travel – grey whisky

Whisky 2020 – 37-39 – The Whisky Bar KL, Malaysia

37 – SMWS 27.111 (Springbank) A coal bucket full of marshmallows

Nose unmistakably Springbank. Earthy, tobacco funk with a lattice of sweetness, leather and brandy snaps, dusty, roses

Palate sweet but not cloying, a heavy spirit. Leather bound books, orchard fruits. More fruit with water, start seeing beautiful waxiness, stone fruit and peanut brittle.

Finish charcoal dust, bitter almonds, salty, candied apple.

****^

38 – Arran Angels Reserve 1996 18 years 51.1%

Nose is typical butter cake, apricots, brandy snaps, buttered toast with that metallic note. Also there is some menthol… with time in the glass it became waxy.

Palate apricot crumble with melty vanilla icecream – truly delicious. Some interesting waxy, ice coffee, and hay notes.

Finish green grass, coffee cream and saltiness

****

39 – Hazelburn 2003, 13 years Oloroso cask bottles March 2017

Nose fruit cake, buttered fruit toast, campbeltown funk

Palate is honey joys, fruit cake, bruised apples, wooden shelves, dried cranberries

Finish cigars and Xmas pud

****

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

****

Whisky 2019 – 41-42 – Laboratorino, Chichibu, Japan

Yes, I visited the Chichibu. I am writing up a full post on my visit to the distillery. In the mean time here are the two drams I enjoyed at a very nice little Italian restaurant Laboratorino. My partner drank the heavily peated – no notes from me except chocolate and earth with loads of peat.

42 – Ichiro’s Malt Single Cask 2018 rum Cask #5821 9 years old
Nose: Honey icecream, chocolate pudding, malt, dried apricots, prebaked strudel, marshmallow

Palate: juicy raisins, cream, skinned grapes, spice biscuit, melted butter, red wine tannin, honey joys, salt, birthday candle wax

Finish: day old brandy snaps, pepper, grape vines

*****

43 – Ichiro’s Malt Malt Dream Cask for Bar Te Airigh cask #180
Nose: Cloves, hand lotion, pineapple, honey, wood glue, melted chocolate ice cream

Palate: So malty, spice, loquats, persimmons, vanilla, light cream, huge and dominating mouthfeel, grape seed and caramel

Finish: pavlova with fruit and whipped cream, sweet milky tea

*****

Whisky 2019 – 38-41 – Bar C Shell, Tokyo

38 – Ben Nevis 22 years 1996 by the whisky find sherry butt c#828
Nose: Dough, chocolate, orange, apricot, cream, lemon cheese cake, almonds

Palate: Apricot, stonefruit, whipped butter, burnt chocolate cake

Finish: Cream, spices, rock melon

****

39 – Ben Nevis 21 years 1996 selected by J’s Bar bottles by The Vintage Malt
Nose: dough, apricots, almonds, candy orange zest, chocolate

Palate: cream, rock melon skin, citrus candies

Finish: cream, salt, butter, burnt orange zest

****

40 – Auchroisk 28 by Cadenhead for Whisk-e 42.8%
Nose: Pencil shavings, chlorine, yeasty, hand lotion

Palate: Kinda empty, old ice cubes

Finish: oil paints, olive brine, super savory

***

41 – Imperial 17 Years Cigar Malt Salon de Shimaji PEN x Shinanoya
Nose: jersey caramels, brown sugar and butter, maple syrup, grilled nectarines

Palate: cream, apricots, honey, rye, butter, tobacco

Finish: Butter and soy sauce, tea tannins, grape seed

****

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 2018 – 195-197, Kings County Distillery, Brooklyn

Had a great time touring the Kings County Distillery. Evan our tour guide was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. I really love what they are doing on such a small scale. On to the whiskey… hit and miss! You’ll see I have included a “?” on 196 this means it was disappointing, which is extremely odd considering that the Barrel Strength was one of the best I’ve had all year.

195 – Empire Rye Kings County Distillery 51%
Nose – apricots, tobacco, cream, salted butter, honey
Palate – grilled peaches, cream, dry leaves, butter
Finish – cream, raisins, dusty

196 – Bottled in Bond Kings County Distillery ?
Nose – apricots, leather, spice, maple syrup, grilled peach
Palate – cream, stone fruit, butter, wood, peanut butter, burnt sausage and prawn, boot polish
Finish – cream, bitter arugula

197 – Barrel Strength Batch 10 64.1% Kings County Distillery*
Nose – chocolate, raisins, prunes, apricots, flat coke, sour cream, woody, dried apricots
Palate – chocolate, prune, hot, liquorice, cream, stewed apricots and caramel
Finish – muted finish, slight saline, soy, brown butter

