Malt Fascination

I kept this one for last, as I did in my tasting originally. Mostly because I thought it would overpower the Caol Ila and I had a couple of indie 1998 Laphroaigs during the year, which were all very good. Let’s hope this one lives up to the expectations!

Nose:
Its not lighter or heavier than the Caol Ila, but it is very different. The smoked eel scent is not present here but the burning heather scent is. Quite fruity with white grapes and such.

Taste:
Very sharp. A burning sensation with quite a peppery flavour to it. Hard to get my tongue around…

Finish:
The finish is rather volatile. The burning sensation is left after only a few seconds. Quite dry and chalky with a big hint of wood fires.

It’s a nice dram but not as nice as any of the other recent Laphroaigs, like the one from Liquid Library and the 1999 from Daily Dram. And it didn’t sit right just after the Caol Ila. Apart from that, reasonably simple, straight forward without many different flavours for me to discover (maybe more for others, though).

Laphroaig 1998-2011, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon hogshead #700272. Available at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis for € 69.99

Ah, Caol Ila! One of my all time favorites, ever since I bought that Caol Ila 18 about 6 or 7 years ago. I guess for me that’s a bit like it is for Graeme at the Edinburgh Whisky Blog. That’s also a bit of the reason why I bought it, and to see whether the older Caol Ilas are any good. I’ve tried a few from different bottlers, like Port Askaig and the Bladnoch Forum and that were good whiskies, but not overly impressive at 25 or 30 years old.

Nose:
Heavy and oily, almost like factory machines. Also smoked eel, lots of that, and some heather. While it sounds weird, the nose is very clean, apart from the machine smells. It does smell like Caol Ila though, they have that oily scent in a lot of their bottlings. I like that.

Taste:
It is rather gentle to the tongue with hints of pepper. Quite light, but I didn’t expect anything else after a nose like this. It might just be a little thin, but then it start building and building until it is some kind of Balrog. It gets rather ashy and fiery.

Finish:
The finish is sharp, in a way that you almost don’t dare to move your tongue or taste more. It almost burnt the inside of my mouth. Very clean again and the oil is back as well. Lasts for quite a while.

This is a very interesting whisky. While it all starts rather gentle, as soon as you start tasting it, it turn up the heat until its almost unbearable. Very, very hot and it started hurting after a few seconds. In a good way.

Caol Ila 1981, Malts of Scotland, 59.8%, Bourbon hogshead #4807, no longer available

There have been many Tamdhus over the last year, probably because the stocks were a bit downsized around the time the distillery was sold from the Edrington Group to Ian Macleod Distillers. Fortunately for them, fruity whiskies have become quite popular during the last couple of years and they fit right in. The fact that the bottles are usually quite affordable helps as well!

Nose:
Full, fruity sherry. In no way is this a heavy dram. Lots of honey with fresh tropical fruits and a certain freshness to it that reminds me of anise. I get grilled pineapple and papaya.

Taste:
Quite a bit sharper than I expected, and a little bit more spicy as well. Pepper, quite sweet and tad dry as well. The woods and spices surprise me!

Finish:
The finish shows a bit more age with quite some wood. It lasts long with bucketloads of fruit. Also some citrus fruit, so not only the tropical stuff. Very good!

This might be one of the best Tamdhu’s I’ve tasted last year! The fruitiness is very good but it is not as one dimensional as some others, and it has a bit more maturity and age to it than the 6 year old by The Ultimate.

Tamdhu 1990-2011, Malts of Scotland, 49.8%, Sherry Butt #8119, no longer available.

To my knowledge it had been ages since I tasted a Macallan and really enjoyed it. Its one of the great and iconic brands, although I have the feeling they are becoming more ‘average’ the last couple of years. Luckily, there are exceptions, and they usually come from the sherry cask kind of Macallan!

Nose:
Beefy sherry at first, and even the scent is a little thick. Massive amounts of dried fruits.

Taste:
The fruit goes on to the palate. Peaches and apricots are the biggest flavours. After a few seconds you get more spices and a certain spicy sharpness.

Finish:
The finish is smooth and very flavourful. Fruit, wood and slightly spicy. The finish is long and sticky. Completely mouth-coating.

A very, very good Macallan. Unfortunately, my sample was too small to try it again since I have the feeling I missed many flavours and nuances. The old style heavy and thick fruitiness is something I really enjoy and I hope to find more of these!

Macallan 1990, Malts of Scotland, 49.1%, Oloroso Sherry Hogshead #1134, available at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis for € 119

Glen Keith is one of those distilleries from which you barely hear anything, and then all of a sudden every other bottler has (in this case) a 1970 bottling out. It happened with Ardmore 18, Tamdhu 19 and 20, Lochside 1981 and many more over the last few years.

Nose:
Spicy with bread, wood, roasted oak, cinnamon and caramel. A hint of vanilla is present to support it all. Also a hint of crushed pepper. A lot is happening.

Taste:
At first it is quite sharp but it soon becomes a bit more mellow. Also that roasted oak flavour. The palate is warm, with cake, baking spices and quite a lot of wood influence. Also something oily with a tad of almonds.

