132.2 Stunning panorama of exotic fruits (Karuizawa 22 year old)

Distillery: Karuizawa
Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 22
Distilled: 1991
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 62.4%.
Cask Code: 132.2 Stunning panorama of exotic fruits
Cask Type: Refill ex sherry butt.

Following on from a year ago when I reviewed the utterly outstanding 28 year old Karuizawa from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society - http://stilldramming.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/1321-secret-moonlit-garden-dram.html - I have also been hoarding 132.2, 132.3, 132.4 and have just recently received 132.5 from my friend in Australia, and have been quietly working my way through drinking them. With .2 and .4 nearly finished I figured I better put some notes up.

Nose: The first thing that comes to me is a green note which is like Jalapeno peppers and tomato salsa, and this carries through in a slight apple vinegar like note. The green apple continues but bruised and sliced with a waxiness. A little mango and passion fruit boosts up the fruitiness with just a touch of lemon. There is white chocolate and almond Toblerone. Some lavender comes through with rose water giving some nice Turkish delight connotations. The sherry influence here is light here. This is much more delicate affair then the 28 year old, and it tends to fall apart a little with water.

Palate: Tart and lively with 62.4% of course with some of those tropical fruits served up alongside vanilla and coconut ice cream, and a bite of oak.

Finish: Plenty of oak in the finish and I now feel like I have been sipping an ex-bourbon dram again. Some strawberry milkshake to finish.

Laphroaig LP4 (Elements of Islay)

Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottling: Elements of Islay
Age: NAS
Distilled: N/A
Bottled: N/A
Strength: 54.8%.

Nose: Big and phenolic with sherry influence giving some richness to the youthful peat. Eating Christmas cake in a hospital corridor. Spicy with vanilla, coriander seeds and cinnamon. After eight chocolate mints, black tea, flump marshmallows. Savoury and sweet coming together - ham and pineapple. Burning embers on a well burned camp fire, salted beef jerky. Baked beans in tomato sauce. Red apple, cherry coke, hand soap. Coal sheds. Peat bogs.

Palate: Soil and earth, with chocolate and coffee. Black forest gateau, with peaches.

Finish: Long and medicinal, esprsso, cough syrup, fennel, cherry and strawberry.

26.55 Savoury Delight (Clynelish 8 year old)

Information

Distillery: Clynelish
Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 8
Distilled: 1999
Bottled: 2008
Strength: 62.4%.
Cask Code: 26.55 Savoury Delight

Nose: Another one of these SMWS bottles with a pretty closed nose. Lemon, lime, unripe pear and freshly sliced apple. Coconut, floor polish. Fresh ginger and ground pepper. Leather jackets.

Palate: Massive exposion of flavour that didn't exist on the nose. Salt, more salt, salted pretzls, salted meat, sausages and hot dogs. Savoury indeed. Some toffee and hazelnuts.

Finish: Long and lip smacking. Salty.

69.14 Complex and delightful (Glen Albyn 28 year old)

Information

Distillery: Glen Albyn (Closed)

Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 28

Distilled: 1979
Bottled: 2008

Strength: 57.6%

Cask: Refill ex-sherry butt.

Cask Code: 69.14 Complex and delightful

 

This was an interesting find if only for the fact it comes from the Glen Albyn distillery, which closed during the distillery masacre of 1983. The distillery was close to Inverness and although technically a Highland distillery, it was regarded as some as a Speysider. Read about the Glen Albyn on Malt Madness.

 

 

 

Nose: This is light and delicate and instantly recognisable as an ex fino sherry cask. Very dry with apple, dusty libraries and lofts (attics). Some little lemon, and a hint of salty sea air. The nose is very closed on this and needs coaxed opening with some water to start giving up its secrets. I would tend to not add water in my own reviews because I try and review it right out the bottle to keep my results consistent and repeatable, but this is one of the exceptions to my rule as I could sit forever trying to coax something out it. With water we now get more happening with peach, toasted coconut, and a little leather. I am now eating Edinburgh Castle Rock and Parma Violet sweets inside a dusty woody Sawmill, and someone is cutting the grass outside. I also have pepper and ginger, McVitties Rich Tea biscuits, and also like mashed potato or tattie (potato) scones. An old distant smokey peatiness is emerging as well.

