Tastes

So, Macallan in 2022 released a new travel exclusive collection, called "The Harmony Collection" which is a super environmental statement, since they are recycling husks of coffee and Cocoa to made the whisky boxes. The Harmony collection is made of 4 single malts, 2 Arabica coffee releases and 2 cocoa expressions. Of course no coffee or cocoa was used to made the whisky but they have been designed (by using the proper casks) to resemble those types of flavors and aroma notes. Intense Arabica is one of such releases. Bottled at 44%abv. It has a lovely red copper color. On the nose, it starts with red fruits bathed in chocolate. Raisinets, cinnamon and sawdust. Aroma became very dim after a couple of minutes. Strawberries. After the first sip i got moka coffee and slight dark chocolate notes. Cherries. On the palate, again this red fruits juice. Feels so "red fruity" that you can tell this has Antioxidant properties, lol. Ginger. A little rough, sugary water. Milk with sugar. Aftertaste, felt houng. Ginger, pepper. Sugary and bitter. Dry. Overall, this first expression did comply in having coffee notes, but those were not the most predominant profile on this single malt. Having said that, this, as most new Macallans that i have tasted lately, is below average. It lacks power, layers of notes and the aftertaste is underwhelming. My score for it is 77 over 100.

A new blended malt whisky has arrived to the markets, and this one comes from the great people that work at Dràm Mòr group. I know for a fact that this have some seriously fancy single malts, mostly matured in sherried casks. Now it is the time to review "Dumbarton Rock", your modern day alternative to classic blends. Bottled at 46%abv, non-chill filthered. On the nose it starts very lovely. Christmas cake, citric fruits, cinnamon, lemon peel and peaches. It smells nice but the more you let it breath, the more you can catch some younger parts of it. Cherries and Panettone. On the palate i first got an orange peel;  Feels young and a bit rough but it is compensated with lots of orange citrusness. A second sip gave me red fruits and a sugary water. Aftertaste is full of different spices. Clove, pepper and salt. Dim hay. Not very long finish. Overall this was a pretty decent dram, which is strong enough to be enjoyed neat or as a base of a fancy whisky cocktail. I liked it, but i believed this one will be refined more and more as the years pass. Nice first attempt, my score for this one is 80 over 100.

So, i was in Spain, an oddly place to find new whiskies, specially where i was, which was a super small wine town called "Peralada". Well, back in the hotel, i saw this strange but beautiful looking bottle of an irish whiskey, called "The Galtee Mountain Boy". Of course i asked for a pour and this are my thoughts on it: On the nose, pears, green apple. A noticeable grain whiskey thick vanilla, apple juice and marshmallows. It is very fruity. On the palate it is an apple pie. Puff pastry, the grain whiskey here is pretty well delivered. Vanilla powder. It has a short and dry sider aftertaste that is very simple and boring. Overall, an easy sipper, this whiskey is not a memorable one, but at least the bottle is very good looking. My score for this underwhelming whiskey is 76 over 100.

Well my friends, there is a moment in life when you accidentally find a legendary bottle, which you have been dying to try, which is too expensive to be worth it, and you find it open in a bar, just for you to try it for a fraction of the price. Those happy moments are the amazing little experiences that make my whole whisky adventure worthy. Such is the case of the last dram i had in Scotland this year, in the last night, at the last bar. The almighty Glendronach 12 year old... but from 1963. I know you have seen this piece of history, with the dark green bottle and the old looking label. You know it is not going to be the best whisky you will ever have, since it is a 12yo single malt that might have been considered an standard core expression, but 60 years ago. This is a time machine. A vessel that carries the spirit that someday will become the whisky that i cherish now. How was it? Exactly as expected: On the nose, it starts with some old notes. Old books, humidity, oranges and dim sherriness. Oranges bathed in chocolate. Cherries. On the palate i was pleased to find the early stages of the amazing flavors i enjoy today. A full chocolate feeling; Orange peel. A little watery, but mostly chocolate and hazelnut notes.  Red fruits. It is indeed a "Glendro". Delicious aftertaste. Hazelnut, chocolate, milk powder. A Nice nutty finish. Overall, this is what i wanted it to be. Not a perfect dram, not a high scoring single malt, but the craddle where the flavors and aromas that i can find in nowadays incredible expressions reside. It is undoubtedly that Glendronach has kept the same spirit, but has enhanced their maturation, by picking some out of this world casks since Billy Walker took charge of the distillery, and Now Rachel Barrie has continued the good work. A great piece of whisky history, art in a pure form, my score for it is 85 over 100, but a perfect rating in my heart.

Tamdhu is the "Macallan Killer" in my books. It is far better flavor and aromawise, and even if it is not cheap, it doesn't go for super expensive prices as Macallan do. Having said that, Tamdhu is famous for their fully sherried maturations and those types of single malts are always a perfect fit for a cigar. As Dalmore did, Tamdhu has released this "Cigar Malt" an incredibly dark whisky, bottled at a nice 53.8%abv.  On the nose, it is pure perfection. Cherries bathed in chocolate, smells wonderful. Super sherried: dates; It became crazy after letting it breath for a couple of minutes: lemon zest marmalade and glazed ham. It is like leaving a "Crunch" chocolate in the fridge for a some hours. Thick maraschino cherries, hazelnut, nutmeg. It is an spectacle. On the palate, i get hazelnuts, almonds, very nutty. A dark rum experience cam be felt here, that is why it can be perfectly paired with a cigar.  Cherry syrup, orange peel, molasses and quince dessert. Aftertaste is super dry; sherried and mostly oaky. The nuttiness is also present,  hazelnut, almonds and bitter chocolate. It gets better with every sip. Overall this is the perfect example for the concept of a sherry bomb. It is like the last pour of a sherry butt. One of the greatest whiskies i have tasted this year, Tamdhu does it again. My score for it is 97 over 100.

