Island

Arran 24 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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Arran 24 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Whisky Exchange Exclusive

49.5% ABV
$250
Website
Arran 1996 24 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery/Bottle Says

Non-chill Filtered | Natural Colour
Premium Cask
Exclusive To The Whisky Exchange
24 Years Old
Cask No. 1996/752
Distilled: 19/07/1996
Bottled: 11/03/2021
Bottle No. X/274
700mL
49.5% Vol
Distilled and Matured in Lochranza, Isle of Arran

On the nose there are dusty leather-bound books, dried apples, toffee, oranges and sultanas. The palate is full of toffee popcorn, fruit cake and clotted-cream ice cream drizzled with fudge. The finish is long, with a hint of chilli spice and chimney smoke.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Smoked brisket, dark fruit, brown sugar, balsamic, earthy, campfire, sea salt, biscuits, honey, savory herbs, fennel and worn leather.
Palate:  Oily mouthfeel with sweet peat, honey, bit of chili oil, blackberries, apples, cherries, raisins, and smoke.
Finish:  Moderately long with peat smoke, dried fruit, agave syrup and sea salt.
Comments:  The nose on this is delightfully complex! Very layered and nuanced – one of those drams I could just sit and nose the entire evening – as it does continue to open up with time in the glass.  The palate is really nice as well, although a tad sharp with a bit of a bite. Some water adds citrus and brings spices forward on the nose, and the mouthfeel transitions from oily to a more creamy feel, as well as tamping the bite but only a bit.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Talisker 18 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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Talisker 18 Year Old
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

45.8% ABV
$145-$190
Website
Talisker 18 Year Single Malt Scotch

What the Distillery Says

Produced at the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been made by the sea since 1830, with its smell and taste instantly connecting you to its rugged maritime home. Every sip is a taste of the Isle of Skye itself, one of the most remote, windswept yet beautiful landscapes in Scotland. With wonderful sweetness and warmth, intertwined with just a thread of smoke, Talisker 18 Year Old is an award-winning whisky that is rich and soft but still assertive. Named the ‘Best Single Malt Whisky in the World 2007’ at the World Whiskies Awards, Talisker 18 Year Old is a single malt masterpiece. Talisker 18 Year Old makes a perfect gift for connoisseurs looking to explore new depths of flavour amongst smoky island single malt whiskies.

Serving Suggestion: Best enjoyed neat or add a splash of water or ice to reveal rich notes of plum, orange peel, and toffee.

APPEARANCE: Amber.
BODY: Full bodied, pleasant and smooth.
NOSE: Rich and fruity Victoria plums, greengages, perhaps dried orange peel with some butterscotch or rum toffee and a thread of smoke behind.
PALATE: Sweet in front, then more assertive, with a whiff of smoke. The overall effect is warming. The development is towards smoke, coal-tar, and toffee.
FINISH: Medium length and chilli ‘catch’ in the finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick, rich and smoky, dark fruits, peaches, kiwi, grassy, honey, smoked brisket, hint of balsamic and worn leather.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with honey, fruit, peat smoke, savory spice notes.
Finish:  Long, damp with fruit, pepper spice and subtle peat.
Comments:  I’m a fan of Talisker, and this only reinforces that – a delightful, wonderfully balanced dram with peat, smoke, fruit and savory notes. I could nose this for hours, if it wasn’t so delicious to sip. This is a pour where giving it time in the glass is worth the wait. “They” say to give an aged whiskey 1 minute in the glass for every year on the label. I don’t have that kind of patience, but think I made it a solid 10 minutes, and it was definitely better than when freshly poured.

Rating: Must Try

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Highland Park Old Particular 1997 20 Year Old

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Highland Park Old Particular 1997 20 Year Old
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53.1% ABV
$200
Website
Highland Park Old Particular 20 Year

What the Bottle/Retailer Says

Highland Park is truly a product of its environment. The distillery lays just a few degrees outside the bounds of the Arctic Circle on an island devoid of trees and ravaged by wind, yet relatively mild in temperature swings. This unique location coupled with the extra effort of floor malting their own barley on site are some of the components that lead to an awards list a mile long. This list includes many Gold and Double Gold medals for the distillery and its various bottlings. The barley is malted with local peat from Hobbister Moor, dense in heather, and providing an unusually floral characteristic to the smoke. The gale force winds carry the salt sea air through the barrel houses giving the whisky a salty tanginess that is all together different than the iodine characteristics of Islay. Weighing in at 53.1% alcohol and well below the $550 price tag of the 25 year old distillery bottling, this 20 year old Old Particular cask really struts the salt air and delicate floral smoke. Charged from a refill hogshead.

