Highland Laird Strathisla 1989 (25 year old) 52.2%...

Highland Laird Clynelish 1997 (17 year old) 52.9%

Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 1997 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: april 2015

Fragrant barley aromas mingle with straw, mature honey, herbs, grass and hints of malt. This is a very complex nose and opens to show hints of wheat germ, bran, lemon bonbons and lime. The sherry influence is very subtle so the oak is more toffee’d in character.

The palate is soft with fragrant barley and light honey. It darkens slightly on the middle as some malt arrives along with hints of coffee and toffee. Quite alcoholic and piquant but the juicy barley makes...

Rest & Be Thankful Whisky Company Octomore 2007 (6 year old) 63.8%

Sauternes Cask/ Dist Nov 2007 Btl: Nov 2014/ Tasted: Apr 2015

An intensely herbal and salty nose with a lovely combination of medicinal peat and dry, earthy peat. Quite youthful (obviously!) with some herbal marc-like notes along with hints of boiled sweets and honey coated dried grape. Seriously sinus clearing and forceful but the Sauternes cask adds a little balancing sweetness.

The palate opens with the cask notes – dried grape and honey followed by a profusion of herbal and medicinal peat, coffee, earth, dry, smoky peat phenols...

Peat’s Beast 46%

A vatting of Benriach, Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Caol Ila

Tasted: Mar 2012

A pleasant nose of youthful cereal and briny-peat. Slightly perfumed with hints of sugar coated barley and herbs.

The palate displays plenty of youthful and briny Caol Ila with a fresh coastal edge, but beneath is a good depth of apricot and sweet barley with a gentle herbalness. The finish is quite sugared with hints of coffee but the brininess balances.

Peat’s Beast 46%

Re-Tasted: ?

Quite a sweet and phenolic nose of young, crealy ‘phraoig(?) leading off, but tempered by some Coal Ila(?) Quite...

Mackillop’s Choice Ardbeg 1993 (21 year old) 54.3%

Bourbon Cask 1289/ Dist: Sept 1993 Btl: Dec 2014/ Tasted: Apr 2015

Quite a fresh and fishy nose with ozone, iodine, medicinal peat, salt and fisherman’s friends. Beneath lies some thick, set honey and barley which begins to force their way through the peat. With time hints of roses, manure and coffee can be detected. Wonderfully invigorating and wonderfully mature!

The palate opens with some lightly oiled barley followed by brine, violets, fish oils, dusty peat, iodine and building medicinal notes. The oak sits beneath adding structure and light Columbian coffee notes. Quite...

Mackillop’s Choice Mortlach 1991 (23 year old) 56.6%

Sherry Cask 5887/ Dist: Aug 1991 Btl: Jan 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015

A nose of gritty coffee’d spices/tannins and sweet, herbal notes. Thankfully there is a good depth of dark chocolate infused dried fruit to counter the tannins. The herbal notes become a little rye-like and with time a hint of sweet barley appears.

The palate is uber soft but the tannins put in an appearance pretty quickly. Hints of treacle and liquorice counter allowing the lovely, aged dried fruit to emerge. The battle continues on the middle and it’s the herbal...

Blue Monkey ‘Guerrilla’s of the Grist’ English Single Malt Spirit 40%

Batch BM001 – 5 times distilled

Dist: Mar 2015 Btl: Apr 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015

Pungent aromas of slightly butyric cherries, raspberries, malt and herbal eau-de-vie. Definitely well endowed on the malt side with plenty of liquorice, chocolate and straw-like notes too. It’s very much like an eau de vie de bière or Bierbrand.

Soft and straw-like on the palate. majbe a little watery with malt, raspberry and liquorice. Incredibly intense and herbal. Short and mouth-wateringly bitter but the malt extract and malty fruit lingers. Lovely chocolaty after-taste with...

Hunter Laing Sovereign Grain North British 1989 (25 year old) 59.7%

Bourbon/ Code: SOV2055/ Dist: Sept 1989 Btl: Mar 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015

Pungent aromas of grainy oak and grainy spice show first. The sultana, fig and prune notes follow along with some fudgy vanillins.

The palate is full and robust. Toffee apple, chunky vanilla and soft grain notes to begin with. It sweetens towards the middle as the sweet oak kicks in and the finish is wonderfully fruity – banana, apricot and coconut. Good length with lingering bitter, tongue tingling spice and oak. The palate displays a lot more...

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Speysides Finest 1986 (28 year old) 48%

Sherry/ Code: OMC2458/ Dist: Nov 1986 Btl: Mar 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015

A dusty nose of mature spices, malt, earth, digestive biscuit, vanilla and a touch of shortbread. The cask adds notes of raisin and prune but the biscuity notes begin to dominate although a touch of green apple attempts to freshen the aromas.

