The 90's Tasting (March 25-27th)

[Ganga]

Opened up another Glenfarclas 11 for Traversos. This is one helluva bottle. 46%

Nose: big caramel, bing cherries, little leathery
Palate: huge cherry flavors, caramel, cinnamon
Finish: on and on, cherry and caramel

[Ganga]

Sounds like an interesting Laga Sean. I think I need to go get the Laga 12 09

Where did that come from?

Read your notes...decided I wanted a pour of my Laga 12 09....

[pkt77242]

Last one for the night for me

Gordon and Macphail Old Pulteney 1993 13yo sherry butt 2402 59.9%

N: Big sherry, nuts (almonds, walnuts, macadamia nut, etc), buttered popcorn, and a touch of salt. The sherry turns really sweat on red fruit (cherry, strawberry, etc), and some orange/tangerine.
P: Lots of orange, tangerine, peach, nuts and salt. just a hint of the buttered popcorn. A little smoke as well
F: Medium long on orange and tangerine, nuts and salt.

Crazy good and extremely different from any Old Pulteney I have ever had.

[pkt77242]

Sounds like an interesting Laga Sean. I think I need to go get the Laga 12 09

Where did that come from?

Read your notes...decided I wanted a pour of my Laga 12 09....

Sorry the whisky is making me confused. I kept thinking I haven't pour the laga 12 2009?

Well that is it for me for the night. I will try to be on sometime this weekend (maybe Saturday) and on Sunday night for sure.

[Ganga]

Laga 12, 2009 circa 1997

Nose: more lemony, creamy earthiness (dare I say and earthy lemon cake?)
Palate: less charcoal, more earthy peatiness, cooked lemon rinds
Finish: long, relaxed peatiness

[Ganga]

But I have more 90s to go tonight.....

Scapa 9
Sig
43%
cask 3999

Nose: herbal, malty
Palate: really mimmicks the nose
Finish: just keeps going mildly marching on

[Ganga]

One last one for tonight.

Macallan 18, 43%
1991

Nose: huge caramel, cinnamon, oranges, peanut brittle
Palate: yummy. Caramel coated red apples coated in cinnamon dust, walnuts
Finish: long, rich with loads of caramel

[pkt77242]

One last one for tonight.

Macallan 18, 43%
1991

Nose: huge caramel, cinnamon, oranges, peanut brittle
Palate: yummy. Caramel coated red apples coated in cinnamon dust, walnuts
Finish: long, rich with loads of caramel

Nice Review and congrats on post 9500.

[Ganga]

It was a lot of fun doing all of these. Looks like it is questionable whether 95 and 98 were covered and I didn't see a 99. I look forward to everyone's choices for the weekend.

[pkt77242]

It was a lot of fun doing all of these. Looks like it is questionable whether 95 and 98 were covered and I didn't see a 99. I look forward to everyone's choices for the weekend.

Hey now, I had the Laga 12 1995 12yo friends of classic malt.

Now 98 was questionable and 99 is definitely missing. Willie, Nick, Doug, Mikey, etc, please help.

[MoreDalmore]

I'll put an end to the questionable status of 1998 with this :

Talisker D.E. 1998 ( distilled 1998 / bottled 2009 ) ( bottle is now empty so I better enjoy this

Nose : some peppery caramel fudge with a touch of peat smoke
Palate : quite smooth to start with raisins and some caramel but quickly the peatsmoke and well known peppery attack start to build. From an earlier tasting last week I remember also clear soft choclate fudge when you add a few drops of water and leave the glass alone for 5 to 10 minutes.
Finish : The pepper coats the mouth well and stays a long time.

[pkt77242]

I'll put an end to the questionable status of 1998 with this :

Talisker D.E. 1998 ( distilled 1998 / bottled 2009 ) ( bottle is now empty so I better enjoy this

Nose : some peppery caramel fudge with a touch of peat smoke
Palate : quite smooth to start with raisins and some caramel but quickly the peatsmoke and well known peppery attack start to build. From an earlier tasting last week I remember also clear soft choclate fudge when you add a few drops of water and leave the glass alone for 5 to 10 minutes.
Finish : The pepper coats the mouth well and stays a long time.

Nice note. Got to love the Talisker DE.

[Spirit of Islay]

1990 Ardbeg Limited Edition Caskstrength (Distillery and Japan only) 55%

Bottled in 2004 , Pale gold in colour , very sweet peat on the nose , lingering smoke with lemon and creamy coffee . Incredibly peaty and smoky on the palate , again with lemon and slightly bitter chocolate . it flows across the mouth wonderfully giving the feeling of being thick and chewy .
The finish is long with Creamy coffee , chocolate and peat with a twist of lemon .
A wonderful Ardbeg that led the way for the later 1990 Beists !

[Spirit of Islay]

Murray McDavid 1991 Ardbeg Cask MM426 46% (Bottled 2004)

Pale Straw in Colour , it is really lemony on the nose at first , pine nuts come along next with the peat eventually coming through . Quite fresh as well . The palate is well balanced with the usual Ardbeg peat , lemon , cream , coffee and chocolate . the finish is medium to long with a lemon - peat tang .
Overall it's a bit more reserved than a younger Ardbeg but not as relaxed as an older one . Still very good !

[Spirit of Islay]

Straight from the Cask 1992 Ardbeg Cask 424 56.7%
(for M du W dist 19 Mar 1992 , Bott 15 Aug 2002)

Pale straw in colour , quite pungent on the nose , very peaty , with a touch of lemon and a distant touch of creamy fudge with coffee . Strong on the palate , another one where it's lemony peat , very lemony....... which kind of makes it quite refreshing ! The finish is long , sweet peat , with lemon and a hint of cocoa .
A very nice Ardbeg , strong but very refreshing !

