glenturret – grey whisky

Whisky 2020 – 25-30 North Star Tasting

25 – Cameronbridge 37 Years by North Star series 008

Nose is super sweet with banana lollies and chocolate sauce and a slight soft liquorice.

Palate is quite lovely I know it’s a grain but it’s quite malty? It has some lovely hay. It moves into salt and liquorice ice cream.

Finish is simple and creamy.

***

26 – Auchroisk 13 Years by North Star series 008

Nose is unusually glue and gum trees, some sweetness of mixed lollies,

Palate is simple honey, glue and some herbal notes.

Finish is rock salt and minerality

27 – Campbeltown 5 Years by North Star series 009

Nose is promising banana, chocolate, fruit and lovely light orange tingles

Palate is initially minerally, rocks but then moves floral like roses and Turkish delight.

Finish dried rose petals and grit.

***^

28 – Glenturret 8 Years by North Star series 008

Nose is salty bananas, stone fruit, the sea in winter

Palate is maritime! Seaside caramels, sea weed, salt water.

Finish is salty seas and slight bitter almonds

***^

29 – North Star Sirius 31 years

Nose, loads of stone fruit especially white nectarines on the branch, caramel lollies, wood glue and bracken

Palate is super fruity, loads of underripe nectarines in a good way, cream and salt

Finish salty butter and grilled nectarine

****

30 – North Star VEGA 22

Nose bruised apples, peaches, pink peppercorns and sulfur

Palate cooling, chocolate, marshmallow and rubber

Finish rubber, burnt chocolate and raisins

***^

Whisky 2018 – 177-180

177 – Glenturret 31 Years 1986 by Cadenhead 44.5%
Nose – rose petals, stewed rhubarb, bees wax, spiced apples
Palate – stonefruit, bitter toffee, great sweetness, creamy, brandy snaps
Finish – dates, cream, coffee trifle

178 – Balblair hand filled 29/1/18 2006 cask 714 59%
Nose – hand cream, walnuts cooked in butter, apricot delight, pine resin
Palate – cream, passionfruit, apricots, raw dough, leather, hay
Finish – salted butter, old butter, racio funk (but not balanced)

179 – Springbank 9 2005 bottling by High Spirits “Lochs & Castles” Port finish
Nose – unmistakable springbank, funky medicinal dark fruit, dates, tar, heather, soy sauce
Palate – Old apples, cream, blackberries, kiwi fruit skin, dusty, manuka honey
Finish – Old apples, cream, pencil shavings, cherry coke, ash

180 – SMWS G7.10 (Girvan) The Texan Tea Party 31 years 1984 – Refill hogshead 59.2%
Nose – toast, caramel, stewed fruit, blood plums, banana, almond trees
Palate – woody and sugary fades away quickly, brandy snaps, chalk, marzipan, toffee,
Finish – cream, toffees, salted coconut cream

Whisky 2018 – 160-163, The Malt, Taipei

160 – Burnside 1993 World Bar Tour The Mash Tun 22 Years Refill Hogshead cask 1798
Nose – chocolate cake with whipped cream and apricots, candied orange zest
Palate – chocolate, marzipan, almond shells, green apricots, cherry danish
Finish – chocolate mousse, apricot jam

161 – Glenturret 1977 The Whisky Agency Refill Hogshead 46.3%
Nose – Wood glue, bruised apple, pastry out the oven
Palate – intense short lived sweetness, fruit cordial, old whisky, cream and tobacco, orange zest
Finish – almond slivers and cream, orange pith

162 – SMWS 123.8 (Glengoyne) “In the Spanish mountains” 2001, 12 Years Port refill 59.2%
Nose – Apple pie, spice rack, prune juice, honey, umeshu
Palate – cake mix, spice biscuits, toffeed figs, prunes, woody cream, my grandfather’s dried apricots,
Finish – milk chocolate, panforte,

163 – TTL (Omar) Sherry Cask #754 2009-2013
Nose – roasted hazelnuts, cream, apricots, orange zest, a galvanized fence
Palate – super creamy, loads of stone fruit, dark chocolate, tea tannins, dried fruit
Finish – loads of cream, strawberries and cherries, mango, cloves, liquorice

Whisky 2017 – 189-192 – Bar C Shell, Tokyo

I am lucky enough to be back in Tokyo. Tried out Bar C Shell in Shinjuku, near Yotsuya-Sanchome station. The owner Yu is very knowledgeable, super friendly and speaks excellent English (having lived in NYC). The bar is quite different to most Japanese whisky bars and much more casual. Yu has created a unique space for whisky drinkers in Tokyo. Drank some unique old bottlings but I had to throw in a Ben Nevis, because, well, it’s Ben Nevis.

