The Malt Cask

  The last one from Claxton's Spirits and The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is maybe the one I’ve been excited the most: a 30 year-old Bowmore! It was distilled in 1992, aged in an Oloroso Sherry cask and bottled at 43.5%. Distillery:  Bowmore Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  30 years old Distilled:  17/09/1992 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Oloroso Sherry cask Abv:  43.5% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is coastal, gently peaty and wrapped in tropical fruit sweetness. There is seaweed and iodine, camphor, slight BBQ meat (smoked bacon), grassy/earthy smoke, lemon, a touch of toasted oak and some vanilla. On the nose, the Oloroso cask is not the most obvious. It smells more like a bourbon cask. I’m a fan! Palate:  The palate is sweeter than the nose let on, with some chewy caramel, more Bowmore trop...

  2 more to go with Claxton's Spirits and next up from The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is this the oldest release, a 35 year-old Highland Park! It was distilled in 1988, aged in an Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at 43.2%. Distillery:  Highland Park Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  35 years old Distilled:  22/06/1988 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Oloroso Sherry cask Abv:  43.2% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is fruity and creamy, yellow peaches, melon, vanilla cream, some HP heather notes, tame oak spice stewed apples, some milk/white chocolate and pear, honey, hints of cedar wood ! Palate:  The palate is malty and chocolaty first with lots of juicy sultanas, fresh tangerines, some mixed spice, runny caramel, crème brûlée, milk chocolate, black grape juice, blackberry jelly. Some oak spice appea...

  Still with Claxton's Spirits and next up from The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is this 30 year-old Springbank! It was distilled in 1993, aged in a Hogshead and bottled at 44.5%. Distillery:  Springbank Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  30 years old Distilled:  28/05/1993 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Hogshead Abv:  44.5% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is fresh and citrusy, green apples and pears, citrus zest, hints of mint, floral honey, orange marmalade with a sprinkle of cinnamon, salty coastal breeze, some oak spice. Underneath it all there are some industrial oily notes but they’re very well integrated. Wow…! Palate:  The palate is oily and quite sweet with some salted caramel mixed with biscuits and citrus fruit again (orange, tangerine) before dried oak, spices and slight industrial notes ...

  After Clynelish 30, let’s have a look at the Bunnahabhain 33 years old from The Dalswinton’s Series second edition from the folks at Claxton's Spirits. This Bunnahabhain was distilled in 1990, aged in an Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at 48.6%. Distillery:  Bunnahabhain Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  33 years old Distilled:  24/10/1990 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Oloroso Sherry cask Abv:  48.6% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is warming and luxurious, leather, chocolate, tobacco leaves, slight wood char, prunes and hazelnuts, brown sugar and a hint of citrus. Palate:  The palate is oily, thick and mouth coating, it’s rich and chewy, with a moreish mix of oak spice, dried fruit (raisins, figs) dark chocolate and more leather. What a dram! Finish:  The finish is long and quite drying with some...

  The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is now out from the folks at Claxton's Spirits and it comprises of 5 stunning well-aged single malts from renowned distilleries: Clynelish, Bunnahabhain, Bowmore, Highland Park and Springbank! So let’s go with the first review and I went for their Clynelish 30 years old from 1993, aged in a bourbon barrel and bottled at 44.4% Distillery:  Clynelish Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  30 years old Distilled:  20/10/1993 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Bourbon Barrel Abv:  44.4% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is  gently sweet, fruity and floral with notes of jasmin, orange blossom, lemon zest, crème anglaise and fresh vanilla pods. Palate:  The palate is definitely Clynelish with some fruity, waxy elements, there is some oak notes, white peach and underripe apple,...

One dram left in the bottle and I’ve finally managed to write up notes for this one! Bottled by North Star, this 31 years old blended malt is said to potentially contain quite a bit of Clynelish… It was very affordable (I paid around £80 on offer in 2020) and I am very glad I have a back up bottle! Distillery:  Blended Malt Bottler:  North Star Spirits Age:  31 years old Distilled:  1988 Bottled:  2019 Cask:  First fill Bourbon barrels Abv:  43.1% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  3582 Price:  £110 Extra:  Part of the Cask Series 009 My tasting notes: Nose: Waxy, citrus, lemon, honey, fruity, some oak, wood varnish, hints of orange, vanilla, a little bitterness, some pine notes, barley sugar, fresh barley, crème caramel, sponge cake, tangerine, cardamon. Loving it! Palate: Rich & chewy, honey, chocolate, citrus (grapefruit, bitter orange), oak spice , peach, milk, orange blossom, almond, orgeat sy...

