Tastes

A discontinued super fun expression from the best selling distillery Glenfiddich. "Caoran" means "peat ember" in gaelic. This is one of the very few ever peaty Glenfiddichs, with a 12yo age statement. Bottled still at 40%abv, Burnished gold color. On the nose there is a lot of complexity and interesting notes, which are not typical from this distillery. Pistachio ice cream, burnt hay, a very dim cigarritte note. A Fruity note; cigarrette ashes; mint cigarrettes. After the first sip, a very sweet toffee and Herbal note appeared. Rainy fields, Mint and aromatic peat. Pineapple. On the palate, it is a little straightforward. Hard toffee candy. Caramel, Apple and cinnamon. Aftertaste is very rewarding. Pepper, vanilla, herbal. After the first sip, it gave me full ashes and salt. Pipe tobacco. In conclusion, this is a very fresh, slightly peated dram, with complex notes but a little dim overall. One of the most interesting Glenfiddichs out there; the price of this discontinued bottle has risen lately. It feels that the experiment is valid, but they still tried to make something for the everyday 'fiddich drinker, which is not normally looking for something too harsh or peaty. My score for it is 84 over 100.

It might strike you as a surprise, but Dalmore does not bottle 21 year old whiskies regularily. Actually in 2015 they did, only 8.000 bottles were released and they dissapeared from the shelves quite quickly. A very fancy expression from this distillery, the decanter has the classic look, but the Box is bigger than my house, lol. Bottled at 42%abv, beautiful chesnut color. On the nose, this might be the greatest aroma i have ever experienced. "Bellísimo" is the spanish word for "incredibly beautiful" which is the only one i can use to describe it. Figs, dates, Macerated fruits; Maraschino Cherries, homemade toffee. Amaretto, Creme brulee. Best aroma ever. On the palate, it fell dramatically, since it felt weak and very watery. Prunes, very velvety. Cherry. There is this red fruitiness. Almonds and a Bourbonish profile. Aftertaste took everything back to greatness. Cinnamon. Christmas cake, cinnamon rolls, pepper. Super fancy; Spicy and dry. Great stuff. Perfect score, very rewarding. Overall, i really want to say this is an outstanding dram, but i cant since the palate, which wasn't bad, wasn't very appealing either. The weakness there was really noticeable, specially when the nose and aftertaste are really close to perfection. A wonderful dram for people who can spend easily; a luxury item for people like me who can drink it once on a lifetime. I believe that the aroma might be the best ever, which is a high distinction. My score for this single malt is 92 over 100, and it is because two of the four criterias got a perfect score.

Oh man have i long waited to try one of this very fancy Highland Park Bottles... Loki, the Norse god or demigod of trickery, deception, shapeshifting and envy. Some even say he was the ruler of fire. The truth is that Loki's myth is one super interesting one, which i highly encourage you to read. He is the one that unleashes the "Ragnarok", by deceiving a blind god called Hod into killing The Light God Balder, Odin's brightest son, using a mistletoe. And Loki was punished for that by being tied to a rock, with a poisonous snake over his head who dripped its venom over Loki's face till he managed to scape. Then, the god of trickery will made one last deception, in order to keep Balder dead and not resurrected. But beware, this whisky might trick you into believing that you are going to spend too much on a fancy bottle that doesn't deliver its promise of been a good dram. This is not the case, since this is an amazing single malt. Bottled at 48.7abv, deep copper color. On the nose, it is so "meaty". Bacon, glazed ham; it has an exact aroma of a Filet Mignon. Argentinian Fernet liquor. Meat. After a first sip it "shapeshifted" into cocoa, chocolate and maple syrup. The palate was very good. Scorched gooseberries and grapefruits. Peppery and acid. Sherry has appeared. Coffee beans and dark chocolate. Aftertaste was just perfect. Sweet, sulphuric and salty. Also acid and earthy. Peat, sherry, salt and plain "awesomeness". Super Long finish. Ginger. Overall, the bottle, that comes in the boat called Skíðblaðnir (i dare you to pronounce that), is just marketing that makes justice to an incredible dram. I believe that this should be tasted by everyone, to show the full capability of what Highland Park can really do. A masterpiece, i loved it. It lost minimun points here and there but my final score is 96 over 100. Slàinte!

