The last Oban I’ve tried was like three years ago. It’s not a distillery which makes a lot of noise. This Oban 21 Years , a natural cask strength version, was matured in rejuvenated American Oak and second-fill ex-Bodega casks.

Oban 21 yo
(58,5%, OB 2013, 2860 btl.)

Nose: nice sweet toffee and buttery pastry notes at first. Honey. majbe sugarcane. Then going towards waxy notes, grasses and finally also full-blown coastal notes like dried seaweed. Some leafy notes and mint. Hints of linseed oil and cinnamon as well. A great maritime nose, nicely balanced with sweetness. Mouth: again...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/oban/oban-21-year-old/

Happy New Year to everyone!

When looking at last year’s statistics, it has been a good year for this little blog. An increase of 28% in terms of unique visitors and almost twice the number of page views (well over 2 million now).

GlenDronach is the most popular distillery again, with Ardbeg now in second place. Among the specific drams, after four years, Laphroaig Triple Wood has lost some of its popularity, and Johnnie Walker ‘The Gold Route’ is now the most visited review (by far), followed by Ardbeg Galileo and Glenmorangie Ealanta . The Johnnie Walker Red Label vs....

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/whisky-news/best-whiskies-of-2013/

We’re seeing a lot of single cask Kavalan releases these days, bottled for different retailers around the world, mostly #S060821… casks. There’s cask #S060821049 that received a Gold medal in the recent Malt Maniacs Awards, sister cask #…047 bottled for LMdW among others and this #…045 for the Belgian whisky shop TastToe .

It’s quite surprising they are all said to be natural strength yet exactly 57,8% . majbe Taiwan allows of higher deviations for alcohol measuring, and printing the same tube is cheaper? Or majbe the processes are meticulously executed, the Asian way.

While Kavalan’s bottles and tubes don’t mention...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/world/kavalan-solist-sherry-for-tasttoe/

This is 16 years old Strathisla 1970 , bottled by Gordon & MacPhail as a semi-official release for the Italian market. The spirit was distilled 29.09.1970 and bottled 29.06.1987 at natural strength. There’s also a version at 40%.

Intertrade was a company run by Ferdinando “Nadi” Fiori in Rimini, Italy. He owned the restaurant “Taverna della Artisti” and started in the 1970′s as one of the first important Italian whisky importers, but most of his legendary releases were bottled in the 1980′s. He was a pioneer when it comes to ’cask strength’ bottlings at a time when whisky wasn’t popular, let alone at such...

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We’re seeing a lot of GlenDronach 2002 releases lately. Remember this is the year the distillery was restarted by the Walker family after having been mothballed for six years.

Note that GlenDronach is keeping a lot of these 2002 casks aside to create the new 12 year-old, which is now effectively much older as there is no stock from 1996-2002. Nonetheless some of them are now hitting the market as single casks bottled for different parties.

It’s funny that this expression has the same cask number as one of these magnificent 1972 vintages . Anyway it’s a sister cask of...

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Thosop is the label started by Luc Timmermans in 2010. A total of 18 releases have been bottled with handwritten labels (including one uniquely hybrid Glenfarclas 1968 ).

This year a 19th expression was released, a Tomatin 1976 , a final bottling which marks the end of a great series.

Note that there are only 24 bottles. None of them are commercially available, only collectors who own the complete Handwritten series have been able to buy this bottle.

Tomatin 1976 (49%, Thosop ‘handwritten’ 2013, ‘Never released stock’, 24 btl.)

Nose: this one needs some time to...

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Merry Christmas everyone!

As the oldest and most expensive bottling of the pack, the Lagavulin 37 Years is the highlight of the 2013 Diageo Special Releases . Distilled in 1976 , it could be the same batch of casks that also produced the Lagavulin 30 Year Old .

Old Lagavulin is very rare, due to the popularity of the younger expressions. This expression was matured in refill American oak and European oak.

Lagavulin 37 yo 1976
(51%, OB 2013, 1868 btl.)