Today brings a sample of Westward American single malt, from @theheartcut a relatively new independent bottler on the whisky scene. The couple behind The Heart Cut are definitely no whisky newbies though (Georgie Belle-Leoni & Fabrizio Leoni) and they have been collaborating with distilleries across the world to release one-off single cask and small-batch bottlings. From Danish single malt to Israeli to English to American, their releases definitely take you on a world tour of amazing liquid! This one is their latest release, a 5 year-old Westward single malt from Portland, distilled 22-03-2018, aged in new American oak and bottled 08-08-2023 at 50%. As far as the cask is concerned, the website gives you an insight in why they chose it: “THIS MADE THE CUT BECAUSE The newly emerged American Single Malt Whiskey category is gaining momentum, and there’s one distillery we’ve had eyes on since the start. Hailing from the American Northwest, an area abundant with barley, Westward Whiskey...

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 becom...

  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 finis...

  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,...

  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 no...

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...

Distillery : Speyside Bottler : Ferg & Harris Age : 12 years old Distilled : n/a Bottled : 2022 Cask : Pedro Ximénez Sherry Hogshead Finish (6 months) Abv : 55.7% Unchillfiltered : Yes Natural Colour : Yes Nb of bottles : 1192 Extra : n/a My tasting notes: Nose:  Rich and dark, you definitely get the PX influence straight away with dates and raisins. There’s an old Cognac vibe to it too. Wood spice, old oak, dark fruits, blackberry jam, stewed dark cherries, muscovado sugar, nuts, chocolate and orange. A big start! Palate:  Dark, rich and thick on the palate. Sticky toffee pudding, old oak, dark chocolate with some bitterness from it, prunes. The higher abv is there and the dram is quite dense and closed without water. This is definitely one I want to add more than a couple of drops to…! Finish:  Very nutty, walnuts, oak, leather, dried tobacco leaves, old bookcase, very warming. With water:  More manageable to access flavours I feel. The nose gets more milk choc...

Vintage Bottlers ltd A look at a new indepedent bottler today, and we’re not looking at young cheap whisky here with Vintage Bottlers but only “the very best whisky Scotland has produced, past and present.” The first release -part of their Secret Series- is proof of it. It is a 30 year-old Highland single malt, aged in an ex-Sherry cask, bottled of course uncoloured, unchillfiltered and at the natural cask strength of 47.5% I know it’s supposed to be secret, but they still give us a clue with a set of coordinates, which take us straight to the Clynelish distillery…! As they’ve been kind enough to send me a sample, here are my notes: My tasting notes Nose:  Oaky, sweet, creamy, with straw, hazelnut chocolate cookies, marzipan, red apples, a little peach, almonds, desiccated coconut, slight sultanas, vanilla, hints of sandalwood and Madeira cake. What a start! Palate:  Citrus first on the palate before some oak spice, sultanas, salted caramel chocolate, stewed dark fruits, black...

Keeping to my New Year's resolution of buying older/independent bottles, here is my first purchase of 2018, and it ticks both the older (20 years old) and independent (Càrn Mòr) boxes. I actually didn't go out and spend £130 blind as this is a whisky I had in Glasgow a few months ago and really enjoyed. As it is a single cask bottling, there are only 581 bottles out there and having looked for it online, it didn't seem there were many left around. I was therefore very amazed to come across one in one of my local spirits shops in Manchester, and as it was there, I could not help myself. I bought it and 10 minutes later it was opened. So what is it? It is from a not very well know distillery called Clynelish. Many people have heard of Brora as it has been closed for a few years and the bottles available on the market now fetch quite a lot of money, well Clynelish is its still-working sister distillery. It is part of the Diageo group and mainly releases a 14 years old as a...

