Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co. Ltd.

Whiskies from 'Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co. Ltd.'

• Signatory Aberfeldy 1978
  Less structure than the youthful version from the distillery or the more mature choice, but enjoyable in its own right. As a dessert malt with trifle?
• Signatory Ardmore 1990
  Robust as ever, but much more peatiness than I associate with this distillery. Oaky, too, for a relatively young whisky.
• Signatory Ben Nevis 1975 Cask Strength, 31 Years Old
  
• Signatory Bladnoch 1974
  A whole range of aromas and flavours that are hard to pin down. Sent me into a reverie: a long weekend in a big house, with kippers for breakfast, toasted brown bread and good marmalade. The house also smells of furniture polish.
• Signatory Bladnoch 1992, 15 Years Old
  
• Signatory Blair Athol 1973
  Has matured superbly. I love the interplay of sweet and fruity, hot and dry. The orange colour distinguishes this from Signatory's earlier bottling.
• Signatory Bowmore 1968
  At first tasting, I was hard-pressed to find any Islay character at all. On a second tasting, the next morning with a fresh palate, I began to find some smokiness. Even then, it seemed to emerge on the tongue for two or three minutes.
• Signatory Bowmore 1975 Cask Strength
  Has mellowed with age. I missed the more assertively maritime characteristics in some younger Bowmores.
• Signatory Brora 1981 Unchillfiltered
  What a distinctive malt Brora was, and there are some excellent bottlings available.
• Signatory Caledonian 1976, 23 Years Old
  Despite their lightness, some grains can stand up to long periods in wood.
• Signatory Cambus 1964, 31 Years Old
  A good example of a single grain as a pleasant dram, though that is true of several in this tasting. If someone gave me this whisky in a bar, I would enjoy it, but I have yet to find a single grain that has the complexity of a great malt. That seems unlikely to happen.
• Signatory Caol Ila 1975 Cask Strength, 32 Years Old
  
• Signatory Caol Ila 1981 Cask Strength
  Quite sharp at the beginning then gradually softening. Fruitier than previous Signatory bottlings. Very sensitive to dilution.
• Signatory Caol Ila 1984
  An excellent example of Caol Illa, a highly distinctive malt that is gaining in recognition.
• Signatory Caol Ila 1989
  A fine example of Caol Ila – in one of its peatier moods.
• Signatory Caol Ila 1989, Cask Strength
  The more typical of the two 1989 versions. For me, classic Caol Ila, with a touch of peat, noses ahead of the fruitier, more sensuous, expression.
• Signatory Caol Ila 1991, Port Wood
  I would like to try this with lamb.
• Signatory Caol Ila Vintage 1981
  Significantly drier than the other Caol Ilas sampled.
• Signatory Clynelish 1973 Cask Strength, 33 Years Old
  
• Signatory Clynelish 1989 South African Sherry Butt
  A very unusual expression of Clynelish.
• Signatory Clynelish 1995 Cask Strength, 11 Years Old
  
• Signatory Coleburn 1991
  I’m glad still to be able to taste a whisky from this long-gone distillery, but it’s really one for the collectors.
• Signatory Cragganmore 1989
  Not very old, but was the cask a little tired?
• Signatory Cragganmore 1997, 10 Years Old
  
• Signatory Dallas Dhu 1978
  More woody and astringent than earlier bottlings at similar ages.
• Signatory Dalmore 1990 17 Years Old
  
• Signatory Edradour 1976
  Still a hint of the typical creaminess. Although its flavours are on the light side, Edradour is quite rich in body. It stands up well to age, but this is not the best '76 I have tasted.
• Signatory Edradour Burgundy Finish
  Not to my taste. Only useful as a weapon in hand-to-hand combat.
• Signatory Glen Garioch 14 Years Old
  The cask was too tired to give roundness to that elegantly grassy malt. Alcohol needs to be tamed by water but still…
• Signatory Glen Grant 1976
  So like an armagnac. Sherry at its best. At its peak. Why not with foie gras and a fig compote?
• Signatory Glen Scotia 1992, 15 Years Old
  
• Signatory Glendronach 1976 Cask Strength
  An enjoyable malt, but Glendronach is capable of more.
• Signatory Glenlossie 1980
  Delicate, appetising and refreshing, but falls away in the middle.
• Signatory Glenturret 1973
  Distillery bottlings of Glenturret from this era tend to be quite sherryish, but this Signatory edition is not. The absence of sherry reveals the use of a truly peaty malt in the 1970s.
• Signatory Glenturret 1985
  Original bunch of flavours that Towser and her descendants would have enjoyed.
• Signatory Highland Park 1988
  A lovely whisky. A sweetish bottling. More complex and elegant than the 'official' 12 Years Old, but not quite as expressive as the 18.
• Signatory Highland Park 1990 Cask Strength, 16 Years Old
  
• Signatory Inchgower 1980 Cask Strength, 26 Years Old
  
• Signatory Isle of Jura 1997, 10 Years Old
  
• Signatory Kilbeggan 1975 (Rare Ayrshire), 31 Years Old
  
• Signatory Laphroaig 1988 Unchillfiltered
  I enjoyed this very much, but it does not add a great deal to the canon.
• Signatory Laphroaig 1991 Cask Strength, 16 Years Old
  
• Signatory Laphroaig 2000 Unchilfiltered, 7 Years Old
  
• Signatory Linlithgow 1975
  Good for its age, but I preferred it two or three years ago.
• Signatory Lochnagar 1991 Cask Strength, 16 Years Old
  
• Signatory Lochside 1966 Cask Strength, 40 Years Old
  
• Signatory Millburn 1983
  Confusing aroma, but otherwise the most enjoyable Millburn I have tasted.
• Signatory Mortlach 1989 Unchillfiltered
  The most complex and structured of the Mortlachs in this tasting.
• Signatory North British 1994, 12 Years Old
  
• Signatory Port Ellen 1978
  More body and richness than the ’79. Still not a great warrior but a hearty fisherman.
• Signatory Port Ellen 1978 Port Wood
  Typical fragrant, alert Port Ellen, but the port finish lends more fruit and an amazing orangey-pinkish colour.
• Signatory Port Ellen 1979
  A rather pleasant dram but a paler version of Port Ellen.
• Signatory Rosebank 1989
  With its curiously greeny-white colour, this one actually looks like a ghost. A shadow of a great malt.
• Signatory The Glenrothes 1968 32 Years Old
  Less soft than the younger expression. A drier, more robust, expression.
• Signatory The Glenrothes 1990
  An elegant and luxurious malt. Glenrothes. This is an elegant and luxurious interpretation of it.
• Signatory Tormore 1989
  Wood has the word in the finish. An assertive Speysider to enjoy after dinner.
• Signatory Tullibardine 1973
  Rounder than a previous Signatory bottling at 1972.
• Signatory Silent Stills Banff 34 Years Old
  Just too woody for me.
• Signatory Silent Stills Glencadam 29 Years Old
  This whisky used to remind me of strawberry shortcake. This bottling turns me toward tiramisu.
• Signatory Silent Stills Imperial 25 Years Old
  A little less eccentric, and more rounded than other bottlings I have tried recently.
• Signatory Straight from the Cask Edradour 11 Years Old, Madeira Finish
  Bags of cask character, and fine if you find finishes fun.
• Signatory Straight from the Cask Laphroaig 11 Years Old, Port Finish
  Intriguing, but a little too much imposed sweetness for my taste.
• Signatory Straight from the Cask Port Ellen 24 Years Old, Burgundy finish
  Lots happening here. A complex and highly unusual expression of Port Ellen.

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