Beschreibung: Wir haben ihn im Team probiert und fanden den Traigh Bhan II sehr gelungen. Uns gefiel die mineralische Kalkigkeit, seine Typizität („der ist ganz klar ein Ardi“) und die Komplexität, alles rund und wertig, für große Schlücke. Man kann seine Reife deutlich wahrnehmen, da sind massig Sekundär- und Tertiäraromen in Esterform gebildet worden. Auch viel Jod, antiseptische Pflaster, Reifen, Trafobrand, Teer, Milchkaffee, Feuerstein, Streichholz, Leder, Zitrone, Pflaume, grüne Kräuter (auch Tee), Tomatenmark, Chiliflocken und Aloe Vera sind zu finden. Und natürlich Torfrauch, der aber viel mehr transportiert als in wilder Jugend. Man wünscht sich ein paar mehr Umdrehungen, das ist aber das einzige Manko an diesem wirklich feinen und kompakten Ardbeg – ich leg‘ mir sicher einen zu. Er erinnert an seinen Vorgänger, der süß-cremige Abgang ist ein Traum.

Bewertung: 90 Punkte

1) Cragganmore 1999 – 10.2011 Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead MoS 11012, 55,1%

Photo: thewhiskycask.de

Comment: A lot of Bourbon cask character welcomes you here in this dark dram, big white oak, tropical fruit (pineapple) and sweet vanilla – almost an American nose. There is not much distillery character left, indeed have I never encountered such a huge Bourbon influence in a Scotch. This is Scourbon (or Bourtch). I am also getting rising dough and some honey. How is the taste of this mid-atlantic dram? Well, a lot like a fine Bourbon with hints of Scotch. Water makes it more accessible and complex, but not different in style. One more to put down to experience, not bad at all, just very…Southern. Drink that one with a chicken-fried steak.

Score: 87

2) Cragganmore 12 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society 2.1999 – 2011, SMWS 37.49, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 248 btl., 54,2%

Comment: Brighter than its predecessor. It reveals a nice complexity on the herbal side, also many tropical fruits (tangerines, grapefruit, peaches, passion fruit), dry malt and whiffs of sawdust. Behind these lead aromas I can find almond oil and reminiscences of a fat Riesling Auslese from Baden. On the palate it has a wonderful balance, everything is there and in place, no water is necessary in this oily dram. It develops into a ‚fruitcakey‘ direction and finishes really well, no offnotes, just plain good malt.

Score: 89+

3) Cragganmore 21 y.o. The First Editions 1989 – 2011, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 268 btl., 55,4%

Photo: Sixtyseven-Seventy

Comment: Again, a different profile, fragile, well-balanced and Chardonnay-like – more typical of the distillery as herbs come through as well in amazing complexity (quite mediterranean and minty overall). There also is grass, malt, lemon zest, pear (with blue cheese), peach and a trace of vanilla pod. It tastes less fragile as the nose would suggest – good grip on malt, herbs and wood. Water makes it more elegant. A good pick.

Score: 89

GlenDronach 39 y.o. OB 1972 – 2011 Oloroso Sherry Butt 712, 466 btl., 49,9%

Nose: The powerful and dry Oloroso makes itself heard right from the start, but there is so much more. We have fruits like plums (many), prunes, figs, cherries, orange zests and even a whiff of tropical fruit basket. We have spices like hot chili and ginger. And we have aromas of geranium earth in the flower pot on the balcony (sorry, that is the smell, maybe even guano sticks in there   ), unlit Cuban cigar, old leather, flowers, ginger bread, licorice, praline and rising dark dough in the oven.

Palate: Nice! And it is not too sherried or tannic (although clearly in that genre). I love the two worlds here: Dark and bright elements live in peaceful coexistence. Additional aromas are Spanish ham, mahogany wood, roses and old weathered oak.

Finish: It also finishes strong with an intensity that reminds me of older Japanese Sherry Malts – with their ups and downs.

Comment: I like this version a lot, but it is not my favourite Dronach – which probably would be the 1970 Signatory 20 y.o. at cask strength (there were three versions of this).

A note on the side: Awards are always won by very intense malts with upfront power. This is a result of the sheer number of malts to be tasted, the lack of time to deal with one single dram for a long time or even an evening and the positioning in flights in general. Sometimes less obtrusive but very complex and fragile drams are overseen and somehow missed. This also happens at fairs and tastings frequently. If people dealt with only one, two or maybe three malts a night (from very identical categories in head-tohead-mode to cancel out positioning-effects) I bet the results were a bit different. Nevertheless, this is an amazing whisky and a winner for sure.

Score: 92

Photo: nasawatch.com

However, I won’t push a wheelbarrow with peat to apply for the purchase of a young bottle, neither will I welcome a ship in a port with its peaty load nor am I becoming a rocketman – I am simply going to taste two exceptional drams from there just as the Gods of Ardbeg wanted it. This is how I obey, that’s my way of creating cult. But thanks for the invitation, guys.

My friend Michael – who deserves knighthood for this – gave me two samples of Ardbeg Single Casks that still mature at the distillery in Sherry Hoggies: a 1975 and a 1998. Something special already. As I own the empty sister, Sherry Cask #4716 bottled for Germany in 2002 (this cask sits in my cellar and was used for an Ardbeg rematuration), this is even more special to me. Let’s taste:

Ardbeg 1975 Refill Sherry Hogshead #4714 (sampled 27.09.2011, 45,3%)

Nose: Wow, what a great start for Ardbeg Day – it has the perfect balance and smell of good old Ardbeg from sherry

Photo: The Wine and Cheese Place

casks with enough power. I love the deep peaty tones, the soot and the iodine along with notes of chalk, sulphur, tires, overheated power transformator, herbs, tealeafs, camphor, cocoa, milk coffee, plums, pepper, oyster, sea air, lemon zest and other citrus components, also only a little wood (dark plank). Close to perfect, I would say.

Palate: Very similar to its nose, but milder, not a powerhouse – it could be a bit heavier for my taste. This also translates into the mouthfeel which also is a bit thin. However, the finish brings a growth of flavours again.

Finish: Now we’re talking! The magic is back, consisting of iodine, soot, sulphur, deep-toned peat, tires and plums. Nothing but great.

Comment: This work in progress should be taken out soon, but it also won’t suffer from becoming a 40 y.o., who knows what is planned with it. Some people say it won’t be bottled at all. Why that is, I don’t know. The old showcase cask? Whatever will happen, I wanna be part of its future .

Score: 93+

Ardbeg 1998 Refill Sherry Hogshead #2722 (sampled 27.09.2011, 53,9%)

Nose: Altogether the same DNA (deep peaty aromas, soot and put-out campfire, dirty tires, lemon zest, camphor), but with the usual hints of post-1997

Photo: The Wine and Cheese Place

elements like aloe vera, agave and other cactus’s juice. I am also getting aromas of Pu-Erh tea and pine resin. The sherry is very discrete but helps in terms of complexity.

Palate: Displays a good balance, this is not a wild beast yet it retains good power of spice and peat and the aromas mentioned. I can taste its potential.

Finish: Mainly on soot, peat, matchstick sulphur and tires but the complete nose appears in the distance after a while. And here it is, late but there: Chocolate and French roast coffee. Aaaaahhhhh.

Comment: This cask is pretty close to the old style, especially in the finish. I am quite convinced that it will come close to the old Ardbeg quality when it is over 20 years old – if they let it sleep.

Photo: The Wine and Cheese Place

With some patience, we will get wonderful old Islay drams like the 1975 from above again. Along with Port Charlotte and Kilchoman, Ardbeg will be stellar when it becomes older. The future is bright. Aside from that I think that inactive refill sherry is just the perfect wood to age Ardbeg for more than 15 years.

Score: 91+

P.S.: In November there will be an Ardbeg Vertical Tasting in Regensburg …

Joke or not - it is cult: The Ardbeg Galileo (Photo: ardbeg-whisky.ch)

Imperial 16 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1995 – 2011, Bourbon Hogshead, 53,9%

Comment: A very fruity start on pineapple, peaches, apricot jam and banana accompanied by loads of vanilla, almond oil and sweet malt. I am also getting notes of oak, smoke, white pepper, herbal elements (camphor, green plants) and green tea. On the palate it is creamy and shows good balance. Aside from the aromas mentioned (here mainly peaches, green elements and a nice peppery spiciness) there are ginger and licorice coming through. This imperial duck’s highlight is the finish: very long and pleasant on vanilla, peaches and almond oil. Pretty darn good.

Score: 90

Strathmill 37 y.o. Archives 1974 – 2011, Bourbon Hogshead 1231, 180 btl., 44,5%

Comment: This one starts oaky and fruity, pretty much the typical old Bourbon cask stylistics. It is a bit wild and unsettled, maybe water is needed. I am also getting apple crumble, peaches, vanilla and a whiff of passion fruit. With the water mentioned it opens up, gets rounder and releases lemon aromas along with smoky elements, green tea and even more peaches. On the palate the wood is a bit too big for my taste, the other aromas are trailing more in the background. It is on the dry side, not overly complex and should have been taken out of the cask some years earlier. However, water brings our some sour elements which I like. Don’t get me wrong, good fruity whisky from way back but not a king of its category. My colleagues scored it slightly higher – but I prefer other Archive releases …well, personal taste.

Score: 86

Clynelish 14 y.o. The First Editions 1997, 56,3%

Comment: This one is peppery and has quite some cask influence (more than the Archives version). Leather, apple and pear, green grapes and raisins are wrapped in a vanilla-malt quilt. And of course, the typical Clynelish features (visit link above). It has a creamy texture and can be drunk with or without water. A good dram.

Score: 87

Clynelish 14 y.o. Archives 1997, Bourbon Hogshead 4634, 160 btl., 53,9%

Comment: An amazingly fresh and coastal nose, mostly on apples, pears, lemon zest, wax, soft peat and moss. In the mouth it posesses a great balance: everything is there in good delineation, only the pears stand out. This one has some nice acidity to it as well and finishes just as good as it tastes. Recommendation!

Score: 89

Tomintoul 44 y.o. The Whisky Agency ‚Fungi‘ 1967 – 2011, ex-Bourbon Wood, 196 btl., 47,0%

Comment: Herbal and flowery (dried flowers) at first, then becoming oilier with vanilla, green bananas and some sour elements (lime). There is almost no wood, but a delicate mix with whiffs of tropical fruit, moss, ferns and brine. It takes some time to become more expressive, but then it rewards you. It tastes clean, a bit mossy and reveals tingles of a fruity sourness on the tongue. No water is needed. The finish has medium length. Altogether a good dram, but not too typical of the Tomintoul style. Big gulps recommended.

