Category Archives: Cask Strength

Paris Whisky Live 2022 – VIP Gordon + Macphail’s Convalmore + Highland Park

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Gordon & Macphail’s Private Collection features rare, old and even closed distilleries, a “must catch” at any whisky festival and a very good reason to go “VIP” for at least one day at Paris Whisky Live.

Featured in 2022 were a closed distillery – Convalmore – and a familiar friend with Highland Park. I had to start with the Convalmore which was approx 40 years patiently maturing in refill American hogshead.

This was my first experience with Convalmore – which was “Victorian” Speyside distillery that spent most of its life in blends. “Mothballed” in 1985, this particular vintage dram came from some of its final years of operations.

Convalmore (1982/2 Mar 2022) Refill American Hogshead #155 55.5% (Gordon & Macphail) 104 bottles

  • Colour – Amber
  • Nose – Delightfully fruity – pears, apples… dripping in sweet honey, shifting into vanilla cream – delicious
  • Palate – Lovely on the palate, soft… continued the fruity element, a bit waxy
  • Finish – Light spice, sweet with a buttery texture

Beautiful! This was so special. Fruity, waxy, subtle, nuanced and supremely sophisticated. Such a lovely whisky… and such a treat to have a chance to try something so rare and lovely from a closed distillery.

The official Gordon & Macphail tasting notes are remarkably similar to my scribbles from a sniff & swish at Paris Whisky Live:

  • Nose – Rich vanilla pod gives way to fresh green apple and orange zest. Honeysuckle notes develop with quince and toasted walnut.
  • Taste – Sweet and smooth exotic fruit flavours accompany poached pear and floral notes. White chocolate comes to the fore alongside baked apple
  • Finish – A medium-bodied finish with guava and sweet honey.

I couldn’t find this exact bottle for sale, however, a related one from 1982 was listed on WhiskyBase for GBP 1,500, which gives you a feel for just how pricey a sip of whisky history can be.

Next up was another vintage dram – also pushing the high side of 30s from Orkney Island with Highland Park. I must admit that this distillery was an early favourite – my ‘gateway” dram to single malts back in the 1990s – particularly the 18 years old. Since then, they have gone all over the place with different approaches, some very “Viking” branding… which made it all the more refreshing to slip back in time to the “original” spirit of their spirits…

Highland Park 37 year (1984 / 31 Dec 2021) Refill American Hogshead #1816 46.3% (Gordon & Macphail) Bottles 116

  • Colour – Gold
  • Nose – Fruitier than expected, sweet lemon/lime-like mosambi, honey sweet and light, with a dash of salted caramel
  • Palate – Incredibly silky smooth, gorgeous and well balanced, with a hint of citrus fruit coming from behind, light peat gives this a lovely dimension
  • Finish – Gentle and subtle

What fun! This was a lovely dram… In some ways reminded me a bit of the much younger Chorlton 15 year Orkney.

And what about the official Gordon & Maphail tasting notes as a reference? Yup! Would certainly agree…

  • Nose – Fragrant lemon aromas intertwine with honeydew melon and sweet Demerara sugar. Red apple notes develop accompanied by grapefruit zest and walnut.
  • Taste – Citrus fruit flavours give way to guava and subtle cured meats. Dried mango comes to the fore alongside toasted almonds and spicy pepper.
  • Finish – Soft smoke lingers on the finish with green apple, poached pear and spice.

I was curious to see what this experience would set you back… and found a bottle currently available through Whic.de for EUR 1,790.

What an interesting pair… and there we have it!

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London Whisky Show – Colourful Watt Whiskies

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Back in June, I caught in Cape Town, South Africa a rather unpleasant version of COVID. It not only knocked me flat for weeks, it also robbed me of my olfactory senses – a complete disaster for a whisky aficionado!

I’ve often described the experience as akin to seeing only in shades of grey instead of a burst of brilliant rainbow colours. Gradually over the months, some sense of smell has returned but it remains muted compared to the previous clarity – where I could usually easily discern distinct elements, today it can be trickier and I often know there is something more a layer deeper that I just can’t quite penetrate or surface enough to describe. Frustrating indeed… but I’m at least grateful some sense has returned!

