Scottish Whisky

Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

51.4% ABV
$375-600
Website
Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Aged 25 Years
The Best of Speyside
Cragganmore
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Natural Cask Strength
An elegant, sophisticated Speyside with the most complex aroma of any malt. Astonishingly fragrant with rich dried fruits and a finely scented finish.

[Additional details found on various other websites indicate this was released in 2014 as part of Diageo Special Releases; distilled in 1988 and matured in refill American and European oak casks, with only 3,372 bottles released; my sample was from bottle 2,765.]

What Gary Says

Nose: Light, heather, floral, vanilla, honey, grassy with a hint of earthy mineral note and nylon rope.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, warming with vanilla custard, orange blossom honey, baked apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and chili oil.
Finish: Moderate in length, drying with citrus and cracked pepper.
Comments: This is a nice, nuanced single malt. It definitely benefits from some time in the glass.  I also preferred it with a few drops of water, which brought out notes of tangerines on the nose and thickened the mouthfeel as it tamped the spicier edges (and brought more citrus to the party). I tried this alongside another Cragganmore offering of similar age (26 year old), and this was noticeably lighter in color.

Rating: Stands Out

Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition Read More »

Longmorn 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53% ABV
$440-$600 (700 mL)
Website
Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Triple Cask Matured
American Oak Barrels, Hogsheads and Butts

Rich and fruity on the nose with notes of ripe plum, fresh peach, plump sultanas and a touch of cinnamon. Incredibly sweet on the palate with a hint of spice. Dry in character, the finish is long and smooth.

Non Chill-Filtered
Cask Strength

What Gary Says

Nose: Leather, stewed fruits, plums, raisins, tangerines, peaches, oak, cinnamon and sultanas.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruit with peaches, apples, pears and kiwi, cracked pepper, chili oil and oak.
Finish: Long and drying with pepper spice fading to fruit notes.
Comments: This is just delightful (as I hoped it might be, given some wonderful expressions of Longmorn I’ve had the pleasure to try. This has a bit more bite than some of those, and time in the glass helps this one quite a bit. A bit of water also helps tamp down those sharper edges, and brings a bit more of a citrus bent to the fruit notes on the nose (although this drinks really well at 53%)
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Longmorn 25 Year Limited Edition Read More »

Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

45.8% ABV
$920
Website
Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

From the rugged western shores of the Isle of Skye comes a richly flavoured, maritime malt, with a warming afterglow. So easy to enjoy yet, like Skye itself, so hard to leave.
Bottle 0516 of 2100
Distilled at Talisker
The Only Distillery On The Isle of Skye

What Gary Says

Nose: Peat, earthy, smoked meat with salty, briney sea air, citrus, oak and creosote.
Palate: Creamy and thick mouthfeel with honey, vanilla, nutmeg, toffee, caramel, milk chocolate and peat.
Finish: Long and damp with honey, chocolate orange and bit of peat smoke.
Comments: I love how the nose on this leans into the peaty/earthy/smokey goodness that you’d expect from Talisker. If you weren’t familiar, the palate might catch you off guard with the honeyed sweetness where the peat smoke steps back quite a bit. This is a really lovely expression from Talisker, although I can’t imagine paying retail for it.
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out

Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition Read More »

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old London Edition Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old London Edition Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

50.5% ABV
$400
Website
Glenfarclas 25 Yr Old London Edition The Whiskey Exchange Exclusive

What the Retailer Says

Made at Glenfarclas distillery and matured in oloroso sherry casks for a quarter of a century before being bottled to celebrate The Whisky Exchange’s 20th Anniversary. Aromas of meadow flowers, baked apples, barley sugar and buttery brioche fill the nose, developing into earthy coffee and sweet raisins. The palate opens with notes of fruit cake, salted caramel and rich oak, developing buttery pastry, raisins and fruity espresso flavours and dry waxiness.

This bottle features a specially-created label, designed by our creative director Raj Chavda to pay tribute to London’s vibrant hospitality industry.

Tasting Notes (courtesy of Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange)
Nose: Meadow flowers and barley sugar sit on top of a pile of sultanas and baked apples. Fragrant wax-polished oak follows, with freshly scraped vanilla pods and a touch of pine sap. Buttered brioche and fruit loaf notes develop along with mixed peel and a hint of cream. Hiding underneath is a bed of Eccles-cake raisins and earthy ground coffee.
Palate: Rich and oily, with well-fruited sponge cake leading to salted caramel and old oak tables. Singed, buttered toast and buttery pastry are wrapped around fruity espresso and raisins. Dried apple rings liberally spread with blackcurrant jam and sprinkled with brown sugar sit in the middle. Behind everything is an elegant waxiness and freshly polished pine boards.
Finish: Lingering sweet spice, light char, sultanas and a touch of hay and honeysuckle.
Comment: An elegant Glenfarclas. The sherry punch of the regular 25 year old is dialled back to reveal orchard fruit as well as a layer of rich dried vine fruit and peel. Espresso notes run through the middle, making sure things don’t get too sweet and reminding us that this came from an oloroso cask.

What Gary Says

Nose: Raisins, plums, leather, figs, orange peel, floral notes with a hint of sulfur in the back.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with fruit cake, caramel, raisins, bits of dark chocolate, honey, and a hint of gingerbread.
Finish: Long and syrupy with dates, sherry and chocolate.
Comments: I had the pleasure of doing a side-by-side tasting of this with the retail Glenfarclas 25 Year (43% ABV), and this was hands down a better whisky. Much darker in the glass, with a note that was deeper and richer. That 7.5% ABV does quite a lot! There was a resemblence, but this was taking the Glenfarclas 25 Year and turning the volume to 11. Just absolutely delicious! The fine folks at the Whiskey Exchange are good at this, as this is my favorite Glenfarclas to date, followed by their exclusive 15 year offering that’s not longer available.

Rating: Must Try

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old London Edition Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange Read More »

Deanston 1995 26 Year Old Gleann Mór Rare Find

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Deanston 1995 26 Year Old Gleann Mór Rare Find
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

52.2% ABV
$200-$250
Website
Rare Find Gleann Mor Spirits Company Deanston 26 Years Old

What the Bottle Says

RARE FIND – Gleann Mór Spirits Company
Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distilled at Deanston
Bottled from Cask No. 4392A
Aged 26 Years
Aromas of baked apples, Christmas cake and cinnamon; ginger sponge and almond pastries on the palate with a warming, spiced dried fruit finish.
Distilled 195 | Bottled 0222
Non-chill Filtered | Natural Colour
52.2% alc/vol

What Gary Says

Nose: Spongecake, pineapple, coconut, figs, almonds, pears and lemon squares.
Palate: Thick and creamy mouthfeel with chocolate fudge, hazelnut, apples, lemon, bit of raisins, honey and cinnamon.
Finish: Long, thick and syrupy with baking spices and chocolate malt.
Comments: I haven’t had any experience (that I can recall at least) with Deanston, but this is just delicious! On some sites (namely Whiskybase and reddit) this offering shows to be finished in sherry, while on other sites it shows a single bourbon cask for the entire duration. I’ve seen images of other 26 year old Deanston that isn’t nearly as dark, so I’m not entirely sure. If it was sherry finished, it was done so exquisitely and with a deft hand, bringing some notes I’d associate with that (chocolate fudge, figs raisins) but just adding another dimension without overshadowing what the bourbon cask brought to the party. This has intensity of flavor with a delicate complexity – absolutely delightful dram!

Rating: Must Try

Deanston 1995 26 Year Old Gleann Mór Rare Find Read More »