Score: 90+

Tomintoul 44 y.o. The First Editions 1967 – 2011, Single Cask ES 007/01, 50,9%

Comment: This one is more typical, very cristalline and clean with quite some power. It reminds me of the smell of a good peach hand lotion my wife owns (I know this doesn’t make sense). For 44 years it has not got much wood, but more than the Agency version. Wonderful aromas of banana, coconut, coconut oil, vanilla, nettles and mint complete this great nose. On the palate it shows perfect balance and should not be diluted with water. Again it makes clear that it is no weakling after all these years. I love the back and forth between cristalline fruit

Andrew Laing and his First Edition Releases

and spicy wood elemens. It finishes oily and vanilla-laden with discrete echoes of the Bourbon wood. A winner! Great pick, Andrew.

Score: 91+

Clynelish 15 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society, SMWS 26.82, 8.1995 (Soft Light at Sunset), refill Sherry Butt, 571 btl., 57,9%

Comment: Fruit-oils, farmyardy tones and fresh coffee join the above already mentioned trademark aromas – with just the right amount of sherry fusion. Peaches and big vanilla become bolder with time and set this apart from many other Clynelish bottlings. Also, sandal wood scents, macadamia and some shy berries appear. Soft smoke and spices add to the fruitiness in nice balance. The taste, which encapsulates all the mentioned notes, is wrapped in a vanilla cloud and needs no water. Only hints of sherry can be found on the sweet palate. It is more a creamy crowd-pleaser, a bit like a Starbucks vanilla coffee drink. Nice, though.

Score: 89+

Clynelish 14 y.o. Single Cask Collection 14. 07. 1997 – 13.02.2012, refill Sherry Hogshead 6891, 302 btl., 56,8%

Comment: A sister cask (#6888) from Bladnoch’s warehouses with 158l was auctioned at Krüger’s for 2.305 Euro. I should have bid then, I was tempted, but didn’t go for it. At the current bottle price of almost 60 Euro it is worth almost 10k – nice gain! Darn! This also shows that there is a lot of cask swapping going on behind the scenes as it becomes harder to buy quality whisky from distilleries. Well, let’s not cry over by-gones and taste the neighboring cask 6891: Being darker in colour than the SMWS, this Austrian choice has more dark wood, leather and spice, but bears many resemblances to the SWMS-version in general (the basic character, coffee, farmyard) in the beginning. The sherry

Clynelish Sister Cask sold in Auction

evocates dried fruit (sultanas, dates, red grapes and cherries) and fruit cake aromas and renders more depth. But after a while these two drams depart from each other more and more. Milk chocolate, almonds and walnuts ride in, welcome guys. It is also slightly more on the dry and coastal side. On the palate, the dark and dried fruits dominate, but are countered by powerful spice (pepper, chili). Toffee and woody spices fight in a long  finish that never seems to end, really. Wow! With water this Clynelish becomes more civilized and creamy, not better or worse, just more approachable … and there is way more chocolate. Maybe not the most typical, but: this cask seems like the more mature and bolder brother of the two versions of today – with lots of character and some dark sides to it. Very good and very interesting.

Score: 91-

Laphroaig 13 y.o. SMWS 29.102, ‚Cowboy’s Campfire Dram‘, 1998, Refill Sherry Butt, 64,1%

Comment: Holy cow! This reminds me of the sherried Signatory version from 1974, or even 1979 Talisker Cadenhead or the famous Brorageddon, all of these with their crazy flinty and sulphury aromas – I love this nose to death! Despite a lot of sherry influence, this isn’t flawed at all. Dark wood, cooked dark fruits (led by morello cherries and tons of baked plums wrapped in bacon), tobacco, pepper, freshly ground coffee, nougat and anything good that is dark can be found. I refuse to destroy this miracle by tearing it apart. Oh my God, it tastes like it noses with that good sulphur-, iodine- and peat action going on. Fabulous and close to perfect, also in the finish! Time travel? I kid you not when I say that this is probably one of the finest young whiskies I had in a very long time. This Monster-Laphroaig is a show stopper and today’s headliner. Encore! Get a bottle of this, it might become legendary.

Score: 93

Laphroaig 13 y.o. Malts of Scotland 3.1998 – 9.2011, MoS Sherry Hogshead 11007, 52,5%

Bottle on the right (find the typo!)

Comment: Quite hard for this one with such an opponent in a head-to-head – but it can hold its own! Again, much fuller than the recent Bourbon Cask versions without losing its balance or the wonderful distillery character (some Laphs are becoming too dominated by the Sherry or turn ‚blue-cheese-fungi-like‘ in sherry casks – as mentioned above). It is fresh, spicy (pepper, chili) and herbal (camphor), but also retains lemon and lime notes. The sherry is totally unobtrusive but clearly there and paints impressionist dots of distant dark fruits on the colourful canvas of this bottling. Coffee whiffs, minerality and chalk make it complete. The taste is equally as wonderful as the nose and a classic young Laphroaig from a less active sherry cask.

Score: 90+

Talisker 10 y.o. OB ‚Split Label‘ (bottled around 1887), 45,8%

Comment: A modern classic. Wonderfully coastal with fresh sea air, salt, oysters, peat, pepper and a subtle fruitiness (pears, peaches, apples, lemon squash)  in the background. Also pine needles and resin, iodine, soot, farmyardy notes and discrete oak. Altogether this one is a bit Brora-esque (with the smell of rain coming in from the sea), which is a good thing. In perfect balance. On the palate it is just as lively, balanced and complex and finishes on all the notes mentioned in soft echoes.

Score: 91

Talisker 10 y.o. OB ‚Split Label‘ for Da Bema (Italy), distilled late 1970ies/early 1980ies, 75cl, 45,8%

Comment: The Italian version is said to be even better, and it is older than the version from above. Let’s see: This one plays it closer to the chest at first, deeper in tone and less vibrant, briny and salty in fact a bit dead in the glass. Wake up, honey! Some earthy aromas limp out of the glass, also pickles. Strange. After ten minutes, the fruit, peat and pepper are coming out with whiffs of mahogani wood, also some coffee beans, heather and some malty tones. Don’t rush this one! It keeps on evolving. Unfortunately it drinks a bit like a good old blend, no real chili catch or other things associated with this great Skye Malt – however, it is very oily, if that style is yours. Just a good dram, but nothing more. Was that sample taken from a tired bottle? I will check … I am a bit surprised.

Score: 88

same outfit but a different bottling

Comment: This one is powerful and strong on alcohol. Water is necessary. I am getting fresh fruit, pepper, berries, oak, peat, some Oloroso dryness and whiffs of tobacco in general, the water makes the dram cleaner, more honeyed and better delineated. A raw version altogether, but not atypical.

Score: 87+

Springbank 40 y.o. Chieftain’s (Ian Macleod) 1968 – Oct. 2008, Oloroso Butt 1414, 398 btl., 54%

Nose: Quite typical, spicy (sea salt, pepper, this one has a Talisker-esque catch) and maritime. A lot of nutty aromas (hazelnut, coconut, almonds), sherry, Serrano ham, melon, wild strawberries, canned peaches, toffee, vanilla and oaky tannins.

Palate: Again on the spicy and woody side, but not going over board with this profile. The notes from above become clearer once you add water, which I recommend, it really levels things out here and renders greater balance.

Finish: Without water it finishes a bit too dry, but H2O makes this really good stuff. It is in line with the Chieftain’s releases of the past. So go for four or five of those instead of this one, I’d say.

Score: 91-

Glen Keith 22 y.o. James MacArthur 1976 Celebration of 500 years of Scotch Whisky 1494 – 1994, 51,2%

Nose: Vanilla cream, a freshness and tropical fruitiness (mostly on passion fruit and peaches) caress the nose. Wonderful white oak aromas, latte macchiato and chard plant can be found as well.

Palate/Finish: It tastes more herbal than expected; green tea, then sweet malt with honey, vanilla and tropical fruits on its back lead into a rewarding finish.

Score: 90

In case of the Peat’s Beast, things are the same (‚untamed‘, ’not for the faint hearted‘, ‚monstrously peaty‘) but also a bit different. It is a Single Malt, a peaty one of good quality, but not from Islay. Of course, I would also underscore its peatiness to sell it to the phenol crowd. It is easily missed that it is no Islay Malt. Rumour has it that it is a BenRiach.

The friendly people at Kammer-Kirsch were so kind to provide German whisky clubs with a sample bottle, which I find a good way to introduce a new release. Let’s not judge this book by its burnt monster cover:

Peat’s Beast (Fox Fitzgerals Ltd.) Single Malt, 46%

Nose: Farmyardy and peaty in general, it renders elements of bonfire smoke, resin, pepper, Granny Smith apples, lemon zest, coffee beans and chalky oak. Brine, fallen autumn leafs and discrete vanilla sit in the backseat.

Palate/Finish: Just like above – and some green maltiness. The coffee and stable aromas lead into the finish with nice sulphur, peat and even iodine. The chalk joins in later. Not the most complex dram, but a very nice addition to the ‚everyday-peat-genre‘ – and one for a blind tasting ! This is not inferior to Islay’s releases of that kind.

Score: 85

Octomore 5 y.o. ‚Comus 04.2_167‘, Bourbon/Sauternes Casks, 18.000 btl., 61%

Nose: Octomore finished in Sauternes Casks (Chateau d’Yquem) – not as peaty and strong as the mere facts would suggest, the Sauternes is there from the beginning, having a calming and smoothening effect on the rough Islay dram altogether. These two worlds meet here and make it unusual: Islay (peat and bonfire smoke, tar, white pepper, hot chili, herbs, camphor, resin and fresh sea air) and d’Yquem’s Sauternes wine (apricots, peaches, apples, honeysuckle, toffee caramel, butter, vanilla, almonds and macadamia). The winey shoe fits, I think – in fact, this is one of the most intense Sauternes influences I had in a while. Daddy like !

Palate: The palate is a bit hot and nervous, mainly on herbs, peat and camphor, but in the back the grapey fruitiness hangs on, making it somehow voluptuous. No water needed.

Finish: Peat smoke, resin, burning embers, sulphur and chalk, then some of the wine’s influence. Quaffable stuff. But the very first edition was even better and deeper.

Score: 88+

Port Charlotte 8 y.o. Malts of Scotland 14.12.2001 – 2.2010, MoS Bourbon Barrel 967, 220 btl., 60,2%

Nose: This one is weird at first, like a mentholated cigarette, or more like a peated Benedictine herb liqueur. Smells healthy to me, just like a chest rub. Definitely unusual. These first aromas take to the background after a minute, giving way to vanilla and the more typical PC character traits (oysters, peat, altogether rooty). Somehow this is really plant-like, THE gardener’s dram. The more you wait the more it becomes a son of Islay. Chalk, wet sheep wool, almonds, tobacco, citrus notes and pepper round it off.

