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Mackmyra Preludium 02.
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Isle of Arran 4 Years Old.
A lovely whisky for one so young. What will it be like at two or three times this age? |
Cadenhead's Bourbon 5 Years Old.
Just too woody for me, though a good splash of water brings out the other flavours. |
Booker's 6 Years Old.
Wonderfully expansive. Seems to embrace the tastes of the south, all the way from Kentucky to Louisiana. |
Baker's 7 Years Old.
Good flavour development. Well balanced. |
Glen Garioch 8 Years Old.
I love the peaty, burnt notes notes in this robustly malty whisky. |
Knob Creek 9 Years Old.
Easily drinkable, appetising. |
The Balvenie 10 Years Old, Founder's Reserve.
The most honeyish of Speyside malts? |
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Adelphi Clynelish 11 Years Old.
I normally rate Clynelish very highly, but this bottling leaves its fireworks until the last minute, and with more heat than light. |
Aberfeldy 12 Years Old.
Refreshing and light-hearted. Almost too playful to take seriously. |
An Cnoc 13 Years Old, Limited Edition Highland Selection.
A pale, shimmery gold dram with flavours one expects from a bigger, darker, whisky. Slightly odd, but enjoyable. Could be a flavoured spirit from a little-known, newly independent republic in Central Asia. |
Clynelish 14 Years Old.
The most rounded of this Clynelish threesome. The fuller gold colour suggests more contribution from the wood. |
Caol Ila 15 Years Old.
A wonderfully aperitif. Smoked fish to follow? |
Dailuaine 16 Years Old.
Almost too perfect. Beautifully put together, but not quite memorable. |
Eagle Rare 17 Years Old.
Some interesting flavours, with lots of dimensions, but no balance or structure. I’m not wild about Angel Delight. |
Sazerac 18 Years Old Straight Rye.
A trifle sophisticated for my tastes, but a very fine rye whiskey. |
Glen Elgin 19 Years Old, Centenary Bottling.
For me, the classic example of Speyside heather-honey character. A beautifully rounded, characterful, elegant, whisky. |
Rare Malts Caol Ila 1977, 20 Years Old.
A wonderful aperitif. Who would have thought of a Scotch to precede Greek food? |
Speyburn 21 Years Old.
Very restrained, but lovely gentle peat smoke. |
Rare Malts Glen Mhor 1979, 22 Years Old.
A rare delight. |
Caol Ila 23 Years Old.
All the oily, waxy, junipery, bush-like flavours of Caol Ila, but the whiff of the sea comes late. |
Cadenhead's Banff 24 Years Old.
The best Banff I have tasted. Shows its age but the finish reveals real depth and staying power. |
Rare Malts Cardhu 1973, 25 Years Old.
For teatime – more fun than Darjeeling. |
Cadenhead's Convalmore-Glenlivet 26 Years Old.
A welcome opportunity to taste a rare whisky, though it was never a classic, and in this instance is over the hill (or the Conval Hills?). |
Ladyburn 1973, 27 Years Old.
I am pleased that this very rare malt has been made available. Ladyburn is a product about which I am frequently asked. Sad to say, its greatest appeal is as a collector's item. |
Rare Malts Glenury Royal 28 Years Old.
An elegant middleweight after the oak-fisted heavyweight 23 Years Old in the same series. |
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Glen Garioch 1968, 29 Years Old.
With its chestnut colour and highly distinctive flavours, this is a wonderfully wintery whisky. |
Glenfiddich 30 Years Old.
Luxurious, but in a restrained, understated way. |
Auchentoshan 1966, 31 Years Old.
A fine whisky, but does something as fresh and soft benefit from quite so much ageing? |
Signatory The Glenrothes 1968 32 Years Old.
Less soft than the younger expression. A drier, more robust, expression. |
Balblair 33 Years Old.
A whisky that starts life with some restraint has certainly developed over the years. |
Hart Brothers Strathisla 34 Years Old.
Classic Strathisla, in good shape for it's age. |
Classic Cask Scotch whisky, 35 Years Old.
Slightly woody in aroma, but develops nicely. |
Old Malt Cask North Port 36 Years Old.
Of interest to collectors, historians and the likes of me, but this Brechin brew, staunched in 1983, never made a great whisky. |
Scotch Malt Whisky Society Old Fettercairn, 37 Years Old, 94.3.
An elegant, elderly chatelaine. |
Duncan Taylor Invergordon 1965 38 Years Old.
Such a long ageing has made the bourbon wood very dominating. The crisp, cleansing, hint of pine in the distillery bottling better suited a single grain. |
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Bunnahabhain 1968 Cask 7020 39 Years Old.
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Glenfarclas 40 Years Old, Millennium Edition.
Some of the voluptuousness has sagged with age. |
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Duncan Taylor Invergordon 1965 Cask 15517 41 Years Old.
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Scott's Selection Lochside 1964, 42 Years Old.
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Gordon & MacPhail Glenugie 1968, 43 Years Old.
Oak is not as prevailing on the nose as on the palate. An exotic profile. Reminds me of Irish whiskey. Interesting richness. Avoid water. |
Old Malt Cask Auchroisk, 44 Years Old.
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Scott's Selection North of Scotland 1964, 45 Years Old.
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The Macallan 1949, 50 Years Old, Millennium.
A beautifully composed, luxurious whisky. |
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The Macallan 1948, 51 Years Old.
Drink it and travel back in time. It is one of the finest malts I have ever tasted. |
The Macallan 1949, 52 Years Old, Vintage.
Not much evidence of alcohol. Elegant but frail. Doesn’t approach the 1948 I tasted a few years ago. |
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The Macallan 1945, 56 Years Old, Vintage.
Very lively, but ill-tempered. I kept expecting it to propose the return of military service, or demand that I had my hair cut. |
Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 1938, 60 Years Old.
A great age, but it has matured beautifully. |
