grain whisky – grey whisky

Whisky 2020 – 52-56 – Berry Brothers & Rudd tasting

52 – Berry Bros & Rudd Benrinnes 1997/2017 19yo Bourbon Cask #856, 46%

Nose is honey, honey, honey loads of honey. Lemsip and apricots.

Palate is biscuity, waxy and some orchard, green pineapple, salty, orange blossom

Finish cream, slate and dried apple slices

***

53 – Berry Bros & Rudd Retro Label for Shinanoya Aultmore 1991/2015 23yo Bourbon Hogshead #6090, 49.9%

Nose is honey, waxy, orange zest, vanilla cake, chocolate milk, chocolate biscuits fresh out of the oven

Palate rye bread with salted butter, honey, grass and white flowers

Finish spicy and salty

***

54 – Berry Bros & Rudd Retro Label for Shinanoya Teaninich 1983/2018 34yo #6729 Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 46.2%

Wow! This nose. Shoe polish, maybe?? Carob, pineapple lumps, camphor

Palate really funky, minerality, lots of spice and juicy fruit. Tastes like “old whisky” and elegant.

Finish leather, tobacco, orchards.

****^

55 – Berry Bros & Rudd North British Single Grain 1996/2014 18yo Oloroso Sherry Butt #224766, 56.8%

Nose is crumpets, maple syrup, butter, Brazil nuts

Palate dates, red dates, wood notes lead chocolate liquorice and super spicy,

Finish dates and metallic

****

56 – Berry Bros & Rudd Ben Nevis 1997/2018 20yo Sherry Cask #85, 54.6%

Nose is apricots and oranges, coconut, lime, bitters, honey cake

Palate butter cake, loads of fruit, leads to dates, golden syrup

Finish metallic honey, toast with butter and liquorice

****^

Whisky 2019 – 58-60

58 – Cambus 1991 25 years by Liquid Treasures “Faces on Angkor”
Nose: Initially the sweetness of jaffa cakes and strongly reminiscent of tiramisu. Bolstered by marzipan sweets and green apricots fallen in a rocky orchard. Orange zest grated over cold butter, the power of the cask (which I assume is PX) is evident.

Palate: There is a tiny influence of sulfur but that settles quickly to reveal an intense coffee, molasses, liquorice and chocolate backbone. Tropical fruits, specifically rock melon and kiwi smothered in whipped cream and drops of Manuka honey. It has a heavy and interesting mouthfeel – doesn’t seem like a grain whisky.

Finish: Lots of cocoa and that tiramisu makes a comeback.

****

59 – Daftmill 2006 “Winter batch” 5 first fill bourbon casks limited 1265 bottles
Nose: Really heavy on the nose deep biscuity notes and lemon drops, peaches with fresh cream and eggy pudding, obviously bourbon cask.

Palate: Much lighter spirit than I expected but the biscuit and cream note hits late and heavily and has pound cake smothered in almond cream.

Finish: Butter poached stone fruits show up wrapped in salty grape vines.

****

60 – Daftmill 2006 Cask 039/2006 57.4%

Nose: Heady toffee and dark caramel leads to flat coke and milk chocolate, dates and figs. Deep and heavy.

Palate: Tannic but well controlled … but but but … where’s anything else? Maybe some dark chocolate and dried fruit but I’m struggling to identify much else. With water it settles quite a bit, but only to reveal musk, meringue, spice and white pepper.

Finish: Woody, maybe a bit too old.

***

Whisky 2019 – 44-47

Apologies this is slightly out of order. Forgot these great drams from The Mash Tun in Tokyo.

44 – Carsebridge 1973 Thompson Brothers 45 Years Old 53.5%
Nose: Chocolate, maple syrup, apple sauce, woody, shaving cream, caramel, toffee

Palate: Super creamy, melted butter, toffee sauce, spice biscuits,

Finish: metallic, pepper, raspberry lollies

*****

45 – Springbank 11 Refill Sauternes 2019 (Japanese exclusive)
Nose: Caramel, coal, pear blossom, peach, honey, funky springbank

Palate: Honey, pear, coal, peanuts, wet rocks, melon

Finish: Honey, pear, leathery, charcoal

****

46 – Littlemill 1991 Cadenhead 175th anniversary bourbon barrel 52.6%
Nose: Green apple skins cooked in butter, bakery goods, marzipan, bone marrow,

Palate: Melon, chocolate, grape vines, mace and slight honey, super fruity, cream, feijoa

Finish: grass, tropical fruits, coffee and grapes, mandarin, butter and cream

****

47 – Glenlossie 1992 for Filmnik selected by The Mash Tun cask #3502
Nose: Hot buttered toast, cream, lemon grass, cinnamon, lemon zest

Palate: Apricot, peaches, toast, liquorice, salted lemons, great clear sugars

Finish: So fruity still, salt,sulphur, fennel seed

****