Whisky 2019 – 41-42 – Laboratorino, Chichibu, Japan

Yes, I visited the Chichibu. I am writing up a full post on my visit to the distillery. In the mean time here are the two drams I enjoyed at a very nice little Italian restaurant Laboratorino. My partner drank the heavily peated – no notes from me except chocolate and earth with loads of peat.

42 – Ichiro’s Malt Single Cask 2018 rum Cask #5821 9 years old
Nose: Honey icecream, chocolate pudding, malt, dried apricots, prebaked strudel, marshmallow

Palate: juicy raisins, cream, skinned grapes, spice biscuit, melted butter, red wine tannin, honey joys, salt, birthday candle wax

Finish: day old brandy snaps, pepper, grape vines

*****

43 – Ichiro’s Malt Malt Dream Cask for Bar Te Airigh cask #180
Nose: Cloves, hand lotion, pineapple, honey, wood glue, melted chocolate ice cream

Palate: So malty, spice, loquats, persimmons, vanilla, light cream, huge and dominating mouthfeel, grape seed and caramel

Finish: pavlova with fruit and whipped cream, sweet milky tea

*****

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Whisky 2019 – 38-41 – Bar C Shell, Tokyo

38 – Ben Nevis 22 years 1996 by the whisky find sherry butt c#828
Nose: Dough, chocolate, orange, apricot, cream, lemon cheese cake, almonds

Palate: Apricot, stonefruit, whipped butter, burnt chocolate cake

Finish: Cream, spices, rock melon

****

39 – Ben Nevis 21 years 1996 selected by J’s Bar bottles by The Vintage Malt
Nose: dough, apricots, almonds, candy orange zest, chocolate

Palate: cream, rock melon skin, citrus candies

Finish: cream, salt, butter, burnt orange zest

****

40 – Auchroisk 28 by Cadenhead for Whisk-e 42.8%
Nose: Pencil shavings, chlorine, yeasty, hand lotion

Palate: Kinda empty, old ice cubes

Finish: oil paints, olive brine, super savory

***

41 – Imperial 17 Years Cigar Malt Salon de Shimaji PEN x Shinanoya
Nose: jersey caramels, brown sugar and butter, maple syrup, grilled nectarines

Palate: cream, apricots, honey, rye, butter, tobacco

Finish: Butter and soy sauce, tea tannins, grape seed

****

Whisky 2019 – 37

37 – Macallan 29 years 1988 by Whisk-e “Blossoms” Cask 13 Sherry Butt
Nose: Musk, woody, pink pepper, white pepper, pine resin, rose

Palate: Cream, salt, tobacco, new leather shoes, old whisky, rose petals, maple syrup, pancakes, butter and grape vines

Finish: Salted butter, rock melon, banana bread and honey.

Whisky 2019 – 32-36 Cadenhead Tasting

32 – Cadenhead Inchgower 2009 9yo Sherry Finish 56.5%
Nose: hand cream, caramel, green pineapple, cocktail onion, peaches, banana, plums

Palate: cake dough, short bread, plum cake, baking spices, kiwi fruit

Finish: cream, salty, pepper

****

33 – Cadenhead Creations 2007 “Light creamy smoky” 10 years 60.5% (Invergordon, longrow, springbank, hazelburn, kilkerran)

Nose: caramel, chocolate milk, coffee, honey, slightly burnt chocolate pudding, ashy stones

Palate: Honey, peanut brittle, smoke, ash, caramel

Finish: fat raisins, rubber, salty

***

34 – Cadenhead Glenlossie 1993 24yo 53.6%
Nose: melon melon melon, spices, so tropical, dough, fake peach

Palate: tropical fruit salad, cream, woody, muscat grapes, runny honey

Finish: salty, plums skin tannins

****

35 – Springbank local barley 9yo 57.7%
Nose: dough, cocoa, chocolate, preserved lemon, honey, kiwi skin

Palate: minerals, rocks, ash, chocolates, lemon curd, barley, with water chocolate and tropical

Finish: cream, toasted grains

***

36 – Longrow Sherry Cask 14 years 2003 (bottled July 2018) 57.8%
Nose: rubber, ashy stones, chlorine, caramel, chocolate, raisins

Palate: pencil shavings, caramel, old apples, rubber, old cherries

Finish: ashes, salt, leather, tobacco

****

Whisky 2019 – 30-31

30 – The Whisky Agency Blended Malt XO for Three Rivers Sherry Wood 45.8%
Nose: Nuts, almonds, old whisky, apricots, hand cream, cold butter, flapjacks

Palate: Dried peaches, dried apricots, cream, green vines, salt

Finish: Tobacco, cream, pepper

***

31 – Adelphi “The Brisbane” 57.5% (Starward, Glen Garioch)
Nose: Caramel, salt, vines, soy sauce, maple syrup, melted butter, lebkuchen

Palate: Prunes, caramel, cream, hot melted butter, green vines

Finish: Butter, vines

****

Whisky 2019 – 29

This was such a disappointing Bowmore. I hate the inconsistent nature of these older bottlings. Where was that intense fruity back bone? The integrated peat? The dominant flavour was soap!

29 – Bowmore 25
Nose – soapy, fruit, autumn leaves

Palate – soapy, salty, silty, rubbery

Finish – fruit, cream, liquorice

**

Whisk 2019 – 25-28

25 – Arran 2000 14 years single bourbon cask for The Whisky Exchange cask 2000/1106
Nose: apricots, honey, butter, almonds, tropicals, brandy snaps

Palate: super sweet, burnt toffee, shortbread, passionfruit vine, toasted coconut

Finish: pavlova with cream and green pineapple, salty

****

26 – Hazelburn 2007 Springbank Society 10 Years Sauternes Cask
Nose: baking spices, honey, pear, funky wood, chocolate, prunes, wholemeal donuts with strawberry jam

Palate: Honey, pear, ashes, cream, Christmas spice

Finish: pear, wood, rubber

****

27 – Springbank 2009 “Cage Bottle” Warehouse 15 Rotation 76
Nose: milk chocolate, chocolate milk, freeze dried strawberries, dried pineapple

Palate: Honey, coffee, cream, green pineapple, ashy rocks, chocolate dipped pineapple

Finish: chocolate, cream for days, praline

*****

28 – Campbelltown 4 Years by North Star Series 005 (Kilkerren and Springbank)
Nose: marshmallow, cream, lemon balm, fake mango pudding

Palate: biscuit, cream, lemon zest, apples, mango Weiss bars, custard, dry spice

Finish: fruit and cream, melted butter

****