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

CANADIAN HERITAGE 21 years old 60%

Nose:
Toasted oak infiltrates a tasty morsel of orange peel and luxurious caramel sauce. Not that far removed from an extra aged grain whisky but there are noticeable bourbon traits, as well.



Palate:
Velvety texture. The caramel is clearly the leader of the pack here but is augmented by frighteningly attractive brown sugar. A thick syrupy fruitiness tries to gain a foothold but is only allowed a couple of short peek-ins.


Finish:
More toastiness to begin with. Then chewy oak and lip-smacking juicy orange-laced caramel sauce.

Comment:
This whisky has an interesting route. Distilled and bottled in Canada on behalf of a UK company, then imported to California and finally bought by me in Germany! As for its origins, I cannot tell for sure but there is a persistent rumour tracing it to one of Hiram Walker´s dismantled distilleries in British Columbia but I cannot know for sure. Mystery also surrounds its age. Distilled in 1976, bottled 2001, the neck label reads, which would make it 24 or 25 years in my book but the front label claims it to be 21 years old. Confusing but that shouldn´t stop you from enjoying it if you manage to track it down.

Rating: 8 1/4/10

CARSEBRIDGE 25 years old 56,4%

Nose:
Vanilla ice cream with peaches, held together by steadfast oak.





Palate:
Chewy oak supports a river of delicous summer berries. Hints of old-fashioned candy.





Finish:
Dry and spicy at first. Followed by tongue-based waves of soft, fruit-infused charcoal. Very long.


Comment:
A single grain whisky from the dismantled Carsebridge distillery. If you are willing to sacrifice complexity on the altar of hedonism, you´ll find plenty to savour here. Date distilled: 03.1979. Date bottled: 01.2005.

Rating: 8 1/4

SPRINGBANK Vintage 1997 55,2%

Nose:
Excellent fruit/malt interplay. Rich fruitcake and powerful potent malt. The longer you warm the glass in your hand, the more obtrusive the malt becomes.



Palate:
A fruit extravagaza served up with a tasteful creamy texture. Aggressive and buzzing malt together with some modest white peppers acts as a good counterbalance.




Finish:
Extremely powerful finish. From a bed of heavy malt, the fruit sends out estery stings on an almost eye-watering level. Stunning.


Comment:
Together with the recently released 18yo, this indicates a genuine return to form for this legendary distillery. All of which must come as a true relief to all those fans who lived through earlier bottlings that haven´t really managed to reach the heights most people crave from this whisky. Outstanding balance between fruit and malt. Top quality sherry casks, to boot. Batch No. 1

Rating: 8,5/10

VAN WINKLE Family reserve rye 1985 50%

Nose:
Big vanilla thrust eventually letting through some ultra-inviting spices. Cinnamon, black peppers and anise are some that I can pick out. Moderate doses of cherry and even blueberries augment the complexity.




Palate:
Creamy and mouthfilling. Cherry interweaved with hedonistic vanilla and just a little cocoa. Spices present but a bit more subdued compared to the nose. Certainly shows its age but the sappiness is on an entirely acceptable level.



Finish:
Estery fruitiness and spicy oak. Very long.


Comment:
Alas! The last drops of this no longer available bottling (made for the French market, I believe). Unlike most Van Winkle products, this is, I understand it, not from the sleeping Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville. No matter its origin, this is a true whiskey beauty. If you happen to see it on an auction or in a dusty corner, make sure you´ll get it. Or better still, tell me so I can grab it. :) In retrospect, I should have bunkered up on this one but I have to be grateful that I managed to own two bottles.

Rating: 8,5/10

ARDMORE Vintage 1994 12 years old 46%

Nose:
Modest yet confident peat backed up by a marked oiliness and an almost tobacco-like sweetness. A faint echo of apples.




Palate:
Quite oily as indicated by the nose. Superb peat of a gentle and sweet nature partly counterbalanced by murky and rather mushroom-like malt.




Finish:
Initially more of that sweet peat but eventually the malt gets a bigger say with delicious spices and smoke.

Comment:
Bottled by Speciality Drinks aka The Whisky Exchange. This is an unusually heavily peated Speysider. If you manage to steer clear of the notion of this as a surrogate for your Ardbegs and Laphroaigs (this is nowhere near as powerful), then you will reap a rich harvest here.

Rating: 8/10

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

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

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