Rating 8/ 10
Longmorn 1973/2012 39 Years 43% for Gordon MacPhail
Nose: Unctuous, fig jam, medjool dates.
Palate: Plum jam, blackberries, dark raisins, dates, hint of peach
Rating: 8 / 10 – elegant as fuck
Category: Whisky
Rating 3/ 10
Balcones Texas Single Malt #21899 Used FR > Used 4R “Goody Goody” 62.3%
Nose: Sharp on the nose, very grain forward, with some water get some green apple, vanilla, grapefruit zest
Palate: Sharp on the palate, cinnamon cracker, cardboard
Rating: 3 / 10 – does not taste like a single malt, more like a grain spirit. It’s too sharp and even water didn’t save it. More like baddy baddy.
Rating 1/ 10
Balcones Cataleja 15Yr Anniversary Distillery Release 59%
Nose: Anchovies, olive brine with a salty vinegar vibe, lime leaves, getting sulfur warnings but to be seen. Smells like of rancid.
Palate: Taste me … or better, don’t. Dates… nope, I’ve spit it out twice. It’s everything I can’t handle about sulfur.
Rating: 1 / 10 – that is just terrible. It’s not just the sulfur, everything about it is disharmonious.
Rating 2/ 10
Glenallachie 2009 12 Year Premier Cru Classé #1040 59.1% for Denmark Batch 4
Nose: Red velvet cake, plums, cloves.
Palate: Sulfur, very astringent and tannic, black tea, plum.
Rating: 2 / 10 – ouch
Rating 3/ 10
Glenallachie 2012 10 Year Médoc Barrique #804402 58.3%
Nose: Berries and cream, bath balm explosion
Palate: Tastes like kissing a bath and bodyworks. A high end raspberry oatmeal soap bar. Heavily coats my mouth.
Rating: 3 / 10
Rating 6/ 10
Glenallachie 2006 15 Year #26078 59.5% for Sweden
Nose: Graham crackers, cedar, white peach tea, vanilla bean, butterscotch
Palate: Red vines, cinnamon bears, vanilla taffy.
Rating: 4 (Ryan) 6 (Shane) / 10 – my teeth tingle, everything being turned up to 11. But the flavors are solid.
Rating 3/ 10
Glenallachie 2004 13 Year #3560 60.4% for AD Ratray
Nose: Vanilla wafers, sugary frosting, diluted windex
Palate: Comin’ in hot. Wood is real intense. Lemon pledge, lightest sulfur note. Finishes on a real green note.
Rating: 3 / 10 – this isn’t great
Rating 4/ 10
Glen Moray 17 year 2005 Petingar Cask 3676
Nose: Key lime pie, vanilla pudding, coconut flakes
Palate: Dry and a touch astringent, lemon cleanser, unripe peach
Rating: 4 / 10 – I like the nose but the palette doesn’t work for me at all
Rating 5/ 10
Edradour 10 Year 2011 cask 429 Sherry Butt 47% by Signatory
Nose: Toasted almonds, dried figs, cherries
Palate: Coffee, dried cherries, chicory, delicate
Rating: 5 / 10 – nicely rounded and the most delicate edradour I’ve tried
Rating 7/ 10
Wolfburn 12 Year 2013 Sherry Butt Cask #163 Anniversary Bottle 53.5%
Nose: Pear, sweet green grapes, lemon tart, bright
Palate: Hint of smokiness, warm hug, sawdust, touch of cinnimint
Rating: 7 / 10 – yum, yum, yum
Rating 7/ 10
Ardnamurchan AD 09.20 Release 01 46.8%
Nose: Sweet smoke. Reminds me of camping.
Palate: Light sweet smoke, honey suckle, oily palate, lemon pith
Rating: 7 / 10 – rounded, elegant, yummy
Rating 7/ 10
Talisker 9 Year 46%
Nose: Gummy peaches, sweet smoke, cream toffee, pillow mints.
Palate: Olive oil, warm sourdough bread with a drizzle of honey, lick of smoke, white pepper and menthol
Rating: 7 / 10
Rating 6/ 10
Springbank 12Y CS #13 56.3%
Nose: Stewed apples, whiffs of smoked salmon.
Palate: Touch of sherry, sticky prunes and dates, dunnage and salty
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 6 (Shane) / 10 – super tasty. I am enjoying these later 12Y CS better than the earlier releases.
Rating 5/ 10
Springbank 12Y CS #1 54.6%
Nose: Old dried apple rings, bandaids, dried citrus peel, hint of old campfire or roasted coffee
Palate: Bright tangerine-lemon cleaner, rootbeer bottle caps, dandelion tea, endives salad
Rating: 4 (Ryan) 5 (Shane)/ 10 – Tonight I’m enjoying the bitterness, but I could see it being too much.
Rating 7/ 10
Springbank 12 Cask Strength #23 55.9%
Nose: Poppyseed muffin or a magdalena, scottish thistle
Palate: Goes from cedar, sandalwood, and incense to sweetened chamomile tea
Rating: 7 / 10 These batches keep getting better.