Finish:
The finish also has something spicy in a hotter way, more peppery. Spices and wood again, with a slight drying effect and hints of dark chocolate.

This is a terrific dram in any way you look at it. Its quite different from the TWA bottling, but that is a good thing. Keeping things varied. The nose and taste are really complex with massive amounts of flavours bouncing around. If you expect a dram to blow you away, this isn’t that, but if you want a dangerously drinkable dram that can keep you busy for a few evenings, check this one out!

Glen Keith 40, 1970, Malts of Scotland, 47.9%, bourbon hogshead #6042, available at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis for € 189

The fifth dram from the Malts of Scotland Bottle-Share. Port Charlotte has mostly been hits, with some minor misses every now and then. From what I’ve tasted, I’m not such a big fan of the cask finishes and in my opinion Port Charlotte works best with bourbon casks. There have been a couple of exception, both bottled by the SMWS. Let’s see how this bourbon hogshead fares.

Nose:
Young, but not in a negative way. Not spirity, but very vibrant. Fresh white oak, sharp peat smoke and some heather.

Taste:
Very sharp but what did I expect at 64% ABV? Peppery with a mouth drying feel. It does build up to more sharpness and I get some vanilla and white grapes.

Finish:
The finish gives a more warming feeling to it. It does a little in my throat, but the flavours  are more wintry. A hearth fire smokiness. It lasts for quite a long while with lots of heather and other field herbs without being too floral and too Bowmore.

A tremendous Port Charlotte! For some reason the bourbon cask works very well here, and even better than I remember the PC6 and such bottlings. I really should get into these little Bruichladdich bottlings a bit more, apparently. It could do with a few more fruity tones, but I might get those the next time I taste it (there is a drop left, I believe).

Port Charlotte 2002, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, 64.2%, cask #1172, available for € 78.99 at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis

To be honest, I more or less chose this bottle because I had never tasted anything from Glenallachie before. I always try to taste new stuff and since this distillery is not regularly available to my knowledge and, I think, one not often picked up as a random bottle the choice was as good as any.

Nose:
Quite light and a little thick or greasy. Green malt with some vanilla and lemon.

Taste:
The taste has some spicyness to it, with a bitter edge. It does taste a bit younger than it actually is. A small hint of vanilla that gets a bit sweeter the longer you let it swim.

Finish:
The finish is quite pedestrian. Not too long, not too special. The ‘young’ flavour is here again as well. The style of it is quite different than the other Malts of Scotland so far.

To be honest, this is quite the boring dram. Its not bad, but neither will I remember this one in a few months. The flavours are never pronounced and I can see why this is a blenders whisky. With 2.8 million litres per annum and almost no bottlings available it seems that the indie bottlers aren’t big fans either.

Glenallachie 15, Malts of Scotland, 53%, Bourbon Hogshead #1257. Available for € 59 at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis

For some reason this was one of the samples I was looking forward to the most. I haven’t tasted many Glenglassaughs, but the ones I tried were terrific! The colour of this dram was very dark, almost coffee like. Usually I don’t pay much mind to the colour since it has led me astray previously.

Nose:
Very heavy sherry with lots of wood. Quite spicy on the wood front as well. It also has some dried fruits and bacon on the background. Those come a bit more forward as time goes by, they’re shy I guess.

Taste:
At first I was surprised by how light this dram tastes, but it starts building up gradually to a very heavily wooded sherry palate. Also pepper and red cinnamon. The fruit is somewhat less present that I expected.

Finish:
The finish becomes quite gentle after the initial burst of flavour. Roasted nuts with dried fruits and wood. Not too long, but very good nonetheless!

I think I have to call some samples back to taste more of this! Or maybe just buy a bottle in February, if they’re still available then. I for some reason was very curious for this one but also a bit terrified since some of the incredibly sherried drams are just a bit over the top for me. This one wasn’t. I loved every drop of it! Quite complex and almost in a Japanese style, like some older Karuizawas!

You might want to check out this review too! Its a bit more specific on all fronts, actually. Contrary to Ruben, I am a fan of the musty meaty notes at first!

Glenglassaugh 1984-2009, Malts of Scotland, 54.7%, cask # 186. No longer available.

Littlemill is a distillery with a mixed reputation. Some bottles that have come out of late received pretty good reviews, but the general consensus is that it was not one of the greats from the Lowlands like Rosebank and St. Magdalene.

Nose:
Very malty with orange and cloves. Warm bready crusts with some peppermint in the background. A nice combination of wintry things.

Taste:
The palate felt very thin but there was a certain spiciness. Whole grain bread, a little bit of wood. The development is a little weird as it turns rather cloying with a little greasiness.

Finish:
This is a two-layered one. At first there is the unexpected bread flavour after which it turns surprisingly fruity. The flavours start to mingle after half a minute or so. The texture that remains is a little dusty. Quite long, but a bit thin.

This is a very weird, but quite interesting whisky. I’m not sure I like it all that much, but there are some very interesting flavours there. It does feel quite unbalanced though.

Littlemill 1989, Malts of Scotland, 52.8%, Sherry Butt #2511, available at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis for € 119.