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| Hello, that is certainly one of our (virtually) each day tastings. Santé! |
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December 21, 2021
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One other little bag of no matter malts
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However we cannot attempt those we’re completely certain about, reminiscent of these ‘Secret Orkneys’ or these ‘Northernmost Islay malts’ or these ‘Stars of Sutherland’… Bu we’ll do that randomly!
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A Positive Christmas Malt 16 yo (53.2%, The Whisky Trade, 2021) 
All proper honey, London says this was distilled on Orkney. Not a foul place to make whisky, uh? (S., even Boris would have achieved higher on this scenario, actually, you don’t make WF’s readers proud). Color: straw. Nostril: peanut oil (love), banana cake (love), panettone (ueber-love), quinces (love) and simply grist and recent kougelhopf. With water: sameish, simply breadier, doughier, extra on beers and every kind of fermented issues, together with beers and wines. Mouth (neat): tremendous good, oily, grassy and peely, with wonderful thick fruits (inexperienced bananas) and bitter almonds. With water: nearly as good because it will get. Offered that is, certainly, HP, I’d say it is a nod nearer to the OBs than to the now ordinary ‘Secret Orkneys’, maybe due to some refill sherry or one thing. End: fairly lengthy, saltier, with a menthol/liquorice combo that may simply at all times work. Pickled lemons within the aftertaste. Feedback: nice drop. I suppose the whole thing must be downed earlier than December 25.
SGP:363 – 87 factors. |
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Islay Single Malt 33 yo 1985/2021 (47.1%, C. Dully Choice, refill hogshead, refill hogshead, cask #8, 98 bottles) 
I do know, the numbers do not add-up, let’s not care. Color: gentle gold. Nostril: I am misplaced. Not smoky sufficient for the south shore, neither is it for CI, whereas to my information, neither Bunna nor the Laddie had been doing any peaters again in 1985… Might this actually be Bowmore 1985? However then the place’s the lavender fragrance? The Parma Violets? The shampoos? Even the plasticine? It’s a delicate but assertive coastal malt of fine age and of excessive magnificence, with marvellous notes of seashells, kelp, previous boat, gherkins, and of some of the entrancing liquids ever made by Man, Gentian eau-de-vie! Now, to be sincere, the bottler right here being Swiss, I am beginning to surprise if he didn’t add a number of litres of Gebirgs Enzian to the bottling (I for one would have achieved it). Mouth: yeah you do really feel the lavender sweets and even the cologne, however these notes would mingle with some seawater and crushed kippers. The mid-Nineteen Eighties-Bowmoreness feels extra on the palate, however frankly, we’re removed from these deeply FWPed batches of previous. Very good choice. End: lengthy and intensely briny. Oysters and tinned gherkins. Excessive aftertaste on salted liquorice. Feedback: woo-hoo, that was some experience. Awful writers would have added that that is each an historic and an hysterical bottling. I am certainly one of them for certain.
SGP:364 – 89 factors. |
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Large Peat ‘Christmas Version 2021’ (52.8%, Douglas Laing)
They maintain doing it and so they do it proper. Good enjoyable, even when good previous Captain Haddock might begin to really feel a little bit drained. To suppose that this collection began with a noticeable proportion of Port Ellen inside… Color: white wine. Nostril: feels very younger. Smoked and tarred pears, fish oil, whelks, drops of engine oil and benzine, plasticine, recent almond paste, recent plaster… With water: extra recent plaster, concrete, even Islay mud, grist, semolina… Mouth (neat): candy pears, lemons, and brine. That is the factor, the combo would simply at all times work, since managed variety (what?) at all times provides complexity. With water: works. Salted root juice and lemons, plus crushed sardines and cigarette ashes. End: lengthy, maybe a tad candy (pears), however excellent. Eucalyptus and liquid propolis within the aftertaste, in addition to a small rubberness. Feedback: feels younger however it’s excellent and no less than they didn’t burry it underneath tons of butterscotch.
