March 2017 – grey whisky

Whisky 2017 – 79-81

79 – The Warehouse Collection, Whisky Warehouse No. 8 Mortlach 1996, 18 Years Cask 4120S21
Marmalade, coffee, vanilla, leather, malty, tropical fruits. Musk, floral, honey, melted butter, crushed ants.

80 – Kavalan Solist Auld Alliance Cask S090608026A
Citrus zest, brown sugar creamed butter, white chocolate and ginger cookies, maple syrup. Huge butter, apple seeds, musk, lavender, orange blossom.

81 – The Whisky Agency Sherry Refill 8 Year Blend
Honey, dust, toast, gooseberry, toasted marshmallow, tinned pineapple, apricots. Honey, cream, pepper, dusty, baked bananas.

Whisky 2017 – 74-78 Signatory Tasting

74 – Signatory Dailuaine 1997- 19yo
Pineapple, acetone, apricots, dried apples, kiwi fruit, old champagne, egg shells. Salty, green herbs, burnt chocolate, fruity, slight waxy.

75 – Signatory Clynelish 1995 – 20yo
Matches, Forrest wood, leather, mushrooms and earth, maple syrup, nutty. Wood, chocolate almonds, salt, soap bubbles, coffee grounds, tea tannins.

144.2016 – Signatory Bunnahabhain 1989 – 26yo
Pine, orange zest, green bananas, iced coffee, slight medical, old shells. Dusty, flinty, cocoa, an old fire, white wine tannin, old apples.

76 – Signatory Glenlivet 1995 – 20yo
Ice cream cone, wafer biscuit, peanut brittle, ice cream, wood, cane sugar, golden syrup, rock sugar, apple pie, coco pops. Butter, coffee, sarsaparilla, musk, pepper, rose hip jam, tannins.

77 – Signatory Isle Of Jura 1989 – 26yo heavily peated
Leather, quite neutral, mushrooms, dry ginger, nutty, lemon zest, pine wood, walnut oil. Mango, bacon, ice cream, maple syrup, rock melon skin, salted almonds, lemonade.

78 – Signatory Ledaig 2005 – 10yo
Bonfire, medicinal, toasted bread, corn chips, smoked ham. Flinty, Dry, fire, Sherry, slight BBQ meat, apple seeds.

Whisky 2017 – 73-74

73 – Duncan Taylor Hemp Sparrow Islay blended malt 1997
Crushed sea shells, almonds, light and fruity, slight glue and barn yard, honey jumbles, apple pie, pizza. Crushed prawn heads, Christmas cake, salt, slight dusty.

74 – Bowmore 2001 by Whisk-e for Nippon Bartenders Association Ginza Branch bourbon Barrel Cask no 31928
Wood glue, pine wood shavings, fruit and soft caramel, dusty. Fruit, autumn leaves, salt, such fruity length with smoked salmon and vanilla cream, underripe apples, peanut brittle. Thick and chewy.

Whisky 2017 – 64-72 – Heartwood tasting

64 – Redlands newmake
Apples, rock melon, lemon zest, pepper, juniper, cucumber. Roses, apple skin, aniseed, green strawberries.

65 – Adams Distillery 12 weeks old young make
Menthol cigarettes, mint leaves, musk lollies, brown sugar. Prunes, proper smoked bacon, coal, pepper, salt, Japanese black sugar candy.

66 – Belgrove oat whisky
Dust, stones, barnyard, perfume, musk, menthol. Glue, boot polish, brown sugar, butter almonds, pickled onions (but not in a bad way).

67 – Heartwood 3 of 3
Caramel, musk, brown sugar, lemons, prunes, chocolates, stewed apple, ice coffee, old butter. Heavy, kangaroo poo, leather, beef stock, dusty, soy sauce, coffee grounds, tomato paste.

68 – Heartwood We are twisted cousins (Lark)
Prunes, raisins, pastry, strawberry and mango, pine needles, pastis. Menthol, dust, raisins, eucalyptus, slightly medicinal.

69 – Heartwood Beagle 4
Soy sauce, raisins, creme patisserie, stewed apples, beef stock. Raisins, prune, musk, salt, soy sauce, marshmallow, tomato salad.

70 – Heartwood Calm before the storm
Deep malt, soy, deep sweet Asian beef cheeks, huge chocolate, glue, turps, burnt pineapple. Glacé lemon, beef consume, leather, soy sauce, bitter dark chocolate, pine needles.

