JAMESON GOLD Reserve 40%

Nose:
More bourbon-like than ever with pleasant nutmeg-ish oak shaking hands with the pot-still. A honey-fruit theme grows in stature as the glass becomes warmer.




Palate:
A sort of Yin & Yang experience with two contrasting forces on display. One being a robust alliance of oak and pot-still. The other a fusion of dried fruit, honey and toffee. They proceed to amalgamate in splendid fashion.





Nose:
Figs and stewed apples amidst some nicely balanced wood flavours. A faint echo of pot still at the end.

Comment:
An immaculate balance of flavours with some new oak aging giving it an extra edge. Better than the earlier, slightly spirity bottling. Perhaps not as engrossing as the true pot-stills (Redbreast, Green Spot) but certainly the most enjoyable Jameson that I know of.

Rating: 8,5/10

OLD FORESTER 80´s (?) bottling 43%

Nose:
Mesmerizing nose with cherries, violets, citrus and superb thrilling spices. Delightfully creamy and oak-chewy.




Palate:
Just the right amount of creamy vanilla holds together a marvellous mixture of red fruits, cheesecake and liquorice. All this complemented by a healthy dose of vibrant spices.





Finish:
Long and dry with a distinct corn-oak dominance. A little strawberry sweetness manage to break through just before the dying stages.

Comments:
Points docked for the slightly too oaky finish but all in all this is true beauty for being merely an "everyday"whiskey. Truth be told, I have never tried the current OF (impossible to get where I live) but I have to say that this old bottling holds up very well compared to other Brown-Forman products of today that I have sampled.

Rating: 8 1/4 /10

THE SPEY CAST 12 years old 40%

Nose:
Freshly baked bread with caraway seeds surrounded by creamy fruit salad and lavender. Earthy yet modest spices join in on the fun.




Palate:
Fat mouthfeel. Soft and chewy fruitiness dominates but the malt is more upfront than the nose would suggest. The latter eventually fuses with liquorice. A bit static in nature.




Finish:
Short-ish. The somewhat distant malt-liquorice plays the lead role amidst faint echoes of mineral spices and some soft grains.


Comment:

Brilliant nose and good tasting to boot. Some points docked due to a rather undynamic mid-palate and the decidedly anonymous finish. I have no idea which malts go into this blend but somehow it made me think of Glenrothes. Just a wild guess, though, and probably wrong.

Rating: 7 3/4 /10

MACALLAN Thirties 40%

Nose:
Seductive creamy texture with light touches of raisins and dying bonfires. Gradually a peat-salt hybrid stamps its mark on the proceedings.




Palate:
More upbeat now with typical Macallan de luxe pralines consisting of equal parts cream toffee and rich raisiny fruit. All this contrasted with a pronounced saltiness and some discreet peat.




Finish:
By now the fruit is almost out of the picture, leaving lots of space to salty liquorice, charcoal and light peat.


Comment:
Slightly more distinctive than the Fifties bottling this is, however, hardly a revelation. Top quality whisky as you might expect from this distillery but bearing in mind the price that it commands, perhaps best suited for the trainspotters of the whisky community.

Rating: 8 1/4 /10

BANFF 21 years old 57,1% Distilled 1982

Nose:
Fresh lemon cough drops embedded in a light creamy texture. Constantly harassed by prickly, aggressive white peppers.

Palate:
Lemon curd fit for a Royal Court. Syrupy texture. Gradually the citrus dies off, allowing an ozone-fresh malt to shine. Oaky spices constantly on the move.




Finish:
In the grip of a tyrefitters hand. Dry and smoky oak envelopes the whole sector of the mouth. A small lemon pocket of resistance hangs on at the roof. Slightly too dry, perhaps.


Comment:
Maybe, just maybe the oak acts in a tad too obtrusive manner but that is still a minor complaint about this whisky from a defunct distillery (demolished 1983). Get some before prices start to sky-rocket. Bottle No. 4320.


Rating: 8 1/4/ 10

GEORGE DICKEL Barrel Select 43%

Nose:
Trademark Dickel flavours with toasted oak and lush tobacco sweetness. Here lifted to another level thanks to some marvellously fresh oranges.



Palate:
Exceptionally good mouthfeel. Traces of toast and cocoa mix effortlessly with smooth rye of world class quality.





Finish:
Sharp oranges leap out from the dark closely followed by cocoa and spicy menthol-fresh oak. All flavours get entangled into each other in harmonious fashion.


Comment:
Clearly, a lot of care and thought has gone into this whisky. Perhaps not so conquering in nature as the classic No. 12, but for sheer sophistication and hedonism you can´t beat it. Similar in some ways to the 10yo Barrel Reserve that made the rounds during the 90´s but this is much better.

Rating: 8,5/10

BLADNOCH 10 years old Flora & Fauna 43%

Nose:
Wonderfully chewy and fresh apricots with some citrus added for good measure. Forceful and sophisticted malt provides for some much needed masculinity.




Palate:
Marmalade-like fruitiness rules the roost initially. The malt, at first a bit on the shy side, eventually comes into its own in wonderful confident fashion.



Finish:
Almost perfect malt-oak fusion produces hedonistic strands of coffee, chocolate, toffee and liquorice.

Comment:
Truly glorious! All the flavour components of this whisky is in utmost balance. Could be the perfect summer dram for those who prefer the smoothness to be accompanied by something more robust. Not sure how long this one will be available, now that this long-threatened distillery has managed to produce some bottlings of their own. Better not take any risks: get one today.

Rating: 8 3/4 /10