SGP:476 – 86 factors. |
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Blended Scotch Whisky 18 yo 2003/2021 (56.3%, Watt Whisky, hogshead) 
Since, in accordance with some, Edrington have began promoting their malts to brokers or blenders as ‘blended scotch’ currently, everyone’s beginning to consider that any blended Scotch round is Macallan. Even Passport and The Claymore. Ha. Color: gold. Nostril: a decent, muscovado-y, nutty arrival on the nostril, then desserts and biscuits. Roasted peanuts and black nougat. Transfer alongside! With water: very viscimetrical. A great deal of barley syrup, agave syrup, roasted chestnuts, fudge, raisin rolls, cinnamon donuts… Mouth (neat): precisely. Pear eau-de-vie aged in deep-charred oak, caramel, fudges, butterscotch, pear cake and Guinness. With water: maltier. Brown ales, peppery tobaccos, some chlorophyll, bell pepper… End: lengthy and bitterer. Feedback: I’d doubt anybody’s really ‘blended’ this; this isn’t a blender’s work. I might be incorrect, however there, my very humble tuppence.
SGP:561 – 83 factors. |
| (*) Replace, that is Inverhouse inventory. |
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Speyside 1998/2021 (51.6%, The Maltman, Or Sileis, first fill sherry cask, cask #1389)
That is the primary downside, we have dozens and dozens of samples of whiskies which might be labelled as ‘Speyside’ whereas we simply would not know whether or not these had been ‘nameless’ Speysiders or malts from the Speyside Distillery. We’ll by no means identified and shall most likely dump them eventually. Yeah or redistill them. Color: purple amber. Nostril: gunpower and walnuts, Spanish ham, cigars, copper, rose petals, steel polish, cedarwood. Greater than okay… With water: extra walnuts, mutton, steel polish and compost. Mouth (neat): good, a fruitier, brisker type of sherry monster, with loads of blood orange and orange cake. Superb, really, even when the cask did all of the work, or so it could appear. With water: bitter tobaccos and dried herbs. A sense of bone-dry oloroso, extraordinarily on walnuts and polishes. End: lengthy, meaty, a tad sulphury. Good nuts and beef ham within the aftertaste, plus loads of correct chocolate. Feedback: closely cask-influenced, unsure the distillery had something to say. What was the distillery? The tip outcome’s manner above common, although.
SGP:462 – 85 factors. |
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Black Friday 22 yo (49.2%, The Whisky Trade, 2021)
Black Friday, not fairly our factor. So we’re fashionably late, I’d say. Have you ever ever heard of Pink Tuesday? Color: gentle gold. Nostril: bits of grated coconut, touches of camphor, concepts of mint essence, embrocations… With water: porridge with slices of over-bruised bananas. Mouth (neat): wonderful malt whisky, actually, fairly on the safer vanilla-ed aspect. Some bitter herbs. With water: some malt, stout, toffee… End: similar for a fairly very long time. Extra toffee but within the aftertaste, in addition to some sourness. Bitter pears? Feedback: good however who cares, we’re very late anyway. Tja, Black Friday… London’s Christmas malt was in an entire totally different dimension. And why not blue Mondays? Significantly, you do not do Black Fridays…
SGP:551 – 83 factors. |
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Aurora Aldehyde 41 yo 1980/2021 (46.2%, London Whisky Present 2021, Superheroes of Flavour, blended Scotch, sherry butt) 
A 3D bottle. You see, everybody’s believing that these are Macallan, whereas they is likely to be Whyte & MacKay. So, disclose in the event you can, or pay the implications… Color: deep amber. Nostril: roasted nuts and cereals, maple syrup and pancake sauce, peanut butter, millionaire shortbread, sesame oil, turon, figs… Very good nostril, even when it doesn’t fairly really feel ’41’. With water: copper polish, earth, previous ointments, pine resin, maybe vase water. Not that it could crumble however it certain misplaced focus. Mouth (neat): excellent, if a little bit excessive, too peppery and too natural. Underberg on the energy of ten and oversteeped thyme tea. With water: this metallic aspect, previous nuts, earth, natural liqueurs, Jäger and stuff… It misplaced all oomph, I am afraid. End: over the hill, grassy, drying, missing physique. The aftertaste could be very natural, very grassy. Some coconut butter too. Feedback: beautiful label and nice enjoyable, however the juice was a bit drained, if I humbly might say. In spite of everything, 1980, that is Duran Duran.