 

Palate: More sweetness than the nose, with that dry fino character dominating. Waxy and resinous.

 

Finish: Dry apple, with ginger spice. Sooty, earthy and waxy.

 

Comments: It is always nice to try something from the 1970s, if only because a romanticism forms once malts were distilled before I was born and hint at a generation past where production methods and the industry was much more different. This was interesting and complex in time, but don't expect anything jumping out the glass at you from it.

Balblair 83 (cask 1252) - World of Whiskies exclusive

Information

Distillery: Balblair
Bottling: Distillery Bottling (World of Whiskies exclusive)
Age: 30
Distilled: 1983
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 54.1%
Cask: ex-bourbon

If I said I wasn't excited about this it would be a complete lie. I have known about this on the radar for a wee while: Single cask 1252 Balblair matured in a single ex-bourbon cask for 30 years and then hand picked by WOW staff at Glasgow Airport, to be bottled and sold exclusively to World of Whiskies @ World Duty Free (Travel Retail). After 30 years of silently maturing this cask only yielded 162 bottles so that is about 15 bottles per WOW outlet if split evenly.

Nose: It's a Balblair alright. Mango, Grapefruit, Pineapple and Papaya riding that tropical wave I know so well. Unlike younger balblairs which are full of fresh estery youthfulness, the fruits in here are deeper and richer, and reduced down into a thick syrupy sauce. Syrupy sweet Pineapple Cubes and Cola Cubes from the sweet shop. The extra time in the wood has paid off with all those lovely notes coming from the oak with a big hit of warm spiced, iced gingerbread loaf. A touch of banana bread in there as well. Loads of sweet toffee, caramel and chocolate like Toffee Poppet sweets (formerly Toffets).

Palate: Chewing on that gingerbread fresh out the oven. Warming, honeyed, spiced. Very rich and the fruits are rich, ripened and reduced again. The tangy sweet zing from the Cola Cubes. Melting caramel and chocolate, with a strong but balanced oak coming in.

Finish: Long with the rich mature oak character, toffee and spices.

Comments: What a lovely old Balblair. This spirit has plenty of mature, rich character but stays with a youthful and fiery friend on the journey. If you love Balblair you shouldn't need to be convinced.

Hankey Bannister Blended Scotch Whisky

Information

Distillery: Blended Scotch Whisky
Bottling: Hankey Bannister (Inver House)
Age: NAS
Strength: 40%

Tonight I am doing something out of the ordinary for me, and that is writing notes for a Blended Scotch Whisky, and by that I mean a blend which is comprised of both Malt and Grain Whisky from a variety of distilleries. The blend I am going to look at is Hankey Bannister and the reason I have chosen this is because it is one of the flagship blends which belong to Inver House Distillers (International Beverage), and one which has malt whisky from my favourite distillery Balblair which is one of the distilleries owned by Inver House along side Pulteney (Old Pulteney), Knockdhu (anCnoc, Speyburn and Balmenach, all of which are producing highly regarded single malt whiskies.

Blended Whisky gets a bad reputation among many single malt drinkers and I admit even by myself in the past, however it is worth remembering that single malt whisky only makes up approximately 10% of whisky produced, and the 90% of whisky produced at pretty much most of the distilleries including my beloved Balblair is put into blended whisky. Without blended whisky most of these distilleries would cease to exist, and indeed in the past many distilleries have been mothballed or destroyed as a result of changed in the blended whisky market. So I say to every one who liked blended whisky - please keep drinking it! As long as you due I shall be able to continue drinking my favourite single malts! It is a win win situation.

Anyway, Hankey Bannister is a blended whisky which is made up of single malt from all of the above single malt distilleries, and also with grain whisky from as far as I can research is from both the North British (Edinburgh) and Port Dundas (Glasgow) grain distilleries. However the Port Dundas distillery is now closed so I can only assume this is no longer the case and grain from somewhere else is being used. Maybe Invergordon or Strathclyde? As far as I can find out it is made up of approximately 30% malt whisky of which this is mostly Balblair, and then 70% grain whisky.

