Tastes

The most amazing thing about visiting the Glendronach distillery, is that you can taste and hand filled some single cask strength expressions, which usually are so powerfully sherried that the whisky itself is almost black. Everytime you book a Glendronach tasting at the distillery, a lovely lady called Vicky will pour you 5 drams and 2 sherry glasses; just for you to fully live this brand experience. Two of those drams will inevitably be the single cask strength expressions you can hand fill at the shop. I believe this is a proper strategy to get you a little "happy" before you step into the shop, which will have the consequence of you buying everything you can find. This was the case of a 12yo, hand filled "Glendro", drawn from a single Px Puncheon, bottled at 58%abv, distilled on the 25th of april of 2011 and bottled on May, 2023. On the nose you get this full Pedro Ximenez nose, which is fantastic. Herbal notes, hazelnut, maraschino cherries. Raisins bathed in chocolate. After a first sip, an aroma of red fruit jam appeared. Strawberries. Magnificent. In the palate it is almost perfect. Red fruit marmalade; red chilli, Chocolate. On the second sip i got raisins and a winey profile. Aftertaste is out of this world. It is absolutely rewarding. Lots of dark chocolate. Bitter in a marvelous way. (Here i thought: i am totally buying this). Whoa! It is superb; the overall feeling is incredible. In conclusion, i got to say that after a couple years, Glendronach has risen the prices of their distillery hand filled expressions, but for a 12yo to be this outstanding, the fee you pay for it, feels properly paid. An enormous single malt, with an spectacular aftertaste and a sherry madness, my score for this is a well deserved 97 over 100.

¡Oh Glendronach, that lovely distillery that is undoubtedly the best in the planet! When you get the words "Glendronach" "Batch" Strength" together, you know you are about to have a beautiful time. I was visiting the premises back in may, and of course i signed myself and a group for a wonderful tasting event. The first whisky they gave us was the Batch 10 expression from The Glendronach's annually cask strength releases. Bottled at 58.6%abv, this sherry bomb has a very dark reddish color. On the nose, it is a glass of a powerful Oloroso sherry. Shortbread; peppery on the nose and dehydrated oranges. A full nutty aroma with some granola notes. On the palate, it was wonderful. Red fruits; kid's cereal (trix is for kids) mixed with blackberries and red berries. Winey, nutty, full of raisins. I love that kind of stuff. Aftertaste was a little bit dissapointing. Overly oaky, too much sawdust and an overall woody finish that i hate to use to describe a whisky. In conclusion, this is a very good whisky, but it is far from been the best Glendronach, it doesn't even get to be the best batch strength. I recently had the batch 11, and that one got a perfect score in my books, this one has an underwhelming aftertaste that suffered most of the point deductions. My score for it is a honest 89 over 100. Try the batch 11 instead.

I always ask people, what whisky would you take to a deserted island where you must only drink that only whisky for the rest of your life. My answer is always the same, it would be a whisky from one of my two favorite distilleries, Talisker or Glendronach. I love Talisker, i have had crazy vintage expressions from them, 50yo, 44yo, 41yo, 30, 27, 25, 18, everything that i find from them, if i can manage to get a dram, i will do my best to try it. Having said that, not many people know that Talisker had some years ago, some 25 year old releases, which were distillery exclusives, bottled at cask strength. This is the case of the Talisker natural cask strength 25yo distillery exclusive bottling of 2001, limited edition of only 6000 bottles. With a lovely 59.9%abv, this was distilled in 1975, 8 years before i was born, and it waited for me to find it at Craigellaiche Hotel in Speyside, where i stopped for lunch, and found it. On the palate, orange and maritime notes, bit in an incredible lovely way. It is an orange hard candy, one that i have only obtained in my childhood from a birthday piñata. It smells spectacular, but not complex at all. After a first sip, the aroma gave me vanilla and bbq sauce. On the palate, it is pure perfection. Sweet orange candy, salt, a tangerine heart; Fanta beverage. On the second sip, this is a monster dram; astringent and acid from the orange profile. Salt kicks in beautifully. Aftertaste is epic. Smoky, salty, sea water. It is super dry becuase of salty notes. It actually makes your lips go numb because of the powerful, delicious abv it has. Overall, i don't really know why i am deducting 3 points from this masterpiece. Actually, the nose is where it lost a couple points, and that was due to a lack of complexity; it was too straightforward despite how nice it felt. A truly amazing single malt, i could definitivelt take this one to my deserted island; my score for it is 97 over 100.