71 – Arran Madeira Cask
Gas, apricots, a malted chocolate, some sulfur and rubber, acetone, ants trapped in strawberry jam, marshmallow. Brandy snaps, some vanilla, roasted peanuts, old strawberries, zatar, mellows over time – the slightly bitter finish doesn’t help.

72 – G&M Glenturret 2002
Butter, cherries, licorice, toffee, fairy floss. Bit weak, grapes, toffee apples, slight cloves.

Whisky 2017 – 63

So my normal whisky tasting and note taking was interrupted by good conversation. Who would have thought? I drank some excellent drams and I must be one of the first in the Southern Hemisphere to drink Nantou from Taiwan. Get if you can, very worthwhile dram and a less “punch in your face” dram than Kavalan.

I also had:

LMDW Highland Park 25
Acorn’s Clynelish 18
Whisky Agency Speyside Blend

63 – Nantou Omar
Oranges, honey, marmalade, vanillas. Super malty, brown bread, blackberries, egg whites, vanilla, pepper.

Whisky – 58-62 – Kilkerran Tasting

I don’t know what was going on with my palate last night. Really didn’t enjoy these Kilkerran when I have previously – the felt very underpowered. I was under an air-conditioner which cooled my glasses significantly and may have not allowed the whisky to shine.

I’ve had Work In Progress 1, 3 and 5 before so they aren’t in my count for the year, but I thought it was interesting to show the progression.

WIP 1 Kilkerran
Pineapples, wild fresh mint, glue, salt and pepper, arrowroot, rosemary. Cream, salty, malt cake, slight leather.

WIP 3 Kilkerran
Apple tree ash, fruitier, glue, hand cream, pencil shavings, wild herbs, pineapple. Light palate, cream, tobacco, peaches.

WIP 5 Kilkerran Bourbon Wood
Hand cream, ash, leafy, brown sugar, hand cream, maple syrup, slight peach. Butter, peanuts, salty, burn toast, slight cream and vanilla, leafy.

58 – WIP 6 Kilkerran Sherry Cask
Glue, flint, leather, salt, egg white, pencil shavings, hand cream, Sherry fino. Salty, leafy, gasoline, dry leaves, slight cocoa.

59 – WIP 7 Bourbon Cask Strength
Toasted coconut, lemon zest, glue, pencil shavings, hot ashes, bruised strawberries, eggy chocolate pudding. Toothpaste, preserved lemons, leafy, pencil shavings.

60 – Kilkerran 12
Egg white, Xmas pudding, lemon zest, tropical fruit, tobacco, herbaceous, sea salt, soap, apricots, oysters. Bananas, tropical fruit, olive oil, brown sugar, pencil shavings, leafy.

61 – Cooper’s Choice Ledaig 1998 Cask 0035
Hay, soy sauce, Xmas cake, burning plastic. Barnyard, burning plastic, rubber, sulfur, jersey caramel. Weird but pleased I’ve tried it.

62 – Noah’s Mill Bourbon
Bananas, ice cream with my mum’s chocolate sauce. Bananas, brown sugar caramel, salt, pretty simple.

Whisky 2017 – 52-57 – Back In Melbourne

52 – The Whisky Agency Casa De Vinos Ben Nevis 17 Years 2016
Honey, salted butter, golden syrup, kiwifruit, pear nectar. Chocolate mousse, orange segments, salt, green herbs, grilled pineapple, vanilla pudding, green grass.

53 – Glen Garioch for Shinanoya Ginza 21st Anniversary Bourbon Barrel 657 15 Years
Egg nog, flat Coke, vanilla, pine, hazelnuts, rose petals. Musk, white pepper, sarsaparilla, crushed ants, vanilla, slight sulphur.

54 – Adelphi Longmorn 28 Years 1985
Slight motor oil, grilled pineapple, green tomatoes, black jellybeans. Malty bread with butter, green herbs, grilled pineapple, salt.

55 – The Exclusive Grains Port Dundas 1991 25 years Cask 50412
Salami, honey, lemon zest, roasted quails with salt and pepper sauce, soy sauce. Tropical fruit, oily fish, green garlic shoots.

56 – Distilleries Collection Miltonduff 17 Years 1996
Glue, honey, salty butter, caramel, dried peaches and pears. Dry cake mix, vanishes away to nothing, caramel and bitter herbs.

