invergordon – grey whisky

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

Whisky 2019 – 32-36 Cadenhead Tasting

32 – Cadenhead Inchgower 2009 9yo Sherry Finish 56.5%
Nose: hand cream, caramel, green pineapple, cocktail onion, peaches, banana, plums

Palate: cake dough, short bread, plum cake, baking spices, kiwi fruit

Finish: cream, salty, pepper

****

33 – Cadenhead Creations 2007 “Light creamy smoky” 10 years 60.5% (Invergordon, longrow, springbank, hazelburn, kilkerran)

Nose: caramel, chocolate milk, coffee, honey, slightly burnt chocolate pudding, ashy stones

Palate: Honey, peanut brittle, smoke, ash, caramel

Finish: fat raisins, rubber, salty

***

34 – Cadenhead Glenlossie 1993 24yo 53.6%
Nose: melon melon melon, spices, so tropical, dough, fake peach

Palate: tropical fruit salad, cream, woody, muscat grapes, runny honey

Finish: salty, plums skin tannins

****

35 – Springbank local barley 9yo 57.7%
Nose: dough, cocoa, chocolate, preserved lemon, honey, kiwi skin

Palate: minerals, rocks, ash, chocolates, lemon curd, barley, with water chocolate and tropical

Finish: cream, toasted grains

***

36 – Longrow Sherry Cask 14 years 2003 (bottled July 2018) 57.8%
Nose: rubber, ashy stones, chlorine, caramel, chocolate, raisins

Palate: pencil shavings, caramel, old apples, rubber, old cherries

Finish: ashes, salt, leather, tobacco

****

Whisky 2018 – 198-200, Copper & Oak, New York

198 – Invergordon 1988 by The Sovereign cask HL10699
Nose – grape vines, cookie dough, milk chocolate, shortbread, raspberry
Palate – chocolate chip cookies, crisps, milk chocolate,
Finish – slight cream and vines

199 – Dew of Ben Nevis 12 Years
Nose – cream, burnt orange, toffee
Palate – green vines, peat, bitter orange, tobacco, honey comb, cream
Finish – marmalade, rubber

200 – Clynelish 1995 by The Exclusive Malts 21 years Cask 10206 52.6%
Nose – wax, banana bread, vanilla, kiwi fruit, raw dough, strawberry mousse
Palate – hot, heavy, waxy, green vines, old whisky, day old pavlova, coffee trifle
Finish – wax, honey

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 – 136-138

136 – 1972 Invergordon Cask #37 selected by Phil & Simon Thompson 43 Years
Raspberry leaf, boot polish, cream, glacé ginger, maple bacon. Cream, toasted grains, Pavlova, kiwi fruits, glacé ginger, sweet milky tea.

138 – 1988 Bunnahabhain 28 Years by The Whisky Agency and Drunken Master Bar, Sherry Hogshead Cask 475
Cadlewax, hazelnuts, old apples, liquorice, dust, fruitcake. Fennel, dust, salt, stewed fruits, chocolate bullets, raw peanuts.