This brings me back to colours – in a recent impromptu tasting in Germany, I shared that when first exploring different types of whiskies, one idea is to consider what colour one would associate with that particular whisky profile? This is a great technique to start processing more creative impressions – Does it remind you of a hot and fiery red? A verdant cool green? Or more seaside in style, bringing hints of blue to the fore? What about sunshine yellow?

I’ve seen some “colour coding” before – most recently Gordon & Macphail’s discovery series uses green for ex-bourbon casks, purple for ex-sherry, and grey for peaty drams. However what if the colour wasn’t according to such strict logic?

Enter Watt Whisky – a new independent bottler started by a husband / wife duo Mark and Kate Watt in Campbeltown. As Kate shared, they both came from the industry and decided to set-up their own range with a view to bringing interesting affordable whiskies to the world. The colour approach comes from her husband’s synaesthesia, where he literally smells colours!

We were tipped off that the Paul John was worth checking out, so this was the 1st we sampled.

Intrigued by Kate’s story of how they began their independent bottler journey in challenging times (2019 then….COVID!) with this being their 1st big whisky event, we continued on to the Dunbarton 21 year followed by the Belair Athol 13 year.

We were highly tempted to continue, however, this was getting into the later stage of our whisky wanderings where you know you need to become highly selected else every impression will simply blur together, losing its magic of discovery!

Well worth exploring more another time… enjoy our quick impressions from a small sniff, swish tasting at The Whisky Show London 2022!

Paul John 4 year (2016 / June 2021) 57.1% (Watt Whisky) 1 of 279 bottles

  • Nose – So incredibly tropical – taking the normal PJ tropical fruits and ramping them up several degrees
  • Palate – Intense spice, a bit of a flavour bomb, tropical fruit bowl, chocolate
  • Finish – Ahh… there is that spice shifting into bitter
  • Water – Yes, please!

It was great trying Paul John‘s character as selected by Kate & Mark Watt. What do they have to say:

Fully matured in an underground warehouse in Goa. Tropical fruits, spices, cloves & plums.

We shifted from India back to Scotland with a discontinued Lowland distillery – Dumbarton is a Lowland grain distillery, which also housed Inverleven and Lomond malt distilleries. Previously used primarily in Ballentine’s blends, the distillery closed in 2002 and is now demolished.

Dumbarton 21 year (2000 / June 2022) 57.1% (Watt Whisky) 222 bottles

    • Nose – It started off quietly, gently unfurling, caramel, light smoke
    • Palate – Clearly a grain, what was a light peat influence on the nose became a full-fledged smoke bomb…. frankly more like sipping an ashtray
    • Finish – Closed on more smoke

Wow! I don’t know what exactly I expected. One normally thinks of Lowland grains as being either gentle or harsh alcohol. I think this may be the 1st that I’ve tried which was finished in an ex-Caol Ila Hogshead,

What do the Watt Whisky folks have to say:

Finished for 9 months in an ex-Islay cask. Light, dry smoke, butterscotch, syrupy, ashy and medicinal.

We then moved on to the Highlands with the Blair Athol 13 year (2008 / Sep 2022) 56.7% (Watt Whisky) 301 bottles.

    • Nose – Nice! Extra berry, jammy
    • Palate – Well rounded
    • Finish – Dry and peppery

What a brilliant contrast to Dumbarton! Kate shared it was matured in a Hogshead and then finished in an ex-Red wine cask.

What do the Watt Whisky folks have to say:

Rested in a red wine barrique for 16 months. Strawberries, jelly sweets and cured meats.

This pair – Dumbarton and Blair Athol – had the same coloured labels and yet could not be more different in character! Fascinating.

What fun being introduced to another interesting independent bottler. Wishing Kate & Mark the very best with their venture!

