Whisky 2018 – 13-15

13 – Berry Brothers & Rudd 1997 Ben Nevis Cask 27 bottled 2014
Nose: rich and juicy, intense orange, bitter chocolate, hand cream
Palate: butter, tobacco, mustard fruits, cream, dusty, chocolate, caramel chews
Finish: cream, bitter cocoa, rocks

14 – Hidden Spirits 2004 Ben Nevis 13 Years Cask BN417 “Heavily Peated”
Nose: hand cream, old coals, flint, green grass, potato chips, sweat but not in a bad way
Palate: crisps, savory, cream, juicy stone fruit, banana cake
Finish: smoked cream, ash, fallen leaves

15 – The Whisky Agency and Three Rivers 1998/2016 Ben Nevis 50.9%
Nose: honey, aspirin, salted butter, cake mix, orange zest
Palate: salted butter, cream, passion fruit vine, leather, sight rubber, jasmine tea, pound cake
Finish: burnt butter, churned butter, cream, tea tannins

Whisky 2018 – 6-12 G&M Tasting

6 – Gordon & Macphail Teaninich 2009/2017 8yo Refill Sherry Hogsheads 46%
Nose: apples, glue, box wood honey, soap, leather, sherry funk
Palate: roasted plums, Waldorf salad, bitter herbs
Finish: cream, dry Xmas spice, dashi

7 – Gordon & Macphail Tomatin 1997/2014 17yo Refill Bourbon Barrels 46%
Nose: vanilla cake, lemon butter, salt, peaches, fruit salad,
Palate: Great mouth feel, loads of fruit and melon (honeydew and rock)
Finish: Crushed ants, toasted almonds

8 – Gordon & Macphail Mortlach 15yo Refill Sherry Casks 43%
Nose: musk, green strawberries, soy sauce, hand cream
Palate: raisins, apple pie, sherry funk, white pepper, black beans
Finish: sherry, rubber

9 – Gordon & Macphail Ledaig “Hermitage Cask Finish” 2005/2017 12yo 45%
Nose: bacon, roasted carrots, medicinal, Cheetos, chlorine
Palate: intense apples, smoke, roasted capsicum, pencil shavings
Finish: Cheetos

10 – Gordon & Macphail Mannochmore Cask Strength 2006/2017 11yo Refill Sherry Butt 59.4%
Nose: lemon drizzle cake, menthol, rubber, soy, new sneakers,
Palate: dry, flinty, loads of fruits, honey, soy

Finish: sherry tannins, rubber, cream

11 – Gordon & Macphail Glenrothes Cask Strength 58.1% 2005/2017
Nose: honey, honey, honey, toasted coconut, coconut rough, crushed ants, grilled pineapple
Palate: honey, caramel, coconut, salted brown butter, loads of raisins and pastry with water
Finish: leather and dried tropical fruit, green mangos

12 – Gordon & Macphail Balblair for The Whisky Hoop refill bourbon 1996/2015 Cask 414 51.1%
Nose: chicos, milk chocolate, terry’s chocolate orange, candied lemon zest, meringue
Palate: pavlova, lemon zest, cream, honey, fruit cup
Finish: cream, heather

Whisky 2018 – 5 – Hains & Co, Adelaide

5 – Hains & Co Living Starward Cask – Wine Cask Starward PX Barrel (staff estimate 6th batch)
Nose: banana bread, bubblegum, wood glue, crushed ants, toasted brioche with butter, banana paddlepops
Palate: really gentle, raspberries, ice tea, Christmas biscuits, spearmint gum, passion fruit vine
Finish: potato crisps, butter, wine tannins

Whisky 2018 – 1-4

What a set of drams to start the year with.

1 – The Ultimate Imperial 1995 20 Years sherry hogshead cask 50240
Nose: Bananas, yeast, rose hip jelly, wax,
Palate: Wax, honey, slight pepper, cucumber sandwiches, juniper, grilled peaches, cream, honey dew
Finish: Juicy, dried pineapple, apple jelly, cream, apple seeds

2 – Arran James McTaggart 10 Years 2007
Nose: hazel nuts, snickers bars, citrus, coconuts, wax, bananas foster, apricots
Palate: cream, crushed ants, dried stone fruit, still a bit young, toasted brioche, peach and hand cream
Finish: loads of cream, wine tannins, salt

3 – Old Malt Cask Doulas Laing & Co 1974 Talisker bottled 2000
Nose: Pencil shavings, candle wax, clear fruit, clear medicinal, egg yolks, prosciutto fat, brown sugar
Palate: camp fire, stewed apples, ice coffee, wax, bbq jackfruit, crispy bacon, seaside, caramels
Finish: huge length, juicy, herbal, cream, wax, just keeps giving

4 – Jack Wiebers Arran 18 Years Cask 2038
Nose: brown sugar, leather, musk, honey comb, sweet pickled onions, old whisky, strawberry jam taken too far, maple syrup
Palate: caramel dipped apricots, tobacco, bitter chocolate, leather, salt
Finish: tannic, yoghurt, chewy

Whisky 2017 – Top 5

My top 5 (in no particular order) for 2017. An interesting list!

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.

137 – 1973 Invergordon Cask #10 for Club Qing 42 Years *
Dry biscuits, cloves, cinnamon, ice cream, apple snow, raspberry lollies. Incredible whisky tea tannins, loads of cream, fresh cracked paper, cardamom icecream, liquorice, macadamias, prunes, sight white peach.