SGP:361 – 82 factors. |
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Captain Congener 20 yo 2001/2021 (57.6%, London Whisky Present 2021, Superheroes of Flavour)
A journey by means of intergalactic ethanology, they mentioned. So, Glenfarclas (no?) Color: deep gold. Nostril: some mentholated leaves and fruit peelings plus a little bit pine resin and hand cream, marmalade, raisins… A fairly fats make, with a grassy and greasy spine in addition to a grassier type of sherry certainly. With water: autumn leaves and previous walnuts, verbena liqueur, extra pine resin. Certainly, Christmas tree. Mouth (neat): scorching, very punchy, with a smokiness as properly, Seville oranges, natural teas, allspice… With water: will get fruitier, with extra oranges, some cinchona, bitters, Campari and walnuts. Large bespoke sherriness. End: lengthy and leafy, peppery. Reasonably inexperienced walnuts within the aftertaste, in addition to a number of dry black raisins. Feedback: a tad folksy, which in my e-book is fairly typical. I discover it excellent and plainly the worth could be very proper, do you have to take pleasure in these leafy/grassy sherry monsters. Reasonably monstrous.
SGP:461 – 87 factors. |
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Compass Field ‘Knowledge’ (50.1%, La Maison du Whisky, blended Scotch, Artist #11, Pentalogy, 654 bottles, 2021)
We have already had some beautiful compadres from this new collection. It’s technically a mix, however I’d suspect it is vitally, and I imply very malt-driven. Color: gold. Nostril: loads of marzipan and loads of beeswax at first, then linseed oil, rubbed fern, white nougat, cider apples, jujubes, stewed rhubarb and preserved greengages. Every part’s excellent right here, it’s refined, recent, elegant… No water wanted however nonetheless… With water: aren’t we fairly in Craigellachie? That is maltier and with many extra roasted nuts. Pecan pie and vitality bar. Mouth (neat): a tad cakier now, much less purely waxy, with a little bit espresso or fairly espresso liqueur, chicory espresso, roasted chestnuts… Are these the attainable grains talking out? With water: extra leafiness and a few spicier, virtually inexperienced oak. Bears some resemblance with the Captain Congener. End: lengthy, good, leafier certainly, but in addition with much more toffee and occasional. Chestnut honey within the aftertaste. Feedback: an intriguing and wonderful mixture.
SGP:461 – 86 factors. |
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Some unapologetical single malt please…
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Secret Speyside 30 yo 1990/2021 (53.2%, The Whisky Jury, refill barrel, cask #TWJ-GR-1990, 263 bottles)
So no sherry this time. I consider increasingly more that these sherry-seasoned casks need to be excellent or ought to simply not be used. Then again, the Jerezians and different bodegas within the south of Spain deeply want this enterprise… Color: gold. Nostril: however naturally, that is brighter, purer, zestier, extra refreshing even on the nostril, higher chiselled and with a clearer maltiness. With water: breads and desserts, plus dried yellow fruits and pastry dough, in addition to whiffs of latest dandelions very early within the mornin’. That’s to say earlier than the bees have come and plundered all of the nectar. Mouth (neat): overripe apples, lemon zests, macaroons and finger biscuits, lemon tarte (with meringue) and tiny touches of papayas. Nearly as good because it will get. It’s a fairly ‘lighter’ Speysider. With water: wonderful ‘lightish’ Speysider certainly, with good natural teas and only a dollop of fir resin. Chamomile, vanilla, touches of aniseed. End: medium, clear, malty, fruity and natural. Some grassier honey within the aftertaste, and just a bit inexperienced pepper. And grapefruit. Feedback: nearly as good because it will get. Yeah, most bourbon casks work, whereas sherry casks must be excellent.
SGP:551 – 89 factors. |
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Secret Speyside 30 yo 1990/2021 (46.6%, The Whisky Jury, refill hogshead, cask #TWJ-GL-1990, 159 bottles) 
I’d suppose this is identical distillery, solely crammed in a hogshead as an alternative of a barrel. Color: deep gold. Nostril: bingo, let’s flip off the sunshine and double lock the door, this session is over. Beautiful orange blossom water, earl gray, praline, macchiato, acacia honey, correct home made custard, and, dare I add, Bailey’s Irish Cream. I do know, I do know. Mouth: precisely. Late harvest riesling, extra earl gray, honeysuckle, zucchini flowers, sultanas and just a bit popcorn. Mirabelle eau-de-vie. End: fairly lengthy, recent, fruity, complicated, fairly on extra orange blossom and citrons. Feedback: splendid and even a notch superior to the barrel model. However let me subject a warning, it’s dangerously drinkable; they need to add that to the labels.
SGP:651 – 90 factors. |
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