Whisky Tasting : New Malts

 Regional, Whisky tasting, the cabal. These things all feel right together.

the July tasting was all about new malts. Or at least, new ones to Regional. 

I do wonder why I put the pictures up, even I'd admit they all look the same :)

Glen Ord Signatory 100 proof 11yo 57.1%

N: ash, lemon, spritzic, banana, bourbon, young, sweet, marshmallows, pears, vanilla, coconut

P: apple, sparkly, lemon, prickly sour, metallic,

F: not great, sour, long, hot

6.5/10 Not a fan, the sour notes were not engaging and the nose promised a lot more than the palate delivered.

Came 7th with 6.69

Blackadder Sherry Snake 57.3%

N: apricot, chocolate, currents, leather, creamy, lovely, sherry, fruity, demerra sugar

P: chocolate, complex, spicy, bitter, sherry, burnt caramel, dry

F: spicy, bitter, short, no complexity

7/10 slightly more interesting than the Glen Ord, but nothing to make me go 'wow', which I guess for Blackadder, is a wow moment.

6th with 7.59

Glenfarclas 105 16yr 60%

N: apple, fruity sultanas, run, apricot, copper, coffee, bananas, dry, chilli, engine oil

P: lmeon, spritzic, dry, fruity, incr alc, hot

F: med-long, hot, spicy

8/10 Like most people, I've got a soft spot for the 105, it's been a bit hit and miss recently, but this one is more hit.

4th with 7.94

GlenAllachie 2009 14yo 58.4%

N: sweet lemon, reduced stock, spicy olive oil, old xmas cake, butterscotch

P: lemon, oily, sweet, cardamon, peppermint, dry

F: med-long, dry

7.5/10 I like it, but I sort of thought it was a bit simple? maybe? dunno. A quaffable dram, but not one of hte top GlenAllachie's. 

5th with 7.74

Mystery: Whisky Cellar Blended Malt S.W. 8yo 'Sweet Smokey Robusto' 52.5%

N: sherry, smoke, peat, chocolate, tobacco, smoked salmon, sulphur, tannins

P: smokey, sherry, smk salmon, ash, chocolate, sweet, lovely balance

F: med long

9/10 This I liked, a lot. Also crazy cheap (for what it is) so a bottle is now in my cupboard. Came 1st with 8.41 so I wasn't the only one who liked it.

Caol ila Signatory 100 proof 9yo 57.1%

N: peat, sweet, rubber, sugar, smokey, solvent, sulphur, iodine, beef tea (yeah thanks Richard), smokey

P: rubber, dry, sweet, smoke

F: med ash

8/10 It's a Caol Ila, it's good. Only reason I didn't buy a bottle is I've got *a few* like this already. Came 3rd 8.2

Kilchoman Whisky Galore Exclusive Marsala Cask Finish #18/882 57.6%

N: fruit salad, bourbon, hint peat, solvent, wet dirt, potpurri, chlorine?

P: chocolate, smooth, complex

F: med-long, hot spicy

7/10 eh I liked it, but not loved it. Came 2nd with 8.38 so my views maybe wrong 

Whisky was drunk. We had views. And I bought a bottle. Everything seems to be going to plan.

Whisky Tasting: Thirty Years of Tastings at Regional

 The 30th anniversary tasting by Daniel at Regional. Discussions between our cabal suggests we've been going (in various guises) for 25-26 of those years. Either way, we've had a few drams. Some of them have been quite drinkable. 

Tonights line-up falls under the 'quick drinkable' category. 

We opened with a welcome dram, Auchentosh 1L Dark Oak 43% which was adequate and qualifies as a non-challenging quaffing whisky. 

Ardmore 30yo 47.2% 1987-2018

• Nose: pears, sweet and savoury, medicinal, leather, fruity, coconut, wood
• Palate: white pepper, green apples, sweet, fruity, bitter, lemon, oily
• Finish: long, hot, minerals

8.5/10 A lovely, actually great, whisky. Complex, interesting, challenging. Came 5th with 8.83.

Springbank 15yo 46%

• Nose: toffee, sulphur, perfume, sweet, parmesan, phosphorus, wet dog, rubber
• Palate: light, hint of salt, spicy, liquorice, sweet, wet wool, dry
• Finish: medium, dry

7/10. Look, I'm just not a fan of SB, the nose is amazing and after that things are a bit mild. Probably good it was early in the lineup as I doubt it would have fared well after some of the later drams. Came 6th= with 7.98

Lagavulin 16yo

• Nose: band aids, medicinal, suppurating wound, bleach, rubber, coastal, damp, 
• Palate: salty, bacon, smooth, ash, peat, dry
• Finish: ash, long

9/10 This was the mystery. It's a consistently great whisky and whenever its thrown into tasting line-ups it always does well. I love it. Which reminds me my bottle died recently. Must fix that. Came 6th= 7.98

Berry Bros Rudd Glen Grant 1995 2022 barrel #119467 49.1%

• Nose: lemon, cheese, spritzic, fruity, sweet, apples, fruit salad, bourbon, green apples, coconut/vanilla
• Palate: fruity, light, sugar lemons
• Finish: medium-long

9/10 I may not have made masses of notes, but again a great whisky. Balance and complexity. Beautiful. Came 4th with 8.93

Glendronach 26yo 16/7/1993-2019 PX 8634 54.4%

• Nose: very fruity, vanilla, bourbon - hint, sherry, berries, metallic
• Palate: milk chocolate, wood, tannins balanced.
• Finish: medium peppery

8.5/10 the odds of a Glendronach brown and gold doing well? yeah i know, surprising innit. Came 3rd 9.07

Ben Nevis 25yo Blackadder St.41 51.9% 5/12/1996-6/2022 Raw Sherry Butt 2203

• Nose: sherry, xmas cake, woody, apple, tobacco, maple syrup, great !!! charred
• Palate: apples, chocolate, xmas cake, treacle, caramel, rubber, sulphur, coffee
• Finish: salt, long, chewy, complex, dry

10/10. It's great. Everything I want in a whisky. Came first with 9.66. Suggesting others were equally smitten.

Inchgower 20yo Blackadder 57.6% 7/1995-9/2015 Raw Sherry Butt #692

• Nose: sherry, fruity, lighter (than the 'Nevis), floral, musty, banana, linen, ?mouldy?
• Palate: sherry but hint of salt, coconut, sweet, waxy, parma violets, 
• Finish: med-long, complex

Somewhere between a 9.5-10 /10. In any other tasting, probably a 10. Truly lovely dram, came 2nd 9.2

Fair to say one of the top tastings we've had. When the worst is a Springbank, you really can't complain. 

