Tag: glenfarclas

Whisky 2021 – 1-3

And we’re away for 2021. Hope you enjoy the reviews, they’ll be cross posted to Reddit and Instagram.

1 – Wemyss Bowmore 1990 “Satsuma Soap” 48% for Whisky Fair Takao

Nose is salty, flinty, I ripe plums, maraschino cherries and honeyed… really inviting minerality. Touches of cream.

Palate is intensely floral, salty, peachy, tropical fruit, slight licks of smoke

Finish is grassy, cocoa dusted and salty

5/5 Stars

2 – 1976 Blend The Maltman (Clynelish, Dailuaine, Macduff, Teaninich, Ben Nevis, Invergordon)

Nose reminds me of my grandfather’s garden with dried apricots warmed in the hot sun. Day old cream, spice and cloves.

Palate is gnarled woody apricot trees, apricot kernels and more stone fruit. It is salty and loads of vanilla cream. Goes tannic with bruised apples and slightly thin before the great finish.

Finish is super rich vanilla cream.

4.5/5 Stars

3 – Secret Speyside 1993 26 Years by TWA and Three Rivers 49.3% Ex-sherry hogshead

Nose is inviting deep sherry with apples, salt and stone fruit

Palate is cream, spice, and well controlled rubbery sulphur. It’s got a lightness of spirit with great nuttiness.

Finish is lots of stone fruit and sarsaparilla

4.5/5 Stars

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Whisky 2020 – 50-51

50 – Glenfarclas 2005 sherry cask for The Whisky Club Australia

Nose of fudge, lemon barley cordial, roses and plastic.

Palate of chocolate milk, dried rose petals, cream, honey and lemon zest

Finish old leather couches and barley sugar lollies.

***

51 – Hazelgrove 2000 by Maltman 16yrs PX cask 11078 47.1%

Nose chocolate mousse, fruit cake, Campbeltown funk, bruised apples, prunes and coal.

Palate spiced apples, rich mushroom and beef broth, dark bitter chocolate, dried pineapple, smoked ham and soy sauce

Finish of bruised apples, salt, tar, ham soup and bitter drinking chocolate.

****^

Whisky 2018 – 143-148

143 – Miltonduff Liquid Treasures 1989 25 years 51.2%
Nose – lemon curd, coconut, caramel, pineapple, honey
Palate – green vines, caramel, salt, raw pastry, honey
Finish – caramel

144 – Glenfarclas Family Cask Spring 2017, 1993 Distilled Cask #3951
Nose – dusty chocolate, wood, sarsaparilla, cream,
Palate – earthy, mushrooms, woody, salty, soy sauce, honey, peanuts
Finish – bitter, raisins, tannic

145 – Springbank 1999, distilled two and a half times lightly peated. Matured in small casks 50.2%
Nose – peanut brittle, prunes, plums, caramel, red wine
Palate – prunes, plums, salt, tobacco, sweet, burnt leaves, grapes, waxy
Finish – roasted peanuts, heather, tobacco pouch, band-aids

146 – Cadenhead Linkwood-Glenlivet 28 Years 1989 43.7%
Nose – shaving cream, honey, apricots, red apple, wax
Palate – bruised apple, pencil shavings, orange pith, kiwi fruit hair, rock melon
Finish – cream, fruit, dried pineapple

147 – SMWS 2.108 ‘The King o’Malts’ (Glenlivet)
Nose – fruity, coconut cream, hand cream, whipped cream
Palate – banana, bourbon, toast with butter and brown sugar, banoffee pie
Finish – tropical fruit, green vines

Whisky 2018 – 44-48

Some incredible drams at the Elysian with Hideo Yamaoka and Toru Suzuki. These were all top level drams but the “Water of Life” Speyside is in my top all time 5, just mind blowing.

