blair athol – grey whisky

Whisky 2021 – 21-24

21 – Clynelish 1993 26yr by Carn Mor Cask 112115

Nose is full of beautiful intense citrus fruit, fruit fizz, cream and leather. Roses and milk chocolate. And of course wax.

Palate is so elegant. Fruit more citrus and some bruised apples. Cream, honey. Flinty.

Finish is all hot warm double cream and minerality. This is a godlike finish.

5/5 Stars

22 – Blair Athol 1988 30yr by Sansibar 46.9%

Nose is all dusty berries… imagine raspberries and blueberries pulled out of a dusty draw. Warmed butter.

Palate is strawberry jam, chocolate and then gets some lovely savouriness. Some savoury passionfruit vine.

Finish jam, grass, cream… good!

4.5/5

23 – Clynelish 1997 21yr by The Auld Alliance & The Malt Affair 49.9% (10th Anniversary bottling)

Nose is cream, citrus, honey and wax. It’s classic. Squeezed apricots and pears?!?

Palate is honey beautifully with infused citrus and blossoms. Nothing is out of place. It is really balanced.

Finish savoury, baking spices and cream.

4.5/5 Stars

24 – Inchmurrin 1997 23yr by Liquid Treasures 48.5%

Nose is ginkgo nuts and beef marrow. Plastic and funky. Cloves.

Palate beef marrow, light peaches and apricot, tropical and pineapple syrup.

Finish medicinal, grassy and more stone fruit. And chalky?! Weird and wonderful.

Whisky 2019 – 109-123 Flora & Fauna Tasting

Diageo’s Flora and Fauna series was front and centre for The Elysian’s 3rd birthday! Strap in for 15 drams.

109 – Strathmill 12yo
Great nose of lemon curd slathered on shortbread, dried ginger, green cardamom, egg white. But it comes apart on the boring palate of unripe pear and olive oil. This finish is overly salty with hints of underripe stonefruit and some cream.

110 – Linkwood 12yo
Nose has some lovely green apple sorbet notes with creme fraiche, dry baking spices, dried apricots and vanilla bean. Transforms on the palate to ice cream and sun ripened slightly green apricots. The whole vanilla/cream thing continues to be melted ice cream on the finish.

***

111 – Glendullan 12yo
Simple but pleasant nose of caramel and was spicy like an uncooked apple crumble. Palate was quite neutral nothing really stood out but had a great mouthfeel. It was heavy and chewy. How is this a 4 star rating? The finish, long and deep! It was amazingly creamy and full of bitter almonds like marzipan and frangipane tart. For a simple whisky the finish lifts this to an excellent whisky.

****

112 – Dailuaine 16yo (Discontinued)
Nose was very elegant. It had lovely dried rose petals, dried stone fruit all sprinkled with brown sugar and a healthy dose of cream. Tastes of hay and coffee grounds leading into hand cream and dark chocolate. Indulgent finish of a chocolate and caramel cake.

****

113 – Rosebank 12yo (Closed Distillery)
Fruit medley nose with dried apples, tinned pineapple, young ginger. Some interesting whiffs of vanilla pod and curiously dry bones. The palate is grassy, with more orchard and stone fruits, some lovely hints of marshmallow and leather. Simple finish that grassy and salt.

***

114 – Blair Athol 12yo
Sherry influenced nose – wood varnish, caramel, snickers bars and a touch of rubber. The palate has sweet tea tannins and touches of flat coke. There is some nice fruit of dried peaches and muscat grapes. Beautiful white peach and salted butter finish.

****

115 – Auchroisk 10yo
Confusing nose of marischino cherries and marzipan, tomato paste, pears. The pear notes continue with pear tea cake with cream on the palate. Pears return on the finish with a salty and saline, pear juice lick.

***

116 – Inchgower 14yo
Promising nose of hand cream, baking spice and dry cocoa. Some grassy notes and a touch of apricot leather. The palate reminds of stewed apricots with cloves and pepper, unfortunately a saltiness interferes. Cream, baking spice and flat lemonade to finish.

***

117 – Mannochmore 12yo
Nose of glue, lemon, shortbread and slightly salty peanut shells. An initial floral palate moves to sweet tea and slight snickers bar. The finish continues slightly nutty and a lovely floral note.

***

118 – Glen Spey 12yo
The nose was really really interesting with a mixture of minerality and Portuguese tarts. The Portuguese tarts were just there when tasting as it was overwhelmed by dry spice and not much else. The finish was overly grassy.

119 – Mortlach 16yo (Discontinued)
Wonderfully complex nose of lemon zest, dried rose petals, apricots, caramel, butter, chocolate and dusty shelves, hay and sweet tea… so many layers. Palate with great stone fruit of dried apricots and green peaches and a surprising note of liquorice and fennel. Just falls a bit short on the finish slight stone fruit notes and salty.

****

120 – Pittyvaich 12yo (Closed Distillery)
Nose of dried orange zest, furniture varnish, woody, salted lemon zest, brown sugar and melted butter. Sherry sherry sherry! Palate of coffee, toffee, with a surprising mulch and woody note, dried cherries, wine grapes. Lovely finish of spent coffee filters and melted butter.

****

121 – Bladnoch 10yo (Discontinued)
Woooo!!! Bourbon nose! Mango, green apricots and pineapple, grassy, hand cream. Palate of salty roasted peanuts and dried mango. On the finish it moves really nicely into hay and cream. A solid dram.

***

122 – Glenlossie 10yo
Interesting nose of peanuts, fresh strawberries and green coconut. A cooling mouthfeel makes way for grassy, hay, bounty bar, tea tannin palate. Interesting and complex finish of mango seeds, salt and slight butter and some bitter notes of dark chocolate, grape seed.

