Anyway, here are my notes on the best whiskies from the weekend. First out is the new
whisky of the month: (thanks, Lukas!)
Benriach 1968 37 y.o. (Duncan Taylor, 48.6%, cask 2597):
Wonderful nose with fresh notes of tropical fruits and vanilla; sweet,
fruity, fresh, very, very nice palate with a hint of peat in the finish
(92 p)
Caol Ila 1995 12 y.o. (Blackadder, 60.8%):
Nice fruity and peaty nose; the palate is at first light, sweet and fruity, then
develops quite a bit of peat, with thick wood smoke in the finish; very nice!
(87 p)
Glenlivet 1975 32 y.o. (Blackadder, 51.9%, cask 1040):
Lovely nose with lots of fruit (orange, peach, melon ...); sweet, fruity palate,
also a little spicy with just the right amount of oak
(89 p)
Imperial 11 y.o. "Lime Pair" (The Daily Dram, 46%):
Very fruity, very nice nose with notes of lime, orange and pear;
fruity, spicy palate, develops a grassy note and a hint of peat
(88 p)
Laphroaig 1990 18 y.o. (Blackadder, 56.3%, cask 2247):
Sweet, fruity and peaty palate, also a little spicy with a cereal note;
all in all rather nice but a little simple
(87 p)
Ledaig 1973 33 y.o. (Whisky Fair, 48%):
Yummy, restrained sherry on the nose with dried fruits and cinnamon, also a little smoky; sweet,
wonderful palate with notes of gingerbread and oranges followed by a little wood smoke
(91 p)
Lochside 1981 26 y.o. (Blackadder, 55.8%, cask 618):
Unusual but very nice nose with notes of fruits and cream;
very nice palate with fruity notes from the sherry
(89 p)
Longmorn 1969 (Whisky Fair, 54.6%, cask 3724):
Very nice fruity notes, also spicy with a note of gingerbread
(bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for the Whisky Fair)
(90 p)
Longrow CV (46%):
Peaty, malty, youngish nose, also flowery with wine notes;
complex, rather nice palate with fruit and nice peaty notes;
a vatting of varying ages (between 6 and 14 years) and cask types (bourbon, sherry, rum, ...)
(85 p)
Longrow 18 y.o. (46%):
Peaty, fruity nose with a note of vanilla. Musty, quite peaty palate with wood smoke,
also sweet and fruity but the peat and the fruit don't work well together
(86 p)
Port Charlotte "PC6" 2001 6 y.o. (61.6%):
Very peaty nose with youthful cereal notes; sweet, fruity, very peaty and rather nice
palate; very nice finish with (again) lots of peat and a note of iodine
(this will be sensational when it reaches 10 or 12 years!)
(86 p)
St. Magdalene 1982 25 y.o. (Blackadder, 61.8%, cask 2180):
Nice, complex, subtle nose: fruity (orange flavoured candy), grassy and slightly peaty;
fresh, fruity palate with more of that orange candy; all in all light, balanced and very nice
(90 p)
Strathisla 40 y.o. (The Daily Dram, 47.2%):
Complex nose with very nice notes of vanilla and tropical fruits;
nice fruity palate but it's also spicy and a little too dry and oaky
(87 p)