Back in 2000, an american man who was living in the UK, resigned his job at Johnnie Walker, because he wasn't happy with the fact that Diageo kept secret the recipes of their blends. He created a company, he gave himself the title of Whiskymaker, and Compass Box was born. That man was John Glaser, and his kitchen was the home of his first blend, one that got lost in time, the COMPASS BOX ELEUTHERA. A perfect blend between Caol Ila and a 15yo Clynelish, Eleuthera got his name from the greek "freedom", which was John Glaser's most important intention: be completely free and transparent about his whisky blends. In 2004, Clynelish stopped making the 15yo malt, and Eleuthera dissapeared. Compass box became one of the most fancy and important names in the Blended Scotch world, but Eleuthera never came back. It came close, when CB released "the Lost Blend", a tribute to this first whisky from "the whiskymakers". Well... i managed to obtain a bottle of the original Eleuthera. Here are my thoughts on it. Bottled at 46%abv, Pale straw color. On the nose, the first aroma was impressive. Green, acid gooseberries. Mango, ashtray. After a couple of sips, it gave me an exact aroma of a fish market. Lemon meringue, fish, lemon pie and a glazed donut. On the palate, it is very salty and fun. Creamy vanilla, gooseberies. There is this salt bomb, a real atomic salt note. Meringue and a salty meat. Aftertaste was amazing. Peppery, sulphur and very salty in a great way. Gooseberries, all the notes are very balanced. Very Astringent. Metallic as a coin. Overall, lets go back to 2000 and talk about what did John Glaser intended to do. It was a good blend between a Highland and an Islay Malt, he accomplished that. This is a very good whisky, and even if nowadays it costs around $1000 (if you find it), the original retail price was around $90, which was an incredible deal for what this whisky is. My score for this mythical dram, full of history, is a very well deserved 89 over 100. Maybe i am been a little rough with the score, because i drank it with friends and all of them said 92 over 100. I'll stick to my score.

A distillery that is almost hidden from the general public is this great Glen Garioch. Pronounced "Glen - Geeree" is one of Scotlands finest drams. It was mothballed for a long time, and when it re-opened, they released a collection of whiskies called "Renaissance", at 15, 16,17 and 18 years of age, to show the public the differences that one year of maturation can give you. This review is for the 16yo, the second chapter of the Renaissance collection, a ex-bourbon and sherry matured dram. Bottled at 51.4%abv, with a tawny color. On the nose, this is very nice. Orange zest, horse stable;  ColaCao chocolate formula; this has the exact aroma of the mixture of butter and chocolate powder you use when making brownies. Lots of chocolate, hazelnut. It has this sweet artificial orange note, as a cheap orange candy you get from a piñata. Petrichor and humid notes. Pepper. On the palate, it is perfect. Just perfect.  A very creamy chocolate note for 3 seconds, then a very citric orange appears. Some dehyrdrated fruits, that i had to overthink to realize it was blueberries. Very winey. It is a chocolate madness. I had to combine it with a dark chocolate, and it made the whisky release a beautiful refined sawdust note. Amazing whisky. Aftertaste wasn't too complex, but very rewarding. Sulphuric and Metallic notes; Cigarrettes and a creamy chocolate. Peaty, earthy, beautiful finish. Overall, i love this dram. It is my fourth Glen Garioch, and i have to say all of them have impressed me. Not a very famous distillery; their expressions are quite hard to find. But it  definitively is worth the hunting. My score for it is a solid 94 over 100.

I am pretty sure this is my first Dailuaine, a Speyside distillery that i mighy have tasted a lot in blends. It has suffered from nasty fires in the past, and it have changed owners as well, but from 1997 to this date, it belongs to Diageo. This one is part of what i can honestly say it is a very good whisky collection called The Ghost Piper from Clanyard Bay, from "Fable" the independent whisky bottlers. Pale straw color, bottled at 54.8%abv. A 12yo dram, this is from their first releases (chapter one). On the nose, it is one of the most lovely aromas i have ever had in a Speyside whisky. Honey cornflakes, hazelnut cream, Kinder Bueno, Lovely sweet aroma. Hanuta, light honey and Nougat. Stewed red apples dipped in dulce de leche. After a first sip, the dulce de leche note has gone amazingly intense. There is this green apple citric note. A crazy hand soap has appeared. It is an incredible aroma. It is like a honey chocolate cream. On the palate, it is not too complex but manages to deliver a nice experience. Hay, honey, almonds. A second sip revealed the sulphur and salty notes. If you hold it long enough you'll get a very clean apple note and hints of dulce de leche. Sawdust. The third sip returned to this hazelnut and honey flavor, then the salt hits. Aftertaste is great. Sulphuric, ashy finish, there is this ball of salt that cuts your lips in an amazing way. Super dry, woody finish on the second sip. This is a very good whisky. Ashy, honey, sólid dram. Overall, i feel that i have to buy a full bottle of this to have it in my house and share with friends. This is a shareable whisky, even if it is bottled at 54.8%abv, you don't feel one inch of alcohol. Incredible dram, with an "out of this world" nose, a normal palate and a very rewarding finish. My score for this great experience is 91 over 100.

I have witness how Jura have fallen. Every year the released expressions are weaker, thiner and the whole reputation of this distillery has crashed. This 12yo is one of those cases where a cheap bottle is falling behind in comparison to any other expression of the same age from any other distillery. Bottled at 40%abv, really beautiful reddish color (i don't know if it is colored, but it seems so). On the nose, a thin cigarrette note. Then red fruits, thick caramel, acid prunes. A nice aroma of home made dulce de leche has appeared after a first sip. On the palate, lt is not the best whisky out there. Sulphur and salt; dim chocolare for a second. A little rough, it actually feels like grain whisky. caramel. Aftertaste is almost non-existent. Sawdust and a little salt for a second. That is it. Very short aftertaste. Overall, this wasn't the best whisky i have had, lol. I don't even feel dissapointed at this point, my feelings about Jura are starting to be more like sadness. They have to improve their game, specially considering that they belong to Whyte & Mackay, who are also owners of the marvelous Dalmore. My score for this whisky is a scary 69 over 100.

