Tastes

Glengoyne is often called "the Glendronach Killer" but in my experience it has never ever lived to that name. I have had some of their fancier expressions, but incredibly i have never tasted the 10yo before. Now it is time for me to review one of the iconic whiskies from the scottish highlands. Bottled at 40% abv. On the nose, not bad. Hay, shortbread, danish cookies. A little rough and grainy; it smells like a mountain field. Peach and Chocolate after letting it breath. Vanilla On the palate, it has a chocolate and nutty note at the beggining. A little rough and grainy. Acetone. The second sip gave me creamy vanilla and chocolate. Aftertaste is simple but very appealing. Salty, sulphuric and a little Short, but with a wonderful chocolate ending. Overall, for a not expensive 10yo, this is a very enjoyable dram. I believe that most fans have tried this and for the price it goes, they feel it is hard to beat. Maybe that is why this distillery have so many fans.  A good offering, very balanced although a little rough, my score for it is 80 over 100.

Edradour is one of my favorite distilleries. I just love everything they make, and just recently i have discovered their peaty range, The Ballechin. Having said that, Edradour expressions tend to be really scarce and limited, and this one is no exception. That is why every single drop from the former "smallest distillery in Scotland" is one that i cherish. This is a 21yo, Bordeaux Cask Finish, bottled at 55.7%abv. On the nose, it is peachy. Peach syrup; A peach spice. It has an ashy spiciness somewhere. Very alcoholy for a 21yo. After a first sip, it became much more peachy but not much else, not bad though. This is actually a thin nose. On the palate, it improves a lot. Peaches and milk chocolate. White chocolate, and then Boom!!! a punch in the face of spices, Black pepper and wasabi. The second sip started with butterscotch, hazelnut. A little white wine on the third sip, tropical, coconut. Very complex. Aftertaste is wonderful. A nice bite of fortified wine, very good. Tropical fruits but so powerful that makes you chew a little. It is a ginger explosion with salt, lip scorching. Pleasant. Overall, i have to be honest: i don't usually like Bodeaux cask Finishes. I believe that fact has an influence in my conclusion for this whisky. The nose didn't do much for me, but i have to say that the palate was very good and the aftertaste was quite the experience. It still feels like a bit unbalanced. Not my favorite Edradour, but a very good whisky, my score for it is 88 over 100.

A Blend of 28 malts, by Diageo. Sounds like a Cask Strength Johnnie Walker Green Label to me. Well... i was wrong. Collectivum XVIII is a rather expensive (about $200) blended malt from the entire single malt portfolio of the Whisky Giants, Diageo. Labeled as the Blend to end all blends, i am happy to tell you this has been bottled at 57.3%abv. On the nose, Chocolate, cream and citric oranges. Orange peel. Ferrero rocher, it is like a nutty butter. Letting it breath revealed dried oranges. On the Palate, again this Chocolate profile. Ferrero rocher. Orange acidity. I am getting some raisin acidity and astringency. Increibly chocolaty. Very nice dram. Aftertaste is suitable for a strong, powerful dram, very well crafted. Impalpable sugar, and acid oranges. Some spiciness and mild peat. The aftertaste is quite something. Hazelnut, ginger, mouth numbimg. Puffs of smoke. Overall, i really didn't have any expectations for this whisky, and i was truly surprised. A super complex, powerful, enjoyable dram; this is one i will remember for a long time. It wasn't really overly peaty, and it has a perfect balance. My score for this beauty is 94 over 100.

Before this day, i have never even heard about "The Ghosted Reserve". A 26yo blended malt from William Grant & Sons, owners of Glenfiddich and Balvenie. This whisky has been bottled at 42% and it includes whiskies from mothballed distilleries like Ladyburn and Inverleven. A rarity it seems, and quite expensive.  On the nose, it is very fruity, after all it comes from Grant's. A citric grapefruit. Gooseberries and pear. Lemon peel and farm fruits. On the palate it is very simple and boring. Toffee, salted caramel, and Pear juice. Aftertaste, is short and dissapointing. Ginger, apple sider, hay. Overall, the only thing i can say about this, is that some Ghosts should be left alone. A very simple and not impressive Dram, i don't know what i expected from this, since any research took me to the Glenfiddich and Balvenie, not my favorie whiskies in the world. Does this feel like a better Monkey Shoulder? It actually feels inferior to the Monkey. My score for this dissapointing malt, is a 75 order 100.

Ancnoc. Have you tasted anything from them? Because i recently discovered it after 900 whiskies, and believe me, it was one of the most important discoveries i have made lately. After a couple good expressions i wanted to step up my game. That is why i have picked the 18yo, which is one of the reddish whiskies i have seen, and we are talking about natural color here. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, it starts slow. Red fruits, Spicy prunes; Cigarrettes and Madeira wine. It is like a Cigarrette with a cherry infusion. On the palate, it is fantastic. Red fruits: Strawberries, Port wine and Prunes. It is so syrupy, red fruit syrup. Fresh farm fruits. It is like a strawberry marmalade. Aftertaste is very well delivered. Acid prunes and very astringent. Winey with mild ashiness. Strawberries. Overall, i have to say that the nose lost some points, but after that, this was a memorable whisky. I loved the mixture of peaty notes and the port wine red fruitiness. Amazing, enjoyable, elegant, complex, delicious dram. I would buy a bottle, and the price is not out of this world. My score for it is 90 over 100.

