Author: greywhisky

Whisky 2018 – 88-91 – The Glenlivet Tasting with Alan Winchester

This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I wasn’t that impressed with any of these. Now I know I am a Sherry head but to me Glenlivet is at its best when it has had a long time in sherry. They weren’t offensive or poorly executed, just a bit boring to my palate.

88 – The Glenlivet 18
Nose – soap(?), pineapple, stewed pears, orange zest
Palate – jaffas, milk, caramels, pear juice
Finish – burnt milk

89 – The Glenlivet Glenshee Single Cask 28669 15 Years
Nose – scotchfinger biscuits, lemon and coconut cake, toasted pound cake, almond cake
Palate – passionfruit, cream, pear crumble, lemon zest, bitter orange
Finish – vines, salty cold butter, pound cake

90 – The Glenlivet Code
Nose – old bananas, brown sugar, candied orange, full cream milk, oyster
Palate – hay, pears, salt, toast and butter,
Finish – cream, vines

91 – The Glenlivet 15
Nose – Banana, rubber, ozone, soap(?), tinned pineapple
Palate – milk chocolate, banana milk, cinnamon, banana smoothie
Finish – vanilla, caramel, barley tea, peanuts

Whisky 2018 – 85-87

85 – Burnside (Balvenie) Silent Third Kyoto by Whisky Find Cask 5749 Sherry Hogshead
Nose – rock melon, wax, cake mix, hot chocolate, dried banana
Palate – coconut, dried apricots, chocolate, salty cream
Finish – coconut cream, apricots, bounty bars, burnt butter

86 – Glenrothes 20 Years old by Drunken Master Bar 1997 Cask 7162
Nose – brown sugar, soy sauce, maple syrup, cold salted butter
Palate – cocoa, leather, vanilla, musk, woody, tomato paste, chicos, dark chocolate
Finish – woody, salty, butter, ice coffee

87 – Okayama Takashimaya Buyers Select “Sherry cask debut” 58%
Nose – meringue, caramel, burnt marshmallow, honeycomb, dark toffee, liquorice
Palate – honey ice cream, chocolate, Xmas spices,
Finish – melon, chocolate, cream

Whisky 2018 – 83

83 – Macallan 14 Easter Elchies 1991 Cask 7020 Sherry Puncheon
Nose – musk, sugar, brown sugar, wood, soy sauce, egg whites, apricots in caramel, grilled pineapple
Palate – brown sugar, whipped custard, aero bar, salt caramel, woody, pink marshmallows, super chewy, spearmint, cake mix
Finish – dried apricots, bitter cocoa, huge tannins

Macallan has some serious following not without reason. I get it but it’s always so soft and too much of an almost romantic whisky, for me – if that makes sense. This on the other-hand this had some serious tannins to it and I found it significantly more complex and interesting than any other Macallan I’ve tasted.

Whisky 2018 – 77-82 Small American Craft Tasting

Glad I got to try these but ummm…. they weren’t particularly good.

77 – Barrel Hitch Oregon Oak American Whiskey
Nose – Pina colada, mango, new shoes, caramels, formic acid
Palate – tinned pineapple, spice, cream
Finish – mango, cream

78 – Traverse City Whisky Co. Port Barrel Finished Bourbon
Nose – plasticine, donuts, yeast, stone fruit, maraschino
Palate – spice, weak yeast, figs
Finish – yeasty water

79 – Fremont Mischief Rye Whiskey
Nose – bananas, mango, lemon cake, yeast
Palate – dried mango, tannins,
Finish – mango, cream

80 – Copperworks American Single Malt Whiskey
Nose – maple syrup, banana cake, minerals, chicos, dried peach
Palate – toasty, butter, grape seed,
Finish – rancid butter

81 – Greenbar Distillery Slow Hands Six Woods Whiskey 57.9%
Nose – intense malt cake, liquorice, toasted fennel, absinthe
Palate – jeager, malt, molasses
Finish – rubber

82 – Whiskey Del Bac Dorado Mesquite Smoked Single Malt
Nose – smoked praprika, bacon, Cheetos, tomato sauce
Palate – leaf matter, minerals, rubber, apple seeds, maple syrup, prunes
Finish – dusty, Cheetos dust

Whisky 2018 – 72-75 – Baxter Inn, Sydney

In Sydney at The Baxter Inn and half way to my target of 150, celebrated with an old Glengoyne from the 80s. For a low alcohol dram of 43% it really was able to stand up. The Cambus was super disappointing.