44 – Burnside Speyside Blend by The Whisky Find for The Mash Tun Tokyo and Little Happiness Hiroshima 1990, 27 Years Cask 4393
Nose – dusty, apricots, chocolate, liquorice
Palate – wax, apricots, maple syrup, pencil shaving, chocolate, cough drops, caramel, gun powder
Finish – salty, woody, red wine tannins

45 – Chichibu Galaxy Express 999, 2010 bottled 2017 selected by Hideo Yamaoka
Nose – hazelnuts, marzipan, chocolate, menthol, juicy stone fruit, formic acid,
Palate – scones with apricots and cream, almond kernels, bright and spicy,
Finish – perfume, cream

46 – Akashi in Cognac and Chardonnay Cask #61191 Distilled 2011 6 Years selected by Hideo Yamaoka
Nose – honey, maple syrup, butter, yeast, toast with butter
Palate – honey, butter, chili peppers, maple syrup, old tinned pineapple, soy sauce
Finish – cream, honey, salt

47 – Douglas Laing’s Old Particular Longmorn for Mashtun, Elysian, Drunken Master, Etc 1994, 22 Years
Nose – apricots, galvanized fence, Cottee’s caramel
Palate – caramel, salt, nori, stone fruit, minerals, short bread
Finish – caramel, eggy pudding

48 – Speyside (Glenfarclas) Malt 1973, 43 Years “Water of Life” Cask #8 selected by Carsten Ehrlich and Hideo Yamaoka *
Nose – hamburgers, mayonnaise, cream, candle wax, tomatoes, caramel, chocolate nibs
Palate – passiona, cream, juicy, cream, cream, cream, tropical fruits, wax, hazelnuts, toast with butter and brown sugar
Finish – cream, hairspray (in a good way), tropical fruits, cream, cream

Whisky 2017 – 193-197 – The Mash Tun, Tokyo

It is always a pleasure to visit The Mash Tun in Tokyo, owner Toru Suzuki is a true gentleman and wonderful ambassador for whisky. On this trip I arrived as they finished a Cadenhead tasting with General Manager, Mark Watt. Truly a special occasion to walk through the door on. I also met representatives from Shinanoya and Whisk-e. I was hanging out with the big dogs, accidentally.

193 – Benrinnes Bourbon Cask for the Mash Tun 13th Anniversary 17 Years “How can I live at the top of the mountain“
Pancakes, vanilla, salted butter, sweet biscuits, cakes, stone fruit, galvanized fence. Apricots, vanilla, rubber, sulphur, salt, red apples, sponge cake, chestnuts.

194 – Cadenhead’s 175th Anniversary Caperdonich 39 Years
Rubber, shoe polish, chocolate, grilled nectarines. Toffee, raisins, butter, brown sugar, ice coffee, plum chutney, green figs, old butter. This thing is huge.

195 – Glenfarclas 32 Years Salon de Shimaji PenXShinanoya Cask 136 1981 bottled 2013
Buttered toast, chestnut purée, raisin, cloves, pickled onions (in a good way), coffee. Honey, butter, pain à raisin, salt, apricots.

196 – Ichiro’s malt “The Game” Madeira Hogshead Cask 1370, 10 Year Anniversary of Shinanoya *
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.

197 – Benriach 1976 Sherry Cask/Bourbon Finish Cask 529, 37 years
Plastic, caramel, rose hips, green grass, columbines, salt, passion fruit vine. Butter herbs, butter, caramel, apricot jam, chocolate, stout, kiwi fruits, chocolate, LPG, beef fat, vanilla icecream, pineapple.

Whisky 2017 – 118-124 Black Gate Tasting

Black Gate is a small producer in New South Wales. Was really fascinating to hear Brian’s story of how he ended up being a distiller. He did say he was afraid of change, and I think he’s fairly keen on his 3 year maturation but to me the new make still comes through. Despite the 7% yearly loss, I think these would do better with just a couple more years. 


118 – Black Gate #BG005
Caramels, deep toffee, gum leaves, banana, brown sugar, kangaroo poo, cherry coke, maple syrup. Sarsaparilla, mint, slight bacon, dry spices, slight newmake hit, peanut butter.

2016.35 – Black Gate #BG007
Marzipan, string, yeast, ice cream, hand cream. Pine, ice cream, cucumber, dry ginger, dried apple.

119 – Black Gate #BG008
Custard, rose petals, ice cream, glacé ginger. Dry ginger, star anise, cream, pine resin, cherry ripes.

