Tastes

The latest release in the "not-very-good" Macallan Quest Collection for travel retail, is this "Aurora", that gets its name from the sunrise seen everyday in the new Macallan distillery. Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose, lots of orange aromas. There is this orange/tangerine cheap hard candy note that is very appealing. Sawdust and crush cola. After a first sip, the aroma change into sweet popcorn, butterscotch and vanilla aromatic candles. On the palate, it is super gentle. Again this tangerine candy note, the one you find in any kids piñata parties from the 1990s. Mild spices and peach syrup. Aftertaste is spicy and fruity. Oranges, crazy dips, aniseed, clove, spearmint and sawdust. Overall, this one doesn't feel like your standard Macallan, and it actually doesn't have any of the toffee/chocolate/nutty flavors or aromas that you are accustomed of. Having said that, this can be an everyday whisky that is very easy to drink with tons of citric profiles. A good dram, mi score for it is 87 over 100.

One of those bottles i keep seeing on auctions, but never bought it, is this Glenmorangie The Accord; a 12yo single malt matured in bourbon and sherry casks. I have no idea why the called it "the accord". Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose, starts a little rough and nutty, but it changes after letting it breath. Hazelnut, nutmeg, sawdust. Very oaky; Red wine. Vanilla fudge. After 2 minutes it has evolved to raisins. It is a little rough on the edges; Grapy. The figs  appear on the nose after a couple sips. Bitter oaky notes on the nose. On the palate, starts very oaky, but there is some citric and acid flavors also present. Gooseberries. Woody. The second sip was all about figs, lovely second taste. The oakiness is still present after a couple of sips. Aftertaste is also very woody/oaky. Sawdust. Very dry. Oak spice. Overall, this travel retail exclusive is a normal whisky that you won't be too dissapointed to buy for drinking with friends. It is nothing too special, nor it is complex; the sherriness has "ghosted" this single malt, and the overly oaky notes are predominant. My score for it is 79 over 100.

It is always interesting to taste whiskies that don't belong to the 5 classic countries. This Brenne Organic Single malt comes from France, and it belongs to Allison Parc, an entreprenuer with a family tradition in spirits. This whisky has been matured in Limousin oak and french cognac casks. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, a little different. Starts with this odd (but strangely attractive) aroma of a vanilla cake that is about to go bad; like it is on the last day you can eat it. It is incredible how accurate that note is. Apple juice and water balloons. Maize; feels young and grainy. Every aroma here reminds me of a circus. Slight Pepper. Then, i get an aroma of some ecuadorian colas, called "Tropical", "Fioravanti" and "Gallito"; which i bet you have your own versions in your countries, they are pink / Red / yellow cola. On the palate, very fruity. It is so fruity that this doesn't feel like whisky, but rather a fruit juice. Peaches, papaya and melon. It is exactly like that. Detergent. Again this circus sensation, not bad, just weird. Aftertaste is more of the same strange stuff. Papaya juice from the ecuadorian mountains. Hints of sulphur. Cheap plastic and malted barley. Overall, this is not bad, but it is not good either. It is a completely different dram from the usual ones you always drink. Mostly fruity, but unlike speyside whiskies, this feels like mountain fruit juice. There is some roughness here and there and everything is not very balanced. I don't think it is off-putting or bad, just strange. You won't sit and drink the whole bottle with a couple of friends. A different experience, my score for it is 72 over 100.

Let me start saying that even if i can accept that i have not tasted too many canadian whiskies, this is hands down the best one i have ever tasted from that country. Rye whiskies have grown in me, and this one is a great expression. Bottled at 45%abv, deep caramel color. On the nose, Sweet and spicy. Honey rye spices and red fruits. Coffee, Marshmallows, coconut and pork chops. After a first sip i got orange peel and brown sugar. On the palate, Sweet caramel with spices. Vanilla fudge, rye spices and oranges. Aftertaste is all about a rye finish. Lovely. Dry raw rice. Overall, this is a very enjoyable whisky. The higher Abv gives it an extra amount of flavor and aromas. Nice experience, i recommend it. My score for it is 86 over 100.