Palate: This dram can’t be serious. Now it shook off all the Benedictine and healty stuff and tastes more like old Ardbeg (minus the iodine-tire-mix), I kid you not! Some dashes of water are needed. It is on the dry side, also reminscences of Port Ellen come to mind, but on a less complex level.

Finish: Late matchstick sulphur and chalky dark wood accompany the notes of the palate, very intense and lingering.

Score: 90+

Bowmore 40 y.o. Duncan Taylor Peerless Collection 5.1966 – 5.2006, Cask 3317, 171 btl., 43,2%

Comment: Amazing, one of the best 1966 versions out there, full and grand! This one has much more than the crazy fruit-berry-mix. Recommendation!

Score: 94-

By the way: The sister cask 3317 (5.1966 – 8.2006, 43,5%) is almost as good: 93+

Bowmore 36 y.o. Hart Brothers 5.1966 – 10.2002, 40,0%

Comment: Discrete and noble in style, yet typical. A bit less on kitschy fruit and more on the wood. Many friends score it slightly higher.

Score: 93-

Bowmore 33 y.o. Duncan Taylor Peerless Collection 11.1969 – 2003, Cask 6085, 42,5%

Comment: Of course, slightly peatier than 1964-1968, but it somehow holds back more than others, slightly less expressive.

Score: 89

Bowmore 43 y.o. ‚White Bowmore‘ OB 1964 – 2008, Bourbon Cask, 732 btl., 42,8%

Comment: Classic 1964 profile from the start with its uber-cristalline tropical fruitiness and loads of berries, wine gum, ozone and all that jazz – really fresh and not woody throughout. Close to a perfect nose. In terms of taste it is mindboggling-good as well, but it lacks the intensity that the younger versions had – but that is splitting hairs. It is as elegant and subtle as possible, but could simply use a bit more weight to reach olympic status. It sounds funny to recommend big sips for this dram at a price of 3.000 Euro a bottle, but that is key for getting more out of it, just like it should be done with the Laphroaig 40, another fragile beauty. The medium-lengthy finish reverberates the nose wonderfully. Altogether, this is already on the wane after 43 years. Great stuff, but the best Glenglassaugh, BenRiach and Lochside are easily on par with Mr. Whitey. Well, who cares, I loved every second we could spend together.

Score: 93

Springbank 45 y.o. OB (Mini-Series from around 2000), 46%

Comment:

Springbank 40 y.o. and 45 y.o. Miniatures (left)

Something salty to start out with, Springbank it is. Unfortunately, the 40 y.o. version suffered from its cap and tasted very metallic – a very sad end for such a dram – unscorable, but one could still grasp that it was a fantastic whisky. However the 45 y.o. was fine and resembled just to a trip in a glass because it kept changing. Being softly sherried, cookie-like, maritime and immensely salty, this has quite some distillery character at its core. Pepper, fine discrete oak (after 45 years!), sandal wood, and toffee are joined by many nutty elements (coconuts, walnuts, macadamia and peanuts) and some fruit (passionfruit, melon). On the palate, all aromas from above are wrapped in old sherry and show off their balance, the finish reverberates this but is a bit on the short side. Historically and experience-wise great, but not as great as the 35, 25 or 30 y.o. Millenium Editions (in this order).

Score: 89

Lochside 44 y.o. The Coopers Choice 1967 – 2011, Single Malt Whisky, Sherry Butt 802, 320 btl., 41,1%

Comment: There is another version around with 41,5% (Cask 807), both reputed as okayish, but not great. Let’s check that: Cask 802 has a very fresh, clean and citrus-oriented nose at first, almost Riesling-like. What’s amazing again is: after all these years there is such discrete wood influence (dark wet wood, but no obvious sherry notes) but huge focus on distillery character. We also have big grapefruit, gooseberries, cassis, apricots, marzipan, milkshake-flavour and nice flowers in spring. It lacks power in the mouth, that is the only downside, but I can forgive that due to this fragile profile. The finish is longer than one would expect and underscores the elegance of this dram.

Score: 91-

BenRiach 40 y.o. OB 1971 – 2011, Cask 1947 (Batch #8), 229 btl., 49,8%

Comment: I only had a tiny amount of 1,2 cl to taste but it was enough to say that this bottling has everything what makes old BenRiachs special: cristalline fruit, lemons, tangerines, grapefruit, pineapple, vanilla, unobtrusive wood and a sightly herbal edge. Aaaaahhh!

Score: 92-

Preview:

For Easter, I have packed Auchentoshan 1957, White Bowmore, Ardbeg cask samples from 1975 and 1998 OB, some great wines and more – stay tuned and have a bunny-good time!

Highland Park 21 y.o. First Editions 1989, 50,9%

Comment: A round and powerful first impression with lead aromas of crystallized oranges and orange peel, fudge toffee, vanilla, discrete peat smoke, honey, white chocolate and dry malt. In the second row there are glazed doughnuts and candy floss, dusty bookshelves, leather, white pepper, ginger and peat bog notes. The fruity elements (aside from the oranges) consist of canned peaches, red currant and apple crumble. Complex, I’d say. This ‚HP sauce‘ tastes dry and malty on the mid-palate at first, then warming spices and dried fruits (mainly apples) lead into a very well-rounded finish with a mix of the aromas mentioned above. However, it is less impressive than its nose suggested – give this some time. A really good daily dram for allround purposes.

Score: 87

Macduff 11 y.o. Whisky-Doris 15.11.2000 – 19.11.2011, Sherry Butt, 54,8%

Comment: A spicy sherry nose hits big time. These two main elements battle, which makes the dram alive and nervous but also somewhat unsettled … depends on what you like in your whisky. The sherry, which evoked raisins, prunes and other dark fruits in this dram, is more of the matchstick kind (again a question of preferance) and not fully integrated yet. Oak, peaches, smoke, blue cheese dressing and moss jump on board of this wild Speyside spice train (white pepper, bell peppers, chili, cloves, licorice and ginger). Water brings out farm notes and toffee in a creamier style. Long oaky finish. This is an interesting and complex dram – wild though – that might not appeal to everyone, but if you like spicy Spey malts, this is just right for you. It would go perfectly with Nachos.

Score: 83

Ardmore 19 y.o. Whisky-Doris 18.06.1992 – 25.08.2011, Bourbon Barrel 4652, 197 btl., 49,6%

Comment: Wonderful fresh, clean and fruity nose, very seductive with whiffs of peat, moss and soot, all perfectly balanced. Kiwi, apricots, orange zests, limes, grapefruit, cider, vanilla and berries make this dram appear much older than 19 years. Its elegance makes it a rather atypical Ardmore. On the palate, it also delivers! What a perfect allrounder. I have a peaty start with mossy undertones, then berries and the ripe fruit ride in, just like a recent Dom Perignon (which have discrete mossy peat and earth), amazing, then the peat comes back, wrapped in vanilla and apricot brandy. No water, please, it is perfect as it is. The medium-length finish is not the most intense because of the finesse this whisky posesses, but it leaves you with the desire for a second glass – or an entire bottle. Very late, there are sulphur and nice gunpowder that erase the fruity memories. Wow, what a great ride! Usually, only old bottles offer such profiles. Great choice, Doris and Herbert!

Score: 91

Chateau Closiot 2006 Sauternes ASC 13,5%

Comment: I could get a really cheap lot with Closiot 2005 (already reviewed) and 2006, which is said to be the better vintage. In general, I tend to go for the bigger names as it is really worth it with Sauternes/Barsac wines, e.g. Rieussec, Suduiraut and some other ones that really deliver.

The Owners

However I couldn’t refuse the good offer and received a good Sauternes that only lacks a little finesse and acidity to be a great one. Everything is there, but not as defined as in the great ones. This chateau (4,5 h) is historically attached to Chateau Coutet (classed growth).

Score: 89

Seppeltsfield ‚Rare Tokay‘ 1983 Rutherglen (AU), 17%

Nice Line-Up

Comment: Rare stuff, this Tokay from Australia. Their vintage Ports that date back to the 19th century rank among the best sweet wines ever made. This Tokay is from their medium-aged stock. It boasts a mix of Australian wine aromas and dark cooked fruits (loads of raisins, some figs and blackberries as well). Dark chocolate and whiffs of tobacco complete the nose. It tastes very sweet, the soft acidity can’t counter that. Nice, but no stunner.

Score: 92

Seppeltsfield 1909 Para Vintage Tawny Port 100 y.o., 23,7%

Comment: I had the sister cask from 1910 and score it at 100 points, my first full score (see here). This is also made from Mataro, Shiraz and Grenache grapes from Barossa Valley and matured in a Puncheon (500l) for 100 years. Again I am in awe. The colour alone is opaque olive brown with a green edge and the oily viscosity is amazing. But this is pricy stuff (37,5 cl for 1000 Aussie-Dollars). Let’s see if it can rival the perfect 1910: The nose is full of tar, resin, glue, cloves, Blaukraut (cooked red cabbage from Germany) and coffee at first. Then there is a strong nutty character like in a fine Nocino, dark chocolate and balsamic whiffs. Great again, but not as complex as its sister. The ultra-big weight on the mid-palate is nutty and resiny with amazing acidity left after all these years. Morello cherries and dark chocolate join in for a great finale. High class, but I’d clearly go for the 1910.

Score: 97

Talisker 18 y.o. OB 45,8% (from 2008/09)

Comment: This bottle was part of my house bar for a while, but now I am going to review the 4cl that remained of this wonderful classic more thoroughly: First, I am overwhelmed by the great balance of its seductive nose. Talisker 18 is very fresh and maritime with notes of smoked mackerel, oysters, brine and some seaspray on the shoreline. I also get just the right amount of peat for this style of whisky with discrete sulphur and chalk in the back, along with a beechwood bonfire. The complexity goes on with aromas of orange and lemon zests, baked apples, pineapple juice and an intriguing connection of plums and apricots. The typical Talisker pepper and some snus-tobacco sort of hover over the whole mix. On the palate we have the famous chili catch in a mild way, because this whisky is more on balance, austerity and finesse than on extremes due to a longer ageing process that took away some edges but added seconary and tertiary aroma components. It could have some more power, though. I would love this at cask strength even more. I consider it to be  a great daily dram and a bang for your buck (around 55.- Euro), but it is not an easy one as it takes time and some experience. Talisker rarely disappoints. Kudos!

