Scottish Whisky

North British Signatory Cask Strength 1991 30 Year

/ / Review, Single Grain / ,

North British Signatory Cask Strength 1991 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

54.7% ABV
$130
Website
North British Signatory 30 Year Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Distilled on: 09/02/1991
Bottled on: 0/25/2022
Matured in a Refill Sherry Butt
Cask No: 262084
Bottle No X of 494

Tasting Notes by The Chaps at Master of Malt:
Nose: Honeyed granola, apple tart, a whiff of vanilla, and buttered popcorn.
Palate: Floral honey and sweet orchard fruit crumble with toasted cereal topping and dustings of brown sugar. Hints of grassy oak beneath.
Finish: Diced nuts and baking spices, with butterscotch balancing peppery heat.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, vanilla butter-cream frosting, honey, oak, leather, bit of cornbread.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with honey, vanilla, toffee, caramel, raisins, plums with some pepper spice.
Finish: Long and drying with caramel, raisins, spice and light roast coffee.
Comments:  Another really solid single grain that is a lovely sipper neat, although it gets even better with just a few drops of water. Brings out some fruit notes on the nose, and on the palate I get some notes of canned pears. If I was better organized, I’d have done a side by side with this sample and the other North British 30 Year Old (which I know is part of why Rich bought both of these). Unfortunately haven’t been as well organized as of late. Although interestingly enough, these were sampled probably 6 weeks apart, and different tasting notes but the same rating

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Single Grain / ,

North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

48.4% ABV
$100
Website
North British 30 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

One of 180 Bottles Charged from a Refill Barrel
Ref DL12798
No Colouring; No Chill Filtration

This Single Cask Was Distilled July 1988 And
Bottled August 2018

Specially Selected for K&L Wines

Nose: Opens with a golden syrup, slight spice and Californian orange quality
Palate: Expect Scottish marmalade with runny honey and lightly toasted pine nuts
Finish: Medium long with a citrus twist, American cream soda and gentle pepper

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, buttercream frosting, hint of baking spices (hermit cookies), light caramel, porridge cereal notes with a subtle hint of citrus.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with a citrus zip, honey, caramel, oak and hints of herbal tea.
Finish:  Long, damp with honey, pepper and vanilla.
Comments:  This is a really nice well aged single grain, and like others – benefits a lot from time in the glass (the old adage of ‘1 min in the glass for every year in the cask’ is asking a lot; I gave it an honest 20 minutes and it was much improved over freshly poured). Delicate and subtle, with a lovely depth on the nose. A bit of water brings a nuttiness to the nose, while the mouthfeel maintains the viscosity and the palate introduces some notes of toffee.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 012

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Batch 012, Bottled Feb 2020

60.1% ABV
$85-$110
Website
Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 012 Islay Single Malt Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Three words can describe Batch 12 with unfettered honesty – full, uncompromising, powerful. We invite you to uncork this particular offering of our Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength to experience the purest taste of the land, sea, and air of Islay. Its distinctive flavor comes from being barrier-filtered (which removes unwanted char particles) and then bottled directly from the barrel after a decade has passed.

This 60.1% vol cask strength full-bodied whisky is a result of this laborious process. There is a smokiness of renown present, as well as particular depths that speak to both an unrestrained sweetness and spiciness. The palate can be overwhelmed by the flavor of fudge, cinnamon, and toffee, as fragrances of leather, vanilla, and pipe tobacco fill the nose. A little watering of the whisky can reveal more features of sea salt and peat smoke.

Colour: Tawny.
Nose: Sweet cereals with biscuit notes, fresh oak, smoked cedar and Manuka honey. Amsterdam pipe tobacco, shoe polish and old leather combined with a touch of waxy church candle, vanilla cream, nutmeg and oak extracts.
Palate: Sweet and spicy, with burnt oak staves, barbecued marshmallows, toffee and sea salt, vanilla and Belgium caramel waffles. Roasted coffee fudge cream on sticky toffee pudding, with a hint of white pepper and crushed cinnamon.
Finish: Floral with spicy oak tannins, iodine and sea salt.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Smokey seaweed, wet bandages, creosote, salty sea air, hint of sulfur, bit of caramel, smoked meat with lemongrass.
Palate:  Warm and oily mouthfeel, peaty and peppery with honeyed biscuits, hint of toffee and lemon.
Finish:  Long with peat, apricots, smoke and iodine.
Comments:  Classic Laphroaig! If you don’t know, it is hard to describe in a way that sounds appealing. In my experience, Laphroaig (and most other Islay peated single malts) can be very polarizing. I don’t know many folks who are on the fence; they either like it a fair amount, or really dislike it pretty strongly. I fall into the ‘like it alot’ camp. In fact Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (batch 003, January 2011, 55.3% ABV) was my first ever single malt scotch whisky purchase. I shared that story here so I won’t repeat it. In fact, I was down to the last 2 ounces of that bottle (which had been decanted more than once, so please hold off on the comments about air time, etc) so I decided to do a side-by-side. This batch 012 definitely had a sharper edge to it, was a bit less sweet and not quite as well balanced. I mistakenly thought I had reviewed that already and didn’t take detailed notes – sorry about that (the only other batch to date we have reviewed is batch 005 which Richard was a fan of). To be clear, while I preferred batch 003, there wasn’t anything off-putting about this one. I find that this makes an excellent smoky old fashioned, with no smoking of glass required!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Arran 24 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

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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Springbank 21 Year

/ / Campbeltown, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Springbank 21 Year
Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$325-600
Website
Springbank 21 Year Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

45% Bourbon, 20% Rum, 20% Sherry, 15% Port

With its warm, golden glow, our 21 year old is inviting, creamy and offers unbelievable complexity. The maritime influence uncovered in this single malt will take you on a journey to its Campbeltown home.

Nose: Notes of citrus zest, pineapple upside-down cake and fudge introduce this year’s Springbank 21 year old. There is a savoury element in the notes of baked gam and tomato vine leaves, with subtle peat smoke coming through on the nose.

Palate: A tropical influence comes through on the palate in the notes of ripe mango, dried coconut and papaya, opening up to notes of liquorice, cola syrup, digestive biscuits, honey and a slight earthiness.

Finish: A long finish with notes of orange zest, campfire embers and caramel.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Dark fruits, figs, dates, raisins, blackcurrants, worn leatherbound book, soft oak, hints of spent matches, anise, blood orange and a bit of smoke.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sherried fruits (raisins, dates, figs), honey, building to wood spices with nutmeg, anise and clove.
Finish:  Long, slightly drying with sherry, soft pepper and bit of smoke.
Comments:  Springbank is damned hard to beat, and this is no exception. Just ridiculously delicious, balanced between the fruit and savory notes. Bit of water rounds out the spice and thickens it nicely. This would be a solid ‘Must Buy’ but the pricing has also gotten ridiculous.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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