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[Quick review] Deanston - 12 years old 46.3%

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  This is a bottle I should have reviewed a while back now but better late than never! Distillery:  Deanston Bottler:  Distillery Age:  12 years old Distilled:  n/a Bottled: n/a Cask:  ex-Bourbon Abv:  46.3% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price:  Around £45 Extra:  Bottle has been opened for a couple of years My tasting notes: Nose:  Creamy malted barley, linseed oil, toffee, orange, nutty shortbread, lemon, freshly cut straw and slight honey. I remember being taken aback by the first pour and some turnip notes. Thankfully these have gone now! Palate:  Creamy, nutty and malty again. Vanilla, toffeed apples, creme caramel, red apples, hints of ginger, oak spice, black pepper, almond and some bitterness kicking around. Finish:  Nutty, woody, almonds and vanilla, warming oak spice, quite drying, hints of bitter orange. The finish is not incredibly long though...  With water:  Fresher nose with more citrus and fewer nutty/earthy notes. The palate also drops
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[Quick review] Benrinnes - 16 years old 2007 Cadenhead's in the Courtyard 2023 55.4%

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  Picture courtesy of  www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com Distillery:  Benrinnes Bottler:  Cadenhead's Age:  16 years old Distilled:  2007 Bottled: 2023 Cask:  ex-Bourbon and Fino since September 2020 Abv:  55.4% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price: Around £70 Extra:  Bottled for Cadenhead's in the courtyard 2023 My tasting notes: Nose:  Sweet, fruity and gently oaky, yellow fruit, peach and apricots, mirabelle plumb jam, nutmeg, candied ginger in dark chocolate, gentle oak spice and hints of citrus, lemon shortbread, toffee, a little char, some sea salt and waxiness too. Very inviting! Palate:  Drying bitterness, slightly briny, underripe olives, 100% dark chocolate, quite astringent and the 55.4% abv is definitely here. There are some sweeter notes in the background but they struggle to get through the 'bitter briny barrier' which makes your eyes squint whilst drawing all the moisture from your mouth and tongue. Looks like this one might ben
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[Quick review] Clynelish - 30 years old Halcyon Spirits 42.1%

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Distillery:  Clynelish Bottler:  Halcyon Spirits Age:  30 years old Distilled:  20/10/1993 Bottled:  24/10/2023 Cask:  ex-Bourbon ? Abv:  42.1% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  154 Price: £795 Extra:  Vatting of cask 11082 and 11104 My tasting notes: Nose: Fresh & fruity, apples, pears, peaches, quince paste, slight nuttiness, almond, lemon, dried apricots, toffee & vanilla, quite waxy (wood polish/ beeswax), desiccated coconut and some cinnamon. What a start! Palate: Rich, sweet, fruity, oak spice, waxy, more peach, apricot, apples & pears, honey & hints of aniseed, pepper, definitely some Clyrelish DNA here and it’s delicious! Finish: Warming with spicy notes from the palate to the finish, more nuttiness (macadamia?) & sweetness. Still some fruit but less present on the finish. Oak. With water: From yellow fruit, the nose becomes greener & fresher (fresh linen). The palate becomes juicier & even more mouth watering with a mix o
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[Quick review] Dà Mhìle - Millennium Cask Reserve Organic 20 years old (Loch Lomond) 57%

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  Distillery:  Loch Lomond Bottler:  Dà Mhìle Age:  20 years old Distilled:  2000 Bottled:  n/a Cask:  ex-Bourbon ? Abv:  57% Unchillfiltered:  Yes? Natural Colour:  Yes? Nb of bottles:  1200 Extra:  Released to celebrate the new Millenium / Organic whisky My tasting notes: Nose:  Sweet, creamy, brioche, apricot Danish pastry, vanilla pods, custard, butterscotch, digestive biscuits, pine kernels. Smells divine! Palate:  Creamy again, caramel, vanilla cream, buttery, fresh vanilla pods, rum flambéed bananas, muscovado sugar, oak spice and slight bitterness. Fruity notes too with coconut, peaches and hints of mango. This is delicious grain… Finish:  Buttery and some nuttiness too. Almond milk, more custard, sweet, slight rum and raisin ice cream, bitter orange. With water:  More resin and varnish, spiced honey on the nose. More mouth-watering fresh yellow fruit on the palate, and more orange notes on the finish. I don’t tend to drink a lot of grain as they’re normally quite boring and sa
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[Quick review] Cotswolds - Spanish Oak matured 50%

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  Distillery:  Cotswolds Bottler:  Distillery Age:  NAS Distilled:  N/A Bottled:  2023 Cask:   Oloroso with first fill ex-red wine and bourbon barrels Abv:  50% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  3500 Extra:  Distillery Club Exclusive My tasting notes: Nose: Sweet, rich and fruity, with oak spice, caramel, red and yellow fruit, brown sugar, some raisin and slight molasse notes. Palate: Sweet and spicy, with sugar-coated almonds, toffee, raspberries, hints of lemon rinds, some orange bitterness, dried fruits and some spirity notes. Finish: Quite nutty and spicy, warming Oloroso, dried figs, prunes and slight aniseed. This is very good! With water: The spicer, hotter notes are dialled down, there’s more caramel, treacle and some fennel seeds. This is a very enjoyable single malt from a distillery I have always enjoyed exploring! Worth a punt in my opinion! Slàinte all!
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[Quick review] The Glenlivet - 1949 Gordon & Macphail Private Collection 49.3%

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Distillery:  The Glenlivet Bottler:  Gordon & MacPhail Age:  74 years old Distilled:  01/01/1949 Bottled:  06/03/2023 Cask:   Refill Sherry Butt Abv:  49.3% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  192 Extra:  Cask #1 1 (Private Collection) My tasting notes: Nose: Rich & oaky, old bookcase, candied orange, rich silky caramel, macadamia nuts, brown sugar, dark fruit, hints of candlewax, stewed caramelised apples, linseed oil, hints of smoke, slight leather. Wow… Palate: Concentrated flavours, old wood, polish, leather, treacle, oak spice, hints of ash and cedar wood, mouth coating & waxy, dark dried fruit. After a few minutes, some green mint appears, orange, slight umami. Stunning! Finish: Long lasting, fruit & nuts, oak spice, slight smoke still, prunes, dried mangoes, hints of earthiness. With water: More sweetness on the nose with more fruit/orange. The palate gets more citrus & some old bottle notes. The finish gains in demerara sugar. What
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[Quick review] Glen Mhor - 1973 Gordon & MacPhail The Recollection 47.2%

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  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
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