57 – Glendronach 2003 for Sansibar Cask 4630 PX Cask
Dried apricots, pancakes with butter, glacé lemon, orange syrup, cocoa, pencil shavings. Stewed apricots, Xmas spice, dark chocolate, sultanas, vanilla, orange blossom water, sarsaparilla and malt.

Whisky 2017 – 49-51 – La Masion du Whisky, Singapore

Last night in Singers. Just grabbed a couple of quick drams at La Maison du Whisky. Nice bar with maybe 200 bottles open, but loads of interesting bottles to buy as you’d imagine from LMDW – a 1990s Springbank 100 Proof and a 7 of Diamonds Ichiro’s (as I drank at Auld Alliance!) – yes please!!!

49 – Glen Keith LMDW Artist #6 1992 20 years Cask 120584

Marshmallow, cream, ice coffee, vanilla essence. Coconut cream, praline, green leaves, light fruit cake, white peaches and cream, lemon pith, white chocolate.

50 – Boutiquey Whisky Company Tobermoray Batch 3
Glacé fruit in acetone, salt and pepper, bitter caramel, warm cherries. Green apples, pancakes, cream, malty, slight cocoa hit.

51 – Benriach 1999 PX Cask for LMDW 15 Years Cask 5727
Xmas spices, orange zest, vanilla cream, woody and softened butter. Wowsers citrus infused cream, toasted hazelnuts, pepper, and huge length, red apple, loads of warm brown butter, cinnamon scroll out of the oven.

Whisky 2017 – 41-48 – The Auld Alliance, Singapore

OK – So I went to the Auld Alliance in Singapore. Wow! I understand why it is regarded as the world’s best whisky bar. Yes, it was expensive but completely worth it – my only problem was my mistake ordering the Benrinnes. It is a fabulous dram, don’t get me wrong but didn’t really sit well with the other drams – a slight misstep when you are overwhelmed with such an imposing list.

The Card Series were impeccable. I know there is a brouhaha regarding Japanese whisky prices and is it worth it. For me I tried three stunning, unique and consistent drams that deserve significant praise.

The staff presented me with a mystery dram at the end a 1977 Sherry cask bottling of something Speyside. For me this was Ben Nevis but who knows.

41 – Springbank 15 Years Old Tall Bottle from the 80s
Apricots, hand cream, brown sugar, plump raisins. Stunning mouthfeel, wonderfully spiced, salty, slight warm malt cake, stewed apricots dolloped with cream, cake mix.

42 – Springbank 12 Years Old tall bottle from the 80s
Fruit on a cheese platter, coffee grounds, tropical cordial. Leather, cream, perfumed soap, salt, slight tropical fruit sweetness, woody spices on the finish, malty.

43 – Benrinnes Silver Seal 30 Years 1984 Cask 2268
Malty, stone fruit, banana leaf. Hot, cake, leather, salt, maraschino cherries, Sacher torte, malt loaf with butter.

44 – Glendronach 31 Years 1978 Olorosso Sherry Cask 1040
Gravox, maple syrup, rubber, chocolate mousse, sulphur. Heavy and unctuous just crazy mouth feel, berry jam taken within an inch of its life, angry caramel, match heads, boot polish, motor oil.

45 – Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Series 7 of Diamonds 1991 19 Years PX 2nd fill Cask 9031
Caramel, grappa, peanuts, stewed apple, vanilla, turps, sarsaparilla, German spice biscuits. Woody, perfume, bacon fat, smoked praprika, peanut brittle, gooseberries and stone fruit, milk chocolate.

46 – Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Series 10 of Clubs 1990 PX 2nd fill Cask 9032
Wonderful cocoa and musk nose, orange marmalade, crepes with butter and cream, boozy stewed stone fruit. Toffee apples, cream, orange blossoms, leather, cream, white pepper, slight meaty note, white peaches, salt.

l47 – Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Series King of Hearts 1986 PX 2nd fill Cask 9033
Smoked paprika, grape skins, roast chicken, Coke spider, sarsaparilla, musk, dark chocolate. Maple syrup, roasted vegetables, smoked paprika, cream on Xmas pudding, rockmelon, salty, rose hips, dry ginger.

48 – The Auld Alliance 1977 Sherry Cask (perhaps Ben Nevis)
Chocolate, dried apricots, salty butter, cake mix, yeast. Cake mix, apricots, leather, green peppercorns, cocoa, green herbs and salt, chocolate mousse, tobacco, spiced pumpkin.