Slainte Daniel !

Whisky Tasting : Caol Ila (independents)

 A Caol Ila independent bottles tasting you say? All cask strength you say? On a Monday night? Actually I'd bought tickets before I got to 'independent' in that opening.

Sure I prefer a big sherry monster, but sometimes it's nice to go for a lovely coastal walk. 

Caol Ila Signatory 14yo 2009 57.1% Bourbon hogshead

Nose: sweet, not much peat, iodine, oak, vanilla, ?bourbon, apples, ?young

Palate: apple, lemon, salty bacon, sweet

Finish: salt, long, hot (smoke dies off)

8/10 I liked this (well it was Signatory). Nicely balanced, interesting, strong oak barrel influence. More than happy to have a bottle in the collection, if I needed another Caol Ila. 

It came last (7th) with 6.4. So obviously other people are stupid.

Caol Ila Murray McDavid 12yo 52.3% Stout Beer Finish

Nose: sweet, formaldehyde, light peat, rashuns, boubon, fruity

Palate: dry, iodine, salty, bacon

Finish: med-long, salt

7.5/10 for me. It was different, which is always appreciated. I don't know if it worked completely. For me, the aging of beer in whisky casks works better, but yeah, pleased I tried it. Overall 6th with 7.4

Caol Ila BBR 2010 b.2023 #318377 56.4% hogshead/oloroso finish

Nose: salt bacon, sweet, blue cheese, sherry, buttermilk, caramel, ash, rubber, methylated spirits

Palate: shortbread, stone fruit, blue cheese, ginger, 

Finish: medium, spicy (pimento)

6/10. Quite one dimensional and didn't work for me. Came 5th 7.69

Caol Ila Single Malts of Scotland 2011 61.2% Butt

Nose: chocolate, liquorice, salt, sweet, kinda slight

Palate: peat, smoke, sweet, salty, young? cologne

Finish: huge, salty

8-8.5 /10 This, this I liked. It's not subtle, but it is very very good. I don't think I've had anything from the Single Malts of Scotland before, but if this is indicative, they maybe worth checking out. Came 3rd with 8.11.

Caol Ila G&M 2006 1st fill 17yo Sherry puncheon

Nose: salt, rich fruit cake, sherry, yummy, metallic, iodine, sawdust

Palate: odd, salt, egg, spiced orange

Finish: bitter, hot, med-long

6/10. Not good, nose promised a lot more than actually delivered by the flavouring. And yet, it came 4th 7.7

Caol Ila Adelphi 10yo DramFest 2025 2014 54% Ex-sherry hogshead

Nose: iodine, peaty, vinegar, bring, caramel, paint stripper, sherry, charred

Palate: salt, peat, bacon, salt

Finish: dry, medium, salty

7/10 Had all the Caol Ila bits in a nicely balanced wee dram. Came 1st, 8.31 

Caol Ila Blackadder Raw Cask 58.1%

Nose: honey, caramel, sherry, brine, butterscotch, chardonnay, coffee

Palate: sweet, lemons, salt, complex, dry, sherry, meaty, 

Finish: med-long, hot, spicy

8.5-9/10 I really liked this. Wonderfully balanced Caol Ila which just got more interesting. It was the mystery whisky, and John (to his credit) had filtered the cask floaters out, mainly as he's a twat like that.

Came 2nd, 8.1

Great tasting, sure variety in the bottlings, but very much a tasting for the fans. Weird stuff, showing off how casks can affect flavour and why we all need independent bottlers to treasure this weirdness.

Whisky Tasting : Top Shelf

 Definitely was looking forward to this one, not a cheap tasting, but an excellent lineup meant our cabal was all in for it. 

Only 7 whiskies, but given the age and rarity, that was more than enough. It was held a couple of weeks after DramFest but eh, who turns this lineup down?

Pittyvaich 28yo Ltd Release 2018 52.1%

• N: lime, green apples, fruit salad, dry, hummus, mint, oak
• P: apples, incr alc., pear, sour, fruit salad
• F: long, massive

8/10. This was lovely, really really good. Came 4th with 8.12

Deanston 25yo Old Particular 1994 51.6% refill hogshead

• N: sweeter citrus, papaya, effervescent, pineapple, vanilla, icing sugar, oaky, ozone, 
• P: icing sugar, sweet smooth, fruity, floral, custard, grain?
• F: med-long

8.5/10 So I've become more of a Deanston fan over the years, and damn this was good. Came 5th with 8.09

James Eadie 15yo Fife blend 56.3% 15yo Fife farm distillery malt with marsala cask finish, 25yo Cameronbridge grain.

• N: spiky, incr alc, golden syrup, sweet, brandy, sherry, coconut
• P: chocolate, odd, oaky, tannic, 
• F: long, hot, sour

7/10 Nice, interesting, fun, and I'd drink more of it. Came 7th with 7.98

Tomintoul 50% Five Decades (casks from 1965, 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005)

• N: cream, cut grass, pine needles, dry, xmas cake ?sulphur, peaches, green apples, star anise
• P: sulphur, decr alc, creamy, sherry, balanced, pears
• F: long, complex

9/10 This was awesome. I want more of it. I can't afford it. Came 3rd with 8.47

Caperdonich 21yo Peated 46% (Glen Grant #2, not gone)

• N: peat, bandages, sweet, smoke, sweet sherry, complex, wounds!
• P: iodine, not much happening
• F: short, empty

6/10 the worst of the line up. Came 6th with 8.00

Craigallechie 11yo Signatory 2012 68.2%

• N: molasses, caramel, smoke, creamy
• P: sherry, wood, spiced, sulphur, huge, 
• F: long, hot, coffee

10/10. Yeah that good. Awesome whisky. 1st, 9.12.

Bruichladdich Octomore 13.2 58.3% 137.3PPM Fernando de Castilla Oloroso Sherry

• N: peat, sulphur, tobacco, salt, iodine, sulphur
• P: sulphur, oily, sherry, peat, oil, iodine
• F: long oil. 

7/10. So this maybe the best Octomore I've had - I'm not a fan - but I liked the sherry base of this and the balance was good. Came 2nd 8.57

Great tasting, definitely prefer these interesting and rare whisky tastings, Might be expensive but how often do we get to drink these?

Whisky Tasting : Are you single?

 Bit late writing up this one, held on the 13th of Feb as a one off tasting. Mix of blends and single malts, hence the title, and a nod to the 14th Feb.

Part focus on the indie bottler Samaroli which we hadn't tried before.

