Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

Karuizawa 8 y.o. (40%):
Quiet yet nice nose with gin­ger­bread, honey and oak. The palate is at first mild, fruity and sweet but drying, de­velops spices and lot of oak. Dry, quite spicy and dis­ap­point­ing finish. The label describes it as a vatting of sherry matured whiskies but the the sherry character isn't prominent. (82 p)

Karuizawa 15 y.o. (40%):
Gingerbread and honey on the nose, also dried fruits and oak (a bit like an old Spanish brandy). Also a little peaty. Rich yet smooth palate, quite oaky but not overly dry. A little earthy and de­velops a note of mint. Spicy (maybe too spicy) finish with brandy-like notes of oak and raisins, also cinnamon. (86 p)

Nikka Yoichi 15 y.o. (45%):
Fruity, flowery, oaky nose with notes of citrus, elderflower, cocoa and a hint of wood smoke - complex, fascinating and really nice. Sweet, smooth palate with oak, citrus and cocoa again. Rather nice yet a bit too flowery and it de­velops a disturbing buttery note. Dis­ap­point­ing, flowery finish. All in all it has an in­ter­est­ing com­plex­ity but it's a bit splintered. (84 p)

Nikka Taketsuru 12 y.o. (40%):
Fragrant, floral nose with notes of oak, dark chocolate, citrus and peat - unusual yet rather nice. Mild, sweet, floral palate, de­velops oak and peat. Smooth and complex with a beautiful bal­ance between sweet and spicy flavours. Rather nice but perhaps a little heavy on the flowery stuff... (87 p)

Three new Swedish single malt whiskies
A review of Swedish single malts Box "Pioneer", Hven "Merak" and Smögen "Primör".

Five single malts from Cadenhead's
A review of Ardmore 1997, Balblair 1990, Glen Moray 1992, Strathisla 1987 and Strathmill 1995.

World whisky
A review of single malts from the Czech Republic, England, Germany, India, Sweden and Taiwain.

Six Irish whiskeys
A review of Green Spot, Yellow Spot, Tullamore Dew 12, Redbreast 12, Powers John's Lane and Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy.