Tastes

I got my hands on the Glenlivet Spectra, which is a set of 3 single malts (20cl of each) to discover the flavors and aromas that you can find over their expressions. This one follows the path of the enigma, code and cipher, to make the consumer try to guess the tasting and aroma notes, with an interactive game. The boxing is actually pretty nice, is a shape-shifter triangle, with a logo that resembles a lot to the "Triforce" from The Legend of Zelda. The box actually changes its form to give you instructions and a brief description of the single malt you are about to have, without giving you the tasting notes. There is a QR code to scan that immidiately takes you to a web app, that prompts you into wearing headphones. They try to "hipnotize" you into take the task of finding the flavors and aromas, and the intensity of them. Pretty cool stuff. So, this Spectra 01, is the fruity light character one, as soon as you open the bottle you realize that; bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, your typical speysider. As soon as you uncork it, you get stewed apples, pears, pretty light and beautiful aroma. Dark dry cake, sider, dark fruits, very winey and yeasty. Hay. After a first sip, the aroma actually went a little down, delivering hay, malted barley, a dim vanilla and a yeasty spirit. On the palate, it is a little simple and easy to drink. Grassy, it has farm-like flavors. Hay, barley, yeast. A second sip gave me red apples and prunes. Aftertaste is ok. Again very grassy, it gives you the sensation of licking a tree branch (not woody or oaky, but a fallen tree branch). It is very regular, with a hint of apples. The second sip was actually oaky, oak spice to be precise. Overall this is a yeasty spirit. It feels like your most standard whisky ever, the one you'll get if you do your own whisky at your house. It is nice, it is easy drinkable and it definitively has a Glenlivet profile. 80 points over 100, but the interactive experience on its own is a must. I like when whisky makers try to make me live something else rather than just the good "Aquavitæ". Slàinte!

Finishing my series of reviews of whiskies from the past, here is my thoughts on Jura 10yo from 1980, a lovely whisky which is far better than the 10yo from nowadays. Jura back in the 1980s, was barely paying the bills, but Whyte & Mackay has fought for this distillery to be a very recognizable one, and you can say that they have achieved this goal in this day and age. Bottled at 40%abv, with a very vintage label that shows the map of the island. On the nose, it is very interesting. Chocolate, hay, dry mud, earthy, orange caramel, very perfumed. After having a first sip, the aroma became sweeter, with honey, vanilla, white chocolate and sawdust. On the palate, it is a little straightforward and feels like a simple transition to the aftertaste. Peppery, earthy peat, fresh orange and honey. After a couple of sips, you will find bitter tobacco also. A little dim. Aftertaste is very good. Smokey, woody, pepper and salt. A dim cigarrette note and tobacco. Overall this whisky is very light, and that is a fingerprint from Jura. I believe this one is better than the "Origin" expression, which is also 10yo. It is a light easy enjoyable spirit which i imagine was very interesting back in the 1980s. My score for it is a solid 90 over 100.

It is not even a year ago when i tasted my first Tamdhu. I loved it. From that moment on, i have been looking to try as much expressions as i can. Having said that, i manage to get hands on a bottle from the late 1980s. Back then, Tamdhu belonged to the same owner of Macallan, who mothballed this distillery on 2010 without much explanation (actually it seems the distillery needed a lot of manteinance) and then it was bought by Ian MacLeod. This is a lovely looking 10yo bottle, from what i believe is 1989. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, it is great. Dehydrated oranges, dulce de leche and toffee with chocolate. Super oloroso sherried. Amaretto, chocolate powder, cherries, CHOCOLATE SNACK PACK (pudding). Lots of chocolate notes and burnt caramel. On the palate, it is an amazing dram. Red fruits, hazelnuts, oranges; chocolate. After the first sip, it revealed strawberries and liquorice. Aftertaste is very rewarding and keeps the tone of the notes found in the nose and palate. Pepper, red fruits, chocolate and some astringency. Spices feel fancy, bitter tobacco, and even more chocolate pudding. Overall, you got to understand that a 10yo statement on a single malt back in the 80s does not necessarily means a young, not fully matured dram; since back in the 70s and 80s, whiskies really started to be matured for more than 12 years. Older whiskies was not the rule (although they existed), that is why you dont find a 60yo from 1910, bottled in 1970. I believe one of the first 21yo whiskies was Royal Salute, which was released in 1952. Having said that, a 10yo dram, WAS A FANCY GOOD DRAM. And this is the case. It really was rounded and beautiful, very sweet. My score for it is a solid 96 over 100, since i found Chocolate Snack Pack on it, and i LOVE SNACK PACKS, lol!

