I have to admit I didn’t have William Grant’s blended whisky before. Their ambassador Ludo Ducrocq was kind enough to let me try the whole range but I didn’t go for the basic expressions right away – let’s start at a decent level with the Grant’s 18 Year Old . It used to be nicknamed ‘Classic Reserve’.

As a reminder, William Grant & Sons is a top-5 producer of Scotch whisky. They own Glenfiddich , Balvenie , Kininvie and Alisa Bay malt distilleries and the grain distillery Girvan . They also produce Hendrick’s Gin among other drinks.

After a separate...

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Kintra has three new bottlings: a 6 years old Aultmore, a 15 years old Auchentoshan and this Inchgower 1990 . Nice to see they’re going against the flow: these expressions don’t seem to be very popular among bottlers these days.

Inchgower 23 yo 1990 (48,3%, Kintra 2013, bourbon hogshead #6746, 108 btl.)

Nose: starts creamy with hints of almond milk. Or coconut water? Moves towards nougat and soft vanilla. Then green tea with citrus. Overall quite subdued, you need to work in order to get the flavours out. Mouth: creamy and very sweet, as if someone added powder sugar....

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Hepburn’s Choice is a new label of the Hunter Laing company. They’re all single cask releases at 46%. There have been one or two batches so far.

The Braeval 2001 we’re trying today was part of the first releases.

Braeval 12 yo 2001 (46%, Hepburn’s Choice 2013, sherry cask, 807 btl.)

Nose: young, fairly malty, with sweet berries and apple. Lemon candy. Creamy notes too, soft white chocolate and almond paste. Nice enough. Mouth: very sweet, with yellow apple and lemon candy again. Modern vanilla notes. Yellow raisins. A peppery note in the background. Finish: medium long, citrusy...

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We can’t get enough of these juicy Littlemills. Let’s hope they keep ‘em coming for the next few years. This Littlemill 1989 is part of the latest Liquid Library batch.

Littlemill 24 yo 1989 (50,4%, Liquid Library 2014, refill hogshead, 212 btl.)

Nose: rather great, typical Littlemill, with the classic fruity notes that we expected. Lime, sweet oranges, mango and lots of tangelo. Quite some banana and vanilla as well, nice. Hints of pink marshmallows. Subtle hints of grass and gravel. Mouth: just as fruity, although there’s a bigger minerality and grassiness this time. More classic Lowlands style if...

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A Speyside single malt produced at a mystery distillery (there’s reason to believe it is Glenfarclas ) and matured in a Port cask . In fact it is a marriage of two casks, filled in december 1967 and bottled mars 1993.

Undisclosed Speyside 1967 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail 1993, port cask #8921 – 8922)

Nose: pretty aromatic being 40%, slightly vinous but in a nice way. Starts on toffee apples and a lot of red plums. Redcurrant jam, over time also very nice strawberries. Hints of oranges. Mild oak, some dried flowers. Soft raspberry vinegar. Just a hint...

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Les Bowmore 2003 sont arrivés… This one is sold by Whisky-Doris .

Bowmore 10 yo 2003 (53,4%, Whisky-Doris 2013, bourbon cask #20188, 179 btl.)

Nose: could this one be slightly more aromatic than the Bowmore 2003 selected by Whisky-Fässle ? Slightly bigger lemon notes, including the nice aroma of lemon balm (I mean the herb, not the waxy stuff). Same mineral notes, wet stones, chalk and olives. Very very difficult to set them apart after a while. Mouth: same perfect mixture of brine, lemons, peat and sweetness. Punchy but nicely drinkable. Maritime notes. Sour fruits. Hay and pepper. Finish:...

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Balblair 2003 is a recent release, launched at the end of 2013 together with the 1990 (2nd release) and 1983 (1st release) vintages. It was composed from 18 bourbon casks.

