Tastes

A blended Scotch whisky that has appeared lately in some bars and restaurants is this Carlyle 12yo. I have been avoiding it till i got a proper chance to enjoy it neat and rate it as i like to. I have no expectations and i sincerely think it might be a waste of time, but you know me, i have to taste as many whiskies as i can so: Bottled at 43%abv, caramel color. On the nose, i get this grain whisky note, which, to be fair, is not that bad. Some raisins, fondant and quince dessert. It is sweet with dehydrated fruits and marmalade, but the problem is that the grain whisky feels a little cheap like Grant's red label, or Black & White. On the palate it is very easy drinkable. I got almonds, hard vanilla stick and a sweet prune juice. Aftertaste is short but not bad. Raisins, a little smoke, and thick vanilla from the grain whisky. Overall, i think that this is not a bad whisky at all, it is fairly enjoyable. It is not going to change your life, nor i will buy it, but if some one pours me a glass, i'll drink it with no problem. My score for it is 79 over 100, scoring 20 points on nose, palate and balance, and only 19 points on aftertaste.

I believe that after 879 whiskies, this is my first Linkwood. This Speyside distillery is owned by Diageo since 1997, and they don't release too many distillery own expressions; but i have seen dozens of independent bottles in auctions. Lately i have found this very interesting bottler called "the whisky Jury" and i have had some of their releases. This lovely looking bottle, with a drawing of an owl between flowers holding a card with human hands; is a 33 year old Linkwood, with 47.58%abv, one of 176 bottles. On the nose, it is incredibly fruity. Fresh pears, some spiciness up front. Honey. It is way too powerful on the nose for a 33yo whisky that is bottled at 47.58% (the .58 is a first for me, that second decimal is something i haven't seen before). Mashed apples. Very fresh and fruity, it screams Speyside. After a first sip the aroma gave me red apples, honey. After a few sips some wonderful hay and mint aroma has appeared. I don't know exactly the last aroma note, but i relate it with something i have experienced in a pharmacy, is some kind of herbal medicine; I GOT IT! It is a mixture of honey, lemon and ecualyptus sucking pill for sore throats, it is called "activox". On the palate, it starts with a pineapple heart, pear peel. Very fruity, very fresh. A second sip was a spoon of honey, then it released a pear note that ended in spices. There is this thick red apple syrup. Mint liquor, again this activox pill. Aftertaste is very appealing. Nice hay, hints of smoke. Dry and oaky but elegant. Red apples. I love it, it is very fancy and rewarding, but a little short. Overall, even if i am not an overly fruity, speyside whisky fan, this one was remarkably good. This is as good as it will ever be for me, when talking about a whisky that can be described as a fruit salad. I tend to go to sherry bombs or peated monsters, rather than this types of whiskies. Having said that, i believe this one got 23 points in every criteria, that means it has a 92 score over 100.

I think i have told you this one hundred times before: Amrut is one of my favorite distilleries. But here is one very interesting fact: the Angel's Share in India is about 14% per year; while in Scotland is between 2-3%. That means, there are not 12 or 10 year old whiskies in India. The Angels have drank every drop of every cask by that time. (There is actually one 10yo Amrut called Greedy Angels as well). The whole story of this expression is that the Angels have been "greedy" with this distillery casks, leaving almost nothing for the people after 8 years of maturation. It is well known that this hot places like India and Taiwan suffer from this high evaporation, but the oxygen that enters the cask make the whisky to "super mature" in a short time. That is why 5yo expressions from this countries tend to be acclaimed. Only few bottles appear every now and then, and they even come with an authenticity certificate. This one in particular, was bottled at 50%abv and it has a dark peach color. On the nose, it is increidle, but it takes some time to develop everything. Starts very fruity, with a nice note old oranges, sawdust, coffee beans and dark chocolate. Peaches have appeared; there is definitively some spiciness. Peach halves with their syrup, It has the "naranjilla" (lulo fruit) note from most Amruts. Tiramisú dessert. The nose started dim but then it blew up to a Milk powder, Chocolate madness, Milk cream aroma. It is ncredibly complex. Definitively Mocha. On the palate, it is sweet, oaky, powerful. There is a peach syrup, sawdust and caramel. Also a thick orange peel note. Sugar syrup, acid oranges, naranjilla (lulo fruit). Aftertaste is where it really feels old and overly oaked. Very dry, oaky with chocolate hints. It is very  woody, it completely dries your palate, like if it was an oak sponge that sucks your saliva. Some hints of sugar notes are here as well. Overall, this really felt like a very old scotch whisky; i have had a few, and some of them, over 30 years tend to develop some overly oaked notes. Those profiles really appeared on the aftertaste here, not in a bad or off-putting way. Finish was not as good as the nose or palate, but it still managed to deliver a nice experience. A mythical single malt, that is really hard to come by, my score for this one is a solid 88 over 100.