Imagine finding a super rare bottle of Glenfarclas 21yo at a bar, and when you get to give it a good look, you realize that it is Cask Strength exclusive edition, and now you have the opportunity to grab a dram of it without paying for the full bottle. It just can't get any better than that. This 21yo special release, was bottled at 54.2%abv, and was a exclusive expression for The Whisky Exchange retail store. It has a lovely "art deco" 3d glowing label that stood out from a group of other fancy bottles. On the nose, it starts with Lemon peel; Greasy ham, hazelnut; sawdust.  After 3 minutes the classic red apple from Glenfarclas appeared. After one sip, the aroma gave me toffee, caramel; after a couple of minutes, the toffee has overpowered everything. On the palate, it is a marvelous dram. Apple peel. The flavor is uncanny. Apple juice. A classic Glenfarclas spirit. Spiciness rised very quickly and powerful. A cinnamon bomb. Aftertaste was the best part. Hay; sawdust, strips of oak, some hot flavor. This is like the most classic Glenfarclas ever; it is like the heart of this distillery. When you think of "farclas" you think of this exact profile. Burnt oak, burnt grass. Super long. Overall, this is by far the best Glenfarclas i have ever had. The higher abv has given it a powerful flavor driver. My score for it is 93 over 100 and i think i am a little unfair with it, it deserved more. Lovely decanter though.

This is one of those epic moments in my whisky journey. A single malt that has been a little elusive has finally fallen into my hands, i am talking about the 22yo Ardbeg "Twenty Something". I could only find this legendary dram at an Ardbeg Embassy, in Edinburgh, where some pretty rare bottles were displayed for a humble man to choose. Bottled at 46.4%abv, only 2400 bottles were ever made. On the nose, it was pretty nice. A bbq meat with herbs and worcestershire sauce. Big herbal feeling. A mossy, wet bank. Dim smoke appeared after a while. Very aromatic, but not too complex. On the palate, it started with a crazy weird spongy mossy water. Gooseberries and lemon. Muddy peatiness and some ginger. The second sip gave me a marshmallow note; feels weak rather than elegant.the third sip confirmed to be sweet and sugary. It has a tamed Ardbeg spirit, it is there but in a ghostly way. Aftertaste was dry and not too long. Moss, dim saltiness. On the second sip it became a lot better. Red chilli, pepper, salty; almost lip scorching. It needs more power. Overall, this is not a bad dram at all, but it is also not nearly as good as you dream it to be. This is another proof that younger Ardbeg expressions are far superior than the older ones. My honest score for it is 87 over 100.

A new travel retail expression from Glenmorangie has reached the stores. "The Tribute" is a lightly peated single malt, with a 16yo age statement, that tells the story of how in the early years, this distillery used to used a peat kiln to burn the barley. Bottled at 43%abv, it comes in a 1 litre decanter. On the nose, it is actually smoky. Vanilla, it doesn't have the typical orange note from Glenmorangie. Fondant and stewed apples. Sider, impalpable sugar and peaches. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a watered ashtray and coconut. Not too powerful but fairly complex on the nose. On the palate, i get peaches, hints of smoke, chilli. A second sip gave me a thick apple juice. Mott's Apple Juice. Aftertaste is all about chilli, smoke and salt. Overall, my tasting and aroma notes might give you the impression of a complex and rich dram, but it really has all the notes described but delivered in a dim, light way that somehow feel disonant. My score for this fair dram is an 84 over 100.

My first Williamson Berry Bros & Rudd came in the best way possible: it was free. A 9 year old single cask, from Laphroaig. Bottled at a beautiful 57.4%abv. One of only 820 bottles, this one was drawn from a single oloroso sherry cask. It was given to me by the kind manager of Oban Whisky and Fine Wines store. On the nose, it gave me moss notes, cigarrettes. Pretty strong on the acetone/alcohol profiles. Tequila aroma. It smells exactly as a yeasty distillery washback. On the palate, a pair of new cotton socks starts the palette of flavors. Smokey delicious, Nerf toys and a fresh can of tennis balls. Crazy good. You can actually bite this peaty, Laphroaig-ish finish. Lots of medicinal and smokey peat. Overall, this is a great whisky that is truly enjoyable if you are a fan of medicinal / peaty whisky profiles. It is exactly what you expect from a cask strength Laphroaig. I did not find any influence from the oloroso sherry single cask, but i enjoyed as i would with most Laphroaigs. My score for it is 92 over 100.

We all know Diageo's Distiller's Editions, which have been a yearly release since the late 80s. The thing is, that i have mostly gone for the traditional malts like Talisker, Lagavulin or Oban. To be totally fair, i have never even seen this Dalwhinnie Distiller's Edition; specially a 2022 expression. I have only had a couple of drams from this distillery, and both were pretty nice. This one is bottled at 43%abv. On the nose; it starts with winter berries, red berries and school glue. Nothing more. On the palate, i get red fruits notes; wild berries and hay. Aftertaste is a little better. A hint of smoke; a little salty and "beachy". Overall, this is an under average dram, which is quite forgettable. Out of all "Distillery editions" i have had, this might be the most dull one. It has the profile that i remember from the classic Dalwhinnie expressions, but it is too watery and light. My score for it is 73 over 100.