Tastes

I will spoil this review right from the beggining by saying that this is, in fact, another perfect whisky made by Islay's king, Lagavulin. Lagavulin Ink of legends, is Diageo's 2023 Special Release, matured in Don Julio's Tequila Casks, and it tells the story of Aztec and Mayans tattoos. Bottled at 56.4%abv. On the nose, it starts with an obvious tequila profile. Gooseberries, leather shoes, school glue, liquid paper. It is a burnt pineapple. I can only describe the next note as bug fumigación. Merthiolate. After a first sip it gave me a lit cigar note. Floor detergent and pear peel. On the palate, it starts with chocolate, herbal notes, green tea and grass. The second sip was a little dimmer. Smoke herbal; Tequila and also Jaggermeister. Aftertaste is all about smoke, bbq wings. Long and salty. Tequila. In conclusion, this one really was out of this world. The previous Diageo Special Release was not as impressive, but this one was truly a home run. The power, complexity and overall balance of this dram is out of this world. My score is, of course, a 100 over 100.

Arran, the distillery that in my humble opinion has never made a bad whisky, made an experiment that i describe as the Y2K of whisky. Let me explain: Arran Millenium casks, is a marriage of two casks, one filled in december 31th of 1999; and, the other one in January 1st of 2000. It was made to be a bottled that has whisky from two different milleniums. Only 7800 bottles were ever made, and it has a strength of 53.5%abv On the nose, it started with the classic Arran pineapple nose. Cherries, tangerine. Impalpable sugar. After a first sip it gave me cherries and spices. Fruit salad. It is incredibly fruity. Parfum. On the palate 3 notes, all where amazing. White chocolate, pineapple, Milk chocolate. Aftertaste started with a fruit salad note, tobacco, hay and coconut. Overall this was super balanced, so much that i feel like giving full score in the "balance" criteria. The rest of the variables, nose, palate and aftertaste got a 23/25 in my books. This is of course a superb whisky. Super enjoyable and collectible, my score for this one is 94 over 100.

My second Whistler, the Irish whiskey by Boann, is the famous PX I LOVE YOU, which not only has a beautiful name but also an incredible good looking bottle. An Irish single malt, triple distilled and matured as you might have already guessed, in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, i get a classic candied orange notes that you can find in any Dalmore. Beautiful. Impalpable sugar, coffee beans, sawdust and more oranges. On the palate, you can actually feel the 46%abv since it feels very light and gentle. Citric. Crazy dips lollipop with the sparkling sugar. Aftertaste follows the same rythm. Oranges, sugar, candied fruits and brown sugar. Overall, this one is not a super complex dram, but surely a delicious and easy enjoyable one. The PX is here in the form of candied fruits and lots of sugary profiles. I truly liked it as a sweet everyday dram. My score is 88 over 100.

My first whiskey from Boann's Distillery was this Cognac Cask matured called The Whistler Dark Symphony. The bottle is just marvelous, very good looking. The story behing "The Whistler" is that an old man who sat in the distillery premises, used to whistle songs while having a dram. Bottled at a strange 43.14%abv. On the nose, i get some creamy vanilla notes from grain whiskey. Sawdust, cake and grapefruits. Cinnamon. White chocolate and coffee with milk. Dulce de leche and marshmallows. On the palate, it is super creamy; Marshmallows. Sweet pepper, lovely. Smores, meringue. Peach halves in syrup and cognac. Truly delicious. Aftertaste was about marshmallows, Spices. Grain whiskey and a herbal pepper. Overall, this was a fantastic Irish whiskey that gave me enough flavor and aroma to be considered truly enjoyable. The cognac cask here has enhanced the whole profile, and that made my first experience with this brand to be quite enjoyable. My score for it is a well deserved 90 over 100.

I got my hands on a free whisky sample from a selected single cask bottling from Tomatin. This one has been drawn from a Cabernet Sauvignon cask #43036, distilled on 2008 and bottled in 2020. Bottle 43 of 299. The strength of thia whisky is 59.7%abv. On the nose, it starts with a super fancy spongy cake. Hay. Slight sider; cake in every way possible. Orange and yeasty notes. Lemon. After a first sip the aroma became an ice cream sandwich with waffer. Delicious. Cheesecake perfection. Strawberry cheescake. Lemonspice. On the palate it is a little rough and powerful. Acid and a little harsh. Acid and spicy oranges. Aftertaste is about Tobacco, hay. Off putting on the first sip because it feels way to alcoholic. After the first sip it was much more normal. Spices: pepper & salt. Overall, this one wasn't impressive nor complex. The high abv, which is something i usually crave, didn't work here, it just made it too rough an unappealing. At least it managed to obtain an 83 overall. The nose was the best part.

