Glen Marnoch 1989 (24 year old) 40%
Unknown Speyside bottled for Aldi
Tasted: Nov 2013
The nose is sweet, toasty and honeyed with barley, coffee, toffee, violets and a touch of refill sherry richness. A bit bland to be honest and the sherry does display a light fly spray character.
The palate is soft and bland with hints of coffee, malt along with some refill sherry and caramel. Good length with a sharp citrus, if a little bitter finish.
Port Askaig 8 year old 45.8%
Tasted: Feb 2017
Aromas of sweet barley and crisp, salty notes along with lightly phenolic peat and oily Caol Ila fruit. Lightly smoky and manurey with a subtle touch of oak. With time the fruit becomes quite grassy and Sauvignon Blanc-esque.
Full and salty on the palate with hints of earthy peat and burnt wood. Lightly phenolic and crisper on the middle as the white fruit and citrus arrive. Lightly smoky finish with the richer, oilier fruit arriving along with a touch of menthol, camphor and herbal peat.
Port Askaig 12 year old 45.8%
Coal Ila bottled by Speciality Brands
Tasted: Mar 2013
A fresh, lemony and salty nose with a light tarry-peat, creosote and garden fruit note. The aromas definitely have an old skool Caol Ila character. There’s a pleasant barley sweetness with hints of charred driftwood and American oak. With time it becomes quite earthy and herbal.
The palate is not quite as fresh as the nose which is in part due to the oak making inroads. A touch creamy but still pleasantly salty with hints of earthy-peat, parma violets and a good, fresh salty/ citrus middle as he spirit escapes the oak. Lovely length with white peach, pear and apple along with hints of peat smoke and a sweet earthiness. I think if this had been bottled at 40% the alcohol wouldn’t have imparted the same degree of freshness. That theory is attested to once diluted.
Port Askaig 19 year old 45.8%
Coal Ila bottled by Speciality Brands
Tasted: Mar 2013
The aromas are rather herbal in nature with a gentle, but astringent maritime note and a touch of lemon. Mature and lightly peated with the peat developing a manure note along with hints of compost and lightly sweetened barley. Cleaner with less oak than the 12 year old.
The oak although not so noticeable of the nose is definitely noticeable on the palate, and leads off with a pleasant sweet creaminess. Again lightly peated with earth, herbs and a touch of smoke. The middle displays a vibrant coastalness aided by the alcohol. Long with an oily, lightly tarred rope finish and a return of the sweet parma violets and barley. Good sweet/ sour balance with a relatively fresh and herbal character throughout.
The Macphunn ‘November 2009’ 18yo 57%
Sherry/ Dist: 1991 Btl: 2009/ Tasted: July 2012
The fourth cask (610 bottles) of a single sherry-matured Speysider at cask strength bottled for Sir Charles Maclean of Strachur, Loch Fyne.
A fusty, edgy, cardoardy nose. Quite industrial with more than a hint of Italian bitter cherries. Quite sulphur tainted and only just on the right side of nastiness! I’m afraid that not even the pleasant sherry wood spices save this nose!
The palate is edgy and fusty, full of sweet treacle and dried fruit. Again sulphur and cardboard notes mingle with a touch of smoke, spice and dried fruit. The palate is marginally better than the nose with a slightly raisinated finish with a hint of violet. Apparently this had a £74 price tag!
Tesco Highland Malt 12 year old 40%
Tasted: July 2012
A hard and industrial and youthful cereal accented nose, positively reeking of burnt caramel with a hint of sulphur and cardboard. If you sniff hard enough then some malt can be discerned.
The palate pretty much mirrors the nose, quite non-descript, light and cereally with a bit of malt but mainly burnt caramel. Finishes quite spirity. Yes it’s only £20 but you definitely get what you pay for!
Tesco Islay malt 12 year old 40%
Tasted: July 2012
An oily, slightly youthful nose. Broad and slightly peaty with hints of earth and medicinal notes. It could be rich, oily Caol Ila. Good spirit with a slight perfumed note.
The palate is light and barley sweet with a touch of youthful cereal. Quite oily with a touch of oak and medicinal character. However the entry does seem to meander somewhat and you could argue it’s a tad too soft and insipid, but to be fair it all seems to come to life on the finish when the sooty, coal dust and peat come through. For £21 you definitely can’t complain about it.
Wilson & Morgan House Malt 2001 – 2010 9 year old 43%
Sherry/ Dist: 2001 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: Aug 2010
A great nose of grilled oily nuts, shortbread (reminds me of a Madeira finish), now some sweet sherry arrives along with hints of fish, smoke, engine oil and treacle. With time it becomes more briny. A good combination of malt and cask.
The palate is lightly oily with some youthful marc notes. It is very immature and nowhere near as complex as the nose however it is pretty damn oily. Later the oak makes a slight impression as does some peat. Moderately long with a dusty peat smoke finish. A good cask but bottled prematurely.
