Rating 7/ 10
Kilkerran 16 2026
Nose: Jasmine, honey, sidewalk on a hot day
Palate: Peaches gummies, jasmin, heather, chamomile, white tea.
Rating: 7 / 10 – light and delightful
Category: Whisky
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky Goody Goody #14160 Used FO Ex-Rmb 64.2%
Nose: rum raisin ice cream, grape nerds / poprocks, nougat, cold wood cabin, tomato vine (after some time and sipping)
Palate: ice sweetness at the front, vanilla, rum raisin ice cream from the nose, less grapey, nice quality wood, a strong grape vinegar kombucha vibe, black tea, that core modern Balcones sour note. Tried it with a big splash of water and it becomes elegantly grapey with a gnarly bitter note. Better at full proof.
Rating: 6 (Ryan / Shane) / 10
Rating 7/ 10
Highland park 12 Year Refill sherry puncheon @ 52% by North Star for Tyndrum Exclusive
Nose: Ovaltine, carob, graham crackers.
Palate: Heather, mexican hot chocolate – paprika and clove, hint of campfire smoke
Rating: 7 / 10 – this is delicious and smooth for the abv
Rating 5/ 10
Mortlach 15 Year Game of Thrones @ 46%
Nose: Bosc pears, honey chamomile tea, coconut, hint of pineapple
Palate: Honeydew melon, ginger ale, lemon peel
Rating: 5 / 10 – this is fine but nothing special
Rating 8/ 10
Mortlach 32 Year 1st fill oloroso finish 51.6% for 76.148 SMWS Vaults
Nose: Cloves, tobacco, leather, dark chocolate
Palate: Dates, leather, tobacco leaf, rootbeer, walnut, figs
Rating: 8 / 10 – what a well rounded and delicious pour
Highland Park 12 1990s dumpy 40%
Nose: Gummy worms, green bananas, pistachio, touch of cinnamon
Palate: Heather, light honey and nuts – baklava.
Rating: 7 / 10 – gentle, lovely, and in the wrong place in the lineup for this tasting. Wish I was trying it on a clean palate. I am not getting all the subtle notes that are definitely there. It is really good and if you ever stumble onto one of these, I say it’s worth a pour for sure. It’s a 6-7+ but could be more.
Rating 8/ 10
Highland Park 1989 32 Years @ 50.5% for Whisky Broker
Nose: Green tea genmaicha, cardamom, cantaloupe, peach tea, lychee, dried apricot
Palate: Pocari Sweat, apricot juice, figs, white tea
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is such a fruit bomb it’s absurd.
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Single Barrel Collection #32110 64.1%
Nose: Masala, cardamom, mahogany, dates, bay leaves, lightest touch malt vinegar
Palate: Oh sweet wonderful oloroso child. Indian spices.
Rating: 6 / 10 – montilla casks finished in oloroso
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Single Barrel Collection #27888 62.1% “Emma’s Pick”
Nose: Honey, pomegranate molasses, soft gooey dates, dark coffee caramel, I accidentally pour in a large wallop of water after first tasting and the nose just came to life. Witches fingers grapes, braggs aminos.
Palate: The peat to port combo is really nice and works, this could be an amrut. Honey, stonefruits, indian earthy spices, Cinnamon, leather, chocolate covered espresso beans, banana chips, tobacco, grapefruit, with water get sandalwood.
Rating: 6 / 10 – frankly if this was just a little hot, I’d love a bottle, But my lord it burns. The sweetness and hint of smoke really really work. Added water and this could be a 7 with water.
Rating 5/ 10
Magnificent Beast – Hydra by Crowded Barrel 50%
Nose: Toasted hazelnuts, raspberry going redvines, ash and dry soil.
Palate: Hot on the first sip, feels like a young spirit, but the long finish really comes to life, milk chocolate with hazlenut, vanilla, leather
Rating: 5 / 10 – a blend of different texas whiskies, 3 balcones casks making up 53%, Manatawny Still Works Distillery (Closed), crowded barrel single malt and a 15yr light whiskey.
Rating 8/ 10
Balcones Peated Sauternes Cask 60%
Nose: Peat is lovely and gentle, tangerine, waking up early in the mountains and a cabin across the valley has their wood fire up as the smoke curls lazily on a warm wind, jasmine, with water I get more cinnamon
Palate: Tangerine, cinnamon honey stick, graham crackers with a hint of tasted marshmallow, bruleed super ripe fig, with water nutmeg, and hints of chocolate
Rating: 8 / 10 – holy crap this is just damn good. Not weird novelty good. But delicious.
Rating 7/ 10
Balcones 4 Year 64.15% for Single Cask Nation
Nose: Exotic woods, sandlewood, potpourri, wintergreen, with water this nose comes to life: vietnamese cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, rose hip, camphor
Palate: Rye toast with marmite spread and an espresso shot. Chocolate covered espresso beans, Carrob, leather… I would totally add this to a mole sauce… with water it explodes with vanilla, and the cinamon… a mexican hot chocolate.
Rating: 7 as is, a 9 with water / 10 – a hands down amazing pour, but I could only handle one bottle of this. But with water, holy shit it’s even better.
Rating 8/ 10
Barrell Whiskey American Vatted Malt 2021 59.11%
Nose: Banana bread, nutritional yeast, cedar plank, meringue.
Palate: Banana bread with chocolate chips, olive oil, wintergreen, warm cedar, chewing tobacco, sasparilla, almost with hints of rye bread
Rating: 8 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – what a wild ride. Barrel continues to truly impress me. Bottle details available at https://whiskeyhuntaustralia.com/products/barrell-craft-spirits-american-vatted-malt-750ml-59-11
Rating 9/ 10
Glendronach 1993 24 Year Sherry Butt #668 59.7% for Hong Fu Taiwan
Nose: Milk chocolate, wool sweater someone smoked pipe tobacco in, biltong, hazelnut, pistachio gelato, dill.
Palate: Full on savory, pistachio encrusted filet mignon, ryan says beef wellington, black pepper oloroso pan sauce.
Rating: 9 (Shane) 8 (Ryan) / 10 – this threads the needle on a full on savory meat bomb without going sulfur in the least.
Rating 8/ 10
Longmorn 19 Years Oloroso Cask #18070 62.6% for Signatory Vintage
Nose: Tobacco, dried apricots, prunes, cinnamon.
Palate: Syrupy, unctuous, blueberries, blackberries, medjool dates, cloves.
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is a syrup bomb. Freaking glorious.