Let's taste it then.

Nose: I expected the first thing to hit me was the smell of grain, but I am wrong, and it would be unfair anyway to just shout GRAIN GRAIN GRAIN and not thinking about the other subtleties which are present so that is what I will do. The initial nose gives me sherried malt notes. Praline and Marzipan. Sweet Almonds, milk chocolate and mint chocolate. My nose is very aware of menthol notes from sherried whisky and I can usually detect it quite strongly in most sherried malts. The menthol notes here are starting to come in a way that reminds me of mouth wash and I imagine that is the effect of the mixture with young spirit but in a way that takes the edge of something which woulde be harsher so I think these sherry notes balance out this youthfulness. Vanilla, Oak and some other spicy elements can be detected. I am getting cereal aromas which I suspect are coming from the grain which remind me of shortbread fingers, buttery and biscuity. Some fresher fruits coming through by way of pear and red apple, almost crab apple like. A little mango and the fruit coming to an end with the slight tannin bitterness of orange peel.  Some burnt toffee and at the very back is a whisp of smoke on the horizon and finally some lighter solvent notes which creep out every now and again.

Palate: The low alcohol of 40% is immediately evident on the palate. I am a guy that likes a real kick in the teeth from my whisky but I know I am in the minority here. Very easy and fairly smooth. The dried fruit and sherry notes carry into the mouth fairly easily backed up with that familiar grain kick but nothing offensive. The Vanilla, Oak and spicy elements are there as well.

Finish: The kicker here is the finish is actually suprisingly long and indeed longer than some single malts which are older and stronger. I suspect the young spirit is helping out with this. Slightly chewy with the dark dried fruit, some dark chocolate and that whisp of smoke again.

Comments: You know what? I am not offended by this. I don't think it is something I could sit and savour in the same way I do my single malts  but it has made a change of scenery for me and given me an insight into the greater world of blended whisky and has opened my eyes to some of where Balblair ends up. I would be very interested in trying some of the other Hankey Bannister releases such as their 12 year old and 21 year old but they appear very hard to get hold of in the general UK market. If anyone could send me some samples to review I would greatly appreciate it ;)

Balblair 1995 (travel retail)

Information

Distillery: Balblair
Bottling: Distillery Bottling
Age: 17
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: 2012
Strength: 46%
Cask: ex-bourbon

As my favourite distillery I am always looking for more Balblair malts, and by collection I mean to drink and enjoy rather than sitting looking pretty on a shelf. While passing through Glasgow Airport on my way to Berlin I was suprised to find they still had some bottles of the 95 vintage, which is a travel retail exclusive so I snapped up a bottle. The icing on the cake is it comes in a lovely full litre size.

Nose

Very estery and fruity as I know and come to expect and love from Balblair. Mangos, Pineapple, Honeydew Melon, passionfruit. Drumstick Lolly sweets. Apple, vanilla and biscuity elements combining to give Hot Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. Also getting creamy strawberry in something which reminds me of strawberry milkshake, or Campino Sweets. Things geting nuttier with wallnuts and coconut. Creamy again with Nestle Milkybars, and then some fresh hay, and new newspapers.

Taste

Light and refreshing, with a creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Apple punching through and some citrus zest. Melting chocolate on the tongue.

Finish

Sweet and light. Spicy with anise and pepper. Nutty with a touch of oak at the sides.

Comments

A light and refreshing summer dram. Relax in your back garden in the evening sunshine.

Nikka Whisky from the barrel

Information

Distillery: Blend
Bottling: Nikka
Age: NAS
Bottled: Unknown
Strength: 51.4%
Cask: Mixture of ex-bourbon barrels.

My first exploration into Japanese comes in the form of a blend, and that's right I said the b word. What captured my attention was the strength of 51.4%. What lets most blends down for me, and the reason I don't drink them is the low strength which just makes them too watered down. I have nothing against grain, having tasted some very excellent and very delicious single grains (unfortunately not counting the 20 year old Port Dundas I tried a few months ago). The reviews of Nikka Whisky from the barrel have also all been very positive.