Balblair 2003
(46%, OB 2013, first release)

Nose: really young and a tad undescriptive. The usual pear drops and apples, mixed with a bit of vanilla. Soft lemon. Meadow flowers, say buttercups. Hints of orange blossom. Very light honey. Mouth: smooth, decent body, still largely characterized by the barley. A young profile again. Slightly less sweet than expected, with more grassy notes, pepper and heathery notes. Muesli. Oranges and...

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Bowmore 10 yo 2003 (50,2%, Whisky-Fässle 2013, bourbon hogshead)

Nose: chiselled, modern Bowmore which means moderate but ultra-clean peat, seaweed and lots of briney notes. Quite some nice leafy notes, wet ferns and damp cellars. Some wet chalk and olives. But also fresh citrus and traces of sweetness and pepper in the background. Impeccable spirit. Mouth: briny, lemony. Perfect strength, with lots of punch but also a nice silkiness. More peat than on the nose, though still no peat blast. Again a chalky note and crystallized lemons. Ginger and a zesty bitter touch. Sandy beaches. A little pepper. Finish: smoky...

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I’ve never tried a truly magnificent Auchroisk . Most of them were okay – I would only call the Auchroisk 30yo 1982 really good.

Auchroisk 17 yo 1996 (48,2%, Liquid Library 2013, refill barrel, 208 btl.)

Nose: big notes of yellow apple and pear. Some hay and buttercups. Chalky notes and lots of plain barley notes too. Settles mainly on the fruity notes: plums and peaches. Fairly neutral spirit, not my style. Mouth: similar. Slightly harsh fruit spirit. Barley juice meets grain vodka meets grappa meets plum liquor. Just hints of vanilla and pepper. Not very wide. Finish: rough,...

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It’s clear that independent bottlers are running short of available Littlemill casks. Douglas Laing now classifies them in the Director’s Cut series that are usually fairly expensive.

This one was distilled in februari 1992 and bottled in september 2013 at cask strength.

Littlemill 21 yo 1992 (55,2%, Douglas Laing Director’s Cut 2013, hogshead  ref. 9970, 113 btl.)

Nose: less overtly fruity than some other Littlemills. I mean not that many lemons and tangerines, it’s focusing more on oily / waxy notes, minerals and grasses. A big malty core. Also walnuts and gooseberries. In the background a nice hint of...

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This is a 14 years old single cask Springbank 1998 , bottled for the Belgian importer The Nectar . One of the new releases presented at the 2013 Spirits in the Sky festival.

Springbank 14 yo 1998 (58,2%, OB for The Nectar 2013, fresh bourbon cask, 132 btl.)

Nose: a complex nose. It’s peaty and coastal, with some wet dogs and the typical Springbank chalkiness, but also plenty of fruity notes. Tangerine, lemon, grilled pineapple, even some strawberries. Surprisingly tropical. A bit of vanilla. Subtle floral notes. Quite some hidden depths. Mouth: punchy, again very complex. Very fruity (pineapple,...

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Master of Malt is presenting quite a tour de force with a 60 years old single malt distilled and matured at an undisclosed Speyside distillery. They already had a line-up of 30yo , 40yo and 50yo expressions.

It costs £ 1000, which seems fair in a climate of premium whiskies of this age being sold for anything from £ 8000 to £ 100.000. It’s still expensive, but at least here you don’t pay for crystal bottles, wooden cases or fancy marketing (besides a sample for a couple of bloggers).

Undisclosed Speyside distillery 60 yo
(42,5%, Master of...

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Cù Bòcan is the name of a legendary dog-like creature that has stalked residents of the remote Highland village of Tomatin for centuries. It gave its name to the recent Tomatin Cù Bòcan , a lightly peated whisky (15 ppm) matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry and virgin oak casks.

Tomatin distillery only produces peated spirit during one week of the year, good for about 60.000 litres. The peated part of the whisky is aged 8 years, but the whole composition doesn’t have an age statement).

Tomatin Cù Bòcan
(46%, OB 2013, 18.000 btl.)

Nose: sweet and citrusy....

