The Malt Cask

  Distillery:  Glen Mhor Bottler:  Gordon & MacPhail Age:  49 years old Distilled:  1973 Bottled:  2023 Cask:   Refill Sherry Hogshead Abv:  47.2% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  170 Extra:  Cask # 85026801 (Part of The Recollection Series 2) My tasting notes: Nose: Rich, sweet & spicy, raisin, old oak, wood polish, cocoa powder, dark matured sherry, some herbal notes (menthol, liquorice roots), candied orange peel, walnut, dried cigar leaves, floral hints too, orange blossom, rose and a touch of salt. A little resinous & waxy. Wow! Palate: Concentrated, rich again, mixture of old oak bookshelves, dark raisins & soy sauce. Gentle oak spice but nothing over the top, hints of black pepper and black tea leaves. Waxy wood polish, citrus (orange / grapefruit) liquorice, black cherry jam, stewed apples. Stunning! Finish: Drying, long, citrus, oak, vanilla, some hints of menthol reappears, almond. With water: The nose is fresher with some poached

  A new Vintage Bottlers release today with the 3rd instalment of their Secret Series! This is a 32 year-old single cask from an undisclosed Islay distillery (the one beginning with Laphr…) distilled in 1990 and bottled at 52.1% Despite not being an expert in old Laphroaig, I cannot wait to try this one! My tasting notes: Nose: Fruity & gently peated, tropical fruit, pineapple, dried papaya, yellow fruit, peach, apricot, spicy pear, lemon, slight bacon and iodine, quite oily (linseed oil) hints of orange & slightly mineral too. What a start!!! Palate: Sweet & tropical, mango, dried pineapple, orange, slight toffee, honey and vanilla, salty notes too, faint peat smoke and a little black tea. Well balanced and absolutely delicious! Finish: Gentle & warming, salty peat smoke with vanilla & honey sweetness, dried oak, mossy, seaweed and fudge. With water: Sweeter nose with more toffee and more yellow fruit. The palate is slightly smokier and loses some citrus notes.

Something very special today with the launch of a new independent bottler: Halcyon Spirits This family-owned independent bottling brand, based in Aberdeenshire, was developed by brothers Daniel and Craig Milne, who also co-founded global auction platform Whisky Hammer and whisky e-retailer Still Spirit. Picture courtesy of  Halcyon Spirits And their first release is definitely not one to miss with a 30 year-old single cask from Macallan, distilled in 1993 and matured in a first-fill sherry cask! Halcyon Spirits were kind enough to send me a sample to review, so here goes! My tasting notes: Nose: Rich, nutty, oak, raisin, slight citrus (orange), walnut, creamy macadamia, prunes, wood polish, hints of smoke, vanilla fudge, oak spice and rum-soaked raisins, a little liquorice root too. Palate: Dark and oaky, quite powerful and concentrated for under 50% abv, spicy dried fruit, dark roast coffee and nutmeg. Quite tannic. There is also a fresher side to it with hints of orange blossom and

  Today, I’m in for a treat with a sample of Benromach Polish Oak single cask 772, bottled as usual, unchillfiltered, uncoloured and at the natural cask strength of 58.6%. As per the Benromach website, “Polish Oak has long been known for being a great oak for whisky maturation, due to the strength and thickness of the wood, and the depth and character it brings to the flavours.” So let’s see what that’s all about! My tasting notes: Nose: Benromach DNA straight away, slightly dirty, smoky sweetness, fruity, oak, spice, vanilla, mixture of black cherry and lemon, stewed fruit, peaches, dark cocoa, hints of linseed oil, nutmeg, wood polish, peanut butter, orange… Wow, wow, wow! What a start! Palate: Rich & chewy, oak , aniseed/fennel, dark fruit, toffee, bitter orange marmalade, slight nuttiness, nutmeg, caramel wafers, hints of back pepper, milk chocolate. What a dram! Finish: Smoky, liquorice, embers, some fruity notes too, strawberry jam, red fruit, vanilla pods. With water: Th

  Picture courtesy of  www.corkandcask.co.uk A second review from new indie bottler Fragrant Drops. And this time it is a Linkwood 12 years old (2010/2022) fully matured in an ex-Tokaji wine barrel and bottled unchillfiltered, undiluted and uncoloured, at 58% Distillery:  Linkwood Bottler:  Fragrant Drops Age:  12 years old Distilled:  2010 Bottled:  2022 Cask:  Ex-Tokaji barrel Abv:  58.0% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  260 Extra:  Cask #3001290 My tasting notes: Nose:  Fruity sweetness, barley sugar mixed with drying tannin. Raspberry and white chocolate, fresh oak, lemon, caramel, hints of minty chlorophyll, creamy vanilla and honeycomb. What an inviting nose! Palate: Sweet and spicy, oaky. Quite a powerful arrival. Poached pear and vanilla, dark fruit, blackberry jam, bitter dark chocolate, black pepper & nutmeg, acacia honey and still a little hint of mint kicking around, which I very much enjoy! Finish: Rather long, spicy & fruity. Drying oak

Picture from  www.corkandcask.co.uk A brand new indie bottler today with gorgeous bottle designs: Fragrant Drops. And first on the list, a Teaninich 14 years old (2008/2022) finished in a fresh Bordeaux barrique and bottled unchillfiltered, undiluted and uncoloured, at 53.8% Distillery: Teaninich Bottler: Fragrant Drops Age: 14 years old Distilled: 2008 Bottled: 2022 Cask: Ex-bourbon and Fresh Bordeaux Barrique finish Abv: 53.8% Unchillfiltered: Yes Natural Colour: Yes Nb of bottles: 287 Extra: Cask #900264 My tasting notes: Nose: Malty first followed by fruity notes, raisin, overripe strawberries, raspberries, honey, a little orange peel and some fresh oak spice wrapped in caramelised/ slightly charred oak. There also a touch of minerality. A very inviting start! Palate: Thick and chewy, oily too and slightly maritime as well with a hint of salt. There’s oak spice, vanilla, some earthy notes and some restricted bitterness. The fruit is present but quite concentrated with m