Highlands Archives - Page 4 of 7

Whisky #315 – Glendronach 1993 Single Cask 21 Year Old Single Malt

December 6, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glendronach 1993 Single Cask 21 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 55.8%. Tasted at the Craigellachie Hotel, £12.50.

Colour: Purplish copper. Stunning.

Nose: Dried muscatelles, dark chocolate – the kind of dusty cocoa scent you get from opening a block of 70 or 80% cocoa dark chocolate.

Palate: It slides into the mouth and the rich sherry flavours start to dance around your mouth. Spices abound; oily mouthfeel to start but then dries quickly as the flavours develop.

Finish: Satisfyingly very long. Sweet sherry notes, balanced by subtle cigar box flavours. Long tingle, predominantly at the front half of the palate.

Comments: Stunning; syrupy and chewy. An outstanding whisky, another amazing expression from Glendronach. This one really blew the Glenglassaugh Evolution I just tasted completely out of the water. I could drink this one all night!

Whisky #314 – Glenglassaugh Evolution Single Malt

December 6, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glenglassaugh Evolution Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 50%. Tasted at the Craigellachie Hotel, £4.80.

Colour: Super light straw.

Nose: Fruity, citrus aromas, hessian sacks.

Palate: Dry mouthfeel. Lemon, dried banana; quite tangy.

Finish: A sherbety tingle, quite a long finish. Salty and sweet balance.

Comments: Lighter and a lot fruitier than I was expecting, but more citrusy rather than dried fruits and Christmas cake sort of flavours. Not too shabby.

Whisky #313 – Glenmorangie The Taghta Single Malt

December 6, 2014 by Whisky a Day 3 Comments

Glenmorangie The Taghta Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.0%. Tasted at Glenmorangie Distillery (Tain).

Colour: Light golden toffee.

Nose: Juicy sultanas, brown sugar.

Palate: Creamy, oily mouthfeel. A slight peppery prickle on the tongue, but quite salty. Full flavoured, fruity, somewhat sweet and also spicy – the layers of flavour just keep coming.

Finish: Some toasty, sweet flavours linger. Lots of flavour, warmth in the medium to long finish.

Comments: “Taghta” translates in Gaelic to “The Chosen”. It’s the latest of Glenmorangie’s private edition releases, previous editions including the Companta and Ealanta. Like its forebears, it originates much like the Glenmorangie 10 year old, but is then extra matured in a Spanish Manzanilla Sherry cask (Manzanilla is a Spanish white sherry). The background to this expression is that Glenmorangie tried extra maturation of the 10 year old in three different types of barrels, then put it out to their loyal fans to choose which one they liked the most. The one they chose (hence the name “Taghta”) was the Manzanilla cask. I actually rate this one better than the Companta, it’s a fantastic drop – I “choose” to have another one!

Whisky #312 – Dalmore 18 Year Old Single Malt

December 6, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Dalmore 18 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at The Bosville Hotel (Isle of Skye), £10.

Colour: Dark copper.

Nose: Burnt toffee, almost a bit meaty. Wow.

Palate: Tangy caramel, dried fruits. Warmth quickly builds and hits the roof of the mouth. Rich and full flavoured.

Finish: Sweet and sour, almost a touch salty as well. Quite a long and gradual finish.

Comments: Aged in Matusalem sherry butts, this was a fantastic whisky with great complexity, just how I like it.

Whisky #306 – Invergorden The Five – Rich & Extremely Rare Single Grain 47 Year Old Whisky

December 3, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Invergorden The Five – Rich & Extremely Rare Single Grain 47 Year Old Whisky (Bottle 062 of 240). Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 48.4%. Tasted at The Ben Nevis Hotel (Glasgow)…by this stage of the night I have no idea what it cost me.

Colour: Radioactive orange.

Nose: Grassy grain aromas.

Palate: Salty liquorice, rich aniseed.

Finish: Quite short, very pungent.

Comments: A 47 year old single cask, single grain whisky. The eighth whisky of the night…damn I wish I’d had this at the start of the night rather than the end so I could appreciate it more. Abysmal tasting notes on this one, sorry!!

Whisky #303 – Old Pulteney 21 Year Old Single Malt

December 2, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Old Pulteney 21 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at The Ben Nevis Bar (Glasgow), £8.20.

Colour: Orangey gold.