DL 12125
One of 263 bottles
Distilled September 1997
Bottled September 2017
No Colouring | No Chill Filtration

What Gary Says

Nose:  Tobacco, leather, toffee, peat, hint of dark fruits, bit of creosote, sea air, walnuts and oak.
Palate:  Honey, toffee, caramel, chocolate, nutty with spiced raisins, nutmeg, allspice and salty peat.
Finish:  Long, damp with honey, toffee and peat.
Comments:  Lighter in color than Highland Park’s standard distillery offering, and an interesting perspective without the sherry maturation. Water brings some fruit out and thickens the mouthfeel.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Ledaig Cadenhead 19 Year

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Ledaig 19 Year Cadenhead Small Batch
Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53.7% ABV
$200
Website
Ledaig 19 Year Cadenhead

What the Bottle/Tag Says

Ledaig Distillery
Region: Island
Founded: 1798
Water: Mishnish Loch

The original distillery founded in 1798 was known as Tobermory. The distillery was closed in 1930 and was reopened as Ledaig in 1972. Today Ledaig is the name used for the peated version of Tobermory.

The whisky in this bottle has not been treated to change its colour. It is free from additives and has not been subjected to chill filtration.

Tasting Note:
Nose: Oily, with a hint of sea breeze. Fennel, rosemary and some lemon thyme along with flashes of wet smoke.
Palate: Very oily and then some grassy notes, some wet smoke and hints of aniseed.
Finish: Soft smoke lingers with wet grass and some mineral notes.

Distilled: 1997
Bottled: 2016
Age: 19
Strength: 53.7%
Cask: 1 x Bourbon Hogshead
No. bottles: 240

What Gary Says

Nose:  Oily and medicinal with peat smoke, savory herbs of rosemary, oregano, tarragon and thyme, creosote, sea air, heather and wisps of smoked fish.
Palate:  Oily mouthfeel, peat, minerality, smoke, vanilla, raw honey, pepper spice and a hint of anise.
Finish:  Long and thick with smoke, peat and vegetal notes.
Comments: Compared to the 14 year, this is lighter in color and is absent the lovely fruit notes (both due to the bourbon cask rather than the sherry). This is much more of a peat beast, which I enjoy a really peat-focused dram on occasion. A bit of water thickens this up really nicely, bringing out more sweetness with vanilla, subtle caramel and a bit of white chocolate (and I love how it clouds up with some water – thank you non-chill filtration!) I’d recommend letting this sit in the glass for a bit, as it helps take some of the edge off.  A very different dram than the 14 year, and really highlights the influence of the cask itself.  While Laphroaig was my first true love in the world of Scotch, over the years I’ve found I definitely reach for more sherry and port matured whisky – but variety is the spice of life.

Rating: Stands Out

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Ledaig Gordon & MacPhail 14 Year

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Ledaig 14 Year Gordon & MacPhail
Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky

57.5% ABV
$140
Website
Ledaig 14 Year Gordon & MacPhail

What the Bottle Says

Cask Strength
LEDAIG
From Tobermory Distillery
DISTILLED: 21/09/2000
CASK: Refill Sherry Hogshead
BOTTLED: 20/01/2015
REGION: Island
Aged 14 Years In Oak Cask
Natural Colour | Non-Chill Filtered

Each expression in our Cask Strength range is unique. A small selection of casks is carefully chosen and the contents bottled – always at natural strength and colour, with no chill filtering.

LEDAIG FROM TOBERMORY DISTILLERY 2000, 57.5% ALC/VOL
Smoked cured meat aromas with hints of leather and orange. The palate is sweet with fruit flavors, complemented by hints of bonfire embers.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich fruit and peat, leather, pipe smoke, kiwi, nectarines, medicinal, tobacco, smoked pork roast and ashy.
Palate:  Thick and viscous mouthfeel, oily, fruitcake with a healthy dose of peat smoke, blood oranges, raisins, pepper spice, honey, walnuts, savory spice notes including tarragon.
Finish:  Long and syrupy sweet with dark fruits, pepper, peat and smoked meats.
Comments:  This is my 2nd Ledaig and is lovely! The non-chill filtration is much appreciated, and really adds so much to the mouthfeel and palate. Just thick and syrupy throughout. I love the balance between the sweet and savory. A bit of water thickens this up even more, and brings the fruit forward along with baked pastries. I picked this up at a local package store during the pandemic (February 2021). I am a fan of independent bottlings, although rarely do I buy a second bottle (figuring I’d rather have a new experience and try something else). This was an exception to that, and I’m glad I picked up a second bottle. I liked it so much, that while grabbing that second bottle (in January 2022), I picked up another independent bottling of Ledaig (this one a 19 year from Cadenhead).

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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