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Birthday Chorlton – Orkney 22 year 53.4%

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The story behind this one was that I was having trouble purchasing this Highland Park when it became available. So my London-based friend also tried… In the end, we both were successful! Which proved to be a good thing as one bottle went almost immediately to India to be sampled on a special evening. Whilst its sibling remained in London…. to later also make most of its way to Bombay!

Orkney (Highland Park) 22 year 53.4%

From our London evening, October 2022:

  • Nose – Fabulous nose – big and full, mineral, a bit of ‘funky forest’, earthy which a fresh maritime sea breeze, then started to shift to sweet heavy fruit, then back to grass stalks, aromatic and herbal with woodruff, sage…. waxy and happy, a touch of sandalwood and tobacco leaf
  • Palate – So much going on, spice, peat, fruit, a “wake up” dram that became sweeter and sweeter
  • Finish – A huge finish, orange marmalade with cinnamon spice
  • Revisit – So incredibly fruity, a veritable fruit basket, especially orange and sweet spices, some leather on the palate, cornflakes drowned in milk, exceedingly tasty

From our Mumbai evenings in November 2022:

  • Nose – A bit acetone at first, a bit sharp, then shifts to sea breeze – coming and going like the ebb and flow of the tide, hay, vegetal then it began to open up revealing some fruity elements – particularly citrus,. The more time in the glass, the sweeter it became -condensed milk, not quite a toffee sweetness… more like a dulce de leche, 
  • Palate – Sechuan peppers and a bit astringent at first, then sweetened into warm sprite
  • Finish – Spicey, dry wood
  • Water – On the nose, it flattens the aromas… bringing back a bit of that light sea breeze, joined by sweet milk however it is rather nice how water opens up the palate – that vegetal element shifts into sweet roasted root vegetables, lightly caramelized then fruity… which continues on to the finish – nice!

Particularly with the Whisky Ladies, there was a real range of reactions to this one… It was also such a contrast to our previous drams…each bringing quite different characters. For the gents, I changed the tasting order bringing this into 3rd rather than last place and think that worked much better – we could more readily discern the different elements and enjoy it for what it is.

Here are a few more Cholton’s from La Nouvelle Vague series:

And those we managed to sample from the earlier L’Ancien Régime series:

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Birthday Chorlton – Bunnahabhain 18 year 53.4%

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In many ways, this was the most interesting whisky we tried in an extra special Chorlton birthday quartet. This was exactly why it was the 1st expression that led to acquiring three additional bottles and several evenings of tastings – from London to Mumbai – where we sniffed, swished, and savoured our way through these unique bottles.

Bunnahabhain 18 year (28 Feb 2002 / 2021) Sherry Butt 53.4%

What was our impression from London in October 2022?

  • Nose – Initially very ‘fresh’ yet shy, red delicious apple skins, a hint of sherry, dry wood, a bit of tobacco leaf, something a touch sharp, then started to open up further with banana cake and brown sugar, shifted again to sour cream
  • Palate – 1st sip was harsh then it mellowed into a spicy fruity smoothie, caramel, oily with substance, then roasted nuts
  • Finish – Spice and smoke that gradually sweetens

It was full of contrasts – shy on the nose but forceful on the palate, kept shifting and changing. It is also one of those whiskies you need to spend a bit of time with… try only once and you would miss its quirky chameleon character.

The longer we spent with the Bunnahabhain, the more we appreciated it. For one London-based Whisky Lady, this was the clear favourite.

We also thought it would go well with cheese… which is exactly what I tried later in Mumbai – definitely works – particularly a nice sharp old cheddar.

How did this contrast or compare with our Mumbai tasting experiences just a month later in November 2022?

  • Nose – Lemon, mint, vanilla, asparagus, mushrooms, stewed cherries… though a bit shy it kept moving around and revealing different elements the longer it was in the glass… next was camomile, waxy, biscuits, tinned peaches, marscapone
  • Palate – Honey, apples, some forest moss and more mushrooms, pine, green chillies, milk chocolate, nutty… take too large a sip and you would be greeted with a brushfire!
  • Finish – Cloves, star anise, pine needles, green chillies, very dry, edging towards smoke

Just like our 1st experience, this Bunnahabhain is not to be underestimated. It captivated us with its curiously shifting character. For most, this was the favourite and our only regret was having to split 100ml between 8 ladies! We would have loved to add a bit more to our glass and settle down with it, see if it continued to morph or rested on a few elements.

