Glen Grant 23, 2000-2023, First Fill Sherry Butt 4, 57.3% – Signatory Vintage for Wu Dram Clan

Posted on 15 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Every time a Wu Dram Clan bottling is announced, I get a bit of a rush. Especially with these older ones they have set the bar so high, and so far they’ve managed to keep it there. This one was a bit of a surprise for me. Glen Grant hasn’t been the epitome of sherry casks that it used to be for a while (disregarding those ridiculously old Gordon & MacPhail bottlings). Also, Wu Dram Clan generally doesn’t go for these heavily sherry’d whiskies.

Of course, I’m on the late side with my review. A lot of shops have already sold out of their allocation, especially outside of Germany. I saw one at Passie voor Whisky but was too late with trying to bottle-share it. Luckily, the mentioned sample lets me try it after all!

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
There is a LOT of mocha on this one. Dark dried fruits too: raisins, plums and dates. It’s surprisingly intense with heaps of black pepper, and a bit of chilies too. Strong hints of oak and sandalwood. It reminds me of Karuizawa. After a few minutes there are notes of strawberry and pine appearing.

Sip:
The palate starts quite fiercely. The dryness of the oak with notes of black pepper are intense. After a few seconds there is a dried fruit sweetness coming through, although the heat isn’t diminishing at all. Oak, sandalwood, strawberry, it’s all there again.

Swallow:
The finish has a reappearance of heat, although it’s more warmth at this point. Interestingly, and I’ve never had this before, it reminds me of strawberry chewing gum. Apart from oak, and more subtle notes of pepper. Dark crusty bread, fruit syrup. A long finish.

Dear lord… If there is a style of sherry cask that is ‘it’, this one is it. It’s not something you find often anymore and it reminds me both of 1970s Longmorn, Glen Grant, Strathisla and other such whiskies, as much as it reminds me of Karuizawa. Those were rather similar, of course. What an epic dram. This is a great way of closing out the year on a high note for Wu Dram Clan!

92/100

Some shops in Germany still have some bottles at around € 270

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Speyburn 25, 1977-2004, Cask 1859, 62.5%

Posted on 12 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I have no idea what happened here, but a 25 year old single malt from Scotland at 62.5% is a sight to behold. As in, it is something else to taste, because the ABV isn’t really visible until you set fire to it.

This rather ancient Speyburn is empty now, it took me a few years to go through it. Using it in 2 tastings and then selling some samples helped, because even though it might be a solid whisky, 62.5% is not something I drink too often.

Typical Speyburn is very malty, with a slight acidic touch and lots of not-too-sweet pastry flavors. Let’s find out if this one is similar or something completely different is happening here, like the ABV…

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
This whisky is rather funky, but different than, for example, Springbank. Old barley, moldy hay, warm oatmeal. Very barley driven, with still a lot of spirit and not too much wood. Which is surprising for a 25 year old whisky. The lack of sweetness translates into the expected light touch of acidity.

Sip:
The palate brings the heat you’d expect of this. I wonder what ABV it was barreled/casked at… I don’t think it’s a dry whisky, but because of the high ABV it does feel like that. Lots of white pepper, sawdust and oak shavings. Flour, barley, straw and hay. The funkiness from the nose is gone, though.

Swallow:
The finish still bites, especially with a bit of oxygen added. It takes a while to settle down and brings a bit of a yeasty sweetness. I know that sounds strange, but I don’t how to put it any differently.

Weird, very strong. Not bad, but just very Speyburn. Lots of barley, oatmeal, a little barfy, even?

It is an interesting whisky that is far from bad (even though I just used the word ‘barfy’). I’m not a huge fan of it, but it wasn’t too challenging to go through what I had left of the bottle.

84/100

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Distilled in Sutherland 5, 2023 Edition, 48.5% – Phil & Simon Thompson

Posted on 11 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Earlier this year I got my hands on the 2022 edition of ‘Distilled in Sutherland‘, which is a blended malt of all three distilleries in Sutherland. That means it’s Clynelish, Brora and Dornoch. With it being 5 years old it also means that there’s a drop of 1983-or-before Brora in there. That’s kind of cool, although it might not mean a lot with it possibly being only a minuscule amount.

Having said that, Dornoch makes good spirit, and so does Clynelish, so in the end it all comes down to the blending of said whiskies.