I always read about how good was Dalmore back in the 80s and 90s and how bad it is nowadays. I truly believe it is an amazing whisky in our time, but since i scored one 1990s bottle i had to compare it, and finally find out for myself. Spoiler alert: IT IS BETTER. Fun fact for you whisky lovers: in 1917 Dalmore Distillery was used by the British Navy to make Sea Mines for the war, and actually one blew up in 1920. This has nothing to do with this historic whisky, i just felt like telling you a nice story. Bottled at 40%abv, matured initially in ex Bourbon and finished for 3 years in sherry oak. On the nose it is magnificent. Coffee, plums, figs, orange, amaretto, banana cake, glue, almonds, vanilla cookies, marzipan and wine. After a first sip, it revealed chocolate and candied fruits; clove, orange caramel. On the palate it is a beautiful, fruity dram: figs, winey, red fruits, orange juice. Aftertaste is also perfect. I did not care about the amazing bitter chocolate, pepper and salt notes, just because it has the MOST INCREDIBLE TOBACCO NOTE EVER. It is just out of this world. Overall this dram is absolutely a winner. I already loved Dalmore 12yo, it is the whisky that made me love single Malts, but this is incredible. It is frutier than the one from nowadays, less sweet and definitively more round and elegant. My score for it is 97 over 100. Sláinte Mhath!

I have had this bottle for years, and i finally decided it was about time i open a piece of whisky history.  The Mackinlay Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt, is a recreation of a bottle that was under the antartic ice for 100 years. Yes, the history you are about to read is a fascinating one. Back in 1907, the British explorer Ernest Shackleton started an expedition to reach the south pole, but he needed a little whisky to achieve his goals. His favorite whisky, was this Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt, and he got 12 cases for the journey. When he got to Antartica, he tried to reach the south pole in very difficult weather conditions, his horses died; the dogs he took to the continent were useless since no one on the crew knew how to train them; various crew members also died including the doctor of the expedition; And Shackleton did not reach his goal of the south pole, but still manage to beat his rival to be the first Englishman to be as south of the Earth as possible. In previous days, Shackleton had a Cabin near the ship (The "Nimrod" was the name of the ship, but he was originally going to travel on the "Endurance", that is why the bottles say "Endurance Ship"), where he hid the whisky from the rest of the crew. When the bad weather struck, he had to flee back to the ship, because the ocean would freeze but he left most of his belongings on the cabin, INCLUIDING THE WHISKY. This is the first part of the story. ONE HUNDRED YEARS PASSED, (2007) and the New Zealand antartic expedition found the cabin, AND FOUND THE WHISKY. 11 bottles were recovered after an incredibly effort not to destroy them, and they were taken back to New Zealands museum of Antartica. Whyte & Mackay Former owner, bought 3 bottles for a small fortune and asked his Rockstar Master Distiller Richard Patterson to recreate the whisky. Patterson, with the help of scientists, decoded the blended malt, its flavors and aromas. It took 3 years to do so, and you can actually download a pdf of the chemical study of the malt. In 2010, Whyte and Mackay released thr recreation of Mackinlay's Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt, with the bottle looking exactly as it did in 1907, with the same flavors and aromas that originally were in the bottles. Orkney peat, some very old Dalmores and whisky from a mothballed distillery called Glen Mhor (closed in 1983 and demolished in 1989) were part of this first recreation called "the Discovery" (there is a second released called "the Journey). Fantastic videos of this whisky, lots of parafernalia comes in the crate, which was also recreated, and even a 44 minutes documentary in NatGeo makes this whisky a very special one. A part of history. HAVING SAID ALL THAT, LETS TALK ABOUT THE WHISKY ITSELF. This is a blended malt, bottled at 47.3%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, very nice peaty aromas, very "highlandparkish". Heathery peat, red apples, honey, mint, iodine, wet grass, dry mud. After a first sip, it became very citric, with lemon, caramel, lemon zest, almonds, lemon pie, sown land. A couple of minutes more on the glass revealed a very fancy hay/vanilla note, oranges and leather.  On the palate, it feels just right. Starts with cough syrup, then a pepper bomb, some lemon and lime, very sulphuric. The second sip gave me vanilla cake, prunes and again that spicy pepper bomb. Salty Crackers.  Aftertaste is wonderful. A puff of pleasant smoke right away, then a strong chilli note. It becomes very dry and salty. Woody, barley, yeasty. Very yeasty actually, it gave me the impression that it had a "beer-like" property. Overall this is a great whisky with the most amazing story ever told. All the items that comes with the great looking bottle which has been recreated with the crate, it is jist amazing stuff. My feeling when tasting it, is that you can actually go into the past and taste how whiskies were back in 1907, very cereal and yeasty, and of course smokey. It left me the impression that if i made a homebrew whisky it might be similar to this one, due to the beer-like profile, but all those notes were fancy-crafted, like Patterson's team took a lot of effort in doing something simple and great. My score system gave me a 92 over 100 for this jewel, but due to its background and historic relevance, i am giving 2 extra points for a total of 94. Great experience, this is what whisky is about. Slàinte Mhath!