Its been a long time since Glenfiddich released what i thought was their last "Experiment", Fire & Cane. Well, last year they gave us the 5th expression in the series, the Orchard Experiment. This Glenfiddich is inspired in Sider, well, actually in a family from england that make apple sider and brandy, something that fits perfectly with Glenfiddich's historic fruity profile. Bottled at 43%abv, it has been finished in Somerset Pomona casks, which is an apple spirit drink. On the palate, it is exactly what you expect it to be: Pears and apples. Stewed apples, grapefruit. A super fruity, fresh dram. It is like having a mixture of every single fruit peel that exist in the world. On the palate, the fruit salad comtinues. Pineapple, pears; a mild and decent spiciness. Dim salt and something that i can only describe as a cube of sugar. Aftertaste is a Glenfiddich classic: Hay, burnt grass and impalpable sugar. Overall, i must say that even if this type of whiskies are not my favorite, this one achieves exactly what it offers: a fruity explosion that is so fresh that must whisky drinkers will enjoy without overthinking this dram too much. It is my least favorite of the experiments collection, but somehow it passes the test. My score for it is 82 over

When talking about rare whiskies, an open bottle of an Ardbeg, that has been matured for at least one quarter of a century is quite the finding. Since the release of this new 25yo expression, i have been searching for a glass of it, but it was impossible to get until the day i entered the great bar at Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. There, along other incredible findings, it was available for the humble public to drink it without having to pay for a full bottle. Bottled at 46%abv, it is the oldest age statement for an Ardbeg these days. The only other 25yo expression that existed before this one, was the mythical "Lord of the Isles", a whisky that i have been seeking but i never found. On the nose, it took a long time to fully open. Cardamom, red chilli and Ardbeg's traditional peat. Acid prunes, a pair of new socks and floral notes. It has an orange aroma that i find so rare for an Ardbeg. It is like a pair of wet converse shoes. A little dim, not too clean and lacking some emotion. On the palate, it starts with vanilla and a note that i can describe as muddy water. Acid prunes, earthy and herbal. Spices and smoke on the second sip; salt. Grassy and herbal. Aftertaste was too straightforward, but rewarding. A classic note of a can of new tennis balls. Red chilli and salt. Overall, i was a little underwhelmed by this one. It is not a bad whisky by any means, but for a thousand dollars, you expect complexity, layers of aromas and flavors, but that does not occur here. This one feels like it has lost the smokey profile and the power that you know from this distillery, and that is something that i have been noticing in old Ardbegs, and this one is no exception to that rule. I truly believe that younger expressions are better. My score for it is a honest 89 over 100.

There comes a time in a whisky enthusiast life, where he meets an open bottle of a single malt that he has been wanting to taste but just couldn't afford a whole bottle, lol. Well, that was my story with the almighty Glendronach 28yo Grandeur. The notoriously different decanter makes this "Glendro" quite eye-catching, and of course, with a 28 year old age statement, it is something worth seeking.  Bottled at 48.9%abv it has a lovely chesnut color. On the nose, it is a heart-stopper. The aroma here is really unprecedented. It has this intense oloroso sherrines; lime, red fruits, strawberry marmalade. The nose is magnificent. Cinnamon, cherry syrup, hazelnut. It is so good, i tried it with some friends, and we went 20 minutes just nosing it without even trying it on the palate. Floral notes. This is a million point nose. Pure perfection. On the palate it is just heaven. Red fruitiness, red chilli, and the most accurate strawberry note ever (even with the leaf). Red wine, white chocolate, almonds. Everything is surrounded by a winey profile. Aftertaste is amazing, but way to oaky. Sawdust and bitter chocolate. It is very good but not as perfect as the palate and nose. It is not the first time that i feel an overly oaky note on old Glendronachs. Overall, this is superb. It is one legendary dram, with an impressive aroma and full of flavor. Having said that, i will deduct 2 points on the finish, but not on the balance since that overly oaky note still feels right for this elegant and rare dram. My score for this marvelous whisky is a honest 98 over 100. Slàinte!

Highland Park recently changed their marketing strategy, and not-so-lately they have created this bottles that have a viking style carved in the glass. After doing that, they re-released all of their expressions, and most of them aren't too expensive as you would expect from a top distillery. This is the case of this 25yo, 2019 release, which i believe that is not super expensive, or at least it wasn't when it was first released. Bottled at 46%abv, it has been matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. On the nose, it starts with oranges, and then you get the heather but not peat. Red fruits, flowers, Alka Setzer. After a first sip, the aroma changed into grass and smoke. Povydone. On the palate, it is a bit dry; Paper, raw rice, hay and burnt grass. Bitter and grassy. Salty lip destroying. On the second sip: Red fruits; it changed a lot on this sip, to a fruitier, nicer profile. On the third sip i got cherries. It  improved in every sip. Aftetaste is all about a dim aromatic smoke and salt. Also cherry syrup. Overall, i believe this is a very enjoyable dram, but it lacks emotion, and i truly think that you should get a better whisky for a 25 year old offering. My score for this dram is 89 over 100, which feels a little bit dissapointing.