I am celebrating my 800 whisky review with this special dram: Back in 1938, when the first TVs where sold, when the world war II didn't even start, when you could buy a whole suit for less than $1, back then this whisky was distilled. Then, 33 years later, after a sherry cask maturation, it was bottled. Sometime around the 1980s, the former owner of Pepsi, Mr. Richard Gooding, bought it and stash it in his "Perfect Collection". He died in 2014, and his 3.900 impossible whiskies went on an Auction. 83 years later of that first distillation, it came to my hands, and i was not going to make the same mistake as Gooding did... i drank the whisky. Avonside-Glenlivet is actually one of Gordon & MacPhail first bottlings, and in 1971 it was a little unusual to bottle a 33 year old whisky. When i found out that "the perfect collection" was going to auction, i told myself, "i am going to buy a bottle". I am a whisky nerd, so i have seen most of nowadays bottlings, but when i entered the auction, my mind was blown. The bottles were absolutely out of this world, most of them i have never seen before. There are no internet reviews, and they are mostly uncatalogued. This bottles existed 40 years ago, and believe me, the prices of them are very impressive. I didn't sleep for one week studying the whole collection, and i won 10 bottles. This Avonside-Glenlivet is one of them. Bottled at 43%abv, deep copper color. On the nose, incredibly sweet and elegant. Quince dessert, glazed pork, pork chop, dates, sherry spiciness; oranges, molasses and prunes. Rum. After a first sip, it released marzipan, cake and passion fruit. On the palate, a true sherry bomb. Sherriness all over the place, sawdust, old oranges, prunes and mild spiciness. A second sip gave me a super sweet orange caramel, pepper and astringent flavors. Aftertaste follow the same rythm. Pepper, sherriness, cherry syrup. Liquorice, a rum and raisins ice cream, ginger and cinnamon. Overall, this is a perfect whisky. Not only the history behind it was breathtaking, the spirir itself was outstanding. Full of flavor, elegance and complex notes, this is one sherry bomb. Nowadays, a bottle goes for around $3800 (i did not paid that); and if you ask me, if you pay that much for a bottle, this single malt (pure malt on the label), this quality is the least you expect. My score for it is 100 over 100. Fantastic experience. Slàinte Mhath!!!

Remember when i told you that i won 10 bottles in the most amazing Whisky Auction ever? Well, the second whisky i opened was this Macallan 20yo, 1984 Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength. Mr. Richard Gooding never got to open this bottle from "the perfect collection" and now an ecuadorian got the opportunity to do it :) If you get the words "Macallan", "20 years", "Cask Strength" on the same label, you know this one is quite an expensive juice. The former owner of Pepsi had the most incredible Macallan collection ever and this baby could be one of the most complex ones. Bottled at 55.9%abv, Tawny color. On the nose, a fantastic aroma. Starts with chocolate and Nutella notes. Hazelnut, oranges and Drambuie liquor. Coffee beans and cinnamon powder. Very powdery actually, milk chocolate. After a sip, it released citric notes; but also Moon Pie. Caramel cookies. On the palate, it was far from your normal Macallan, and very powerful. Starts with an amazing red chilli note, then red fruits. Chocolate, dulce de leche, oranges, salt and tobacco. Aftertaste was not too complex, but very delicious. Coffee, ginger, sulphur and salt. Long and persistent. Overall, this is a beautiful dram, from a super hard to get bottle, with tons of history. It doesn't feel like overly potent due to its 55.9%abv, and it is sweet and spicy. Great whisky but nowhere near to its current value in the market (if you happen to find it), my score for it is 93 over 100. Sláinte!