Nose: very nicely oily and elegant. Earthy notes up front (rather than big peat), with moss and...

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Johnny Drum is a sour-mash bourbon made by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (also known as Willett ). They have a Green label, Black label, a Black label 12 and this Private Stock label. It used to have a separate “15 years old” label on the neck but recently this has been left out so it’s possibly a little younger.

Note that the Willett distillery has been restarted in 2012, but this small batch whiskey is just a label – the spirit is bought from external sources (some suggest Heaven Hill further down the same road).

Johnnie Drum ‘Private Stock’...

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The Singleton series combines whiskies from three of Diageo’s biggest distilleries: Dufftown, Glendullan and Glen Ord. They’re big but hardly known as most of their production is used in blends like Johnnie Walker. It’s the first time Dufftown appears in Diageo’s Special Releases.

This expression was distilled in 1985 (one of the oldest expressions ever from this distillery) and matured in refill American oak.

The Singleton of Dufftown 28 yo 1985 (52,3%, OB 2013, 3.816 btl.)

Nose: old Speyside the way I like it. Creamy fruits (apples, pears, grapes) are mixed with heather honey and a good dose...

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This Old Pulteney 2001 was part of the bottlings for the Spirits in the Sky Festival in Leuven this year. A joint bottling by The Whisky Agency and The Nectar .

Old Pulteney 12 yo 2001
(49,2%, The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2013, bourbon cask, 351 btl.)

Nose: a mineral profile. Chalk, graphite, wet cloths. Unripe fruits (apple, peach). Some seaweed. Hints of pencil shavings. Slight floral notes. Overall a little closed. After a while a candied white fruit note comes out. Mouth: surprisingly sweet, with a young fruitiness (apple liqueur, apricot, grapefruit) but also a nice praline...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/old-pulteney/old-pulteney-2001-twa-nectar/

We’re working our way up in the Diageo Special Releases. This year’s Talisker is a 27 years old 1985 vintage . It has been matured in refill American oak casks. I have to say the packaging, with its out-of-centre labels, looks lovely.

Talisker 27 yo 1985 
(56,1%, OB 2013, 3.000 btl.)

Nose: really great, I love the mix of old books (waxed paper), dusty warehouses, orange peel and vanilla. Sea spray. Hints of wet cloths. Good to find some pastry notes as well as red apples and raspberry. Soft, sweet smoke in the background, with some ashy notes. Balanced...

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The yearly Lagavulin 12 Years Old , matured in refill American oak and bottled at cask strength, 55.1% this year.

Lagavulin 12 yo
(55,1%, OB 2013, 11th release)

Nose: sweet, slightly youngish aromas at first. Redcurrant, a little banana. A classic lemon and pepper combination. Earthy peat, kind of leafy, with a soft matchstick edge. Some chalk as well, even a few waxy notes. Is it me or did this one grow towards Laphroaig and Ardbeg in the last few years? Mouth: hot and peppery at first (slightly alcoholic), quite dry as well, with some herbal notes / burnt...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/lagavulin/lagavulin-12-years-2013/

Cardhu is still the best selling single malt in Spain (and popular in the rest of Southern Europe as well), making it a top-10 malt worldwide, but it’s mostly overlooked by connoisseurs.

This Cardhu 21 Years Old , distilled in 1991 , is part of the Diageo Special Releases . The last time that happened was in 2005. The spirit was matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks.

Cardhu 21 yo 1991
(54,2%, OB 2013, 6.000 btl.)

Nose: pretty neutral. There’s orange peel, yellow raisins and apples. Nice enough, but there’s something of sharper fruit vinegar that I don’t like...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/cardhu/cardhu-21-years-1991/

Another release in the recent Age Matters series from The Whiskyman is this Littlemill 1992 .

Recently prices of Littlemill  have taken quite a hike. It’s not totally surprising: this Lowlands distillery has been dismantled since 1997 and the remnants were destroyed in 2004. Stocks are low, and for most bottlers, Littlemill now seems part of the great lost distilleries that will soon become unavailable.