Did this contrast much with the gents? For the most part, we agreed, adding a few further observations from our experience:

  • Nose – Began with very light iodine that one gent described as what he typically expects from a Bunna – iodine without the heavy peat of other Islay whiskies – then shifted into fruits like pomegranate, then a cantaloupe, a hint of rye bread, some raisins, followed by a camomile-based herbal tea (think Sleepy Time!)
  • Palate – Incredibly sweet, well-rounded and well-balanced, loads of different kinds of honey, milk shocolate bars
  • Finish – Very long, subtle spices

There was no doubt this is a complex whisky, well worth taking time so that could evolve through its different dimensions.


What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

And, lastly, we have the official festive special – an 18-year-old sherry cask Bunnahabhain. Please note that this is available to pre-order (see note below), and that my tasting notes aren’t super-considered as I’m just going off my brief notes from the cask sample.

So, the nose on this starts with sea air, light wax and mandarin, before richer notes of buttery brioche, praline and milk chocolate covered raisins appear. Just a touch of smoke too: cigar and joss stick.

For the palate I see I’ve written “Lovely!” in my notes… Again it starts in a very clean and crisp way (red apple, pink grapefruit) before the richer development (toasted nuts, honey, Daim bars, cinnamon pastries). Slight smokiness and orange marmalade in the aftertaste.

This is proper Bunna, a great example of the distillery style, and the sherry is beautifully integrated. We got 322 bottles from this sherry butt at 53.4% and they’re available for £150 each.

I purchased this in June 2021 from Master of Malt for GBP 151 as had missed the original Chorlton direct offer in December 2020.

We’ve enjoyed exploring Chorlton’s La Nouvelle Vague series:

Here is the full set of Chorlton‘s sampled til date from the L’Ancien Régime series:

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Birthday Chorlton – Tormore 28 year 42.4%

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When David Bennet sent his summer 2021 email letting his devoted Chorlton followers know about this Tormore 28-year, I simply couldn’t resist! At that time, I had tried only one whisky from Tormore – a very special 10 year from the 1970s at Singapore Whisky Live’s Collectors Room. More recently in 2022, I had the pleasure to try the Tormore 29-year bottled by Gordon & Macphail at London’s Whisky Show.

While we had to be a bit patient to try this Tormore 28-year, we made it count! It was sampled over four evenings, of which below I’ve captured an amalgam of impressions from some.

Tormore 28 year (Nov 1992/Jul 2021) 42.45% 253 bottles

What did we think of this dram – contrasting our experiences between a fine fall evening in London vs two warm evenings in Mumbai…

  • Nose
    • London: Incredibly rich, beautiful nose, sunshine sweetness, fruity marmalade, apple crumble pastry, heavy on the cinnamon and brown sugar… as it opened up, there was also light saline, shifting into something heavier… like wandering into a forest, faintly mineral, wet stone, then shifted again into brazil nut, buttery, red food coloring
    • Mumbai: Very salty, metallic, some kelp or seaweed, misty, cold water from a copper jug, slowly opened and sweetened into gingerbread, lebkuchen, candied ginger, followed by fruits, minute by minute becoming “jammier”- starting with plum jam then sweetening into a melange of strawberry and raspberry, like that mystery red jelly that you aren’t quite sure what exactly it is!
  • Palate
    • London: Exceptional! Silky smooth, hot buttery biscuits, a bit nutty too… gorgeous… was there even a puff of smoke too?
    • Mumbai: Honey, ginger, wood tannins, walnut, orange rind, light smoke…. utterly lovely! Light yet complex, very open and approachable, boiled lemon sweets
  • Finish – Very dry, long, and lingers bitter almond
  • Water
    • London: No temptation to add!
    • Mumbai: Brings out a bar of lovely milk chocolate on the nose… needed? No. But still worth trying this way too…
  • Revisit – Fab fruity with nutty caramel – yum!!

