Category Archives: Whisky

Review: Glenfiddich 125 Anniversary

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Glenfiddich 125 BottleGlenfiddich 125 Anniversary – 43% abv

Info: Limited edition released in 2012. Glenfiddich have used a combination of peated and unpeated whiskies aged in a large proportion of Spanish ex-Sherry butts, as well as American ex-bourbon casks. No stated age that I’m aware of.
Colour: Golden sunset.
Nose: Fairly well aged malty notes with slight waxy tints and hints of leather, a good nose! Small puffs of peat smoke that really give it a great background with slight grunt, yum.
Palate: Reasonably thick oils and easy going on the palate with enough background spice to keep it interesting. Quite earthy with gentle dunnage style oak notes. Reasonably sweet with late summer fruits and malt, again with just a hint of smoke.
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Review: The Balvenie Peat Week 14yo

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balvenie peat weekThe Balvenie Peat Week 14yo – 48.3%

Info: Peat Week has been aged for 14 Years, it’s 2002 vintage. 100% of highland peated malt (30ppm) used. Non-chill filtered, fully matured in American oak casks.
Colour: Bright gold with a slight autumn tint.
Nose: Fairly robust spirit on your nose. There’s a slightly early nutty note, backed up with gentle honey and oak, with hints of hessian. Fairly good amount of vanilla, and some milk chocolate notes. Slight puffs of fresh smoke, fairly restrained, and not coastal.
Palate: Reasonably thick on the palate, a fair amount of oils on your tongue. There’s interesting oak spices that hit the top and back of your palate more than your tongue. The malt notes are honeyed and just gently peated, they sparkle on your tongue a little bit.
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Review: Jura One And All

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jura one and all whiskyJura One And All (20yo) – 51% abv

Info: Limited edition to celebrate the island and it’s islanders, it’s also been chosen by them as well. It’s matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and prepared with Jura aged in sherry wood, sparkling Cabernet Franc casks, Cabernet Sauvignon casks and Pinot Noir barriques. Non-chill filtered and natural colour. 5,000 bottles worldwide.
Colour: Rich, autumnal reddy tints.
Nose: Quite strong, a good spirit hit which is sweetly spiced, with a slightly earthy note coming through behind.
Palate: Lovely, thick and oily; it’s easily accessible at the higher strength without burning your tongue. Gently sweet,and nicely aged, a slight herbal backnote under all the rich fruity flavours.
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Review: Glen Garioch 21yo (Abbey Whisky)

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glen garioch 21 year old release 6Glen Garioch 21yo (Abbey Whisky) – 55% abv

Info: Distilled in 1994, this is the 6th release from Abbey Whisky’s Rare Casks series of Glen Garioch. Matured in a refill hogshead, no colour, or chill filtration. 126 bottles.
Colour: Clear and bright summer straw.
Nose: Buttery malt grain hits your nose along with white pepper, some spirit, and tropical fruits.
Palate: Oily and buttery at first quickly followed by the white pepper notes making your tongue dance while you check out the restrained tropical fruit notes. A hint of smoke is there in the background.
Finish: Long and warming, with those hints of smoke turning into more definite light puffs of smoke.
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Review: Jura Tastival 2017

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jura tastival 2017 whiskyJura Tastival 2017 – 51% abv

Info: Made using whiskies finished in American oak bourbon barrels and Douro Valley Port pipes from Graham’s. Natural cask strength, no chill-filtration.
Colour: Summer rich golden with slight orange pink tints.
Nose: Rich and pungent; more autumnal than I had expected, packed with rich red port fruits, hints of cracked nuts, lashings of cream and a hint of chocolate.
Palate: Thick and creamy, with spices gently building into very warming peppery tones, backed up by the fruit, (hazel) nuts and cream found on the nose. Hints of damp dunnage.
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Review: Bowmore 18 Year Old (Travel Retail)

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Bowmore 18 Year Old (Travel Retail)Bowmore 18 Year Old (Travel Retail) – 43% abv

Info: Bowmore recently unveiled three new duty-free exclusive malts, aged 10, 15 & 18 years, marking a return to age statements for the first time in five years. The 18yo is described as Deep and Complex, and has been matured in both Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks.
Colour: Medium to dark burnished gold, autumn orange. (the bottle says it contain E150a colouring).
Nose: Gentle and sweet. You’re greeted by smooth and restrained peaty hints, along with a waxy varnish type note followed by a rich and layered fruity compote of winter berries; stewed blackcurrants, blackberries and gooseberries along with hints of macadamia nuts.
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Review: The Entertainer by Compass Box

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The Entertainer Compass BoxThe Entertainer by Compass Box – 46% abv

Info: Released over four years ago, The Entertainer by Compass Box is an exclusive whisky to Selfridges, so a slightly more unusual Compass Box dram to find. 1000 bottles produced.
Colour: Bright and fairly light gold, summery.
Nose: A slightly older nose to this, but fairly strong and powerful. There’s hints of over ripe citrus fruit, Christmassy fruit cake, toffee caramels, hints of gentle smoke and just a pinch of herb. With a little more time to open up there’s some creamy vanilla notes, and some mossy dunnage-style damp wood. Selfridges and Compass Box are very much trying to recreate a nose found in whiskies from yesteryear.
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Review: Lagavulin 1994 Distillers Edition

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Lagavulin 1994 Distillers EditionLagavulin 1994 Distillers Edition – 43% abv

Info: Lagavulin, finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Yum. Distilled 1994, bottled 2010. 43% abv.
Colour: Rusty gold, slightly orangey.
Nose: On the nose you’ve got those sassy Lagavulin notes; sweet peat, ozone, salty sea breeze, Lapsang… but it’s all held in check a little by beautiful rich fruitcake fruit notes from the secondary maturation in sweet PX sherry casks. Almost a drop of milk chocolate, hints of seville orange marmalade.
Palate: On the palate it’s fairly oily, it’s laid back and easy on your tongue, hints of spices. There’s sweet Christmas fruitcake flavours amongst gentle peat and moss notes, the two integrating perfectly together. A slight tar background with hints of salt.
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Bumper Review: The Wood Makes the Whisky | Gordon and MacPhail

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The Wood Makes the Whisky | Gordon and MacPhail

Below you’ll find a bumper review of 18 G&M whiskies, but first let’s take a quick look at why I’m reviewing these whiskies in the first place… In short, it’s all about wood!

The Wood Makes the WhiskyGordon and MacPhail’s Ewen Macintosh (Chief Operating Officer) possibly sums up their ‘Wood Makes the Whisky’ campaign best when he said “Here at Gordon & MacPhail we have always been focused on the close relationship between oak and spirit, and have learned from vast experience that wood really does make the whisky. We have selected the special series of whiskies to demonstrate this complex relationship.

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