189 – The Milroy Sprinbank 30 50% 2002 Bottling
Rubber, caramel, peaches, dusty, hazelnuts, pumice stone. Spritz, lemon, hand cream, dried apricots, wonderful mouth feel, preserved lemons, Lavender, chocolate and soap.

190 – Friends of Oak Ben Nevis 1998, 15 Years
Honey, aspirin, hay, marzipan, sponge cake, toasted almonds. Roses, caramel, vanilla cake, strawberry jam, peaches, brown butter, honey, green grass.

191 – Cadenhead’s Glenturret Distilled 1965 bottled 1990
Bee wax, sarsaparilla, dried peaches, chicos, pencil shavings. Cream, pencil shavings, salt, rose petals, soap, wax.

192 – Glen Fraser 1956 for Strathnairn Whisky Ltd
Slight maple syrup, wax, bonox, wood glue, menthol. Pencils shavings, soap, pepper, clove, lemon zest, old raisins, wax, rubber, leather, old tobacco, peaches, shaving cream, dusty, perfume.

Whisky 2017 – 166-171 – The Gresham, Brisbane

Back in Brisbane for work and I took the opportunity to visit The Gresham again. Fun place, not up to the standard of Mebourne’s biggies but a solid selection. The Octomore 7.3 was excellent!

166 – Signatory Glenturret 1987 Hogshead Cask 374 50.1%
Short bread, preserved lemons, leather, caramel, Marion’s fruit buns, jelly fruits. Herbaceous, peaches, apricots, butter, cream, salt, tobacco, menthol, hobnobs, milk chocolate.

167 – SMWS 46.32 Glenlossie “Summertime and the whisky is easy” 1992 22 years
Toffees, Madeira cake, kiwi fruit, pineapple daiquiri, malty, macadamias, soapy, bubbling bicarb. Disappointing and confused on the palate the butter hits after a strange bitter note, stone fruits, sulfur, shortbread, slight iced coffee.

168 – Glendronach 2003 PX Puncheon Cask 4034
Wood shavings, marshmallows, pineapple upsidedown cake, lemon butter, chicos, peanut brittle and ozone. Whipped cream, wood, leather, salt, roasted peanuts, rose petals, melted butter, hazelnuts, loads of Manzanilla, weak raspberry cordial, still young and fresh, slightly dusty and green almonds, chestnut cake.

169 – Glendronach Peated
Cream, apples, band aids, imperial leather soap. A really pleasant dram fruity (peaches and apples) and friendly, some oaky and buttery notes and a touch of flinty smoke. Pretty simple but easy drinking.

170 – Ardbeg Kelpie
Heather, leather, cream, caps, salt, pink pepper corns, honey, plastic toys, ham on rye, apple snow. Earthy and leafy, flint, coals in a cold fire, cream, Guinness – better on the nose.

171 – Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3
Caramel toffees, plasticine, Eaton mess, smoke, wood glue, fake Parmesan, milk chocolate, leafy. Quite dry and smokey, bacon and HP sauce sandwich, dried apple rings, sulfur, salt, cream, tea tannins, burning leather and bracken.

Whisky 2017 – 64-72 – Heartwood tasting

64 – Redlands newmake
Apples, rock melon, lemon zest, pepper, juniper, cucumber. Roses, apple skin, aniseed, green strawberries.

65 – Adams Distillery 12 weeks old young make
Menthol cigarettes, mint leaves, musk lollies, brown sugar. Prunes, proper smoked bacon, coal, pepper, salt, Japanese black sugar candy.