A travel retail expression of Highland Park, this time offered as a Smokey and Bold single malt, which is always something good. Spirit of the bear is the name of this bottle, and it tells the story of the Bearskins that Vikings wore, which supposedly had their spirits attached, and helped the warriors when battles started. Bottled at 40%abv, amber color. Matured in sherry filled european casks. On the nose, it is very appealing, very perfumed. An aromatic peat, dry dark cake and yeast. There is some prune acidity. Peaty aroma feels young; letting it breath will make it even more aromatic. A dehydrated fruit aroma rises, it is fairly complex and it sticks into the different walls of the Glencairn, and if you move the glass while nosing it, it is remarkable how it changes from peaty, to acid and then to fruity. After a second sip, the peat which wasn't overly powerful nor bold as promised in the label, has been tamed. Spearmint and lots of vanilla appeared. On the palate, it is super easy drinkable and very pleasant. Green apple peel, vanilla and prunes. After the first sip, it became a dessert: lots of vanilla and maybe prunes somewhere. Aftertaste is very pleasant. It is a puff of smoke and pepper, very balanced and lovely. After a few sips, it becomes more salty and spicy. Nice, but light. Overall, this is not what it says on the label. It is not overly peaty or bold. It is sweet and fruity with a pleasant puff of smoke, and i really liked it. I feel this is a good everyday dram, not expensive at all, but if you buy it under the promise of extreme peatiness, you can be dissapointed. My score for it is a solid 85 over 100 and i would recommend it as a very enjoyable but not a very smokey dram.

This is the second ecuadorian "whisky" i have ever had, and as the other one, called "Murco", i don't actually wish to call it a proper "whisky" since it doesn't follow the Irish or Scottish laws to be called in that way. This Ceibo one, i don't believe that has been matured for at least 3 years, and i know it has been matured in Oak casks, but also in Vitex Cymosa and Kapok barrels, which is not allowed in traditional whisky. Bottled at 40%abv, it has a very light yet golden color. On the nose, Inmidiate remedy aroma, not typical from whisky. Feels super young. A sweet boat-wood aroma. Grapy, Sugary, Sugar syrup. A cheap cotton candy (are there any expensive ones?). After the first sip, it is even more sugary. Vanilla with toffee ice cream. On the palate, it is mostly grainy, but diferent, very winey, grapy, light, very sweet and easy drinkable. Feels young but you can have it forever in your mouth. An overly sugary vanilla from grain whisky but not creamy at all. Honey liquor. Cinnamon. Aftertaste is not bad, nothing special either. No burn at all, dry, new wood, grape peel. Prunes, maybe a very dim pepper spice. Overall, it felt like a liquor, a very sugary and sweet one. It feels near to a scottish highland profile, but it doesn't really feel like whisky. I appreciate the effort on this, i believe this one is very well crafted for a young and mostly grainy dram (it has malt spirit also). The industry is growing in my country, that is always a good thing. My score for it is 72 over 100.