This release is a combination of both malt and grain Whisky from the Yoichi & Miyagikyo distilleries, from a combination of different ex-bourbon casks, married together into a final cask before being bottled. As far as I am aware this is small batch releases and have been told each batch should theoretically be slightly different. I do not know how much truth is in this, and the Japanese being so delicate and good at this I see no reason a master blender could not achieve a consistent taste across batches. If anyone knows please let me know. Now onto the tasting itself.

Nose: Straight out the bottle I get grain on the nose; almost vodka like. After I take time to pass through the grain a floral bouquet opens up, but with the grain alcohol is something almost slightly perfumed, but not in any offensive way. I let this sit for a while and approached it again and was immediately rewarded with much less grain on the nose, and a rich sweetness had opened up. Toffee Butterkist popcorn, creamy fudge, and creamy banana milkshake. Sweet spice like some of my wife's "Yankee Candles".

Palate: Smooth and rounded, with a little pepper. Bananas. Pear Cider. Kinder Milk Chocolate specifically topped with a draw from a Menthol cigarette giving a menthol heat rather than mint.

Finish: Medium finish if held in the mouth a little with some spices and slightly drying. If swallowed quicker and less diluted the finish is a lot longer and minty.

Glentauchers 7 years old (The Good Spirits Company)

Information

Distillery: Glentauchers
Bottling: The Good Spirits Company
Age: 7
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 58.3%
Cask: First fill sherry butt, and then virgin oak.

This is the first single cask bottling from The Good Spirits Company. A 7 year old from Glentauchers which spent most of its life in a first fill sherry butt, which was then split in half and put into two smaller casks, this half of which went into virgin oak.

Nose: Rich dessert fruits in the form of brandy soaked cherries, black forest gateau, and christmas mince pies. Some fresher fruit as tinned Mandarin segments in syrup. Chocolate and Mint Viscount biscuits.

Palate: Tart and sweet, but with the high ABV combining to fizzy cherry cola bottles. Then mellows and becomes rounder in the mouth with the fruits and chocolate flavours combining to give the black forest gateau again. Creamy and mouth coating.

Finish: Long. Fruity to start and then mint chocolate.

1.173 "A fascinating waltz" (Glenfarclas 1993, 19 years old)

Information

Distillery: Glenfarclas
Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 19
Distilled: 1993
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 55.2%
Cask: ex-bourbon, refill hogshead.
Cask Code: 1.173 A fascinating waltz

Nose: Big fruit hit but a more candied sugary fruit particularly Haribo goldbears, Lemon sherbets and Pineapple Cubes. Bird's eye custard over chocolate pudding. Chocolate Raisins.

Palate: Juicy and sharp, like biting into a grapefruit. The lemon sherbets fizzing on the tounge and then Barr's Limeade.

Finish: Long finish with grapefruit sharpness mellowing into a freshly cut grass and dark chocolate and then pepper and oak.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting

 

Tonight I will be tasting 6 drams from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

---

64.41 (Mannochmore 24 year old)

Nose

Malted milk biscuits. Lime zest, a little vegetative like young agricole rum. Rose water and a little fresh green pine. A little bonfire smoke drifting between everything, burnt out embers.

Palate

Light in the mouth, crisp without being harsh, a little spice. Biscuity with some light citrus.

Finish

Biscuity with a medium lime citrus finish.

---

1.166 (Glenfarclas 25 year old)

Nose

Very sweet Strawberry bon bons, & strawberry tarts. Chocolate chip Cookies. praline.

Palate

Dryer than the nose initially but then developing a lengthening sweetness. Nutty like ferrero rocher.

Finish

Long, and candied sweet finish.

---

1.148 (Glenfarclas 15 year old)

Nose

Freshly cut timber reminiscent Woodwork class. Honey with Nectarine. Cooked Pears with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Palate

Big and spicy in the mouth. Tinned pears with a chocolate sauce. Sweet Jalapeno peppers.

Finish

A little drying but Long, sweet & spicy melting into a little liquorice & mint.

---

39.88 (Linkwood 22 year old)

Nose

Very open on the nose. Baked bananas with a caramel sauce. Raspberry & pineapple mascarpone. Bubblegum. Glazed Cherries. Lots of vanilla and chocolate.