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Angus Dundee started as a blending company in London but in recent years they’ve acquired distilleries like Tomintoul and Glencadam , and they launched labels like Old Ballantruan . They also sell independent bottlings under the names Mackillop’s Choice and Montgomerie’s Rare Select.

Today’s dram is a 27 years old Dalmore 1986 . Sister casks #3090 and #3096 have been bottled in the Mackillop’s series. What’s interesting is that you rarely see independent Dalmore. Most blenders tend to exchange new spirit though, so this maj have been an exchanged parcel.

Dalmore 27 yo 1986 (46%, Montgomerie’s Rare Select...

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The eighth release of the hugely successful Balvenie Tun 1401 found its way to Belgium at the end of 2013.

Batch 8 brings together the largest number of casks in the series so far, 9 American oak bourbon casks and 3 European oak sherry butts. One of them was filled in 1991, two in 1981 and 1982, but all the rest is 1970’s whisky. It’s the darkest Tun 1401 I’ve come across, a first hint of its character?

Balvenie Tun 1401 (50,2%, OB 2013, batch 8, 2.700 btl.)

Nose: it seems immediately different from the others. Rather...

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The last whisky I’ll review from the GlenDronach single casks batch 9. The 1991 and 1992 were not very convincing, let’s hope the 1993 cask #5 can fulfil its promises.

GlenDronach 20 yo 1993
(53%, OB 2013, oloroso cask #5, 645 btl.)

Nose: excellent. Lots of fresh figs and juicy plums, with a bright top note of orange blossom and rose petals. A slightly rummy / brandy-like aroma as well. Soaked raisins. Lovely pipe tobacco and cigar boxes. Hints of incense. Almonds and cake. Soft hints of those chocolate-covered coffee beans. Mouth: rich, initially sweet but growing drier and...

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The Yamazaki Puncheon is matured in American oak puncheons (large 480 litre casks, often even larger). Larger casks, so slower ageing and supposedly elegant and spirit-driven. While puncheons are usually seasoned with sherry or rum, apparently the ones Yamazaki used had previously contained bourbon whiskey. I hadn’t heard of bourbon puncheons before.

It has been released in 2011 and 2012 already, and the 2013 version is said to be the final release.

Yamazaki Puncheon
(48%, OB 2013)

Nose: fresh and fruity, with lots of American oak influences indeed. Pears, peaches and vanilla, with nice hints of pineapple and banana....

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The Auld Alliance is a whisky bar in Singapore which boasts one of the largest collections in South-East Asia. It is run by Emmanuel Dron , a Frenchman who worked for La Maison du Whisky before.

Since 2013, Auld Alliance also has its own line of whisky bottlings. This Littlemill 1992 is the fourth release.

Littlemill 20 yo 1992 (52,2%, Auld Alliance 2013, bourbon hogshead, 216 btl.)

Nose: majbe not a full fruitiness this time. There’s apple, pear and marzipan sweetness at first, but also linseed oil and lots of waxy notes: wax candles and paraffin. Vanilla cake...

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I can’t remember other Irish whiskey from The Whisky Agency , but now they have two at the same time. It’s a single malt so either produced at Bushmills or Cooley. This one was distilled in 1988 , the year Cooley started distilling, but that doesn’t tell us anything.

Irish single malt 25 yo 1988 (51,1%, The Whisky Agency ‘Old Times Diving’ 2013, 212 btl.)

Nose: all the yellow fruits you can expect from Irish whiskey. Especially Maracuja sherbet. Also pink grapefruit (BenRiach 1976’s style), white apricots and hints of Charentais melon. Orange blossom. Bags of gummy bears....

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The Glenrothes 2001 vintage is the latest vintage from this distillery. It has been selected from a variety of casks to deliver a “conversational style”. Try to meet the wonderful Ronnie Cox if you ever have a chance. He’ll tell you all about the different “moods” they’re trying to create, and how a new vintage replaces the previous while recreating the same style.

The Glenrothes 2001 is the youngest offering in their range, and the first vintage of the new millennium. This is the European version at 43% . Apparently the Asian version is 40%.

Glenrothes 2001 (43%,...

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