120 – Black Gate Cask Strength #011
Chocolate, raspberry lollies, marzipan, chocolate, soy sauce, strawberry jam, slight bacon fat. Sarsaparilla, dry cloves, strawberry jam, kangaroo poo, rose petals.

121 – Black Gate #BG020
Mango, pineapple upside down cake, yeast, cream. Still a bit young, weak instant coffee, salt, cream, tequila, orange zest.

122 – Black Gate Peated new make 
Cheese, pine wood, cucumber, banana, just extinguished coals, caramel. Butter, tobacco, white pepper, barn yard.

123 – Ben Nevis 16 Years Hidden Spirits “Highproof” Cask BN9916
Unmistakably Ben Nevis vanilla extract, pound cake, stone fruit, apricots, chocolate, dust, chicos, red skins, pine resin. Stone fruit, cut grass, pound cake, brown bread with butter.

124 – Glenfarclas Family Cask 1995 Cask 6640 52.1%
Sarsaparilla, rubber, butter, caramel, Xmas cake, white peaches. Apples, rubber, caramels, black beans, stewed pears, brioche, red apple skins, charcoal, soy sauce, funky butter

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 2016 – 124-127 Bar Chèvre, Kyoto

124 – 3 Rivers Ben Nevis 1996 19 Years “The Dance”
Unmistakable Ben Nevis cake mix, marmalade, apricots, gentle cloves, pepper, butter powder. Green, coffee, less honey, flintiness, milk chocolate.

125 – The Arran Exclusive for Whisk-e 1997 18 Years Sherry Hogshead
Oranges, vanilla, heady, hand cream. Vanilla, cream, pound cake, sooooo creamy, gas, leather, salt.

126 – 1975 Glen Elgin 34 years for Bar Superhero 3rd Anniversary ny Kingsbury & Co
Melons, kiwifruit, egg whites, pavlova, apples and plums. Tobacco, rum, honey cakes, delightful fruit cocktail.

127 – Salon de Shimaji Pen x Shinanoya Glenfarclas 19 years Cask 3781
Apricots, passionfruit, maple syrup, wood, musk, orange zest. Orange juice, pancakes, maple syrup, Xmas fruit and cream, salt, cloves, coffee.

Whisky 2016 – 47-50

47 – Glenfarclas Whisky & Wisdom bottling 2007
Musk lollies, leather, glue, honey, maple syrup, sarsaparilla and chocolate. Short, hot and angry, wood, maple, cream, butter, marshmallows.

48 – Berry’s Laphroaig 1997 Cask 48
Oil paints, autumn leaves, salty caramels, plasticine. Honey, smoke, bitter caramels, sweet mint and basil, cream and leaves.

49 – Lagavulin 18 Feis Ile 2016 Bottling Bottle:5916 (American Oak Hogsheads & Bodega Sherry Butts)
Fresh, zesty, red apples, butter cake, autumn leaves, just the right amount of oiliness. Apples, autumn leaves, saltiness, cream, paint. Really well balanced.

50 – SMWS 72.47 Burnt Spotted Dick (Miltonduff)
Cottee’s caramel ice cream sauce, glue and orange zest, candy apples, formic acid, pina colada, pineapple upside down cake, vanilla essence, white pepper, creme caramel, slight Rosemary. Juicy grilled pineapple, toasted coconut, vanilla pudding, pain aux raisins, slight sweet rubbery notes.

Whisky 2015 – 132-133

Big thank you to Kevin for pulling out these older bottles to share. The 1960s JW was very interesting. 

132 – Glenfarclas 25 (late 90s bottling)
Marshmallow, pepper, salt, maple syrup, clove, sarsaparilla and musk. Pink musk sticks, gentler spiced than most Glenfarclas, some rubber and sulfur (odd for Glenfarclas) and pipe tobacco.

133 – Johnnie Walker Black 1960s bottling “Extra special old scotch whisky”
Honey, slight brown sugar, pepper, herbaceous, slight cream, tobacco. Smoke gives way quickly to honey and sugar, then some great tobacco which keeps kicking on.