In the Virgo Constellation, there lies the 16th more noticeable star that can be observed from Earth. Its name is Spica, which has been chosen as the name for this expression that comes from the North Star independent bottlers. This is a blended Scotch Whisky, matured for at least 29 years, some part in sherry casks. This is the first time i had a North Star Spirits Whisky. Bottled at 45.5%abv. Color is a little tawny. On the nose, it is grain whisky all the way. A Grain whisky vanilla note, dry chocolate cake, Acetone, Lemon a little Yeasty. Cheap citric notes, Maize. After some minutes a nice green apple aroma appears; Melon. After the first sip, aroma gets more thick, specially the vanilla note. Vanilla milkshake with a little dulce de leche.  More sips made it super sweet, dulce de leche and apples. Even a dim tobacco note appeared. It gained some points on the third time i nosed it. The red apples have become a clean note, very nice. Palate is very standard. Nice vanilla dry cake flavor. Red apples, Cinnamon spice. Second sip is all about a nice dulce de leche / toffee sweetness, pretty pleasant, the spices rise after a couple of seconds. It has a little cloying burn which should not be there for a 29yo. Lots of toffee. Aftertaste has nothing to be remembered. A nice ghosthly (it is felt but not on the walls of your palate) but strong Pepper note. Vanilla and pepper. It feels like a very pleasant, mouth numbing, fancy, not too complex blend. Overall, a 90 dollars 29yo blend should say everything you need to know about this whisky. Yes, it is easy drinkable, and you will actually like it, but it is not memorable. My score for it is a fair 82 over 100.

Bunnahabhain, that one Islay distillery with the hardest name, the unpronunceable expressions, and the most different tasting notes of them all. Having said that, i mostly like their whiskies, they give me interesting experiences, and it even have one expression (Moine) that made into my top 10 affordable whiskies of 2020. But this Cruach Mhòna, is not one of those great whiskies. "Cruach Mhóna" is not a martial art if you were wondering it, it is the gaelic term for a "drying pile of peat bricks", which of course mean this one is a peated expression of "Bunna" which is mostly famous for their unpeated range. Bottled at 50%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is acceptable. Starts pretty grapy, to then develop a earthy peatiness, with hints of vanilla/chocolate. Nice perfumed peat, lavender; there is some citric aroma growing here. Hay, heather. After a first sip, it revealed more vanilla and sand. Palate is very unbalanced. Starts peaty right away, which i believe was nice, but then a salt bomb appeared. A little meaty, SUPER SALTY. A couple more sips revealed a dim vanilla note, but mostly a overload of salt. Aftertaste was a little better, but still very dissapointing and a little off-putting. Peat, hay, slight vanilla. A sparkling peppery note that felt like crazy dips popping. Then... SALT. It is like eating a spoon full of salt, like you are having an overly salted piece of meat. Not good. Overall, i wish i could have avoided this, and the nose saves it a little. I even wanted to stop drinking it before i finished the glass. Felt extremely salty, i don't know if someone likes this, but maybe there is. Im not a fan, my score for it is a very generous 63 over 100. Thumbs down.

Happy New Year 2021 to everyone! I was keeping this bottle for a special date and i chose new year's eve for it, to end a difficult 2020 with a nice dram. Dalmore Gran Reserva was born when the original and acclaimed Dalmore Cigar Malt was discontinued due to the whole "smoking is bad" campaing back in 2009, and was replaced by this expression which was available only for 2 years, till it was again replaced by the Cigar Malt Reserve. A beautiful looking bottle, with all Dalmore symbols including the stag, but in brownish colors. Matured in bourbon barrels and sherry casks. Bottled at 40%abv, deep copper color. On the nose it is really wonderful. The most beautiful caramelized oranges, a fancy vanilla - tobacco mixture, dates and figs rising. Amazing butterscotch hard chewable candy, very buttery. There is chocolate fudge. Truly beautiful. After the first sip is becomes more fruity but exotic, acid prunes, fudge; Brownies. Super fancy. Even the empty glass is a work of art. Perfect score. Palate is lovely, but it doesn't quite fill the promise of the nose. Tobacco biterness and oranges, a little rough on the edges. A second sip revealed vanilla and a bittersweet combination of oranges and tobacco. Very pleasant. Chocolate. Aftertaste is very rewarding. It really surprised me on how acid and bitter it is. Prunes, acid palate, old humid wood, dry. Lovely feeling although straightforward. A cinnamon dry feeling. Overall i believe this is one great whisky, and i understand all the acid and bitter flavors since this one is designed to be enjoyed with a cigar. I don't smoke, but i understand this profile perfectly. My score for it is a solid 93 over 100, it is one nice whisky.