Score: 90

This bottling is more of an exotic find for fans – Maggie sourced another nice cask back then, I think. People loved it at our stand on several whisky fairs. Here my short review taken in Munich 2011:

Tomatin 28 y.o. Scotch Single Malt Circle 12.01. 1982 – 23.02.2010, Sherry Cask 29, 574 btl., 55,3%

Comment: Sweet, deep and vanilla-laden, well-balanced between spice (white and black pepper) sherry, malt and a bowl of fruit. Nice coffee notes round off this autumnal dram.

Score: 88

Starka V.S. 10 y. Old Polish Vodka ‚Polmos‘ 40%

Comment: In Poland it was a habit for some families to fill a small cask with vodka at the birth of a child and enjoy the matured distillate at the kid’s wedding or a special birthday at legal age. Good idea! Polmosages some of their Starka vodkas up to 50 years and allows us a totally new perspective on this drink. Their 10 y.o. is the entry-level into the world of aged vodka, so to speak. It starts with a very surprising nose that is very balanced and not vodka-like at all – at least what I connect with this spirit. I bet you that 97% of blind tasters would take this for a whisky. I also like the spice element (pepper) and the soft vanilla touch, which does not go overboard like in the ‚woodka‘ (another interesting oak-aged vodka from Germany). Lemon zest, whiffs of ginger, apples, dates, raisins and an aromatic freshness complete this enjoyable nose, which has improved with a little bottle age. In the taste it shows its true colors of vodka with raisins, ginger, fudge, hints of fruit and vanilla, not overly complex but good in its easy style with a medium-length finish. Nice Polish stuff, I must say. Thanks to Christine and Jörg for the sample.

Score: 83

1767 Vanilla Cane Likör aus 15 y.o. Karibik-Rum (28% / 35%)

Comment: There are two versions of this with different abv. It is made in Flensburg, Germany (a city looking back on a long tradition of rum import), where 15 y.o. quality Caribbean rum is flavoured with natural Bourbon vanilla and diluted with glacier water, no additives, really natural and hand-made in all aspects. The makers and some connoisseurs claim that it is not meant for mixing – let’s see: Wow, indeed not artificial and full of harmony in the nose, more like a good rum that has big vanilla notes, like real vanilla pod to be precise. I am also getting tea with caramel sugar, traces of Amaretto almond liqueur, canned peaches and cheese cake with raisins, which means that it departs from rumminess with some time in the glass. I can picture it already accompanying creme brulee, Bavarian creme and stuff like that, even vanilla ice cream, Stracciatella or Malaga (rum-raisins). In terms of taste it is much sweeter than the nose would suggest, a bit too sweet for me, but maybe perfect with a cigar or in a tea – and it is a liqueur, so let’s not criticize sweetness (there is a law in Germany that forces you to add a certain big amount of sugar to call your product a liqueur). The intense and long finish adds whiffs of tobacco, coffee and marzipan to the aromas mentioned. Natural indeed, and drinkable on its own. Well done, Flensburg and thanks to Krissi (involuntarily providing me with a sample )!

Score: 83

New Grove ‚Lime Delight‘ Rum 40%

Comment: Mauritius born rum infused with hints of lime and spices, the base being the New Grove Plantation Rum. The nose reveals big lime aromas (slightly artificial and a bit like Sprite indeed, limoncello or toilet flush stone) and some white rum, that is pretty much it, but that’s what the label says. Chewing gum in the second row with traces of mint in a Mojito. The taste seems somewhat watered down with lime and mint in a rather neutral white rum. Nothing really happens here. Not fully convincing – but in a club, this is fine.

Score: 72

New Grove ‚Vanilla Touch‘ Rum 40%

Comment: Aside from another flavoured rum called ‚Orange Bliss‘ by New Grove, this is a new third version with vanilla and citronella. Let’s nose this one: The dominating vanilla aromas are way more unnatural here (in comparison to the Vanilla Cane from above), like the vanilla puddings you can buy – okeyish, not bad, but also not very original. Citronella and whiffs of warming spices (aniseed and cinnamon) are the only other notes to be found, no magic of the rum happening. Oh my God, I tasted it, it is quite a mess with much more aniseed and alcohol that seems cheap, altogether really artificial. Only for mixing, but good barkeepers only use quality if they are good … so … mmmmh, I don’t know what to do with this one. Forgive me, Mauritius, I love your oak aged rum, but this stuff is pointless.

Score: 67

Stewarts Dundee Cream of the Barley ‚De Luxe‘ Blended Scotch Whisky, Reina Import (Italy), 43 gradi

Comment: I had the mini on the photo, the big bottle from the same importer is even darker – and maybe better. A neck-hanger says it is smoothened out with over 20 y.o. whisky – quite promising. The nose is a mix of a typical old blend nose with OBF (Old Bottle flavour with aromas of  cardboard, old dusty library etc.) and the one of a great old sherry-cask Single Malt, really well-balanced and not weakish at all. Big notes of coffee, cognac, apricots, cherries, flower-shop aromas, honey and pepper make this seductive. The taste is just like the nose, very quaffable, I must say. Did somebody pour cognac into one of the casks for this by mistake? Curious. It is a ‚whisgnac or cognsky‘ somehow, but in a good way. The finish can’t compete with the wonderful nose, though. Maybe not the most intense and complex dram on earth but a darn decent blend in a long-gone style that could kick some modern malt’s finished ass. A good starter into a tasting session or the world of old whiskies.

Score: 87

Cragganmore 18 y.o. SMWS 37.51, 23.03.1993 – 11.2011, first-fill Sherry Butt, 583 btl., 58,3%

Comment: The first-fill Sherry-Cask speaks in a loud and spicy way with a lot of pepper, but in a classic style. I think this one needs water, but let’s first nose it straight a bit more. Toffee, nettle tea, dark cooked fruits (plums), herbs and honey appear with some time. The sweetish taste reveals sherry and cherry (morello) in a malty surroundment (clever, Pit, it’s a malt), a bit Macallan-like overall, but  more herbal altogether. Good quality that leaves the distillery character untouched but underscored. Dark fruits like raisins and the plums and clothes on the line come up again in the long and intense finish. Water helps to broaden the spectrum of aromas, but it performs well with time without water as well.

Score: 88

Glenglassaugh 40 y.o. The Whisky Fair 1965 – 2006, Fino Sherry Butt, 361 btl., 46,7%

Comment: When I received a sample of this one back in 2006, I thought they had a mix-up  at the bottling hall … an old classy Bowmore instead of a Glassa. But my comparisons showed that it was a real Portsoy-distillate. I ordered two bottles right away because I loved it and put one bottle into a tasting. This is now history and the bottle a classic. Let’s revisit: It shows bright dextrose/cristalline fruitiness to the max (somewhat ‚1960-Bowmore-esque‘ as I said) and is very clean. The wood is there, but not in front. I also get berries, lots of cassis, white peach, passion fruit, orange liqueur, grapefruit, pineapple, gooseberry and kiwi – wow. Later, mild white pepper notes avoid an overall kitschiness. Oh my God, this goes on and on – a load of apricot jam on a pancake, even some maple syrup and a little natural caramel. Needless to say, it posesses a perfect balance with more vanilla and a malty edge in the mouth – and with enough strength despite such a bright profile. I love the discrete Fino Sherry influence in this, like in so many old malts. However, some might call it a bit boring after some time – I don’t.

Score: 92+

Glenglassaugh 36 y.o. OB (‚over 30‘), 1972 – 2010,  43,02%

Comment: This one was older than its decanter suggested and is the most sour of the three. Bright and dark elements, mainly fruit and cookies hit the nose. Some sherry elements are clearly there, quite well integrated and high class, but not overwhelming, they let all the brighter elements exist as well. Then we have baked apples, lime, gooseberries, raising dough, raisin bread, mahogani wood, candy floss, musk, fresh male sweat and tomato straw. Overall, it holds back more than the others and is unusual in some moments. What is this sour element somewhere in the back? It is not as powerful as the others but a great dram nonetheless.

Score: 91

Glenglassaugh 45 y.o. OB 1966, Refill Sherry Hogshead, 49,2%

Comment:  I had this first in Portsoy with the man himself, Stuart Nickerson. I loved and scored it (see here), but didn’t take proper notes. So here they come: This one is spicier and more tannic (in a good way) than the others. This dram is also more mineral and powerful, it is the deepest in terms of wood, fruit (bright and dark) and character. Wonderful apricot jam, morello cherries, marzipan, ginger bread and spice cake, a little black pepper and balsamic whiffs caress the nose. This cask could mature to perfection! Old cognacs come to mind when you nose it again, but the intense and inbelievably complex taste is like a rummy Christmas Cake with an old Vintage Port on the side. It is amazing how the brighter and fresher aromas coexist with the dark intense ones. Long finish! Maybe the second-best Glenglassaugh release so far (slightly trailing the 40/41 y.o.).

Score: 94+

Bladnoch 21 y.o. Single Cask Collection 30.1.1990, Bourbon Hogshead, 51,9%

Comment: I like Bladnoch, but recently I had some disappointingly thin and unexpressive bottlings. This one is much better and talkative right from the start with quite a potent nose. Notes of vanilla, grass, flowers, buttered toast, lemon, orange zest, peaches, malt, apples, pears, licorice and raise from the glass in oily fashion. The taste doesn’t let you down either: malt and licorice, then almonds, grass and lime plus a discrete peppery spiciness paired with a whiff of smoke. Unusual but nice. Medium length in the finish.

Score: 88

Linkwood 27 y.o. Single Cask Collection 1984, Bourbon Hogshead, 57,0%

Comment: Linkwood is an underrated distillery, one for the second look, not so much on primary notes. There were few bottlings I didn’t like. It is essential to give these drams some time to develop. I hope this one is in line with my positive experience.  Let’s see: well-balanced, I must say. I am getting unfiltered apple juice, apricots, lemon zests, flower bouquet, spicy white oak with good Bourbon influence (e.g. vanilla, fudge, cloves, some rum notes), cinnamon, marzipan, marshmallows, smoking sticks in an Indian restaurant and sandal wood. It is becoming even more high class in the mouth, wow, this is wonderfully balanced and needs no water in general – but water helps it in terms of accessibility and more flavours come out, whatever you prefer here. Close to perfection in maturity and very complex, it is hard to nail down aromas on the mile-high-layered mid-palate, very fruity (also grapefruit, citrus fruit and white peaches), exotic spices, flavoured marzipan, white chocolate and wonderful oak. The long finish leaves you positively puzzled and demands for another sip to grasp this complexity. At a price point below 100.- Euro, this is a real steal! Please put a bottle of this on reserve for me, Roland.

