Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glencadam 2011 (6 year old) 46%

Bourbon Barrel/ Dist: 2011 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A full and densely fruity nose with white peach, apple, apricot, pineapple, tangerine and a touch of new world Sauvignon Blanc. With time an almost hoppy cereal note appears along with some gentle toasty oak. A lovely, exuberant and invigorating nose.

The palate shows a touch more toasty oak but there’s still plenty of white fruit and Sauvignon Blanc-esque notes. Fills out well on the middle as the barley and oak come through. Subtly spiced and citric finish with lingering sweet...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Teaninich 2007 (10 year old) 46%...

Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye 40%

Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is soft an oaky with lots of sweet vanilla and hints of orange and lightly spiced rye. With time a touch of astringent herbal notes appear but the reality is that the rye character is buried under the mountain of oak!

Soft and watery on the palate with burnt caramel oak and very subtle, herbal rye. Hints of orange and rose petal marc-like notes on the middle but it’s really lacking any intensity. Good herbal/ spice finish with an intensity of oak bitterness at the death. Well, at least...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glenburgie 2011 (5 year old) 46%...

Copperhead Gin 40%

Mr. Copperhead, according to the company was an alchemist who was searching for the elixir of life. During his experiments he distilled the following five botanicals – juniper, cardamom, orange peel, angelica and coriander in his copper pot still and lo, a myth or a gin was born. This gin, however was created by Yvan Vindevogel, a famous Belgian pharmacist who was interested in the medicinal properties of gin.

Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is quite herbal with noticeable juniper, coriander and orange. It has a pleasant citrus/ spice balance, although the spices come across as slightly...

Rag Time Rye 45.2%

Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is young and oily with plenty of rose petal marc-like notes, chunky, herbal rye and toasted caramel. With time some high toned, almost grain spirit notes appear along with a touch of dusty spice. I’m guessing that this hasn’t spent much more than the minimum time in oak as the nose is pretty much all spirit orientated.

The palate is equally youthful and a little feinty with lightly cardboardy spice, toasted caramel and herbal rye. Straightforward with a very dry and bitter spice middle and finish. Finally a touch of sweet...

Nginious! Original Swiss Blended Gin 45%

Produced from 18 botanicals which are distilled in 4 separate batches before being blended together. Batch 1 (Fruity) – juniper, barberry and laurel berries. Batch 2 – (Citrus) – lemon, sweet orange peel and fresh grapefruit. Batch 3 (Herbal) – These herbs are native to Switzerland and include, hay flowers, clover blossom, bee balm, verbena, hyssop, chamomile, blackcurrant leaves, iris, carline thistle root, galingale and liquorice root. Batch 4 (Rooty) – whole peeled cardamom.

Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is quite smoky with an aroma akin to pine sap. The cardamom is very noticeable...

House of Hazelwood 21 year old 40%...

Royal Brackla 16 year old 40%

Tasted: Nov 2015

Nose: Quite mature and oily aromas with a little fragrant oak and barley. A good dollop of stewed fruit follows along with hints of lime, apple and vanilla.

Palate: Oily and barley’d with drying tannins, coffee and stewed fruit. Mature and lightly earthy with some balancing, creamy, slightly sawdusty American oak.

Finish: Good length with the light honey balancing the drier oak notes.

Conclusion: Gentle and mature. The perfect dram, to unwind to after a hard day at the office!

Royal Brackla 21 year old 40%

Tasted: Jan 2017

Nose: Intense...

The West Winds Gin Barrel Expedition Maidenii Voyage 45%...

GINIUS The Flemish Nr1 50%...

Ironworks Gin 41.5%...

Cirka Gin Sauvage 44%...

Turnicum No3 Gin 40%...

Koval Barrel Aged Gin 47%...

Dry Gin Barrel Aged Batch 2...

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tomintoul 1989 (25 year old) 49.1%

Sherry/ Code: OMC2465/ Dist: Aug 1989 Btl: Feb 2015/ Tasted: Mar 2015

Lightly sulphured, hard and murky aromas of wet cardboard, boiled sweets, barley and manure.

The palate pretty much mirrors the nose. Wet cardboard, straw, coffee and sulphur. Murky, dirty with dried out pulped fruit and a grubby coffee’d finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Tomintoul 2006 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0203/ Dist: Apr 2006 Btl: juni 2016?/ Tasted: juli 2016

Fresh and crisp with sour cherries and nose tickling spices. A touch of fragrant barley, grass, minerals and an almost sour dough...

MG Mezcal Gin 45%

Produced from Agave Cenizo

Botanicals: juniper, cardamom, angelica root, coriander seed, dragon eye, guinea pepper, orange peel, nutmeg, chile ancho, hibiscus flower, lemon grass and avocado leaves.

Tasted: Feb 2017

The nose displays plenty of agave and pepper with a touch of earth and creamy spirit character. Slightly acetic with hints of nutmeg and citrus. However I’m not getting any juniper as the Mezcal character is far too pungent.

The palate mirrors the nose with soft agave, pepper and almost cereal-like notes. Subtly spiced with hints of nutmeg and citrus but no juniper. There’s no denying...

Dictador ‘Treasure’, Colombian Aged Gin 43%

Produced from a 5 times distilled, sugar cane base spirit, aged for 35 weeks in oak.

12 botanicals including juniper, limon mandarino (lemon/ tangerine hybrid), ginger, black pepper, angelica and rosemary

Tasted: Feb 2017

The nose is full and fleshy with the crisp lemon and tangerine notes dominating. Hints of juniper, vanilla, lemon balm and subtle peppery spice follow.

Soft and subtly sweet with sugar coated lemon and tangerine with a lovely sharp/ sweet balance. A touch of oak adds body and the finish is long and lemony with a lightly floral finish. Relatively...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Loch Lomond (Croftenga) 2010 (6 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2010 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Jan 2017

Initially a little feint to begin with on the nose, but it settles down to show manuery peat, burnt heather and barley. Hints of grainy, coffee’d oak follow along with a touch of earth. Vigorous and vibrant.

The palate is young, with a few rough edges, but the pleasantly sweet barley offsets. Like the nose there is plenty of manurey peat, which melds with woodier peat notes and oily peat notes. There isn’t much in the way of oak...