The Ultimate is a series developed by the Dutch importers Han and Maurice van Wees . They’re all single casks and they have a good reputation when it comes to fair pricing vs. quality.

Longmorn 23 yo 1992 (46%, van Wees ‘The Ultimate’ 2015, hogshead #48497, 264 btl.)

Nose: very bright and fruity, with some elements that hint towards balanced sherry maturation (golden raisins, strawberries) and others that are more typical for bourbon casks (vanilla, dried coconut). Lots of apples, some gooseberries and a slightly tart side. Quite some mint as well. Mouth: really fruity again, almost fruit...

This limited edition Laphroaig 21 Year Old was distilled throughout 1993, then poured into first fill ex-bourbon barrels to age. Both kiln-dried and air-dried American oak barrels were used to reflect the subtle changes in flavour that occur with the changing seasons.

It is part of the 200th Anniversary releases and was first sold to Friends of Laphroaig members by ballot, but apparently that wasn’t a huge success. After the initial storm, it’s now available for anyone through the Laphroaig website.

Laphroaig 21 yo 1993 (48,4%, OB 2015, first-fill bourbon, for Friends of Laphroaig, 35 cl.)

Nose: as...

Suddenly a new Japanese single malt appeared, Fujikai 10 Year Old . It is produced at the Monde Shuzo distillery, a wine producer at the foot of Mount Fuji (hence the name) which occasionally makes some whisky as well. They also seem to have an Isawa blend, an Isawa 10yo single malt and a vintage 1983.

The packaging and label says “10 ans” among the Japanese blurb, I guess the spirit was bought by the French importer Whiskies du Monde and bottled / labeled in Europe.

Japanese whisky is hot and when some forgotten stock is found, it would be stupid not...

For its 2013 Master’s Collection release, Woodford Reserve bottled two single 100% malted barley whiskeys, aged in used bourbon barrels… a Classic Malt made like Scotch whisky but in a Kentucky climate.

It was released in pair with a Straight Malt Whiskey , aged in new oak barrels.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection – Classic Malt (45,2%, OB 2013)

Nose: strange. I mean, given the Seasoned Oak quality, and compared to Scotch single malt, this just seems uninspired. It has dried grasses, honey and vanilla, with soft hints of peaches and pears in the background. But mostly lots of...

Arran...

Seasoned Oak Finish was the fourth offering in the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection , a series of products focused on innovation and craftmanship. Other expressions include a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir finish, Maple wood finish, Four Grain, Rare Rye selection and others.

The Master’s Collection whiskies are completely triple distilled in pot stills, whereas the normal Woodford Reserve also includes some column distilled Old Forester whisky in the mix.

The key to this Seasoned Oak is 7-8 years of regular maturation with an extra 8 months in finishing barrels, made with staves that have been seasoned 3-5 years instead of...

A lot of early 1990s Auchentoshan from independent bottlers recently. This 1992 expression was recently released by Maltbarn .

Auchentoshan 23 yo 1992 (52%, Maltbarn 2015, bourbon cask, 134 btl.)

Nose: starts grassy and neutral, with some plankish notes, but becomes rounder and more attractive after five minutes. Crushed mint leaves, grapefruit and creamy malt sweetness. Lemongrass and hints of butter milk. Pear and almonds. Paraffin notes. Mouth: immediately very zesty (grapfruit, lemon peel) and grassy, including a bitter side. Ginger and chalk. Waxy notes and herbs like juniper and tonic water. Salted liquorice. I’m missing a juicy,...

Glenmorangie Duthac is the first release in the Travel Retail Legends collection, which will be expanded over the next two years. Each expression will honour a local Highland legend – Saint Duthac is the patron of Tain, the hometown of the distillery.

At its base is bourbon barrel matured spirit, married with Pedro Ximénez finished whisky and some charred virgin oak casks (which seems to be a recurring theme in some of their latest releases). For a Glenmorangie , there was very little fuss about it – it was just there on the shelves of international airports. majbe not...

The Whisky Agency recently launched an unspecified blended malt. We have no clue about what’s inside. Given that it’s ‘extra old’, it could be something like their Blended Malt 1980 , or majbe it’s more like the Speyside Region 2001 from Archives which was composed of old leftovers mixed with younger spirit?

Anyway it’s sherry matured and it seems to be the start of a series with different volumes.

Blended Malt ‘Extra Old’ (44,7%, The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2015, volume 1, sherry wood)

Nose: some nice fruity notes. Red berries, stewed plums, oranges, nicely sweet &...

Cadenhead keeps surprising us with casks that are unreachable for other bottlers. Here’s a Glenlivet 42 yo 1973 (they mention the old hamlet Minmore on the label).

Since this is bottled in the small batch series, it is a mix of several casks. majbe one of them was underproof and blending a higher proof brought it above 40% again?

Glenlivet – Minmore 42 yo 1973 (40,2%, Cadenhead Small Batch 2015, bourbon hogsheads, 630 btl.)

Nose: ah, 1970s polished oak! Plus a whole range of fruits: apricots, mirabelles, honeydew melon and really nice kiwi notes. Typical honey, and some...

After the summer break, many distilleries are launching new products again. As you know, I’m only publishing press releases on my WhiskyNotes Facebook page , but I think it maj be a good idea to publish one or more highlights of the week here as well, every Saturday.

Laphroaig 32 yo (46,7%, OB 2015, 5880 btl.)

