The Cotswolds Distillery Test Batch Series ‘New Make Spirit’ 63.5%

Tasted: Nov 2015

Pungent, lightly oiled aromas of nascent barley and a touch of wet paper. It takes awhile to settle but beneath the oiliness is a full, fleshy spirit with a soft barley sweetness and hints of apple, acacia, earth and smoke.

Dry and lightly oiled on the palate but the apple and sweet barley is very noticeable. Quite soft with a dry citrus and a lovely peppery finish. Lingering, subtle ‘off the still’ notes.

With water the nose becomes fuller, fleshier and more rounded with the emphasise definitely...

Malts of Scotland Caol Ila 2000 (15 year old) 54.8%

Exclusively Bottled for Bartles Whisky

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 2000 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Fresh and crisp nose with subtle iodine, menthol, medicinal peat, vanilla and a touch of burnt wood. With time a light barley sweetness appears along with hints of apricot and pineapple.

The palate is equally as fresh and opens with some subtly sweet barley and milky oak. Lightly salted with very subtle medicinal peat. The herbal, menthol and medicinal notes build on the middle along with a touch of iodine and balancing white fruits. Long with...

Edition Spirits Laphroaig 1996 (19 year old) 56.5%...

Carn Mor Black Gold Macallan 1987 (28 year old) 43.2%

Sherry Cask 3330/ Dist: Apr 1987 Btl: Oct 2015/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Seriously dark aromas of dark chocolate, prunes, raisin, treacle and a touch of burnt wood. Beautifully mature with hints of lightly oxidised stewed fruit but a subtle vanilla coated dusty barley note adds some lightness. With time hint of apricot, green fruit, turmeric, cinnamon.

Thick, moist and treacly on the palate with raisins, prunes, figs and hints of dark chocolate, burnt wood and earthy chenin-esque notes.. Superbly juicy and succulent with a touch of balancing citrus. Like the...

Hunter Laing Sovereign Caledonian 1974 (41 year old) 50.2%

Bourbon/ Dist: Mar 1974 Btl: Oct 2015/ Code: SOV2071/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Impressively deep aromas of rum-like dried fruit and fragrant oak. Luscious and juicy with the oak becoming more ‘Bourbony’. Hints of Seville orange conserve, baked apple, raisins and sweet spice. Late hint of smoke.

The palate is full and Bourbony with hints of coffee, sultana, raisin and dried citrus. The nippy grains balance the oak and it becomes wonderfully spicy on the middle with a touch of chocolate and lightly bittering elements. Seriously crisp and spicy finish with the...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Tamnavulin 1991 (24 year old) 50.6%...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Aultmore 2010 (5 year old?) 46%...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Royal Brackla 2001 (14 year old) 46%...

Old Perth Blended Malt Batch 4 43%

A blend of Aultmore, Knockdhu, Blair Athol and Tullibardine

Tasted: Nov 2015

Aromas of fragrant barley and plenty of mature-ish Aultmore with hints of citrus and herbal sherry. Pleasantly full with developing honeyed notes.

Full and juicy on the palate with barley and creamy oak, along with hints of earth, citrus and granity Highland notes. Subtle sherry comes through on the middle along with a light earthiness. Long and citric with an almost tart green fruit and coffee finish.

Old Perth Blended Malt Sherry 43%

A blend of Glentauchers, Glenfarclas, Aultmore, and Knockdhu...

Edition Spirits Bunnahabhain 1989 (25 year old) 49.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0115/ Dist: 1989 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

A gorgeously juicy nose of lime conserve, apricot, guava and melon. Generously tropical with some deft honey, barley and dusty oak, but wow! That fruit! Gently spied and with time some castor sugar coated green apple and toasty oak notes appear.

The palate opens with the barley and mature honey. There’s a touch more oak so it’s not quite as exuberantly fruity as the nose suggests, but it creeps through on the middle with a gentle sub-tropical character. There’s...