Palate

Smooth and easy in the mouth, with banana sweetnees rolling around with some pecan nuts and vanilla. Orange Marmalade on granary toast

Finish

Spicier on the finish than in the mouth, fades to roasted nuts and oak.

---

27.98 (Springbank 12 year old)

Nose

Smoke from a wood burning stove on the nose initially, but melting away into some smoked scallops. Malted barley, wheat and barn hay. Salted cheese.

Palate

Briney, with some emerging fruits. The smoke making itself present again but not imposingly. A tooth brush has accidently picked up some soap with the mint. Chewy and oily with a drying brightness.

Finish

Big assertive and long finish with some soot and ash. Fruit with some coconut. Freshly sliced ginger.

---

3.194 (Bowmore 14 year old)

Nose

King Rib supper (Scotish Chip Shop Delicacy), sweet barbecue sauce. Some hospital corridor but quickly giving way to dark dess ert fruits. Christmas cake and mince pies. Cloves and mulled wine.

Palate

Medicinal but sweet. Pork sausages and barbecue sauce. Flat coke.

Finish

Finishes only slightly on the barbecue note, with much more in chocolate and dried fruits but with a big fizzy kick. Long aniseed aftertaste.

Balblair 1992 (cask 3025)

 

Information

Distillery: Balblair
Bottling: Distillery Only Exclusive
Age: 21
Distilled: 1992
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 57.2%
Cask: ex-bourbon (2nd fill I think)

Nose

The usual balblair mango coming through for me, but it would be interesting to know if I would get mango on a blind taste. Some sharp fruit like freshly cut red apple but easing off to soft dairy fudge ice cream, loaded with vanilla, honey and a little soft almond.

Taste

Coats the mouth easily and is hot and fizzy due to the high alcohol strength but it is a plus to me and really smacks the flavours into you and requires restraint to slowly work through the dram. Eases off in the mouth with fruit, coconut, vanilla and milk chocolate.

Finish

Not much fruit on the finish. More toasted oak, malted biscuits, and dry desicated coconut.

Comments

Fantastic dram. Again Balblair at cask strength is just utterly delicious.

Balblair 1978

Information

Distillery: Balblair
Bottling: Distillery Bottling
Age: 30
Distilled: 1978
Bottled: 2008
Strength: 46%
Cask: ex-bourbon

Nose

Sweet Nectarine & Pineapple. Dark Chocolate, Toffee & Raisins. Cloves. A very light distant smoke.

Taste

Round and fruity in the mouth, dryer than the nose lets on but still some sweetness there. A little polished oak, some vanilla and a touch of heather.

Finish

Oak but a little more restrained, a little desert spice and a very small touch of peat.

Comments

A very lovely dram, but very restrained, and a very easy sipper; too easy. Would love to have tried something of this age at a higher strength.

Glen Garioch 12 year old

Information

Distillery: Glen Garioch
Bottling: Distillery Own
Age: 12
Distilled: 1997
Bottled: 2009
Strength: 48%
Cask: Marriage of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask.

This is Glen Garioch's first "age statement" malt which was distilled after reopening in 1997.

Nose

Dark Chocolate, Heather, slight motor oil. Wine gum sweets and vanilla emerging.

Palate

Buttered toast. Heather.

Finish

Sweet, fruity and nutty finish but relatively short.

Comments

I look forward to the distillery releasing some older expressions from after the 1997 reopening.

Port Dundas 20yo (Cadenhead's)

Information

Type: Single grain
Bottling: Cadenhead's
Age: 20
Distilled: 1989
Bottled: 2009
Strength: 55.4%
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead

Having recently tried a delicious Girvan single grain from the SMWS I thought I would try a single grain for myself.

Nose

Sweet ripe banana flavoured nail polisher. Pineapple & Coconut flavoured Turpentine. Rubbing alcohol.

Palate

Sweet, Wheat Beer

Finish

Cereal. Paint.

Comments

Might be the most expensive paint stripper I have ever bought. Tastes too much of raw spirit which I assume is the distillation to a much higher ABV before maturation. Little flavour impacted from the 20 long years maturation. Maybe I just know nothing about single grain whisky but this is not for me.