Score: 91

Blair Athol 12 y.o. Single Cask Collection 4.8.1998, Bourbon Hogshead, 60,3%

Comment: A classic Highland nose with honey, malt, licorice, ginger, white pepper, heather and grass, peach, vanilla, roasted nuts and cereals. On the palate, it is hot but also fruity (peaches and pineapple) –  a real honest malt with good intensity, somehow reminding me of Lochnagar. Water helps to polish the edges. The long finish focuses on the fruity aspects and adds big vanilla. Old style, good whisky, really fair in price (below 40.-).

Score: 87

Port Dundas 37 y.o., Duncan Taylor Rare Auld, 01.1973 – 04.2010, Sherry Cask 128324, 259 btl., 56,1%

Comment: Is this an ultra-premium rum? Worlds collide here in a nice way. Fresh despite its age, like a Caribbean breeze in Key West. Sugar cane, big vanilla- and coffee-notes, tobacco, chocolate, Cointreau, limejuice, tinned pineapples, coconut, agave and mint, fudge and great oak (that doesn’t go overboard). The sherry is really discrete. Awesome all the way, if you are into mature rum or grain. The more old grain I try, the more I love them. Another quite undiscovered category…

Score: 90

Longmorn 23 y.o. ‚First Cask‘ (Whisky Import Netherlands) 13.10.1988 – 9.1.2012, Refill Sherry Hogshead 14379, 259 btl., 52,6%

Comment: From a quite unfamiliar label so far (Jan Kok and Marcel Bol are behind the project), of which I just bought a 1963 Lochside (not open yet). I am curious. A sweet nose with very obvious sherry and its effects (dark cooked fruit, raisins, morello cherries), but also some typical white oak aroma with toffee, glue and vanilla. Later, it becomes very intersting and more typical: ripe autumnal fruit, redcurrant, white chocolate-glazed banana and some spice to counter (pepper, resin). On the palate the sherry is dominant, but doesn’t overwhelm the other notes and doesn’t become too dry – it is way too sweet for that, a real Christmas cake plus spice, maltiness and some fruit. The finish goes down with dark and ripe autumn fruits, quite some maltiness and the sherry that covers all like a blanket. A rather sweet warm-up, but doable.

Score: 87

Caol Ila 30 y.o. Malts of Scotland 5.1981 – 8.2011, Bourbon Hogshead MoS 11009, 59,2%

Comment: What a sooty nose with peaty iodine, nice! The whole dram is rather sweet, has discrete sulphur and one can’t believe its high abv.-strength. I get apple juice and a trace of blue cheese as well, but in a good way, this is not spoiled or funky at all. In the mouth there is a great balance between spicy elements (pepper, chili, juniper) and some sweeter notes (from the Bourbon cask) that lead into the joyful finish. A great pick of a mature sooty Caol Ila that has grown softer and more complex with the years.

Score: 90

Caol Ila 10 y.o. Single Cask Collection, 2000, Bourbon Hogshead, 58,5%

Comment: Roland Hinterreiter has done a good job in sourcing casks as Austria’s first independent bottler so far. And this Caol Ila makes no difference. It is very classic without any off-note and possesses a great balance – a real quaffer that somehow reminds me of the smell when a low pressure area with rain and thunder is rolling in from the sea. Lead aromas are juicy Granny Smith apples, green olives, lemon, hay, coal smoke, sulphur, pepper, pine resin and medium-level peat. The Bourbon cask left traces of chalk and vanilla. Plain good and clean Southcoast Islay Single Malt. P.S.: We are at the Austrian Whisky and Spirits Festival in Linz in April (www.ssms.at) with a stand and some great bottlings to try, visit us. Roland is the host/organizer.

Score: 89

Caol Ila 17 y.o. SMWS 53.150, 7.1993, Refill Sherry Butt, 556 btl., 61,1%

Comment: Not bad, but a bit weird and atypical due to a herbal side that doesn’t fit the dram. Not my cup of Caol Ila tea/whisky… it is also not very expressive in my eyes. But remember, taste is personal, this is no fail at all. Sorry for the brevity, I had this one for the road.

Score: 84

Ardbeg 13 y.o. SMWS 33.102, 10.1997 – 2011, 2nd-fill Bourbon Barrel, 223 btl., 55,2%

Comment: A bit more on the spicy side than the others (white pepper, chili), also more citrus aromas (orange, lemon, lime) coming through. Oysters, chalk, rope, pine resin, camphor, big peat smoke and bonfire, later even latte macchiato coffee and minty menthol join in. It is very hot and spicy on the palate, begging for dilution. Water makes it a classic fine Ardbeg with great balance and brings out the leather.

Score: 89

Ardbeg 11 y.o. SMWS 33.104, 31.8.1999 – 2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 538 btl., 55,7%

Comment: A round and voluptous version with quite some toffee, raisins and a store full of new tires. The discrete sherry takes away the edge and some peatiness as well. Somehow winey. On the palate it is more peppery than expected, but soon the sherry’s sweet notes soften the catch a bit. It keeps jumping between these two worlds until the hot spice wins.

Score: 85

Ardbeg 11 y.o.SMWS 33.109, 8.1998 – 2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 468 btl., 55,6%

Comment: Very close to 33.104, also a load of new tires, but more herbs and camphor and a bit less toffee. Discrete sherry influence in the nose causing that rounding effect again, but this is peatier than 104 – sulphur and iodine make this one more interesting. It has a good balance in the mouth without losing character and ooommpphh. Later raisins and resin show up. I love the flinty and spicy finish. Not bad at all, I must say.

Score: 89

Laphroaig 13 y.o. Single Cask Collection 30.06.1998 – 2011, 60,8%

Comment: Very typical, clean and minerally fresh. Lime juice, Italian herbs, iodine, brine, cocoa, chalk, bacon and pepper. It becomes really big and satisfying in the mouth (also acidity) and finishes just like a Laphroaig should, we even get the beloved matchstick sulphur, iodine and coal smoke after some time, looooong. Everything is there, it is powerful but needs no water. Simply a great selection by our friend Roland Hinterreiter, who hosts the Austrian Whisky & Spirits Festival in Linz on April 13th, 2012 (we have a stand there with rarities). Recommendation!

Score: 89

Laphroaig 13 y.o. Archives (whiskybase.com) 14.05.1998 – Dec. 2011, Bourbon Hogshead 700228, 54,2%

Comment: On the vegetal side, nettles, camphor, dry green tea, parsley, moss, lime, apples, hints of milk, pepper and maritime freshness. A good green daily dram.

Score: 86

Laphroaig 13 y.o. Malts of Scotland, 5.1998 – 5.2011, MoS Bourbon Hogshead 5920, 53,4%

Comment:Earthy peat, moss, rooty soil, iodine, peat smoke and tires, but also the fruity (apples) and limey aspects. it becomes more farmyardy on the palate. Nice with some mineral acidity but it could have a bit more ooommpphh. Late in the quite long finish, flints, sweet iodine, oil, tires and sulphur return for a great finale. Again a good choice by Thomas.

left bottle - and nice typo on the right (to be tasted soon)

Score: 88

Laphroaig 13 y.o. Malts of Scotland 5.1998 – 5.2011, MoS Bourbon Hogshead 5921, 52,9%

Comment: A bit closed at first, spicy and vegetal, coffee bean, brine, oil, later it becomes fresher, but it lacks the expression that the others have. This Laphroaig seems almost like watered down but is still nice. One for drinkers of smooth drams.

Score: 79

Bowmore 15 y.o. SMWS 3.180, 1996, 61,2%

Comment: Vegetal and flowery like a young Rhum Agricole at first, also leather in the beginning, but don’t be fooled. It soon becomes a true South Coast Ileach! Great balance – the leathery aroma builds a bridge between the two elements mentioned. The downside: altogether a bit subdued, also on the palate with a leather-spice-finish. Start talking to me, sweetheart… . Here is some water to open up: still no change, but more drinkable. One for patient guys, the silent type.

Score: 84

Bowmore 14 y.o. Whisky-Fässle ‚Duck Edition‘ 6.1997 – 2.2012, Bourbon Hogshead, 51,8%

Comment: Maritime and fresh at first (salt), also big notes of white wine (a mix of barrel-fermented Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand with the fruitiness and berries coming along with those) and creamy vanilla. Then herbs and ferns come into focus. The Islay character is there but more in the background. The complexity translates into the palate with berries, fruit, herbs, tea, spice and peat. Not only ducks will love this.

Score: 88+

Bowmore 12 y.o. Malts of Scotland (MoS) 22.09.1999 – 10.2011, Cask MoS 110014, Bourbon Hogshead, 61,2%

Comment: Farmyardy at first, then it becomes more South Coast Islay on coal, smoke, pepper and peat. Also dark wet wood and the typical ferns emerge. Later short bread, honey, orange jam and liqueur make a nice afternoon dram – on a farm, that is. It finishes on sulphur, flints and peat.

Score: 85+

Port Ellen 28 y.o.  Silver Seal / whiskybase.com, 1983 – 2011,  Cask S1462, 55,5%

Comment: Big intense spice nose that has everything that makes Port Ellen such a gem nowadays. This one is right in the middle of all possible PE profiles. Some maritime dirtiness, sea spray and brine, herbs, oil, ropes, peppery and chili-esque spice, leather, the wonderful crispy maltiness (like salted crisps), camphor, discrete mint, peat smoke, but also fruit (apricots and green bananas) and vanilla provide for immense complexity that dances on a tightrope between the poles of balance und untamed roughness. Hooorraayy, it delivers on the palate as well and becomes more peaty! A crazy Port Ellen that adds iodine, coal smoke, hay and matchstick sulphur to the mindboggling mix from above and never really finishes. Yet it is very quaffable and screams for a second glass – which I just poured. Awesome!

Score: 92+

Comment: Revisiting a classic, that is how I feel. Let’s see how this baby tastes nowadays. The nose reveals honey, dried flowers, grapefruit- and lemon juice and hints of ginger. It tastes spicier than the nose would suggest, I am getting an ever-increasing pepper catch, licorice and ginger. The finish is all about flowers and honey again and simply pleasant. A good daily dram.

Score: 83

Longmorn 30 y.o. Gordon & Macphail (G&M) 43%

Comment: Always a bang for your buck and a reasonable way to enter the world of aged whisky coming from fine Sherry casks. I love this profile with perfectly integrated sherry fruit, raisins, all kind of berries (even cassis), juicy gummibears, dark wood and dust, all that in balance and perfect harmony. Maybe this is no powerhouse but great in its own way.

Score: 90

Mount Riley 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, NZ) 13%

Comment: A great alternative to the cult wine Cloudy Bay. This one is a stunner, yet typical for its grape. Hay, loads of gooseberries, tropical fruits, cassis and enough acidity to counter. A reasonably-priced recommendation!

