GLENDRONACH ALLARDICE 18 years old 46%

Nose:
Inviting buttery notes complement the expected Oloroso. Malt laced with black pepper fleshes out the nosing experience.




Palate:
Dangerously appetizing with the typical raisins befriended by blueberries, cranberries and even som acidulous rowanberry jelly. Supported by a fabulously enchanting smokiness slowly evolving into an outstanding oak-malt-chocolate fusion.




Finish:
Enlivening spices form a bed of nails, deliciously sprinkled with fruit-flavoured hard candy.

Comment:
Very nice indeed! If they are able to develop this into something other than a limited edition it could, considering its lower price, blossom into a true rival of The Macallan of the same age. Bottled July 09 Lot 2. Bottle number 7320/10 000.

Rating: 9/10

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