72 – Clynelish Adelphi 1996 19 Years ex Bourbon 53.4%
Nose – toasted coconut, coconut rough, green grass, apricot danish
Palate – hot, perfumed, cream, grilled peaches, lemon zest with pith
Finish – cream and perfume, wine tannins

73 – Clynelish G&M 2001 14 Years Sherry casks 307849 & 307850
Nose – typical sherry fino nose, peanuts, rubber, manuka honey
Palate – honey, rose petals, sugar syrup, rock candy, salt, weak ice tea
Finish – aspirin, tea tannins, honey, caramels

74 – Boutiquey whisky company Cambus 24 Batch 2
Nose – roses, heather, cream, pineapple soaked in turps, caramel toffees, plastic
Palate – turps, salt, balsa wood, cream, peanut shells
Finish – cream, old leather

75 – 1980s bottling Glengoyne 17 Years 43%
Nose – wax, rum soaked raisins, fermented figs, the sweetness of cocktail onions, honey, minerals
Palate – wax, pencil shavings, salt and pepper, raisins, spice, OBE
Finish – spicy, pencil shavings, old apples

Whisky 2018 – 71

I bought this bottle on my last trip to Japan. I’ve had it open since January and didn’t think that much of it; it felt hot and one dimensional. How a couple of months open has changed it – noteworthy even.

71 – Arran Private Cask “The Arran First Vintage 1995” for Malt House Islay 21 Years Sherry Hogshead 49.6%
Nose – almonds, flourless orange cake, egg whites, burnt butter, pandanus
Palate – liquorice, cake mix, dried citrus, lantana, apricot jam, maraschino cherries, peach ice tea
Finish – boozy cream, salt, sugary ice tea tannins, rock candy

Whisky 2018 – 69-70

This Bowmore was outstanding!! And I’m not an Islay guy.

69 – The Whisky Agency Bowmore 1991 25 Whiskyfair Takao 2017 Cask #29736 *

Nose – smoked ham, leather, salt, dates with blue cheese, figs, maple syrup

Palate – leaves, golden syrup, earth, dried mushrooms, candied ham, brown string

Finish – sherry, rubber, coffee grounds

70 – The Whisky Find Glenallachie JAZZIN 12 Years 62% Cask #900755

Nose – honey, maple syrup, green grass, salty cold butter, lemon balm, toffee

Palate – honey, rock melon, pancakes with maple syrup, melted butter, apricots

Finish – rubber, soy sauce, brown sugar, raisins

Whisky 2018 – 62-68, Michter’s Tasting

62 – Michter’s US*1 Straight Rye
Nose – coffee, rubber, vanilla, stone fruit, wood shavings, rhubarb
Palate – spicy, salty, vanilla
Finish – salt, cream

63 – Michter’s US*1 Bourbon
Nose – grilled pineapple, egg whites, meringue Palate – a bit light, butter, fruit, vanilla, caramel
Finish – vanilla, grape vines

64 – Michter’s US*1 American Whisky
Nose – dusty, chocolate, apricots, vanilla
Palate – chocolate, cocoa truffles, maraschino cherries, steeped apricots, brown sugar in cream
Finish – flinty, vanilla cream,

65 – Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash
Nose – egg whites, honey, maple, vanilla, juicy stone fruit
Palate – pop corn, dried apricots, vanilla, cream, salted crisps
Finish – stone fruit, cream

66 – Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon
Nose – dusty, melon, green stone fruit, fruit leather, hazelnuts
Palate – honey, toffee, caramel dipped apricots
Finish – vanilla, cream, dusty

67 – Michter’s Toasted Barrel Strength Rye
Nose – honey on toast, butter, maple syrup, marshmallow, German Christmas biscuits, crushed ants, vanilla, cured meats
Palate – vanilla, spicy, fruit, dried fruits
Finish – cream, apples, toasty, vanilla

68 – Michter’s 10 Year Rye
Nose – vanilla, toffee, honey, dusty
Palate – vanilla, dried ginger, cream, orange zest, soy
Finish – vanilla cream, rock melon