glenlivet – grey whisky

Whisky 2018 – 180-184

181 – Douglas Laing’s Timorous Beastie 21 Year Old Sherry Blend
Nose – honey, fruit tingles, hand cream
Palate – honey, lemon, slight hazelnuts, cocoa
Finish – slight sugary and creamy

182 – Ben Nevis 1990 by Le Gus’t 27 years 1990 Port Pipe Cask #5 *
Nose – aged sake, truffles, funky, dirty, cigarettes, honey,
Palate – honey, maple syrup, terbium, hairspray, bbq meats
Finish – salty, pepper sauce, honey, herbs

183 – Glenlivet 2007 by Signatory bottled 2018 Sherry Hogshead 900204
Nose – chocolate, orange oil, cocoa, pine oil, apricots, fruity and vibrant with waterPalate – pancakes, salty, hand cream, honey, lime cordial, hot butter, caramel sauce, peppery with water,
Finish – flinty, rubber, soy sauce, cream

184 – Fettercain 1988 by The Whisky Agency for Shinanoya bourbon hogshead cask 2001
Nose – waxy, fruity, peaches, dried apricot, malt, honey, pencil shavings, nutty
Palate – watermelon, cream, blackberries, waxy, green fruit, hand cream, cashew nuts
Finish – creamy creamy creamy, pepper

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 – 88-91 – The Glenlivet Tasting with Alan Winchester

This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I wasn’t that impressed with any of these. Now I know I am a Sherry head but to me Glenlivet is at its best when it has had a long time in sherry. They weren’t offensive or poorly executed, just a bit boring to my palate.

88 – The Glenlivet 18
Nose – soap(?), pineapple, stewed pears, orange zest
Palate – jaffas, milk, caramels, pear juice
Finish – burnt milk

89 – The Glenlivet Glenshee Single Cask 28669 15 Years
Nose – scotchfinger biscuits, lemon and coconut cake, toasted pound cake, almond cake
Palate – passionfruit, cream, pear crumble, lemon zest, bitter orange
Finish – vines, salty cold butter, pound cake

90 – The Glenlivet Code
Nose – old bananas, brown sugar, candied orange, full cream milk, oyster
Palate – hay, pears, salt, toast and butter,
Finish – cream, vines

91 – The Glenlivet 15
Nose – Banana, rubber, ozone, soap(?), tinned pineapple
Palate – milk chocolate, banana milk, cinnamon, banana smoothie
Finish – vanilla, caramel, barley tea, peanuts

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 – 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.

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.

Whisky 2017 – 74-78 Signatory Tasting

74 – Signatory Dailuaine 1997- 19yo
Pineapple, acetone, apricots, dried apples, kiwi fruit, old champagne, egg shells. Salty, green herbs, burnt chocolate, fruity, slight waxy.

75 – Signatory Clynelish 1995 – 20yo
Matches, Forrest wood, leather, mushrooms and earth, maple syrup, nutty. Wood, chocolate almonds, salt, soap bubbles, coffee grounds, tea tannins.

144.2016 – Signatory Bunnahabhain 1989 – 26yo
Pine, orange zest, green bananas, iced coffee, slight medical, old shells. Dusty, flinty, cocoa, an old fire, white wine tannin, old apples.

76 – Signatory Glenlivet 1995 – 20yo
Ice cream cone, wafer biscuit, peanut brittle, ice cream, wood, cane sugar, golden syrup, rock sugar, apple pie, coco pops. Butter, coffee, sarsaparilla, musk, pepper, rose hip jam, tannins.

77 – Signatory Isle Of Jura 1989 – 26yo heavily peated
Leather, quite neutral, mushrooms, dry ginger, nutty, lemon zest, pine wood, walnut oil. Mango, bacon, ice cream, maple syrup, rock melon skin, salted almonds, lemonade.

78 – Signatory Ledaig 2005 – 10yo
Bonfire, medicinal, toasted bread, corn chips, smoked ham. Flinty, Dry, fire, Sherry, slight BBQ meat, apple seeds.

Whisky 2017 – 1-3

And we begin again.

1 – Glenlivet Nadurra American White Oak Batch FF0115
Raspberry soda, banana bread, cream, toasted pumpkin seeds, hand cream, lemsip. Toasty, dark malt bread with butter, dried pineapple, raspberry lollies, overly salty butter.

2 – Ben Nevis 1996 The Nectar of the Daily Drams
Honey, aspirin, marshmallows, maple syrup, melted butter, prunes, raisins, my mum’s brandy snaps. Wonderful mouthful, salt, cherries, loads of dried fruit, cake mix, apples and fresh apricots.

3 – Liquid Sun 6 Years PX Cask
Cucumbers, salt, honey, yeast, leather, new make, dried pineapple. Cucumber skin, salt, lemon, honey, butter, yeasty dough.

Favourites of 2015

I’ll probably have a few more drams this year but these have been my favourites for 2015.

49 – SMWS 124.4 (Miyagikyo) Full of Secret Pleasures
Muscat, port, Sherry fino, rubber, dry warmth, oil soaked rags, spices cloves and anise, maple. German spice biscuits, a rubber fire, cocoa, liquorice, toasted bran, so much going on. Jeezus!

70 – Heartwood Beagle 3
Pine resin, the sweet end of turps, marijuana, chocolate, crushed ants, tomato vine. Tobacco, leather, pepper, beef jerky, super powerful vanilla – it’s really chewy and salty. With time pina colada on the nose and beautiful rich thick caramel. Wow! Really impressed. One of the best for 2015.

121 – Ichiro’s Malt 2015 Tokyo International Bar Show Cask 2360
Wow just wow – favourite for the year!! Banana, ice cream, malty bread with butter, tomato paste, fruit tingles, slight vino cotto, CHICOS. Yeast, brown bread, vanilla, banana bread, prunes, plums, grapes.

143 – Whisky Base Ben Nevis
So much honey, aspirin, maple syrup, butter on crumpets. Melted salted butter, cloves and vanilla cream – it’s such a beautifully structured whisky nothing is offensive or is aggressive, pipe tobacco, tiny bit of pineapple and mango.

164 – Cadenhead Glenrothes-Glenlivet 24
Sulphur, gas, maple syrup, wood, chicos, brown tea and hay. Salt, wood, rubber, maple, dried strawberries or maybe strawberry jam, brown sugar, rum, brandy butter, caramel, chocolate and LPG. So damn complex.

Whisky 2015 – 42-45

42 – Signatory Series Glenlivet 1997
Musk, rock candy, rubber, lemon and honey in hot water, coconut rough. Dry, sweet sugar syrup, salt and pepper.

43 – Talisker 12
Over ripe apples, wood, maple syrup, sweet salts, plasticine, flowers and cola. A beautiful dram that switches from bitter to sweet – leading to musk and rubber. I really like it.

44 – Compass Box The Last of the Vatted Malt
Hazelnuts, butter, salt, leather, bark. LPG (in a good way), charcoal, passionfruit and a residual candy sweetness.

45 – Gordon & MacPhail 1990 Clynelish (2002 bottling)
Rubber (like bicycle tires), sulfur, tar, cake batter and salted caramel. Rubber, tropical fruit cordial, caramel. One of my faves so far.

I also tried a sip of the Starward Wine Cask. Loads of overripe bananas on the nose and fake banana flavouring on the palate.