Tastes

You know i can't resist a beautiful label, on a Signatory Vintage decanter. Specially if the whisky has such a deep copper color due to an obvious strong sherry maturation. Well, this is the darkest Caol Ila i have ever seen, and it gets darker due to its great looking label of the Phantom Horseman. This one is actually a part of a collection called Angels & Horsemen, everything pretty apocalyptic. To make things even better, this has been bottled at 58.4%abv, one of only 1238 bottles ever made. On the nose, this is incredible. Cherries, red fruits, plums, blackberry marmalade, lotion for burnt skin. Smokey and medicinal. On the palate, it is absolutely perfect. Marmalade with hot chilli peppers. Cherries. It is so thick, you can even chew it. Lulo fruit, Hershey's Strawberry syrup. Aftertaste is a Doomsday of flavor. It is so powerful and good. Very dry, star aniseed, medicinal, cotton, swamp. Lovely strong spiciness. Overall, the Judgement day for this dram is really excelent. This is an extraordinary, unforgettable and mythical whisky, full of flavor. It is so complex that it has various layers of flavor and aroma notes. Amazing stuff, this is a perfect single malt. My score for it of course is a 100 over 100, and it will be on my top ten whiskies of 2023 for sure.

Im always in the search for rare whisky releases, independent bottlings of my favorite distilleries, and of course alluring labels that make me fall for the marketing strategy. In one of such adventures, i found this 9yo "Laffrodite", like the Greek Goddess of Love, but mixed with Laphroaig, lol. Bottled by Cask Viking, a company established in 2020, this is a blended malt, at 58.5%abv. On the nose, this is clearly a Laphroaig. Aroma notes of a fresh can of Tennis Balls, mop wipe, gunpowder, red chilli, pepper and the aroma of an opened first aid kit. It is like a pair of socks, but also a little bloody. Fudge and dulce de leche. Toffee and a spongy nerf toy. Everything very Laphroaig-ish. On the palate, this is even more Laphroaig-ish. So freaking powerful on the palate, is like unleashing napalm on your tongue. A very strong red chilli; toffee. Aftertaste is like a peat punch to your face. Swamp. Honey. Green Tea. Ashes. Overall, this is a whisky you can savour on a Monday 8pm after a hard day of work, or maybe on a monday at 10am during a very difficult morning of work, lol. So powerful and breathtaking, maybe it lacks some complexity but it will compensate it with strong emotions. My score for it is a solid 93 over 100, it really hit my soul.

This is my first Thompson Bros single malt ever. I have seen this very artistic looking bootles for quite some time in auctions, but i never bought one till now, where i found a GlenAllachie, (one of nowaday's best single malts out there in my opinion) and it was a limited release of only 306 bottles, aged for 11 years and bottled at 52.9%abv. The label shows the Aztec pyramid of Quetzalcoalt, the feathered serpent god, but instead of a ray of sun dropping down the pyramid, you see a barrel of GlenAllachie being poured to the stairs of the monument. On the nose, this is great!; a powdery aroma of hazelnuts, oranges, tangerine and amontillado sherry. Nesquik milk. After a couple of minutes, it changed into metallic and medicinal notes. Wall paint. Chocolate. On the palate, it was also amazing. Hazelnut and acid oranges. Chocolate madness and marshmallows. So good. Aftertaste is just eternal and beautiful. So long. Impalpable sugar, winey and dry. Metallic notes and chocolate. Overall this was a super pleasant surprise. This is really an outstanding whisky, full of sweet and acid flavors. Marvelous and balanced in every criteria. This one is truly a memorable one, it is such a pity that there aren't too many bottles. I will try to find another one. My score for it, is a wonderful 96 over 100.

Highland Park is famous for a lot of things, one of them is their "location releases". Those are usually single cask strength expressions, with geographic names like "London", "Amsterdam" or "Gotham City" (i am actually not kidding, google it). This review is for a Single Cask Strength called "Germany", bottled at 65.1%abv, 10yo, bottled in 2018, drawn from the cask No. 140, which was a first fill american oak sherry puncheon. One of only 618 bottles ever made. On the nose, this is quite good and powerful. Cigarrettes, ashes, prunes and dark chocolate. Apricots and leather. On the palate, i got only two notes, but well delivered. White chocolate and cherries. Aftertaste was a little too raw. Sulphuric amd metallic notes; cherries. Overall, this was a good whisky that didn't gave me too much complexity. I am actually a fan of Highland Park, and i love cask strength whiskies, but i havent fully enjoyed any of Highland Park Cask Strength expressions. I don't know what it is but i am unimpressed. This is still an above average dram, my score for it is 84 over 100.

One of Compass Box most popular expressions from the core range is the famous Peat Monster. It seems that the tentacle smokey creature had an origin story, which takes us to New York, where John Glaser created a peaty whisky that they called it "a monster" for the Goldstein Family at Park Avenue Liquor Shop in 2003. Then, with the recipe already done, they released the peat monster for ever. This is the cask strength version of that one, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. It is called, Peat Monster Origin Story. Bottled at 56.7%abv, it is described as Skyscrappers of smoke. On the nose, well delivered peat. Gooseberries, rubber, merthiolate, red chilli and caramelized onions. After a first sip, i got grapefruit and lotion for burnt skin. On the palate, it starts with a very fancy vanilla note, gooseberries, ashes and gunpowder. Corn flakes. After a first sip, flavor changed into a waxy white chocolate. Aftertaste is rich in peat. Gunpowder, fireworks, bonfire. Smoky stuff. Nice. Overall, i have the same critic for the cask strength version, that i had when i tasted the core range one: it is not THAT peaty. When you have a whisky called "The Peat Monster" you expect this to be something like a powerful Lagavulin or an Ardbeg Supernova. Actually it is a very velvety and easy to enjoy whisky, that most people would love and can be used as a first glimpse to the peat world for unexperienced drinkers. Not bad at all, just not a peat monster, my score for it is 89 over 100.

