Mortlach 9 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2004, Refill Hogshead, 46%

Comment: This pale and malty dram tastes exactly like a raw peppered steak with spinach on the side. We also got apricot and peach, morello cherry and sandalwood aromas. Steely Dram (sorry, Steely Dan!)

Score: 84

Longmorn 11 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2003 – 2014, Bourbon Barrel, 46%

Comment: Their best release so far! What a fruitbasket with incredible maturity after these years (it already displays dextrosity). Coconut, vanilla, pineapple, passion fruit, gooseberries, pear, lemons, elderflower combined with white chocolate, tinned milk, honeysuckle and toffee. Creamy and voluptuous mouthfeel, a sour-fruity and baroque Longmorn, Speyside goes Caribbean.

Score: 90

Glengoyne 7 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2007 – 2014, Refill Sherry, 46%

Comment: This dram is somewhat tragic because it has great potential but was bottled way too early (baby murder, so to speak) as it is very green, mashy and close to a new make. Nevertheless there is complexity and some weight already: apple compote, sour apple mash (like in a cider factory), autumnal flowers, kiwi, Haribo peach gums, honey, pistachio and candy floss – this would have been amazing some years in the future. Now it is interesting but not there yet.

Score: 76

Miltonduff 7 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2007 – 2014, Refill Butt, 46%

Comment: This one stands like a champion for its young age, especially on the palate. A wonderful sherry influence on a medium dry and flowery base. Don’t rush this Miltonduff! One can detect dried flowers, hay, blood oranges, bergamotte, lit sandwood sticks, tinned coffee cream, some oak and good acidity. The finish leaves you craving for more.

Score: 88

Auchroisk 12 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2001, Refill Hogshead, 46%

Comment: A very unsusual whisky, in parts it reminds me of mezcal (agave, white pepper) and steely gins (juniper). Quite dry and austere, lots of hay, celeriac, wet earth, chili, leather and peaches. Malt for Mexicans. Bring out the Mariachi.

Score: 80

Caol Ila 5 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2008 – 2014, Refill Hogshead, 414 btl., 46%

Comment: A typical and fresh Caol Ila that surprises me (only five years old) – peat, twig smoke, olive oil, juniper, lemon, chalk, mint, nettles, pepper and spice in the nose. Only the taste reveals its youth with greener elements ans some mash. Nice finish.

Score: 86

Laphroaig 11 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2002 – 2014, Refill Hogshead, 151 btl., 46%

Comment: It is one of these green-banana-like Laphs (like original bottlings these days, which often perform less good than indie bottlings), limestone, green tea, peat smoke and old port aromas. Some might love this more than I do. A solid Islay dram though.

Score: 86+

There also is a Talisker 6 y.o. from 2008 in the new range – it is not a green as one would think, already a typical maritime beach-BBQ dram, way better than Storm (86 points).

Glentauchers 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, sherry butt, 310 btl., 46%

Comment: A creamy and fat dram with a wonderful sherry influence (Pedro Ximenez?) and counterbalancing spice combo. I am getting maraschino cherries and cherry juice, ginger bread, tangerine, fudge (Werther’s Echte) and vanilla. My favourite in this batch.

Score: 89

Fettercairn 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, refill hogshead, 377 btl., 46%

Comment: A malty and nutty whisky that still has some green elements of shrub wood. The leading aromas are toffee, apples and pears, pineapple, dried flowers and CO2 carbonation smells (yes, unusual).

Score: 83

Glenallachie 9 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, sherry butt, 299 btl., 46%

Comment: Something went wrong in filtering this one, it is a bit cloudy, but this doesn’t impact the flavour. Raisins, dates and sherry cask aromas dominate the nose (better than the palate), a Christmas cake with peppery and fresh elements as well, good balance, but not very complex.

Score: 84

Braeval 12 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2001 – 2014, sherry butt, 660 btl., 46%

Comment: Hello smoke, peat and moss, I didn’t expect you in this concentration. A complex and powerful yet elegant dram with goarse, sweet fruits (maraschino) and apricots plus the ‚Island-esque‘ touch on the side. A great learning experience, hard to guess in a blind tasting.

Score: 87

Glen Grant 10 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2004 – 2014, refill hogshead, 390 btl., 46%

Comment: A very typical example of this reliable distillery. Nicely fruity, mature and fat with quite some bourbon cask influence, like a cream toffee. There are traces of tropical fruits and dextrose in the aroma while the palate seems to be spicier and greener than the nose suggested.

Score: 85

Dailuaine 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, sherry butt, 393 btl., 46%

Comment: A good nose, although a bit on the raisiny side of the sherry world. This is a round and sweet dram with good integration of cristalline flavours and some more spice on the palate than I expected, already mature.

