Rating 6/ 10
Macallan Late 90s 10 Year 40%
Nose: Raisins and figs
Palate: Viscous with long long finish, fig newton, lychee, orange peel on the finish.
Rating: 6 / 10 – simple but lovely.
Tasting Notes
Rating 5/ 10
Macallan Terra NAS 43.8%
Nose: Dried cranberries and pomegranate
Palate: Dried stone fruits, coffee grounds, dark chocolate ginger graham crackers, black licorice
Rating: 5 / 10 – rounded and pleasant without being special. I like the flavors.
Rating 5/ 10
Macallan Classic Cut 2021 NAS 51%
Nose: Vanilla ice cream with a zesting of lime peel.
Palate: Key lime pie, ginger, astringent, linseed oil, salted.
Rating: 5 / 10 – some depth in the flavor but the astringency is a mixed bag and lacks complexity for the abv
Rating 4/ 10
Macallan Night on Earth Scotland NAS 40%
Nose: Toasted oats. And scene. A simple but pure note.
Palate: Milk coffee, chocolate wafer biscuits, orange peel – very mild but pleasing.
Rating: 4 / 10 – this is totally reasonable. It’s pretty nondescript but nothing is off. It’s no premium pour though.
Savanna 2007 8 Year Rhum Grand Arôme #171 60.4%
Nose: Bubble gum, dusting of cinnamon and indian spices, kombucha
Palate: Olives, those indian spices and cinnamon, sandalwood, root beer bottle caps.
Rating: ? / 10
Rating 4/ 10
Glenallachie 2009 13 Year PX Hogshead #804956 56.1% for Denmark Batch 4
Nose: Subtle notes of pickle brine and some fruit vinegar.
Palate: Oily, raisins, oolong, really sour
Rating: 4 / 10
Rating 8/ 10
Longrow 21 Year 2001 44.14% for Cadenheads
Nose: Whole grain dijon, warm sidewalk, Santa Ana winds in LA, dry hay and dandelions, lemon oil.
Palate: Cold smoked meats. I can almost taste barley. This is lovely. Hint of brine on a well- basted turkey slice. Chamomile with a twist of lemon zest. Green peppercorn. A quiet mineral note.
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is such a nice sipper. It was a gifted sample and had it blind. I guessed springbank. This is an unusually balanced longrow, and what a nice sipper it is. A bottle meant to enjoy.
Rating 6/ 10
Glenallachie 2010 12 Year Oloroso #5139 56.6% for Kirsch Germany
Nose: Sherry vinegar, apples, nice subtle sherried notes of dates and figs
Palate: Fig vinegar, dark soil, cecina, sour grass
Rating: 6 / 10 – a nice sour balanced with oloroso
Rating 5/ 10
Glenallachie 2012 9 Year Languedoc Red #804369 60.6%
Nose: Raspberries, currants.
Palate: You get that red wine tannic astringency, raspberries and milk chocolate.
Rating: 5 / 10
Rating 6/ 10
White Heather 8 Year De Luxe Blended Scotch Whisky 1980’s Bottling (Glenallachie) 40%
Nose: Vanilla, citrus and stone fruits (apricots and blood orange), angels food cake
Palate: Golden raisins, honeycomb, dried figs
Rating: 6 / 10 – this is so absurdly approachable I could pour it for nearly anyone. It is so beautifully sweet and balanced.
Rating 6/ 10
Glenallachie 4 Year Future Edition 60.2%
Nose: Heather, campfire, honey, spearmint, milk chocolate after notes
Palate: Ashy, dried apricots, lime zest, tiny eucalyptus note, incredibly well balanced.
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 6 (Shane) / 10 – this is seriously akin to a clean lochindaal and it is right up my alley. It just a hint too eucalyptus for me to want to buy one but it’s so damn close.
Rating 8/ 10
Union Distillery 5 Year 2017/2021 Oloroso Finish 56.9% for Cadenheads
Nose: Big dark bomb, cedar, walnuts, wet leather, tobacco leaf, heavily toasted sesame, shoe polish…. This smells like a Moroccan wood and leather shop in an old spice market. They make gorgeous chess and backgammon sets from araar wood that have a unique earthy carrot smell.
Palate: Lemon zest, dark chocolate pepitas, olive oil cake, pipe tobacco
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is absolutely beautiful. I was planning to spit my way through some samples tonight but fuck that. I’m just going to sit with the wee spirit and bask in it. This is my first union and I hope to god it’s an honest example of their cask management. What a win.
Rating 7/ 10
Glenallachie 2006 14 Year #6591 60.3% for Premium Spirits Belgium
Nose: Kung pow chicken, big wood, Mexican dark chocolate
Palate: Dark chocolate and cinnamon, oak for days, chili, dutch salted black licorice
Rating: 7 (Shane) 5 (Ryan) / 10 – this is quite intense. It works this late in a tasting. Wonder if I’d like it this much on a fresh palate.
Rating 8/ 10
Glenallachie 2021 14 Year Wood Finish Series Oloroso 55.4% for UK
Nose: Uncuous, southern bbq, dates, prunes, figs
Palate: Pure sherry bomb. Grenadine, subtle meatiness, dried prunes.
Rating: 8 / 10 – 50 shades of glendronach.
Rating 5/ 10
Paula Aquino Sánchez Madrecuixe November 2019 Logoche, Miahuatlán 48% for Neta
Nose: Sniffs like an aquavit, fennel, green peppercorn, tail end is dill
Palate: Fennel for days, weisswurst sausage which are mild with a strong parsley vibe, dirt and green peppercorn, trails off into pretty intense levels of beet
Rating: 5 / 10