Daftmill 2010 Winter Batch Release 46%

• N: parmesan, marzipan, honeysuckle, marshmallow, oaky, creaming soda
• P: lemon, light, metallic, salty
• F: short, salty, 

6.5/10 Not a fan, lot of bourbon and oak notes, but nothing of note. Came 7th with 6.57

Samaroli Apprentice 2023 Blended Malt 43% 3x refill USA hogs Fortrie 2017 (teaspoon of MacDuff)

• N: lemon, sweet, perfume, coastal slightly, light
• P: martini, watery, banana
• F: nothing. just stopped.

5/10 This was abysmal, very overpriced and delivered nothing. Came last 8th with 6.1

BBR Blended Malt 44.2% Sherry cask

• N: sweaty, salted caramel, tobacco, sulphur, sherry, tiramisu
• P: coffee, caramel, smoke, stonefruit
• F: med, sour

6/10. Not very good, which is rare for a BBR. Nose promised a lot more than the palate delivered. However it came 3rd with 7.63.

Samaroli Architectus 2023 Blended Whisky 45% North British 2012 grain sherry butt Tomintoul 2017 Refill USA hogs

• N: Sulphur, match heads, bergemot, tea
• P: light, watery, hint of smoke, lemons,
• F: short

7/10. This was a bit more interesting, not worth the price, and not the best NB i've had either. Came 5th with 7.37

Samaroli Speyside 2023 Blended Malt 45% 3x refill USA 2013/2015 The Speyside 2013 + Linkwood 2012

• N: hot, bacon, perfume, apple/pear, sweet, sherbet, honey
• P: sweet, hint salt, delicate
• F: medium, salt

6/10. Again nothing great, nice nose, but not much to it. May have lost a bit with the others around it. Came 6th with 6.89

Glentauchers Cadenhead 14yo 46%

• N: pickles, raisins, not pleasant, sulphur?, musty apples
• P: hint salt, dry
• F: med-long

6/10 Looked good in the glass, but nothing to it. Came 2nd with 7.84 

Samaroli Islay 45% Caol Ila 2013 3x refill bourbon hogs

• N: peat, medicinal oily, big, suppurating wound, hint of wine, balanced
• P: salt, bacon, medicinal, oily, dry, tannin
• F: long, hot

7/10 the best of the Samaroli's for me, reasonable if not great, example of a Caol Ila. Came 4th with 7.53

G&M Caol Ila 13yo 45% Sassiciaia cask finish

• N: salt, bacon, lighter, balanced
• P: smoked, red wine, compelx, subtle
• F: med

7.5/10 best of the evening for me, but still not a great Caol Ila. Came first, which isn't saying much in this line up 8.5

It was interesting having the Samaroli bottlings for the first time, they're expensive and this tasting suggests, not worth the money. Oh well, cheaper to learn this way :)

Casual Dram #15

 First tasting of the year, another Casual Dram - lots of people at this one. Sort of theme of varieties of peat, from islands to mainland, with the recognition a lot of peat comes from the same sources :)

Adelphi Ardmore 2016 7y #1051 61.1%

• N: light, coastal, floral (ish), citrus, pears
• P: high alc, pears, prickly, salt. 
• F: long, hot

7.5/10 it improved with a touch of water, but I wasn't getting a lot of subtlety in there. 

Benromach cask strength #3 2014 Vintage 60.6% - bourbon and sherry

• N: tobacco, smooth, sherry, peat
• P: warm, sherry, peat in finish, woody
• F: med, interesting

7/10 a nice quaffing dram? good stuff without being amazing.

Kilkerran 8yo cask strength sherry cask 57.4% oloroso

• N: cucumber, sherry, yeasty, gherkin
• P: aniseed, hot, peaty/salt
• F: long

6/10 yeah didn't really rock my world this one, it did split the group as a number found it their favourite.

Springbank local barley 10yo 55.5% oloroso

• N: medicinal, complex, old?, apple
• P: smooth, light, complex, nothing really distinctive?
• F: medium

7/10 continuing the slightly over rated nature of the local barley releases.

Mystery: Infrequent Flyers Bunnahabain, 

• N: vanilla, sherry, oyster sauce
• P: complex, salty, bacon, coastal
• F: long, interesting

8.5/10 the stand out for me. interesting and complex, would be happy to have this in my collection

Casual Dram #14

 Another gathering at Mean Doses for a chilled out Sunday afternoon whisky session. 

Because we all believe in roughing it, we had to put up with an all Signatory tasting. 

 

Benrinnes Signatory cask strength collection 11yo 2012 58.8%

• N - green apples, custard, hay/grass, lemonade, spritzic
• P - custard, apple, creme egg, perfume, 
• F - hot, long

8.5/10 I liked this, tasty, interesting, possibly a bit much bourbon, but still very drinkable

Ardlair Signatory (unpeated) 60.9% 12yo

• N light, butterscotch, sulphur, funky, mozzerella, vanilla
• P tannins, oaky, bitter, funky dry
• F medium

8/10 an interesting dram,  an unpeated Ardmore, i'd drink it again and the funky notes were cool.

Blair Athol 'Signatory' 12yo 2008 54.4%

• N - sherry, xmas, leather, old, photocopy ink
• P - sherry, butter, pepper, not complex
• F - hot ppper, long, 

7/10 the nose promised a lot, but the flavour didn't really deliver much. Ah well, it's not bad...

Deanston (Signatory) 13yo 2008 66.8%

• N- light, grass, bourbon, apples
• P - hot empty, simple
• F - very hot and long

6/10 or 7/10 with water. it's very strong, but not very interesting.

Caol Ila (Signatory) 11yo 2022 57%

• N - salt, bacon, complex, dry
• P - medicinal, salt, bacon, complex, very similar to a Lagavulin 16yo but bigger
• F - long, complex, 

9.5/10 Dram of the afternoon, complexity and sweetness. Great stuff.

 

 

Whisky Tasting : Best of the Best

 And so it comes around again, our yearly what did we like drinking, and let's have more of those session. Obviously it's spiced up a bit with haggis and dinner, dragged back down again by a piper, and confused by the increasingly poorly enunciating ode to the haggis. 

Talisker 11yo special release 2022 55.1%

• N: bacon, dry, salt, sweet, peat, pears, bourbon, lemon, melons
• P: mint, chewing gum, big peaty, smokey, salty, spicy, coastal
• F: med-long, pepper, salt

8/10 for me, it came last with 8.32, which seemed a little unfair. but there we go.

