Tastes

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.

This is my second Mannochmore, and i was super interested in trying another expression from this distillery, specially since the one i already had, the "Ghost of Clanyard Bay", was really a wonderful whisky. The Flora & Fauna collection is very famous in the world of whisky, but i never thought of it as a group of single malts that surprised me. Actually, none of the expressions from Flora & Fauna was memorable. Le'ts see if this one makes the difference. On the nose it is absolutely incredible. Melon, watermelon juice, it has a note that took me to the fruit aisle of a supermarket. A really amazing malted barley aroma. Peach peel. Very clean aroma; floral. On the palate, the fruitiness was there. Peaches, Ferrero Rocher chocolate; hazelnut. It is like a red fruit water, blueberries. Aftertaste is a complete waste. Dry, muted finish. There is nothing here. It feels like you did not drink anything. Disaster. Overall, the word to describe it, is "unbalanced". Incredible nose, average palate, non-existing finish. A complete dissapointment, specially after a very good nose; my score for this chaos is 62 over 100.

The Maclean family is a synonym of Oban Single Malt whisky. Old Teddy Maclean was the distillery manager since 1953 till 1985, when his son, "Young Teddy" took the reins till 2017, where he then passed the torch to Derek Maclean. To honour this family tradition, Oban released in 2019 a special limited bottle called "Old Teddy", only sold at the distillery; when that one was gone, they then released this "Young Teddy", which is finished in Oloroso and Palo Cortado sherry casks; and is bottled at 50.8% ABV. Only 4542 were ever made. On the nose, an instant haystack. Honey, peach and pineapple. There is a definitive predominance of the white sherry used here. White chocolate, malted barley and a lot of sugary notes. After a couple of sips, the oloroso sherry influence appeared. Peaches everywhere, like the Bowser song. On the palate, it felt watery, but it managed to pass the test. Sugar notes, hay; a rather grassy honey. Salty. Palo Cortado sherry. Aftertaste was very interesting since it has this ultra rare palo cortado finish. Crazy white sherry. It feels so weird and at the same time super bold. Great ending. Overall, this is one of the finest expressions i have ever tasted out of this not very surprising distillery. This was actually very good and enjoyable. The Palo Cortado cask maturation has given it a lot of crazy notes that i appreciated. My score for it is a solid 88 over 100.

Oban as a part Diageo's greatest malts, is always chosen to be a participant in their yearly Special Releases. It shows a mystical jumping Rabbit in the label, which is part of Oban's myths. Bottled at 57.1%abv, this one has been matured in American oak casks, and then finished in amontillado Sherry butts. On the nose, it starts with a very grapy - berries aroma. Smokey. Cotton candy, malted barley. It feels very sugary on the nose. More berries, hazelnut, chocolate. Super appealing. On the palate, it starts with grapes and vanilla. Blackberries, it is wild. An atomic explosion of salt has appeared out of nowhere, it is very powerful. Aftertaste has "Oban" written all over it. Salt, ginger, grapes. There is a ghostly second aftertaste of hazelnut. It appears 10 seconds later of the first finish. Overall, i really liked this dram. Diageo's special releases are not always memorable, but this one i might remember for a long time. Nothing too complex, this is just an enjoyable whisky. My score for it is 88 over 100.

When visiting Oban distillery, i felt compeled to try the Distillery Exclusive, and i really did not have a chance, since it was part of my whisky tour there. Oban is often a very enjoyable whisky that i found it to be a "safe" dram. It will never blow my mind, but i haven't had an under average single malt from this distillery. On the nose, it starts very cowboy-ish. Honey; a very "farmy" vanilla. A fresh lemon zest has appeared after 2 minutes. Sugar and a hint of smoke. Amazingly, after 5 minutes, blackberries appeared out if nowhere. Haystack. On the palate, this was not the best. A too watery, very sugary though. It is like a very sugary glass of milk. Aftertaste was good. A super hay finish; salty. The salt goes straight to your lips. A ghostly hint of peat. Overall, this is my least favorite Oban, and it manages to pass my average score just barely. It is not an off-putting dram or anything like that, it is just a little boring and nothing special. My score for it is 80 over 100.

I had the opportunity to visit the Oban town in my latest trip to Scotland, and it was absolutely incredible, since it is a really beautiful place. In the heart of the town, in a very unconventional way, since most Scottish distilleries are located in the middle of nowhere, the Oban Distillery stands in front of the local river. It is as beautiful as you can imagine. And inside of it, my group made a tasting tour, where i was given this Oban Distiller's edition vintage 2008, bottled in 2022 at 43%abv. On the nose, it starts with a beatiful red fruit syrup; maraschino cherries. Very sherried, lemon peel has risen after a couple of seconds. Plums. After a couple of sips, you get the salty beach aroma that is typical from Oban. Hay, grass. There is a little nuttiness to it. On the palate, it is a little dry. Hay, envelope glue. You can find some saltiness after bitting it. Slight ginger, it is like a salty water. There is a cotton candy note,;not too powerful. Aftertaste is super salty.  Its like an overload of salt with an elegant puff of hay smoke. After a couple of sips i can definitively tell you this is smokey in a very aromatic and elegant way. Overall, the nose was good, the palate was a little average and the finish was great. The saltiness here is the most powerful thatbi have found in any Obans, and i think that it is not a bad feature. My score for this single malt is 88 over 100.

Recently Talisker made a partnership with Parley,  a company that is dedicated to preserve the ocean's Kelp and other environmental sea causes. To celebrate that partnership, and to raise funds for the ocean, a new, beautiful looking expression has arrived to my home bar, the Talisker Parley "Wilder Seas". Even the bottle is made of 100% recycled glass  from biofuel, and it is matured in ex Cognac cask. To make it even better, it comes at 48.6%abv. On the nose, this is incredible. Salted Chocolate, salted caramel, everuthing salted.  Aromatic smoke. After a couple if sips the aroma changed into coffee with milk. Honey. On the palate it is marvelous. Coffee, toffee. Salt has risen only to become a pepper bomb. Aftertaste is smokey, peppery. Ginger and toffee. Very straightforward but amazing. Overall, at this price point, you just can get any better whiskies. The Cognac Casks have given this dram the bitter chocolate / coffee / cocoa profile which i find very interesting since those are not usual notes you can find on a Talisker. A wonderful single malt, my score is 95 over 100. I love Talisker.