Be ready for an amazing story. Back in 1999, the chinese online writer (yes, when your internet was conected by phone, this guy wss writing and winning big money online) Zhang Wei, spent a night in Waldhaus hotel, in switzerland. He went to the hotel bar and saw an incredible bottle... a 1876 Macallan. He convinced the hotel owner to sell him a glass, and he paid the guiness record sum at that time, 10.500 dollars for it. He posted online various photos of his dram, showing the bottle and the cork. Quickly, internet experts (they existed back then as well, lol) started raising questions about some inconsistencies. By that time, a group of vintage Macallan bottles had appeared in various auctions, and the distillery bought about 100 of this bottles between 1999 and 2001. The scandal of the "it seems this bottle was a fake" exploded. Macallan sent experts to the waldhaus hotel to look at the bottle and grab a sample. Oxford scientist concluded that not only the bottle was fake, the whisky was a young blended whisky distilled in 1970, that was worthless. The hotel owner traveled to China to give Zhang Wei his money back. Macallan, who had bought around 100 bottles, took out of their museum most of them, which happened to be fake as well. This scandal resulted in two things: Macallan released a book called "The definitive guide to buy vintage Macallan"; and they released a collection of incredible looking bottles called "the replica series" which name was intended for two things, imitate Macallan whiskies from 1841, 1861, 1876 and 1878, but also take advantage of the fake bottle scandal; it was like a tribute to the scam. And one of those bottles, the 1861 replica one, distillery release, went to Richard Gooding's Perfect Collection... and when he passed, his bottles went to the most incredible auction whisky fans have seen... and it was bought by yours truly, José Massú; and of course, i opened and enjoyed it. Lets see how was it: Bottled at 42.7%abv. On the nose; it was wonderful. The first note was this famous Welsh grape juice. Very grapy; sawdust, chocolate, hazelnut and Nutella. After the first sip, it gave me  strawberry marmalade, Granola,  and All kind of berries. On the palate, it was really good. Vanilla cake, figs; Red fruits: Strawberries. Impalpable sugar, very winey and a little spicy. A second sip gave me chocolate, hazelnut and lots of red fruits. Aftertaste was completely disonant. Very oaky, sawdust, oak spice. It also felt like a cigar box. Short, and different from the palate. Overall, i believe that Macallan intended to replicate the whiskies from 1861, and in order to do so, they overly oaked the finish of this single malt, to make it feel old. It has an incredible aroma, a very enjoyable palate, but a very normal aftertaste. That is why i will rate this whisky 91 over 100, which is a fair score for a great dram, that fell on the last criteria a little bit.

One of the beautiful, historic bottles i managed to win at "The Perfect Collection by Richard Gooding" Auction, was one Morrison Bowmore bottle that was never sold in the markets: the 27yo Millennium. This blended malt from Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Bowmore of course, was released for the celebration of the year 2000, and was given to Morrison-Bowmore workers and team as a gift. This is a 27 year old whisky, a very collectible item. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, it start with smoked figs; caramel, chocolate. There is definitively a maritime profile here; Sown land. After a first sip,  i got dehydrated oranges, rum and raisins; it is really a fig madness. On the palate, it is fruity, sweet and salty. Pineapple, chocolate, salt, dates and Vanilla. Aftertaste is incredible. Chocolate, there is this smoked hazelnut note; ginger spice. Dates, molasses and a Smoked Bowmore Marmalade. Overall, this is a great whisky, that is easy to describe as the perfect mixture of the three distilleries used. It has the chocolate notes from lowland's Auchentoshan; the Sherriness from Glen Garioch and of course the mild peat from Bowmore. The experiment went perfect, specially because it feels super elegant on the nose. I have enjoyed it a lot, but i have to say that on the palate it could be better. My score for this incredible bottle is 91 over 100.