Kavalan Solist NC2 PX 57.1% 

• N: caramel, sherry, Armagnac,  pickled onions, very sweet
• P: big sherry, sweet, xmas cake, chewy, sour cherry, tannic, liquorice
• F: long, big

9/10. well that was a bit good. Came 5th, 8.68

Hazelburn 15yo Sherrywood 55.8% 

 

• N: caramel, sherry, dry, salted caramel, pencil shavings, rubber, butterscotch
  
• P: sulphur, complex, sherry, chewy, syrupy, astringent
  
• F: med

7/10 as a long time fan of hazleburn this wasn't as good as I was hoping. Oh well, it came 6th (8.67)

Glenallachie 14yo Whisky Galore 57.8% 21st anniversary

• N: green apples, musty, sweet, rubber, citrus, brown sugar
  
• P:sherry, big, brown sugar, strong, dry
  
• F: long,huge

9.5/10 when i originally had this I don't think I rated it, but umm, I might have been wrong... came 3rd 8.87

Mystery: Glendronach Batch 11

• N: egg caramel, sherry, silage, bourbon, less sherry on nose, sulphur
  
• P: sulphur, eggs
  
• F: warm, long

10/10. Yes, I liked this, a lot. Came 4th 8.79, but for me had all the complexity, all the sherry, all good. 

Glentauchers 10yo 64.3% Blackadder raw cask 2012

• N: caramel egg cremes, creamy, sherry, rubber, sweet, bakewell tart,
  
• P: citrus lemon, big bourbon, caramel, sweet, liquorice
  
• F: long, big

9.5/10 again, this ticked a fair number of boxes for me. And apparently for everyone else, came 1st, 9.16

Caol Ila 11yo Blackadder 58.1% 23.8.2012-10.2023 sherry finish

• N: sweet, salt, bacon, coastal, medicinal iodine
  
• P: salty bacon, smoky, well balanced between dry and sweet
  
• F:v long, rubber, salt, liquorice

9/10. I may already have a bottle of this. Came 2nd, 9.14

 As you'd expect from a Best of the Best, fair number of high scoring drams there. And any tasting where we have two Blackadder's can't be bad. 

Slainte!

 

 

 

 

Casual Dram 12

 More John ! More Mean Doses ! More Whisky ! two thirds of the Cabal !

Glen Scotia 11yo Festival Release 2023 54.7%

• N: sherry, oak, woody, sweet perfume
• P: peated, sherry, spicy, sweet, 
• F: long, hot

8/10 I liked this, which is encouraging as I've got a bottle (unopened) at home. I think I won it, but on the strength of this tasting it's likely to be opened soon. Huzzah !

Roseisle 12yo Special Release 2023 56.5%

• N:floral, bourbon, fruity, heather / honey
  
• P: bourbon, fruity, heather / honey, quite delicate
  
• F: medium-long

8/10 also rather tasty, quite different to the Glen Scotia, but very drinkable

Glenglassaugh 9yo 2012 Cask 522 58.9%

• N: water, light, butterscotch
  
• P: salt, peaty, sweet, bacon, butterscotch, creamy
  
• F: long / sherry

9/10. I had some of the very early Glenglassaugh's just after Billy Walker had taken them over, and they tasted incredible. As did the old stock they had (30? 35yo). However the Evolution and the Torfu were ok, but not great. This is a different kettle of wort. Great stuff.

SMWS GlenTurrent (Distillery 16) which had been aged in Laphroaig casks

• N: light, sherry, salty
  
• P: peat, bacon, sweet, salt
  
• F: medium-sweet. 

8/10 I did make a note that not a lot was happening in the finish, but it's a nice whisky. Possibly lost a bit compared to the others in the line-up.

SMWS 29.282 (Laphroaig) 9yo Massive Aniseed Heat and Searing Peat 62.3%

• N: medicinal, peat, bacon, salt
  
• P: supporating wound! not subtle.
  
• F: long-hot

9/10. If I'm after a big smokey peat monster, I want a big smokey peat monster. This is one. It's not doing subtle in any form. Great stuff.

Definitely recommend John's tastings, relaxed and interesting line-ups. More info here: https://www.drinkscreative.com/

 

 

 

 

Whisky Tasting : Old Malt Cask

Another indie bottler tasting, and traditionally a great one. Just two of our lot this time, but an excellent way to spend Friday night.

OMC Glen Moray 16yo 50% refill barrel hl 18663 05.2005-05.2021.

• N: lemon, dry, spritzic, vanilla, white wine, tannins, copy paper
• P: tannin, sour lollies, dark chocolate, spicy, lemon
• F: sticky, sour apples, medium, spicy

9/10 for me, I liked it a lot. I do like indie bottlings of Glen Moray. But I was in the minority with it coming 7th, 7.34. No matter, I have a bottle of it now.

 OMC Aultmore 11yo 5% refill butt HL 18988 07.2010-02.2022

• N: apples, very sweet, lemon, oily, prickly, minerals, peaches
  
• P: very sweet, herbal, salami, bland
  
• F: short, peppery

6/10, not a fan of this one disappointing on the palate/finish. Came 5th, 7.79

OMC Dailuaine 24yo 50% refill hogshead HL18760 10.1996-06.2021

• N: bourbon, apples, dry, perfume/musk, soapy
  
• P: apple, pears, dry, refreshing
  
• F:medium, chewy, dry, incr heat

8.5/10 Tasty, well balanced, interesting, and showing its age nicely. Came 3rd= 7.88

OMC Auchroisk 20yo 50% refill hogshead HL18755 06.2000-06.2021

• N: sweet, light, perfume, caramel, integrated, new tires, marzipan
  
• P:sweet, coconut, peardrops, fizzy, candyfloss
  
• F:medium, peppery

8/10 another good dram, light and interesting. But not loved by the group, 6th 7.59

OMC Pulteney 19yo 50% bourbon barrel HL18987 09.2002-02.2022

• N: light, parmesan, hint of salt?
  
• P:peat, sweet, soap, mushrooms
  
• F: short

6/10 yeah not a fan, not much happening although it did come 2nd 8.19

OMC Speyburn 50% Sherry butt HL18986 03.2007-02.2022

• N: sulphur, caramel, hint sherry, egg lollies, strong, wisteria
  
• P:warm, complex, tobacco, sugary
  
• F: med-short, chilli

8/10 tasty ! and for once, we all agreed, came 1st 8.4

OMC Jura 50% 13yo sherry butt HL18994

• N: apple, spun candy, cedarwood, banoffee, tannins
  
• P:fruity, woody, not much flavour
  
• F:short

7/10 for some reason I bumped it up from a 6, but not great. It came 3= with 7.88

 All very light coloured drams, and an interesting lineup. One thing I liked was the delicate approach to flavour, and keeping everything at 50% allowed for better comparisons. It did seem this time I was very not aligned with the group, huzzah !

