Tastes

Some years ago, Diageo made a special event, called "The Johnnie Walker Mentoring", a type of intensive masterclass, where some rare releases were offered to the participants. As you might have already guessed, this special expressions were never sold in the marlets, and that fact makes those bottlings true rarities. This is the Caol Ila Cask Strength release for the JW mentoring, not for sale, but it fell in ly hands somehow (it was an auction). Bottled at 55%abv. On the nose, it has all the crazy peaty notes we love. A pair of new cotton socks, firewood, merthiolate, a hospital gauze and tape; band-aids. After a couple of sips, the aroma changed into sown land, ashes and a fish market. It feels like entering a 90s discoteque where smoking inside the premises was still allowed. On the palate, it is a little simple and straightforward. Sweet. Very sugary, lemon and gooseberries. Aftertaste is all about smoke, which is so thick that you can actually bite it. Salty. Overall, for a rarity, and for a cask strength, this is not super exciting. Not a bad dram at all, it is a little expensive on the secondary market. It is like your standard Caol Ila, just a bit stronger. My score for it is 89 over 100.

Cadenhead's is one of those legendary independent bottlers or Scotland's finest single malts. I have to confess that i have never been fully drawn to their bottlings since they are not the best looking decanters and labels out there. As a fact, that is a violation to my first whisky rule, which is "if a whisky bottle is famous and ugly looking, i must buy it, since it has to be so good that it doesn't need marketing". (See "Laphroaig" for examples, lol) Well i got my hands on a very decent looking bottle of Cadenhead's, mostly because it was a single ex wine cask bottling of one of the most flavorfull malts of Scotland in my opinion: Auchroisk. This 16yo single wine cask, bottled at 54.3%abv, is one of only 246 ever made, and i have some expectations to it, but i never thought it was going to be THAT GOOD. On the nose, this is the most appealing fruity single malt ever. Starts with melon notes, tangerine, oranges, everything feels super fresh. Chocolate and hazelnuts, very creamy and thick. After a couple of minutes i get some rum & raisins; granma's perfume (very floral), plums and a pastry shop. On the palate, i get melon and papaya. Toffee and pepper. After a first sip, it changed into chocolate and strawberries. Aftertaste is quite the ride. It feels like drinking a slightly hot coca cola or Dr. Pepper. Farm fruits, red fruits and a hint of spiciness. It quickly transforms into dried fruits like almonds and hazelnuts. Chewing tobacco. Overall, i poured this on a very competitive cask strength whiskies tasting event and it was the unanimous winner of the night. Another superb expression from Auchroisk and my first Cadenhead's. I will surely look for more from them, specially this wine cask bottlings. My score for this amazing whisky is 97 over 100. Believe me, for the price it goes, this have no rival in the whisky world. Slàinte!

Ian Macleod once released a collection of three whiskies, all of them single casks from the Dalmore distillery which is one of my favorites, but it is often criticized for their low abv expressions. Well, this is the pure heart of Dalmore's famous and delicious spirit; since the whole collection (i called them the Eagle, the Goat and the Pearl because of their crazy good looking labels), are all bottled at Cask Strength. This is my second review from that collection, this time the GOAT. A 58.4%ABV Dalmore, one of only 285 bottles ever made. It has a 2009 vintage, making this one an 8yo whisky if i am not mistaken. On the nose, it is impressive. Starts with a full orange note, with chocolate and hazelnut. Sweet plums, school glue, coffee, Nutella, marzipan; all the classic Dalmore notes are here, but delivered in a powerful way. After a couple of sips, the aroma changed into milk powder, metallic notes, gooseberries and butter. On the palate, it is perfect. Orange, milk powder, ginger, chocolate and... wet paint. It is super sweet, it actually gave notes of a Pavlova dessert. Acid and sweet. Incredible. Aftertaste is actually salty. Ginger, star aniseed, bitter dark chocolate. Green tea. Grass and almonds. Overall, if i have to guess which sherry cask was used here, i would probably say amontillado. The acid orange notes are uncanny, i was really surprised. An incredible whisky, which is a little less perfect than the first one i tasted of the same collection (The Eagle). A Dalmore heart from an independent bottler, a dream come true. My score for it is 97 over 100.

By this point there is no mystery in saying that the Taiwan Sherry Cask Matured releases of The Glenlivet are by far the best whiskies they probably have made lately. I have loved them all and one beautiful day i found something i never expected... a Cask Strength Release of the whisky i cherish so much. This 15yo rare dram was bottled at 58.7%abv has the most amazing deep copper / chesnut color, that you know it is going to be a sherry powerhouse. On the nose, it starts with a thick blackberry marmalade; figs, plums and metallic notes that are simply marvelous. Cinnamon, coffee and raisins; maple syrup and red fruits. After a first sip, it developed notes of coffee woth milk, red caramelized apples, tobacco and hay. A delicious flavor of red fruits and a thick marmalade are the first noticeable descriptors on the palate. Then a spicy pepper bomb appeared leaving a red chilli sensation. Very winey. Aftertaste was too dry. Coffee beans, bitter, red chilli and ginger. Overall, as expected this was a very beautiful dram, that wasn't perfect on my score sheet and that is an unexpected surprise, since its predecessors were absolutely flawless. It still is the sherry bomb you want, with the thick marmalade notes that i crave. My score for this beauty is 94 over 100.

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.