[Spirit of Islay]

Cadenheads 1993 Ardbeg from a Sherry Hogshead . 58.6%

Pale Amber in colour , an incredible sherry mentholiness on the nose , mint humbugs and peat . A refreshing change from ex-bourbon casks , well balanced and no nasties on the nose . The palate is just as good as the fantastic nose , hot peppermint with peat , again good balance across the palate between the peat and the sherry and not a sign of the nasty 'S' word .
Finish is peaty , actually has a citric touch as well . A cracking Ardbeg !

[Willie JJ]

Wow everyone got into it really early this time. I'll do a 99 now and try to reverse through the decade.

[Willie JJ]

Oops, mega-pour from the end of the bottle of Speymalt 99-08

[pkt77242]

Oops, mega-pour from the end of the bottle of Speymalt 99-08

Willie pulling a Mikey. Or is it that Mikey is always pulling a Willie?

[Willie JJ]

G&M Speymalt Macallan 1999-2008 43%

Colour: Deep amber
Nose: Tangerines and Love Hearts. Hints of dark marmalade.
Palate: Sherbet and spice. Incredibly spicey for such a young malt. A bit of a monster sherry cask this. Orange water and sugar. No sulphur at all. Yummy.
Finish: This is where I wish this was cask strength. There's an intriguing mix of white pepper and orange sherbet, but the intensity has gone because of the dilution.
Comment: I bet this was an amazing whisky at cask strength, but its still great fun and not at all expensive.

[Willie JJ]

It's probably not sensible to think about who's pulling what Sean. This is a family forum after all.

[Swedish Chef]

Can't have any whisky now, so here's a rerun.

The Cask of Yamazaki 1990 Sherry Butt #0N70646 61%.

N: Intense dark chocolate, brown sugar, caramelised sugar, oak, banana, papaya (and other tropical fruits),raspberries, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla and eucalyptus.

P: Dark chocolate, caramalised sugar, raspberry, mint, tropical fruits wood and nuts.

F: Long. First sweet with eucalyptus and fruits, then more intense dark chocolate, wood, pecan and walnuts.

If I scored my drams this would be in the high 90's, best whisky I've had.

[Willie JJ]

Ok I've finished the small vat of the 99, but I'll have to go digging for other 90s bottlings. This might take a while.

[Ras Mazunga]

Good evening.
Had a bit too much garlic and pepper paste tonight to write decent notes.
Cragganmore 1991-2010 52.8% Bladnoch
n: sweet, vanilla, round, fruits, fruit blossoms?
t: fresh, citrussy, wood mingled with malty notes.
f: citrus with red pepper. good finish pleasant firey feeling. anis too.
c: I'm having trouble finfding the right words to describe the taste here. Very good whisky imo. Normally it tastes more malty if I remember well.

[Ras Mazunga]

Highland Park 1991-2008 Signatory UC-collection 46%
n: wet leather, fruits, panforte, grand marnier(a lot), marmelade
t: wet paper soon changing to fruits then grand marnier, marmelade
f: marmelade, too short...
c: this was the last dram from the bottle. I used to rate this whisky very high, at this moment I seem to like it a lot less. maybe because it was the last drop.

[Willie JJ]

I used to rate this whisky very high, at this moment I seem to like it a lot less. maybe because it was the last drop.

So you turn on a dram when its on the way out. That's harsh man, really harsh.

[Ras Mazunga]

[Ras Mazunga]

Old Pulteney 1998 57.9% G&M Reserve selected by Van Wees ref. sherry hh.
Quiet a lot of sherry and peat, nice.

[Willie JJ]

Mmm sherry cask Pulteney. That sounds really good.

I had to look through so many samples to find a 1998 that it was a bit late to get started again (of course I found 2 together). I found heaps of 97 of course .

Anyway I'll pop back later and get started properly.

[Fscott]

Well, I couldn't participate last month, as I don't have any bottles from the 80s. But the 90s, that's a different story. I grew up in Seattle, where grunge ruled and where one differentiated between dress flannel and casual flannel. Ah the 90s...

The Unchillfiltered Cask Selection 9yo Clynelish (46%). Distilled 2nd February, 1999

Nose: Pear, lemon zest, hint of smoke
Palate: Green apple, cinnamon heat, creme brulee sugar
Finish: Whiff of green smoke. Long, pleasant

One of my favorite bottles.

[Fscott]

This next one goes way back. Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice and The New Kids on the Block ruled the airwaves...

Signatory Vintage Tormore 1990 19yo
Distilled 4th April, 1990. Matured in Hogsheads. Natural color.

Color: White dessert wine
Nose: Marzipan, oranges, alfalfa hay
Palate: Velvety, savory, candied almonds
Finish: Rich, smooth

[Fscott]

If a man sips a dram in an empty forum, do his notes make a noise?

Balblair 1990. Distilled 1990, bottled 2008. 46%

Nose: Jelly beans, flowers, lemon furniture polish
Palate: Hot, peppery, floral
Finish: Pop rocks, buttered popcorn, long, spicy

This one takes a while to open up. It's a tricky one to pin down.

[Fscott]

Last one for now.

The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Signatory Vintage 1992 Auchentoshan
Distilled 18-05-1992; Bottled 19-07-2007
Matured in Bourbon Barrel. 46%

Nose: Flowers, cream, dry grass, red licorice
Palate: Black pepper, toffee, oatmeal cookie
Finish: Short

Time for dinner. I'll check back tomorrow.
Happy tasting

[Fscott]

Glen Elgin 12 is one of my daily drams. Unfortunately, it's the only expression I've ever seen here. Sounds like a good one, C57.

[Willie JJ]

Evening all. I meant to come in a bit earlier but got distracted at a nice wee bar in Crieff.