 

 

 

 

 

Whisky Tasting : Mysteries of Malt

 A completely blind tasting at Regional, I like these. We get given nothing, a few random, generally misleading, questions and the booze. That's it. I've filled in the whisky names for the notes, because I'm not that mean...

Glenrothes 48/8% Whisky Makers Cut, no colour 1st fill sherry

• N: sweet, muscavado, caramel, chocolate, sherry, petrol, vanilla, violets
• P: bourbon, dry, mcintosh egg lollies, salt, chocolate, honey
• F: long and hot, slight peppery?

7.5/10 Tasty dram this one, nothing stunning, but certainly very drinkable. It came 4th= with 8.02 overall.

Jura 21 44% 105a colour added

• N: weak, light, water, hint sherry?, vinegar
• P: light, sweet, spearmint
• F: short

5/10. This was a real disappointment, nothing much happening anywhere.  It came last with 7.17

Meikletoir 5yo Glenallachie peated 48% PX & oloroso

• N: medicinal, bacon, oily, iodine, sweet
• P: smooth, peppery, iodine, complex, salt, sweet
• F: long and very tasty

8.5/10 Yep this was excellent, I know, another good Glenallachie? Whoda thunk it. Came 3rd, 8.17. There maybe a bottle heading my way...

Kilchoman PX matured 2023 50%

• N: light, mushrooms, earthy, ashes, musty
• P: gherkins, ash, dry, sour
• F: med-long, peppery, sour

7/10 Looking at my scoring, I couldn't quite decide on it, ranged from 6-7 with a lot of crossing out. Somethings not quite right with this one. Came 6th with 7.38

Amrut Spectrum 50% Oct 2021

• N: muscavado, caramel, chocolate, awesome, sulphur, raisins
• P: chocolate, cake, leather aged, sticky, parmesan cheese
• F: medium and complex

9/10 a sherry monster that delivers. It's not cheap, but it is very good, those Spectrum finishes all seem to be excellent. Came first with 8.61

Ardnamurchan Rum finish NC2 55%

• N: salt, coastal, marshmallows, subtle, light, sweet lollies, citrus
• P: citrus, spritzic, parma violets
• F: short-med and salt

7/10 Interesting without being outstanding. Possibly a bit sweet for me, which maybe the Rum finish coming through. Came 4th = 8.02

Glen Scotia 54.1% 12yo unpeated NC2 Palo Cortado Finish

• N: wood, creamy, brown sugar, hazelnuts, sherry notes
• P: sweet, brown sugar, complex, incr alco
• F: med-long and peppery

8.5/10 I liked this, interesting whisky that seemed pretty well integrated. It came 2nd, 8.5. 

Thanks to John we also learnt what a Palo Cortado sherry is, briefly it's a sherry being aged under flor to become a fino or amontillado, but for reasons it loses the flor and ages as an oloroso.

Fun tasting, our group made a few guesses as to who made the whiskies, that didn't go well. But I went ok on the answers to Daniel's misleading questions :)

Slainte!

Casual Dram 11

 More John based booze. Tasted blind, but impressed by myself for picking all 5. I probably shouldn't be too proud, they were quite diverse tastes...

Springbank 12yo Cask Strength 2023 54.1%

• N: grass, caramel, leather, citrus (hint), garden shed
• P: Caramel, McIntosh egg toffee lolly, dry, tobacco, citrus, pomegranate?
• F: long, hot, cloying

8/10 Hey, I like Springbank (generally) and I'd be happy with one of these in the cupboard...

Mystery Dram

• N: sherry, leather, burnt rubber, demarara sugar
• P: dry, sweet, bitter finish, pandang spice, 
• F: med, possibly a bit too young? 

7/10 nothing really interesting in this, could have benefited from a year or two?

Glenallachie 'Whisky Galore's 21st Anniversary' 2009/14yo 57.9%

• N: sweet, mild, caramel, burnt sugar, caramel milkshake
• P: caramel, light
• F: med, spicy

6/10 disappointing (sadly) I was really looking forward to this one as I hadn't yet picked up a bottle, but not sure I will now. Damnit. 

SMWS 4.312 'old-school with a twist' 13yo 61.2%

• N: bourbon, seaside, salt, bacon
• P: more coastal, different to nose, light balsamic vinegar, salt 'n' vinegar crisps, 
• F: med salty

8.5/10 Yup liked this one, another interesting bottling from distillery #4.

Ledaig LMDW 2007/10yo peaty artist #9 60/8%

• N: burnt rubber, salt, bacon, aniseed, tamarind, mushrooms, medicinal, iodine
• P: vanilla, very salty, islay iodine, sweet
• F: long and hot

9/10 As someone who wasn't abig fan of Ledaig's a few years ago, I'll admit I might have been hasty :) this was great. Well if you like your Islay's big and salty. 

Interested in John's tastings? have a look here. https://www.drinkscreative.com/

Whisky Tasting: James Eadie

 This months Regional Wines tasting was the indie bottler James Eadie which we haven't seen much (?any?) of in New Zealand. There's some history on their website, essentially mid 1800s, James Eadie was a distiller with a good rep, fast forward 100+ years, relative kicks off a indie bottling based on his ancestors ethos. 

James Eadie Benrinnes 9yo First fill malaga hogshead finish 55%

• N: sweet, sherry, complex, zest, young, lemonade
• P: chocolate, rough, sweet, pineapple, lime, burnt orange
• F: long, hot

7/10 Nose promised much which was disappointing in the flavour, it came 6th with 7.34. Not a typical Benrinnes.

James Eadie Caol Ila 10yo 55.3% First fill amontillado hogshead finish

• N: dry, rubbery, rashuns, bacon, tasty, cigars
• P: rubber, ash, peat but subtle, fruity, salty
• F: med hot butter

8/10 I liked it, although it came 4th (7.44), for me it was the dram of the night. The fruity body to the normal Caol Ila flavour worked really well.

James Eadie Glen Elgin 12yo 56.6% Refill oloroso hogshead finish

• N: caramel, sweet, nutty, butterscotch, demarara sugar, old wet wool, sultanas
• P: sherbert, woody, oaky, sherry, tannin, sweet
• F: short. not much happening.

6/10. Had an amazing nose, but for me was lacking after that. It came first (8.19) but our table were not fans of it (two fails from a table of 6). 

James Eadie Port Dundas 23yo 54.7% Refill PX Sherry hogshead finish

• N: complex, sweet, heavy sherry, rum, demarara/molasses, dark chocolate, hazelnuts, plums
• P: warm, engine oil, disappointing
• F: short

6/10 and I think I was being generous there, great nose but overall really disappointing. It came 5th (7.42). 