Lets get back to december 31, 1999. At exactly 23h59, the whole globe were waiting for the final event that would take humanity to the cave age... the frightening Y2K. And you might say that nothing happened. Well, whisky did happen. A bunch of very cool expressions and decanters were released for the change of the Millennium. One of those cool releases was The Speyside Millenium, an incredible looking crystal bottle, that came on a mahogany tantalus. Only 2000 bottles were made, to celebrate the end of the 20th century and the second Millennium. It was distilled on december 1990, at 40%abv, from the nowadays called "Spey" distillery. I obtained this bottle, in the Perfect Collection auction by Richard Gooding, the record auction where the two Macallan 1926 were sold for a million pounds each. On the nose, starts with hay, tobacco, citric gooseberries; pineapple and vanilla cake. After a first sip it gave me two notes, very interesting ones: coffee but also a rusty metal (oxide). On the palate, it is grassy and earthy. Bitter tobacco. Vanilla and Coffee. Aftertaste is really good. Starts with a chocolate note; then it releases an earthy, peppery profile. Herbal and this wonderful Mint chocolate finish. Overall, i have to conclude that even if this expression is one of those whisky ornament bottles, that most people will never drink or even open the decanter, workers from the Speyside distillery made their best efforts to deliver a very good 9yo whisky, at only 40%abv. Having said that, this won't change your life, nor is dissapointing as the Y2K was. A fair score for the "juice" itself is a solid 85 over 100.

Feis ile is Islay's most iconic party, and the king, Lagavulin, always release a special expression for such an event, and let me tell you, almost always you are going to enjoy it. 2021 release was a 13yo, Port finished single cask strength. Bottled at 56.1%, with a tawny color. On the nose, starts with power. Plane Gasoline; Red fruits, Banana; but also new car tires. Mint, sawdust. After a first sip, it gave me an exact note of fanta soda. Banan bread and plastic. Crazy stuff, good stuff. On the palate, starts with "Crush" cola, which was the Ecuadorian version of a Fanta Soda, they competed for a while during de 1980s and 1990s. Salt, peat and the flavor you get when you are about to take a Tylenol pill but you hold it for 2 seconds in your tonge. The third sip gave me a super sweet flan caramel note. Such a wonderful, complex, crazy dram. Aftertatse has the mythical "Bite". It actually makes you bite the flavors that are coming from your throat. Cigarrettes, Red fruirs and Hay smoke. Grain salt and the beautiful Lagavulin peat. Overall, this is one more proof that Lagavulin is arguably the king of Islay. It is elegant, powerful, interesting, full of flavor, but still manages to be more easy-drinkable that other Cask Strength Islay malts. The port cask just made this dram a little bit crazy, but in a good way. The first sip made me think "wow this would be perfect for having a glass before bedtime"; the second sip change my mood into "wow i should go to a bar right now till 5am" and the third sip was all about "this is simply amazing". My score for this beast is a truly deserved 95 over 100.

There are some Compass Box special limited editions, made exclusively for very prestigious bars, specially U.S. whisky bars, like Chicago's Delilah's. Delilah's is actually a punk rock whisky bar, and Compass Box have made 2 special bottles for them; the first one was released for their 20th Anniversary, and this second one, for the 25th. As always, CB has been clear about the exact recipe they used, and for this 25th Anniversary release, they used: A Refill Hogshead that contained the original 20th anniversary blend; a First Filled American Cask full of Grain Whisky from Cameronbridge; some whisky malt From Miltonduff; a parcel of Teaninich single malt; Malt Whisky from Linkwood and malt whisky "from a town near Aberlour". Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is all about caramelized apples from a theme park. Red apples, it feels exactly as an Aberlour 12yo. On the palate, i got a nice vanilla cream from the grain whisky; Pistachio and Vanilla ice cream. Rum and raisins. Aftertaste is very nice, but not complex at all. A sulphuric note, that quickly becomes chocolate and then good hints of coconut. Overall, i believe this has too many whiskies but it is excessively simple and not complex in any way. Having said that, the tasting and aroma notes are very clean; i don't feel the creaminess that i often get from Compass Box, but i believe that comes from Glen Elgin malts that they tend to use a lot. The sherriness is not really present, but the vanilla bourbon notes are really well delivered. A good blended scotch, with an incredible looking bottle, my score for it is 83 over 100.

