CAOL ILA 15 years old Flora & Fauna 43%

Nose:
Dry and floral to begin with. After a while an apricot sweetness enters the stage accompanied by trademark oiliness. Peat certainly present but settles for the role of second (or even third) fiddler.



Palate:
As you might guess, very oily. A soft delicate fruitiness embedded in the malt. Counterbalanced by heavy, almost sooty peat. Seemingly uneasy bedfellows but it works wonders.





Finish:
Just waves of delicate peat that travels the roof of the mouth.


Comment:
Won this in an auction. Used to be a huge favourite of mine back in the 90´s. Marvellous juxtaposition of sweetness and aggression. I don´t remember it as being this fruity but memory is a fickle thing.

Rating: 8,5/10

BUSHMILLS Single cask 1989 Bourbon barrel 56,5%

Nose:

Refined oak, malt concentrate and liquid honey helt to take the Bushmills character to new heights.




Palate:
Vanilla, honey, sophisticated malt and just a hint of marzipan make for a potent breed, indeed. Short burts of oaky pepperines accompanies it along the way.





Finish:
Literally grabs you by the throat. At first, dry and expansive oak followed by a wave of honeyed malt.


Comment:
Liquid gold is the nearest way I can describe this whiskey. Ample prooof that Bushmills don´t need "artificial" casks to thrive.

Rating: 8/10

WOODFORD RESERVE Four grain 46,2%

Nose:
Very dry and floral. Violets. Old-fashioned candy store. Dr. Pepper? Very un-bourbonlike but not reminiscent of anything else, either.




Palate:
Enormously mouthfilling. Cherry sweetness. Strawberry marmalade. Chewy oak. A tad metallic (copper?).





Finish:
Complex spicy oak and honey sweetness.


Comment:
From the revamped Woodford Reserve distillery at Glenn´s Creek (formerly known as Labrot & Graham). A much needed individual voice for the American whiskey industry. Haven´t seen it as of late. Hope they haven´t stopped making it.

Rating: 8,5/10

BALLANTINE´S Finest 40%

Nose:
Smoky peat dancing on the edge of a volcano filled with soft grains. Actually at its best if you don´t warm the glass too long.




Palate:
Initial peat and malt dominace. Successive waves of grain get ever more louder albeit in a highly well-behaved manner with delicate vanilla and modest fruit.




Finish:
Puffs of delicate smoke rise up from a bed of light fruity grain and restless peat.


Comment:

Nah, I ain´t suggesting that this would be a worthy replacement for your Ardbegs and Laphroaigs but I still think a lot of people would be surprised if they gave it a try.

Rating: 7,5/10

GEORGE DICKEL No. 12 45%

Nose:
Trademark Dickel toastiness. Tobacco sweetness and a whisper of fruit. Complexity somewhat subdued by heavy vanilla.




Palate:
Toasted oak mixed with candied apples and cinnamon. Lots of vanilla.




Finish:
Hits you at the back of the throat. Heavy corn at first which gives way to toasty liquorice and smoky oak.


Comment:
Perhaps a bit more lazy than of yore, due to that heavy vanilla. This is, however, still a treat. Not to mention a unique tasting experience. Considering the trouble that has plagued this distillery, we should be thankful that it is still around.

Rating: 8/10

LONGROW 1994 10 years old 46%

Nose:
Mealy malt and sharp citrus. The latter gradually evolves into sweet lemon. Modest white peppers just around the corner.




Palate:
Other way round compared to the nose. Initally lemon sweetness which progresses (?) into an almost acerbic citrus (unripe oranges?). More of that mealy, almost powdery malt. There is peat somewhere but you´ll have to exhaust the taste buds in order to dig it up.



Finish:
Long, warm and ever expanding. Chewy with soft lemon and more confident peat.


Comment:
Flawless finish apart, this is yet another in a long row of minor disappointments. When this brand was re-introduced at the turn of the Millenium I simply adored it. Then someone thought: "Wouldn´t it be a marvellous idea to add some (Fino?) sherry casks to the mix?" Not really, guys. It rocks the balance completely and it seems to be getting worse for each new vintage. What with the peat becoming ever more elusive, I think this is a brand that should be the subject of a serious re-think.

Rating: 7,5/10

MITCHELL´S 12 years old 43%

Nose:
Modest sea saltiness. Sugar free toffee. Pleasantly oaky.





Palate:
At first, marvellous toffee cake with ice cream tries to remain on even terms with the saltiness. The latter eventually wins out, in the process almost metamorphing into salmiac.




Finish:
Salty liquorice in almost full command. Some prickly spices accompanies it along the way. Surprisingly long for a whisky of this stature.

Comment:
A blend from the folks at Springbank. Containing something like 60% malt, mostly from their own make. Apparently this has recently been discontinued, so you should waste no time in hunting down a bottle. Especially considering the fact that this beats most malts that I´ve tried.

Rating: 8,5/10

CAOL ILA 12 years old 43%

Nose:
Very oily as to be expected. Beneath the thickness of the oil, dwell sweet peat and shades of black pepper.




Palate:
Initially the oil dwarfs everything else. Gradually a complex interplay between malt and peat rises from the fog. All this eventually adds upp to an almost mushroom-like character. Odd.



Finish:
At last, peat that is neither too sweet nor too dry, gets the full rein. Long, complex and life-affirming.


Comment:
For my money this is the best of the current standard peat monsters. That extreme oiliness could deter some, however.

Rating: 8/10

KNAPPOGUE CASTLE 1995 40%

Nose:
Mealy and gristy malt with vanilla and apple sweetness. Freshly cut grass.




Palate:
A soft landing with vanilla and gentle lemon. Gradually overtaken by a "dark" coffee-like maltiness which, in turn, becomes almost black pepper-ish.





Finish:
Wave upon wave of pulsating heavy malt with coffee and dark spices. Brilliant!


Comment:
From the Bushmills distillery. Once again a whiskey which will be embraced warmly by those allergic to Sherry. The earliest vintages came from the Cooley distillery and although the Bushmills character is all over this one, I still think that they managed to retain the style it bore when the brand was introduced.

Rating: 8/10

PORT CHARLOTTE PC6 Aged 6 years 61,6%

Nose:
A nose you could rob a bank just to get a sniff at. Aggressive yet sweet peat mingles with fresh oranges. After a couple of minutes, the oranges disappear, leaving the marvellous peat in full control.




Palate:
Smooth and silky orange toffee merges comfortlessly with elegant smoke and uncompromising peat.




Finish:
More of that elegant smoke filling every single crevice at the back of the mouth. Peat so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Comment:
A highly peated whisky from the Bruichladdich distillery. Distilled in 2001. 18 000 bottles made. Not only a sign of the goodies we can expect in the future but also a testimony to the greatness of young-ish Islays. Easily among the top ten whiskies that I´ve tried. Get it before you have to cough up a fortune for it. Love the box!

Rating: 9,5/10