Score: 86

Blair Athol 11 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2002 – 2014, refill hogshead, 421 btl., 46%

Comment: Its predecessor was a winner and this one doesn’t fail either with this discrete Highland understatement. Soft, round and complex (like me) displaying notes of moss, tea, pear, vineyard peaches paired with good acidity. A real steal.

Score: 88

Glencadam 10 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2004 – 2014, refill hogshead, 46%

Comment: Mashy and malty start, the leading aromas are pear (!), caramel, vanilla, nougat, coffee, oak, ginger bread, pistachio and flowers. With time, Asian spice and fruity elements surface.

Score: 85

Tamdhu 12 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2001 – 2014, refill hogshead, 153 btl., 46%

Comment: Tarte tatin (Calvados)! Funny at first, a round and sweet dram with good length. After the ‚tarty‘ start it settles to reveal dough, caramel, moss, green grapes, canned pears, malt, ginger, almonds, white oak and white pepper.

Score: 84

Jura 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2006 – 2014, refill butt, 598 btl., 46%

Comment: Quite complex for its age – leather, spices (chili, too), mashy malt, coffee, maritime ozone, joghurt, pistachio, polished oak, peaches and more.

Score: 86

Ledaig 6 y.o.  Hepburn’s Choice 2008 – 2014, refill hogshead, 46%

Comment: As a fan of Ledaig, I was curious to try a younger vintage before the often released 2005. This one is still close to a new make (wild ride, baby), but with huge potential. Despite its young vegetal peatiness, the emerging complexity already shines through: shoe shine, iodine, suede, green apples and smoke are leading elements. These 2008 Ledaigs seem to be as peaty as 2005, maybe even more phenol ppm in action. Promising stuff.

Score: 86

After these releases came out, there also were a young Talisker, Caol Ila and a Laphroaig, all of which I haven’t tried yet. Overall, these drams without colouring (not chill-filtered) are a reasonable choice among the many ’no age statement‘ or finished bottlings we see at weird prices these days, I think. Honest stuff, nothing fancy, some better, some worse, but real whisky to understand the product without mascerade – which we like.

Now let’s talk about the bottlings in brief fashion. The first batch has gone rather quick, so let’s just give an overview.

Batch Dec. 2013 / January 2014:

Auchentoshan 11 y.o. (2001): Very typical yet better than the original, somewhat bigger and oilier, nuts, grass, lemon zest, herbs, vanilla, spring onions and more soft spice elements, long finish. 87 points.

Blair Athol 10 y.o. (2002): Great allrounder qualities, fruity tail, the favourite for many tasters among this batch. 88 points.

Braeval 12 y.o. Sherry Butt (2001): 87 points.

Tamdhu 12 y.o. (2001): Very typical of Speyside, straight and honest dram. 85 points.

Benrinnes 10 y.o. Sherry Butt (2003): 86 points.

Ledaig 8 y.o. (2005): We all love the 2005 Ledaig with its huge peaty tang and the leather – shoe shine – apple aromas. This one makes no difference. Another favourite among the tasters: 88 points.

The new batch was just released in February 2014 and I expected the quality to drop a bit, but again these are bangs for your buck, really good quality and fair value. Check it out:

Batch February 2014:

Auchentoshan 12 y.o. (2001 – 2014): A fruitbasket of a Lowlander, then green apples, lemon zest, grass and vanilla. It drinks softly yet chewy, fruity and big with a good balance. 87 points.

Craigellachie 9 y.o. Refill Sherry Cask (2004 – 2014): Hay, dried flowers, maltiness, ginger bread, pumpkin pie spice, licorice, pineapple and white pepper at nosing; drinks sweeter as expected, great spiciness with a soft body and impeccable balance. 87 points.

Balmenach 12 y.o. (2001 – 2014): A mix of regional and tropical fruit, rather fruity overall, amazingly mature for its age, plus canned milk. Nice finish. 88 points.

Benrinnes 11 y.o. Refill Sherry Cask (2002 – 2014): Honey, dried flowers, malt, hay, ginger, lemon zest; tastes okayish but has not settled in balance yet, it could add complexitiy, too. 82 points.

Speyburn 9 y.o. Refill Sherry (Fino?) (2004 – 2014): My favourite bottling of the bunch – it really smells and tastes like the water inside the mushroom glass, then apple compote, grapes, fino sherry, canned milk, brine, tropical fruits (pineapple, guava) and spices (chili, pepper), deep and unusual yet mild. Amazing. 89 points.

Glenrothes 9 y.o. 1st-fill Sherry Cask (2004 – 2014): nice sherry nose, not too raisiny, grapes, blood oranges, cola mix, black pepper, Asian spice; mild taste; a wondeful sherry cask bottling. 88+ points.

So get your hands on some of these drams for daily pleasure or for learning whisky and single casks. Recommended stuff!