Duncan Taylor recently bottled a 1990 single cask #3045 – it comes in a fancy box and costs € 275. That’s crazy, but it indicates the mindset of bottlers towards this distillery and probably also the...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/littlemill/littlemill-1992-the-whiskyman/

Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve is named after Billy Stitchell , the distillery manager who is retiring this year after almost 40 years. It is the eight edition of unpeated Caol Ila in Diageo’s Special Releases and the most affordable offer in the whole series.

This NAS cask strength Caol Ila was matured in a combination of American oak, rejuvenated American oak and European ex-bodega casks.

Caol Ila ‘Stitchell Reserve’
(59,6%, OB 2013)

Nose: sweet and fudgy, but with a surprisingly grassy, almost tannic profile. Corn flakes, some vanilla. Lots of lemons, both zesty and candied ones. Some resinous notes....

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/caol-ila/caol-ila-stitchell-reserve/

You will probably remember the Glenfarclas 1953 cask #1674 , the 58 years old cask that was bottled in februari 2012 for WealthSolutions , a Polish company that provides investment opportunities.

A year later they presented this Karuizawa 1964 cask #3603 , which was the oldest Karuizawa at that time (no trace of the 1960 back then). This 400-litre sherry cask was filled on september 1st 1964 and yielded 143 bottles (plus 200 miniatures), all pre-sold to WealthSolutions investors.

It comes in a box of dark black fossil oak – extremely old wood recovered from Polish swamps – quite...

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I opened this sample on a lazy Friday afternoon and I have to say I didn’t know what to expect, well… except for the fact that 1960s whisky is always interesting so it deserves quite some time to investigate. Oh boy what a surprise. It’s only afterwards that I found out this Lochside 1966 bottled by the Scotch Maltwhisky Society is said to be one of the best Lochsides ever.

Lochside 32 yo 1966
(61,2%, SMWS 1998, ref. 92.7)

Nose: perfect sherry goodness from Ye Olden Days. In order of appearance: mint, Ginjinha, warm sand, cedar oak, chocolate...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/lochside/lochside-1966-smws-92-7/

Again an oldie, Glengoyne 1969 this time, one of these green bottles in Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection , topped with a golden seal. Although it has an excellent reputation among Belgian whisky enthusiasts, it seems to be much less appreciated in other circles. Always make up your own mind.

There is another version at 62,8% which is 27 years old. Both seem to have similar profiles.

Glengoyne 26 yo 1969 (63%, Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection 1996, Chairman Stock)

Nose: very jammy fruits: apricot jam, quince jelly, whitecurrants, mirabelles, gooseberry pie… Stewed fruits, but also fresh and fragrant apricots and strawberries. Hints...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/glengoyne/glengoyne-1969-cadenhead/

Let’s have a few more legendary drams to celebrate the 5th anniversary of this little blog…

Bunnahabhain 1968 ‘Auld Acquaintance’ is probably the most legendary Bunnahabhain ever bottled. It’s a Hogmanay dram, i.e. it was distilled on the 31st of december.

At the time of bottling during the Islay Jazz Festival in 2002, it was the third in a series of limited editions of Bunnahabhain single malt (after a 1965 and 1966), and it cost £ 100.

Bunnahabhain 34 yo 1968
‘Auld Acquaintance’ (43,8%, OB 2002, 2002 btl.)

Nose: very expressive and delicate at the same time. Juicy sherry...

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Diageo’s Special Releases 2013 have started to arrive in stores (at least in the UK), so what better way to celebrate 5 years of WhiskyNotes than with the new Brora 35 Year Old ?

While last year’s Brora 35yo (2012) was a mix of 1976 / 1977 casks, all refill American oak, I’ve been told the new one is composed of casks filled in 1977 , and both refill American oak and European oak.

Even with the € 900 price tag, shops don’t seem to have problems in selling their allocation…

Brora 35 years old 1977...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/brora/brora-35-years-2013/