Wemyss Vintage Malts – 1972 Admiral of the Sea 46%
Apparently this is a single cask from Campbeltown. Well you certainly wouldn’t have guessed it! For a start it is a weird murky/ tawny greenish colour and probably the best thing you can say about the nose is that is frisky for it’s age! Aroma wise it’s all over the place, some earthiness here, manure there, a bit of orange and sweet citrus somewhere over there!
The palate is truly awful! And there are not many whiskies I have tasted that I can say that about. Initially its quiet sweet and sherberty, but then it descended into a murky, muddy sludge with marc-like decaying rose petals, tannins and musty old shoe leather. It was balanced, if that is the correct term by a wincing sharpness and a peppery finish.
To me it seems like it was a vatting but if it was a single cask then where on earth did they dredge it up from? Campbeltown Loch perhaps? According to their web site they have an expert nosing panel to select their casks – Well they definitely had an off day when they selected this!
Wemyss Vintage Malts ‘Ginger Treacle’ (Glen Spey) 18 year old 46%
First fill Sherry Cask/ Tasted: July 2009
A big, leafy sherry nose. Intense and ‘in yer face’. There’s a bit of orange fruit and some late toffee/ crème brulee. But in essence it’s all cask again!
The palate is pure cask (no surprise!) – Green nuts and Amontillado laced fruit and hints of salt. Just like drinking very alcoholic sherry! Long and sherried!!!!! Late notes of marzipan and coffee. In conclusion – Cask. Sherry. Character. Distillery. No (rearrange into a common statement!) – need I say any more!
Wemyss Vintage Malts ‘Toffee Apples’ (Glenrothes) 19 year old 46%
Oloroso Sherry Cask/ Tasted: July 2009
A deep, luxuriant nose of mature sherry with fruit cake, dried fruit, wood spice and liquorice. It develops a touch of herbal honey and aniseed. Water lessens the sherry impact and ramps up the honey.
The palate is pretty much like the nose. Quiet oily and the alcohol bites even though it’s only 46%. Water makes little change. Good dried fruit finish. Piquant alcohol. Water softens. A pleasant, mature sherry cask.
Wemyss Vintage Malts Smoke Bluff 13 year old 46%
Bourbon/ Tasted: Aug 2010
An oily immature nose of marc-like rose petals, maybe a touch of coffee and earth but not much else! The palate is young and unevolved. Slightly fresher than the nose suggests with candied rose petal notes. Ok length, quiet peppery with some late peat. In conclusion this has been bottled way too soon but I’m not sure it would evolve into anything worth buying.
Vintage Malt Whisky Company Finlaggan Old Reserve Islay Malt 40%
Sherry Cask/ Tasted: Sept 2008
A clean, pure Oloroso nose with mature peat and medicinal notes just about breaking through the sherry. Develops a touch of bog myrtle and camphor. Lovely maturity. A great cask.
The palate is redolent of smoky, rich sherried fruit – excellent purity. Masses of peat smoke wade in and the intensity is amazing for 40%. Very long and exceedingly sooty, with the intense peat smoke running riot until the end. Stunning after taste, the peat smoke literally coats the tongue. A great sherry cask. Would have liked a bit more complexity on the palate, but that’s just splitting hairs really. Amazing length, it really lasts and lasts.
Vintage Malt Whisky Company Finlaggan Old Reserve Islay Malt 40%
Sherry Cask/ Tasted: Sept 2008
A lovely deep and fishy nose, imbued with the aromas of dying embers, iodine and well integrated sherry. Mellow and mature, quite coastal in character with some late orange and honeyed fruit.
The palate is pleasant with coal dust and peat soot along with integrated, delicate sherry flavours. Quite elegant with the alcohol giving it a piquant edge to it. Good coastally length with the peat flavours coming through quite strongly.
Vintage Malt Whisky Company Finlaggan Old Reserve Islay Malt 40%
Bourbon/ Tasted: Jan 2013
Full, phenolic and briny on the nose. Dense, sweet peat with hints of burnt driftwood and manure-peat. Quite coastal and lightly astringent with a youthful cereal edge, which become more apparent with time, but there is a dense, slightly confected fruit core.
A Light and lightly oiled palate. A touch confected with some gentle peat smoke. It definitely tastes a lot younger than the nose would suggest. A pleasantly intense middle with lots of coal dust and a brief vanilla note on the finish. Less complex than the nose suggests but quite long with the coal dust lingering.
Vintage malt Whisky Company Finlaggan Islay Single Malt No Age Statement 58%
Bourbon/ Tasted: Aug 2010
The nose is overwhelmed by caramel oak. Some briny sweet fruit attempts to extricate itself! With water some coastal astringency and fishy notes appear.
The palate is just as oak dominated as the nose (creamy toffee and caramel) with a short piquant burst of alcohol and some late sooty notes. Water however just makes it slightly oiler and a bit vague and a hint of sulphur has appeared. Ok length with a pure peaty finish. The balance has been lost here.