66 – Belgrove oat whisky
Dust, stones, barnyard, perfume, musk, menthol. Glue, boot polish, brown sugar, butter almonds, pickled onions (but not in a bad way).

67 – Heartwood 3 of 3
Caramel, musk, brown sugar, lemons, prunes, chocolates, stewed apple, ice coffee, old butter. Heavy, kangaroo poo, leather, beef stock, dusty, soy sauce, coffee grounds, tomato paste.

68 – Heartwood We are twisted cousins (Lark)
Prunes, raisins, pastry, strawberry and mango, pine needles, pastis. Menthol, dust, raisins, eucalyptus, slightly medicinal.

69 – Heartwood Beagle 4
Soy sauce, raisins, creme patisserie, stewed apples, beef stock. Raisins, prune, musk, salt, soy sauce, marshmallow, tomato salad.

70 – Heartwood Calm before the storm
Deep malt, soy, deep sweet Asian beef cheeks, huge chocolate, glue, turps, burnt pineapple. Glacé lemon, beef consume, leather, soy sauce, bitter dark chocolate, pine needles.

71 – Arran Madeira Cask
Gas, apricots, a malted chocolate, some sulfur and rubber, acetone, ants trapped in strawberry jam, marshmallow. Brandy snaps, some vanilla, roasted peanuts, old strawberries, zatar, mellows over time – the slightly bitter finish doesn’t help.

72 – G&M Glenturret 2002
Butter, cherries, licorice, toffee, fairy floss. Bit weak, grapes, toffee apples, slight cloves.

Whisky 2o16 – 171-174

171 – Old Malt Cask 1997 Auchentoshan for The Mashtun
Malt, clover, lemon zest, cocoa, hand cream, slight gluey note. Sweet and milky like condensed milk, salty, milk chocolate, cream, cold butter, cloves

172 – Gordon & MacPhail Glenturret 2004 for Gilles Club Australia
Gravy, beef, maple syrup, leather and cigars. Sarsaparilla, butter, brown sugar, cloves, salt, heavy and friendly.

173 – Ichiro’s Malt ‘Malt Dream Cask’ 2008 Cask 200 Bourbon Barrel
Vanilla cake, strawberry jam, green grass, flat coke, cream. Pineapple, brown sugar, malt, salt, tropical fruits, cream, wonderful long finish, cloves, melted butter, fruit cake fried in butter.

174 – Bowmore Voyage Port Cask Bottle 0143
Toffee, properly good bacon, salt, garden peas with mint. Caramels, roses, salt, licorice, musk, salt, medicinal, tansy cakes.

Whisky 2015 – 104-106

104 – Mars Maltage “Cosmo”
Green almonds, pickled onions, tequila, gin botanicals. Thin and kinda gin like with a bit of vanilla, olive brine and salt. Not really a fan.

105 – Ichiro’s Malt Mizunara Wood Release
Initially woody, creamy and crushed ants – had time to open up and now smells quite alcoholic and resiny with like almond hazelnut biscuits and tobacco. Elegant on the pallet, feels like nothing is out of place – vanilla, wood, some tropical fruits.

106 – Adelphi Glenturret 27 Years
Underripe mango, nutty and chocolate, orange zest, zinc(?!). Huge tropical fruit hit turning to the mist of rain, with passion fruit semi freddo and nougat.

Whisky 2015 – 8-11

8 – Berry’s Glen Turret 34 Years
Chocolate, salt water, formic acid, a fruity sweetness I can’t quite place – maybe Kiwifruit. Oatcakes, fruity, lighter and friendlier on the palate than I expected. Finishes with vanilla and gooseberry.

9 – CV Hazelburn Singlemalt
Glue and brown sugar, kinda reminds me of rum with a (good) sickly sweet element. Banana and yeasty.

10 – Benromach – 10 Year Cask Strength
Flinty, herbaceous, caramel, salt, pipe tobacco and chocolate. Slight peat, sage and thyme, slight caramel sweetness and a salty finish.

11 – Kilchoman Port Cask
Wow! What a nose this things has. Loads of caramel, toffee apple a whiff of peat. Peanut brittle, olive oil, dry green bracken, smoked paprika, roasted peanuts.