Back in the late 1960s, Suntory, who is truly a giant of the whisky industry nowadays, introduced a popular blended malt called Suntory Special Reserve. It is basically the blend of two legendary Japanese whiskies, Yamazaki and Hakushu, and it comes in a pitch black bottle, at 43%abv. Well; i tried it and the liquid inside was fabulous. On the nose, this is quite good. It starts with the most amazing white chocolate note ever. Very buttery on the nose. Sherry, peaches and almonds. Dehydrated oranges. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a Milka Caramel chocolate. Hot honey, prunes and caramel. Incredible. On the palate, again this impressive white chocolate note, almonds and orange peel. The second sip gave me impalpable sugar, caramel and aniseed. Aftertaste had every flavor you can imagine: it was sweet, bitter, spicy and salty. Salt, red berries, tobacco, liquorice and ginger. Neat stuff. Overall, this was a super enjoyable whisky. It is not the best whisky in the world but i had a very good time with it. I shared with some people and they were all impressed by it. My score for this complex dram is 91 over 100.

I love mythical whiskies. There is something very special about drinking whiskies that might dissapear at all after you have them. One of such cases is this 1970s Johnnie Walker Old Harmony, a special release for the taiwanese and japanese market 5 decades ago. This one can only be found nowadays on the secondary market for quite a hefty sum of money. Bottled at 43%abv, Johnnie Walker still used to walk to the left in that era. On the nose, i get almonds, a very nutty profile. Pie and grain whisky. Lemon. Afer a first sip i get chocolate cake. On the palate there are just two notes: Creamy cake and almonds. Aftertaste follows the same rythm but with a hint of peat. Hay & vanilla custard. Overall, this is a very rounded blend, nothing to die for, but i guess this was very popular back in the 70s. It is always nice to drink a piece of whisky history, my score for it is a honest 87 over 100.

Battlehill is a brand of single malt and single grain whiskies, independently bottled by the Duncan Taylor company. They have a wide range of offerings, and some of them are drawn from very popular distilleries. Such is the case of this 11yo GlenGarioch; bottled at 52%abv, one of only 1200 bottles ever made. On the palate, i get pineapple notes, impalpable sugar, cheap soap and some spices. Air freshener. On the palate, pineapple appeared again, meringue sweets, milk with sugar. Bananas. Aftertaste is all about spices and a very small banana called "Orito" in Ecuador. Overall, this was a very average dram, that is quite enjoyable but nothing too special. It manages to score enough points to pass the test, but it might be a little straightforward, and some people might consider it a little bit boring. My score for it is a fair 80 over 100.

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was this great Jedi Master, perhaps the most skillfull lightsaber practitioner; one of the very few who mastered the vaapad variation of form VII technique of fighting; i am talking about Mace Windu. Yes my friends, this is my last review of the fourth expression from Glendronach's (unofficial) Star Wars releases. Again a Danish Whisky Retailers exclusive; a 25yo "Glendro" vintage 1992. Matured in Oloroso Casks, this is a 48%abv single malt. It is called "Mace Windu" because the label resembles the color of this Star Wars character lightsaber. It was the fourth and final release of this collection, after the very popular Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Darth Vader; all of them, great whiskies. On the nose, it is soooo complex. Blackberry marmalade, red fruits syrup, red wine, Moka coffee. A buttery sensation of chocolate with purple grapes. Dark cake and dates. Wonderful stuff. The palate has 4 flavors, which were perfect. Blackberries, moka Coffee, sawdust and grapes. Aftertaste was the perfect ending to this single malt. Coffee beans, orange peel and bitter dark chocolate. Overall my friends, the force is really stromg with this one. It might be one of the best Glendronachs of this star system and it will definitively be on this year's top ten whiskies that i have tasted. Marvelous stuff, perfect score, 100 points here. Sláinte and may the force be with you!

There was one last expression of Highland Park's "Valhalla Collection" bottles that i haven't reviewed yet. But the time has come. This is the nordic god of Thunder, Thor. Nowadays, this mythical deity is best known for his appearances in Marvel Comics, but back in the vikings era, he was the most important god alongside Odin. He is often wields a hammer called Mjölnir (that does not look at all as the one in the Avengers movies), which was a powerful artifact forged by two dwarf blacksmiths. Well, this is a 16yo whisky, that comes in the most impressive decanter ever, with a wodden nordic boat. Bottled at 52.1%abv. On the nose, peaches and dried oranges. Heather, peat and lemon. Dates. Meringue sweets with peaches. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a super spicy bomb, with indian curry notes. More sips made the aroma sweeter, like creme brulèè. The palate is peaty and acid. Ashes and oranges. On the secomd sip the spices produced me again this feeling that reminded me of Indian food. The third sip was incredibly sweet, meringue. Aftertaste was a little short. Starts tropical, like Jamaican punch, some acidity. The second sip had a slightly longer finish. Peppery and salty. Overall, this was the most expensive expression out of the four (Loki, Odin & Freya are the others) but it is also the one i least liked. It is not a bad whisky at all, but it is not a super memorable one either. I believe this one is good but it lacks some "soul". My score for it is a honest 88 over 100.