One of our ladies in Mumbai had tried this earlier in the year in London and noted there was some impact of oxidation between the freshly opened bottle she tried and our evening in November, where some elements had muted and shifted.

For myself, I recall the first experience just a month earlier in London as simply stunning – one class act! I could just sit with this whisky alone… savoring it slowly. Remarkable. Lovely… Pure delight in a glass!

What was most appealing is how it developed in the glass – from maritime to mineral to marmalade on the nose, silky smooth, light yet complex on the palate, and closing with a strong, long, dry bitter finish. Simply superb!

There was no doubt this is indeed a special treat – rare and worthy of slowing down to enjoy.

What did David have to say?

Properly matured single malt here from the reliably fruity Tormore distillery!

On the nose this is a real fruit basket (red apples, orange drops, marmalade, juicy Riesling), backed with some mineralic and foresty depth (waxes, flints and ferns). The palate is lightly syrupy and waxy, with cream teas and biscuits mixed in with the fruits. The finish is very clean, with blood oranges and mandarins. Very summery, and utterly delicious.

This whisky was distilled on the 16th November 1992, and matured in a refill hogshead until being bottled in July 2021. It produced 253 bottles at a cask strength of 42.4% and they are available for £175 each.

I purchased this in July 2021 which joined three more from La Nouvelle Vague series:

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Birthday Chorlton – Glen Elgin 12 year 52.6%

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The wonderful thing about an ‘Appetizer’ is how it helps calibrate your palate for wonders to come… This was our plan with the affordable Glen Elgin from Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague series… a whisky that was sampled in several sessions across two continents.

It was the youngest of the Chorlton Birthday quartet which featured the Tormore 28 year, Bunnahabhain 18 year and Orkney (Highland Parrk) 22 year. So… what did we think?

Glen Elgin 12 year (21 Apr 2009/July 2021) refill hogshead 52.6% 287 bottles

From our London evening, October 2022 (alas I missed the June experience!):

  • Nose – Happy day! After an initial sharp spice gave way to a lovely waxy sweetly floral candle aroma, we found white flowers, orchard fruits with crisp ripe pears, with a chasing of citrus….
  • Palate – First sip had a peppery spice, whereas, with the 2nd sip, the spice was joined by  a fruity kiss
  • Finish – Spice with nutty nougat
  • Water – I found a splash of water nicely mellows out this dram. Yellow plums, some malt, freshly baked biscuits on the nose, with the palate rounded out
  • Revisit – Curiously after an hour the initial whiff was a bit sour, then on an even later revisit it was deliciously floral and fruity

Next up from our first Mumbai evening and second tryst from November 2022:

  • Nose – Red apples, including the core and skin! Joined by other orchard fruits like pears, some aniseed, and fennel, then honey sweetness followed again by orchard fruits with perhaps a light lime twist… young, fresh with a bit of ‘malty’ elements
  • Palate – Initially it was rather like sipping Calvados! Some spice, more depth on the palate than anticipated from the nose, and still lots of apples and some pears! Was also quite prickly – like having pop rocks bursting in your mouth! Also found grapes, light licorice, slightly bitter, quite straightforward
  • Finish – Minty, herbal, refreshing
  • Water – Yes, please! Water brings out yellow plums, glucose biscuits (like Marie), more malty notes, and some resin on the palate… and after time shifts more into pastry like an apple crumble or shortbread, vanilla, mint… 
  • Revisit – There wasn’t much remaining in the glass but we had such contrasting reactions – most thought it lovely, whereas one found it foul!

We found many similar elements though one lady found this one a bit tough and rough, much heavier… she also found the revisit, not at all to her liking. Whereas for others, this was a good place to begin, appreciating the fruity flavours and how they contrasted with something of more substance followed by a pleasant finish. When I read David’s tasting notes, there was overall agreement!