James Eadie Teaninich 13yo Refill marsala hogshead finish

• N: light, wet dog, vomit, lemon, elderflower, sherbet, acetone
• P: damp washing, spicy paprika, pencil box
• F: bitter, long

7/10 and again, interesting nose, although a bit more happening in the flavour. Came last with 7.3

James Eadie Glen Ord 12yo refill hogshead 59.1%

• N: light sugar, very sweet, ash, liquid sugar, custard, tea
• P: dull, light peppery, salty, aniseed
• F: short

6.5/10, again a bit more happening, but not enough to drag it up for me. Came 2nd with 7.51

James Eadie Royal Brackla (mystery whisky) 58.9%

• N: marshmallow, weetbix, vomit, light, key lime pie, floral
• P: rubber, light ash, burnt sugar, wood
• F: pepper, medium

6/10 again good nose let down by the flavour. It came 3rd (7.5).

Overall, a disappointing tasting, at least in our group we were keen to try a new (to us) indie bottler, as the group is a fan of them. We had quite a long discussion about what didn't work for us on the table. There's a suggestion that the finishes were good, they certainly did some pretty magical things with the nose, but maybe the underlying whisky was a bit young? That's got to be a tough call for a indie when you've got 10 years or so before seeing any profits (unless they're buying casks already a few years old, then finishing them?). Looking at the bottles, most of the finishes were at least 18months which, depending on the size of the barrel, should be enough for flavour? 

Ah well. 

B

Casual Dram 10

Our favourite John, from Regional, runs an occasional Whisky tasting and this was #10 in his continuing series of a John who'd gone to the booze...

Ardbeg BizarreBQ Double charred casks PX Sherry Casks & BBQ Casks 50.9%

N: salt, bacon, oily, mint, menthol, bbq meat, dry

P: salty, sherry, lovely, iodine, woody

F: long, dry

9/10 this was really good, i know a shocker that Ardbeg bottled their own well !

James Eadie Port Dundas 23yo refill PX Sherry Hogshead Finish 54.7%

N: wood, age, vinyl, PVA glue, brown sugar, too sweet

P: sweet, sickly, very dry

F: medium and dry

6/10 didn't like this, which was frustrating as the potential was great

Glentauchers 'North Star' 2008 / 14yo Oloroso Sherry Butt

N: apple/pear, complex, leather

P: sticky date, 

F: long, very hot

9/10 This was lovely, I want more of it. 

SMWS 30.122 'A Bootful of Brazil Nuts' 9yo, Oloroso Butt/European Oak Refill Puncheon HTMC 67.6%

N: sulphur, complex, charcoal, wood, grilled seafood

P: sulphur, massive, sour nectarines

F: long, massive, lovely

10/10 Why yes, I did rather like this. Amazing. 

Whisky: Blackadder tasting

 I think this is the first of the Regional Wines tastings we've done this year, the first one didn't have a lot of unique things so we skipped it - with the intention of having our own tasting, which we, as usual, failed spectacularly to organise. 

Blackadder are an independent bottler with their USP being they keep some of the soot/wood/crap from the barrel in when they bottle. So each bottle has some floating bits, for that added authenticity. This we learnt makes it very difficult to pour for samples. 

Blair Athol Blackadder 13yo Raw Cask 2009 Hogshead 3049 51.7%

N: sherry, sweet, glaze, acetone, sulphur, tea, apples

P: spicy, liquorice, woody, orange, savoury

F: warm, spicy, long

8/10 Came 3rd with 8.33

I liked this a lot. Interesting whisky.

Inchgower Blackadder 12yo Raw Cask 2009 58%

N: dry, powdery, sherbets, bourbon, phenol, thyme

P: floral, lemonade, peat(ish), mineral, chardonnay, vanilla

F: med-long

8/10 6th with 7.33

Interesting and unusual in its flavours.

Macduff Blackadder 14yo Raw Cask 2007 59.7%

N: sweet, parma violets, hot, phenol

P: dry, vigorous, coconut

F: very dry, med-long, buttery

8/10 7th with 7.04

Starting with three 8s seemed a good indication of the quality of this tasting. 

Linkwood Blackadder 12yo Raw Cask 172 2010 59.2%

N: sweet, sherry, lovely, woody, blue cheese

P: incr alco, big, 

F: prickly, solvents, short

6/10 4th with 8.14 (people are silly)

Promised much on the nose and failed to deliver. Possibly too much alcohol and may have needed mor time in the barrel?

Glen Spey Blackadder 11yo Raw Cask 2010 61.3%

N: light, phenol, sweet, bourbon, fruit, lemon, balsa wood

P: fruit salad, medicinal, lemon

F: medium, bitter, lemon

8.5/10 This came 5th with 7.34

Obviously I liked this far more than others int he tasting, it seemed very balanced to me.

Mystery: Glendronach NS Cask Batch 11 59.6%

N: brown sugar, molasses, sweet, sherry, old leather, varnish, complex, aged?

P: dry, sherry, tannins, cigars

F: long, dry, massive

9/10 Came 1st with 8.98

This was great, as you'd expect from Glendronach, and it's a little embarrasing that the mystery won the tasting, but it didn't for me, so I'm obviously a better person. But seriously, this is great.

Glentauchers Blackadder 10yo 2012 Raw Cask Butt 900472 64.3%

N: sherry, sweet, rich, incr alc, papaya, spiky, fruit

P: amazing, long hot, sherry, spicy

F: long hot dry

9.5-10/10 Came 2nd with 8.86

I ended up pushing for a 10 on this one, and may have a bottle sitting at home now. It's stunning. 

Whisky: Best of the Best

 Another year of tasting, another Best of the Best. Range was definitely better this year than last, but I'm not sure things are back to pre-Covid variety. Having said that, I doubt anyone would complain with this line-up.

