach 36 yo 1976 / 2012 #3031 for Usquebaugh Society 43.1% Fruity! As in, along tropical lines, like a Lochside or Bowmore. Bright, warm and sunny, bursting guava, passion fruit, … Continue reading
Port Ellen 27 yo 1978 / 2006 Platinum Douglas Laing 55.3% vs Port Ellen 1979 / 2004 Acredyke 60%
Port Ellen 27 yo 1978 / 2006 Platinum Douglas Laing 55.3% A softer sort of peat where the power has turned to elegance. Unburnt tobacco, dried bark, resins, gentian – … Continue reading
Glamis Unblended Pot Still Malt 10 yo 86 proof vs Lauder’s Royal Northern Cream Scotch Whisky vs Ballantines 30 yo 43% vs Four Roses Louisville brown embossed glass bottle vs Miyagikyo 18 yo 1991 / 2009 #114675 Whiskylive 10th Anniversary 54%
I seem to have missed World Whisky Day, so digging deep into the drawer named ‘Others’ now and this is what I pulled out: Glamis Unblended Pot Still Malt 10 … Continue reading
Bowmore 15 yo 1996 / 2012 Douglas Laing #8034 52.2% vs Bowmore 16 yo 2001 / 2017 Cadenhead 175th Anniversary 54.8%
Bowmore 15 yo 1996 / 2012 Douglas Laing #8034 52.2% It’s what we want in a modern Bowmore. Sharp coastal notes like salt zing, sea air, open BBQ pits, and … Continue reading
Clynelish 36 yo 1971 / 2007 Murray McDavid 51.5% vs Clynelish 32 yo 1974 / 2006 The Whisky Fair 58.6%
Clynelish 36 yo 1971 / 2007 Murray McDavid 51.5% Brilliant whisky. Clynelish is a standalone great. Bathe in hot wax here, lots of it, and stinging sap. Minerals and clean … Continue reading
Clynelish 20 yo 1995 Gleann Mor #11308 53.9% vs Clynelish 21 yo 1995 Signatory #11228 55.7%
Clynelish 20 yo 1995 Gleann Mor #11308 53.9% I love these Clynelishes. Classic elements of flints and minerals, paraffin wax, clean clay pots, rubbed lime, fresh cut green fruit and … Continue reading
Longmorn 30 yo 1973 / 2004 Duncan Taylor 51.1% vs Longmorn-Glenlivet 12 yo Gordon & Macphail ‘Pure Malt’ 100 proof 57% ~80s bottling
Longmorn 30 yo 1973 / 2004 Duncan Taylor 51.1% Great distillery, great whisky. This period of Longmorn was marked by fruit and it shows here, warm sunny hues of green … Continue reading
Balblair 1964 James MacArthur 56.8% vs Balblair 1983 1st release 46%
Balblair 1964 James MacArthur 56.8% Right, start with the good – Salt air, wisps of smoke, black loamy earth, and then pine cones. Unfortunately this becomes stale violets, mothballs and … Continue reading
Bunnahabhain 26 yo 1989 Signatory #5811+5812 56.2% vs Bunnahabhain 24 yo 1990 Highland Laird 47.2% vs Driftwood 1997 Wemyss Malt 46% (Peated Bunnahabhain)
Bunnahabhain 26 yo 1989 Signatory #5811 + 5812 45.2% Full and weighty whisky with big oily, buttery, malty, nutty notes. Very typical for Bunnahabhain. Salt air, crushed spinach, honeyed cloves, … Continue reading
Laphroaig 30 yo 1966/1996 Signatory #560 48.7% vs Laphroaig 31 yo 1966/1997 Signatory #1094 49.3% vs Laphroaig 28 yo 1967/1996 Signatory #2201 50.2% vs Laphroaig 28 yo 1967/1995 Signatory #2205 50.3%
It’s my 40th birthday and I’m forced to have a stay at home party. Fortunately, I am amply stocked. Laphroaig 30 yo 1966 / 1996 Signatory #560 48.7% Myriad little … Continue reading
Arran 21 yo 1996 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 636 bottles 50% vs Benromach 10 yo 43% vs Cragganmore 1976 / 1991 Gordon & Macphail Cask #3583-3584 55.8%
Arran 21 yo 1996 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 636 bottles 50% A load of sweet cooked notes from butterscotch and boiled orange peel. Clove candy too. Flambed banana, brine, … Continue reading
Glen Garioch 21 yo 1995 Old Particular Douglas Laing #11471 51.5% vs Glen Garioch 21 yo 1993 Old Particular Douglas Laing #10776 57.7%
Glen Garioch 21 yo 1995 Old Particular Douglas Laing #11471 51.5% A very particular style I love coming back to recalibrate on. Bursting lime peel, battery acid, mineral oil, chalk … Continue reading
Caol Ila 15 yo Gold Jug decanter Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 12 yo The Single Cask for Singapore Whisky Bars including The Swan Song #307362 2007/ 2019 58.7% vs Caol Ila 17 yo 1977 / 1994 Cadenhead 59.2%
Caol Ila 15 yo Gold Jug decanter Zenith 43% ~ mid 80s Lots of phenols and depth for a whisky that fells like its starting to shift down a gear. … Continue reading
Inchgower 12 yo 40% ‘Arthur Bell’ ~ mid 80s vs Inchgower 1993 / 2011 Connoisseurs Choice 43% vs Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin) 9 yo 1985/ 1994 Cadenhead 64%
Inchgower 12 yo 40% ‘Arthur Bell’ ~ mid 80s Very nice, some old soot laden grease, with dry bracken and crunching leaf litter underfoot. Cold coal stoves, burnt butter and … Continue reading
Springbank 21 yo 1996 / 2018 ‘peated type’ Whisky Agency 50.9% vs Springbank 23 yo 1994 / 2017 Nectar of the Daily Drams 50.6%
Springbank 21 yo 1996 / 2018 ‘peated type’ Whisky Agency 50.9% Why isn’t this Longrow then? Because Longrow is double distilled and this was made with the 2 plus distillation … Continue reading