And finally, from our next Mumbai evening, November 2022, did we have anything to add? In truth, much of what the ladies found rang true.. so much so that I simply blended the observations with the gents into those of the ladies!

Overall we thought whilst adding water didn’t do too much for the nose, it really improved the palate, bringing out the fruity elements, apple jack, grapes, reinforcing the herbal close.

And with that, our explorations began… next? The stunning Toremore 28 year!
What did David have to say?

I’ve always been a fan of this distillery’s charming and somewhat classy spirit, even if it’s often felt a bit under the radar.

The nose has a toffee-apple-esque balance of sweetness (butterscotch, cinnamon sugar, pain au raisin) and tart green fruits (lime, apple). The palate has a thick and oily texture, with caramel wafer, malted milk biscuits, peachy fruits and lemon peel. The finish is malty and hazelnutty. A hefty spirit, here, but with light feet!

This whisky was distilled on the 21st April 2009, and matured in a refill hogshead until being bottled in July 2021. It produced 287 bottles at a cask strength of 56.6%.

I purchased this in July 2021 for £65 plus tax and courier charges.

Here are a few more from Chorlton‘s earlier L’Ancien Régime series:

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Chorlton Birthday Drams – Glen Elgin, Tormore, Orkney, Bunnahabhain

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This Chorlton quartet was the birthday gift that just kept giving! It began as a single bottle purchased as an extra special 60th birthday gift. Then the other Bombay Malt & Cigar gents offered to ‘chip in’, so I purchased another 2 bottles. The trio was then augmented with an additional bottle to become a remarkable quartet!

All four were from the La Nouvelle Vague series:

The quartet was originally opened in June 2022 in London during a special evening with Sukhinder Singh (Elixir, The Whisky Exchange) and two Bombay Malt & Cigar gents (naturally including the “birthday boy!). As I missed it, we rescheduled for October 2022, also in London, sharing with a former Bombay Whisky Lady and other friends.

However, our tastings with these bottles weren’t done! Two sets of 100ml samples were re-bottled and dispatched to Mumbai for two evenings:

  • Whisky Ladies on November 1 as a special joint birthday treat for myself and one other Whisky Lady (sharing the same birthday) who flew in from Hyderabad… the only challenge here was splitting 100ml between 8 ladies!
  • Bombay Malt & Cigar gents on Nov 6 to share with the others who were intended to be part of the original 60th birthday celebration that inspired the whole set! Which just so happened to also be my partner’s birthday (who joined us for dinner)

It was so interesting to see the commonalities and differences between the tasting sessions! Different settings, different personalities, and different whisky style preferences meant we could experience different dimensions. What an incredibly rewarding way to experience such lovely and varied whiskies!

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London Whisky Show – TBWC Part 3 with a Secret Speyside + Calvados!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Co floored us with their range at the London Whisky Show. After quite the ‘continental tour’, we simply had to go back to merry old Scotland for a ‘proper’ dram! In this case, part of their “Secret Speyside” series (ahem Glenrothes!)

Speyside #3 (Glenrothes) 6 year (2022) Batch 2, 49.3% (TBWC)

  • Nose – Burst of fruits, vanilla, and strawberries with meringue and cream, beneath the sweet dessert was some wood
  • Palate – Such a classic quality, full, well-rounded, lovely balance
  • Finish – Rich honey

Though it was robust, it could still make a great ‘day dram’ too. The only problem was this clearly isn’t one to just sniff, swish and zip through!

However, one rises to the challenge of such a tasting bounty to keep to a path of light samples, sometimes even veery off the path of whiskies alone! This brings us to our next offering – cheekily crossing out the “whisky” from their That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s label, our attention was drawn to Christian Drouin’s Calvados.

Now… for those less familiar with Calvados, it is a brandy made in Normandy from apples or pears and Christian Drouin is a venerated name for its multi-generation commitment to quality. More recently they have branched out to cidar and gin (Le Gin – beautiful!), however, their core focus remains the family traditions with Calvados.