Score: 91 (2011)

Cantine Due Palme ‚Selvarossa’2004 Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva (IT) 14%

Comment: Italy’s heel (Salento) is THE region to buy great wine for little money, and I am fond of Salice Salentino wines. The Negroamaro grape renders a nice profile with radicchio and red jam flavours that can hold its own even with high class competition on the table. This one is no exception and deserves the ‚three glasses‘ by Gambero Rosso. A lot of character, and aside from the typical aromas mentioned it offers scorched earth, plums, berries, tobacco and chocolate. Great for food pairing as it is not a concentration bomb but still powerful.

Score: 92+ (2011)

Ermitage du Marsalet 2006 Monbazillac (FR) 13%

Comment: This noble rot specimen comes from a lesser-known area for sweet wine in France but usually doesn’t fail to impress. Some excellent wines were made there already. The Ermitage du Marsalet 2006 is decent but a bit oaky for my taste. It reminds me of a slightly diluted Sauternes (a terrible comparison, I know, but that was my feeling), altogether more on finesse than on power.

Score 89: (2009)

Lieselehof ‚Sweet Claire‘ 2006 Passito (Trockenbeerenauslese) Kaltern IGT (IT) 12,5%

Comment: One of my favourite discoveries in 2011. This South Tyrolean Passito is made from the Bronner grape (existing since 1975) which doesn’t need any chemical protection in normal years (which therefore is excellent for organic and  biologically uninvasive production). It blew our socks off! Oranges, peaches, apricots, figs, honey, dried flowers, cooked apples and what not: A fresh yet fully loaded nose and a perfect balance with good acidity on the palate. Simply great stuff that can also age well. A must-buy at the price of 30+ Euro.

Score: 96 (2011)

Kaapzicht Steytler ‚Vision‘ 2002 Cape Blend Stellenbosch (SA) 14%

Score: 92 (2011)

Stadt Regensburg ‚Salutaris‘ 2007 Regent trocken (GER) 13%

Comment: These local wines are only given to jubilars and really hard to get. I could try it at a 90th birthday, so no notes. However, I was positively surprised, decent red wine (Landwein) with regional style. Also see the the rosé below.

Score: 83 (2011)

Stadt Regensburg ‚Salutaris‘ 2008 Rotling (GER) 13%

Comment: This pink stuff is really fresh and quaffable, but lacks depth. The Müller-Thurgau grape seems dominant here. Uncomplicated in every way but emotionally very special to a Regensburgian.

Score: 85 (2011)

 Stadt Regensburg ‚Salutaris‘ 2007 Müller-Thurgau trocken (GER) 12,5%

Comment: This one is very flat. Sorry. If you want to try good Müller-Thurgau from this area in Bavaria, take a bottle of Heitzer (Bach).

Score: 80 (2011)

Comment: I have heard great things about this bottling – and it is exciting to try rare whisky from this closed Lowland distillery, one of the oldest in Scotland, by the way (established 1772). However, there were great variations in quality and I had terribly soapy Littlemills but also quite decent ones. Menno Bijmolt from whiskybase.com has unearthed this inaugural bottling for their brandnew Archive series. Let the spirit talk:

I am getting a nice and clear Sherry-influence and sweet maltiness right away, accompanied by a white pepper and ginger spiciness. Morello cherries, dried peaches, raisins. apple crumble, shortbread, marshmallows, Italian almond sweets, moss, pine needle, rose petals, blackcurrant and a pleasant oakiness also come into focus, like some fruit oils. Quite unusual in a good way! The fruity and oily taste is wonderful, somehow tropical at moments. It even increases in terms of complexity: hello berries and cassis, you come late, but I love you anyway. Good oak influence, medium finish with a rummy vanilla-fudge note. I love its unique character and also enjoy this profile a lot. An amazing choice, Menno!

Score: 91

Glen Ord 09.03.1999 – 10.2011 Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead 110013, 54,4%

Comment: Glen Ord is completely underestimated. Thomas Ewers presents this younger version in his Malts of Scotland series. I hope it can prove my words:

It takes off spicy and fresh and remains closed for two minutes. Then apple, dried fruits (apricots and grapefruit, mainly), cereal bar, eucalypt, ginger, beeswax and spicy wood notes emerge, but it still holds back. Give it its time. After some minutes it offers pine resin and Mediterranean herbs. The taste also evolves step by step and is more openly accessible. A mix of malt, apple, oak, honey, vanilla, toffee, pineapple, maple syrup, cereal bar, resin, nutmeg and quite some cumin. Water really changes the dram  (more vanilla, fudge and fruit) – it is like an experimenting kit – hard work but fun. Use this in a tasting to show the diluting effect in whisky. The finish is long and dominant. One for the second look.

Score: 85+

The following five Single Malts range in the ‚pale category‘. Let’s see if they lack character:

Benriach 15 y.o. Single Cask Collection 1996, Bourbon Hogshead, 54,3%

Comment: This dram comes from the first Austrian independent bottler. Our friend Roland Hinterreiter, who also organizes the Austrian Whisky Fair in Linz this year, is the man behind the project. I am going to write more on his bottlings soon.

His Benriach is very typical. A plate of mature garden fruit in autumn (apple, pear, plumcake), licorice and slightly greenish malt are in the leading roles. More restrained there are flowers, coal, banana skin, grapefruit and orange zest. And of course, leather! In terms of taste it seems more mature and sweet: vanilla, fruitiness, Bourbon wood, leather, natural caramel and dried flowers caress the mid-palate with medium weight  – no water needed. The finish is quite long and mainly on apple and sweet malt. Gimme a second glass…

Score: 85

Highland Park 30 y.o. The Whisky Agency ‚Fungi‘, 1981 – 2011, ex-Bourbon Wood, 198 btl., 52,2%

Comment: What a beautiful fresh nose, it reminds me of the HP-versions called ‚Old Man of Hoy‘ by Blackadder, perfectly round and encapsulating everything great about highlands and coast. Wonderful fruitiness (tangerines, grapefruit, lime), berries (cassis), whiffs of mossy peat smoke, heather, almonds  (marzipan-like) and coconut traces, latte macchiato and fudge. And all that is in place. It tastes like it noses, but adds some hay and turkish delight. It is clean, Riesling-like and has amazing cassis notes reminding me of old 1960ies Bowmore at times. No edges, just great, austere and very drinkable. Sorry Carsten that I couldn’t taste this earlier. I promise to be better – in my own interest to get a bottle.

Score: 92

Bowmore 22 y.o. Liquid Sun, 1989 – 2011, ex-Bourbon Wood, 50,7%

Comment: Bowmore, but on the peaty and herbal side altogether. Tea, ferns, seaweed and nori, sweet iodine and sulphur. A Sushi dram because it smells like a Maki roll! Great balance on the palate, where it becomes more typical in a good way. A great dram with a medium-length finish which also shows some flintiness. Sensitive Islay.

Score: 90

Caol Ila 10 y.o. Archives 11. 2000, – 08.2011, Bourbon Barrel 3309899, 220 btl., 59,1%

Comment: Whiskybase.com now also bottles whisky – and they started very well. This out-of-the-ordinary Caol Ila is powerful yet clean on peat, juniper, green olives, lemon juice, sulphur, some seaweed, oysters, pipe tobacco, chalk and herbs (nettles). Despite high abv. it should be savoured without water, but it also can swim well. Great smoke like a put-out bonfire with peat on the beach, the flinty sulphur and iodine-combo leads into a finish that was invented for Islay devotees – long and satisfying. This perfect finish is worth 93 points but the rest is ‚only‘ jolly good. Altogether: one great pick! I want a bottle of this.

Score: 89

Port Charlotte 9 y.o. SMWS 127.16, 2002 – 2011, refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 242 btl., 65,4%

Comment: Closed somehow, menthol at first, followed by pebbles on the beach, loads of salt, minerality, peat, lavender, roots, chalk, lemon juice, leather, ashes and bonfire smoke. I recommend water for this one. In the mouth it displays a lot of resin and peat smoke, then the phenoly peat-sulphur-flint finish has its say. Not bad at all, we are talking about a 9 year-old dram, but it lacks the finesse and complexity some other PCs already have at that age. Anyway, if you are into full-on peat power and salt, this one is not to miss.

Score: 87

Talisker Berry Bros. & Rudd 1974 – 2001, Cask 6268, 43%

Comment: This rare baby is surprisingly powerful at 43% with a cherry-like sherry influence, gunpowder sulphur and loads of plums. Altogether a smaller version of the BBR Talisker 1972 – really good and unique with quite some spiciness.

Score: 91

Talisker 50 y.o. ‚Secret Stills 01.01‘ G&M (Gordon & Macphail), 1955 – 2005, Sherry Cask 1312, 45%

Comment: Deep dark plummy notes (jam of ripe dark fruits), peppery spice, brooding but also balanced at the same time, mainly on maraschino cherry, coal and red dark grapes. Polished mahogani and a maritime character join the complex nose right from the start. However, it keeps changing, now we have ginger bread, milk chocolate cookie, even vanilla and toffee in the foreground. This legend tastes much smoother than expected, high class without too much of a chili catch. It goes on with whiffs of humidor, coffee, matches and christmas cake. The grand finale is ultralong on great sherry and coal dust, gunpowder-sulphur and dark fruit.

Score: 92+

Aultmore 13 y.o. SMWS 73.41, 1997, 2nd-fill Bourbon Hogshead, 286 btl., 58,8%

Comment: Autumn fruits, many peaches, apricots, like homemade jam. Then I am getting hay, hints of  ginger, white pepper and vanilla. Seems more mature as its age would suggest. It tastes a bit more spicy (ginger, pepper again) with a bite and needs some water, but overall it renders the same profile like the nose and adds a nice maltiness, dried flowers and a licoricy touch. Almost creamy with more water, long finish. Aultmore keeps surprising me.

Score: 84

Mortlach 14 y.o. SMWS 76.79, 1995, first-fill Sherry Butt,  551 btl., 56,3%

Comment: Sherry, smoke and spice at first. The wine’s sweetness and the malt’s dry character battle in the nose. Some dried fruits, tea and white pepper are watching in the background. The typical raisins and sherry cream show up on the palate along with some spice, smoke and figs. Some water helps the balance.