Nose: A bit floral, a touch fruity.

Palate: Nice and smooth, but not necessarily something to write home about. Toasted citrus and buttery notes.

Finish: Sweet soft smoke, medium length.

Comments: Like a juvenile dwarf, it’s slowly growing on me. It’s nice, but for me it’s not going to set the world on fire.

Whisky #301 – Edradour Natural Cask Strength Single Malt

December 2, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Edradour Natural Cask Strength Single Malt. Distilled 2000, bottled 2014 (cask #2008). Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 57.1%. Tasted at The Pot Still (Glasgow), £6.85.

Colour: Dark copper.

Nose: Sweet charcoal, perfume, sherry notes too. Fantastic layers.

Palate: Immediate tingle on the lips as the flavours begin to dance around your mouth. Oily mouthfeel, rich full sherry flavours – rich sultanas, saltiness too.

Finish: Nutty sweet sherry notes hang around for ages. The front half of the palate and your lips seem to tingle for an eternity; what a buzz.

Comments: Wow, what a dram. Love it. Rich, fruity and spicy – it’s hard to write a tongue-in-cheek review of a whisky this good. Highly recommended.

Whisky #300 – The MacPhail’s Collection 1986 Glenglassaugh Single Malt

December 1, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

The MacPhail’s Collection 1986 Glenglassaugh Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. Bottled 1998. 40%. Tasted at The Pot Still (Glasgow), £4.65.

Colour: Rich golden honey.

Nose: Freshly toasted bread with honey on top.

Palate: Oily mouthfeel at first, fruity with a good balance of sweetness and tartness – think pineapple.

Finish: Quite a drying finish. Soft woody notes in the fade.

Comments: Geez these whiskies in Scotland are much cheaper than we pay back in Australia! Not a bad drop – I don’t think I’ve tried a whisky from Glenglassaugh before so I can’t compare it, however it’s not bad at all…worth another taste. This Gordon & MacPhail’s release was distilled in 1986, the year that Glenglassaugh was mothballed for quite some time, until being sold and subsequently reopened in 2008.

Whisky #299 – Glengoyne 18 Year Old Single Malt

December 1, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glengoyne 18 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Dram! (Glasgow), £5.20.

Colour: Dark gold.

Nose: Sweet cigar box aromas.

Palate: Lusciously complex, quite rich and full-flavoured. Layers of vanilla, honey and woody notes. Spices and toffee balance each other very nicely.

Finish: Warm honied woody flavours linger along with mixed spices; quite a long finish.

Comments: Seeing as I was in Glasgow and Glengoyne is one of the closest distilleries, I thought it appropriate to sample a dram (appropriately enough at a bar called “Dram!”). Loved it, I could drink this one all night. A shame I didn’t get a chance to visit the distillery, though I will be searching out other Glengoyne expressions if the 18 year old is anothing to go by. Recommended!

How could you walk past a bar called Dram!

The whisky selection at Dram!

Whisky #297 – Glendronach Cask Strength (Batch 2) Single Malt

November 27, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glendronach Cask Strength (Batch 2) Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 55.2%. Tasted at Òran Mór (Glasgow), £4.65.

Colour: Shiny copper.

Nose: There’s a bit of an alcohol feint that shoots up your nostrils. Burnt orange peel and sherry notes.

Palate: Cool entry, but the heat gently builds. Chewy sherry flavours, you can definitely taste the similarities to the other Glendronach expressions. The very subtlest hint of smoke or charcoal.

Finish: Long…lots of warmth as the whisky wraps itself around your throat and makes its way down your chest all the way down to your belly. That’s starting to sound like a Mills & Boon novel…

Comments: Not quite as smooth or refined as its Glendronach stablemates Revival, Allardice or Parliament, but as a cask strength release it’s great to experience whisky from one of my favourite distilleries in one of its purest forms.

Whisky #296 – McKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt – “Shackleton’s Whisky”

November 19, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

McKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt – “Shackleton’s Whisky”. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 47.3%. Tasted at Òran Mór (Glasgow), £20.20.

Colour: Yellow snow. Watch out where the huskies go, and do not eat the yellow snow…

Nose: Citrus and sweet oak.

Palate: Lemon sherbet. Quite dry. Not the winter warmer type of whisky I thought might be appropriate for an Antarctic expedition.

