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Macallan Fine Oak 25 Year
Distiller Score 93
A robust aroma of peach, blood orange and coconut greet you as you take bring the glass to your nose. There are wood spices found, but become integrated on the palate. The retro-nasal flavor profile is fruit, floral, and fresh despite the 25 years of age. A slight smoke lingers on your palate on the finish.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Craigellachie 31 Year
Distiller Score 94
Tropical fruits and peaches lead on the nose, along with meaty and sulfur-smoky aromas. The palate is oily and sets the tongue tingling, before unfolding into a super smooth sip with canned peaches, apricots, tropical fruits, vanilla, and toffee. A tantalizingly lengthy finish offers spicy dry oak, alongside a fruity-creamy spectrum of peaches and cream, Creamsicle, and vanilla pudding--all with that lingering meaty undertone.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Macallan 18 Year Sherry Oak Cask
Distiller Score 90
They've brought us some figgy pudding, indeed. Rich dried fruits like figs and dates, some toasted nuts and and a scent of freshly peeled oranges are what you'll find with this whisky. These flavors stay with you for quite some time and eventually turn bitter with some charred smoke from the barrels.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Glenfiddich 21 Year Reserva Rum Cask Finish
Distiller Score 90
As you might imagine with a whisky finished in rum, there are lots of sugary aromas and flavors--molasses, toffee, and brown sugar to name a few. As you dig deeper, you also discover espresso, leather, and banana. Despite all the sweets, the finish is dry, but lengthy.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Compass Box Hedonism The Muse
Distiller Score 94
Creamy vanilla pudding pulls you in on the nose, with peaches and cream, vanilla-covered pretzels, and tropical fruits. The palate is luscious and richly sweet, with butterscotch, trail mix with sugary dried fruits, candied apples, and plenty of vanillas. The finish is short and sweet, with quick hits of citrus, spice, and oak rounded out by that creamy vanilla sweetness encouraging you to sip again. A supreme example of blended grain whisky.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Dalmore Select Edition 2008 (Bottled 2023)
Distiller Score 89
The nose is sherried and sweet, with dates, honey, vanilla wafers, and dark chocolate covered raisins. The palate is viscous and showcases cocoa powder, ginger chews, and blackberries and raspberries macerated with sugar. The finish offers oak, cacao nibs, lemon peel, and candied orange slices. A warming dram for sherry lovers.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Benromach Vintage 1976
Distiller Score 96
The aroma is full of tropical golden fruits with a fairly decent intensity. Toasted coconut and sweet curry spices join in the fun. The palate shows much of the same with a nice balance between malt and fruit with the sherry casks heightening and not overwhelming the whisky. A trace of char smoke and salt is present, but only just. The finish is lovely and lasting.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Dewar's Signature
Distiller Score 93
If anything is Dewar's signature, it's honey. This bottling has it in spades. The texture is chewy and also includes berries, vanilla cream, and chocolate. Kudos to their former Master Blender, Tom Aitken for creating this blend.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Glenfarclas 40 Year
Distiller Score 94
Dark honey, roasted cereal, dark molasses, baked pears, cinnamon, maybe some walnut; these are some of the aromas found in this whisky. Going back for more you'll find orange peel, black tea, tobacco; this is something you'll want to drink by the fireplace. The finish is slightly bitter, but is lengthy.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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The Glenrothes 1985 2nd Edition
Distiller Score 93
Rich, sweet, and fruity on the nose, full of caramel, malt, buttery cinnamon toast, pears, and cream. The taste sticks with what the nose suggests then adds oak, chocolate, and orange zest to the mix. The long finish drifts dreamily from oak spice and chocolate-orange sweetness.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 9
Distiller Score 90
Upfront, the nose is elegant with a complex bouquet of oak, delicate spice, concentrated dark fruit and cooked citrus. The palate is rich and deep in its flavors, with big oak, dark and nutty fruits, baker’s cocoa, and just a touch of Highland honey sweetness. This whisky finishes with a lingering opulence that speaks of well aged Spanish sherry and the tannic and spicy notes of charred American oak.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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Compass Box Stranger & Stranger
Distiller Score 92
This strange spirit showcases a wildly fruity nose with tropical bubblegum, sour apples, and a mélange of papaya, mango, and apricot, all with a strain of toffee in the background. Think creamy on the palate, with strawberries and cream alongside vanilla pudding, with honey, leather, and oak. A smooth finish offers more fruity creaminess studded with spicy black pepper, pine needles, and mint.
Reviewed by Jake Emen