I have never agreed that Glengoyne is the natural rival to Glendronach. This is a statement that i have heard quite a few times, and i don't think those two whiskies taste even 1% alike. Having said that, i respect Glengoyne, and that is why i bought the Cask Strength Batch 9. This expression is bottled at 59.6%abv, and it was matured in a 1st fill Oloroso cask; then a refill Cask, and finished in a Bourbon Barrel. On the nose, it is super sweet. Coffee with dulce de leche; christmas cake and oranges. Spongy cake with toffee. Some citric notes as well. After a first sip, i got salted caramel. Orange juice. On the palate, it is delicious. "Arequipe" dulce de leche; herbal notes. This is exactly a dulce de leche birthday cake. Aftertaste is a little short, but follows tje same rythm. Toffee, salt, caramel; a little metallic. Overall this was very, very enjoyable. Not complex at all, with simple, straightforward notes that are beautifully delivered for a very rewarding experience. Suprisingly good, my score for it is 89 over 100.

The super famous Danish Whisky Retailers released some years ago a very interesting Arran expression, from a 1999 vintage. This 12 year old was finished in Pinot Noir casks for the last 3 years of the maturation, and was bottled at 46%abv. The bottle does not look like the new "milk" decanters, since it is was 2011 release, which in my humble opinion, were much better looking bottles. On the nose, wonderful aroma of nutella, hazelnut, chocolate and oranges all at the same time, at the first sniff. Its like pineapples dipped in cappuccino. Caramel. There is something that feels old and humid, like sawdust. Elegant and thick on the nose. Pineapple juice. The most incredible marshmallow note ever has appeared. Peach halves and white chocolate. On the palate, i get pineapple notes right away, it feels a little light, almost watery. Sugar notes for a second, then it becomes a salty water. On the second sip, this is definitively sugary, with sawdust notes. Aftertaste is beautiful. Tobacco and dark cake notes. Burnt hay. Very rewarding and full. It feels like drinking the cask's loose wooden threads. Overall, a very enjoyable 12yo expression from Arran, but i did not feel the Pinot Noir Cask influence at all. It feels more like a standard Arran, which is always a very good dram in my books, but it did not offered me anything new. Still, this is a very good whisky; my score for it is 88 over 100.

I finally got the chance to taste one of the most famous and renowned expression of Glenfiddich in the past 2 years. This 26yo expression called Grande Couronne, is finished in elegant cognac casks, and it is bottled at 43.8%. The decanter itself is absolutely wonderful. The aroma is beautiful. Its like peaches dipped in an elegant honey/apple syrup. It is a mixture of aromas; a frankenstein made out of grapefruits, gooseberries and lime. It is a fruit salad. There is watermelon here, kiwis, apples, everything super fruity. Even the spiciness i get on the nose feels fruity. I did not like how it fell a little after a first sip: it gave me honey and some grassy notes. Yellow apples. Milk & spices. It Starts a little light on the palate. Grapefruits, gooseberries, farm fruits. On the second sip i get a little more sugary notes, milk with sugar, corn flakes. Very light. Hay. Aftertaste is nice, rich. Cake and tobacco. Vanilla, super elegant notes. Honey, cough syrup and ginger. Very rewarding. After a second sip i can confirm this is is a good aftertaste. Hay. Mouth watering and long. Nougat. Overall, the below average palate here is disonant to a pretty nose and a great aftertaste. If the palate were a little bit better, this would be a memorable dram. My score for this quite hefty whisky from Glenfiddich is 86 over 100.

My final review on Glenfiddich's latest travel retail releases called "The Perpetual Collection" was the 18yo, the most expensive (not super pricey though). Matured in ex bourbon and sherry, it also goes to the famous solera vat. I appreciate it comes at 47.8%abv, to develop more flavor and aromas. On the nose, it is has a very beautiful, fancy apple and honey notes. Dark cake and cinnamon. Definitvely honeyed. Christmas cake. Very delicate. After the first sip, the aroma fell a little. Its mostly apples cake and honey. Raisin notes have risen. On the palate it is not very complex. Very easy to enjoy: Honey, grassy, tobacco leaf, salty water. On the second sip, it is very watery, not much here. Aftertaste is very simple as well. Grassy, burnt hay, tobacco. Hints of ginger and salt. Nothing too special. Overall, this one was a dud. I really expected this one to be the best of the series, but that just didn't happen. I also think the standard 18yo is not the best "fiddich" out there. A boring, simple and underwhelming expression, my score for it is 75 out of a 100.

Back in 1995, Chivas Regal was granted once again the Queen's Awards for Export Achievement; it was the fourth time they have won that prize. I already drank, not only tasted (lol), two bottles of the 1990 expression, which was fantastic, and now i managed to get my hands on this 1995 bottling. Bottled at 40%abv, this was awarded to "the Chivas & Glenlivet group", and never hit the markets, since it was given to the distillery and administrators of Chivas as a gift for their achievement. On the nose, this are the classic Chivas Aromas, but delivered in a quite elegant and fancy way. Oranges, green apples, caramel. Ginger and pancake maple syrup. On the palate, this is delicious. Very thick body. Caramel and dark chocolate. Oranges. Salt and butterscotch. Aftertaste follows the same path, everything very elegant. Ginger, oranges and caramel. Herbal and velvety. Overall, this is a Chivas 12yo on steroids. It has all the classic flavors of a standard blend, but delivered in a much more fancy, thick way. Absolutely enjoyable, it is always good to drink a whisky that can go extinct due to its rarity, my score for it is 88 over 100.