Image from Whiskybase

The previous edition was a really good bottle of dangerously drinkable and complex whisky. A very old fashioned style, and with me only having a small sample (something something bottle-share something), I went through it really fast. Let’s see where this one ends up!

Sniff:
Very malty, with hints of wood, but also some smoke, heather, and some hints of ‘green’. Moss, tree bark, lichen. A certain crispness.

Sip:
The palate shows a huge amount of malt, dry barley and sharp notes of oak. Crisp, breezy coastal notes. Marram grass, straw, sand.

Swallow:
A long finish, grain forward with a certain old fashioned highland quality. Strangely, not unlike some 1960 blends, which must be Dornoch’s antiquated approach coming through.

This one feels a bit more complex than the previous one is in my memory. As in, the note of old blends is something I don’t remember from the earlier one. Having said that, it does remind me of the previous version with lots of layered flavors, the Clynelish and Dornoch spirits coming through very well. And once again, it’s a great bottle of whisky!

I had a larger sample than I had of the 2022 one and I still went through it rapidly. I might want to get a whole bottle for myself next time!

89/100

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Millstone 7, 2016-2023, First Fill Oloroso Hogshead 2636, 53% – Dràm Mòr

Posted on 8 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

As I found out a couple of days ago, a sample of this was underway to me from Dràm Mòr. Apparently either Dutch or British Royal Mail decided that somewhere between 5 to 6 weeks was the right amount of time to deliver a small parcel from the UK to The Netherlands.

Anyway, in the mean time I had bought a bottle of this, not wanting to miss out on a Dutch single malt that scored 90 points over at Whiskyfun. Especially so since it’s a Dutch whisky. A little bit of chauvinism never really hurt, did it?

Interestingly, I sent a message to Thijs complaining about there not being any older Millstones being bottled for the Dutch market, since they tend to end up at The Whisky Exchange. Zuidam (the distillery) reacted that it was not long until one was released and it showed up yesterday. Unfortunately, a 20-something year old Millstone now sets you back almost € 500, which is just out of my budget (but only just…).

Image from Best of Wines

This one then. An affordable one, with great reviews!

Sniff:
It’s quite typical for a Millstone from the start. There’s a lot of chocolate-y goodness happening. There’s oak and quite some spiciness. Orange fruitiness and some dark, crusty bread. I get notes of star fruit and green apples too, with a hint of mocha.

Sip:
The palate has a bit of bite, but not too much. Some chili and tree bark, cinnamon sticks and cocoa powder. It’s rather dry, with a note of brown sugar, brittle caramel and apple pie. It’s not overly sweet, but there are some notes of pastry. The notes of dark bread are still here, but less pronounced.

Swallow:
The finish is quite rich, but the dryness is there too. The bite initially increases, before settling down to apple pie, and other baked fruits. Brittle caramel, with pulpy oak lingering very long. Some cocoa, vanilla and a minor note of tonka bean.

While this is less similar to a Rye whisky than a Millstone I tried recently, it still is very typical for the distillery from Baarle-Nassau. All the flavors are there, with the combination of chocolate and oranges, and the sharper notes of dark bread all combining nicely. For me it’s not scoring 90, but it sure is scoring well within range of ‘I am glad I got myself a bottle’!

88/100

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Highland Park 14, 2005-2019, 1st Fill American Oak Sherry Puncheon 2390, 57.8% – OB for the Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland

Posted on 6 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

That is not the shortest title I’ve ever typed. But, keeping in mind that the SMWS is also a thing, it probably isn’t the longest either.

Image from Whiskybase

Anyway, back in the day when whisky was allowed to be shipping conveniently from the promised land to just across the North Sea, I bought two bottles of this Highland Park bottled for IWBOS through their amazing branch in Drumnadrochit.

I’m not sure how things are now, but for a couple of years they bottled some rather amazing whiskies at decent prices. I remember the other Highland Park, Glenfarclas and Ballechin rather fondly.

This one, even though I would say it’s a bourbon cask matured one by the looks of it, matured in a sherry puncheon. Of course, it was an American Oak one, so the color is a bit lighter than you’d expect from European oak.

Sniff:
Very Highland Park-y, with a gentle note of peat, heather. Quite some barley and oak as well. A very classic Highland Park, with a whiff of candied lemon and apple.

Sip:
Rather dry and with a bit of bite. It starts with black and white pepper, but moves towards chilies quickly. More oak, sawdust and bit of a whale skin texture. Peat, dry heather, a whiff of peat. Apples, unripe pears, dried lemon.