Balblair 1989 (First Release)

InformationBottling: Distillery Bottling (First Release)
Age: 18
Distilled: 1989
Bottled: 2007
Strength: 43%
Cask: ex-Bourbon Barrel

Nose

Milk chocolate, hazelnut & raisins in a Cadbury's Fruit & Nut bar. A zing of lemon sponge cake.

Palate

Oaky, Nutty, round but a little watery with the low alcohol of 43%.

Finish

Medium length finish. Coats the mouth like Dairy Cream, a touch of chocolate & vanilla and some malted cereal notes.

Comments

The first edition of the 1989 was unfortunately bottled at only 43% so this requires a little time in the glass to allow the nose to open up fully. I have  never tasted the second edition, and has been a while since I tried the third edition. I will get a hold of and try and third again some time soon.

Glengoyne - The Distillery Cask (cask 2717)

Information

Bottling: Distillery Bottling (Distillery Only)
Age: 15
Distilled: 1997
Bottled: 2012
Strength: 54.2%
Cask: 1st fill Bourbon Barrel

Nose

Bright fresh fruit with cream. Pear drop and fruit salad sweets. A little red wine. Digging deeper some very distant wood, Pencil shavings.

Palate

Green Apple, Liquorice and Fennel Spice.

Finish

Long and teeth coating. Aniseed and Fennel.

Comments

Picked this up while driving past the distillery. Within the shop they always have a hand picked barrel to directly fill your own bottle. A little on the steep side for the age, but for the distillery it is relatively rare in the sense that they do not often release much outwith their core range to the general public.

GlenDronach 1993 19yo (cask 487)

Information

Bottling: Distillery Bottling
Age: 19
Distilled: 1993
Bottled: 2012
Strength: 54.2%
Cask: Oloroso Sherry Butt
Water: No

Having tried some of the previous GlenDronach expressions this is the first time I have

Nose

Sulphur straight unfortunately away but blending into stewed fruits. Salt & Vinegar crisps made with cider vinegar. Raspberry Jam on Brown Toast.

Palate

Melting bitter dark chocolate on the tongue, oily mouthfeel with a touch of ginger.

Finish

Oily coating, nutty.

Comments

This is a bottle I have approached a few times with varying results. One of the main changes is the perceived sulpher aromas. Sometimes these I can only just pick up on, but other times it is overwhelming and not unlike rotten eggs, but tonight is the former as I write these notes. This definately deserved some time in the glass before approaching and some of the sulphur seems to die away.

Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage

Information

Bottling: Distillery Bottling
Age: 17
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: 2012
Strength: 55.3%
Cask: 1st fill Bourbon Barrel

This is one of my favourite malts just now, and I am infact about to move onto my third bottle of it. Cask strength and from 1st fill bourbon barrells.

Nose

An initial floral wave of the typical heathery notes which are almost standard in a Glen Garioch to me. Some orange citrus, but sweet in something more like Terry's Chocolate Orange. Freshly sliced pears with vanilla ice cream. Waves of Coconut and tropical fruit coming through.

Palate

Heather and floral up front. Buttery and Honeyed. Coconut again but dryer an less sweet like desiccated coconut.

Finish

Long and satisfying finish. Spicy, Coconut and Chocolate lingers on with just a tiny touch of smoke.

Comments
Glen Garioch is unique in its style but these vintage bottlings have all sorts of unique character between them. This is in my opinion a really great dram at a really great price but limited they are, and they won't last forever.

Glen Garioch 18yo (Cadenhead 1991/2010)

Information

Bottling: Cadenhead
Age: 18
Distilled: 1991
Bottled: 2010
Strength: 50.3%
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead

Nose

Glazed Cherries, tinned fruit salad and cream. A faint whiff of smoke giving to a little liquorice.

Palate

Slightly thin and underwhelming body. Tart citric fruit with a little oak and heather.

Finish

Medium dry finish with a heathery note that lingers on.

Comments

Not one of the best Glen Garioch's I have tried but definately in the Glen Garioch style. One of the lesser peated expressions. Only a touch of smoke detected.