Tastes

Oh yes - I was really looking forward to this one. And it really didn’t disappoint my expectations. I have a bottle of the 12y which I enjoy a lot. Bunnahabhain definitely has a signature taste and in this 18y this shines even more with additional intensity and richness. The nose starts right of with a typical Bunnahabhain smell. You get dried fruits and the unique sherry portion which they include so well in their whiskies. There is some winter spice mix in there as well as a dark berry mix. And on the second smell after the first sip I also got a very surprising Indian curry notes (mainly turmeric and cumin) which gave me a huge smile because not do I simply love Indian spices but because it fitted so well in to the palette here. Very beautiful. On the palate you get a briny sweetness like syrup or molasses accompanied by the fruit and sherry aromas. The 18 years age also give this one a much welcome maturity delivered with a slightly leathery earthy background. But it starts off very smooth and remains smooth until the end of the very long finish. In no stage of the tasting you get the 46% ABV smell or burn. I will definitely try to get a bottle of this one when I can. It is kinda expensive but really worth the quality you get.

This Tullibardine is very new and I got a sample from Whisky.com who apparently is the only one actually having this in stock. It isn’t even on the official website of Tullibardine. Might be some kind of field test - who knows. On the nose it welcomes you with some fresh stone-fruits predominantly cherries and plums picked right from the tree. You also get some fresh damp hay and a bid of fermented apple. You definitely get a hint of sherry there as well. The palate offers chocolate with red berries which is surprisingly creamy. The finish stays for a long time and lingers about with a slight oaky bitterness and sour apple juice. It was enjoyable but makes you wonder why they would release an in-between whisky like this. All it really does for me is making me curious about the older ones which I expect to give me more richness and brinyness, which I was missing a bid here.

This single malt comes with some distinct portions of nuts, exotic fruits with pineapple in the front, spices (nutmeg and juniper) some green apple and and an inviting orange zest. Something unique I got was paraffin candle wax. It is mildly sweet and has some present malt flavors accompanied by oak-wood. All in all it is quite enjoyable but even though it being a 18y it is kinda forgettable. I would drink it again if offered but I’m not sure if I would recognize it blindly. It just isn’t very interesting.

Tasted this at the end of a tasting evening just because a friend brought it and I had Aberlour on my wishlist for a while. I was reading lots of interesting things about the 18y old before and it had made me curious. So I gladly gave this younger brother a try. And - wow - it delivered more than I was expecting. It has a base sweetness both on the nose and palate but it surprisingly had more maturity then you would imagine. It is vibrant and fruity with a good bunch of dried fruit but also surprises with a deep richness with spices like cinnamon and ginger and also offers some nice wood aromas. There was one thing that was a new experience which was a very subtle sulphuric quality in the direction of kala namak, which is an Indian salt that tastes like eggs. And while this sounds strange it fits in really well and puts a very positive touch to this whisky. I will definitely get my hand on the 18y soon because this 12y really surprised me in a positive way.

Too oaky for my taste. Great base aromas. Less fruity and playful as expected - just straight forward and raw and also quite challenging to get behind.

I had several Highland Park whiskies now and they have a special taste uniqueness that you definitely can taste in all of them. While this one is really nice as well, now that I had the 18y you don't really wanna go back to anything younger or the multiple NAS they have. They all have the typical HP note but the 18y just brings it all together much better. Until I have tasted something older than the 18y from HP I wouldn't really want to get or recommend something else. And if the price tag doesn't allow for the 18y I think the 12y is still the best alternative. I still haven't figured out why HP does all these different NAS and special editions.

I was looking for this one for quite some time because I really much like BenRiach so far. I had their PX cask previously but I put in the extra buck to get a bottle of this one which is also part of BenRiach's special wood-finish series. And it is worth it. Really is. While the PX is good, this Tawny Port is quite a bid better. It has the nice richness of the regular 16y plus some very present dark, fruity and mature port aroma, that hits you directly when poured into a glas. NOSE: marzipan, fresh brown sour apple juice, dark honey mead, mulled wine, mango, ripe black currant & dark gooseberries - all sweet and at the same time equally sour. There is no obvious alcohol present and it is very smooth on the nose. Also - I don't know if you know it - there is something called "fruit leather", which is basically dried fruits, that you put into a blender, roll out and let dry to create a leather-like product. This Tawny Port whisky smells like this kind of fruit leather made from fresh dark red sour apple plus some other orchard fruits. PALATE: It definitely is a medium old BenRiach, which is really well expanded with this port finish. It is gentle and smooth in the beginning, and you still don't get much distraction of it its 46% ABV. After a short while you definitely get the wood from the cask which "tells" you a story about its history in bourbon oak. Then you also get the port wood again with some fruity sour sensation and mild bitterness, which joins together nicely. FINISH: The only little downside is that the port intensity doesn't stay very long and what remains is the oak characteristics and a very mild sourness, which tells you that the Tawny Port finish wasn't all too long I assume. The stronger this special cask-finish is present first on the nose and mid-way through the palate, the less it remains in the finish. All in all this is very enjoyable and something special. You find yourself thinking "Yeah, this one is really good" while drinking ... "Was it really that good?" ... "Yeah ok it is still really nice indeed." It definitely reflects Speyside characteristics and with this smoothness and mature fruity flavours makes a perfect evening dram ... or two.

Hits you with a sweet and fruity smell of honey and elderflower. No alcohol on the nose. Very light. The palate though is very uninspiring. The first thing you get is a mouthful of water. Then you get a little sweetness but also some very unexpected large portion of alcohol which doesn't really fit in anywhere and feels really misplaced. Not very enjoyable and even though very unique it still is kinda forgettable.