Swallow:
A long finish that sticks to the dry notes of heather, barley and oak.

A classical Highland Park, as said. I like that it has the typical dryness, the whiff of smoke and the layered flavors. Apparently this one is still for sale for € 150 in The Netherlands, and at that price it’s not even too expensive. Good stuff!

89/100

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Ardnamurchan 7, 2014-2022, Unpeated 1st Fill Spanish Oloroso Sherry Cask 435, 60.2% – OB for 12 Barrels

Posted on 5 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Even though Ardnamurchan is still young whisky, like yesterday’s 1770 and quite some others nowadays, Arnamurchan seems to have an old soul. This whisky tends to punch above it’s age, and works well in a variety of casks.

Knowing this means that when your friend HE, one of the 12 Barrels, has bottles for sale, you go for at least one. And once again, I wouldn’t mind having another one for a later date. Even though I seem to say that a lot, when most of the bottles are gone they stay gone, and I don’t mind. This one though…

Ardnamurchan distillery was founded by the people behind the Adelphi brand and started production in 2014, which means there’s bound to be a ten year old next year. I’m a bit scared for the price, though.

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
It’s very much an Oloroso cask, with lots of slightly yeasty sherry notes. A dark fruitiness on top of that, with warm and sweet barley. After half a minute or so, notes of Tonka beans and chocolate pop up as well. Even though there are quite a few notes of pastry and pastry-adjacent things, it’s not an overly sweet nose. It’s actually quite savory, with a bit of coastal salinity too.

Sip:
The palate is fierce, which is not surprising with it being more than 60% alcohol. The Tonka beans and chocolate continue, as do the notes of sherry. There’s a bit more barley and oak than there was on the nose though. When the alcohol settles a little bit and your tongue regains consciousness you start to notice the dryness of the palate too, with a bit of an almond flour and cherry stone bitterness.

Swallow:
The finish is dry and starts with quite the afterburner. The high ABV makes sure you remember it before it leaves. Then the dry notes of wood and barley, yeast and dark fruits show themselves. Again, very much a finish of Oloroso sherry. The cocoa and Tonka beans are mostly gone, now.

As you might have guessed by now, I really enjoy this dram. It doesn’t try to lie about it’s age, but has already developed quite a complexity and depth of flavor. The fact that the cask isn’t overly prominent and leaves some space for the rich spirit is rather lovely.

89/100

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1770 Glasgow Single Malt, Bottled in 2020, Virgin Oak, Triple Distilled

Posted on 4 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another bottle that came to an end over the last couple of weeks, that was bought during Covid for a tasting. This new distillery, of which Tom wrote a more extensive piece, has been around for a couple of years now. According to Whiskybase there are some 68 whiskies out already, which I think is quite a lot in five years.

Of course, you have to make a mark when you’re a new kid on the increasingly crowded block. But releasing some 14 bottlings per year seems excessive. Then again, who am I to have an opinion on that!

The whisky then. It’s a young dram, obviously. Since it was bottled in 2020 it can’t be more than five years old, but I think we’re closer to the truth if we’re going with 3 years of maturation. It matured in a virgin oak cask, after being distilled three times.

Generally, this worries me a little bit. Because triple distillation does remove more of the components that give a whisky a profile, and virgin oak is known for imparting lots of wood driven flavors in a relatively short amount of time. Let’s find out where this one ends up!

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
A veritable mountain of malt to start the nose with. Not a lot of oak, which isn’t too surprising for a three-ish year old whisky, but is for a virgin oak cask. Some bread and baked apples, and a bit of scotch tablet.

Sip:
The palate shows the youth of the whisky a little bit more than the nose did. There’s fresh spirit, and its alcohol sweetness. On top of that the virgin oak shows itself, as well as hints of straw, vanilla and apple. A bit of custard too, and white pepper.

Swallow:
The finish is largely similar to the palate. There’s heaps of vanilla and straw, showcasing the virgin oak and barley spirit, but not much else.

Maybe a bit too generic to be overly interesting by the time it is 10 years old? I hope they have some refill casks lying around as well!

Based on this dram I can’ say I have expectations to the distillery profile. The whisky is a bit too young for that, and too wood driven. I am curious to see where this goes, though!