Whisky 2018 – 193-194 – Citizen Public House, Boston

193 – Whistle Pig Straight Rye 10 years single barrel for Citizen Public House 59.4%*
Nose – prunes, figs, toffee, grape juice, stewed rhubarb, dark chocolate
Palate – vanilla ice cream, figs, prunes, great integrated spice, cherries, loads of cream, tomato paste
Finish – cream, rhubarb, custard, red liquorice

194 – Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon for Citizen Public House
Nose – peach ice tea, vanilla, caramel, Chicos, milk chocolate, maple syrup, raspberry leaf
Palate – peaches, cream, brandy snaps, grape vine, cream, coffee, toffee, orange zest
Finish – cream, chlorine and Xmas spices

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 2018 – 152-159, The Drunken Master Whisky Bar, Kaohsiung

So when in Kaohsiung, where do you go? The Drunken Master Whisky Bar of course. One of the world’s great whisky bars and responsible for many incredible bottlings. I started out on some Ben Nevis and then the awesome Kuo made some recommendations for me. Great stuff!

The Clynelish and the Cragganmore were exceptional. And the old 1970s springbank was still lively and fresh.

152 – Ben Nevis by The Whisky Agency 1998 lightly peated 16 years 50.2%
Nose – lemon delicious, cake, apricots, raw dough
Palate – apricots, cake, green vines, cream, Xmas spice
Finish – cream, green almonds

153 – Ben Nevis Signatory 1991, 24 Years Cask 3833 54.7%
Nose – honey, maple syrup, orange cake, almond kernels
Palate – honey, cream, scorched almonds, rum baba,
Finish – cream, water, wax

154 – Ben Nevis Signatory 1991, 22 Years Cask 2382
Nose – coconut, green vines, caramel, honey, apricots, golden syrup
Palate – green peanuts, slightly peated
Finish – old leather, tobacco, cream

155 – Cragganmore 27 years 1989 World Bar Tour*
Nose – apples, cream, lemon balm, stone fruits, new leather shoes, peanuts
Palate – apples, licorice bullets, wax, butter, salt
Finish – wonderful length, salt, butter, wood and perfume

156 – Drunken Master 1980 Blend 35 years (Highland Park, Macallan, Tamdhu)
Nose – Old leather couches, bruised apples, honey, cream, peanut brittle
Palate – Old whisky, cream, arrowroot biscuits, honey joys
Finish – Old wood, Old sherry, Old cream, Old… makes me nostalgic.

157 – The Whisky Agency Clynelish 1996 bottled 2014 Refill Butt*
Nose – raspberry, cherry wood, leather, oak, spice
Palate – cake, cake, cake, cherries, prunes, raisins, perfume, cherry ripe
Finish – cherry cake with cream, tobacco, honey, Xmas spice

158 – Mortlach 1997 by Chieftains for Drunken Master Cask 5241
Nose – honey, dried peaches, terrarium,
Palate – warm spice, plums, prunes, honey, dark chocolate
Finish – honey, salt, wood, cream

159 – Springbank 8 1970s Japanese market ref. 5176
Nose – Old apples, wax, dough, yeasty bread
Palate – wax, apples, cream, old whisky, honey on bread
Finish – apricots, wax, burnt matches

Whisky 2018 – 148-151, The Malt, Taipei

148 – Ben Nevis 1997, 17 Years by Black Adder Raw Cask, Taiwan Exclusive Cask #963 50.6%
Nose – raw pastry, almonds, play dough, cream, lemon pudding
Palate – cream, pastry, green apricots, salt, slightly twiggy and maritime, cake mix
Finish – cream all over, apricots, peaches, stonefruit

149 – Ben Nevis 1997 by McCraes bottled 2016 Cask HL12157 55.4%
Nose – orange zest, brandy snaps, chocolate cake, coffee cream
Palate – brown sugar, over proved bread, leather, cream, bruised apples, rubber, licorice
Finish – green vines, cream, sucking on a sherry cask

150 – Springbank Sherry Wood 1997 18 Years*
Nose – doughnuts, cured meat, bruised apple, golden syrup
Palate – medicinal, tar, cream, orange zest, peanut brittle, dark chocolate bounty bar
Finish – such beautiful notes of green apple, cream, chocolate bullets, bitter caramel

151 – Benriach PX Single Cask 1996 for Taiwan, 19 years cask #3609 54.3%*
Nose – grilled pineapple, coconut, cream, tropical fruit salad, crushed ants, kit-kats, reef-oil
Palate – chocolate, cream sprinkled with brown sugar, marshmallow, mangoes, orange juice, apricot nectar
Finish – cream loads of it, salt, leather, orange zest, stewed apricots