After the excellent Laphroaig 15 Year Old and some exclusives like the Laphroaig 21 Year Old and a travel retail 16 Year Old , there is now the highlight of the special bottlings that celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Laphroaig . It is matured...

The Glenfarclas £511.19s.0d Family Reserve is a special released to celebrate the 150th anniversary of family ownership of the Glenfarclas distillery.

On the 8th of juni 1865, John Grant, 1st generation of the Grant family, bought the distillery for the amount of £511.19s.0d . His grandsons, John and George, later formed the company J&G Grant and to this day it remains an independent business and firmly in the hands of the family’s 5th & 6th generation.

The whisky is a vatting of predominantly first fill sherry butts . The age is undisclosed, it’s probably a mix of different vintages.

 ...

There’s a new exclusive bottling for the members of the Whiskybase community, a GlenDronach 1995 bottled from a Pedro Ximénez sherry puncheon.

Now that the remaining casks from the excellent 1993 vintage are officially ‘on hold’ (read: reserved for official releases), most shops seem to turn to the 1995 vintage for their bottlings.

GlenDronach 19 yo 1995 (54,2%, OB for Whiskybase 2015, PX sherry puncheon #3804, 694 btl.)

Nose: starts in a heavyweight, bloated style, not entirely my favourite, with a certain old blend character and some oxtail soup. Big toffee notes, balsamic syrup and toasted pastry. Hazelnuts...

The Irish single malt 1988 from The Nectar has a younger sister, although it could be more like a niece.

I’m not sure this 16 years old Irish single malt 1999 was produced in the same distillery. Probably not, actually. As you know indie casks are mostly sold in larger lots, and most 1999s point to Cooley .

Irish single malt 16 yo 1999 (53,5%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams 2015, joint bottling with LMdW)

Nose: a slightly greener kind of fruitiness. Plenty of citrus, especially grapefruit. Hints of lemon (blossom) and white peach. Nice banana liqueur...

Maltbarn presented four new releases: Bunnahabhain 1987, Glen Garioch 1993, Auchentoshan 1992 and this Inchgower 1990 .

Inchgower 24 yo 1990 (51,4%, Maltbarn 2015, bourbon cask, 135 btl.)

Nose: quite bright and fruity although a bit restrained as well. Some white grapes, lime, canary melon and white peach. Gummi bears. Freshly cut grass with a few white flowers. Something of lemon yoghurt and sugared green tea. Caraway seeds. A bit uncommon but far from unpleasant. Mouth: again very bright and citrusy, with lime and pear, hints of vanilla and some floral notes. Green apples. Some oily notes and...

With the recent boom of Japanese whisky and the direct connection of Bowmore with Japan (they are owned by Beam Suntory), we now welcome a new Bowmore Mizunara Cask finish .

Mizunara oak only grows in specific parts of Asia and although it grows slowly and it is a little difficult to work with, Mizunara casks have always been used in Japanese whisky production to induce some unique aromas. Suntory only produces around 100 casks per year and this is the first time an Islay whisky is finished in these casks (which are probably refill Yamazaki casks).

Bowmore Mizunara...

Any shopkeeper will tell you a lot of people are anxiously waiting for new independent Irish whiskey , especially these (officially undisclosed) Bushmills casks that seem to have been brought to the market by the Teeling brothers. This is a brand-new one, already sold out in most places.

Irish single malt 27 yo 1988 (49,5%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams 2015, joint bottling with LMdW)

Nose: another generously exotic nose (guava, tinned pineapple, kiwi, passion fruits). Rather warm and honeyed, majbe a little less of the acidity that you find in other examples, but more redcurrant jam...

It seems the latest batch of Whisky Agency releases passed by with a little less fuss than we’ve come to expect. They’ve been on the market for a while, but I’ve only been able to try two or three. Here’s the Auchentoshan 1994 from the Circus series .

Auchentoshan 21 yo 1994 (54,8%, The Whisky Agency 2015, refill hogshead, 216 btl.)

Nose: rather naked, with some nice fruity notes (unripe pineapple, green banana, greengages) and light grassy notes. Slightly less common notes of menthol. Some flinty hints, as well as some waxy lipstick notes. Nice and simple. After...

The Whisky Mercenary selected his newest bottling from the Gordon & MacPhail stocks. Twenty years old indie Highland Park . We’re not complaining!

Highland Park 20 yo 1995 (50%, Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive for The Whisky Mercenary 2015, refill bourbon hogshead #1485, 325 btl.)

Nose: sweet heather honey and zesty notes at the same time. Green apple, white peach and lemon candy. Slightly youngish banana and pear. Subtle coconut notes and a touch of mint / menthol. Very soft peat smoke and limestone. A rather summery version of Highland Park, thanks to the bourbon oak. Mouth: rich and...

Enough old treasures for a while. This week we’ll focus on more mundane new releases.

Elements of Islay Lp6 is a first-fill matured Laphroaig , the latest in the Elements of Islay series from The Whisky Exchange.

Laphroaig Lp6 (51,3%, Elements of Islay 2015, 50 cl)

Nose: classic Laphroaig elements (profound smoke, dried kelp, iodine, eucalyptus) but also elegantly mixed with honey and vanilla. Nice hints of aromatic Szechuan pepper. Some peaches. A relatively mild nose. Mouth: again some tarry smoke but also plenty of rounder notes. Vanilla syrup, hints of roasted pineapple. Hints of black olives and Mediterranean...