***

123 – Benrinnes 15yo
Nose of manuka honey and aspirin and it becomes quite flinty and mineral with touches of caramel. Wonderfully umami palate with flavours of soy sauce and nori butter, Parmesan rind. Finish of coffee grains and more butter!

***

Whisky 2017 – 204-210, Cadenhead Tasting

Unfortunately since returning from Japan I have been waylaid with influenza… I wasnt sure how my palate would go at this tasting but with these absolute stompers from Cadenhead, it certainly woke up!!

204 – Cadenhead Small batch Cragganmore 1993 22YO 56.3%
Lemon balm, cookies, mint lollies, apricot delight, vanilla essence, cherry syrup, ice cream, really fruity. Cake out of the oven, salt, passionfruit vine, roasted shallots, a touch or grilled stone fruit, juniper.

205 – Cadenhead Single Cask Highland Park 1996 20YO 50.6%
Passionfruit jelly, passiona, apple sauce, raspberry lollies, apples. Waxy, beautiful length with pancakes, prunes, fruit leather, instant coffee grounds, slight rubbery note, honey.

206 – Cadenhead Auchroisk Sherry Butts 1989 24YO 57.5% *
Huge sherry, rubber, sulphur, chalk, cloves, dark chocolate, oatmeal stout, menthol, apples. Huge sherry and then an amazing savory note, cooked down mushrooms, soy sauce and butter, some really beautiful caramel sweetness to begin with, toasted nori.

207 – Cadenhead Small Batch 175th Anniversary Blair Athol 1988 28YO 53.6%
Leather, cloves, wood chips and gum leaves, apricots, rocks, slight waxy note, hazelnuts. Cashew nut butter, loads of tropical fruit, lantana, creamed honey, whipped cream, apricots, loads of chocolate with water.

208 – Cadenhead Single Cask Teaninich 1983 32YO 47.5%
Peanut butter, ice cream, dusty, caramel sauce, rose hip jam, brown butter, chicos, wax. Wax, dust, chocolate, leather, herbaceous, tropical fruits, slight butter.

209 – Whisky Agency and Three Rivers Glen Moray 1994 re-charred Hogshead 54.8%
Maple syrup, raspberries, turps, wood glue, Bourbon like, crushed ants, pound cake. Vanilla, raspberry jam, green bananas, huge vanilla finish – would think Bourbon, crushed ants. (Was this a mislabeled Bourbon?)

210 – The Oceans Whisk-e Westport (Glenmorangie) 1997, 18 Years Cask 1500071
Vanilla, gravox, sarsaparilla, pancakes, maple syrup. Vanilla, bacon and maple syrup, golden syrup, aspirin, raspberries, perfume, soap, coffee, leather, sarsaparilla.

Whisky 2016 – 68-76 (Kavalan Tasting)

68 – Kavalan Solist Manzanilla
Gluey, woody, smells hot and salty, nutty. Unexpected sweetness, dried orange and apricot, Terry’s chocolate orange, floral, mango Weiss bars.

69 – Kavalan Solist Amontillado
Glue, musk, wood, brown sugar, caramel, melted cultured butter. Salty, leather, brown sugar, caramel, walnuts oil, loads of musk on the finish, bitter almonds, toasted almonds. Maybe a bit bitter for me.

70 – Kavalan Solist Moscatel
Chicos, milk chocolate, instant coffee, treacle and I’m reminded of little thyme flowers. Smooth so so smooth, butter loads of it, honey, caramel, maple syrup, maybe some passionfruit and just freaking good.

71 – Kavalan Solist PX (Pedro Ximenez)
Corn tempura, butter, cream, dried fruits. Really smooth big tropical fruits, macerated berries, slight mint, slight motor oil.

72 – Kavalan Solist Fino
Glue, dry sherry (ha!), rock melon, coffee, white peaches and cream. Tropical fruit, caramels, salt, creamy, rose water.

73 – Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique
Vanilla and chocolate, Xmas spice, toasted coconut. Jasmine, cold milk tea, tropical fruits.

74 – Rest and Be Thankful Bunnahabhain 1989
Green grass, old bananas, brown sugar, passionfruit vine. Coffee, cream, caramel, salt, thyme and a slight iodine hit.

75 – Finlaggan The Original
Iodine, sweet, sea water, cream, caramel, cherry wood. Sea water, pepper, prunes and iodine.

76 – Blair Athol Manager’s Choice Cask 5989
Toffee apple, sulphur, brandy, chicos, egg white, aged sake maybe. Cream, apricot delight, toffee, caramel, apples skins.

Whisky 2016 – 28-32

28 – Mackey Distillery Cask 4 (Port Barrel 6 years)
Chocolate, turps, pine, maple, marshmallow, cucumber skin, apricots, white pepper, cloves, vanilla cream, cinnamon. Apricots, Christmas spices, barley, oily, raspberry, raisins, sarsaparilla.

29 – Signatory Clynelish 1996 18 Years
Charcoal, honey, leather, sulphury, dried apricots, maple syrup. Spices, orange zest, rubber, slightly creamy, dried fruit finish.

30 – Signatory Blair Athol 1989 23 Years
Hazelnuts, underripe white peaches, dark chocolate, marzipan, roses. Passionfruit, passionfruit vine, creamy, salted fudge, toasted hazelnuts, snickers bars.

31 – Wilson & Morgan Ben Nevis 1995 18 Year
Chicos, chocolate tart, vanilla essence, salty. Green herbs, garden thyme, stone fruit, lpg, lemon zest.

32 – La Maison du Whiskey Artist #4 – Batch 2 – Bunnahabhain 10
Cream, stone fruit, pavlova, dried pineapple, maple syrup, passionfruit, crushed ants. Honey, dried fruit, salt, pepper, dried pineapple, cloves, cream, milk chocolate.