Lately i have been seing in auctions this hand filled expressions from Hazelburn and Longrow. They have called my attention and i wanted to try them but never really had the chance before. I was at Usquabae in Edinburgh, and i was trying every single dram i could. One of those, was this Hazelburn Hand Filled at 57.8%, specially bottled on 29 of december 2022 for this scottish bar. On the nose, it gave me this new spirit note, very clean and easy to find. Spongy cake, vanilla, biscuit, and after a couple of sips i found a cigarrette note. On the palate it was very winey, and it has the Hazelburn profile you usually expect. Blackberries, wine. It feels young; rough but astringent. Vanilla, paper and spices. Aftertaste is dry, winey and spicy sweet. It remind me of a white sherry wine to change "tapas" in Spain. Overall, this wasn't the greatest dram in the world, but it wasn't bad either. It definitively can mature a little more before been bottled, since it is a little rough on the edges. My score for this one is 87 over 100.

Ardbeg's Supernova releases started back in 2009, and one year later they doubled the bet. The 2010 Supernova is one famous whisky, since it is a powerful dram at 60.1%abv. I have had some supernovas before (2015, 2019) and the not-so-good Hypernova, and all of those offer a peaty explosion, let's see if this one lives to its legendary name. On the nose, it starts with Ardbeg's beautiful peat; wet socks, cotton dipped in medicinal alcohol. Wet grass. This one can pierce your nose. This feels like the heart of Ardbeg. It smells like holding an acid prune next to your nose, while being at a Rainforest. After a first sip, the aroma became a fantastic lemon meringue. Perfect score here. On the palate, it is really sweet, that was surprising.  Impalpable sugar mixed with an scorching ginger. The most atomic black pepper explosion ever. Meringue sweets; brown sugar. It is like milk with sugar. Aftetaste has the crazy notes. New shoes, socks, clean towels. It is so thick it feels chewable. Coal and pencil notes. Superinteresting. Overall, this can change its name to "supersweet" instead of Supernova. Of course it has the peaty crazy notes, but it is mostly sweet, which might be appealing to non-traditional Ardbeg drinkers. A really wonderful dram with power and spices. I liked it a lot. Ardbeg was better. They must return to their former flavor glory. My score for it is 97 over 100.

Am i dreaming? Is this true? Have i really tasted a Lagavulin 37 year old single malt? Well my friends, luckily, i have. Lagavulin just might be not only the king of Islay (controversial statement, i know), but it can also be considered into the top 3 best distilleries of the world im my humble opinion. (Try to deny it, lol). I have never even seen this bottle before, i did not knew it existed. But i found one at Usquabae bar in Edinburgh. I couldn't avoid tasting it, i had to have it. It was distilled in 1976 and bottled in 2013 at a lovely 51%abv. Matured in refill american oak and european oak casks. Only 1868 were ever made. A true rarity. On the nose, it was incredible. Smokey cigarrettes, ham, sherry. The smokiness on the nose is so great, specially when it turns into this glazed pork note after a few seconds. Salty and waxy; prunes, lemon and ashtray aromas. Fish and lulo fruit peel. It smells delicious; sherried cherries. Oh my god the palate is spectacular. A big chocolate note mixed with hazelnut and vanilla. Salt, red chilli and plants. Very herbal after holding it some seconds in the palate. Wet grass and smoke. On the second sip, the sherry and red fruits appeared.  The sherriness, the fruitiness, the saltiness, everything is so rounded; mud and earthiness. Wow, just wow. Aftertaste is the perfect ending for a perfect dram. Smokey, salty, cigarrettes and ashes. Gunpowder. It can only be described as an epic Lagavulin finish. I wonder how it is so smokey after 37 long years. Overall, you might believe that i can get overwhelmed just by discovering this bottle, and that is why i gave it a perfect score, but that is not true. I had it after just tasting a Talisker 1953 which is even more legendary and this one was superior. This might be the perfect Lagavulin, and that is a powerful statement on its own. My score for it is 100 over 100 and this will definitively be on my 2023's top ten whiskies tasted.