June 2015 – grey whisky

Whisky 2015 – 94-95

94 – Heartwood Devil is in the Detail
Marzipan, toasted macadamias, cocoa, milk chocolate. Peppery, salty and intense vanilla cream. Had to add water it’s beautiful but really needed to chill out. With water it’s more floral on the nose with the vanilla poking through. Ok this is a weird one paper bark trees, fruit cake dripping in brandy, roasted capsicum.

95 – Berry’s 1984 Benrinnies bottles 2011
Caramel, glue and honey, cloves, cucumber in gin, hazelnuts. Warm quince cake, dry spices. Pretty bloody good.

Whisky 2015 – 92-93

92 – SMWS 120.7 (Hakushu) Sweet, fragrant and satisfying
Soy sauce, pepper, cloves. Rubber, vanilla cream, coffee trifle – almost like I’ve taken a spoonful of brown sugar. Quite dry.

93 – Limeburners Sherry Barrel Cask Strength
(You’ll think I’m crazy but the guys and I at Whisky and Alement problem solved this one) Pine wood shavings and (wait for it) frozen McCains pizza, specifically the frozen red capsicum on the pizza. Really vegetal like old cucumbers and wood. Not very nice.

2015 – 86-91 – Glenfarclas Tasting

Whoops. Late Post!

This tasting of Glenfarclas at Whisky & Alement was excellent. I left with a bottle of the 21.

86 – Glenfarclas 15 Year Old
Flour, light honey touch, boozy Xmas pud, fresh figs, sherry. Green figs, light fruit cake, tiny tropical fruit.

87 – Glenfarclas 17 Year Old
Lemon and honey in hot water, slight dusty note, Sherry poached figs, lemon balm. Very light on the palate, slight milky coffee touch, clove, honey and sultana cake.

88 – Glenfarclas 21 Year Old
Bananas and cream, brown sugar, vanilla, slight peppery note. Spices, vanilla cake, sultanas, elegant whisky.

89 – Glenfarclas 1997 Family Cask
Strong honey and sherry nose, lemon zest, slight woody note, cultured butter. Hot (57.8%), peppery and bitter like rocket, dark almost burnt toffee, salty, honey, slight rubbery hint.

90 – Glenfarclas 30 Year Old
Honey, cloves, warm spices, hand lotion(?!?), candle wax, slight ripe pineapple. Cola, Xmas spices, lavender and cream.

91 – Glenfarclas 40 Year Old
Musky sugar and spices, wax, slightly rubbery note, slight banana. Woody, musky, perfume like. I like it but wanted more from it.

Whisky 2015 – 78-85

Sorry folks… forgot to update.

Benriach and Heartwood are quickly becoming personal favourites.

78 – Benriach 15 Sauternes
Vanilla, cocoa, stewed apricots, crushed ants, rock candy. Vanilla, passion fruit, apricots, salt, cream and a lick of peat.

79 – Benriach 17 Solstice
Heavily peated, medicinal, pine resin, toffee, cherry and woody. Coffee, toffee, slight medicinal note and smoke.

80 – Benriach Peated PX Cask 18
Rubber, toffee apple, butter, cocoa, cream, tobacco, smoke. Medicinal, complex, cream and smoke.

81 – Royal Lochnagar Selected Reserve 2008
Tropical fruit, rock melon, iced coffee, banana bread, biro ink. Banana bread, vanilla, yeast, grain, some flintiness.

82 – White Oak 14
Tar, woody, chocolate and shitloads of leather and tobacco, cola, bit of smoke(?!). Lovely musk sweetness, pepper, brown sugar, green bitterness, cloves, smoked meats.

83 – Hibiki Harmony
Chocolate, honey, vanilla, crushed ants. Light on the palate and then a hit of mango, cream, nutty.

84 – Heartwood Devil May Care
Nutty, rock melon, maple syrup, rose water. Toasted almonds, glue, rubber, fruit, dried figs… Huge vanilla finish. Very good.

85 – Adelphi Glen Keith 21
Bananas, yeasty brown bread, strawberry lip gloss, milk chocolate. Banana sandwich on rye with salted butter.