Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin 45.7%

To a rice base spirit the following botanicals are added: Juniper, orris, ginger, bamboo leaves, red perilla, lemon and yuza peel, sansho pepper, kinome leaves, gyokuru green tea and hinoki wood. The botanicals are separated into 6 different categories (base, citrus, tea, spice, fruit, floral and herbal) and distilled separately. The second batch is then blended with the preceding batch to achieve consistency.

Tasted: Jun 2017

The nose is rounded and soft with subtle smoky juniper, leafy herbs, lemon grass, pepper, lemon, pine resin and warm spice. Very aromatic and different with a...

The Single Cask English Whisky 2009 (7 year old) 60%

Peated to 62PPM/ Cask B1/443

Dist: 2009 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017

The nose opens with some Lowland-eque, floral white fruit, grass, barley and honey. It develops some almost Alsace-like fruit notes along with lime oil, creamy oak and subtle spices. Although it is fairly heavily peated, the peat is actually quite subtle. Still it’s a lovely nose.

The palate is lightly honeyed with white fruit, apricot and plenty of alcohol, which keeps the creamy oak in check. Supple vanilla, spice and peat comes through on the middle and although...

The Single Cask Macduff 1997 (19 year old) 53.5%

Cask 5278/ Dist: 1997 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017

OMG! Amazingly fresh, fragrant and almost perfumed with orange blossom honey, white fruit, apricot and mature, dusty oak. Where’s the burnt rubber and funkiness? Impressively clean with a touch of baked apple and lime. Very juicy and wonderfully balanced.

The palate is a little edgier but still pretty clean, with barley husks, cereal and lovely soft honey and mature oak. Supple wood tannins add hints of coffee and spice on the middle and the finish is long and grippy with those wood...

Burrito Fiestro Mezcal Joven 40%...

Villa Lobos Tequila Blanco 40%...

Blackadder Raw Cask English Whisky Moscatel Cask 2007 (7 year old) 63.2%

Cask 794/Dist: Oct 2007 Btl: maj 2015/Tasted: juli 2016

An interesting nose of perfumed, dried grape, cereal, malt biscuits and dark honey. Very winey and cask orientated with a late herbal note.

The palate is raw and winey. Really intense with cereal, dried grape and no shortage of alcohol! The finish is seriously alcoholic and Stagg-esque in its intensity, but once it clears it leaves lingering cereal, malt and dried Moscatel fruit.

With water the nose is a little softer and possibly a tad more perfumed. It’s still...

TEA Jasmine Gin 42%

The base spirit is made from East Anglian sugar beet by the English Distillery Company. The botanicals are macerated in the spirit before being re-distilled. Also some of the Earl Grey tea is vapour infused as well. Botanicals include: Jasmine Silver Tip Tea, English Rose Petal, Bay Leaf, Seville Orange Zest, Juniper and Coriander.

Tasted: Feb 2016

A lovely, pungent nose of slightly oily spirit character. Quite natural, creamy and earthy with subtle juniper, jasmine, coriander and orange.

The palate is soft and oily, opening with un-sweetened rose petals, jasmine and hints of juniper, earth and...

Malts of Scotland Bruichladdich 2003 (10 year old) 56.3%

First Fill (?) Sherry Hogshead – MOS13051/ Dist: Jun 2003 Btl: Oct 2013/ Tasted: Nov 2014

A serious nose full of what must be first fill Oloroso. Very clean and leafy with liquorice, treacle, tar and a touch of brandy butter. It’s all sherry, which isn’t a surprise with developing green nuts, tobacco and dried fruit.

The palate opens with an intensity of green nuts, dried fruit, liquorice, treacle and tar. So thick and unctuous you could slice it up and serve it for desert! Again there is zero distillery character or  coastal...

Highland Laird Port Charlotte 2004 (12 year old) 57.3%

Bourbon Barrel 900/ Dist: 2004 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is intense and briny with a good dollop of medicinal peat, fish oils and underlying, beautifully sweet and balancing barley. Hints of malt, orange, tangerine follow along with some very subtle oak, which adds a very subtle creaminess but more importantly it adds structure. Overall, it’s a classic, fresh, vibrant and briny Port Charlotte.

The palate opens with malt and a touch of  vanilla and milk chocolate before the medicinal peat and dusty peat encroaches along with hints of tar, rope,...