Christian Drouin Calvados 21 year (Dec 2020/2022) (TBWC)

  • Nose – What a delight! Over-ripe stewed apples, butterscotch toffee, dates, yum!
  • Palate – Pucker up! This is a serious Calvados – delicious! Think of fresh green young apples which then develop into a delightful apple crisp, sprinkled with roasted nuts and cinnamon on top

Such a treat to try something different like this! Would have loved to try on its own when it isn’t sandwiched between whiskies!

Here’s what the folks at TBWC have to say:

This is a particularly intriguing Calvados from Christian Drouin. The story for this one begins at the very end of the year 2000, when the spirit was distilled.

  • N: Rich, fruity and floral.  Delicate orchard blossom followed by stewed apples, caramelised poached pears. raisins and Medjool dates. A complex, and dvine nose
  • P: Complex and beautifully balanced.  Notes of cinnamon baked apples and a delicate wood spice. Waxy wood polish, roast nuts, and raisins. Drying, waxy  finish. Just beautiful!

So then… what next? Shsssssshhhhh…. Dave had a nip of something extra special in his hip flask!

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Islay Duo – Bruichladdich vs Kilchoman

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When the weather is wet, cold and miserable, there is nothing like a bit of peat in your whisky to pick you up! While we still have a few more days of summery weather, our last selection of the evening from a Drinks by the Drams Single Cask Whisky Advent Calendar turned to a pair of peaty Islay single casks, bottled by the folks over at Master of Malts:

  • Bruichladdich 16 year (2002) Single Cask 62.6%
  • Kilchoman 6 year (2012) Cask 405/2012 56.9%

We began with the Bruichladdich….

Bruichladdich 16 year (2002) Single Cask 62.6%

  • Nose – Initially greeted us with some maritime sea spray, then the peat subtly surfaced more and more, a lovely herbal sweetness, toffee… then after the initial sip, we were rewarded with sweet maple bacon, sweet grass
  • Palate – Yum! Such delicious peat – Montreal smoked meats, roast pork, tobacco, frankly just very tasty!
  • Finish – Really long lovely smoke 
  • Water? I felt no need to add however one of my tasting companions did and shared how it made the whisky much sweeter

For me, this was a singularly fine specimen from Bruichladdich! We speculated it must come from the “Port Charlotte” line – clear stamp of peat but not amped up like an “Octomore”!

What more do we know? Here is what the folks over at Master of Malt have to say:

A wonderful bottle of Bruichladdich, bottled by yours truly – that’s right, it was bottled by Master of Malt! This 16 year old single malt was distilled on Islay back in July 2002 and filled into a refill sherry hogshead, where it slumbered until January 2019, when we bottled it up at cask strength, with no chill-filtration or additional colouring.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: Apple and dried pear, golden syrup over steamed pudding, thick vanilla and toasted almond, then freshly polished wood and light wood smoke.
  • Palate: Toasted barley, brown sugar, vanilla and lemon peels lead. Plenty of earthy spice and oak shavings emerge underneath.
  • Finish: Lasting citrus sweetness and vanilla-y barley.

As on September 2022 it is still available for a whopping Eur 210!

What next? We moved on to the Kilchoman…

Kilchoman 6 year (2012) Cask 405/2012 56.9%

  • Nose – Iodine and bandaid adhesive, smoke meats and spice, pastrami and toast
  • Palate– Sweet and peat, some spice, young with the wood element clearly showing through
  • Finish – Warm and lasting

While we couldn’t say for sure, it was clear this had something more than an ex-bourbon cask at work. Was it sherry or something else? Who knew but it added a nice sweetness.

As for the Kilchoman? The folks over at Master of Malt also had something to share:

A single cask bottling of tasty Islay single malt from the Kilchoman distillery, bottled for Drinks by the Dram! This one was matured for 6 years, from July 2012 to August 2018, which included a finishing period in a red wine cask, before being bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: Scones, jam and clotted cream – a classic combo. Lasting earthy peat and some tobacco notes later on.
  • Palate: Digestive biscuits, salted butter, raspberry and soft sandalwood hints.
  • Finish: Clove, cinnamon, barley, smoke and oily walnut.