Benriach 10yo Hart Brothers 1st Sherry Butt 57.5% 

N: apple, sweet, toffee, redwine, cinnamon, vanilla, hazlenut

P: complex, sweet, chocolate, cinnamon, spicy, sticky

F: long, hot, sulphur on finish, spicy

9/10 hey its a BenRiach, the odds are high it'll be good. Came 4th, 8.76

Aberfeldy 18yo #3080 Exceptional Double Cask sherry finish 52%

N: dry, chocolate, sherry, dusty, apple, aged, tobacco

P: spice, light, dark chocolate, fudge, sour, sticky

F: med-long, salt, sulphur

8/10 Interesting and tasty, nicely aged sherry finish. Came 7th on the night 8.37

Glenallachie 15yo 46% NC2

N: sweet, sherry, coke, varnish, cedar, marzipan, vanilla, parmesan

P: light, honeycomb

F: med

8/10 good but possibly the worst (?!) of the evening. Came 8th, 8.12 

Ben Nevis 25yo Blackadder 1996-2022 Statement 41 Raw Cask 51.9% Oloroso Butt #2203

N: sweet, prunes, chocolate, banda reel

P: grass, phenol, peat, amazing

F: long

9 maybe 10/10 I loved this, hugely complex and interesting. Stunning. Came 1st, 9.34

Glenfarclas 105 60% (circa 2006)

N: disappointing, lemonade

P: salty, honey, cloying

F: med

8/10 so it's not bad, but i felt it was lacking something compared to the others in the line-up. It did better (for me) in the tasting. Came 3rd 8.91

Finlaggan Original Peaty 58% single malt cask strength

N: medicinal, supporting wound, bacon, salt

P: quiet, smoke, salty, chewy, 

F: long, dry

8.5/10 this was good, only salty finish of the evening. 6th 8.43

Cardrona 62.7% full flight 2016-2023 Gonzales Byass 7yo Oloroso PX butt #114

N: sulphur, matches, biscuit, cigar, bleach

P: tasty, caramel, wood, ginger, chocolate

F: long and tasty

9.5/10 this was excellent, it's not cheap, but very good. 5th 8.63

Mystery: Tamdhu Batch 5

N: popcorn, caramel, cut wood, vanilla, fruity

P: spicy, salt, dry, toffee, caramel, ginger, vanilla, 

F: long hot spicy

9/10. Really nice, and quite reasonably prices. Came 2nd, 8.94

Best of the Best also has haggis, and all the usual stuff addressing the haggis. This year our band of intrepid booze hounds were asked to do the carrying... and we got to drink some very nice booze out back. All win.

Slainte!

GlenDronach & Benriach with Rachel Barrie

 A tasting with the master blender for GlenDronach and BenRiach? well ok, that works for me.

BenRiach The Original 10yo 43% (served with smoked ham rillette, peach & apricot relish, toasted ciabatta)

N: apple, citrus, fruit salad, spritzic

P: fruity, light, pears, marshmallows, spicy

F: short-med, spikey, hint of pepper/salt?

6.5/10 nice dram, just not really too interesting? 

The GlenDronach 12yo 43% (maple glazed duck breast, carrot and ginger puree, poached cherries). 

N: sherry, leather, complex, warm, honey

P: lollies, sweet, perfume, sherry, spikey

F: med-long, dry

6/10. a marriage of PX and oloroso casks for this one, nice quaffable dram.

The GlenDronach "revival" 15yo 46% (seared venison, minted sweet potato, cranberry and cherry relish)

N: chocolate (maybe white), caramel, marshmallow, orange, tobaco, fruit, scallops

P: spikey, hot, poor balance, chocolate, strong, fruity

F: hot, long, dry

6/10 increased PX and reduced oloroso.

BenRiach 25yo 46% (confit pork belly, waldorf salad, quince mayo).

N: sweet, caramel, sherry, show polish, menthol, smoke

P: long, big complex, leather, sherry

F: big long prickly

8/10 this one had additional madeira casks in it, it's lovely. big, complex, showed its age well.

GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 11 59.8% (Crispy fried katsu chicken, Japanese bulldog sauce)

N: rubber, complex, honey, menthol

P: sweet, port, ?too sweet?, leathery

F: hot, complex

8/10 also liked this, had increased oloroso and reduced PX and is roughly a 10yo

BenRiach smoke season Double Cask matured 52.8% (teriyaki chicken skewers, toasted sesame kewpie mayo)

N: smoke, bacon, peat, medicinal, sherry, suppurating wounds 

P: ash, dry, peat, sweet

F: long, dry

7/10 I had high hopes for this as the old benriach solstice is one of my favourite whiskies, this was good. without being great.

Overall, disappointing. Both labels have some amazing whiskies, but most of these were standard releases, with the exception of the the 25 and cask strength. That seemed a missed opportunity, if you've got the blender out, and Rachel Barrie is famous, to trot out something interesting for her fan group. She's a good speaker, but we left after 2.5hours which seemed a little too long, lots of stories but it was hard to hear the questions which made understanding the answers a bit tricky. Special vote of fuck you to the company reps (?) who spent most of their time making pointless remarks to themselves, making it even harder to hear. 

I guess this is one reason we like the Regional tastings, better selection of whisky and fewer twats.

Tamdhu Tasting : Regional

 I'm writing this up after a few beers and whiskies, which I'm hoping will make my notes during the tasting more legible. In the words of my favourite hero "what could possibly go wrong?"

So this was a Regional Wines tasting focussing on Tamdhu, a distillery I've come to like more over the years, which can probably be traced back to Neil...

Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 76

• N: nutmeg, marmalade, wood, balsa, PVA, perfume, syrup, sherry
• P: caramel, spicy, smooth, juicy, vanilla
• F: long, dry, raisins

I was a fan of the A'Bunadh thanks to Regional, we had a couple of early releases (6, 9?) and I've had a few bottles over the years 6, 10, mid teens, and a mid thirties. And the quality has definitely decreased. It used to be our benchmark for tasting, so was great to see the quality has come back. I gave this 8, and would happily have a bottle in the cupboard as a benchmark for sherry monsters. It came 2nd, with 9.33 

Glenfarclas 105 60% (current release)

• N: pineapple, acetone, fruit salad, sweet, sulphur, dusty shelf
• P: prickly, sap, caramel, green apple, light
• F: med long, integrated, dry

8/10 for me, but came 7th with an average of 8.14. It's used to be a go-to for me, but again had dipped, great to see it getting better again.

Tamdhu Batch Strength #6 56.8%

• N: lighter, pineapples, sweetness, meths, coconut, salty caramel, hint of citrus
• P: fruit salad, sweet, sour, metallic, boysenberries
• F: med tannin, sour

7.5/10 - this did not do well with the group coming last (8th) although still a respectable score of 7.94.