Still keen to pursue my whisky journey, I decided to celebrate my birthday a couple of weeks ago with this bottle of French whisky, bought by my parents last summer. Even if this bottle comes from a French company, it is actually not the most French thing you can drink. The reason why is very simple, Michel Couvreur was a Belgian whisky enthusiast who used to source barley distillate from Scottish distilleries as well as quality sherry casks from southern Spain, and ended up combining both in his man-made cellar in Burgundy where the end product would be left to age for a while. Michel Couvreur started his career in the wine business. He bought the cellars in Bouze-lès-Beaune in 1956 before moving his business to Scotland in 1964 as he was mainly selling Burgundy wine to English and Scottish wealthy customers. His initiation to whisky happened courtesy of a Scottish soldier, owner of the Glenlivet distillery at the time. This newly found passion took him back to his cellars in Bur...

A bit of a different post today as I am not going to review one bottle with the standard depth of information and notes but instead, two bottles that I got to sample a few days ago thanks to a friend of mine. These two bottles are discontinued and pretty rare so I am just going to stick with my overall impression of both. The first one I tried was the Aberlour 25 years old, distilled in May 1988 and bottled in November 2013 by Hunter Laing to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their Old Malt Cask series. This Aberlour was aged cask 13604, a refill hogshead. On the nose, nothing too crazy, some citrus fruit and freshly cut laurel. The palate became much fruitier and tangier with orange and lemon notes as well as fruity starburst sweets. At 52.3% abv, the alcohol is there with a little heat but nothing over the top. A very good whisky that you won't probably find around any time soon... Hunter Laing released 6 Anniversary Old Malt Cask bottles. As well as this Aberlour, t...

Apart from my post about the Caol Ila 19 from the Old Malt Cask range, I haven't actually reviewed anything more from independent bottlers. Today, I am going to change that with a bottle from Gordon and Macphail and their Macphail's Collection range. It is an 8 years old Bunnahabhain, but unlike the standard 12 I reviewed a few months ago, this one is "heavily peated".  If you are familiar with the Bunnahabhain distillery, you will know than despite being located in the North East of Islay, the single malt they produced is mostly unpeated. In my mind, it has this very distinctive Christmas cake nose and taste, rich, full of sultanas and dried fruit notes. Every now and then, they do release some peaty whisky with bottles like the Toiteach or Ceòbanach. I have never tried any of these before, so peaty Bunnahabhain is a first for me. As far as the Macphail's Collection range is concerned and according to the Gordon and Macphail's website , it is "a sma...

Being on holidays allows me to attend a few more tasting sessions at the Whisky Shop Manchester. I was there last Saturday for their "new release" session, and on Wednesday again for their Japanese session, which I will present in a future post.  Today is about the 5 new releases that we got to try last Saturday, and here was the line-up: 1. The Loch Fyne Living Cask Batch 4 (43.6%) 2. Inchmurrin 12 years old (46%) 3. Glen Ord 11 years old Hepburn's choice single cask  (46%) 4. Glen Scotia Double Cask (46%) 5. Ardbeg Dark Cove (46.5%) Out of these 5, Dark Cove is the one I was most looking forward to as I got to try the Committee release at the distillery and really enjoyed it. We started with the Living Cask from Loch Fyne. The idea for the Living Cask is that the company started with a vat of single malts, took 1/2 to release as batch 1 and topped up the vat with fresh single malt, and repeated the process for batch 2, 3 and now 4. In case you ...

As my birthday was last week, I decided to treat myself on Saturday night with a ticket to the Whisky shop Old and Rare tasting session. £40 (members' discount included) sounds a bit steep, but we ended up trying whiskies I would not buy or if I did, I'm not sure I would dare open. I will write about it in more detail in a future post but the reason why I mentioned it is that I didn't leave the evening empty-handed... I have been looking for an independent single-cask bottling of Caol Ila for a while. I looked into some of the Gordon and MacPhail bottling including the 2004 cask strength but decided to wait and see what else was available, particularly for slightly older Caol Ila. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Caol Ila is one of my favourite distilleries and when I realised the Whisky shop had just received a new addition to their stock, I thought I had to give it a try. It wasn't on the list of the Old and Rare we tried and looking online, there isn't anythi...