Whisky 2017 – 114-117

Once again the Whisky Gods were smiling on me. Yao from The Elysian opened a bottle of Munro’s King of Kings that his parents pulled from their cellar and gave to him. Such an interesting dram – old whisky seems to be a lot more herbaceous to my palate. Not a lot of info out there about this one, except to say James Munro also ran Dalwhinnie in the early 1900s. 

114 – Arran Bourbon Cask 1999 54.8% 2015 Release Cask 78
Pineapple, rock melon skins, apricots, chocolate mousse, passiona. Cream, passionfruit skins, apricot, tea tannins, green apricots, butter, almonds, red skins, raspberries.

115 – Maltman Aultmore 7 Years Port Cask 2008 Cask 100
Honey, crumpets, dark chocolate, musk sticks, pine glue, hot brown butter, menthol, strawberry jam on white bread with butter. Peach ice tea, butter, banana, coffee cream, slight cheese cake, rock melon with vanilla cream.

116 – Munro’s King of Kings Rare Old De Luxe
Wax, soy sauce, ginger, ginseng, heather, leather. Initially really light but wax, caramel, herbaceous, tobacco, old dusty chocolate. Didn’t have much time with this dram as it was a small dram as a gift once the bottle was opened. Old and unique.

117 – Glenfarclas Family Cask for Shinanoya 10 years Cask 5695
Old tropical fruit, musk, grilled pineapple, roasted peaches, milk chocolate, old wood. Cocoa, dusty, orange rind, soy sauce, fruit tingles, bubble gum and vanilla pods.

Whisky 2017 – 111-113 – The Gresham, Brisbane

So in Brisbane for work. Always trying to find whisky bars and discover The Gresham an SMWS bar. Had a great time and the staff were quite knowledge. Not really a quiet bar but still a good selection with some 2015 SMWS bottlings that are long gone. 

111 – SMWS 9.83 Tiger balm, limoncello and scented candles (Glen Grant)
Raw peanuts, spring onions, lemon zest, tinned pineapple, nail polish remover, vanilla and apricot crumble. Zingy totally understand the limoncello and tiger balm, over fried garlic, green onions (in a good way – first time I’ve thought that), with time cocoa, old butter and dusty.

112 – Glendronach 1992 24 years olorosso butt cask 226 %58.4%
Match heads, old apples, caramel, pepper, rhubarb compote, dust, roasted shallots, balsamic reduction. Wow so deep and heavy, soy sauce caramel, dusty, old apples, mushroom funk, gravox, cocoa, melted butter, red apple skin, caramel.

113 – Glendronach 1989 26 years olorosso butt cask 2662 54.5%
Apricot jam, caramel, Granny Smith apples, pound cake, really good tomatoes, pound cake. Tobacco, chocolate, weeds, plastics, dust, savory, old apples, slightly funky, old leather, shaving cream, flint, burnt onions, tarte tatin.

Whisky 2017 – 106-110

Perhaps the best tasting I’ve been to ever. Finished it off with something different with the Jack Wiebers’ Classic of Islay. 


106 – Glenrothes Single Cask Australian Exclusive Single Cask #5579 OB 2003 13yo 56.6%
Butter, aspirin, plastic, quince jelly, egg pudding. Soy sauce, chocolate, black beans, orange zest, mandarin, cream, cocoa powder, sarsaparilla, red apple skins.

107 – Eld Vatten Single Cask Glenrothes 2006 10yo 57.3%
Honey, aspirin, lavender, sight matchhead, banana caramel pie, bacon fat, burnt butter, pine needles, butter, verjuice, pound cake. Honey, salt, heather, thyme flowers, sulfur, rubber, melted butter.

108 – North Star Single Cask Glenrothes 1996 20yo 54.6%
Wood glue, marzipan, toasted coconut, apricot delight, kiwi fruit, pavlova, dry ginger. Banana, stone fruit, passionfruit vine, cream, wine, toasted macadamia, glacé ginger, brown butter, potato skin.

109 – The Maltman Glenrothes Single Cask #7476 1989 27yo 46%
Sulfur, gun powder, apple snow, pouch tobacco, stewed apricot. Red apple skins, flinty, leather, stewed apricots, white pepper.

2017.84 – The Whisky Agency Glenrothes 1997 for The Elysian Whisky Bar & 5 Other Bars 1997 19yo 51.8%

2014.102 – Adelphi Glenrothes Australian Exclusive 2007 7yo 67.6%

110 – Classics of Islay Vintage Malt Whisky Co, Jack Wiebers Whisky World Cask 7118
Butterscotch, kelp, moss, butter, glue, flinty, smoke. Strawberries, seaweed, smoke, flint, seaweed butter on fresh bread, metho (but not in a bad way).

Whisky 2017 – 101-105 Heartwood Tasting

For World Whisky Day, Tim from Heartwood presented to a small group at Bad Frankie. Very interesting tasting, even Tim seemed impressed with some of the bottles Seb opened. 

101 – Heartwood The Beagle 2 
Juicy and vanilla, caramel, marshmallow, pancakes with maple syrup. Chocolate, rubber, ice coffee, sarsaparilla, Terry’s chocolate orange. 

102 – Heartwood The Revelation (Lark)
Pancakes with boozy raisins, pine resin, pepper corns, mint. Cola, pepper, rancid butter, stewed apricots, white pepper, melted butter. 

103 – Heartwood We are Brothers LD218/219
Marshmallow, tomato water, gooseberry jam, quince jelly, sponge cake, . Strawberry shortcake, milk chocolate, vanilla cream, white pepper, cardamom, violets, quince jelly. 