Malts of  Scotland Dalmore 1996 (21 year old) 57.4%

Sherry Hogshead 17063/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

Very soft aromas of coffee and treacle with hints of malt, milk chocolate, raisin, sultana and a touch of citrus. There’s plenty of character from the oak with developing burnt wood, astringent herbs, sweet orange, dark chocolate and a touch of vanilla.

The palate is quite tannic and grainy but supple with plenty of balancing treacle. There’s a touch of dark chocolate, herbs and a slight bittering from the wood, but like the nose the treacle and malt balances. Subtly citric with a...

Highland Laird Glentauchers 1996 (18 year old) 52.2%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2014

The aromas are quite gristy and fresh with taught honey, grass and robust herbal barley. Lovely intensity with a touch of gritty coffee’d tannins, spice an creamy oak with time.

The palate is dense and honeyed with sweet-ish barley and coffee’d tannins. More mature than the nose suggests and maltier too! Lovely herbal note on the middle and a long finish with the creamy oak coming through with a touch of sweet tangerine.  

Highland Laird Glentauchers 1996 (20 year old) 58%

Bourbon Barrel 7301/ Dist: 1996...

Highland Laird Isle of Arran 1996 (20 year old) 51.3%...

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Dufftown 2007 (9 year old) 46%...

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Royal Brackla 1998 (18 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OMC2642/ Dist: maj 1998 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A softly spiced and deliciously honeyed nose with white fruit and barley. The sweetness is well balanced by a fresh citric note appearing . With time hints of straw and coffee’d oak.

The palate is considerably maltier and darker with a distinct baked fruit character. However the citrus note found on the nose, is here on the palate and along with a subtle minerality adds vibrancy. Hints of vanilla and barley. Long with the oak and barley becoming...

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Inchmurrin 1984 (32 year old) 46.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0213/ Dist: Jun 1984 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is relatively fresh with lanolin, mature, decaying  rose-petal marc, green citrus fruit and a touch of vanilla. It’s edgy with an almost metallic freshness and late malt and herbal rye-like notes.

The palate is edgy and malty with again old marc-like notes, heavy oils, toast and mature rose petals. Subtle, mature dusty eat, apricot, leather, tobacco and rye-like herbs follow. Edgy and oily finish with a touch of sweet raspberry and dusty spice. From the marc-like/ highly...

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Glenallachie 1995 (21 year old) 58.7%

Sherry Butt/ Code: EDI0218/ Dist: Mar 1995 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

There’s not much sherry influence on the nose. In fact it is very estery with pineapple, peach, apricot and wonderfully luscious, mature honey. Hints of straw-like barley follow and with time it does develop a slight edginess, but also some floral honey as well.

The palate is maltier and darker with thick slabs of toffee-malt, barley and honey. Lightly herbal (finally a little sherry influence?) and citric with hints of oak vanilla. Slightly masked finish but the juicy fruit returns...

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Tormore 1992 (25 year old) 55.9%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: EDI0221/ Dist: Jan 1992 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A dense and quite malty nose with baked fruit, dark honey, milk chocolate and subtle herbal-barley. The aromas display a lovely, elegant, Cognac-esque rancio and reek of age. Late hints of straw, old wood spice, vanilla, alcohol seeped apricot and tangerine.

The palate is mature and straw-like with delicate barley and refreshing citrus notes. Cognac-esque notes of apple and apricot come though on the middle. Excellent depth and complexity. Long, subtly spiced and sweet vanilla finish with lingering barley,...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Tobermory 2008 (8 year old) 46%...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Grivan 1989 (27 year old) 47.5%

Bourbon Barrel 37527/ Dist: Apr 1989 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A high toned but deep nose of slightly smoky dried fruit. There is a slight alcohol prickle which is emphasising the lime notes. It becomes quite nutty as the charred oak begins to assert itself, showing a slight desiccated coconut note. Pleasantly deep and quite elegant.

The palate is a little fuller and oilier than the nose with plenty of robust (by Girvan standards) dried fruit – sultana, apricot and dried grape. The oak comes through...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Glen Grant 1996 (20 year old) 55.3%

Bourbon Hogshead 67820/ Dist: Apr 1996 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is quite fragrant with barley, sweet heather, rose Turkish delight, grass, white pepper and sweet oak. It shows a pleasant degree of mature duty oak but the intense mineral, edgy freshness keeps it in check. Lovely depth and elegance with late developing dry nuttiness.

The palate is full and barley’d, followed by a dry burst of dusty oak and cereal husks. A subtle, lightly perfumed honey note balances and it becomes darker on...