Prepare yourself for an incredible true story. Back in 2014, Mr. Richard Gooding, former owner of Pepsi, passed away. When his heirs entered his mansion, they discovered something out of this world: the most incredible whisky collection ever. Over 3900 bottles, it was the biggest collection of Macallan, Bowmore and many other brands ever. Appraisers all over the world came to value this "museum" of whisky. He had two of the 1926 Macallans, 8 Black Bowmores, 10 bottles of 40yo Laphroaigs, and the list goes on and on. In 2019 and 2020 the whole collection went to auction, breaking the world record for a bottle; the Macallan 1926 Adami was sold for 1.5 million dollars. You might be wandering why i am telling you all this. Well... i won 10 bottles at the "Perfect Collection" Auction. I will tell you my own story of the auction in later reviews (to keep you hooked, lol). One of the ten bottles, was this Bowmore Blair Castle International Horse Trials 2001. A super collectable item, specially for Bowmore lovers, this is one nearly impossible bottle to obtain. It was never sold to the public, it was given for free to the contestants to the Horse Trials at Scotland's Blair Castle. This was bottled by Morrison Bowmore Distillers, the former owners of the distillery. You might find it on the internet, for a hefty price of $2300. (I did not paid that). Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, incredibly aromatic. Maize, aromatic peat and floral notes were the first to appear. Peaches, burnt hay and medicinal notes rise after a couple of minutes. Seafood. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a tropical profile. Coconut and pineapple. On the palate, it was flavorful and interesting. Tropical fruits, peaches and pineapple. Very elegant, the second sip was super salty, but not off-putting. Aftertaste was the best part. Salt, tobacco and pepper. Vanilla syrup and coconut. The saltiness lasts for hours! Overall, this was an absolutely amazing dram. Not only the story here was great, but the actual whisky, without been too complex, was outstanding. I had to investigate about the Blair Castle history and it was lovely, they even have the only private army in Europe. All things aside, been objective here, my score was 93 over 100. It scored 23 points in every criteria except for the finish that was so rewarding that i gave it 24 points. On my next review i'll tell the story of how i got to win the 10 bottles, hope you enjoy reading it. Sláinte mhath!!!!

Another expression from the travel retail "Warrior Series", this Highland Park tells the story of Sveinn Asleifarson, a pirate and mercenary viking who was powerful and known to be fair, while he raided the hebridean isles of Scotland. Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose it is very nice, with earthy peaty notes. Burnt hay, horse stable, cigarrettes, ashtray, vanilla, burnt brownie crest. After the first sip, the aroma changed into burnt popcorn. The palate is cold, that i did not expect. Very herbal and medicinal; some citric notes rise after a couple of seconds. Pepper. A second sip felt like i dropped ice on the dram, it is very cold!. Vanilla ice cream. Aftertaste was very simple. Dry and grassy. Burnt grass, hay and sulphuric notes. Overall, i think this is an interesting, yet normal whisky. The cold feeling on the palate was very appealing, i really like finding this kind of notes on my whiskies. My score for it is 84 over 100.

A completely different Ardbeg, but unlike the "Blasda" expression, this time they got this one right. The 2013 Feis isle bottling, Ardbeg Ardbog is honouring islay's peat bogs, peat that has been formed for thousands of years, and maybe, just maybe your are drinking particles of a T-rex in this whisky. Bottled at 52.1%abv, golden color, this single malt has been matured in Bourbon and Manzanilla Sherry casks. On the nose, some crazy Ardbeg aroma notes. The first aroma is an arab rug. Caramel, mint and wet soil. Polystyrene foam (plume), an amazon box, shoe box, silicon pad, rubber and soccer socks. Yes, all that and it was great. On the palate it was absolutely surprising. Incredibly citric, speciallu for an Ardbeg, the flavor notes are tangerine, grapefruit, gooseberries. A second sip gave me orange, milk chocolate, salty water. A third sip gave me more!, coffee and oranges. Aftertaste was out of this world. Starts with a vanilla fondant, to then release a tiny demon from your guts, that rises after 10 seconds, leaving a sulphuric finish. Pepper. In Conclusion, an incredibly interesting whisky, totally different than other Ardbegs, this one is actually easier to drink. I loved it, loved the marketing, loved the overall feeling of it. Nowadays it is a little expensive, but it is still worth it. My score for it, is 100 over 100. Sláinte!

.Another travel retail exclusive, this Glenlivet Triple Cask Matured Master Distiller's Reserve, can easily be confused with the other three Glenlivet Master Distiller's expressions that were also travel retail exclusives a couple of years ago. Actually, i have passed on this exact bottle numerous times, because i thought that i had tasted it before. Well i have finally had it and this are my notes on it: Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is fairly complex and winey. Prunes and grapes. Vanilla and pepper. Fondant, and the classic Glenlivet apple.Vanilla ice cream. After a few sips, it revealed lemon. On the palate it is more classic. Very spicy, Vanilla and honey. Acid apple flavor. Salty. Aftertaste failed. You did not read that wrong. It wasn't very good. Very oaky, sawdust. Its too oaky with a hint of a smokey hay. Feels very young. Overall, this one didn't do anything for me. The aftertaste dropped the ball significantly. It is just another duty-free expression that is intended to be more for drinkers than for enthusiasts. My score for it is 71 over 100.