Caermory Single Malt 21 year old 48.2%

A single cask of Tobermory – Cask 238/ Tasted: Oct 2015

The nose is quite oily with sugar coated barley, baked fruit and coffee’d oak. Wonderfully mature with hints of green fruit, citrus, light earth and milk chocolate. Some gentle creamy oak notes appear and the sweet, milky coffee notes increase. Is this really ‘mory?

The palate is pretty fresh and citric with wood spice and oily barley. Mature and quite fruity for a ‘mory with a distinct baked fruit demeanour. Some earthy and coffee’d tannins come through on the middle but the...

Edition Spirits Jura 1991 (24 year old) 50.5%...

Edition Spirits Tobermory 1994 (21 year old) 58.6%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0112/ Dist: 1994 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

The nose is quite coastal and honeyed with mature, baked fruit and a slight suggestion of cardboard, which is pretty much wrapped up in the baked fruit notes. Edgy and herbal with time, plus a touch if green citrus fruit, vanilla and gentle sooty peat. Very well balanced.

The palate opens with creamy toffee, herbs, edgy citrus and hints of earth and peat. The mature, baked fruit from the nose comes through on the middle. The finish is very...

Edition Spirits Ben Nevis 1996 (18 year old) 46.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0114/ Dist: Oct 1996 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Fresh and gristy aromas with lime, lemon and crisp white fruit. With time a touch of bready, baked fruit, barley, herbs and voluptuous vanilla.

The palate is fresh and fruity – pineapple, apricot and tangerine, not quite tropical but pleasantly pure with hints of citrus and almost bubblegummy white fruit. Subtle oak and bready, malty notes come through on the middle. Lovely fresh and citric finish with the creamy vanilla putting in a brief appearance. Very impressive....

Edition Spirits Craigellachie 1995 (19 year old) 54.6%

Sherry/ Code: EDI0111/ Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Aug 2015?/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Initially the aromas are a little hard with baked green apple fruit. However some fragrant barley appears to add balance along with some aromatic vanillins.

The palate opens with the soft, creamy vanilla with a little hard barley beneath. Hints of lime and apple come through on the middle and the citrus notes really step up a gear or two! Crisp, slightly austere finish.

Water makes the nose a little more honeyed and fragrant with hints of dusty oak and...

Edition Spirits Linkwood 1997 (18 year old) 59.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0116/ Dist: 1997 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

A lovely intensity of dense barley aromas and balancing citrus. It becomes quite herbal with a touch of malt, treacle, greengage, gooseberry, white liquorice and vanilla appearing.

The palate is very much like the nose, opening with the barley and citrus. Hints of honey coated white fruit follow along with a touch of vanilla. The alcohol masks the middle but the lightly toffee’d oak comes through well on the finish.

Water emphasises the toffee and herbal character on the...

Hunter Laing Sovereign Carsebridge 1973 (42 year old) 48.9%

Code: SOV2073/ Dist: Jan 1973 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted Oct 2015

A little reticent to begin with, but given some time and aeration the delicate Cognac-esque rancio appears. Quite floral and reminiscent of a fine Grande Champagne Cognac. Hints of toffee, vanilla, nuts, sweet spices and some late American oak notes arrive along with a touch of sweet orange and subtle cereal notes.

The palate is delicate and elegant with sultana, moist vanilla, cream, nuts and toasted vanilla. majbe not quite as complex as the nose, but it has a lovely...

Edition Spirits Bowmore 2000 (15 year old) 58.7%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0117/ Dist: 2000 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Full and lightly maritime aromas with sooty-peat, parma violets, iodine and antiseptic notes. Subtle baked fruit with underlying barley and malt appear. Quite medicinal with time. Lovely intensity.

The palate is lightly oiled with barley and sooty-peat. A little more oak is showing but the crisp citrus comes through and balances the light treacle and malt. Not as medicinal as the nose but a touch of camphor appears on the middle. Long with subtle iodine and antiseptic notes.

Water...

Pyrat XO Reserve 40%...

Blackwell’s Jamaican Rum 40%...