The Personalised Whisky Company Malt from the Glen 18yr 50% B
Tasted: Sept 2007
Soft, floral orange fruit nose. Nice depth with a touch of earth and the subtle Bourbon oak coming through later. Water makes it a bit oily.
The palate is lightly oily, somewhat simple for a spirit of this age. Soft, spicy citrus fruit. Water gives it a bit more flavour – bananna, tropical fruit, toffee and mint. Medium length with a tangy, spicy finish and a touch of smoke. In conclusion it is straightforward. Seems younger (13-15 ?). A pleasant aperitif, water gives it some life. Average
Scotch Malt Whisky Society ‘Waken the Tate buds’ 19 year old
Bourbon Cask Lowland/ Tasted: July 2009
Concentrated and earthy aromas of rich, slightly honeyed citrus fruit. Pure and deep with a delightful edginess. Water really opens the nose out with an abundance of gorgeously honeyed fruit. It develops a bit of a manurey note.
Earthy, natural and quite mellow on the palate. A veritable mouth full of mature fruit and coffee notes. With water it emphasises the spices. Moderate length with hints of old grass and straw. The alcohol masks it somewhat though. Water lengthens and brings out the pepper and spice notes. A lovely cask strength lowland. Probably not the most complex palate in the world but lovely and very earthy.
Scotch Malt Whisky Company ‘Oozes Juiciness’ 16 year old 54.7%
Bourbon Cask/ Tasted: July 2009
The nose is a bottomless pit of honeyed citrus and grass. Some lovely honeycomb, barley and a touch of floral orange fruit emerge. There’s some late natural caramel and buttery oak. Lovely freshness though. Water emphasises the toasting level. It gives the honey a lovely mature sheen as well as bringing out a grainy note.
Soft, oily and full of fleshy yellow fruits, soft spice, honey, caramel-oak and alcohol on the palate. Water makes it a bit watery to be honest. Moderate length. Alcohol sears away the finish! Water makes it quiet grassy. In conclusion – Lovely nose but the palate is a bit bland and doesn’t stand up to the alcohol.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society ‘Cinder Toffee & Scented Sandalwood’ 23 year old 54.1%
Bourbon Cask/ Tasted: July 2009
Intense and earthy nose. Enormously well-endowed with oodles of vanilla, deep, honeyed fleshy fruit – pure liquid apricot! Some lovely late spice emerges. Water emphasises its age and dried fruit.
The palate is like the nose big and fruity and exceedingly spicy! Water softens and homogenises somewhat. Good length. Honeyed all the way to the end!
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 127.1 Harbour side Barbecue 8 year old 66.5%
Bourbon/ Tasted: July 2010
An intense, fishy and coastal nose with sweet peat, prickly alcohol, hints of coffee and juicy orange fruit. There is some bog myrtle beneath. Water emphasises the oils, the camphor/ eucalyptus and maybe boosts the peat aromas a tad.
The palate is oily and alcoholic but with water becomes a touch sweeter and fuller with some gentle earthy-peat showing. Good length with an oily-peat finish but with water it becomes a bit too confected – sugar sprinkled peat with added marc notes!. Pleasant but I could have done with out the confected character.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 3.162 Makes you want to sing 17 year old 56%
Bourbon/ Tasted: Aug 2010
Quite a woody nose with juicy, rubbery fruit, a surprising marc-like note and gentle earthy peat. It seems more like a 13 year old! With water it becomes pleasantly fruity and dare I say it more enjoyable as the peat aromas become more intense.
The palate is intense and woody, like the nose. Not as complex though with a touch of peat and plenty of alcohol. Water emphasises the oak and softens but causes the peat to vanish! Short and alcoholic. With water it’s ok, a bit on the sweet side with some late peat smoke.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 53.141 Chinese food in an old-fashioned hotel 20 year old 52%
Bourbon/ Tasted: Aug 2010
The nose is a mellow, joyful combination of oak, mature honey, juicy citrus, a touch of peat, wood spices and salinty. Over time it becomes exceedingly honeyed, and the spices are to die for! With water it becomes very citrusy, full of grassy lime fruit along with some tropical apricot, pineapple and mango.
Initially fresh and grassy on the palate followed by loads of sweet fruit, honey and a touch of peat. The alcohol keeps the honey in check and stops it overwhelming the palate. Water emphasises the oak as well as the grassy, leafy notes and subdues the rampaging honey. Long and honeyed (surprise!) In conclusion it is a lovely malt, more Spey than Islay!
Queen of the Moorlands Speyside 12 year old 40%
Sherry/ Tasted: Oct 2006
A rich and relatively straightforward sherried nose. Pleasantly fruity with coffee and wood spice notes. The palate is quite creamy, fruity and sherried. Quite elegant and straightforward with building spice notes. Quite a confected (boiled sweets) finish with coffee and a touch of oat cake.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 