I have no information about this whisky. I actually bought it along 5 other strange miniatures. It says "Biggar Connoisseur" as its source, only God knows where this came from. William Wallace is an important historical figure from Scotland, and it is interpreted by Mel Gibson, lol. He was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Bottled at 40%abv, pale straw. On the nose, it is a little rough. Maize, acetone and grain whisky vanilla. Feels super young, wall paint aroma; hints of chocolate and lots of sawdust. On the palate it is surprisingly nice. There is this acid prune with salt note. Not complex. After a first sip, it gave me a nice chocolate note. Aftertaste is simple and young. Salt and sawdust. Very mineral. Overall, i don't know if you are ever going to taste this; yo really don't need to. I'm glad i am not blind, and to be fair, this is far better than some whiskies i have had. Nothing too special, my score for it is 64 over 100.

Highland Park is famous for releasing a ton of single cask expressions, for airports, retail stores, online shops, etc. One of those expressions, is this "Kirkwall", which honours the site where the distillery is located in the Orkney Islands. An 11 year old bottle, at a very high strength, 64.5%abv, it is one of 598 decanters ever made. Copper color. On the nose, straight Gooseberries notes at the beggining. Green and purple prunes. A little bit of it spilled in my hand, and the aroma on my palm is a note of ashes. Very fruity, very soapy. There is a cocoa butter note. It is not powerful as you might expect for a 64.5%abv dram. Black coffee beans. After a first sip, some creamy chocolate has appeared. Coffee and cocoa. Milk powder. The nose is clearly the best part of this single malt. Caramel and toffee. On the palate, it starts too ashy, with a powerful acidity. Is like acid green prunes dipped in ashes. Way too powerful. A second sip gave me a thick, pleasant toffee block; bitterness is pleasant, but then an earthy water flavor appears which wasn't great. The acidity has been tamed on the third sip, it still is very tongue scorching. Aftertaste is all about burnt cigarrettes, burnt tobacco, overload of salt, burnt hay, burnt newspapers, everything burnt. Not unpleasant necessarily, not too enjoyable, but also not unbearable. It is like heaven for people who smoke, which is not my case. It feels exactly as smoking a bitter cigar. A little scorching on the sides of the tongue. Overall, this is an interesting whisky, but nothing too remarkable. I find Highland Park cask strength expressions to be way too raw and sometimes unpleasant. This is not bad at all, but it feels inmature and even if you can feel the HP DNA here, you can aknowledge that it needs more time on the barrel. My score for this dram is an 84 over 100.

When Fable whiskies, the new independent bottler, released the "Ghost of Clanyard Bay" collection, i was interested in only buying samples of each bottle, (which are pretty good looking), to see if they where a good option for future purchases. Actually, i'm quite impressed with both expressions i have already tasted, and the latest one was this Mannochmore "The Hound". I have to fully disclose that this is my first ever Mannochmore, not a small fact considering this is my 898 whisky review. Mannochmore is a Speyside distillery, which is one of Johnnie Walker's (Diageo's) malts. Bottled at 55.4%abv, Pale straw color. On the nose, it starts slow, but then it was incredible. Yellow apples right upfront. It is very soft on the nose for a 55.4%abv, it is like a light apple juice, that you can buy in a gas station. Very perfumed, super floral. Pears. It has a gentle aroma. Not much on the nose. I intentionally swirl the Glencairn in order to wake up some notes, and a powerful, raw, acetone aroma appeared. It is just an apple juice. A nice one. BUT, after the first sip, a very creamy mixture of hazelnut and chocolate has appeared, very appealing; it is exactly the inside cream of a Ferrero Rocher bom bom. Where was this amazing chocolate, cocoa and hazelnut note on the first aroma? It is fantastic. Have you ever had a "Kinder Bueno"? It is exactly that aroma. Letting it breath for a long while will release green gooseberries. On the palate, caramel, chocolate for a second. Hay, green grass. Some tobacco, very herbal. Ginger spice is trying to overpower my mouth. Salt is all over the place. Fruity. The second sip is all about a chocolate and hazelnut cream. Super enjoyable and easy to hold on the palate. The ginger is still there. There is acidity from apples is also present. It is an interesting nice dram. Aftertaste was the lowest score here. Ginger. Lots of new wood. Very bitter and oaky. I have said a lot of times, that "oaky" and "woody" are notes that i try to avoid as much as possible. Wall Paint. Aftertaste feels inmature. Tastes like wall paint, really. Sawdust and cream. Overall, i was very impressed from this Mannochmore, specially because of the chocolate/hazelnut profile. It was soooo good. The aftertaste was very dissapointing and that is where this 12yo dram dropped most of its points. Still, i have grown interest on this distillery that somehow has flown under my whisky radar. My score for this very good single malt, with a dissappointing finish, is a fair 85 over 100.