I have seen this unpronounceable Bunnahabhain a lot of times and i actually never had it, but it is one of those cases where you think you have tasted a whisky till you are invited a glass and you check your notes and "Voilá", a new review must be added. Toiteach a Dha means "SMOKY TWO", because it seems this is a spin off of a best seller malt called from "Bunna", called Toiteach ("smoky"). Bottled at 46.3%abv On the nose, peaty notes! Cotton socks, cloth softener, fresh towels. A super citric lime, and the trademark chocolate from Bunnahabhain. A second sip gave me humidity and wet sticky pages of an old wet book. On the palate it is good, but too simple. Chocolate, a pair of Socks and Gooseberries. Aftertaste is all about Pepper, cotton and a fresh can of new tennis balls. Not too complex but fun. Overall, this is a winner.  Peaty / chocolate dram will always be a winner for me. Not overly expensive and definitively flavorful. A nice single malt, my score for it is 86 over 100.

I am not sure if this is my first Tamnavulin, but what i am truly sure is that i haven't had the chance to proper analyze this distillery that belongs to "Emperador.Inc" which are the nowadays owners of Whyte & Mackay, a company that in whisky has one great brand: Dalmore. The other ones tend to be not to appealing to the general public. This is the review for the Double Cask, their first official bottling after some decades. Finished in sherry casks. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose,  lots of fruits and sweets. Citric, chocolate. Grapefruit, gooseberries and other fresh farm fruits. The toffee note here is out of this world. On the palate, it is a little simple. Lots of toffee, gooseberries and an acid feeling like a lemon peel. Aftertaste was dull. Sawdust, standard oakiness and bitter new wood. Overall, for a cheap single malt, which comes from a very sub-par distillery, this was not as bad as i could have guessed by only looking at the bottle, which is not my cup of tea. Enjoyable dram with a dissapointing, young finish. My score for it is 79 over 100.

So, i came back to the Scotch Whisky Museum on Edinburgh, and my favorite part is where the tour ends and they let you go into the majestic bar for a free tasting and some other paid jewels. One of the whiskies i have never tried, was this Arran Barrel Reserve, from one of my favorite distilleries, The Arran Malt. Bottled at 43%abv. On the nose, it was very floral. Heather, citric, spicy and chocolate notes. On the palate, it has toffee notes but also the classic pineapple heart from Arran. More sips revealed impalpable sugar. Aftertaste follows the same floral, heathery path, with some pepper spiciness. Overall, a very simple yet good expression fro Arran, i believe this might be one of their cheapest expressions and they still manage to deliver something enjoyable. Nothing to fancy though. My score for it is a solid 80 over 100.

A 14yo Tomatin, matured in Port Casks, is this surprising expression that i really never heard or seen before i had it in an scottish bar in Edinburgh. Bottled at 46%abv, this have been partially matured in bourbon casks and finished in tawny port pipes. On the nose, lots of red fruits, caramelized apples, cherry syrup. A second sip gave me a very citric like grapefruit and starfruit. On the palate, it was very sweet, like a cherry syrup overload. Then it changes to a nice acidity like a cabernet sauvignon wine. It is a little rough. A second sip gave me honey for a second, and coconut. Aftertaste has a nice burnt hay with some burnt tobbacco notes. It is like a ashy / peaty finish that came out of nowhere. Nice. Overall, this one might not be the most memorable dram ever, but is far from been bad or off-putting. I would normally pick any other dram over this if given the chance, but i would not hesitate to drink it if i am invited a glass in any occasion. My score for it is a fair 84 over 100.

Would you believe me if i tell you that after having tasted 931 whiskies, i realized that i have never had a Naked Grouse from the Famous "Famous Grouse"? Well that is no longer an issue for me since i had it already. And guess what, i liked it a lot. Bottled at 43%abv. On the nose, it is very bourbonish; Banana and fancy, very fancy red fruit syrup. Caramel and floral. Cherry syrup, this is so syrupy. Thick Honey and Apricot peel. Some prunes after a couple of sips. On the palate, Honey, peaches and mild saltiness. Fruit spices if that even exists. Apricot peel. Aftertaste, it had a wonderful stack of hay, best hay/tobacco leaf note ever. Very cowboy. Western. Very interesting aftertaste. Refined hay. Overall, i dont think this one is expensive, nor rare, but man, it was very rewarding. It is the most "bourbonish" scotch ever. I dont usually tend to like this type of drams, but Naked Grouse is so well delivered, that i truly enjoyed it.  My score for it was a solid 86 over 100.