It is now sold out, however, when it was available it was priced at approximately Eur 92.

And there we have it, three pairs of samples explored and enjoyed!

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Going Grainy – Girvan 30 year and Cameronbridge 36 year

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Grains are rarely found solo as their main purpose is to round out the more dynamic malts in a blend. However, there has been increasing attention on some grains – including Cameronbridge with its new “Haig” brand.

So we decided to turn our attention to grains and select a pair from our Drinks by the Drams Single Cask Whisky Advent Calendar:

  • Girvan 30 year (1988) cask 13076 58.1% (Xtra Old Particular)
  • Cameronbridge 36 year (1982) cask 8289 His Excellency (Bartels Whisky) 51.9%

Both are from the Lowlands region in Scotland and we began our exploration with the Girvan…

Girvan 30 year (1988) cask 13076 58.1% (Xtra Old Particular) 230 bottles

  • Nose – Yikes! Is that glue? The kind of old-style molding glue from childhood, a bio-chemistry lab… a bit of citrus polish, some tannins? Then a curious thing began to happen… after our 1st sip, it opened up, unfurling like a flower from which a joyful honeyed perfume emerged, joined by milk chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, over-ripe fruits – particularly bananas, then more floral and herbal
  • Palate – Wow! Pure honey delight! Then deepens into chocolate, full, rounded with a lovely balance, fruity with resins, ‘sacher torte’, heavy oils, phenomenally creamy, showing its maturity
  • Finish – Lovely finish with more chocolate, sweetly lingers

There was such a surprise with this one – the initial aroma was not at all inspiring but then on the palate? Just fabulous! And when we went back to the nose, it just became more and more interesting and inviting. Even hours later the empty glass was a delight. This was an exceptional grain and we were lucky to have an opportunity to try it. Whilst now sold out, it was once available at Master of malt for Eur 166.

What do the folks at Master of Malt have to say?

Distilled in July 1988 at Girvan, this single grain Scotch whisky was aged in a single refill hogshead which yielded 230 bottles. After 30 years this special liquid was bottled at 58.1% ABV in March 2019, for Douglas Laing’s Xtra Old Particular series. Very extra and very old indeed.

Tasting Note by The Producer

  • Nose: The nose brings a vanilla fudge character with milky cereal and rhubarb.
  • Palate: The creamy palate bursts with toffee apples, pineapple chunks in syrup and cinnamon.
  • Finish: The finish is long and warming with polished oak, BBQ’d bananas and runny honey.

We then moved on to our next grain… this time 36 years!

Cameronbridge 36 year (Feb 1982/Nov 2018) cask 8289 His Excellency (Bartels Whisky) 51.9% 192 bottles

  • Nose – Clean and fresh, light and very sweet, a hint of fruit, friendly or sympathetic but then… nothing much more
  • Palate – Very sweet, a bit of roasted barley or biscuits, pleasant but unidimensional, some sweet grapes, apples, or even a grappa-like quality
  • Finish – A bitter edge, a touch of caraway

While it had a promising start, it quickly fell short. After the Girvan, we were expecting, well, more. It is a quite pleasant grain, but misses having something distinguishing or remarkable. We concluded that it simply isn’t a ‘solo act’, singing a single simple melody that is nice and uncomplicated but would probably be more interesting when in harmony with others.

What more do we know? Well, the folks at Master of Malt have this to say when it was for sale for EUR 75 – now sold out:

As part of the His Excellency series, Bartels Whisky have bottled a rather delightful 36 Year Old single grain from Cameronbridge, the largest grain distillery in Europe. It was taken from a single cask, filled in February 1982 and then bottled November 2018. A limited outturn of only 192 bottles.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: Cereal notes, creamy milk chocolate and fruit cake with cinnamon and ginger spices.
  • Palate: Stewed apples, another helping of spices and digestive biscuits.
  • Finish: Think scones with clotted cream and zingy jam.

Curious about other experiences with these grains? Here are a few previous brushes:

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