104 – Heartwood @#$%^&* (2nd fill sherry cask) td0124
Vanilla, cloves, hand cream, pine resin, chocolate, apricot nectar, pound cake. Sponge cake, mint, raisins, mint slice biscuits, stewed stone fruit. 

105 – Adams 6 Months Slosh Port Cask
Caramel, cloves, cucumber, butter, wood chips, baked potato, strawberry jam. Sarsaparilla, Coke, salt, cucumber, red apple skins and tea tannins. 

2015.155 – Heartwood Convict Resurrection 14
Chocolate fudge brownie, toasted walnuts, Sacher torte, . Buttered popcorn, cherries, Black Forest cake, lemon zest. 

2016.150 – Heartwood 2 of 3
Marshmallow, apple snow, wood resin, gooseberry jam, Pavlova with loads cream, apricot with pepper, pound cake. Firecrackers, popcorn with butter, red apple toffees. 

Whisky 2017 – **100**

So I have already hit 100 new drams for the year. I think this is perhaps the longest name of a whisky I’ve had too. Thank you Dave Broom! 

100 – The School of Malt Lesson IV Dave Broom Linkwood 26 Years by Whisk-e Cask #3210
Slight rubber, honey, sulphur, strawberry jam and cream, milk chocolate dipped kiwi fruit, rose petals, lime zest. Roasted peanuts, umami, cream, apricot jam, chocolate spice, hoppy beer, honey.

Whisky 2017 – 92-99

Some crazy independents here – thanks to my buddies Kelvin and Yao at The Elysian Whisky Bar. The Bowmore and Tomatin were my picks. 

92 – Berry Brothers 1992 Dailuaine 22 for Shinanoya
Apricots, dried fruit, orange zest, vanilla cake, light Xmas spice. Creamy, grilled stone fruit, green grass, roasted shallots.


93 – Three Rivers Whisky Talk Fukuoka “The Statue” Bunnahabhain 22 Years
Vanilla cake, apricots, slight meaty, ice cream, cloves, handcream. Gentle, fruit cake, hazlenut oil, really nutty, buttery.

94 – Kingsbury Auchroisk 1991 Sherry Butt Cask 2555
Dry ginger, orange rind, leather, sarsaparilla, cloves, wood, salted peanuts, plastic. Hairspray, old butter, leather, beef broth, stewed apples, coffee grounds.


95 – Three Rivers Bowmore 1996 Hogshead Cask 960039
Wet cardboard, caramel, LPG, steak and kidney pie, pepper and honey. Green grass, loads of honey, leaves, hot volcanic rocks, cream, ash, green plums, kiwi fruits, gooseberry, pencils shavings, band-aids.


96 – Glenflorres 12 Years 1970/80s bottling
Warm short bread, eggy pudding, mango, orange zest, slight licorice, wood resin. Soap, lavender, lemon balm, air freshener, slight creamy finish… soooo freaking weird.


97 – Tomatin 8 Years Limburg Dramclub 2015 Club Bottling 5
Chocolate dipped bananas, white chocolate mouse, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cherry ripe. Sweet tomato paste, caramel, banana lollies, pepper candy (is that a thing), musk lollies, clove and quince jam. Huge amounts of vanilla cream and spice with water, old butter finish.

98 – Chieftain’s Mortlach 1997 19 Years, Cask 5245 for Drunken Master Bar
Chicos, powdered gravy, Terry’s chocolate orange, vanilla beans, roasted pumpkin, mushrooms and earth. Sarsaparilla, woody, tea and wine tannin, cream, rubber, dusty, dried cherries and old prunes.


99 – Kingsbury Laphroaig 2000 16 Years Cask 3621
Jersey caramel, bacon on a campfire, sweet autumn leaves, plastic. Bone, mulch, burnt bacon, clear sugars, lemon pith, stones in a fire, banana leaf, slight rubbery.

Whisky 2017 – 87-91 Ardnamurchan Adelphi Tasting

I was very lucky to be invited to a very special tasting for Adelphi’s new Ardnamurchan bottling. While it isn’t ready, it was nice to try the bottle. I didn’t buy a bottle, there wasn’t enough there for me. The 1998 Glen Garioch was pretty damn good. The Inchgower wasn’t on tasting but thought I should get in a dram before it goes – only 56 bottles. 

87 – Adelphi Archives Inchgower 26 Years Cask 14155
Licorice, blackcurrants, chocolate, molasses, prunes, shaving cream, orange zest, dried apricots, warm eggs pudding. Soy sauce, beef broth, tea tannins, dry bones, chocolate and raisins, bitter almonds.

88 – Adelphi Ardnamurchan Spirit 2016/AD American Oak Sherry butt
Stewed apple, green banana leaf, plastic, cloves, lovely fruit cake, pine resin. Pepper, pineapple, cream, dry and boney, cigarette ash.

89 – Adelphi Glenborrodale Batch 3
Rubber, green herbs, pepper, sugar water, white pepper, honey. Wild oregano, cream, weak, slight honey, salty cream.

90 – Adelphi Glen Garioch 1998 Sherry Cask 57.5%
Brown sugar, musk, maple, toasted hazelnuts, slight sulfur, hair spray, apricots. Watermelon, hazelnut, mint, slight sugar, green herbs, chocolate, brandy snaps, kirsch.

91 – Adelphi Ardnamurchan Peated Sample ex-Woodford Reserve barrel 22 months
Bananas, cucumber, caramel, marshmallow, musk, stone fruit. Coffee grounds, cigarette tobacco, fruit tingles, banana and tomato water.