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[Review] Bushmills - 21 years old 40%

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Christmas is fast approaching and, together with Bushmills UK, I bring you the perfect dram to share with those you love: Bushmills 21 Year Old single malt. Having spent at least 19 years in hand-selected Oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, this award-winning single malt is then finished for two years in Madeira casks. The result makes for an incredibly fruity and engaging whiskey which will appeal to any whisky enthusiast! I guess it’s time to remove the cork and share my thoughts… My tasting notes: Nose: Super fragrant, fruity, oaky, citrusy. It’s full of apple, lemon, orange blossom like a spring orchard! There’s also some milk chocolate, almond, honey and vanilla notes, hints of dill and mint in the background, as well as oak spice, dried apricots and banana. What a start! Palate: Juicy and fruity, a lot of peach notes, apple, ripe mango, orange, pears, apricots, cherries - an absolute fruit salad! All the fresh fruit is accompanied by some toffee, oak spice, dark chocolate
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[Quick Review] Deanston - Virgin Oak 46.3%

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  Picture courtesy of  www.deanstonmalt.com Distillery : Deanston Bottler : Distillery Age : n/a Distilled : n/a Bottled : n/a Cask : Ex-bourbon and Virgin white oak American casks finish Abv : 46.3% Unchillfiltered : Yes Natural Colour : Yes Nb of bottles : n/a Extra : Core range My tasting notes: Nose:  Fresh, zingy, citrusy, but still wrapped in a malty sweetness. Toasted oak, barley sugar, nutmeg, slight hay, husk, green apple, a little maritime hint kicking around, honey and vanilla grain vibes too. It's inviting enough! Palate:  Creamy, sweet and honeyed at first. The fresh oak comes through next with some spice. Poached pears and vanilla pods with a drop of lemon. Malty chocolate, slight burnt caramel and a hint of bitter orange. Very pleasant palate! Finish:  Some nuttiness, malted barley, milk chocolate, toasted oak and oak spice, quite drying, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little honey. With water:  Sweeter nose with more chocolate orange and orange blossom. The palate is spicie
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[Quick Review] Benromach - Contrasts: Triple Distilled 46%

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  Picture from  www.thewhiskyexchange.com Distillery : Benromach Bottler : Distillery Age : n/a Distilled : 2011 Bottled : 2022 Cask : 1st fill ex-bourbon barrels Abv : 46% Unchillfiltered : Yes Natural Colour : Yes Nb of bottles : n/a Extra : Limited release My tasting notes: Nose: Fruity and tropical with a whiff of smoke. A little salt, citrus, malty vanilla and green apple. There’s also some minerality to it, slight chalkiness. Very inviting nose! Palate: Creamy but not too thick on the mouthfeel (I guess that is probably due to the triple distillation…). Mix of lemon and maritime ash, oak spice, green fruits (banana, apples) and slight poached pears. Finish: Oak and vanilla sweetness with some slight iodine and gentle smoke. Overripe banana, lemon rind and hints of crème anglaise. With water: Sweeter nose with more yellow fruit (peach). The palate loses in smoke and gets sweeter and maltier. The finish is maltier and oakier. Overall this is another tasty offering from the guys
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[Review] Old Perth - 12 years old 46%

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Today we are looking at a sherried blended malt from Morrison's Distillers, the Old Perth 12 years old.  When Morrison relaunched the Old Perth range, I attended a tasting where I got to try the standard Old Perth and its cask strength counterpart. Both of them really impressed me with what I felt was fantastic value for money. So when I was offered a bottle of the 12 year-old (latest addition to the range) I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to review it! So it still is a blended malt, aged for a minimum of 12 years, bottled with no chillfiltration or added colour and at 46%. Very promising start! My tasting notes Nose: Oloroso forward with a lot of nuttiness, sultanas, slightly chalky, some orange blossom, oak spice, hazelnuts, prunes, blackberry jam, cinnamon, some crème brûlée, caramel and hints of red apples. Solid start! Palate: Sweet, fruity, quite chewy and dark. Some liquorice, blackcurrant, blackberry, prunes, oak, nutty (walnuts), cocoa and a slight bitterness too (ginge
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[Review] Glen Elgin - 12 years old DS Tayman 46%

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Today I focus on one of DS Tayman's latest releases: Glen Elgin 12 years old, part of their Tulip Edition. And what is the Tulip Edition? Well it’s a range of 4 single malts, all aged for 12 years, all bottled unchillfiltered and uncoloured at 46%, but most importantly, all finished for several months in hand picked Syrah wine barrels from the Tulip winery in Northern Israel! There is a Linkwood, a Caol Ila, a Blair Athol and this latest release, from the Glen Elgin distillery. My tasting notes: Nose: Fruity and vibrant, red fruit, Haribo fraise tagada sweets, malted barley, slight tangerine, strawberry jam, blackberry coulis, cashew nuts and fresh vanilla pods. Palate: Juicy and fruity, chewy with oak spice, slight smoke/ wood char/ toasted oak, hint of fennel/ aniseed, ripe yellow peaches, spicy sultanas, some tannins, barley sugar and prune notes too. Tasty! Finish: Fruity and woody, Rich chewy jam (blackberry), oak spice, dark caramel, tannins and prunes again. With water:
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[Review] Vintage Bottlers - Speyside Single Malt 29years old Secret Series NO.2 44.8%

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  https://vintagebottlersltd.com Third instalment in my Vintage Bottlers release reviews and today it’s the turn of their 29 year-old Secret Series Speyside Single Malt. Again, no name on the label but we get coordinates and a quick map search takes us straight to the Glenlivet distillery… Aged for 29 years in what I presume was an ex-Bourbon cask, it was bottled with no chillfiltration or colouring and at the natural cask strength of 44.8% Time to sample it then! My tasting notes: Nose: Fragrant, full of fresh fruit, citrus, lemon and orange, white peach, kiwi, green banana, almond, oak spice, slight milk chocolate, lemon sherbet, crème anglaise and some malty notes too. What a start with such a range of aromas dancing in the glass! Palate: Fruity again, sweet and creamy. More citrus, lemon and white peaches, some mandarine, sweet and spicy oak, some vanilla fudge, fresh orange peel, green pears and green melon. Deliciously fruity! Finish: Creamy, almond praline, drying oak, a ling
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[Review] Benromach 40 years old (2022 Release) 57.6%

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  Today, I bring you something special: the second annual release of the Benromach 40-year-old single malt. This is an annual release of just over 1,000 bottles, and the first one was awarded ‘Best in Show’ at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. As I mentioned in previous posts, I am a big fan of Benromach releases and having the opportunity to try their 40-year-old is an absolute privilege! So, let’s pour it and savour every drop… The whisky was matured for 40 years in the finest sherry casks. It is dark amber and natural in colour, non-chill filtered and bottled at the cask strength of 57.6% ABV. My tasting notes: Nose: Oak and citrus, with orange, old bookcase and oak spice. It is fruity too with some ripe yellow peach, honey, apple and cinnamon compote, mango, dried fruits, raisins and a drop of lime. There is also a gentle earthiness and slight smoke, tobacco leaves / cigar, vanilla, hints of walnut, ginger and wood polish. Even at 57.6%, the alcohol is very well int
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