Finish: Somewhat salty, and a little dry. Medium length.

Comments: Great story behind this one. Originally shipped to Antarctica in 1907 by Ernest Shackleton to fortify his British Antarctic expedition aboard the “Nimrod” (originally supposed to be aboard the ship “Endurance”, as shown in the photo below). Three cases of McKinlay’s were discovered buried in the ice under the floorboards of Shackleton’s hut in 2007 when restoration work was being undertaken. Long story short, some of this very old whisky was sent back to Scotland for analysis so it could be recreated, resulting in this McKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt – “Shackleton’s Whisky”.

Whisky #286 – SMWS 123.8 In the Spanish Mountains

November 8, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 123.8 In the Spanish Mountains. 12 year old single cask from Glengoyne distillery, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 59.3%. Tasted at Whisky & Alement (Melbourne).

Colour: Lotus twilight.

Nose: Lemon cheesecake and spearmint. AB got hints of Listerine mouthwash.

Palate: Organ-hugging, creamy – “I can’t believe it’s not butter”. Multi-dimensional.

Finish: Powerful, long.

Comments: We came up with another observation that it was “James Bondable”. No idea what we were getting at here…we’d had a few tastings by this stage. Overall though I enjoyed it, keen to have another crack at it through to see if it really is James Bondable.

Whisky #277 – Edradour Straight From the Cask 11 Year Old Burgundy Cask Finish Single Malt

November 5, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Edradour Straight From the Cask 11 Year Old Burgundy Cask Finish Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 58.8%. Tasted at home, $70 (500mL bottle).

Colour: Bright orange.

Nose: Dry, soft oak; almost a bit powdery in a way.

Palate: Not as smooth, sweet as the Edradour Caledonia; dry and oaky. Like licking a paddle pop stick.

Finish: Straw-like flavours, medium length; leaves a tingle at the front of tongue.

Comments: I definitely had high expectations given how much I enjoyed the only other Edradour I’ve tasted before, the Edradour 12 Year Old Caledonia Selection. However this one, while still a solid dram, failed to live up those lofty expectations. It didn’t have anywhere near the same level or complexity, sweetness or depth of flavour in my opinion. I’m keen though to drop by the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry to see what other drams they have on offer!

Whisky #272 – The Macallan 12 Year Old Gran Reserva Single Malt

November 2, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

The Macallan 12 Year Old Gran Reserva Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 45.6%. Tasted at home, $0 – Dram Full sample.

Colour: Deep burnt toffee.

Nose: Sticky syrupy sherry. Lots of it. Soft varnish notes too.

Palate: Luscious intense spice and dried fruits, not overly sweet though – which is a good thing.

Finish: Buttery oak and caramel, lots of spice. Medium to long finish.

Comments: Perfectly balanced; sweetness and spice, rich full flavours. Absolutely fantastic.

Whisky #269 – Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament Single Malt

October 28, 2014 by Whisky a Day 4 Comments

Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 48.00%. Tasted at home, $120 (bottle).

Colour: As Ron Burgundy might say, it’s the colour of rich mahogany.

Nose: 60% of the time it works every time…damn this is a fine whisky. A stunning nose; dried muscatels, molasses, dusty bookshelves.

Palate: Luscious syrupy mouthfeel. Dry sultanas, cocoa, rich sherry flavours; deliciously sweet and chewy without being overly saccharine.

Finish: Caramel flavours dominate; medium length.

Comments: An amazing whisky, beautifully balanced. I could drink this every day as my Whisky a Day challenge for 2015. I’m keen to sit down one night and try a vertical tasting of the Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old and the Glendronach Allardice 18 Year Old, two of my favourite whiskies this year…purely for research purposes of course.

Whisky #262 – Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

October 14, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at home, $9 (50mL sample bottle).

Colour: Light caramel.

Nose: Citrus, straw and faint honey notes.

Palate: Smooth yet more flavour depth than I was expecting from a blend. A little like sweet biscuits – think of buttery Nice biscuits, the ones with sugar sprinkled on top.

Finish: Medium length, minimal heat. Quite dry. You can taste the Nice biscuits gradually fading as the grains of sugar dissolve in your mouth.

Comments: Again much like the Chivas 12 year old, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s no world-beater and is a little too mild and unassuming for my tastes, but it’s certainly easy drinking.