80/100

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A Tennessee Distillery 5, bottled in 2017, Cask P311, 59.7% – The Single Cask

Posted on 1 December 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer
Image from Whiskybase

I bought this as a very random American whisky. Looking back, I know I wanted to bottle-share this, as well as some other bottlings by The Single Cask. I also know that this one didn’t share very well and I didn’t sell a lot of samples. The other one was a Glenrothes that did go well.

This whisky is most likely distilled by George Dickel distillery. I am not 100% sure, but the options are quite limited and this seems to be the consensus on the Internet.

Sniff:
Notes of dry corn, green malt, barley, oak and those green mosses on tree trunks. Quite sharp, but not immature. Tobacco and cherry stones.

Sip:
A dry and peppery arrival. Chili heat, dry oak, straw and a slightly bitter note. Not sweet at all, with somewhat lighter flavors.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit warmer, a bit more rich and dark. Still quite hot, but also rather tasty.

So, it’s a decent Tennessee whisky. It’s not great, but it is far from bad as well. The tobacco and cherry notes on the nose are quite nice, as is the lack of sweetness. But, apart from that it is a bit generic.

83/100

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Scapa 8, 1988-1996, Oak Cask, 64% – Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection

Posted on 30 November 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The eternal conundrum of old and young whisky. This one is both, since it’s only 8 years old, but has been around for almost 30 years. Another one I got during Covid for the Weird Whisky Tasting I hosted back then.

Scapa is always a bit of a weird one, since it’s not one you find often. Especially these older independent ones. What is also incredible is the massive ABV of 64%. This could be rocket fuel, or a complete dud.

Image from Whiskybase

Funny with these rare bottles, there are seven ratings of this bottle, of which 6 are from my bottle and bottle-share group…

Sniff:
A rather crisp, heathery dram that does make me think about Scotland’s coast. A windy, sandy morning on the beach, so to say. There are hints of barley and apple in the background. Some vanilla and the tiniest hint of charcoal behind it all. Hints of straw and barley start getting stronger and stronger.

Sip:
I think it has mellowed a little bit over the time it’s been open, but it still is a rather strong whisky. Fiery with white pepper and red chilies. Apple cores, barley and straw. Some coastal salinity.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly more gentle, but still sharp. It mellows quickly to leave a lovely, slightly oily texture. A hint of vanilla and baked apple. Sunflower oil, with a hint of honey as well.

I think it was a lot more fiery when I first opened bottle. However, it’s been slowly being emptied over the last year or two, which means it’s mellowed a little bit. I think that is a good thing. It’s quite coastal, but very different to how Springbank and Islay whiskies are coastal. More the chill crisp of the north coast. An enjoyable dram, but not stellar by any means.

85/100

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Balblair 14, 2008-2022, Bourbon Cask 479, 58.2% – Hand Bottled at the Distillery

Posted on 29 November 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Last year, at the end of October, I was in the northern Highlands with my father-in-law and two brothers-in-law. We finally got around to our whisky trip that we had been planning for years. Something about each of us tag-teaming with having kids for a decade and a bit.

We visited Old Pulteney, Clynelish and Balblair distilleries. Two of those were really fun to visit, one not so much. Balblair was pretty fun, with a good tour and a good tasting. Also, it’s just a beautiful distillery, in a beautiful setting.

Image from Whiskybase

Of course, we did pick up some distillery only bottlings and I came home with way too much whisky. No surprise there, but it was a bit more than planned for. Luckily, there are bottle-shares. This one got emptied last week, and that also meant it was high time for tasting notes!

Sniff:
Sawdust and white pepper. It’s quite fiery from the start. Dusty, floury barley notes, and a hint of green apple crispness. Some pear skins too. It gets a bit richer and warmer with some time. Hints of vanilla and puff pastry pop up.

Sip:
The high alcohol is quite noticeable, and there is a lot of white pepper heat, on top of the bone dry sawdust. Hints of pear and green apple for a little bit of sweetness. The sawdust moves toward oak planks and seasoned casks a bit.

Swallow:
The finish starts biting a bit more initially, before settling down. When settling down the green apple and pear pop up again, accompanied by a note of cinnamon and demerara sugar.

So, yeah this is a spicy one. You have to not be afraid of a bit of heat and pepper, on top of it being a really solid Balblair. It is highly unsuited for a dram to start the evening with, but it’s a very good one for later in a tasting. None of the scents and flavors trump the others, which means it’s quite balanced after your palate has gotten used to the bite.

88/100

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