Another limited Kavalan Selection bottle, this time a "Peaty Cask" matured single malt, bottled at 54%abv, for La Maison du Whisky. There has been some discussions about Peaty casks, and if you can consider Peaty Casks to produce Peaty whisky, as well as using "Peaty Water" to give peatiness to a single Malt. Neither of those options actually add peat ppm to a single malt, but it is fair to say that a cask that had a Peaty single malt might induce some flavors of that type to the final spirit. On the nose, as soon as you uncork it, it gave me a tobacco leaf note. There is this powerful, overwhelming mint hard candy note; i have to let it breath a little, since it is way too difficult to override. Perfumed peat, some tropical fruitiness rising, there is a pond/swamp note also present. Peaty aromas have dissipated after 1 minute; fresh, ultra floral notes have exploded, i have never felt a more "flowery" whisky ever. Cooked pineapple, very perfumed. Peach syrup. On the palate, It starts a little watery, with some sweet chocolate notes, then it turns to peach for a second and then boom, a spicy, peppery, cinnamon note appeared. The spiciness lasted for 3 seconds then i could hold the sip in my palate like forever. More sips gave me sawdust, vanilla. It was like water with ashes, it starts way too watery. Salt, hints of smoke and tropical fruit acidity. The third sip was much sweeter, some sugary notes have appeared. Aftertastw is very interesting. Sawdust, lots of ginger spice, not a very long finish on the first sip; mouth numbing. New wood, not smokey, nor earthy; it is like overly oaked but not in a bad way, it actually has some rythm with the nose and palate. Short-medium long. I like a sensation here: is like an ashy note that immediately splits into four particles that expand in your mouth till they touch four different corners of your palate. I have only experienced this type of sensation on Hibiki whiskies. Very dim, pleasant smoke. Overall, i really think this whisky is more interesting than tasty. It is a very good single malt, with some bold notes, easy to enjoy for a 54%abv. This types of "experiments" are the kind i am always looking for on drams. My score for it is a solid 90 over 100.

Kavalan cask strength whiskies are just spectacular. If yoi have the chance to grab any of them, just do it. They have been sourcing incredible barrels for their spirits, which are a little pricey for NAS expressions, but they are totally worth it. This Kavalan Selection Brandy Cask Matured, bottled for La Maison Du Whisky, is one of 370 unique bottles, and they have a strength of 59.4%abv for extra flavor, yummy. On the nose, it is sublime. Stewed apples as soon as you uncork it. Some serious peach marmalade. Impalpable sugar. It is like stewed tropical fruits. Red fruitiness have appeared after a few seconds. Hazelnut, tiramisú dessert. There is definitively a thick honey here. Fresh pineapples, Cocoa. Cough syrup. It screams brandy everywhere. Beatiful nose. A black coffee cup with 3 spoons of sugar, that is the exact note here. I could nose this all day. On the palate, wonderful citric flavors. Tangerine, salt. There is hay, it has become grassy, but still citric. Pineapple, peaches. Very elegant. Definitively a hot honey note. A little too powerful. Aftertaste is divine. Tobacco, super citric and acid tangerines. There is a hint of smoke. Very fancy, oily finish. It is delicious, it is like a sugar bomb mixed with some pepper. Oh man, i love this aftertaste, even if the main flavors don't stick around for too long, it is like a sweet candle smoke in your throat. Pretty neat stuff. NOTE: It is so oily, there is one sip left only because of its viscosity, it never gets to your mouth, it sticks on the glencairn. Overall, this was another amazing single malt by Kavalan. I have had a few from them, and all were exceptional. This is no different, the brandy notes are here, the stewed fruits, the marmalade, the citric acidity, it is very complex and delicious. An enjoyable whisky for more experienced enthusiasts, since its power can be a little overwhelming, and that is where it lost most of the points i deducted. My final score for this marvelous "juice", is 92 over 100.