Islay 31 yo 1990 / 2021 Thompson Bros 49.3% vs Islay 32 yo 1990 / 2022 Thompson Bros 49.3%
Islay 31 yo 1990 / 2021 Thompson Bros 49.3% Lovely. Soft Laphroaig, worn smooth into a sphere of gentle iodine, glowing peatfire, soft medicinal ointments and rubs, ripe earthy loam … Continue reading
Mortlach 15 yo SMWS 1989 / 2005 76.44 59.3%
Mortlach 15 yo SMWS 1989 / 2005 76.44 59.3% Meat like hung game or hams plus a deep dark sherry, a classic duo for Mortlach. Roasted nuts, lit charcoal, wisp … Continue reading
Ardbeg 14 yo Cadenhead 52.2% 18.75cl bottle
Ardbeg 14 yo Cadenhead 52.2% 18.75cl Classic 70s Ardbeg. Salty sharp and awash in sparkling and yet very exact coastal elements, like pin points of light thrown by a polished … Continue reading
Springbank 27 yo 1994 / 2022 Spheric Spirits #95 47.1%
Springbank 27 yo 1994 / 2022 #95 Spheric Spirits 47.1% About as petrol-ly and green as it gets in Springbank. Spilt petrol in engine rooms on a hot day, white … Continue reading
Highland Park 19yo 1970 / 1989 Gordon & Macphail 52.9%
Highland Park 19yo 1970 / 1989 Gordon & Macphail 52.9% You gorgeous old Orcadian. And a beautiful old label. Find here a seamless integration of cask, peat and spirit, polished … Continue reading
Caol Ila 15 yo 1988 Shieldaig Collection 43%
Caol Ila 15 yo 1988 Shieldaig Collection 43% It is that precise sort of Caol Ila I enjoy most, a style which holds up a mirror to 70s Ardbeg. … Continue reading
Glen Grant 30 yo 1982 / 2012 Clydesdale #CO681 51.9%
Glen Grant 30 yo 1982 / 2012 Clydesdale #CO681 51.9% Strange nose! A touch cheesy, or perhaps lactic is a better word. It must be the sheer amount of oak … Continue reading
Ardbeg 32 yo 1967 / 1999 Douglas Laing 47.5% 185 bottles
Ardbeg 32 yo 1967 / 1999 Douglas Laing 47.5% 185 bottles First thing to note is that the whisky is a disturbing greenish brown. Cast any fears aside though because … Continue reading
Highland Park 18 yo 1960 / 1978 Ferraretto 43% ~ dark vatting
Highland Park 18 yo 1960 / 1978 Ferraretto 43% ~ dark vatting An astounding sherry nose, exactly what you are after when looking at these old sherried Highland Parks. Sweet … Continue reading
Fettercairn 26yo 1995 / 2022 for The Highlander Inn #2826 60.2%
Fettercairn 26yo 1995 / 2022 for The Highlander Inn #2826 60.2% Quite a quiet kick this one. Plenty of barley sugar, butter and malt character, and something like burnt mint … Continue reading
Craigellachie 19 yo 1983 / 2002 Samaroli #2606 45%
Craigellachie 19 yo 1983 / 2002 Samaroli #2606 45% Great one! Sunny, honeyed, yellow-fruity and yet quite some brawn beneath. There is no doubt in my mind that Craigellachie is … Continue reading
Rosebank 30 yo 1975 / 2005 Silver Seal 54.8%
Rosebank 30 yo 1975 / 2005 Silver Seal 54.8% A Rosebank after the older style, not a direct lemon filled freshie, but one look at the vintage and it makes … Continue reading
Benrinnes 17 yo 1985 / 2003 The Bottlers #1852 60.2%
Benrinnes 17 yo 1985 / 2003 The Bottlers #1852 60.2%Big whisky. Totally old school sherry here with more than a teaspoon of that famous meatiness a la bullion cubes, broth … Continue reading
Auchroisk 1993 Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice 43% ~ bottled 2008 vs Cadenhead’s Speyside (Auchroisk) 8 yo Cadenhead 61.4% ~ bottled late 90s
Two humble malts with much to be humble for. Auchroisk 1993 Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice 43% ~ bottled 2008 Unfortunately time and wood hasn’t dealt with the feints at … Continue reading
Highland Park 26 yo 1986 / 2012 Malts of Scotland #12052 54.1% vs Glencraig 38 yo 1976 / 2014 Signatory #4254 44.3%
Highland Park 26 yo 1986 / 2012 Malts of Scotland #12052 54.1% Earthy! But its all clean earth plus associated phenols. Clean, ozonic and mineralic. With petrichor, violet leaf, gentian … Continue reading
Rosebank 15 yo ceramic Zenith Italia 50%
Rosebank 15 yo ceramic Zenith Italia 50% Tasted at Limburg but I’ve neglected to take a photo. No surprises, its a lemony and oily Rosebank, full of cereals, cold butter … Continue reading
Springbank 28 yo 1965 / 1993 Adelphi 50.6%
Springbank 28 yo 1965 / 1993 Adelphi 50.6% Ancient wood deeply polished with teak oil so that it’s bronzed and gleaming, but dry and aromatic. Let us place lumps of … Continue reading
Longmorn 16 yo 1972 / 1988 Intertrade 58.8%
Longmorn 16 yo 1972 / 1988 Intertrade 58.8%Quality check is complete. A tight and dense bouquet of unmistakable depth, a closed fist of sharp oranges and yellow citric fruitiness. Full … Continue reading
Old Pulteney 15 yo 1974 / 1989 Intertrade 57.6%
Old Pulteney 15 yo 1974 / 1989 Intertrade 57.6% Certainly a tangy sea air and subtle mineral sharpness fills the nose, matching a crispness to a rising wet earthiness brought … Continue reading
Ben Nevis 41 yo 1967 / 2009 #1281 49.4%
Ben Nevis 41 yo 1967 / 2009 #1281 49.4% Of course its big whisky and heavy sherry. You know how on one hand sherry maturation can be aromatic and dry … Continue reading
Irish 33 yo 1988 / 2022 for Hong Kong #10506 54.8%
Irish 33 yo 1988 / 2022 for Hong Kong #10506 54.8% This comes from @whisky.wiki. Many thanks! Lovely, lovely nose, led by blackcurrents and red stone fruit, but really its … Continue reading
Imperial 25 yo 1995 / 2021 Single Malts of Scotland #7861 54% vs Bruichladdich 23 yo 1978 / 2001 John Armit Wines 51%
Imperial 25 yo 1995 / 2021 Single Malts of Scotland #7861 54% Cold pastry cream, vanilla pods, new white wood and plenty of warm wax, which lean more towards paraffin … Continue reading
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
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