Tamdhu Batch Strength #3 58.3%

• N: sherry, rum, sweet, acetone, sour, molasses
• P: sherry, chocolate, raisins, thick, spicy, cinnamon, 
• F: long, chocolate

8.5/10 Came 4th with 8.98

Tamdhu Batch Strength #4 57.8%

• N: very sweet, fruity, pears, sour, musty, peaches, mushrooms, coffee
• P: citrus, dry, creme brulee, woody, pepper, 
• F: long, dry, pepper, heat builds

8.5-9 /10 I like this a lot. Interesting and complex. Didn't go so well with others coming 6th with 8.53

Tamdhu Batch Strength #5 59.8%

• N: sweet, high alc., sour, tobacco, ginger nuts, treacle, dry, woody
• P: sour, sick, fruit salad, oak, bourbon
• F: med

6.5/10 this one was pretty bland for me, although it did well coming 3rd with 9.0

Tamdhu Batch Strength #7 57.5%

• N: apple, pear, caramel, fruit, citrus, sea salt
• P: sulphur, parma violets, sherry, very sweet, coconut
• F: med-long

8/10 and came 5th with 8.84

Glenfarclas 105 60% (c. 2006 release)

• N: strong, high alc., sherry, musty, molasses, green apple, vinegar, calvados.
• P: musty, dry, tasty
• F: long, dry,

8/10 didn't seem to make a huge impression on me, although everyone else rated it as it came 1st (9.43). I used to like 105, and have an older bottle sitting in my cabinet....

So although I appear a bit disparaging about some of these, it's worth looking at what they scored by the group - they were all good whiskies. with the 'worst' whisky coming in at 7.94 (Tamdhu #6) it's a pretty good indication that was a good tasting. 

Whisky Tasting ; Whisky Cellar Series 005

 Tasting at Regional, but not part of our usual monthly tastings, this was run by Whisky Cellar's owner, virtually from Edinburgh. WC are an independent bottler, and the couple of theirs I've had were good so hopes were high for this.

Glentauchers Single Malt 14 yo first fill ex-bourbon, 53.8%

N: vanilla, rich, caramel, chocolate, coffee, marshallows

P: oaky, caramel, prickly, honey, fruit salad, melons, spicy

F: long, warming, citrus fruits

8.5/10 really liked this one, lovely nose and everything flowed well from it - great balance.

Invergordon Single Grain 31 yr fill ex-bourbon, 46.5%

N: rubber, oily, PVA, coconut rough, chocolate

P: light, coconut, salty, toasted rice

F: med light

6/10 i liked the lightness, but overall didn't rock my world

House malt single malt 10 yr, oloroso sherry butt, 57.1%

N: sherry, chocolate, burnt sugar

P: bitter, alcholic, sweet muscavado, light?

F: med, incr alco

6/10 I'd had this before, and really rated it (I even got a bottle) but this time not great. Having tried my bottle again, I'd still rate it an 8/10 so I guess situation?

Auchroisk Single Malt 13 yr PX Sherry finish, 56.7%

• N: apple, pears, fruitsalad, vanilla, sweet
• P: complex, leather, sherry, liquorice, brnady, nutty
• F: med-long

9/10 really liked this one, complex, interesting, sherry - win!

Benrinnes single malt 11yr pauillac red wine finish 56.2%

N: banan, sweet, cut grass, 

P: light, not much

F: short, weak

6/10 I didn't get much from this one

Longmorn single malt 11yr double cask finish: sauternes (8months) oloroso sherry (6months) 56.7%

N: sherry, old leather, sweet, hint of rubber

P: big tannic, sherry, bitter, berries, woody, sweet, demarara sugar

F: med-long, tea/tannin

8/10 ahhh good to see I still like Longmorn. I like it alot.

Bunnahabhain 'Moine' single malt 10yo ex-bourbon cask 55.4%

N: salt, bacon, rubber, medicinal, vigorous

P: rubber, salt, strong but light at times, vanilla, cream, dry

F: long, dry, big

9/10 A peated Bunna you say? why go on...

Really enjoyed this tasting, varied, and having the owner run it (albeit from Edinburgh) was cool. I can see me picking up some of their whiskies, probably on Series 6 or 7 now.

Slainte.

Whisky: New drams tasting

This months Regional Wines tasting focused on new whiskies that have arrived recently on our shores. Pricepoints were all middle, with one exception (Aberfeldy 18yo). 

GlenGrant 15yo [Mystery]

N: sweet, marshmallows, cut grass, bourbon, parma violets

P: prickly, sweet, spritzic, citrus, honey (when added water)

F: med-long, hint of oily finish.

7.5/10 This came 5th (7.82) I liked it as a quaffing dram.

Glenglassaugh 9yo USA wine hogs #522 9.5.2012-2022 bottled for Aotearoa 58.9%

N : sweet, hint of smoke and peat, bonfire, light

P: warm, 'sick', ashes, malt, burnt wood, bitter

F: long and not very nice.

5/10 Although others liked it (4th, 8.22) it didn't work at all for me. Everything was pretty unpleasant - another case where just because you can rack it in wine, doesn't mean you should. Sure, some of them are great, but this isn't one of those. Our group suspected they were offloading it on NZ :) 

I liked the old Glenglassaugh's I've had, but the new ones have been underwhelming.

Benrinnes 'The Benn' 10yo 55.5%

N: apples, shampoo, cider, dry, pears, stonefruit, ginger

P: ginger, pears, interesting, white wine?

F: medium - adding water made it more mellow and opened it up

8/10 (8.5 with water). The group didn't like it (7th, 6.87), however I did. Really loved the nose, and quite tempted to buy a bottle, it's different, light and interesting.

Blackadder 10yo Red Snake 108 1st fill bourbon July 2021 57.4%

N: coconut rough, sooty peat, incr alc., bourbon, custard, spritzic/citrus/lemon

P: spikey but no real flavour, salt, grapefruit

F: short and soapy

5/10, another disappointment for me. Came 6th, 7.2

Tamdhu #7 sherry casks batch strength 57.5%

N: sherry, sweet, complex, oldish, toffee, caramel, sulphur, spicy, rubber, tannins

P: big sherry, tasty, dark chocolate, rubber

F: warm and long, hint of pepper

9/10 loved this. Predictably ticked a lot of boxes for me, came 2nd 8.79 

Benriach 10yo Hart Brothers sherry butt 57.5% 10.2011-3.2022. 

N: sherry, sweet, complex, meths!, caramelised sugar, butterscotch, very sweet

P: caramel, sugar, oily, bitter chocolate, tannin

F: long, bitter

8.5/10 again very nice and tasty, came first 8.96

Aberfeldy 18yo 52% exceptional double cask sherry finish #3080 11.11.2002-22.06.2021

N: watery, light, wood, light sherry

P: very smooth veering to bland, civilised, one dimensional, 

F: short

6.5/10 For the price of this one, it's very disappointing. Actually, as a whisky it's very disappointing. Others loved it, 3rd 8.78, but for me, there wasn't much in the flavour department.

Interesting tasting, all of the whiskies were relatively young which I guess is now the default position for most distilleries as old stock is worth far more. But there's some interesting, and great, things happening in these drams...