62 – Kavalan “Personal Blend” Greywhisky Oct 2018
Nose of cake mix, orange cordial, dusty shelves, lemsip, egg whites, cardamon
Palate shaving cream, dried cherries, dried peaches, pineapple, passionfruit vines, sherry cask and raisins
Finish of cherries, cream and spice.
****
85 – SMWS 139.4 (Kavalan) ‘Spellbindingly Sublime’
Wow this nose! Immediately reminds me of the Australian sweet ‘chocolate bullets’ (compound chocolate and liquorice), then comes hand cream and cloves some really deep and complex spice. Oranges and apricots steeped in warm brandy. I don’t think I’d pick this as a Kavalan.
The palate is woody deep and long. Beautiful grass and spiced cream notes are everywhere, it’s packed in deep. Really intense green fig, hay and creme caramel.
The loooong finish is melted butter with a sprinkle of brown sugar poured over grilled apricots and topped with whipped cream.
****
86 – Old Pulteney 8 years by Gordon and Macphail 40% (90s bottling)
Honey, lemon zest and almost a lavender like smell. The nose definitely reminds me of old whisky with the hit of pencil shavings and wax. With some time, sweet roasted rice tea. W
Cooling on the palate, think pencil shavings leading to bitter chocolate and then loads of interesting fruit like watermelon and custard apple and finally fennel seed.
Finish is typical old whisky – bruised apples and dusty draws.
****
87 – SMWS G4.18 (Cameronbridge) ‘The paradise patisserie’
Super weird nose of chlorine and rockmelon, terrariums and earth chocolate funk.
Cream and tropical fruit on the palate. Butter and tea tannins.
The finish is unusual like caramelised green pineapple and sweet onions, melted butter.
***
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
Quite an eclectic mix of whiskies here… all were excellent. How good are single cask Teeling?
172 – The Single Cask Bowmore 2001, 14 years Cask 31931
Banana, malty, band aids, yeasty, proving bread, butter, cream, caramel. Salt, burning grape vines, peaches, preserved lemons, chocolate, lantana, short bread, passion fruit, clear sugars, wonderful mouthfeel, orange zest.
173 – Kingsbury Mhain Baraille 1980 35 Years Blended
Glue, hobnobs, leather, raspberry jelly, hand cream. Cream, passionfruit vine, dried pineapple, pavlova, freeze dried apple. So tasty.
174 – Kavalan Solist Port Cask, Cask 0090908028A 59.4%
Brown sugar, peaches, cocoa, glue, Nutella, apricots, coffee, old butter, maple syrup, boot polish. Woody, stone fruits, glue, melted butter, iced coffee, dried apricots, pine, mushroom pate.
175 – Three Rivers Teeling 23 Year Old Cask 6821
Very dried peaches, leather, shaving cream, sarsaparilla, wood glue. Cream, beef jerky, passion fruit, chocolate, old shoe leather, cream, salt, rubber, pink pepper corns.
79 – The Warehouse Collection, Whisky Warehouse No. 8 Mortlach 1996, 18 Years Cask 4120S21
Marmalade, coffee, vanilla, leather, malty, tropical fruits. Musk, floral, honey, melted butter, crushed ants.
80 – Kavalan Solist Auld Alliance Cask S090608026A
Citrus zest, brown sugar creamed butter, white chocolate and ginger cookies, maple syrup. Huge butter, apple seeds, musk, lavender, orange blossom.
81 – The Whisky Agency Sherry Refill 8 Year Blend
Honey, dust, toast, gooseberry, toasted marshmallow, tinned pineapple, apricots. Honey, cream, pepper, dusty, baked bananas.
So my normal whisky tasting and note taking was interrupted by good conversation. Who would have thought? I drank some excellent drams and I must be one of the first in the Southern Hemisphere to drink Nantou from Taiwan. Get if you can, very worthwhile dram and a less “punch in your face” dram than Kavalan.
I also had:
63 – Nantou Omar
Oranges, honey, marmalade, vanillas. Super malty, brown bread, blackberries, egg whites, vanilla, pepper.
68 – Kavalan Solist Manzanilla
Gluey, woody, smells hot and salty, nutty. Unexpected sweetness, dried orange and apricot, Terry’s chocolate orange, floral, mango Weiss bars.
69 – Kavalan Solist Amontillado
Glue, musk, wood, brown sugar, caramel, melted cultured butter. Salty, leather, brown sugar, caramel, walnuts oil, loads of musk on the finish, bitter almonds, toasted almonds. Maybe a bit bitter for me.
70 – Kavalan Solist Moscatel
Chicos, milk chocolate, instant coffee, treacle and I’m reminded of little thyme flowers. Smooth so so smooth, butter loads of it, honey, caramel, maple syrup, maybe some passionfruit and just freaking good.
71 – Kavalan Solist PX (Pedro Ximenez)
Corn tempura, butter, cream, dried fruits. Really smooth big tropical fruits, macerated berries, slight mint, slight motor oil.
72 – Kavalan Solist Fino
Glue, dry sherry (ha!), rock melon, coffee, white peaches and cream. Tropical fruit, caramels, salt, creamy, rose water.
73 – Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique
Vanilla and chocolate, Xmas spice, toasted coconut. Jasmine, cold milk tea, tropical fruits.
74 – Rest and Be Thankful Bunnahabhain 1989
Green grass, old bananas, brown sugar, passionfruit vine. Coffee, cream, caramel, salt, thyme and a slight iodine hit.
75 – Finlaggan The Original
Iodine, sweet, sea water, cream, caramel, cherry wood. Sea water, pepper, prunes and iodine.
76 – Blair Athol Manager’s Choice Cask 5989
Toffee apple, sulphur, brandy, chicos, egg white, aged sake maybe. Cream, apricot delight, toffee, caramel, apples skins.
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.
71 – Duthies Linkwood 23
Yeast, brown bread, butter, slight banana. Light on the palate with some nice grain.
72 – King Car Whisky
Simple, elegant, lovely tropical fruit. Vanilla, coconut and mango maybe. The type of whisky you’d drink all night.
12 – Kavalan Solist Vinho
Cola, apricot and formic acid. Loads of vanilla. Tasty.
13 – Springbank Society Members 8 year old
Earthy chocolate, sugar cane, maple wood and dried apricots. Intense fruit sweetness on the palate to begin with candy cane, tobacco, herbaceous, lemon pepper, cream.
14 – Hakushu Bourbon Barrel
Banana bread, cloves and all spice, citrus, vanilla ice cream and formic acid. Fairy floss, banana flavouring and banana fucking milkshake, toasted coconut, even slightly cheesy notes and meringue.
15 – The Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tobermory 19 years – Whisky Exchange
Coconut rough, rubber and vanilla essence. Dried figs and dates, slight rubber and vanilla.
16 – Glendronach 1994 PX barrel 326
Melted butter, cake mix and brown sugar. Butter, vanilla, woody, rock candy. Huge and delicious.
17 – Balvenie Portwood 21
malted vanilla milkshake, dusty, banana. Vanilla and quite underpowered for me. Disappointing.
18 – Limeburners Tiger Snake
Really big hit of cloves, lime zest and ever so slightly dusty. Great palate of cola, cloves, vanilla and coffee.
grey whisky 