Score: 83

Tullibardine 21 y.o. SMWS 28.23, 1989, Refill Sherry Butt, 57,7%

Comment: Unusual (plants, herbs), mature, fruity, malty, slightly dry with discrete spice. Big tea notes, toffee, pears, peaches, grass, flowers, earthy traces, altogether like a green house in the nose. It tastes more fruity than expected with a lot of natural caramel and vanilla, quite nice but not overly complex. One for gardeners and botanists

Score: 83

Caperdonich 16 y.o. SMWS 38.20, 1994, Refill Hogshead, 57,4%

Comment: Wow, I like this from the start. Very pleasant, deep and fresh. A bit from everything (citrus fruit, dextrose, moss, herbs and peat, minerality, honey, candyfloss, maritime freshness, etc.), which makes this a true allrounder. It delivers all this on the palate in beautiful balance! No water needed, this is simply great. Recommendation!

Score: 90

Glen Scotia 12 y.o. SMWS 93.46, 1999, Refill Sherry Gorda, 59,8%

Comment: Blue Cheese Dressing, leather, pepper and chili, sherry, grapes with noble rot, Kahlua, mint and leafs. The sherry is not really integrated and seems a bit too raisiny-rotten and cheesy, but the whisky is mild, sweet and creamy on the other hand. I know some people who like this profile but for me it is too much on primary notes of the sherry cask.

Score: 77

Auchentoshan 11y.o. SMWS 5.27, 1999, second-fill Bourbon Hoshead, 58,3%

Comment: Malt, lemon zest, hay, heather, licorice, vanilla, altogether not a very convincing dram.

Score: 77

Glen Moray 39 y.o. SMWS 35.55, 1971, Refill Hogshead, 50,3%

Comment: A whole lotta Bourbon wood influence, which is ok for an old whisky of this kind. All I miss is originality.

Score: 89+

Macallan 20 y.o. SMWS 24.117, 1990, first-fill Sherry Hogshead, 55,4%

Comment: This is a great Christmas Dram (yes, these notes are late ) and quite typical of a Macallan. Wonderful cigar smoke, orange peel, sweet malt, sherry, apple, raisins and cinnamon are its key elements.

Score: 89-

Scotch Grain Whisky 21 y.o. SMWS G-8.1, 1989, 51,2%

Comment: Very rum-like (which is not a bad thing) and loaded with vanilla, citrus aromas and marshmallows. I couldn’t find the exact grain distillery – soon to be revealed.

Score: 86

(Isle of) Jura 21 y.o. SMWS 31.22, 1988, second-fill Bourbon Hogshead, 56,5%

Comment: A very complex and creamy dram with beautiful spice-combo. It also offers sweet malt, ginger bread, licorice and Bourbon-Cask oak  character.

Score: 89+

Laphroaig 10 y.o. SMWS 29.101, 2000, refill-Sherry Butt, 587 btl., 52,8%

Comment: A weird Laph somehow, you have to like it extremely herbal (weeds) and dirty. Aside from the typical notes of peat, seaweed, rusty fishing-boats in the harbour and all that stuff you get sour and lemony aromas, quite some acidity, sherry and flinty sulphur in the nice finish. However, it lacks power in the middle. Not bad, but there are better ones out there.

Score: 86

Ardbeg 7 y,o, SMWS 33.101, 2003, first-fill Bourbon Cask, 245 btl., 59,6%

Comment: Typical Ardbeg, but not as interesting as other releases. A nice whisky anyway.

Score: 88+

Port Charlotte 8 y.o. SMWS 127.12, 2002, Bourbon Barrel, 160 btl., 66,3%

Comment: Funny, this one also heads towards ‚Ardbeginess‘ in some moments but it is saltier and more on camphor, rooty peat, flints and iodine. A great whisky at a young age – again. Look out for Port Charlotte.

Score: 89

Highland Park 1970 – 2010 OB ‚Orcadian Vintage‘ 48,0%

Comment: A lesson in roundness, all is perfectly integrated, a  quite creamy-sweet dram lead by brighter fruits (pear, apricot) and (dried) flowers, toffee, turkish delight, Grand Marnier, a whiff of mint and Fino Sherry. Darn good, but very expensive.

Score: 92+

Highland Park 1971 – 2011 OB ‚Orcadian Vintage‘ 46,7%

Comment: Altogether quite similar to the 1970 in profile, but this one is more on herbs and heather/honey. Again I am getting the apricot and all that candyfloss jazz to be smelled at county fairs. This 1971 has a nicer oak influence but is a bit less complex than its predecessor from 1970. Anyway, great stuff.

Score: 92+

Highland Park 25 y.o. OB, 1980 – 2005, Single Sherry Cask 7363 for Germany, 55,5%

Nose: Where to start? At espresso, nougat, the earthy spice, the army of dark fruits (morello cherries, dates, prunes), at polished oak or the maritime freshness? Mmh, let me just mention the single elements of this peacock’s tail of dark aromas. Hazelnuts, maritime freshness with a hint of peat, dry sherry, candyfloss and resin should not be forgotten therein. Wow!

Palate: Coffee bean in chocolate at first, then dark wood, tobacco and the Sherry-influence (dark dry fruit) take over, even with some sulphur of the good kind. All is dark and brooding in a full-on attack with spice. Water can (but doesn’t have to) be added, which brings out the fruit more.

Finish: Eternal! Tobacco and earthy peat meet dark wood and fruits. Like having a 100% chocolate with a fine Port.

Score: 91

Comment: This chewy and potent malt is not for beginners, really. It is like a powerful sports car that needs an experienced driver. Quite rare, that such a power house also has such high complexity. This amazing single cask HP-Sauce doesn’t fit every day, but if it does, it is a real stunner.

Donald Hart and Pit Krause

I have been a sucker for the old Hart Bros. whiskies because I can’t really remember a bad one, they were all in the categories good to great, decent at least. These guys proved that they can pick good casks with balance, a trademark quality of the Harts. Let’s just mention the 1960ies Bunnahabhain, Bowmore or Highland Park, or that crazy 1957 Bowmore. Now let’s see if the new offspring of the Hart bottling family can keep up with its predecessors and if it is alike in style.

Bunnahabhain 9 y.o. The Maltman 2001 – 2011 Sherry Butt 46%

Nose: Nice maltiness, soft smoke, maritime freshness, very mature for its age. I am getting pears, dried fruit, vanilla and Creme Brulee, toffee, marshmallows, candy floss, walnuts and flowers.

Palate: A malty and dry bite at first. Then it gets much sweeter with raisins in the lead (maybe a tad much, the whole shebang takes the direction blue cheese and noble rot grapes). The pears and dried fruits (peach slices) show up again, also licorice and coal.

Finish: More on the short side with creaminess, fruit, flowers and honey.

Score: 83

Comment: This makes a good aperitif – for me, the raisiny Sherry-touch is a bit too dominant, but the rest is fine.

Macallan 20 y.o. The Maltman 46%

Nose: Very balanced with a dry sweet maltiness. Orange zest, hints of sherry, ginger, maraschino cherries and cigar smoke complete the picture.

Palate: Now even more typical Macallan, which is good news. A balance and sweetness with a wonderful whiffs of sherry, chocolate, smoke and cherry, but nothing stands out.

Finish: Harmony as described above. It finishes with a pleasant leafiness.

Score: 87+

Comment: A very decent Macallan with textbook balance and drinkability.

Macduff 23 y.o. The Maltman 43%

Nose: Wow, this one noses like an old Laddie with amazing freshness and fruit (dextrose-like): passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, blood oranges. This is a quite perfect Bourbon Wood whisky with a mineral edge of a Mosel-Riesling and discrete vanilla.

Palate/Finish: It goes on like this, a soft and gentle giant full on fruit and wonderful oak aromas, always in balance, very multi-faceted and pleasing.

Score: 90

Comment: This is amazing nectar and a must-have-dram. It was just filled in the bottle at its peak.

Ben Nevis 45 y.o. The Maltman, Sherry Cask, 40,6% (no image yet)

Donald and Andrew Hart

Nose: Yes! Curry and assorted Asian spices meet forest lawn (pines), old butter, ferns and ginger bread. Very unusual in a wonderful way – as always with Ben Nevis, so this is rather typical. Later, hints of coconut, some fruits, white chocolate, latte macchiato, green tea and quite some herbs emerge. It is amazing how little wood influence we got after so many years. The distillate is speaking, only the far background displays a polished mahogany woodiness, which makes the dram noble somehow.

Palate: Elegant and well-balanced, unobtrusive, almost Cognac-like. Very complex without being too intellectual. The notes from above come echoing in soft but mighty waves. Some berries join this mix in front of the discrete dark old wood.

Finish: Medium length, high class. It reminds me of an evening in an old hunting hut. Nothing tastes like an old Ben Nevis, a true Single Malt of exceptional quality. Soon to hit the stores.

Score: 91

Comment: Many older Ben Nevis bottlings became too oaky. With this specimen you taste distillery character to the max even after 45 years. What it might lack in power it delivers in complexity.

Clynelish 13 y.o. The Maltman 46%

Nose: Typical again: smoke, green malt, beeswax and pollen, green apples, vanilla, peaches, moss, peat and brine. It also reminds me of the smell of a stromfront moving in from the North Sea.

Palate: I like this Clynelish for its balance and typicality (as described in nose). Very drinkable and accessible.

Finish: Quite long and pleasant, making you want to pour another glass.

Score: 88

Comment: Clynelish is a very reliable distillery in terms of quality, and this is slightly above their average. Why didn’t they bottle this at cask stength?

Caol Ila 10 y.o. The Maltman 46%

Nose: Lemon chicken! Then we find peat, juniper, olives, camphor, sulphur, dust of tires, Pu Erh tea, chalk, coal, hints of iodine and white pepper.

Palate: Much milder than expected, a Bowmore-esque Caol Ila, somewhat tamed but beautifully balanced again. More on the herbal side altogether.

Finish: The Islay roughness only slightly reoccurs with late iodine, sulphur and peat.

Score: 85

Comment: This would have profitted from a higher abv. A great starter to get into peaty whiskies but not for passionate peat heads.

Allow me a little summary. These drams fit the tradition of Hart Bros. bottlings very well. Balance and distillery character seem to be key elements in most of their bottlings. Less power, more on finesse. If you are into that, give them a try.

Clynelish 1997, 14 y.o., Bourbon Cask 5711, 57,9%

Nose: Nougat, apple, candle wax, honey, hazelnut, peach and pine resin, discrete peat

Palate: sweet arrival at first, a mirror of the nose plus a bit of chili; great mix between fruit, spice and wood

Finish: very long, more peat shows but never takes over;

Score: 90

Comment: This was most people’s favourite among the four drams reviewed. That’s why we took it on the steam train Again a high class Clynelish that could be said to be an allrounder, just like Highland Park ... and a bang for your buck.