The palate opens with vanilla toffee and malt along with hints of treacle and baked fruit. A touch of lightly bitter spice appears on the middle. Long with lingering toffee, naked fruit and malt....

Pisco Porton 43%...

Scotch Maltwhisky Society 127.1 Harbourside Barbecue 8 year old 66.5%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2002 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: juli 2010

Nose: An intense, fishy and coastal nose with sweet peat, prickly alcohol, hints of coffee and juicy orange fruit. There is some bog myrtle beneath. Water emphasises the oils, the camphor/ eucalyptus and majbe boosts the peat aromas a tad.

Palate: The palate is oily and alcoholic but with water becomes a touch sweeter and fuller with some gentle earthy-peat showing.

Finish: Good length with an oily-peat finish but with water it becomes a bit too confected – sugar sprinkled peat...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Blair Athol 1989 (24 year old) 57.2%

Bourbon Hogshead 6463/ Dist: Nov 1989 Btl: Oct 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

A beautifully honeyed and tropical nose of melon, pineapple, kiwi and apricot along with some classic, mature, sawdusty oak. Hints of grass, malt and wheat flakes appear. Stunning depth.

The palate is soft and barley’d  with hints of toffee and earthy, slightly must apricot. Definitely not as effusive as the nose and a little grubby. Hints of malt and coffee come through on the middle and the finish is quite bitter with a lingering mustiness....

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Linkwood 1988 (25 year old) 50.7%

Sherry Hogshead 2322/ Dist: maj 1988 Btl: juni 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

The nose displays a combination of leafy/ herbal and boiled sweet sherry. However the sherry notes have a lovely lightness of touch which allows some floral barley, juicy sultana, grape and dried tropical fruit through. Quite oily and nutty – almond and pecan with a light maple syrup and luscious honey. A touch of sawdusty vanillins and violet notes appear with time.

The palate is a little on the tannic side but uber soft with light,...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Bladnoch 1990 (23 year old) 57%

Bourbon Cask 3008/ Dist: Jan 1990 Btl: Feb 2013/ Tasted: Mar 2015

Aromas of dusty, mature, seeped apricot and straw with a touch of fragrant barley along with a herbal, rye-like note. The aromas darken with time as some herbal accented coffee and malt appears.

The palate opens with a touch of toffee as the oak shows more than it does on the nose. Hints of straw, apricot and some light tannins follow. Juicy honey and citrus come through on the middle adding a freshness. Lovely, mature straw-like,...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Ledaig 1997 (17 year old) 49.7%

Bourbon Cask 643080/ Dist: Oct 1997 Btl: Nov 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

The nose opens with a little murky ‘distillery character’ and plenty of peat. Hints of manure, tar and faint parma violets follow along with a touch of heather. Underneath lies some barley’d fruit, which gives depth.

The palate is reasonably clean, although there is touch of industrial ‘distillery character’. Hints of coffee, peat and tar come through with a pleasant saltiness. Lovely intense finish. Quite mouth-watering with lingering dry peat. Another pleasant bottle of Ledaig, which...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Braes of Glenlivet 1989 (25 year old) 45%...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Miltonduff 1998 (14 year old) 57.6%

Bourbon Cask 3611 Finished in ex-Trockenbeerenauslese cask

Dist: Mar 1998 Btl: Oct 2012/ Tasted: Mar 2015

Lightly herbal/ heathery aromas with coffee malt, dark, floral honey and a light winey, dried fruit sweetness. With time the herbal notes becomes slightly rye-like in character. It would appear that the finishing cask has really emphasised the herbal notes.

The palate is darker and maltier as well as being quite tannic, dry and woody. However some light honey and sweet-ish dried fruit counter. Very herbal on the middle – heather, camphor...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Tamdhu 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Mar 2015

A lovely, fresh and grassy nose with sweet barley, citrus and sweet pollen dust. Bright and breezy witjh hints of honey, straw and dried grape.

The palate is quite full and barley’d with a little more toffee’d oak showing. A crisp, mineral; and citrus note balances and hints of grass and thick honey follow. Very mouth-filling and long with lingering barley, white fruit and citrus. Finally exiting with a brief mocha and stony note. A delightfully light Spey with plenty of...

Domaine Boingneres Bas Armagnac 1999 Folle Blanche (13 year old) 49%

Dist: 1999 Btl: 2012

Tasted: Mar 2015

Stunning, rich aromas of dried raisin, prune, apricot, dark honey and dusty spices. Quite earthy and slightly manurey with a touch of dark toffee and treacle. With time a touch of perfumed violety spice emerges.

Rich and dense with an almost sherry cask richness. Earthy barky spices, cinnamon, sultana, date and raisins come through. Lightly tannic with a light, oily rancio and developing herbal notes. Good length with hints of dusty violets, spice, earth and a slight minerality. Hmmm, the luscious dried...

The Lakes Distillery Vodka 40%...