196 – Ichiro’s malt “The Game” Madeira Hogshead Cask 1370, 10 Year Anniversary *
Maple syrup, pancakes, loads of stone fruit, toasty, caramel, toffees, toffee apple, pineapple upside down cake. Rubber, raisins, sulphur, apricots, old butter, musk sticks, butter and maple syrup on crumpets.

200 – SMWS 39.102 (Linkwood) Rum-soaked black cherries 23 years *
Crushed ants, woody, maraschino cherries. Such a gentle dram, buttery, cake, sweet fruit like glacé apricots, pencil shavings, honey, salt, butter, old butter and sherry. The finish is forever – apples, cloves, melted butter and crisps.

216 – Signatory Glenlivet for The Whisky Exchange 2007 10 Years Cask 900174 *
Woody, sarsaparilla, cloves, burnt strawberry jam, shaving cream, chocolate, whipped cream. Woody, massive sherry notes, red apples, cream, coffee, dried stone fruit, caramel pop corn, cold butter, watermelon, toasted brioche.

Whisky 2017 – 225

My final dram for 2017. A beautiful peated Heartwood. Tim, you’ve excelled yourself!

225 – Heartwood Darkest before Dawn Cask LD559 Olorosso Sherry *
Brown sugar, yoghurt, cream, boozy stone fruits, dried figs, cream, tomato paste, peanut brittle. Toffee apples, dark caramel, bitter chocolate, brown sugar, pouch tobacco, strawberries and cream, fresh and dried fig, chewy and massive, beef broth, salt, gravy granules.

Whisky 2017 – 218-224 – Closed distillery tasting for The Elysian’s first birthday

218 – Dun Bheagan St Magdalene Sherry Butt 1982 27yo
Glue, mandarin, new make, leather, soap, honeycomb, watermelon. Wheat biscuits, ryvita, cream, salt, tobacco, stewed apricots.

219 – Douglas Laing Glen Mhor Hogshead Refill 1982 27yo
Lemon zest, lemon butter, loads of citrus and shortbread, wood glue, lavender soap, honey, slight flinty, white peaches. Loads of cake mix, honey suckle, fruity, stones, dust, old lace, lantana.

220 – Signatory Glenlochy 1980 30yo Cask 2824
Vanilla cake, salt, some apricots, grass, malt, kiwi fruit, cake mix, toasted almonds, orange oil. Cool ing, huge amounts of tinned fruit, cream, summer grass, tobacco, old dried pineapple, mint, menthol.

221 – G&M Dallas Dhu Bourbon 1979 34yo
Rockmelon, mushroom funk, lemon zest, slight cake. Old whisky, dust, Italian mustard fruits, salt, tobacco and cream, wax, soap.

222 – G&M Port Ellen Refill Sherry Butt 1982 28yo
Honey, salt, peat, medicinal, camp fire, ham, flinty, cream, KFC. Wonderful mouthfeel, ask, autumn leaves, charred bbq steaks, bbq bones, mandarin, chlorine, match heads.

223 – Starward New World Projects Batch 120718-12-759 for Elysian Whisky Bar 1st Birthday 100L Shiraz Cask 56.7%
Vanilla beans, honey, snickers, peanut caramel, Vietnamese coffee. Toffee bananas, bourbon, caramlized walnuts, banana cake, butter.

224 – Asta Morris for Whiskies & More Glentauchers PX Cask AM040
Caramel, caramel, caramel for days, salted butter, vine tomatoes. Salty, dusty, old apples, old rubber and sulfur, really dried apricots, flinty.

Whisky 2017 – 215-217

215 – TIB Redlands Muscat Cask TIBRD001
Lollies, raspberries, butterscotch, banana cakes, columbines, eggy, cloves, mustard. Vanilla slice, raspberry leaf tea, fruit cup cordial, slight butter and berries.

216 – Signatory Glenlivet for The Whisky Exchange 2007 10 Years Cask 900174 *
Woody, sarsaparilla, cloves, burnt strawberry jam, shaving cream, chocolate, whipped cream. Woody, massive sherry notes, red apples, cream, coffee, dried stone fruit, caramel pop corn, cold butter, watermelon, toasted brioche.

217 – Liquid Treasures Glen Garioch 24 Years 1991
Juicy, fruit, honey, maple syrup on pancakes, rose hip jam. Apricots, honey, butter, slightly coal, kiwi fruit, melons, green vines, butter and cream.

Whisky 2017 – 212-214

A whisky tasting to help bring me out of my funk – concentrating on the nose and palate was very good for my head. These three were really special drams, thanks to Yao and Cennon at the Elysian for looking after me.

212 – Signatory Glenlivet for thewhiskybarrel.com 10th Anniversary 2006 11YO Cask #900552 *
Chocolate, dried apricots, marshmallow, crushed ants, cloves, menthol, mint, perfume. Cream, and grilled fruit, chocolate, sarsaparilla, caramel sauce, tomato paste, soy sauce, rose petals, raspberries.

213 – The Chess “White King” Macallan Shinanoya 1995 20 Years *
Toffee apples, lemons and oranges, terry’s chocolate orange, mint, marzipan, uncooked pastry. So big, dusty caramels, loads of cream and vanilla, crushed ants, mint slice biscuits, creme brûlée, toasted wood, cream and strawberries, pavlova, white peaches, tarte tatin.

214 – Kintra Whisky Undisclosed Irish Distillery 14 Years Sherry Hogshead Cask 10834
Plastic, hazelnuts, pop corn, sherry fino, apple sauce. Pop corn, corn chips, sulphur, peanuts, really old apricots, chocolate, green chili, chocolate and prunes.