Miltonduff 1998 – 2011, 13 y.o., Cask 3619, 59,9%

Nose: somehow chemical at first, darker , berries and a slight Sherry influence, latte macchiato coffee, overrripe apples;

Palate: amazingly fat and sweet fruit, wonderful complexity;

Finish: led by overripe fruit, this develops into a autumny pleasure of all sorts;

Score: 90

Comment: This Miltonduff isn’t for everyone, but the more experienced drammers got a real kick out of it. It needs time! I regard it as very good because it has personality.

If you look for the maximum value for your buck, C & S Drams should be one of your choices. Our friend Andrea Caminneci (now Keeper of the Quaich) and his partners don’t like to do the  chicken dance, create fancy labels and work on coffin bottle outfits, they rather bottle quality whisky for a fair price to trade and consumer. This might be the very reason why every series is sold out within hours at this importer. Consequently, Andrea also doesn’t send out samples, his stuff speaks for itself. Find out more here:

http://www.wein-and-spirit-partner.de/was/modules/smartpartner/partner.php?id=11

However, on our trip to Scotland, I had the privilege to try four new Single Malts that will hit the market in a week or two. And hush, I could also sample some bottlings to come…keep an eye out for those too, esp. the Mortlach). Here are my first two reviews, the others will follow:

Bladnoch 21 y.o., C & S Dram Senior, 26.1.1990, Bourbon Cask 30009, 59,7%

Nose: Typical Lowland style (lemons, grass, vanilla, some tropical fruit like passion fruit), seemingly younger at first, heather, haystack, dried flower bouquet, honey, liquorice, white pepper and a slightly bitter touch of white oak.

Palate: This needs water; it even stood up to the Laphroaig, so this Lowlander is no wimp at all; great creaminess;

Andrea with his finest Drams

Finish: Long and soothing.

Score: 88

Comment: A typical Lowlander with the power of an Islay Malt, maybe therefore not ideal as a starting dram.

Laphroaig 1998 – 2011, 13 y.o., C & S Dram, Sherry Butt, 64,4%

Nose: This one screams BREAKFAST BACON! Alongside we have typical Laphroaig and sulphury notes, the sherry is present but doesn’t produce the blue cheese aroma like other bottlings of that kind.

Palate: Full on, seaweed and algae, very maritime, peat and iodine in a lovely combo, accompanied by subtle sherry waves. Did I mention bacon?

Finish: Lovely, brutal, eternal and complex – the sulphur of children’s guns (red stripe) appears and fits the sherry, peat and iodine mix in their sea-laden context.

Score: 91

Comment: Many Laphroaigs of that time are a bit identical to each other (but always high quality). This one really stands out from the crowd with its power and character. Never did I have such an English breakfast on peat before. Not even the Regensburger Lagavulin is close to this in terms of bacon. A must-have!

As I love to sip a fine cognac from time to time, I would like to tell you about this discovery: the Pitaud Cognac range. These bottles (basic range: V.S., V.S.O.P., X.O., Extra, but there are three others: Borderies, Petite Champagne and the oldest one, the Albert Pitaud) mostly outrank their famous rivals within the same price category, and from younger makes I only remember the cask-strength BACHE Gabrielsen Pure & Rustic (~ 30 y.o.)  that can compete. Many connoisseurs claim, the EXTRA would rule the price category below 1000 Euro at a price of about 300 Euro. I wanted to check this out.

The founder Albert Pitaud (1882 – 1968) was called to serve in WWI. in 1914. Before he went he made made sure that his dear Cognacs were safe and sound: he filled them into oak casks and dug them in the ground. And until today, some Cognac still matures in these casks that were put into the family vaults after the war. Actually, even today every Pitaud Cognac contains parts of the 1914 Eaux-de-Vies! So 1914 wasn’t only bad after all… . The producers explain that their success stems from a rigorous selection of grape types and grapes and the use of smaller stills, which helps the character of the „bonne chauffée“ at the second distillation.

Tasting the Range

I am going to taste the V.S. (at least 4  y.o., Limousin Oak), the V.S.O.P. (at least 6 y.o.), the XO (average age of 22 years recently, now raised to 35 y., much longer than other X.O. Cognacs) and the sought-after Extra (50 y.o. Cognacs as an average, many parts were distilled by Albert Pitaud himself prior to 1968, multi-award-winner), which is actually said to be better than the oldest Pitaud Cognac called ‚Albert Pitaud‘ (1914, Petite Champagne, unblended). To have a reference, I also reviewed a renowned benchmark Cognac, the Remy Martin XO Excellence. This was still done in German, but soon, all reviews will be in English only.

Pitaud Cognac V.S. 40%

Angenehm rund, viel Kraft, Zigarrenkiste, Orangenzesten, Petrolnoten (altes Autan Mückenspray), Datteln, Kirschen,Rosinen, rote Trauben, Vanille, Mentholrauch, Piniennadeln, Edelholz, grüne Bananenschale, Blüten und Rumanklänge.

Score: 87

Pitaud Cognac V.S.O.P. 40%

Tiefer und dunkler, ja geheimnisvoller als sein jüngerer Bruder, insgesamt auch balancierter: Maraschinokirschen, Edelholz, Waldboden, Vanille, Zigarrenschachtel, Orangenzesten, Rosinen, grüne Bananenschale, Honig, Petrolnote, Demerara-Zucker, Zimthauch und Lebkuchen.

Score: 89

Pitaud XO 40%

Das Konzentrat des VSOP, Aromen hier wesentlich dichter verschmolzen, schöne Reife; auch hier die Petrolnote, jedoch dezenter, Waldbeeren und Waldhonig, Kirschen, Datteln, dunkles Edelholz, Piniennadeln, Orangenzesten, dunkle trockene Erde, Mentholrauch, Vanille, Demerara-Zucker; Persipanspur; Im Geschmack mit dichter Viskosität kommt noch eine feine Nuance Trüffelpraline mit dunkler Schokolade hinzu.

Score: 90+

Pitaud Extra 40% (limited to 300 bottles per year, mostly 1955, 1956 and 1957 distillation), version before 2011

Ein wenig  anders als die jüngeren Pitauds, wie ein feiner alter Speyside-Whisky, keine Offnotes, kristallin-dextroseartige Fruchtpalette mit viel Honig, Capuccino-Keksen, Passionsfrucht, Pfirsich, Cassis, Orangenzeste, Trauben, Rosinen, Vanille, Nüssen, Rancio, dezentes Holz und Süßholz, Toffeekaramell, Marzipan, edle Gewürze; Komplexer geht es kaum! Alte Bowmore und Lochside Whiskys lassen im Geschmack grüßen bei kristalliner Dextrosefrucht, natürlichem Karamell, Beeren, Trauben und Cassis ohne Ende, dazu eine edle zurückhaltende Balance. Wow! Und außerdem auch noch endlos im Abgang. Der kann es mit den besten Whiskys und R(h)ums aufnehmen!

Score: 94 (!!!) for the version before 2011, after: 92+;

Remy Martin XO Excellence

Heller in Farbe und Charakter als die Pitauds, eher Zitronenzesten, weniger Holzeinfluss, was ihn weniger reif wirken lässt; Pfirsich, Petrolnoten, Piniennadeln, Rhum Agricole-Hauch, Zimt, Asche, Toffee, Vanille, eher gefällig denn komplex, aber doch gut; Grapefruitsaft leitet den Geschmack über in den traubenbetonten Abgang.

Score: 87-

In my tasting session the Pitauds really convinced me. Especially the XO and the Extra proved that Cognac isn’t dead. If you want to know more about this brand and their products, please click the following picture of Cognac vinyards – it might change your perspective on the ‚unsexy‘ French spirit.

Mortlach SMWS 76.78 ‚Foamy bananas dipped in cayenne pepper‘, 15 y.o., July 1995, first fill Sherry Butt, 625 bottles, 55,8%

Nose: Quite alcoholic at first, then a nice mix unfolds – rum-raisins and vanilla ice cream, a touch of Marsala wine, chili and black pepper add to a slight woody spiciness, dry but not overwhelming Sherry-influence, buttered toast, apples and peaches. One can already smell that this dram needs water.

Palate: Surprisingly elegant with some water (necessary): Apples pave the way to a medium-sweet and creamy mouthfeel with maltiness and smoke.

Finish: Rum-Raisins with Marsala and Sherry are counterbalanced by nice warm oaky notes.

Score: 89

Comment: Much more complex than many other mono-dimensional raisin drams by Mortlach of that time.

Bowmore SMWS 3.175 ‚On the dunes – watching a puffer‘, 16 y.o., April 1994, refill Sherry Butt, 572 bottles, 56%

Nose: Like many great Bowmores, the nose is perfectly balanced between Islay roughness and the complexity this distillery brings to the table. The Sherry is well-integrated and fits the combo. Leafy ferns (typical for Bowmore once) and herbs, fresh sea spray and ozone, Chesterfield couch in mahogani room, remotely lemony and exotic fruitiness, sweet cherries as well,humidor and Asian spices.

Palate: Drinkable with or without water; stays high class all the way through, all notes above woven together. The Sherry adds such a wonderful  and discrete sweet dimension with many tertiary aromas.

Finish: Waving the Bowmore flag proudly. A noble dram with a nice hint of sulphur like from old fired children’s guns (red stripe) at carnival.

Score: 91

Comment: A must-have at a reasonable price!

Ardbeg SMWS 33.96 ‚Chocolate Caviar‘, August 1996, refill Sherry Butt, 668 bottles, 56,9%

Nose: A powerhouse of a nose: Clearly Ardbeg! The infernal trio of peat, sulphur and iodine is accompanied by burnt tires, a bit of resin, leather, white pepper, celp, lemon and orange zests, espresso, milk chocolate and chalk – plus the well integrated Sherry tones (plum cake) from the Refill Butt.

Palate: No water needed; The taste is the one of older Ardbeg before the takeover in 1997. Not as complex as the nose suggested

Finish:  A harmonic finish with iodine, chocolate, peat and sulphur.

Score: 90

Comment: Really good Ardbeg, but doesn’t fully live up to its nose.

Port Charlotte SMWS 127.7 ‚A sense of elemental freedom‘, 7 y.o., August 2003, refill Sherry Butt, 687 bottles, 66,6%

Nose: Another monster of a nose – deep rooty peat and herbal notes, beef jerky, Maggi, Sherry, pine branches in a beach fire with resinous smoke, oil and tar, black pepper, Sicilian-style- roasted coffee beans, touch of Jägermeister – all rather raw and untamed.

Palate: At 66.6% this is diabolic and becomes better with water, but one can sip it pure as well. Really smoky and dry with a slight herbal bitterness and the aromas of the nose.

Finish: Stays untamed and true to itself. An outdoor barbecue dram that takes no prisoners.

Score: 87

Comment: One has to like it raw, I would love to try this mustang in its older and more mature days…